Almost Buddhist - 戲‧論

★★☆☆☆   I went to the cinema for the first time in quite a long time to catch ‘Alien: Romulus’, which is set in between ‘ Alien ’ and ‘Aliens’, and considered more like a carefree spin-off than any serious prequel or sequel to the series. In case you’re still curious, ‘Alien: Romulus’ offers no answers or links to whatever’s left unsolved in Ridley Scott’s ‘ Prometheus ’ and ‘ Alien: Covenant ’ that reminds me of when I last bought a film ticket. 7 years ago! 2017! Time flying is so much scarier and deadlier than any alien I guess! To me 1979’s ‘Alien’ is an undisputed sci-fi horror classic, unbeatable and incomparable, period. Even James Cameron’s ‘Aliens’, despite well told and choreographed, is still more like a forgettable action showoff than a psychological slow-burn horror that would make one itch to revisit from time to time. And all those sequels and crossovers coming up later are either jokes or trash! Sir Ridley Scott therefore, has made up two prequels to his own ‘Alie...

  ★★★☆☆ 'Stowaway', like the title suggests, centers on an incident where a space mission to Mars is interrupted by a launch engineer hiding onboard, endangering the lives of the original crew of three! If you've seen ' Arctic ', Director Joe Penna's previous film about the spirit of sticking around in an extremely harsh environment, you'd probably have a sense already of what 'Stowaway' is going to give. Penna's way of escalating the tension bit by bit to a seemingly dire scenario is as ingenious here, despite flaws like how that engineer is supposed to be stuck up there unconsciously without being noticed at all before the take-off; and his back story told awkwardly afterwards seems too cheap and corny to do any justice anyways! 'Stowaway' is by no means a typical sci-fi flick. By typical I mean there're spectacular scenes involving jaw-dropping action, visually stunning special effects or camerawork like those in ' Gravity ...

★★★☆☆ 'T1' is a bomb. ' T2 ' is a nuclear bomb. And the rest are just like bullshit, except this one, which is considered the best thing to the franchise since 'T2', and yes, it is, in a way! Years later, 'Terminator: Dark Fate' finally gets Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor, the real soul of the series, and James Cameron as the producer, and of course Arnie all back together to make this 'genuine sequel' happen. If you're a fan of action films or 'Terminators', 'Dark Fate' shouldn't be a miss. In fact, it's even a bit better than 'T1', I guess. Some said 'T2' basically destroys the series because it's damn too good to be surpassed for its successors. This is so true that you'd better put 'T2' aside if you wish to enjoy 'Dark Fate'! The formula stays much the same: machines sent from the future, one to protect, one to terminate the mother of the savior of mankind. That is...

★★☆☆☆ 'Ad Astra' in Latin means 'to the stars', but Brad Pitt's Roy is not going to be able yet to travel to any star. He's just setting out for Neptune, one of the planets in our solar system, to find his missing father who is considered the cause of probably the end of mankind. The film feels like part ' Gravity ', part '2001: A Space Odyssey', part ' Interstellar '. It's artistic but not gripping. It's thought-provoking in a sense but not thrilling at all. It starts off attractively but it zonks me out just half way through! Brad's cool and hot and invincible as usual, like a super human being getting super difficult missions super easy done! Gotta say, I checked it out because of him. I wonder, without him, would it draw any attention anyways? Alright, I know 'Ad Astra' is not about how men do stuff. It's more about what and why they do it. Why are we still busy looking up at the stars while we can...

☆☆☆☆☆ Don’t mistake ‘The Predator’ for ‘Predator’! ‘Predator’ is a genre classic from 1987 featuring Arnie in his greatest shape fighting off a horrifying never before seen alien monster. ‘The Predator’ is supposed to be a salute to the classic itself as the director, Shane Black, is one of the original crew into the forest to meet the ugly back in the 1987 film, but it’s a total mess, the terrible of the terrible. It’s retarded in every aspect. The dialogues are retarded. The fights are carefree, and retarded. The story is rushing, and retarded with no setup or buildup or whatsoever. The acting is retarded. And this time for the very first time, they introduced, ladies and gentlemen, the predator dogs! But don’t get carried away yet, because they’re retarded as well. (Shane Black in the front, right behind are Arnie and Carl Weathers in the original 'Predator' film) Maybe I was retarded too to want to check it out and even finish watching it. I wonder, why they’d w...

