http://sutradharsmarket.wordpress.com/2011/11/22/film-review-almodovars-the-skin-i-live-in/

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I saw the trailer of The Skin I Live In (starring Antonio Banderas and Elena Anaya) right before the movie 50/50 (starring Jonathan Levine and Seth Rogan), when every muscle of mine was relaxed and prepared to laugh. So you can imagine my mood.

Basically, it was two minutes of pure weirdness. Imagine:  a bald woman with a mask scrawling on the floor, a creepy man dressed like a tiger chasing her around, a scary looking doctor performing god-knows-what surgery on some poor young boy, an old maid holding a gun… everything you DON’T expect to see in a movie, at least not in one movie.

At the end of the trailer, the title finally raised:  “The Skin I Live In, A film by Almodóvar.” Then immediately I decided to see it. Talk about cultural snobs! Ah!

And I went. It was the strangest cinema experience I have ever had.

The movie The Skin I Live In is the 18^th feature film from Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar. Anyone who is familiar with his work would know he is not afraid of unconventional topics. From his earlier work Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! to his more recognized ones like Bad Education, Almodóvar is known for his candid depiction of sex, relationships, abuse, desire and crime. And yet underneath those themes, he manages to maintain a subtle, fragile and aesthetic presence in all his major films.

This time he is breaking out of his comfort zone.

Somehow The Skin I Live In seems to resonate with B-class horror movies or some experimental films, but it is so much more. It is not only the boldest story I had seen in years, but also an ambitious one. Science, psychosis, a Frankenstein experiment, rape, plastic surgery… it collects elements that are so random and eccentric, and seamlessly links them all together to reflect a deeper and more humane subject – how do you face your past.

Despite its creepy surface, this film is about expectation, beauty, identity, trust, revenge, ethics, and love.

It is such a unique piece, even for Almodóvar.

Up until now I didn’t mention any substantial details about the plot. I even feel guilty to have spilled some key words here, simply because I had so much fun (or horror, depending on how you look at it) watching it without knowing anything beforehand. Every turn of the story was a new surprise. And there were times I was completely shocked.

So here is my advice:

Watch the trailer if you wish (see below), read no spoilers, don’t Google for reviews, just go and see it yourself.

http://sutradharsmarket.wordpress.com/2011/11/08/bookstores-closing-lost-digital-age/

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The way we live now is a lot different than when I was a teenager, and that was only ten years ago.  According to National Geographic, the 7 billionth baby was born this year, either in India or the Philippines. Wherever this lucky baby is, he/she will definitely grow up in a world beyond our wildest imagination.

I have always had a thing for bookstores. One of my favorite childhood memories is of a small bookstore near my home. I can still remember vividly its big windows, giant bookshelves, ladders that went all the way to the top, and glass floor. Of course, it was shut down a long time ago. Then there was this bookstore & café called O2 Sun that I really loved when I was an undergraduate. It took me almost an hour to get there from school, but I still went a lot. Sadly, as a poor student, it was hard to say no to Amazon when it offered half the price. Eventually, despite of my undying passion to O2 Sun, I bought less and less from it.

So I cannot say I’m totally surprised when I heard the news that O2 Sun was closing last week. It seemed to do well over the years and at its best it grew into a chain with more than 30 stores all over China. Every time I stepped into any of the O2 Sun stores, there were people everywhere with books in their hands. But the truth is, it has been losing money for years, and now its day finally came.

After the news broke out, people began to lament over the loss of the bookstore, as if some part of Beijing had died. I suddenly realized we no longer go to bookstores because we need to buy books. More often, we go to bookstores to make ourselves feel good. Nowadays opening a bookstore is more like opening a museum, no one sees it as a wise business decision, but we all admire the courage.

Media as a tools have gone through serious changes. The discussion on how to preserve our great legacies never stops us from digitizing every bit of our lives. The future of print media is doomed for sure. Earlier this year, almost every major newspaper and magazine in the U.S. dedicated at least an article to Borders, another bookstore chain that had gone out of business. Even more retrospective, there’s an article in Intelligent Life magazine this month about the dying of handwriting, Handwriting: An Elegy. Articles on this topic tend to be long and heartfelt, probably because we all have a lot to say but there’s nothing we can do.

