Lesley in Hong Kong

Lesley in Bangkok - Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

I have taken myself out of Hong Kong so temporarily I am officially Lesley in Bangkok.  

As there is huge shopping mall about two minutes walk from my hotel and after a day of tiring Grand Palace -ing I couldn't face more walking around and so I purchased a ticket for 150 Baht and went to see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

Having suffered at the mercy of arctic air conditioning in Hong Kong I was prepared with my extra clothing to stave off hypothermia and I did truly need it.  I was pleasantly surprised at the comfiness of the seats.  They were big, sumptuous velour  that were high enough for even a tall man's head to rest on so no matter who sat in front of you there would never be a problem of a blocked screen.  They even tipped back a little for ultimate comfort and the bonus option of a double seat, more of a sofa,  for cuddly couples at the back.

Do Not Use Your Mobile Phone

While I waited for the main feature to start I had to endure what I felt was hours of commercials in Thai but they were clearly all good clean public service announcements about not using your mobile phone while driving in case you die and not using your mobile phone in the cinema and causing light pollution in case I kill you - whoops sorry, I didn't mean that last part obviously.  It was a truly welcome advert and I think Hong Kong audiences would get the message if it was pitched in such a way.  Hint hint anyone who texts in their bag and doesn't think it bothers others (me!).

National Anthem

Then after loads of trailers it felt like it was about to start.  Wrong.  Before we could settle down to watch Dawn of the Planet of the Apes we were all instructed politely to stand for the Thai National Anthem.  Everyone did, most respectfully.  It was played while we watched images of the King doing good things  It reminded me that the BBC used to play the British National Anthem before the station closed down for the evening (telly used to stop in those days)  and my Grandad used to stand up, and make whoever was with him, also stand up and show respect.  

Andy Sirkis

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is part two following on from Rise of the Planet of the Apes which stared James Franco as the 'human' and Andy Sirkis as Caesar the Ape.  The skill of playing an animal who so clearly has strong emotions has become Sirkis's unique talent.  Through motion capture technology and his eyes, we become strongly involved with Caesar.

There is no Franco in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes but Sirkis again plays Caesar and we see him as the dominant male in a colony of apes in a time when nearly all humans have been killed by a Simeon flu.  Or have they?  I don't want to throw in any plot spoilers only to say that its one of the best films I've seen in along time and if you are considering going along to see it, watch the first one so you understand how Caesar's role in the film and as leader evolves.  

The CGI  is breathtaking.  The sound quality in that particular cinema meant I kept looking over my shoulder to see if there was a monkey making too much noise behind me.  The score worked perfectly to build scenes to their climax.   The stilted dialogue communicates just how two different points of view can be the same yet equally confused and misunderstood.  It touches on racism, religion, stereotypes and is a study of the human condition in adverse circumstances.  A reflection of what is still going on in certain parts of the world this very day.

 

Enough Said Directed by Nicole Holofcener - is there hope?

Enough Said

Staring  James Gandolfini off of The Sopranos as Albert

and

Julia Louis-Dreyfus off of Seinfeld as Eva

Enough Said is essentially a love story to make the hoards of baby boomers, now finding themselves divorced, alone and single, but still with the responsibility of having dependent children, feel like there is  hope.  In their new dating world Albert and Eva go through the crushing discomfort of their first date that progresses to plain awkwardness and then, happily, to the thrill of new intimacy.   The dramatic irony we are then party to causes us to beg Eva to behave like the grown-up she actually is instead of the fool she appears to be and just be honest with Albert. 

I will not be a plot spoiler.  I do recommend you go and watch it.

What I particularly liked about this film is the way Gandolfini, a larger man, was cast in a romantic role as opposed to the typically handsome Brad Pitt, Hugh Grant or Colin Firth type.  Hollywood rarely makes the fat man the one who gets the girl.  

I know that there are a zillion perfect 10 actresses out there but we also have our fair share of curvaceous women who have rallied the cause for girls bigger than a size 10.  Miranda Hart, Oprah Whitney, Queen Latifah and Dawn French to name a few.  We see such women being happy and successful and loved.  They have the 'Love me for who I am" vibe going on loud and strong and we love them for it.

