il Giardino Romantico

To whom exactly is this movie paying homage?  The Queen? Blair? Or Princess Diana?  It is not often that we are offered a film with contents of this caliber.  Yes, we've had a plethora of films concerning royalty, but have we ever had one that scrutinizes contemporary royal families?  I believe not.  Therefore, it is  definitely worth watching.

Surely the majority of us have either heard or even performed one or two of the miraculous works of the all-time music maestro Ludwig van Beethoven.  At least, those of us living in Taiwan may be lucky enough to hear the famous Fur Elise playing two times a day, while the garbage truck runs around the neighborhood collecting our daily garbage.  If you've seen the trailers for The Fast and the Furious - Tokyo Drift, or Die Hard 4.0, then you may have also recognized the famous motif from his ninth symphony, Ode to Joy.  However, very few of us bother to find out the background story of not just Beethoven, but many other famous musicians and well noted celebrities.  Immortal Beloved, and Copying Beethoven are two movies that are readily available for us lazy-bums who wish to find out a bit more about this particular musician.  However, we must first understand that while knowledge is power, little knowledge can also be deadly.  Fortunately for you, this article sets out to discuss just how much you can rely on these two films, and what are the fabricated details that the movie makers had added in to make the movie more dramatic and luring to its audience. 


Both of these movies reveal the story of the legendary maestro, Beethoven.  Both movies have great casting and music.  However, there are so many other factors that make one more worthwhile than the other. 

This article is a compilation of the afterthoughts on three different movies: V for Vendetta, Thank you for Smoking, and Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Close friends and loyal readers might already know my indulgence for any genuine 'English' related topics.  What they probably also already know is the enjoyment super-hero movies bring to me.  What they might not know is how profound an impact the George Orwell novel, 1984, had on me as an innocent tenth grader.  The whole idea of being watched twenty-four-seven by the Big Brother seemed quite overwhelmingly disturbing.  Mind you, internet access and the whole realm of technology wasn't as advanced as it is now.  The idea of the governing powers having total control of people's lives was also extremely haunting.  But having read the right books and perceived the right information, I know now that this is not at all far-fetched truth.  V for Vendetta recreates 1984 in the form of comic books, and now in the form of a film.  the final product is exquisite because it leaves the audience pondering the true purpose and motive.  Some may find it disappointing to not ever see his real 'flesh', however I personally think that is exactly what makes V such an appealing super-hero.  Like other super-heroes, the mysterious identity is his charisma, his charm.  His mask and outfit is what is really important, because it has become a symbol for what he stands for.  And the people will continue to strive for what he stood for.

It would probably surprise you that a movie and book freak, like me, have never read any of the Harry Potter books, with the exception of the Sorcerer's Stone.  Well, how should I go about explaining this?  Like most best-selling novels out there in the market, I was quite sure it wasn't worth reading, and that I would make better use of my time reading more matured work; work that related to my studies.  However, that did not stop me from enjoying the movie. 

Everyone must be overwhelmed by the growth of Harry Potter and Daniel Radcliffe.  The world has basically 'watched' him grow from an innocent little boy into the almost-man he is today.  however, it occurred to me while watching a behind-the-scenes interview prior to the viewing of the movie, that this is not very different from the Truman Show!?  I guess the fact that Radcliffe must have known this was coming made all the difference.

1.你最近剛看完的電影/影集?
電影：
V for Vandetta, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Thank You for Smoking

三部電影的觀後感想近日會出爐。不過先說一下這三部裡，我覺得最值得一看得就是V for Vandetta[V怪客]。Girl with a Pearl Earring [帶著珍珠耳環的女孩]跟小說一樣讓我有點失望。但畢竟看過小說，看到有出電影還是很好奇的租來看。沒有什麼高潮迭起，就是很普通的一個故事。而且我不認為Colin Firth適合演那種藝術家。他的氣質還是適合演典型的英國紳士。至於Thank You for Smoking[銘謝吸菸] 也是一樣讓我有點失望。可能是因為我原本期待的是類似Fast Food Nation的呈現方式導致的吧。

This is the beginning of an era where sequels can sometimes prevail over its first.  Spider-man has done it, and now Fantastic 4 has just further fortified that phenomenon.

You see, what got me into the super-hero genre was not because of those macho, super-handsome hunks with the perfect biceps, but it was when I realized the subterranean purposes of these seemingly meaningless comic book adventures.  For instance, we must compare  the different "creation stories" of these super-heros.  Since Spider-man and Fantastic 4 both belong to Marvel, it's probably for the best to leave out their DC rivals, Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent for the moment.  So that gives us the X-men crew, Daredevil, and two of the ones I've already mentioned.

Now, just how often do you meet a genetically mutated person?  Well, they exist, but they probably don't have supernatural powers, plus they have their own world.  And, the probability of being, or just knowing a visually impaired person is, I would say, not that high either.  Personally, I don't know any myself.  And what's the point of all this? 

If you're expecting the same amount of laugh and humor as we have had in the previous Pirate films, then you might be a little disappointed.  The grand finale (?) of this popular Disney franchise does not have as much humor as its two predecessors, yet it is by no means a failure.



The spectacular computer generated special effects and extraordinary stunts may awe you just the same.  Everyone has their own ideas (if you don't, then you should) concerning what lies at the world's end.  It wouldn't be fair to judge the film's interpretation because that would be too subjective.  But I assure you, their version of it is quite satisfying.