《青雨》

流離在瓦片上
料料峭峭的
是青澀的雨

聽聽那冷雨
淅淅瀝瀝
淋淋漓漓
一抹抹的青絲
一切都斷了

窗外的平靜
帶著一點淒楚的韻味
羽毛上沾著
一滴滴濕漓漓的靈魂

那單調
的打葉聲
輕盈地敲出
一股細細密密
輕輕重重的韻律
是母親吟唱的童謠
也是勇士頌唱的哀歌
還是生命中永恆的旋律

燕子紛飛的半虹
是浮漾濕濕的流光
使人溫柔地迷失
這幽幽的藍天

細細嗅嗅
這一簑黃昏的湮雨
那空濛而夢幻的味道
帶著生命消逝的餘溫

片刻的思緒是潮濕的
雨傘下的人
要與永恆拔河
留下這剎那的烏托邦

《平庸》

漆黑的
飛過地上
流動著

圓滑的臉掛上朦朧
是一抹塊狀的秋色

銀白的笑容彎曲似月
殘缺的曲線
提煉出弧度的完美

這褪色的黃昏
只留下淡淡的陰霞
暗啞的黎明
穿透積滿灰塵的玻璃
隱若地宣告死亡

也許只有信仰
才能獲得救贖
那偉大的笑匠
縱身一跳
成了繁星中的永恆

我卻選擇回到洞中
觀看理型的虛影
只有沈默
作我的遺言

Dunkirk《鄧寇克大行動》

Many know me as a member of writer/director Christopher Nolan's devout fanbase that has made him one of the select household-name directors prolifically working today. While that is admittedly true, my fanboying has significantly diminished in recent years. Like many, I have my fair share of qualms about Nolan's sci-fi epic Interstellar, and have become increasingly aware of the flaws of his work. In return, my appreciation of him has become more balanced and well-rounded, and I still hold deep respect and admiration for who is essentially this generation's iconic auteur. Naturally, I was very excited for his latest release Dunkirk, especially after seeing the glowing reviews. The surprisingly short runtime was also a breath of relief. My expectations were high but managed, as I tried to learn as much about the film as possible without delving into spoiler territory.

Needless to say, my expectations were met. The visceral thrills this movie provides are matched only by this decade's best blockbusters – Gravity and Mad Max: Fury Road. (In my opinion, these two movies, especially the latter, are as close to perfect as it gets.) Similarities between these three movies abound; they are all non-stop roller coasters from start to finish. Nolan provides sparse dialogue and brief rooms to breathe before he throws you right back into the spectacle. And the spectacle works very well. The harrowing film recreates the dreadful atmosphere of war, without needing to delve into what is now called "war porn" – spilled intestines, rampant shrapnel, and demonic enemies. "War porn" was pioneered by Saving Private Ryan and most recently exemplified by Hacksaw Ridge, but Dunkirk is more akin to the pure survival/horror of Gravity and action/adventure of Fury Road. This subversion of genre tropes and violence that is not seen but felt are Nolan's leading accomplishments.

However, what Nolan adds on top of Gravity and Fury Road is his director's trademark – non-linear storytelling paired with cross-cutting editing. From breakout hit Memento to personal favorite The Prestige, almost all of Nolan's films feature some form of non-linear storytelling. This originates from Nolan's fascination with how the cinematic medium manipulates temporality, and is well-experimented in Interstellar on the basis of relativity. The experiment continues, this time in fully-fledged feature-length form, to both benefit and detriment. Dunkirk is divided into three timelines – the mole, the sea, the air – that start at different points and converge at the very end. This approach is arguably necessitated; otherwise, Tom Hardy would only have 5 minutes of screen time. Showing certain events not once but thrice also reinforces some of the film's themes, such as the repetitive, hellish experience of the soldiers and the elaborate effort needed from all three parties to coordinate the miracle of the evacuation. On top of that, the convergence (i.e. the entire third act) is done beautifully and comes to an emotionally satisfying crescendo. However, the non-linearity is hampered by the editing. Non-linear narratives, especially ones as intricate and convoluted as Dunkirk, create unavoidable confusion, and a key part of the editor's job is to lessen the confusion and smoothen the audiences' viewing experience. Editor Lee Smith's work leaves much to be desired, as he does not help the audiences piece the puzzle together. There was one point when I felt the editing almost butchered the cleverness and brilliance of Nolan's presentation of his themes through the structure. I also had issues with the editing in Interstellar – this seems to be a worrying trend.

Another major point of criticism, other than the non-linear storytelling, is the supposed "lack of character development" and resultant "disconnection with the viewer". I found myself deeply engrossed by the drama and felt nothing but gripping connection. The lack of character backstory is another welcome subversion of genre tropes and contributes significantly to the unstopping tension and authenticity of the film. It never made me care less for the characters. There is no love story backdrop in the vein of fellow disaster flick Titanic. What I see in Dunkirk is hundreds of thousands of people facing an insurmountable challenge and near-certain death. Their struggle, in the face of such overwhelming calamity, is palpable. As Mencius would have noted, it is the human instinct to care for them. I am alarmed by all these reports of "disconnection" with the characters, for these viewers must be stone-cold and devoid of empathy. I was also very moved by the third act when the Miracle of Dunkirk happened, and it had nothing to do with my British passport. Patriotism is indeed heavy, but the emotional reassurance that comes with the glorious yet bittersweet ending easily and universally warms the hearts of audiences worldwide.

