Daily Archives: August 2, 2012

Restore Hong Kong

Share

I just received an email from Emily Lau.  Well, not personally to me, I’m just on the mailing list.  But Lau is one of the few politicians in Hong Kong I think is worth a damn.

The email was in Chinese, here’s the Google translation:

Dear Spike:

Recently, the Big Sister Emily has led the team to enroll in the Legislative Council elections in the New Territories East. Today, the Big Sister Emily specially partnership with the von students, President Zhou, Miss Tang, produced a short film for you, starting to rebuild one country, two systems “, to explain the theme of our campaign. Please click on the URL to watch:
http://youtu.be/Eutho07KWOI?hd=1

Leung Chun-ying came to power in one country, two systems have been in name only. As von students, President Zhou, Ms Tang said Hong Kong people cherish the value of diversity and freedom, the rule of law have all been Leung Chun-ying trampled underfoot. We are afraid that Hong Kong can not afford the trouble of Leung Chun-ying, degenerated into an ordinary mainland cities.

So we go out and rebuild the country, two systems rebuild Hong Kong. More important is that you have to come out. Because Hong Kong has never been is a small number of people. Hong Kong is the work of generations to build out. To break through the cage firmly to rebuild Hong Kong, and also need you to join me in action. Please take immediate action:
http://action.restorehk.com
Best wishes

Miss Emily OR Yiu Lam Ricky Michael LAM Lin Yung-jan

For those who read Chinese, here’s the original text:

親愛的SPIKE:

日前，卿姐已帶領團隊於新界東報名參加立法會選舉。今天，卿姐特意夥拍馮同學、周校長、唐女士，為你製作了一段短片《出發，重建一國兩制》，向你解釋我們的競選主題。請點擊這個網址觀看：
http://youtu.be/Eutho07KWOI?hd=1

梁振英上台之後，一國兩制已經名存實亡。正如馮同學、周校長、唐女士所說，香港人所珍惜的多元、自由、法治等價值全部被梁振英踩在腳下。我們怕香港經受不起梁振英的搗亂，淪落成爲一個普通的內地城市。

所以我們要走出來，重建一國兩制，重建香港。更重要的是你都要走出來。因爲香港從來都不是少數部分人的。香港，是幾代人努力建造出來的。現在要衝破籠牢，重建香港，同樣需要你我一起行動。請立即行動：
http://action.restorehk.com
祝好

劉慧卿 柯耀林 林少忠 林咏然

“One country, two systems” is turning from reality to myth.  But honestly, I don’t know what can be done to change things.  On the other hand, I think it’s important that the world understand what’s happening.

Share

Move Over Citizen Kane

Share

Sight & Sound, the UK film magazine, together with the British Film Institute, conducts a poll  every 10 years of critics, distributors and professors to come up with what some see as the definitive list of greatest films of all time.  For the past 50 years, the #1 spot has gone to Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane.

Kane’s reign has ended this year and there’s a new #1 all time greatest film.  Any guesses?

 

 

 

 

 

Yep, the new champ is Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo.  Vertigo had been coming up in the rankings and in 2002 lost out to Kane by just 5 votes.  This time it was 34 votes ahead of Kane.

Here’s the new top ten:

  1. Vertigo
  2. Citizen Kane
  3. Tokyo Story
  4. La Regle du Jeu (The Rules of the Game)
  5. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans
  6. 2001: A Space Odyssey
  7. The Searchers
  8. Man With a Movie Camera
  9. The Passion of Joan of Arc
  10. 8-1/2

I’ve only seen 9 out of the 10; I’ve never seen Man With a Movie Camera.  Overall, I’ve seen 33 of the 50.

You can see the list of the top 50 here.

I find it interesting, that Apocalypse Now comes in at #14 and Godfather is #21.  Apocalypse Now, brilliant as it is, is so flawed, and I consider Godfather to be flawless.  (Godfather 2 is #31, giving Coppola 3 films in the top 50.)

Scorsese’s Taxi Driver is in the top 50, Raging Bull isn’t.

Hong Kong’s only appearance in the top 50 is Wong Kar-Wai’s In the Mood For Love, which is one of only two films on the list from the 21st century (the other being David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive – which is brilliant and has that great lesbian love scene but I prefer Blue Velvet).

I’m disappointed that neither Grand Illusion nor Wild Strawberries are in the top 50 – both had major impacts on me on first viewing and I think stand up well to repeat viewings.  I’m thrilled that Buster Keaton is higher up on the list than Charlie Chaplin.  (Not that I don’t love Chaplin, just that I’ve always considered Keaton to be under-rated.)

I find these lists interesting as guides to films I haven’t seen that I should check out rather than as definitive in any sense of the word.  Some days I’d pick 2001 as my all-time favorite film but if push comes to shove, how could I rank it against the magnificent Passion of Joan of Arc or 8-1/2?  Well, we can debate this list till the next one comes out in 2022!

Share