Blog://碎影琐录

10 Lessons from the 2009 Box Office

2009-09-19T21:48:00.000-07:00

Time Sep.14, 2009 -- Forget the stars, hire Transformers and don't forget the women — here are the 10 things every movie mogul should keep in mind when it comes to the summer of 2010.

Summer at the Movies
1. Skip the Stars
2. Get Animated
3. Spend Money to Make Money
4. Ignore the Grownups
5. But Don't Forget the Women
6. Out-Apatow Judd Apatow
7. Send a Get-Well Card to Indies
8. Send in the Dinosaurs
9. Make Sequels and Prequels
10. Wow the Fans on Friday

Seriously From Mao

2009-09-08T00:46:00.000-07:00

"Jia Junpeng, your mom is calling you to come home and eat."

-- Mao
( Note: Jia is a teenage Internet-game-addict. )

仓央嘉措

2009-09-07T07:57:00.000-07:00

昨夜独坐高楼，夜寒似冷衾，雨雾凄然。微光如语，四下无声。掩卷，天已大凉，终是仓央嘉措的夏天已经过去......

人说他为政治误，为情误，却不知他为世间所误。正如李白、李煜、纳兰容若、鱼玄机，情至深处，清平寂寞，之后，竟至解脱。仓兄有灵，亦当惊知己于千古矣，何有寂寞可言？

那一刻我升起风马不为乞福只为守候你的到来

那一天闭目在经殿香雾中蓦然听见你颂经中的真言

那一日垒起玛尼堆不为修德只为投下心湖的石子

那一夜我听了一宿梵唱不为参悟只为寻你的一丝气息

那一月我摇动所有的经筒不为超度只为触摸你的指尖

那一年磕长头匍匐在山路不为觐见只为贴着你的温暖

那一世转山转水转佛塔啊不为修来生只为途中与你相见

那一瞬，我飞升成仙，不为长生，只为佑你平安喜乐

夜 · 鹿

2009-09-01T00:25:00.000-07:00

南人北迁。从洛杉矶到底特律，一路开去，寒暑易季无常。有终点的路途，多远都不算太远，只是常觉得天黑得太早，夜路难挨。从南达科他州的印第安古战场往前，一路是草色枯黄的旷野，疏疏落落的树。偶有印第安人残败破落的寓所。邻里间远隔数里，千里无城镇，百里无人烟。傍晚时候，白天滚烫灼人的暑气退去，凉风扑面，穿过发间。正前面，路的正当中，是一行鹿。为首，是一头雄鹿。他的目光投过来，悠然自若，没有一丝慌乱，望了一会儿，才转身离去，背影也同样凝重优雅。回头望时，鹿群里还可以分辨出他来。他的角很美。

天一味黑下去，直到分辨不出天和地来，只有探照灯打出来的一条路。甚至不像路，而是巨大黑色岩石中一条黄白色的隧道。再有，就是鹿莹黄色的眼睛，车光照上去，显得明亮而呆滞，像是不知躲避灾祸的孩子。我很怕，脑子里反复都是Franz Marc那一幅画。

那画的背面写着“一切存在皆是燃烧的痛苦”。

Comic Con 2009, San Diego

2009-07-26T23:57:00.000-07:00

It was almost as crowded as a spring festive fair. Got in wearing a volunteer badge -- Angle Morales, my new Mexican name.

Met Chris, who was working on the first hip-hop comic book. While the work of the other two artists, Bruno and Dale, could take one's breath away. It was all overwhelming, fantastic and incredibly fun, only ended too fast. Everyone was having a great time. It's a mystery why people would rally holding "Twilight Ruined Comic Con" signs.

Meanwhile, free hugs were offered all over town...

Lunch with Peter

2009-07-21T22:40:00.000-07:00

Is always enlightening and often comes with multiple "Oh my goodness..." And it's not even from food. (Food, by the way, whether Italian sushi or Caesar salad or this time new China cuisine, is always the essence of L.A. cuisine -- fusion, imaginative and fantastic.)

