Flags of Our Fathers

Flags of Our Fathers is the American side of the story revolving around the Battle of Iwo Jima, and built up around the photo of the large Stars and Stripes on the high ridge. The three principle characters are plagued by their own demons - drink, guilt, inadequacy. The soldiers' vulnerability, their ordinariness, is conveyed by the everyday quality of their actions. They drink, smoke, shoot the breeze, talk of everything, take a swim in the sea. And the horror of war is highlighted by the arbitrariness of death, the use of devastating weapons, the sight of gore and blood, of guts spilling out. Would have paid much more attention to the show if I hadn't discovered my wallet missing maybe an hr in.. (to a 2h50min show; it had dropped behind my seat as I took my burger out)
The style of filming reminded me of HBO's Band of Brothers: the running-with-camera effect to make the experience more realistic, putting the audience in the shoes of the character. The sombre mood of the movie is brought out by the subdued lighting for most of the scenes, bringing the gloom and heavy, dreary atmosphere on the ground to the audience. Looking forward to the companion film, telling the Japanese side of the Battle, Letters from Iwo Jima, starring Ken Watanabe.

1st movie after the term

Went to Lido w J to watch Flags of our Fathers, recounting the American story of Iwojima. The photo of 6 American soldiers raising the Stars and Stripes on the ridge was a history-making moment. Further discussion of the history aspect later. But first, shallow moments of the day. =P

Shallow moment 1: The nice uncle who tore our tickets at the entrance to the theatre asked if we (actually he was looking at J mahahaha) were older than 16 cos the movie was M16. Both of us got stunned for a moment, the qn was SO unexpected! Since 16 was a far memory. WAH. Secondary school age lei! Ahahahaha.

Shallow moment 2: The guy acting as the Marine was cute. And leanly muscled ooo heh. Only learnt that it was Ryan Phillippe when the credits rolled.

And that Clint Eastwood was the director of the film. Also, that Jesse Bradford was the platoon runner w the bimbo wife. I was thiinking the guy looked familiar, resembling Ron Livingston (who played Lewis Nixon in HBO's Band of Brothers). Neal McDonough (Buck Compton in BoB) was in as well.

Watched Numb3rs just now, it was episode 11 of Season 3: Killer Chat. Pretty impressed, and amazed, that they got Buzz Aldrin to cameo on the show, as himself. Cooool. Well the fact that I even watch a show that uses math as a way of solving crimes is pretty amazing I guess. Wonder why I have a know such a large bunch of math majors/indentured servants too. Anws. Intellectual (or at least HY2243) discussion coming up in the next post. =)

Rube Goldberg Machines | Pitagora Suicchi

Remember the Honda ad? A Rube Goldberg machine or device is any exceedingly complex apparatus that performs a very simple task in a very indirect and convoluted way. Rube devised such pataphysical devices. A Rube Goldberg machine usually has at least ten steps. The best examples of his machines have an anticipation factor: the fact that something so wacky is happening can only be topped by it happening in a suspenseful manner.
“ピタゴラスイッ” (Pitagora Suicchi, Phytagorean Device) series from Japan. Pitagora Suicchi is actually a Japanese educational TV program aimed at kids. In between segments, a small clip of an Rube Goldberg device is shown. Amazing, and entertaining. Think of the number of math geniuses/engineers/people with a lot of time on their hands to set up the machines.

Kiwi!

Animation by Don Permedi.

Helsinki Complaints Choir

新鴛鴦蝴蝶夢

昨日像那东流水
离我远去不可留
今日乱我心多烦忧
抽刀断水水更流
举杯销愁愁更愁,
明朝清风四漂流

由来只有新人笑
有谁听到旧人哭,
爱情两个字好辛苦
是要问一个明白
还是要装作糊涂
知多知少难知足

看似个鸳鸯蝴蝶
不应该的年代,
可是谁又能摆脱人世间的悲哀
花花世界 鸳鸯蝴蝶
在人间已是癫
何苦要上青天
不如温柔同眠

親愛的你怎麼不在我身邊

这里的空气很新鲜
这里的小吃很特别
这里的lette不像水
这里的夜景很有感觉

在一万英尺的天边
在有港口view的房间
在讨价还价的商店
在凌晨喧闹的三四点

可是亲爱的你怎么不在我身边
我们有多少时间能浪费
电话再甜美
传真再安慰
也不足以应付不能拥抱你的遥远
我的亲爱的你怎么不在我身边
一个人过一天像过一年
海的那一边
乌云一整片
我很想为了你快乐一点
可是亲爱的
你怎么不在身边

《康熙來了 之 誰的歌聲讓你掉淚》﹣不用多說，小美江美琪的壓箱寶.

我不難過

又站在你家的门口 我们重复沉默 这样子单方面的守候 还能多久
终于你开口向我诉说她有多溫柔 虽然你还握著我的手 但我已不在你心中

我真的懂 你不是喜新厌旧 是我没有 陪在你身边 当你寂寞时候
別再看著我 说著你爱过 別太伤痛 我不难过 这不算什么
只是为什么眼泪会流 我也不懂

就让我走 让我开始享受自由 回憶很多 你的影子也会充滿我生活
我並不懦弱 你比谁都懂 虽然寂寞 这会是我 最后的寬容

抱紧我 再抱紧我 这一份感动 请你让我留在胸口
別在说是你的错 爱到了尽头 是非对错 就让它随风
忘了所有 过得比你快活

我真的懂 你不是喜新厌旧 是我没有 陪在你身边 当你寂寞时候
別再看著我 说著你爱过 別太伤痛 我不难过 这不算什么
只是为什么眼泪会流 我也不懂

不要再说 或許这是最好結果 现在分手 总好过你不爱我一拖再拖
松开你的手 离开你左右 我向前走 这会是我 真正的解脱

這也是由《康熙來了 之 誰的歌聲讓你掉淚》那集，吳克群翻唱孫燕姿的這首歌，因而喜歡.

子夜二時，你做什麼？

作詞：陳昇 ╱ 作曲：張翰群

又一天要結束 猜想你現在做什麼
是否想我 也許什麼都沒有
點一根安慰自己的香煙
準備去迎接那種不願告人的心慌

午夜二時我凝望著沈默的電話
已經是我不能自主的習慣
仰望著幽暗無語的夜空 回憶著往事
忍受刀割一般的心疼

只想告訴你一聲我愛你
我知道這一句話別人曾對你說
雖然來不及對你承諾
I do love you so

朋友告訴我那一夜你曾經哭泣
因為你說你決心離開我
如果我為你帶來的憂傷多過於快樂
我會離開 一個人寂寞

子夜二時我猜想你現在做什麼
不再想我 也許身旁有別人
仰望著幽暗無語的夜空
孤獨的走向 那種不願告人的心慌

一天將要結束 猜想你現在做什麼
也許想我 也許什麼都沒有
點一根安慰自己的香煙 回憶著往事
忍受刀割一般的心疼

找了很久才找到... 其實是《康熙來了 之 誰的歌聲讓你掉眼淚》時Penny 戴佩妮翻唱的版本太感傷了而希歡這首歌.