So when we are mourning for paper books, or bookstores, or calligraphy, what are we really mourning for? One can easily argue that our spirit will remain regardless of forms, and our wisdom will only grow stronger by adopting new and more effective ways to communicate. To put it more delicately, the demise of some old media is nothing but a lost art. In fact, compared to the length of our civilization, the printing press is not even an ancient one. Sometimes I wonder maybe when Gutenberg first invented the printing press, people were just as frustrated and furious as we are towards electronic reading, shouting desperately, “What’s wrong with writing and wood-carving?”

This reminds me of a novel called The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald. The woman in that book just wanted to open a bookstore in her small town. She believed with all her heart that a bookstore was something people needed. But people always make their own choices.

I’m sure both Steve Jobs and Jorge Luis Borges are living in two different paradises. And they’re equally happy.

http://sutradharsmarket.wordpress.com/2011/10/26/ruzuo-china-cinema/

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Ruzuo.com, a Chinese website that organizes movie screening events, is becoming increasingly popular. In Chinese, “ruzuo” means “take a seat.” Loyal members of Ruzuo like to call themselves Zuoers, or “seat takers.”

What makes Ruzuo stands out is its innovative service. It lets users vote for films they want to watch, and then arranges screenings… wait for it… on the big screen!

Here, let me fill in some background information.

To watch movies on the big screen can be a real luxury in China, especially art movies. Because we don’t have a rating system and do have a sensitive government, movies that are considered appropriate to show in cinemas are limited. Although after joining the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Chinese government reluctantly loosened some restrictions on foreign movies, or namely, Hollywood movies, it is still rare to import independent and art movies. Nonetheless, people’s enthusiasm about those films never stops. Many people turn to pirated DVDs and downloads; but that was far from enough for real movie lovers.

Now with Ruzuo, people can simply create an order online and wait for enough participants to join. Then the show is on!

Since 2006, more than 400 movies have been shown in this way. Depending on the number in the audience, events are held in various venues from movie theaters to foreign cultural centers (for example, Institut Français De Chine) to small playhouses. I witnessed some of those screenings and found the atmosphere almost heavenly. Everyone turned off their cell phones, everyone stayed patient when old movie prints unexpectedly broke, everyone applauded after the closing credits ran out; everyone talked with each other and thanked the organizer…. Zuoers are gathered together for only one reason: the love of film.

Another intriguing feature about Ruzuo is it somehow created an intimate, exclusive and nostalgic feeling. It takes us back to the time when outdoor movies were popular, when people would grab their stools from home or just sit on the ground, when the projectionists occasionally fell asleep and forgot to change the projector, when people would watch the same movie over and over again until they learned every line by heart.

Through word of mouth, more people are drawn into the circle. This year, the registered users on Ruzuo.com have exceeded 10,000.

Sadly, the two founders who set out from interests other than ambition are not at all prepared for this fast-developing fan base. As demand continues to grow, their ability to satisfy the need seems to have lagged behind. The website started to crash from overload, movie requirements are piling up on their desks, and a group of fans asking for popular movies has also arisen.  The founders are now facing a difficult decision: whether to seek out investments and expand their business or keep down the scale and protect their original goal.

Do all good things have to end?

Let’s just hope the Cinema Paradiso will not be torn down this time.

在此之前，约翰伯格对我来说只是个名字，对应着一个面目模糊的知识分子。他应该目光柔和而坚定，身形消瘦微驼，平时少言沉默，生活简单细致。
当然以上均为凭空想象。

总觉得将回忆录性质的书作为第一本来读有点奇怪，好像突然闯入一个陌生人的人生，分享了不该有的亲密。
但这一次的体验却又不太一样。
很多人将这本书和卡尔维诺的“看不见的城市”相比，因他将不同的城市作为记忆的载体，就此好似随意的讲起一个个细节丰富的故事。那些故事虽来自他内心深处，却让局外人分不清虚实，或者说，真实的情节往往被处理的如幻境一般，而虚构的部分却好像正在发生一样真切动人。
从里斯本到日内瓦到马德里，一路走，一路感受，与逝者并肩而行，和过去的时光擦身而过。与其说回忆往事，倒不如说记忆扑面而来——知名不知名的河流建筑，集市上的人流和小贩，布料或皮肤的触觉，气味，食物，各种与之交叉或平行的人生…… 而这一切繁复细碎的讲述都被赋予了格外镇定的语气和不容置疑的气质，让人只顾紧紧跟着，不忍落下一词一句。

