I saw two movies this weekend. That has not happened since I lived in Singapore where I averaged 1.5 to 3 times per week in the movie theatre. (When it is 35 celsius all-year-round with not much to do, and the movie theatre is 4 minutes walk away, you will understand.)
I finally managed to see "The Incredible Hulk" on a big screen... even when I had to go to the $2.00 theatre next to the supermarket. I am a Marvel fan and I do admit to having a little crush on Edward Norton, so I just had to see it. (The gratuitous naked scene in the bath tub aside.)
Clocking under 2 hours with action scenes every 15 minutes, The Hulk delivered. I was not expecting an Oscar-winning performance nor was I hoping to inspire the hero in me, so I thought it was good. Even the CGI rendering was very believable.
I especially enjoyed the snippets of humor that distracted us from the green-side of anger... Lou Ferigno as a security guard? That was hilarious. "You do not want me hungry" (in Portuguese)... my hero! Tell them, Hulk!
As if I did not have enough of conflicted heroes engaged in explosive confrontation amidst city traffic, I made my way to the theatres again and saw "The Dark Knight." ($10.50?!?! are they charging movie-goers the Batmobile gas?)
The latest Batman flick is close to my heart because I am excited to see the bits they shot last year in Hong Kong. For a week there was an announcement in my office building for possible disturbances, etc. due to filming of a big Hollywood film. For a week we see and hear helicopters circling our office tower, Two IFC, taking aerial shots of Hong Kong's famous skyline. Each time the helicopter comes close to our windows, my colleague and I would scream, wave, yell in vain hopes of getting into the film. Rumors of Christian Bale shooting in our tower would circulate intermittently. Walking home on the Mid-Levels escalator, we would see loads of movie-making equipment and loads of extras piled in rows.
With all the hype, I would have thought at least 5% of the 2.5 hour film will be in HK. I was mildly surprised to find out that it was probably just 2 minutes or so. It kinda gave me a glimpse of how much time, money and effort goes into those big Hollywood films. One week of shooting on location is equivalent to 2 minutes.
I have to admit, the aerial shots of Hong Kong were well-done. The panned shots approaching the office towers were great. If you look really really, really hard, you might just see me on the UBS trading floor. (It's a superhero movie, use your imagination!)
Seeing the familiar sites of central Hong Kong made me wistful. I miss movie nights with my friends which can easily be turned into dinner-drinks gala or a karaoke theme party with full documentation in 10 megapixels.
If I have superpowers right now, I would just fly to Hong Kong for the weekend and see friends... How about you? What kind of superhero are you? http:\\www.thesuperheroquiz.com
1 comment:
Ting, I missed the Hulk! But thanks to Soy, Ivy, Gary, Ginger, Xavier and Awi, I did get to see Batman and the Joker the first weekend the movie was shown in HK. We had to go to Elements Mall in the dark side (i.e., KOWLOON) because the IFC and Pacific Place cinemas run out of seats! After the movie, we ended up in SODA til the wee hours of the morning. And, yes, some singing, dancing, and photography were involved! Missed you!
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