In Hollywood land we don't see very many men who are not conventionally handsome and I found it really refreshing to see a larger man in a role that involved romance, sex and genuine care for the women in his life.  In an experiment, in my own head, I changed the body types around to make the female role the 'larger' lady and the male role the trim, six pack firm bicep one and played out some scenes from that point of view.  I doubt if the crack about the calorie counter book or the digs about how much dip was consumed would have been received with anything but aggression and plate smashing.

As I said both characters have children who get on airplanes and fly to distant colleges, to be educated and make their own way in the world.  I REALLY cried at that part.   

 

 

A Clockwork Orange - by Action to the World Theatre Company, London - Hong Kong tour

A Clockwork Orange directed by Alexandra Spencer-Jones

by Anthony Burgess

November 6-10 2013

Lyric Theatre, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

 

‘An outstanding all-male ensemble. The pure physicality and energy is astonishing. This is a show that everyone should experience.’★★★★★ WhatsOnStage

My ticket purchase was made months ago in order to secure a seat and experience this production.  A mixture of anxious anticipation with the possibility of having my senses battered and overwhelmed confused me.  My own experience of watching Stanley Kubrick's version had  left me disturbed and horrified but in no doubt that it is an excellent movie.

Extreme Cinema - Mark Kermode speaks  I highly recommend you take 4 minutes to listen to the good Doctor introducing A Clockwork Orange on Channel 4 who explains the background and why it was banned in 1971.

The simplistic black set with only a black table and chairs meant the actors used minimal props to symbolize and move the plot on.  The ensemble of nine males played every role, including the female character.  Dressed in black trousers and either a white vest or a black vest with contrasting black or white braces was occassionally supplemented with a sneeky pop of something orange. 

Action to the World is a physical theatre company and their depiction throughout is balletic  and beautiful.  The implied violence through skilled choreography was enough to be explicit in the mind.  The Shakespearean delivery of the dialogue using Alex and his Droogs own language evoked a terrifying and enthralling experience, luring us in to the seedy violent world of disenchanted adolescence and gang boredom. 

It was utterly brilliant and without a doubt one of the best stage performances I have seen in Hong Kong.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On The Road the movie of the novel by Jack Kerouac

On The Road is an autobiographical novel by Jack Kerouac, published in 1957, depicting his own journey across America in the 1950s and in particular describing the relationship with his friend Neal Cassidy. The names are changed presumably to protect the innocent however there is absolutely nothing innocent about any of the characters. There is more than a smattering of staying up late and upsetting the wife/girlfriend/mother/grandmother to drug taking, stealing (hearts as well as tangible items), reckless driving and sex with a creative mixture of gender combinations.

The main character is Sal - really Kerouac, his friend is Dean, really Cassidy - both are writers, both young and completely and utterly concerned with their own self exploration in an effort to be inspired to write.

The movie, directed by Walter Salles, is beautifully filmed so we are treated to vast and varying landscapes, intoxicating jazz and dance scenes in Harlem and plenty of male nakedness, namely Garrett Hedlund, which always brightens up a movie in my opinion.

The love interests, I stress on the plural here, are played by Kristen Stewart and Kirsten Dunst who are both captivating on screen.

My overall experience was a positive but spoilt by the two young women and one man sat next to me who continually text on their bloody mobile phones throughout the movie causing distraction in a completely selfish way. I tried my best not to turn into my scary school teacher role, I shielded my eyes from them in an attempt to block out their annoying little lights but it didn't work. The longer it went on the more my cinematic experience was spoilt and the more I began to think that if I didn't say anything I would kick myself tomorrow. And so I told them off! "Will you please stop it with the mobile phones now". I guess if I had been any where else in the world this could have turned into a nasty uncomfortable incident that I could have seriously regretted, instead the two women were mortified, apologized sincerely and left!

I recommend this film and I recommend telling people in movie theatres to behave themselves and abide by the rules.

Skyfall Daniel Craig is the best James Bond (and a bit like Harry Potter)

I have not been a real James Bond fan until the beautiful Daniel Craig stepped into the role for Casino Royale.  Those Christmas Day moments, meant to be so special because a Bond movie was on, were not that special for me.  But now it's a whole new world, a new exciting place to be - 007 is Daniel Craig.

He is a beautiful man.  His chest, his eyes, his chin, his stance, his slim fitting suit all make me gasp in delight as I wallow in the sheer enjoyment of just being able to look at him on screen. 