★★★★☆ Don’t get fooled by the trailers or the poster that this is a Star War-like action-packed sci-fi spectacular. The action sequences are in fact very few. But yeah, ‘Blade Runner 2049’ is a spectacular absolutely, for it’s visually stunning and narratively satisfying! The running time is more than two hours long but the whole journey is never boring. You get drawn, flabbergasted and fascinated throughout thanks to the haunting score and stylish pictures, or say, lighting and cinematography. And of course Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford have both put on decent and captivating performances in such an artsy, philosophical sci-fi masterpiece to date. With ‘Blade Runner 2049’, Director Denis Villeneuve has once again proved that he’s one of the best filmmakers diligently working in Hollywood. High quantity doesn’t necessarily mean bad quality though. Denis has been making impressive films at an impressive speed, like 2010’s ‘Incendies’, 2013’s ‘Prisoners’, 2015’s ‘ Sicario ’ and...

★★☆☆☆ The film feels like a mix of a bit of this and that. The opening that reminds me of ‘ Gravity ’ kicking off with a long take is kind of cool, but as it develops, it starts losing its charm as it seems to fail to deliver a claustrophobic situation like the one in ‘Alien’. Yea, similarly there’s a thing getting bigger by killing, but for I don’t know what purpose, and the crew are dying one by one like a cliché, which you’d find emotionally unattached, and making no sense as a matter of fact. And the ending is like what the hell! You may consider it a twist or a surprise but I don’t think it’s necessary. It only makes the film look cheaper! Stephen Hawking has always warned us not to make contact with aliens because ‘they will be vastly more powerful and may not see us as any more valuable than we see bacteria’. Still we’re doing the best we can to go further and further to look for extraterrestrial life, and prove that we are not alone! So what if we are not alone? Would ...

★★★☆☆ ‘Alien Covenant’ is a direct sequel to 2012’s ‘ Prometheus ’, which audaciously hints that we and aliens are actually made by the same maker the Engineers, and also a second prequel to 1979’s ‘ Alien ’, a classic that stands out in its genre for decades to come. Director Ridley Scott says there could be two more prequels after ‘Covenant’ before we finally go on to ‘Alien’, so I don’t expect it’d reveal much about the Engineers but there’s too little to feel satisfied at all. ‘Prometheus’ leaves us many questions unanswered. ‘Covenant’ leaves us a few more, which is why I feel kind of frustrated watching it. There’s a very short flashback where android David (Michael Fassbender) is wiping out the Engineers by releasing those black goo to the air when he arrives on their home planet. Why? Do the Engineers create and own the black goo, or they collect it from somewhere else? And what for? What happens to Dr. Shaw and David exactly? Since the film hints that it’s David who m...

★★★☆☆ ‘Ghost In The Shell’ is supposed to be deep and thought-provoking like everybody expects but as the 1995’s animation film doesn’t strike me much after all, I don’t expect this live-action version to be any better. Turns out it’s not! The setup is pretty plain and understandable. There’s nothing that would make you have to scratch your head. It’s, no doubt, visually satisfying, but the action sequences are nothing fresh or stunning to me. Most people are unhappy with it lacking metaphysical approaches. Well, I guess it’s not that they don't want to do it. It’s just that the director or scriptwriters are somehow not so capable of putting up a philosophical treat. If you like some stunning effects in the futuristic Hong Kong, the film won’t let you down. But if you expect anything more than that, it may not be a good idea! It’s repeatedly said that ‘we cling to memories as if they define us but they don’t. What we do is what defines us’. The film nonetheless, seems to s...

