It took me lots of courage to watch the movie, starring Sandra Bullock (the main reason) and Keanu Reeves. After their 'Speed', I couldn't bear watching another one starring the actress as I really think she looks like a witch! I had expected it to be a 'romantic' love story driving little girls with fantasy crazy about loads of cliche. Quite surprisingly, it impressed me with its storyline, telling us Cate (Bullock) and Alex (Reeves) are indeed communicating with each other in 2-year time span, one in 2006 and the other 2004.
All the way through I thought: Wow! This story was amazing - felt like time travel at times. And with all those details building up the relationship of Cate and Alex - I couldn't say it's all just cliche. Coming to the part when Cate waited for Alex in the restaurant but he didn't turn up, the scene was heartbreaking adding to her hopeless feeling of not being able to meet Alex and having a future with him. I took my breath deep later when Cate finally walks in Alex and his brother's company and having realised that her hidden passion for Alex takes over her once again, the bad news comes - Alex died in a car accident.
If the scriptwriter was a genius, s/he wouldn't alter the past. It was a wrong step that brought the great fall to the movie. At last, Cate actually ran back to the lake house, sent Alex a note, trying to avoid the accident. And of course, she succeeded. The craziest and stupidest ending no scriptwriter should ever do - altering the past without dealing with the FACT or REALITY of the present.
There were only FURY and ANNOYANCE in me I felt for it.
Next time, watch wise!
ps. by the way, 'The Lake House' was inspired by the Korean movie 'Il Mare'
Read this article on SCMP on Jan 4, 'HK students in great leap northward', reporting the lives of some of the Hongkongers studying at several universities in China. The most facinating thing from the report was not about how WE Hongkongers shone brighter than mainlanders academically, but...Quote 1: "I really think the English lessons are unacceptable. If my English teacher was in Hong Kong, I think he would be sacked," Ms Wong said. "I think my English is deteriorating after studying here for one year."My response: I just couldn't help LAUGHING OUT LOUD! ^O^Quote 2: Adjusting to different living styles is also a huge step the students have to make -- including different hygiene standards and different working hours.My response: [keeps nodding head] I couldn't agree more. I had been tolerating the stinky smell of my 'bathroom-mate''s towel (couldn't find a better word to describe someone sharing a bathroom with me) whenever I sat on the toilet (pardon me!). What on earth did she have on her body? Dung???Quote 3: "In the newspapers in Hong Kong, there are opinion pages and people have different perspective in looking at the same incident, ... There is no such thing in mainland newspapers and something is missing here."My response: Does freedom of speech ever exist in China, by the way?I'm not trying to be mean or whatever, but we have a long way to go before we can really be 'united'. (Well, I'm not looking so forward to it, anyway!)
鏗鏘集被指鼓吹同性戀 遭廣管局強烈勸喻 港台稱裁決堪商榷 (明報)
【明報專訊】香港電台「王牌」電視節目《鏗鏘集》一集探討同性婚姻、名為《同志．戀人》的節目，昨日被廣播事務管理局裁定「報道內容不公、不完整和偏袒同性戀，產生鼓吹接受同性婚姻的效果」，不適宜在合家歡時段播放，故向港台發出「強烈勸喻」。港台昨日迅速發出新聞稿回應，對廣管局的決定「表示失望」，反駁指廣管局裁決「值得商榷」，強調節目並非「性傾向討論」，只是希望展示同性戀者面對社會壓力的感受。有港台製作人員坦言，廣管局的裁決令人感到「憂慮」，擔心社會的討論空間日益收縮，令傳媒無法協助市民了解弱勢社群的聲音。有傳媒學者指出，近年廣管局的成員組成層面日益狹窄，根本無法有效了解及反映社會各階層的聲音。
合家歡時段播放 明光社：傳媒應反省另一邊廂，明光社總幹事蔡志森贊同廣管局發出的勸喻，發現內容偏袒同性戀者，並希望傳媒能夠「認真反省」。
廣管局於去年7月接到22宗市民投訴，指港台《鏗鏘集》7月9日播出的《同志．戀人》節目，指內容「偏袒及宣揚同性戀」、「提及一名基督徒的反對意見，令觀眾誤以為所有基督徒都是缺乏理性，對基督徒不公」、「沒有提及同性戀的不良方面如愛滋病」等。影視及娛樂事務管理處跟進後認為投訴不成立，但一名公眾人士決定上訴，並交廣管局審理。《同志．戀人》接22投訴廣管局認為，同性戀及同性婚姻合法化在社會極具爭議，故節目須遵守持平原則，但節目只講及3名同性戀者的意見，故報道不公並鼓吹同性婚姻，節目亦不適宜於合家歡時段播放，兒童可能不理解同性戀而受節目影響。港台：屬時事特寫 有字幕提示不過，廣管局指部分投訴不成立，例如節目並非對基督徒不公、愛滋病主因並非同性戀行為，節目亦有播出警告字眼，例如節目開始時有字幕﹕「本節目涉及同性戀題材，敬請留意」。
記者在港台網頁重溫該半小時節目，發現內容主要有關兩名女同性戀者及一名男同性戀者的自白，談到個人經歷及對同性婚姻的看法，家人及朋友的眼光等。
