珍妮: 生活記憶存檔

Moneyball

2012-01-21T11:07:00.004+08:00

If you hesitate about watching this movie because you don't like (or know) anything about baseball, you should think again. That's because this movie "Money Ball" is not really about the game.

The movie tells the story of Billy, the General Manager of Oakland Athletics. Oakland athletics is not the Yankees; it is a small team facing very unfavorable financial situation. What’s worse is that the team just loses 3 very major players. With the limited budget, Billy needs to figure out a way to make his team work, and he realizes that if he is sticking with the old way the baseball industry make decisions, there is no way he can make the team work. He decides to take on a very drastic approach: He finds a guy who is a Yale graduate in Economics to run analysis on data on players. Everyone in the baseball industry thinks that he is crazy. However, with better and better usage of the analysis, he is able to make this team win 20 victories in a row. However, his team still fails to win the final match. Because of the final loss, the baseball industry thinks that Billy’s scientific approach just doesn’t work.

There is a great scene in the movie, when the talent scouts talks about how to replace the 3 players the team has lost. Each talent scout tries to convince Billy by describing how he thinks a particular player is good. And just like Billy said, these people actually make the recommendation based on nothing but their own personal instincts. And when challenged by Billy, these old talent scouts shout, “We know baseball, we have the experience!”

This reminds me how people are running businesses these days. There are just so many presumed ways of doing things, and since these ways have been carried out for ages, no one dare to challenge it. Then whenever someone suggest a new or more logical approach to do ways, people get offended, saying things like “Oh! But there’s the way things have been done for years!”

I guess the movie concludes very well, “These people who refuse to accept the new way of playing baseball are dinosaurs….they want to write this thing off because they are scared that they will lose their jobs”. People are scared because they know they are talking bullshit, and they are worried that if they can’t evolve, they are going to go jobless.

We all should remind ourselves not be one of the dinosaurs.

Ramen again!

2012-01-18T14:52:00.001+08:00

Ramen again, a photo by jennytwchung on Flickr.

唔想排隊, 轉食番一平安

Real Steel

2012-01-18T11:07:00.002+08:00

I wasn't interested in watching this movie when it was out last year. But the people around me kept telling me how good this movie is, so I finally grabbed a copy and watched it. And "Real steel" turned out to be as good as my friends said.

I am always excited to watch a good Hollywood movie. I know that in these days, the word “Hollywood” can easily be equated with “Shallow” or “Commercial”. Some critics even consider Hollywood movies as meaningless as they are purely made for entertainment. But I think all of us need to remember how films were 1st invented: they were exactly made to entertain a mass audience.

Therefore, to me, there’s nothing wrong if a movie was created to entertain. However, whether it can deliver more than just pure entertainment is the key.
And I think “Real Steel” has done a pretty good job. If you are just seeking for entertainment, this movie can satisfy all your needs. There are a number of exciting robot-fighting scenes throughout the movie to keep you entertained.

But entertainment aside, what I like about this movie is how the director actually put even more effort in telling a story about men vs. machines. In the film, the world has entered an era when computers replace human in many functions. People look for the latest robot models, thinking that only the best technology deserve to play in the game. However, what they have forgotten is that a machine, no matter how advanced, can only perform what the humans ask it to do. It is just a blank sheet that needs to be filled with real substance by people!

Therefore, it is not surprising that in “real steel”, an old robot controlled by a real boxer actually can fight head to head with the most expensive robot on earth. That’s because the boxer has real fighting experience and techniques that he earns by years of practice, while the component is just a programmer who probably has never punched anyone in his life.

And I think the style of the movie also proves a similar point. Although the whole movie is all about robots and machines, the director is not caught up with playing with the most advanced CG technology. He is just using it to make the story work.

I really hope that other Hollywood directors can learn from this movie and stop creating 3D images that only makes me want to vomit.

早會Doodling

2012-01-17T16:13:00.001+08:00

Doodle, a photo by jennytwchung on Flickr.

大清早開會, 能令我清醒的, 除了咖啡, 就是於記事薄上亂畫一餐.....