★★★★☆ In case you mistake it, ‘Arrival’ is not a typical sci-fi action blockbuster involving alien invasions. Yea, there are aliens, but they’re not here to terminate or befriend us. They’re to offer a gift to change the way we think, and therefore how we look at time and the Universe. The film’s in fact a quiet melancholy drama with a sci-fi backdrop that concerns grief over inevitable losses in life; humanity over conflicts due to fears of the unknown; communications and understandings beyond languages; and how it’s like to break free from time and space! Denis Villeneuve’s ingenious directorial skills are still intact. Plus the creepy score and the seamless editing, the film manages to keep intriguing throughout. It constantly plays with our concept of time that things must go linearly from past, present to future. The order won’t and can’t be reversed. Neither can you relive the past nor live the future. The opening of the film works like a trick because it makes you feel ...

★★★★☆ 喪屍片一向不是我那杯茶，但〈 World War Z 〉令我完全改觀。其實喪屍片不外乎兩類，一種是賣弄血腥嘔心的無聊 cult 片，務求不嚇死你，都笑死你！這裡說無聊，純粹是個人感受，總有人覺得非常過癮的；第二種是把喪屍當成嚴肅題材來拍，喪屍只不過是幌子，背後想講的是人性的光輝，當然也有令人心寒的一面。〈 World War Z 〉和近期韓片〈屍殺列車〉都屬於後者！ 比起〈 WWZ 〉，〈屍〉的「喪爆」規模小得多，雖然同樣牽涉到整個國家，但視野一路都集中在一輛火車上面，巧妙利用車廂的狹窄空間，營造埋身肉搏的壓迫和刺激。片長兩小時，簡單交代主角家庭狀況以及上車原因之後，就頓入屍殺，過程都也一波三折，甚為緊張。當然這類嚴肅喪屍片不是純粹賣弄刺激，這次更是由韓國人來拍，目的就是為了揭示人性。人性是甚麼東西？簡單說，人性就是平時風平浪靜的時候，你我都很正常，但遇到甚麼危急關頭，例如「喪爆」，看似好人就會變成壞人，看似正常的人就會突然發癲，看似自私的人有可能變成無私的英雄，到底人性是甚麼？有沒有一條固定的方程式能夠去解釋人性？人到底是自私還是無私？好像又沒有一個明確的答案，一切都視乎你在某個特定情況下的潛意識抉擇，而做出什麼樣的抉擇，則很視乎你平時秉持甚麼信仰。由於人人信仰的東西不同，所以人性是一種很玄的東西！當你對它有信心的時候，它可能令你失望；當你對它失望的時候，它反而令你鼓舞！ 真實世界會不會出現類似電影裡面那些喪屍？喪屍其中一個特點就是沒有理智，一味向前衝，見人就咬。為何要咬？因為肚餓有需要？因為要吃人嗎？好像又不是，因為他們咬完就算！我想純粹是為了過癮吧！當你忽視你所真正需要的，而抵受不住壓力、盲目地跟隨他人去追求你（或他們）所想要的，其實你已經是一隻喪屍，當然你不會覺得自己是。「喪屍」之所以「喪」，是因為他會不斷製造藉口，去說服自己想要的就是自己需要的！ 如果〈 WWZ 〉是喪屍英雄片，〈屍殺列車〉就是喪屍倫理片，最後的結局更是催淚彈！如果你哭了，恭喜你，你的心地還有非常光輝的一面；如果你沒有哭，也恭喜你，想必你是一個無有怨悔的人！

★☆☆☆☆ ‘Independence Day’ looked a bit fun and refreshing since there was nothing like it before. In spite of 10 years later, ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ looks nothing better than any of its kind before it. There’re paper-thin characters going on and off swiftly in a preposterous story of carefree scenarios that make it actually stand as one of the most forgettable sci-fi bullshit of all time, hands down. What seems to make it more worthless is the nonsensical announcement they make in the end that they’re gonna kick some alien ass on an interstellar level! I wonder why people tend to believe that they’re gonna have to kick each other’s ass so as to survive, while y’know, there’s been strong evidence that a tooth for a tooth is universally not the way! Whatever they’ll come up with again however many years from now, I’m done with it, just like I’m done with superhero films!