The unknown, untold history of ancient and modern China is as equally as fascinating as a look into the future. This time, Peter went right into the Chinese artistic mind -- I could not believe it. All these years, when I felt torn and bound and conflicted, it all go back to thousands of years ago. The mentality is geared to survive the harshest time. It avoids confrontation, it schemes, it lies. How twisted...

Again I was told there were two things that Chinese people couldn't resist -- eating and gambling. Just coming back from Vegas, I could easily understand it. And I did figure out the rest of the puzzle -- in eating and gambling, everything moves straight forward, there's no need to hide the intention. We are either connected to our tongues, or the chips in front of us. No more disguise or detour. It soothes our soul. Ah...

On the other hand, this man knows way too much. Who told him Chinese people prefer dark meat in chicken. Isn't supposed to be confidential?

Vegas (July 17-20)

2009-07-21T00:16:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought I've had all the tastes in life, I was led into the 27th floor Venetian suite. Start the next morning with a bite of chocolate gondola, followed by lunch at Grand Lux Cafe, swimming at Mandalay Bay, dressing up, dinner at Lavo, sleep, swimming, lunch at Dos Caminos, more swimming, dinner at Japanos... Plus a little gambling to make things more interesting.

Auntie mystifies me. The way she talks and walks through the casino, like Venetian is her front porch and Mirage is her backyard. I only got to see her shortly at lunch and dinner time. She was always tired, sometimes happy tired, sometimes moody tired... I hate to put two and two together.

Auntie was my idol when I was ten. She was gorgeous. She is still gorgeous, maybe even more than years ago. The mysteries and power make her distant -- a shady character that has a golden glow.

That might be my last visit to a Venetian suite. Still, it was fun to ride a high-roller's wave and play a little petty-penny-slot-machine.

Peaceful Hills, Walnut (July 14-17)

2009-07-17T23:44:00.000-07:00

The memory of Peaceful Hills seems like a short trip to paradise. No more turmoil, no more dark clouds, just me and my Big Boy... And Uncle makes the best fish on the planet.

Just Add Pictures

2009-07-11T22:05:00.000-07:00

Just Add Pictures: Turning Your Screenplay into a Comic Book (Notes)
10 a.m. Saturday, July 11 2009, WGA

Marv Wolfman (Writer/Comics Creator):

Love the medium itself. Good books have the qualities of --

Characters that can sustain themselves
Solid concept behind the characters
Ability to sustain 5 or more stories

Look for artists --

who can design characters
who can go through distance
are not one shot picture
who can lay out a story clearly
Ask how long it takes them to do the art work with some proof
the most important thing is: storytelling sense. (Art can grow and be taught)

Jon Levin (Motion Picture Agent, CAA):

Writers should try to have as much as artistic and financial control
Studios look for the potential of ongoing franchise (in comic books)

Misc

DC and Marvel's core business is publishing. Working within their labels only. The plus of working with the Big Guns is good distribution, the minus is sacrifice of ownership.
Fertility generates success. Put out as much content as possible. Do not tightly grip on a precious one.
To look for artists: http://www.deviantart.com/

Fish Heads

2009-07-11T21:56:00.000-07:00

Fish heads fish heads
Roly poly fish heads
fish heads fish heads
eat them up, yum!
In the morning laughing happy fish heads
In the evening floating in the soup
(chorus)
Ask a fish head anything you want to
they wont answer they cant talk.
(chorus)
I took a fish head out to see a mooovie
didnt have to pay to get it in.
(chorus)
They don't play baseball
they don't wear sweaters
they're not good dancers
They dont play drums!!
(chorus)
Rolypoly fishheads are never seen drinking capachino in Italian restaurants
with oriental women!!!!!
Yeah!
Fish heads fish heads
roly poly fish heads
fish heads fish heads
eat them up Yum!
YEEAAHHHH!!!!!!

Bye-bye, Black Bird

2009-07-07T23:24:00.000-07:00

Director: Michael Mann
Writers: Ronan Bennett
Ann Biderman
Michael Mann

Distributor: Universal
Release Date: July 1, 2009
Genre: Crime Drama
Running Time: 2 hrs. 23 min.
MPAA Rating: R

Tears. Silence in the dark. There aren't enough romantic crime drama in the world. What they give us are almost too sugary and safe.