魂: 太多人，食唔到 :(

2012-01-13T14:43:00.001+08:00

魂: 太多人，食唔到, a photo by jennytwchung on Flickr.

又是新拉麵店. 點知去到, 已經多人到連排隊都冇得排了.
好想試呀!!!!!!!!!!

crazy funny panda

2012-01-13T01:02:00.004+08:00

Panda, chopsticks and tire....All these things are not connected.

but somehow the Japanese can connect the dots and create a game with these 3 elements.

There are many ways to play the game, basically you have to use chopsticks to balance pandas on a tire.

It's a super silly game but it's also super fun

I think only Japanese can come up with a game idea like this!

THE PEOPLE'S PARTY HK 2012

2012-01-12T15:29:00.004+08:00

近來香港多了很多show, 多到我睇唔哂兼破產! 不過有這樣多好band 來港, 我真的好感恩了!

而今次的 The People's Party, 雖然不是什麼大band, 但其實個line up 都算不錯.
我真心推介這3隊bands:

來自澳洲的The Jezabels, 女主音唱得很好. 歌好好聽, 不過不太適合玩live. I espeically like this song:
The Jezabels - "Mace Spray"

來自new zealand 的 The Naked & Famous, live 出乎意料的好看. 而且原來在香港有fans, 很多歌在一些外國劇集都有feature:-
The naked & famous - punching in a dream

而來自UK 的Metronomy,上年給nme magazine 大力推薦, 這首因為有"Hong Kong"的歌詞而很喜愛, mv 也好cool:
the metronomy - the bay

The Girl with Dragon Tattoo - 2011 US version

2012-01-06T22:32:00.003+08:00

Before I start writing about this US adaptation of "The Girl with Dragon Tattoo", I think it would be more politically correct to state here how I am totally obssessed with the original Sweden version. And I know I am a bit biased even though I ask myself not to me.

The fact is, I still prefer the original Sweden version. However, it doesn't mean that this US version is bad. In fact, there are parts that I am quite amazed by how director David Fincher injects things that cannot be found in the European movie adaptation.

The first thing I like about this US version is that the director wasn't shy to portray violence. When I think that the Sweden is very brave to show so many violent images, this US version pushes it even further. And these violence elements are not put there to make the movie look more exciting; they are there to disturb and challenge the audiences. The female persona Lisbeth is one complex character who went through so much in her life. The audiences need to witness all these pain she went through to have a little understanding of why Lisbeth becomes Lisbeth. And I think this US version has done a pretty good job.

The other thing I like about this US version is the soundtrack of the film. Not only is the opening theme song by Trent Reznor and Karen O amazingly cool, the whole film's music effects helps so much in building suspense. And I like how these effects are actually subtle, without being too overwhelming.

Okay, enough about what I like, time for things that I don't like.

I personally think that the biggest problem is having Daniel Craig play the character Mikael. Honestly, I think that Craig is not bad at all in playing this role. However, he is just way too handsome and cool to be Mikael.

In the story, Lisbeth (supposedly a lesbian) jumped into Mikael's bed and slept with him. This is a very important scene as Lisbeth has never developed trust in men (since she has been abused by men her whole life), and Mikael is the first man that she ever trust.

But in this US version, we saw Daniel Craig taking all this clothes off (because he was soaked wet), and then we saw Lisbeth trying to have sex with him. If someone hasn't read the book or watched the Sweden version, he might think that Lisbeth did that because Mikael is a handsome and sexy guy (Come on! Look at Daniel Craig's body! It's not surprisingly that girls want to sleep with him!)

And for the character Lisbeth, I have to say that I also prefer the performance by Noomi Rapace. But I do give credits to Rooney Mara who does portray the character in her own unique way (relatively more sensitive and feminine).

Overall, I am still quite satisfied with David Fincher's interpretation of the book. I was so worried that it will be a totally Hollywood style movie that has lost the story's original charm, but it turns out to be another nice piece of work.

Scissor Sisters Live in Hong Kong!!!

2012-01-06T17:01:00.002+08:00

1st concert in 2012! Crazy night! Jake was super hot. Ana was great on stage! I kept dancing so hard I was sweating at the end of the show!!!

Let us all keep on dancing!!

