Guilt and Repentence shoot

This is my first professional job as a director, making a half hour drama for RTHK, and a straight drama at that! Here I am on the last day of a 4 day shoot, a grueling 20 hour day, yet I've never felt happier. Nothing beats the feeling of being on the set--I feel so alive, energized. My actors are great, they almost never hit a wrong note. And my crew is so hard working and so much smarter than me. Many thanks, everyone!

Brideshead Revisited

They're remaking Brideshead Revisited!! The 1980s TV series was a seminal visual experience of my youth. Anthony Andrews as Sebastian and Jeromy Irons as Charles Ryder were simply exquisite, not to mention that grand old mansion, champagne and strawberries, and a teddy bear named Aloysius. Can't wait to see this film when it opens in Hong Kong next month.

烈日當空

看過「烈日當空」，一面看一面看錶。每一場都精心設計，但卻空洞蒼白又沒有劇力。大部分的場口只為了表達一個狀態，但卻沒有再進一步的發展。如其中一場一個角色索K後到母親房中在她的床上狂跳，跳了幾分鐘便去下一場，白白浪費了這場戲。而應有劇力的幾場如新年打架，卻拍得混亂不堪，之後一場眾人在廁所互相質問，無端端個個大哭，但劇情對白卻帶不到那個情緒，令這場主戲完全沒有張力。另一場梁曉豐在醫院為昏迷的朋友拔喉了結他生命，之前沒有交代他們的感情，令到拔喉這動作失去意義，徒把音樂聲浪調高也沒有感染力。最吊詭的是導演的品味和意圖基本上是煸情的，好幾場的處理如便利店斬人一幕，那遇害小孩哭聲震天，鏡頭不斷影著他血淋淋的大頭近鏡，但我看著卻只覺煩厭。因為這場戲的焦點本應落在那店員：他面對這個曾經打傷他朋友的落難小孩會如何抉擇--幫助他？置他不顧？落井下石？但導演卻只安排他呆坐在門邊，literally sitting on the fence,令這場充滿戲劇潛力的戲無論怎樣intense地對剪，都只是一場「空戲」悶戲。

不過令我覺得最難頂的是片中排山倒海的fat jokes，對像是那個胖同學，差不多每一場有他的戲都會有人拿他的身材開玩笑，「死肥仔」、「用脂肪諗野」等不絕於耳。第一次已不好笑，到第十次我有衝動致電平機會投訴麥導演。《來生不做中國人》其中一章寫中國人的沒同情心和樣貌歧視，在這部片中可說表露無遺，令人心寒的是導演只有23歲，對香港未來一代的人民素質不容樂觀。

來生不做中國人

原以為現今中國的種種畸型現像如貪污嚴重、置人類安危不顧的劣質產品充斥市場、環境汚染以至人民素質低落、欠公德心都是因為改革開放後的不平衡發展，曾天真地以為假以時日中國人會變得更進步文明。看過這書後才猛然醒覺這只是我的一廂情願，中國人的問題是兩千年來的積習。另外很多我以為只是香港人獨有的缺點如反智、功利、見人講人話等，現在我終於明白是中國儒家獨大、欠言論自由等的必然結果。

這書作者認為中國的道德淪亡是因為缺乏如西方基督教的道德制約，而儒家只提供形式主義的禮教，沒有發自內心的善惡觀和正義感，造就了現在中國社會種種問題，實在很值得大家反思。

最近在生活上經歷一些不公義，但眾人的反應卻出奇的冷淡。後來看到書中的這一句馬上豁然開朗：「善良的要龜縮，邪惡的四處招搖，無知的廢話連篇，狂妄的贏得支持，久居這個荒謬世界，我這個香港人也會瘋狂。」

BBQ

The first BBQ I've ever hosted. I've always hated this carcinogenic and environmentally unfriendly activity, but when in Rome...
I've been so busy with the RTHK project recently that I didn't spend any time preparing for this. Luckily everything turned out well. The temperature even dropped to a comfortable low 20s. The occasion is that Roger from Sri Lanka YMCA is in town to attend a training course, so I invited everyone from the Sri Lanka trip 3 years ago to come to my house for a welcoming BBQ. The kids have really grown up, and it's nice to know that they're still in contact with each other.