★☆☆☆☆ The film can simply be split into two parts: what happens under the ground, and above. What happens under takes up 3/4 of the film basically of no actions but conversations. I’m fine with that as long as they’re relevant, sensible and intense but they’re not at all. It’s dragged out and filled up with bullshit to try to doze you off. What happens above is supposed to be a mind-blowing, jaw-dropping climax but oops… it’s an anticlimax where you’d get to see some ‘magic’ take place, provided that you’re still awake, and not afraid to be pissed off to death! 2008’s ‘Cloverfield’ mocked a documentary and successfully brought about a fad but turned out it’s nothing but a joke. This year’s ‘10 Cloverfield Lane’… well… take my advice, don’t buy the hype, stay away from it, and you’ll be safe and very thankful for sure!

★☆☆☆☆ 層層的謎團、精采的劇情、立體的人物、激昂的配樂、熱血的動作、更深一層探討生存的意義，生命的價值，〈進擊的巨人〉動畫絕對是近年的動畫經典，沒有之一！但，動畫成功並不代表真人版電影就能順理成章，相反，是一塌糊塗，亂七八糟！ 其實電影的劇情大可跟從動畫，稍作濃縮即可，但不知點解，硬要大改，還加入額外角色，搞到關係亂了套，教人看得不是味兒。或者你會說，最好不要與動畫比較，但電影的開章格局又好像假設你已經是動畫粉絲，事情的發生說來就來，不作任何鋪排解釋，真的不知他想點；就算堅持改動劇情，那也要改得好才得，但這個〈前篇〉人物個個好像佈景版，沒兵長這個重要角色已經令人激氣，新加入那位甚麼隊長，全程 chok 著，臉掛淫笑，毫無魅力性格，你想點啊；劇情薄弱，節奏失控，去到中段更令人產生錯覺，以為在看甚麼日本情色片，你又想點啊；而最重要的特技斬殺場面，真的真的好假。人在空中飛，跟〈蜘蛛俠〉比，真的好假。那些巨人，跟十幾年前〈侏儸紀公園〉裡的恐龍比，又真的超假。話說〈進〉都算是大製作，點解不做好點，認真點，唉！真的不知他想點 …… 或者日本仔真的動畫一流，一把動畫拍成真人電影就變九流了！而這套〈進〉更可堪稱是九流之中的九流！未看的粉絲可免，以免看到中途噴血暴斃。看了而又未被激死的，〈下篇〉可免，除非你是自虐狂！否則還是期待明年開播的動畫版第二季吧！

★☆☆☆☆ The thing is, there really shouldn’t have been any more Terminator films after T1 and T2 , which are like James Cameron’s babies that can’t possibly be reborn, reboot, or remade successful again! T3 and T4 are redundant and preposterous! So is ‘Terminator Genisys’, aka T5. It tries to refresh the characters by changing what already happens in T1 and T2, but in vain. They’re all cast wrong and paper-thin. It mixes up more than one timelines to allow things to go any way it wants without contradictions, but what makes sense or not is none of my concern anymore, coz the whole film’s truly an embarrassing joke rather than a serious plus a bit melancholy piece of sci-fi action cinema, like the classic T2. T5 jumps back and forth in time to want to change what already happens, just like our undisciplined mind constantly does indeed. Is the past totally irrelevant? No, it is not, but the so called past is nothing but made-up memories of our emotions. To a disciplined, focused m...