Partir (Eng: Leaving)

2012-01-03T00:16:00.002+08:00

Don't be fooled by the poster of this movie, this film is not another romantic chick flick.

The film is about a married woman (played by Kristin Scott Thomas) who fell in love with a handyman. Her love and affection towards him was so intense that she decided to give everything up to be with him. she was even willing to leave her husband and her kids behind. But when she thought she was truly having the most passionate love life ever, she had to face the fact that she was encountering a lot of financial difficulties as she was no longer supported by her husband.

If you ask me what the core theme of this movie is, I would say that it's all about the conflict within love and possessions. What possessions would you be willing to give up for love? Are you willing to give up a comfortable life to be with a guy you love? How much does love really worth? In the movie, even her lover urged her to go back to her husband as he felt ashamed that all he could provide her was a shitty life. Choosing love over a good life seemed just like an irrational idea in this world.

What's worse is that many people confuses love with possession. The husband in the movie strongly believed that his wife "belonged" to him. Therefore, when he found out about the affair, all he asked was, "Did you sleep with him? How many times?", as if his wife was his pet. And after his wife was gone, he used his power to make his wife suffer in financial terms so that she would go back to him. But is it really love that motivates him to chase back his wife? Or is it only his anger and his pride?

Kristen is amazing in the movie. In fact, it is her that makes this whole film work. With her outstanding performance, you can really feel the struggle that the character was going through.

McDonald's closing in Bolivia

2011-12-28T14:38:00.002+08:00

"Fast-food represents the complete opposite of what Bolivians consider a meal should be. To be a good meal, food has to have be prepared with love, dedication, certain hygiene standards and proper cook time." WOW! I wanna move to Bolivia!!

Read the original article:

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com%2Fnotitas-de-noticias%2Fdetails%2Fmcdonalds-closes-all-their-restaurants-in-bolivia%2F12787%2F&h=uAQEDz50NAQGbuXEMLP6GVdkuyX8TRO2mvAY9g3jzhpOYBA

Sarah's Key

2011-12-28T10:00:00.000+08:00

Of course, this movie is about war and how it affects people from generation to generation.

But to me, this movie is also a story about how you face your own past. Many of us choose to deny our past, thinking that it will all disappear by itself. But the truth is, the more you try to forget, the more you are actually clinging onto it.

Watching "Kika" again

2011-12-26T13:46:00.001+08:00

After watching "The skin I live in" by Almodovar, I don’t know why I have a strong urge to watch his early movie "Kika" again.

I watched "Kika" long long time ago (when I still consider myself a kid). I can only remember that I find the movie fun, but I don’t think I really got it at that point in time.

Watching "Kika" again now, I think I finally have matured enough to understand more. And I also understand why I think about “Kika” after watching "The skin I live in", as there are just so many similarities in terms of both plot and style.

One key similarity of the movies is the trigger point of the storyline. Both stories are triggered by a visit by a crazy relative. In "Kika", it's the maid's brother who has problems withholding his sexual desire; and in "The skin that I live in", it's the maid's son who just escaped from jail (who is also hungry for women after staying in jail for some long). Before these relatives enter the story, things seem to be quite normal among all other characters (at least apparently). However, when one uncontrolled person enters, the well hidden craziness in other characters cannot be covered up any longer. And it’s not a coincidence that these crazy criminals are not random people but relatives, like how the maid in “the skin I live in” described, “It’s all in the genes!”

And I am also surprised to see that the technique of using old paintings existed in both “Kika” and “The skin I live in”. In “Kika”, the director used an ancient nude painting to illustrate the sexual act that the character is doing; while in “The skin I live in”, the director uses it to illustrate the human’s obsession towards body/skin. I think this technique is very clever. Firstly, the paintings help communicate images that might be too much to show using real person; but more importantly, it help illustrates that these kind of obsessions/sickness has been existing ever since : It was captured in paintings back then, while now it’s captured in celluloid.

Of course, there are more than just the two similarities I mentioned above between the two movies, but I am not going to go too deep into doing a real analysis (after all, this is not a film critic essay to pass midterm). But discovering these similarities make me confirm even more that Almodovar is a true auteur: he might have the same story/theme that he would like to tell through these years, but he has been perfecting his skills over the years, and he is really a true master now.