Billiards

2009-07-03T00:58:00.000-07:00

It was dark when we left the Billiard House. The night was brisk, with sweet sausage and beer smell lingering in the air. The excitement of a neat strike, the sound of a ball knocked into the pocket... It's all mesmerizing and empowering. An instant addiction. I wonder when I'll be ready to play for money.

Zuma Beach

2009-06-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

I must have scared away 500 hundred birds. Once, their white wings filled the greyish-orange sky. Soon the sun was gone.

It's funny how every beach smells a little differently. I kept running and there was a little sweet blood taste in my throat. The last time I felt that way, I was 14. On the shore, acrobats lifted bikini girls in the air. Kids were building sand castles. The thought of leaving and never coming back again almost turned California into Russia. I stopped, wishing the tides could be rougher, could wash everything away. Instead, waves pulled soft sand. It was silky and tender.

The birds were silent. Content. Almost like they didn't know or care the existence of each other.

Three Comedies

2009-06-23T08:12:00.000-07:00

Watched three comedies last weekend. Two poignant, one screwball in the middle. A lot of tears for the poignant two, could barley laugh in the hilarious screwball. A lot of lines felt like hidden messages that blew me away. As we all grow older, movies are not movies any more. They are our situation, in which we act out our emotions on the big screen.

Lost

2009-06-07T12:10:00.000-07:00

Land of the Lost
Distributor: Universal
Director: Brad Silberling
Writers (WGA): Chris Henchy (written by) & Dennis McNicholas (written by)
Release Date: 5 June 2009 (USA)
Genre: Adventure Comedy Sci-Fi

It won quite a bit laughs and applauds in the Writers Guild Theatre. It's hard trying to make people laugh. A mere attempt deserves some appreciation. But 200 million dollars -- how costly!

Critics hate it. Will Ferrell fans don't buy it. They must have done something wrong. For an adventure movie, it's a little too soft. There's not enough blood. For a comedy, especially for a Will Ferrell comedy, it does not push the envelope that hard. The true gross-out scenes -- a stoned Will Ferrel French kissing the Monkey, Aliens making out, how Will Ferrell gets out of the dinosaur -- are left out. For a Sci-Fi movie, it's simply not scientific enough. It certainly is not very romantic. The character growth is arbitrate. Things and people fly in and out with no reason...

However, it is a fun ride -- if you don't have to pay for the tickets, or the 200 mil budget.

Comedy Keeps You Young

2009-06-05T20:22:00.000-07:00

Read this on Written By. It was written by Sol Sakes.

"To write comedy requires a combination of arrogance and humility in massive proportions. The need for arrogance is obvious. To believe you can hold the attention of strangers -- much less make them laugh -- shows a self-confidence beyond logic. Humaility is essential to realize how easy it is to fail and, more important, to accept that people who answer quizzes in magazines to find out if they're good lovers will be the final, undisputed judges on whether you are bringing it off.

There is a theory that most jokes were first conceived by men in prison. (And conversely, another that many are made by people who should be there). Jokes, however, are almost always made of, by, and for the oppressed.

Modern man walks a narrow path bebetween boredom and hysteria. It's the artist's funcion to help him maintain his balance, the humorist's to help forget his fear.

The three indespensable attributes of the comedy writer are motivation, courage, and a high tolerance of suffering.

...

What makes a humorist? To begin with, he must be one who knows we are all kinds of fool, including himself, and is willing to admit it; one who has a complusive preference for the short odds and uses humor to protect himself from the slings and arrows of outrageous forune. One who has un-self-consciousness of a child and uses the God-given right to make a spectacle of himself...

Freud said that hostility is the basis of all humor. So if you don't like violence, if you don't want to hurt anybody's feelings, if you can't stand the sight of blood -- you had better look for another line of work..."

East or West

2009-06-04T16:45:00.000-07:00

Rob was overwhelmed by the Bond collection. Everybody could use a little Bond. That's the beauty of Bond.