港台發言人說，對廣管局的裁決感到失望，認為值得商榷，而節目屬時事特寫，不是性傾向辯論節目，旨在反映公眾未必熟悉、但少數社群關注的社會現象，以提示同性戀者面對社會壓力的感受。港台表示，廣管局決定「影響時事節目的取材及編務，值得社會辯論」。就港台對裁決表示「失望」，廣管局發言人表示沒有回應。香港雖是一個國際大都會，是一個文化大溶爐；但對於這些「不同」，我們的接受度又有多少？對於一切的「不同」，我們都全盤接受，還是置若罔聞？這邊廂廣管局向港台發出警告不可鼓吹同性戀，那邊廂又為什麼設立平等機會委員會？我們的社會是否都自相矛盾？更何況《鏗鏘集》所展示的只是同性戀者本身所面對的社會壓力，並沒有任何鼓吹成分。然而，當這一輯反應不同社會聲音的報導，演變成「道德捍衛者」的武器，藉以「引導」大眾對同性戀加以排斥及邊緣化，那社會各階層的小聲音只會愈來愈細小。部分西方國家已接受同性婚姻合法化，對於他們，也有著面對宗教道德的壓力；不過，他們亦明白到同性戀只是性取向的一種，同性戀更是生活的另一種模式。在香港，我們都說是自由社會；可是，真正的自由社會不是強行過濾「可接受」及「不可接受」的價值，而是讓各人有獨立自主權去決定「誰是誰非」。若這次的警告奏效，香港的社會只會有更多的歧視，而我們的視野只會更加狹窄。作為國際大都會的其中一份子，我們是否都應反思我們有沒有廣闊的視野？
Dec 21 - am: slept till late - afternoon: bank matters - night: nice gathering dinner with Alan & Sasa in a Japanese restaurant in Kwun TongDec 22 - am: shopping at C!ty'super - afternoon: went back to St. Paul's and met my lovely students / took LOTS of photos, played some WILD games and chit-chatted for TOO LONG at KFC - night: met my secondary schmate Debbie up at Festival Walk / her sister was so nice as to make a big pot of rice wine :)Dec 23 - am: ??? - afternoon: superb teatime gathering with u-mates at Ruby Tuesday in Kowloon Bay (welcome back, Derek!) - night: had a nice dinner with momDec 24 - am & afternoon: exhausting hike for 12km passing through Lai Chi Wo (I almost fainted with vigorous heartbeats - goosh! Yet, what an achievement!) - night: bought loads of veg and good beef for shabu-shabuDec 25 - am: Chinese 'dim sum' lunch with mom :) - afternoon: burnt money at IKEA for some more furniture for the 'new' flat :[ - night: dined outDec 26 - am & pm: hiking day AGAIN! Met up friends at 10am in Fanling for Hok Tau hiking trail / Took only 1 1/2 hrs to reach the BBQ site called 'Lavendar Garden' / Carried on with the hike at 3pm but... GOT LOST! Failed to follow the path again and ended up in Tai Po Industrial Estate >o< - night: ???Dec 27 - Macau Trip (Day 1) - 11am: met my u-mates in Sheung Wan for the Turbojet to Macau - 2pm: had our first Portuguese meal (YUMMY!) - Hunting for Italian icecream (gelato) and souvenirs (almond cake, etc... you name it!) - Settled for a while watching some really OLD TVB drama series at Karen's sister's home - 5pm: Checked in to the hotel (wonderful!) - 7pm: Food-hunting / Believe it or not, we had our second Portuguese meal! - 9pm: Casino (Edmund won a double from the slot machine!!!) - 11pm till 3am: UNO marathon... ZZZzzz...Dec 28 - Macau Trip (Day 2) - 3-5am: Chatted with Jenny on a large double bed... HAHA!!! 9am: We're superwomen / Jenny and I went down to have our buffet breakfast ~o~ - 12nn: Checked out - 12:30pm: Amazing! We had our THIRD Portuguese meal (YUCK!) - Afterwards: Went to the Fishermen's Pier (BORING, I assure you!) - 3.15pm: TEATIME for pork chop bun!!! - 5:10pm: LUCKY enough to catch the Turbojet back to Hong Kong (Thank XXX!!!) / Almost threw up... :(Dec 29 - am: BIG BREAKFAST! - 1pm: HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY -- WORLD CARNIVAL!!! / Extremely exciting and fun! Got a big hand, YEAH!!! - 6pm: Enjoyed a nice cup of Irish coffee at Pacific Coffee Company in Sheung Wan - 7.30pm: Dinner in a bar restaurant - 9pm: Met Luica at Twenty-One-Twenty-One in Lan Kwai Fong :D - 11.45pm: Took 88R back to City One Shatin / Car accident kept me waiting at the tunnel entrance for 40 mins >o<Dec 30 - afternoon: KFC lunch (my favourite! HAHA!) - night: cooked a nice dinner at homeDec 31 - afternoon: did shopping at the supermarket in Seiyu for the party at night - night: party with sushi, salad, Japanese dumplings, wine (FABULOUS!) - till late: MONOPOLY craze! HAPPY 2007!!!Jan 1 - afternoon: 'dim sum' lunch - night: hot pot dinner in Fo Tan with family and friends :)
It took me lots of courage to watch the movie, starring Sandra Bullock (the main reason) and Keanu Reeves. After their 'Speed', I couldn't bear watching another one starring the actress as I really think she looks like a witch! I had expected it to be a 'romantic' love story driving little girls with fantasy crazy about loads of cliche. Quite surprisingly, it impressed me with its storyline, telling us Cate (Bullock) and Alex (Reeves) are indeed communicating with each other in 2-year time span, one in 2006 and the other 2004.