"The skin I live in"

2011-12-25T18:44:00.003+08:00

There are a lot of things I want to write about this movie. But it will involve too much disclosing of the plot, and it won't be fun anymore when you go watch it.
All I have to say is that Almodóvar is really a genius. There are so many little subtle devices he used in the movie that give the story additional meaning and texture. One good example is how he uses European old nude paintings in the set to show how people have been obsessed with skin/body since the very beginning.
The topics this film talks about are actually quite in line with what the director has always been interested in exploring: love, obsession, gender issues, & relationship with mothersg. Only this time, the director tells the story cleverly by adding a sci-fi wrapping paper. I would say that this movie is like a Almodóvar's version of Frankenstein, which is definitely funkier and crazier.
Again, not to disclose too much, go grab a ticket and see it for yourself! :P

Merry Xmas!!!

2011-12-25T10:33:00.002+08:00

Merry Xmas everyone!!! If your apartment is too small for a Christmas tree (like mine), remember we can always be the tree ourselves :)

Lana Del Rey - Born To Die

2011-12-20T10:54:00.000+08:00

I don't know if it's her voice, the lyrics, or the hot male model in this MTV, I just get totally addicted to this song.

Sherlock Holmes

2011-12-18T14:49:00.002+08:00

Guy Ritchie's 1st movie "Lock stock and 2 smoking barrels" has always been one of my favorites. But I don't know what happened, after that movie, he just started to suck (and I always wonder if that has anything to do with his marriage to Madonna....)
Anyways, just when I was about to conclude that he would never make a come back again, Guy made the movie "Sherlock Holmes". Finally, I see the same kind of wit and energy I once witnessed in "Lock stock and 2 smoking barrels".
Guy's cinematic style is very distinctive. He likes playing around with time sequences and slow motion. When he uses these skills properly, you can't help but say this guy is such a genius. The problem is that sometimes (Well...to be more accurate: most of the times), he just gets too carried away! and his movie just turns into a stylish MTV.
But I guess after so many failures, he finally understands what is the right amount of style to be put in a movie to make it work. And the Sherlock Holmes series is definitely one of his best movies in recent years.
And Robert Downey Jr. did such a fantastic job in playing Sherlock. He basically makes Sherlock Holmes cool. You might not like him as a person, but you can't deny that he is a very good actor.
I am really looking forward to watching another Sherlock Holmes movie by Guy soon.

Clockenflap!!!!

2011-12-13T23:00:00.002+08:00

, a photo by jennytwchung on Flickr.

All close friends of mine know how much I enjoy attending music festivals overseas. And I always wish that Hong Kong will have such festivals as well.

There aren't many successful music festivals held in Hong Kong in the past decade. "Rock it" in Victorial park was actually not bad, with Ian brown as the headliner. I don't know why this festival can't be continued...I guess it's probably lack of funding).

But finally things are turning up. Finally this year, we have Clockenflap here! And it's free!! Amazing!

West Kowloon is not a bad venue at all. It's pretty awesome to listen to music while looking over the beautiful harbor.

Of course, I won't say that the atmosphere of Clockenflap is as good as the festivals overseas, but it's still a very good start.

The line up is not bad too. There is a good balance between international acts and local acts.
I really enjoyed watching Bombay bicycle club and the Cribs. You can tell they are excited to be playing here in Hong Kong. I danced so hard that I didn't feel cold at all after the show.

Oh! and witnessing the lunar eclipse so clearly at the venue is definitely a very amazing bonus!

I hope there will be another Clockenflap next year. I don't even mind if they charge me for tickets! Please keep bringing good bands to Hong Kong!

Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers (Director: Tarik Saleh)

2011-12-06T18:42:00.000+08:00

近日沉迷 lykke li.
這位瑞典女子, 看起來有點神經質,帶點edginess. 你說她漂亮又不是, 不漂亮也不是. 如果要形容, 我會說她是"有趣".

她原來出道了好幾年, 第一張album更竟然是我喜愛的 "Peter Bjorn and John" 的bjorn 所監製.