... It was a pleasure to read your script. I'm glad I could be helpful. I was being honest when I said I think there's a lot of potential there. Being in English makes it seem like an odd hybrid because everything about it seems Chinese, but I imagine that people who read it in Chinese probably think it seems American. That's what's so great about it.

Rob

I am not so sure about the cross-culture hybrid thing any more. I used to think a good story is a good story. But in terms of humor and cultural sensitivity, it really depends. It could really back fire. But again, could be something beautiful.

The script was written for the Chinese market only. That was always in the back of my mind when I wrote it.

Nice and Creepy

2009-06-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

Whamo Show

2009-05-31T22:21:00.000-07:00

Terminator Salvation
Director:McG
Actors:Christian BaleSam WorthingtonArnold Schwarzenegger (Cameo)
Producer:Jeffrey Silver
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Release Date: May 21, 2009

Even head bangers might not be able to take it. Tons of blow-ups. It goes everywhere. Therefore it goes nowhere. The story is out of focus.

There are two heroes. One is a boring, mechanic leader. The Other makes one care. It’s his movie, his “second chance”, his redemption. He is not even given a chance to die in a battle heroically. The operation table just doesn’t do it. And who cares if John Connor dies or not.

When there’s face on the enemy, no conflict between the leading heroes, the story gets lost. The most thrilling scene takes place in the first half. From then on, it’s a huge let down.

It’s a legend that Hollywood action-adventure movies have whamo charts. Five minutes a whamo. They did that well.

Hanks vs. Bond

2009-05-31T22:04:00.000-07:00

Angels and Demons
Director:Ron Howard
Writer:Akiva Goldsman
Distributor: Sony / Columbia
Release Date: May 15, 2009

The beginning of a giant franchise – Christianity + Bond = Angels and Demons

Unlike Bond with his ultra-cool lethal designer gadgets, Tom Hanks is armed with unfathomable knowledge of weird mythological symbols. Bond has exotic, sensual, often dangerous Bond girls. Meet the dark-haired, educated, “I care about man-kind” Hanks girls. Bond movies feature crazy scientists and politicians. Here we have religious maniacs who enjoy nothing more than torturing themselves…

It’s a highly interesting hybrid -- Catholic people’s customized action-adventure thrillers. Sort of like the world fulfils old conservative Republicans’ need for babes by giving them Miss California.

Shanghai Rom-com

2009-05-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

Comedians are offen depressive people. It's overcompensating. Those really depressive ones go for screwball comedies. That's almost like laughter overdose. Remember what the Joker said -- Why so serious?

Got feedback of my script from Rob on Monday. I was happy. The screwball part scares me a little. Maybe from now on, I shall focus on the romantic part in the "Romantic Comedy".

"Wow, you've written a screwball comedy, which is about the hardest thing to write. I think it's what they're looking for, if they only knew what they're looking for. I think it's well done. But it's weird to me that you wrote it in English because, although the form is American, what makes your script so interesting and endearing is that it's set
in China.

A project like this depends so much on casting. I see it as a latter-day screwball, like a Doris Day-Cary Grant project, only he's a slob and she's a cold, tough cookie and they're Chinese. Who's the big Chinese comic star? Somebody broad, with an elastic face, like Red Skelton, say.

I think you need to establish that he's from Bejing and she's from Shanghai, and play that for comic effect. Make a list of the different (opposite) qualities of people from those two cities and play that for all it's worth. They should be opposites in every way possible.

You have a bad habit of avoiding difficult scenes. The worst case of this is how you get them onto the ship - you get him drunk, then cut to them on the ship. Which feels like a cheat. You do the same thing when he jumps overboard. In the next scene, he's back on board and nothing's said about it. But I like him jumping overboard. In fact, I'd like it if the ending was him jumping overboard and her jumping after him. And the last shot is them together in a rubber raft, like James Bond and Pussy Galore, with the ship leaving them in its wake. (The opening shot should be a cruise ship pulling into Shangahi and a zoom back to the window on the 88th floor.)