★★☆☆☆ To be fair, ‘Jurassic World’ is not so bad, especially for those too young to have been amazed by ‘Jurassic Park’ and stuff. So let me make myself clear here. It’s just me, not the film. The film itself has certain qualities that are able to bring thrills and constant entertainment to kids who have never seen anything like it before. But to me, there’s just so much of cliché, like how the dinosaurs turn up and end up, how they cross paths with the main characters, and how the main characters are always going to be just fine no matter what! Maybe I’m too mature for simple stuff like that, or maybe I’m too screwed up to be able to appreciate it. Anyways, like I said, it’s just me! We always tend to make things as complicated as they can seem, because we just don’t like it simple. In order to make ourselves feel good, we turn a ‘park’ into a ‘world’. We make not just ordinary dinosaurs, but a smarter, stronger, crueler genetic hybrid. We’re messed up as a result. But we nev...

★☆☆☆☆ Ever since ‘ District 9 ’, Neill Blomkamp’s films have been kind of my favorites including ‘ Elysium ’, a well-balanced action sci-fi, but his latest ‘Chappie’ is simply a failure. If you look for action sequences, there’s surprisingly rare, and it’s very embarrassing. If you look for something deep like consciousness or morality stuff, you’ll be let down as well, coz it’s actually pretty shallow. Everything comes so cheap and easy without struggles at all that it looks ridiculously awkward and preposterous. ‘Chappie’ is a film that tells jokes like bad (good) guys aren’t necessarily bad (good). They can turn good (bad) this second, and then bad (good) again the next; like it’s okay to use violence to teach violent people that using violence is wrong. Sure there’s a lot more for you to find out. Still if you’re bored enough to want to get teased, this is a film for you!

★★★☆☆ The opening of the film seems like a big joke, probably because of not a heads-up about what’s going on given. The whole picture’s not revealing till the film goes half way down the path of wanting to change the future. This is a film about some guys jumping from one dimension into another using a magic pin, in an attempt to change what’s gonna be by changing what people believe is gonna be! Sounds complicated huh? You bet. Though ‘Tomorrowland’ is distributed by Walt Disney, it’s not for kids. They’ll find it rather intricate, and thus boring. Neither is it for adults like me that really don’t believe there’ll be a better world ahead of us, judging by what we’ve done and what we’re doing. But to be fair, the adventure itself is sort of fun even if the way it presents may cause confusion to some! A gourmet believes we’re what we eat. A fashion designer must tell you we’re what we wear. ‘Tomorrowland’ says we’re what we think, and things are what we think they are. So if ...

★★★☆☆ If Steven Spielberg’s ‘A.I.’ is to move and entertain, ‘Ex Machina’ is to warn and provoke with ideas rather than effects. A.I. stands for artificial intelligence that, instead of being preprogrammed and receiving constant updates like a robot, has the ability to learn and evolve itself to be like a man. What if a machine can do what we do, feel what we feel and think what we think? What would you call it, a man or a machine? And how could you tell? You may argue, even if a machine can do sex like we do, it can't bear babies, can it? But what if it can reproduce itself without having to undergo courtship and pregnancy, as you know love, sex, marriage and stuff are kind of troublesome and hurtful indeed? Some scientists and futurists are worried about us being replaced and ultimately destroyed by A.I. I guess it’s not a bad idea though, if that’s what we deserve. Why must the future necessarily include us human beings anyway? Like I said, ‘Ex Machina’ is about ideas t...

★★★★★ Here’s a classic, in a time-travel genre, maybe not of all time, but definitely of the year. Feeling like ‘ Looper ’ is tricky enough, you’ll be real mad trying to wrap your head around the plot of ‘Predestination’, that’s of paradoxes making one rather confused who’s who, what’s what, and which must logically come first. It seems so mesmerizing and flawless however, if you flow with it instead of fighting it and trying to be smart. Plus a really impressive performance by Sarah Snook, for which I think she deserves an Academy Award or stuff, ‘Predestination’ is pretty much a perfect film to stun and inspire if you’ve ever been fed up with life itself. The biggest problem you may have with the film is the head-scratching timeline and characters involved. I’m not to break it down here. I’ll have to spoil the plot if I do. To better enjoy it, you gotta break away from logical thinking of time and space that’s, as a matter of fact, nothing but a delusion. But we’re trapped i...