Some of the cinematography in Skyfall was breath-taking, particularly the Macau and Shanghai scenes when I was thrilled to see those locations featured, although frankly it wasn't as exciting as that when I was there.  I wonder if it's something to do with not having the sound track in life?

I loved the inclusion of the classic Aston Martin with every old-school feature still in place, ejector seat button, machine guns under the head lamps and bullet proof glass.  Excellent.

Every boy had one.

 

The opening scene has everything a Bond fan could possibly want.  A British made Land Rover speeds through the street markets of Istanbul upturning baskets of fruit and spices, crashing through streets of locals who all move out of the way spectacularly.  All that is missing are two men carrying a large plate glass window.  Then we move quickly onto a motor bike chase over tiled rooftops culminating in a fight scene on the top of a moving train.  We are hooked and ready to be immersed in the full-on new and improved gritty Bond experience.

There are sad bits and obviously the most beautiful female character doesn't make it through for a happy ending but I don't want to include plot spoilers here.

It is the uncanny links to the Harry Potter story that interested me and I did wonder if J.K. Rowling's name would be in the credits.  We see Bond returning to his childhood home where it is revealed that both his parents were killed in a strange and other worldly incident when he was a boy, the same as Harry.  We even see their grave stones showing their names and we are given to understand that because of their death James' childhood was not a happy one, the same as Harry.   In fact, it involved a cupboard under the stairs albeit a little more gothic than Harry's, in fact a priest hole,  but they both spent time in a cupboard.  Significantly the vibe of Skyfall itself has definite links to Hogwarts and was I the only one who made the connection with Ralph Feinnes who played the one who shall not be named in Harry Potter and his role in this movie?  Was that just coincidence?

Is Harry 007 in the making?

 Is it just me?

 

 

 

 

The Temperature in Hong Kong Cinemas is too cold

I have just returned from a visit to the cinema at Mega Box, Kowloon Bay.  I saw  Wrath of the Titans  in 3D and I could write at length about the irritation of wearing the silly glasses and constantly jumping in an alarmed way when rocks, spears and snot nosed monsters appeared to be landing on my lap.  I don't think 3D is the future although I certainly do enjoy the IMAX experience.  Can I have the IMAX experience without the silly glasses please?

More importantly it is the freezing temperature of the cinema that I need to complain about.  I have special cinema clothes which I wear for such an outing regardless of the weather outside.   Hong Kong cinemas are so uncomfortably freezing cold that previous miserable cold shivering experiences have taught me that I must don my North Face jacket, woolly hat with ear flaps and compulsory thermal underwear in order to get through a movie. 

I have tried complaining to the staff and asked them to turn down the air conditioning so that they save money and keep me warm.  I have been told I can hire a jacket for $100.  I protested and missed bits of the plot in my attempts to creep to the front to, yet again, plead with the staff to raise the temperature so it is not necessary for the audience to wear ski clothes so they can watch a movie in a comfortable environment.

This situation has being going on for far too long.

It is typical of Hong Kong to ignore such environmental factors.

Nowhere Boy - directed by Sam Taylor-Wood

John Lennon  1961

Aaron Johnson  plays John Lennon 2010

 

I enjoyed this film a lot.  It is the story of John Lennon's adolescence, an important period in his life when his beloved uncle died suddenly leaving him with his Aunt Mimi and  also explains the very very complicated relationship he had with his mother. It ends, and I don't think I'm giving away anything here, as he heads off to Hamburg with his new band, what were they called again?  The Beatles, that's it.

We meet Paul and George fleetingly, it's too early for Ringo, but it's not about The Beetles, it's about John as a teenager and the relationships in his life which probably had a massive influence on his music and choice of instrument later.

It is British.  I am a total fan of the quiet portrayal of a character who comes alive in an authentic setting.   The attention to detail in every frame and set is delicious.  I was enthralled by each room, perfectly constructed to transport us to 1955 Liverpool.  If it was Aunt Mimi's semi detached middle class parlor or the Head master's office it was so good you could almost smell it. 

It's not a new release, it came out last year, but has only just made it to Broadway Cinamatique in Yau Ma Tei click here for  On line Ticket Sales

This is the first movie directed by the artist/photographer Sam Taylor-Wood and she has obviously used her 'eye' in the making of this, I look forward to her next work.