她的歌, 開始聽的時侯覺得她的聲音有點怪, 但聽落就覺得佢其實把聲超型.
"i follow rivers" 應該是比較popular 的單曲 (可能因為glee有重唱過). 另一首推介是"get some", 也是愈聽愈有味道!

"Beloved"

2011-12-05T23:11:00.002+08:00

I didn't anything about this movie before I bought the ticket (and I bought the ticket just because I want to see Catherine Deneuve). I was really surprised to find that that this movie is actually a musical.
Despite the fact that I am a huge fan of Catherine, I still have to be honest and say that this movie isn’t that great. In fact, the story just is a bit too long; and having people sing a whole song when the story is already dreadful isn't really such a good idea. For most part of the movie, you just see the actors and actresses walking down the streets singing. To be honest, the whole movie feels like a collection of really terrible music videos put together.
I read online that the director of this film is trying to pay tribute to Jacques Demy. However, I really he misses the beauty of Jacques’ movie. The songs should help tell the story, if they are just there to be the movie looks “stylish”, it just won’t work!

豚王大作戰~~

2011-12-01T10:43:00.001+08:00

, a photo by jennytwchung on Flickr.

豚王中環店人實在大多....我這個沒耐性的人, 又怎會去排隊...所以雖然一直想試, 但始終沒有吃過!
而當我知道豚王會於銅鑼灣開業, 就去看看情況有沒有中環店般恐怖.
可能是我吃午飯的時間較晚, 我到了門口只有10多人....等了不夠10分鐘, 我就已經可以就坐了.
而我覺得這10分鐘是很值得花, 因為拉麵真的很好吃~ 湯很濃, 但吃下去不肥膩. 下一點水果醋, 不但有助去油膩, 還令湯底變得香甜. 我點了多蔥多木耳的, 令我十分滿足! 還有生蒜, 真的好味到爆! 我叫了走叉燒, 不過朋友說叉燒也很好吃.
最可惜是吃不到我想吃的玉子!! 希望下次可以吃得到.
雖然麵是有點貴, 但我覺得還是算物超所值. 特別相比一風堂的超油膩拉麵!!!!

柚皮

2011-11-25T11:11:00.001+08:00

My fav. -- 柚皮！, a photo by jennytwchung on Flickr.

柚皮是我的最愛. 但卻很少地方吃得到, 真正好吃的就更難找了.

今晚試了銅鑼灣新斗記的蝦子柚皮. 不過不失.
蝦子味基本上欠奉. 柚皮不夠"林", 也不算是入味.

到底, 什麼地方才吃到好吃的柚皮呢!?

一風堂

2011-11-22T10:41:00.001+08:00

一風堂, a photo by jennytwchung on Flickr.

終於吃了一風堂.....只可以說是"期望愈大, 失望愈大".
湯....太濃, 濃得有點先咽不下的感覺; 而且很油, 我要放大量酸薑才可以平衡到....
但我所想要的辛辣味, 卻偏偏吃不出來....
唯一可取的應該是麵本身, 挺有咬口的.

又是吃....

2011-11-21T15:44:00.003+08:00

朋友家的盛宴....果然厲害!
大閘蟹又肥美又多肉. 我吃了三大隻!

還有海南雞, 花膠湯, 薑醋, 薑汁湯圓及大量外賣小菜.....
真的是大滿足.

不過也相信膽固醇應該要超標了....今年的大閘蟹宴要告一段落了~~

Self indulgence @ Slices Pizzeria

2011-11-17T23:32:00.002+08:00

Self indulgence, a photo by jennytwchung on Flickr.

我喜歡吃Pizza, 特別了美國style的.
於CWB的Slices Pizzeria開了好一陣子,都沒有機會去吃. 今日因為工作關係路過, 又剛好因為公事好激死, 就去狠狠的吃了一大塊Pizza.
又幾好食喎! 芝士味幾濃! 真是有一點點美國風味! 下之TRY TRY 4 CHEESE, 如果都好吃, 就真係要成日去幫襯下
不過, 應該真的好肥下.....見到 D 油....不過算啦, 要吃就不要想太多.
好吃的大都是會吃肥人.....