这本书我看得极慢，读完好像经历了好几个年代，体验了另一个生命的起伏变化。

他说，”进入我们人生的生命数量是无法计算的。”而即使他已经花了这么大力气去复述回想，能够覆盖到的，恐怕也仅仅是记忆的冰山一角。
所以不要去小看我们的记忆，也许察觉不到，可我们所承载的一定是几个，甚至更多的人生。
而我们之所以成为今天这般模样，绝不仅仅是自己所为。无论你自认为多么独立，都无法剥离别人的影响——有些使你印象深刻，有些你甚至未必记得。也许真的像天堂里遇到的五个人那个故事一样，到底是谁一次次带我们走过生命的转角，而我们又在不经意间改变了谁的人生，当事人才是最无从知晓。

好的回忆录总是胜在细节和语调。你以为当我们回首往事，闪过眼前的一定是那些里成碑式轰轰烈烈的大事么？也许最终留下来的却是那些破碎的片段，某次邂逅，某种味道，某个微笑，普通却一直挥散不去的对白，偷偷摸摸的一次拥抱。

这是一部时光之书，记忆之书。之所以令人动容，并不是靠着煽情的情节或感人的语言，这8.5段小文章里满是经历过的平静，反思和宽容。
有些问题，时间会给你答案。可确实有些疑惑，时间也不能够解除。
而也正因如此，我们才会对身边的一切如此热爱。

They say it can’t be a wedding ceremony without tears. I’ve always hated that part. And the never-ending teasing chitchat coming from a so-called “host” who barely knows the newly-weds. And all the awkward/stupid games that really satisfy no one.
But yours are just wonderful. And you’re the most beautiful bride I have ever seen. I was moved so much, not by the delicate setting, not by the music, not by the speech, but by your happiness. So real and so peaceful. I realized only recently that LOVE doesn’t necessarily has to be fierce and world-shaking and heart-wrenching. Sometimes, simply holding hands and making effortless talk can be as good as any romantic gestures.
Call me old, but this is something I learned after countless pain and regrets. And now I am lucky to have someone, with whom I fear no more, exert no more, calculate no more, for I know our love grows on its course, as everything else does. All we can do, all we must do, is to treasure each other at this moment, then moments after, then moments after…
So thank you, to anyone who had loved me, who had hurt me, who had hurt by me. I was never willing to admit this, but you made me who I am.

Well, women do have a thing for weddings after all, even for me. As long as it’s simple, sincere and classy. Oh, and most importantly, when the happy couple happens to be some one you care.

Do I sound like Elizabeth Gilbert or what…

老式情歌，来自Carpenters 1972年的专辑。钢琴和一点萨克斯，讲故事一样的轻轻唱。

卡朋特太有名太熟悉，以至于想起他们脑海中永远先飘出那几首金曲的旋律，反而很难静下心来细细体会。

所以他们的歌总是在最不经意的时候带给人惊喜，当作电影肥皂剧的背景音乐随意放起来，或者在pub里被一个不知名的人翻唱出来。

配合某种场景。

卡朋特的情歌都有种封闭的气质，好像在阁楼上听着电台，自说自画。

不过爱情有时就是这样，努力装作不在意，其实却都在认认真真的爱着你。

Lain同学曾经评价说我的神奇之处在于和什么样的人都能交流。可我经常觉得无论和什么样的人在一起都有一种难以摆脱的疏离感，玩得再好聊得再美，还是隐隐的觉得自己不属于那个世界。可能从小成长环境和内心所向其实不一样，某天突然发现自己是个异类，但往前走一小步，又觉得自己再普通不过。于是陷在各种圈子的边缘，来来回回的踏步。

融入真是看似简单实则极其艰难的事情啊。

大家会不会都是这样心猿意马貌合神离的呢？ 我又乱用成语了吧……

- It is always twilight in one’s cell, as it is always twilight in one’s heart.

- Her death was terrible to me; but I, once a lord of language, have no words in which to express my anguish and my shame.

- Love is fed by the imagination, by which we become wiser than we know, better than we feel, nobler than we are: by which we can see Life as a whole.
- Whatever is realized is right.
- Behind Joy and Laughter there may be a temperament, coarse, hard and callous. But behind Sorrow there is always Sorrow. Pain, unlike Pleasure, wears no mask.
- We are the zanies of sorrow. We are clowns whose hearts are broken.
- The past, the present and the future are but one moment in the sight of God.

迪伦早期某次唱起Blowin’ in the wind前说过：It doesn’t sound like it, but the words are the same. That’s the important.