The sound of the film is also noteworthy. By no means a historian, I was very pleased to read reports of how accurate the sound effects of the planes were. The second presentation of Dunkirk I saw featured absolutely earth-shattering sound which put audiences right on the shore, at the sea, or airborne. Watching the film was truly an experience that attacked every inch of all the senses. I was also intrigued but ultimately approving of Nolan's use of the score. Almost every second of the film features Hans Zimmer's score. While many have complained since Interstellar that Nolan overuses the score to cheaply manipulate the audiences' emotion, I found his placing of the score more of a thematic statement than a suspension device. However, I was letdown by Zimmer's score itself. With leitmotifs found only sparingly, it is certainly no masterpiece à la Inception and Interstellar. The central theme, "Supermarine", is great work but merely standard fare from Zimmer et al., and negatively reminiscent of "Mombasa" from Inception. The emotional high-points are heightened not by Zimmer's original work but by Elgar's famous (and arguably overused) "Nimrod". I do understand Nolan and Zimmer's use of Elgar's work – "Nimrod" is indeed the quintessential British piece, and it would be pointless to try to emulate Elgar. However, this lack of originality severely detracts from the score. Most of Zimmer's work is atmospherically haunting and complements the film appropriately, but hardly stands on its own.

Other aspects such as Hoyte van Hoytema's cinematography and Nathan Crowley's production design are brilliantly spectacular and accurate yet never distastefully glorifying or glamorous. The cast works harmoniously, and I was particularly impressed by heartthrob Harry Styles' charismatic acting debut. It is these performances, not clichéd backstories, that flesh out characters. Dunkirk is a superbly crafted sensory experience and a fascinating albeit occasionally troublesome cinematic experiment. Has Nolan cooked up a flawless concoction of his ambitious vision and daring execution? Almost, but not yet; this film is within an inch of being his magnum opus. There are conspicuous shortcomings, but they can be forgiven, as Nolan has created a tour de force that fills the eye with spectacle, the mind with profoundness, and the heart with sentiment.

杜鵑色旗幟

"從星星的彈孔裏 將流出血紅的黎明"-北島

杜鵑的真正危險不在其
血，在其羽毛風霜的年輪那片
花白羽毛，某一年夏天特別
大雪紛飛

他們沒有把杜鵑隱去，只是
把杜鵑鍍鐵成雕像。
鳥不能飛，鳥籠型雕塑一旁
放在市中央
羽毛氧化花白剝落
成金色
說，「來，我們把它最悅耳的血色
紡織成彩虹般的咯」
讚嘆這美讓所有倒地的書
連根拔起斷指綻放
燦爛煙花

杜鵑銅像不是杜鵑
他們說。
不會叫，不會飛且
杜鵑的咯血加工後不過會
粉飾夕陽
鳥被鍍成銅像在眾人眼中
永生成天安門的畫像還是
煙花炸裂的
永遠缺席的咆哮

他們也是卡夫卡。變形記中生物到靜物的
永恆雕塑。
「雕塑賦予杜鵑新生－榮耀與永恆」
「羽毛色彩恆溫」
杜鵑缺席的雙眼徒然睜開，欲觀
彩虹色的黑黑雲壓
我髮鬢的一絲花白
我知道他在守望與遺忘之間掙扎，掙扎
守望或是遺忘。
雲層漸薄我髮色以
最醜陋最咯血的方式
接近永恆

咯血，血紅黎明中誕生的
星星，也沒有測量過
這片華燈初上
與數萬片數萬片星空的
弧度

《中學綫》

在香港當中學生
返學是回一個不想回的家
放學是返一份很想返的工
年少無知的我昂然衝入了第一站

第一站是糖果王國

王國的百姓每天都高歌著童真

在這裡當百姓的確很快樂

但不消一年已發現

皇帝皇后都是不擇手段爬上位的
又或是荒謬不公地被欽點的

制度與政治是王國的壞果實

我也逃不過遭歪念腐化的陷阱

最可怕的是

那些爾虞我詐的皇帝皇后仍在高歌

高歌得有和聲 有回音 有共鳴

難能可貴的是

藝術的確是王國的糖衣毒藥
但藝術的背後只有寥寥可數的藝術家
反而充斥著濫竽充數的皇帝皇后

多自以為是 多不知羞恥 多毒害人間

販賣血汗卻事倍功半
原來耀武揚威的糖果王國也不過是工廠製造
幻夢的落空使我醒覺
就在此時我得到第二站的救贖

第二站是陰小的宮殿
言語間插著一根根的刺釘
用嘴巴揮劍是這裡的文化與常態
我卻在這裡發掘到人情世暖
雖然互相廝殺植根在此高壓的環境
但皇室也是一個家庭
揮刀舞劍只是為了捍衛嘉多利山

可是長年累月的作戰氣氛使我身心俱疲
一次又一次鎩羽而歸也使我心灰意冷
堂堂英女皇的家庭也因皇室的文化而四分五裂
我還是踱進了第三站

第三站竟是遼闊的草原
沒有天花龍鳳的裝飾
沒有冠冕堂皇的榮譽
沒有繁瑣累贅的包袱
我終於回家了
讀懂了文哲
看清了自然
感受了人心
可惜我逼不得已力拼下一段旅程的入場票

經歷過風風雨雨 駛過了滄海桑田
完成了一個完滿的圓圈
途中的光景既歷歷在目 又渺小如煙
我抱著成熟、未知與稚氣跳進下一個軌道