I made a lot of little corrections in the script. I feel silly correcting your English, which is very good by the way. Most of my corrections are typos. Where should it?

Rob"

One of my favorite writers, Gulong（古龙）does the same thing. He always skips the big battles, giving you only the lingering aftermath of the story. Anyway, that's no excuse. I did kill myself for this script, first time in English, then in Chinese.

Ballad

2009-05-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

O' Horten

Director:Bent Hamer
Writer:Bent Hamer (writer)

Distributor: Sony Classics
Release Date: May 22, 2009, 26 December 2007 (Norway)

Saw this movie last week in WGA. The Security Guard complained it was like a snail. But again, his 3 year old son complained Race to the Witch Mountain was too slow. Quite a few walk-outs. It's a wonderful story. Just not American.

The hero's name is Odd. The movie is as odd as his name. It starts slowly, almost depressing. The story follows its own rhythm, its own way, has an amazing uplift ending. Odd, an ordinary, quiet, submissive man becomes the stranger of his own life. Things get weirder and weirder around him. Then suddenly he sees the light, so do we.

It’s like a little ballad. No crisis every five minutes. There is very little plot. Seems like bits of business. But it is extremely focused and powerful in its own quiet and mild way. It follows the dramatic need of one man at the turning point of his life, and stays on the track all the way through. The movie opens up a world, invites the audience in to share the hero’s journey.

A week has gone by, and I’m still thinking about this movie, while Star Trek is 80% gone.

There's a review on the LA Times.

Live Long and Prosper

2009-05-24T11:43:00.000-07:00

STAR TREK
Distributor: Paramount

Release Date: May 8, 2009

Director: J.J. Abrams

Science fiction can be heart-felt and touching too. I was totally sold on "I'll read your frequency", "Live long and prosper"and the groovy Vulcan Salute. The no-expression-photo-shop-face-geeky-haircut Spark is lovable. Blondy balances well cute and obnoxious. Even Space Mafia are full of space venom. And when you throw in fantastic explosions and spectacular space jargon... The two hours passes like 20 minutes, but then you go home and go straight to bed. That is a good movie.

It's still a mystery to me how writers make the audience care about certain character. Spark is perfect example. He is cold, has weird hair-cut and pointed ears. Half human, half Vulcan -- a simple man with dimensions. Conflicted between logic and emotions, he is forced to make choices, face the consequence of his action...

So is it the human emotion that makes audience cares? Not necessarily. When Bond gets sentimental and human, it doesn't make him dimensional or more entertaining, it just makes him complicated. Is it the dilemmas and decisions that human beings constantly face? Probably. When it offers us a chance to ponder in the dark what humans, and us are made of.

May all writers find the secret recipes of good characters. Live long and prosper.

Los Angeles, I'm Yours

2009-05-21T11:42:00.001-07:00

There is a city by the sea
A gentle company
I don't suppose you want to
And as it tells its sorry tale
In harrowing detail
Its hollowness will haunt you
Its streets and boulevards
Orphans and oligarchs it hears
A plaintive melody
Truncated symphony
An ocean's garbled vomit on the shore,
Los Angeles, I'm yours

Oh ladies, pleasant and demure
Sallow-cheeked and sure
I can see your undies
And all the boys you drag about
An empty fellow found
From Saturdays to Mondays
You hill and valley crowd
Hanging your trousers down at heel
This is the realest thing
As ancient choirs sing
A dozen blushing cherubs wheel above
Los Angeles I love

Oh what a rush of ripe elan
Languor on divans
Dalliant and dainty
But oh, the smell of burnt cocaine
The dolor and decay
It only makes me cranky
Oh great calamity,
Ditch of iniquity and tears
How I abhor this place
Its sweet and bitter taste
Has left me wretched,
retching on all fours
Los Angeles, I'm yours

青芒果之味

2009-05-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

吴侬软语。文字伤。吐血。戏假情真。独自时说话。说话时做梦。做梦时火拼。火拼时淡然一笑。

小时候放学回家，就捧着芒果盼它快熟。

熟时却常忆，青芒果之味......

戏话。

We both have our weapons.