而数十年后的今天，迪伦已经无需再为他的行为作任何解释，当他的出现本身已经可以让我们血脉喷张，还有谁记得，他那些任性背后的真诚和爱？这个浮躁的年代，谁还在把摇滚乐当作诗，谁还在乎歌词是否发自内心呢？唱歌的听歌的都是如此。看现场经常发现好多小孩恨不得鼓槌落下的瞬间就high起来，观众的反应有时和音乐本身其实已经没什么关系了，完全是个人感情的表达。而感情，也不过是自己那点爱恨情仇。

坦率的说，我很难用平和的心态去期待这一场演出，我甚至和朋友说其实他唱什么，唱成什么样都已经不重要了，但想想这些无非是在为可能出现的失落提前找借口。Never Ending Tour说来令人鼓舞，但相比之下我们其实已经更习惯看到逝去的美好。而昨晚，迪伦和他的乐队用完美的表演重新构建起了那个曾经的乌托邦，那两个小时，是只属于音乐和幻觉的时光。

没有华丽装饰的舞台，没有眩目的灯光效果，没有反反复复的调音，没有过场的等待，没有调侃和互动，没有寒暄感慨和依依不舍，只有幕布上迪伦的影子，他含糊又充满力量的嗓音和各种乐器的混响。

虽然后来看到其实绝大部分都是金曲，但彻头彻尾的改编让我前半部分基本都没听出来，只能用断续的词去猜测拼凑。然而好音乐就是无论你是否熟悉它的旋律和节奏，听到都会忍不住用身体去和。忘了时间和空间。

我坐在台阶上，靠在爱人的怀里，听着那些既熟悉又陌生的歌，很多次都恍惚觉得仿佛置身年代久远的小酒吧，在某个不知名的小城，台上昏黄的灯光，台下随着节奏摇晃的人们。一曲终了，歌者脱帽致意，观众饮尽杯中的威士忌，懒懒散散的鼓掌。

迪伦把一生对世界的理解，欢喜和沮丧，同情和嘲讽，希望和失望，全都谱成了曲子，写成了诗。想起他一次采访的时候说，我给的已经够多了，你们还要什么呢。而他从曾经舞台上的羞涩冲动，到如今举手投足间强大的气场，这种从容自若的风度真的不是一步可以到达的。都说树有年轮，人何尝不是。

虽然迪伦永远让人捉摸不透，他自己对一切事实非事实也总是闪烁其辞，但就音乐来说其实迪伦的内核一直没变，乡村和blues是他从听到Woody那一刻起就开始的坚持。后来所谓的转型，现在也被证明仅仅是rock n’ roll传统的另一种诠释, 无论是木琴电琴口琴还是电子琴，其实都只是不同的表达方式而已。但他也从未停在原地，就是这几个最基本的元素，他却能够永不停止的给人带来新的感受，哪怕是唱过百千遍的歌也能让人有初听般的惊喜。他从来都不是革命者或救世者，他只是单纯的感受和记录这个时代，不忠于任何人任何事任何信仰，除了自己的内心。所以他一直被怀疑，但从未被否定。比起来Bowie同学就太贪心了，永远想走在最前面，于是难免有时候走错路。即便所有人怀着最大的宽容将其理解为探索和开拓，Tonight和Never Let me Down还是连他自己想起来都咯应的失败……

看到老爷子的状态，我开始觉得，也许这并不一定是我最后一次看到他的现场。但我知道，这场演出带给我的感受是唯一的。这次我真真切切的体会到setlist应该是且只能是歌手的自由， 根据现场气氛和状态调整出来的曲目才是最自然最切合的。演唱会本来就无法照顾每个人的喜好，也根本无需追求完美。像那部电影里说的，让一首歌变得伟大的，有时正是些小小的瑕疵。而那些随性的瞬间连演出者本人都再也无法复制。

也许和迪伦的其他歌相比，这一首没有那么特别，但在当时的情景下，已经没有比forever young更为合适的结尾。那一刻，我毫不矫情的热泪盈眶。在这样的音乐面前，一切言语和姿态都是多余。

我会永远记得这个夜晚，永远记得迪伦在这简单的舞台上用他沙哑含混的嗓音轻轻唱出：

May you stay forever young.

然后灯光熄灭，观众散场。

p.s. 血还热乎着，这一场的bootleg已经出来了。感谢现场录音的houzi同学，效果超好。我开始两首还惦记着录录，到后来完全顾不上了。
pp.s.预祝今晚上海演出更加成功！