To Rome With Love

Director/Writer: Woody Allen
Stars: Woody Allen, Penélope Cruz, Alec Baldwin, Ellen Page and Jesse Eisenberg
Year: 2012
IMDb

My Rating: 4/10

This is my own theory: I personally believe Woody Allen secretly made a contract with EU, to produce films based on popular cities in Europe to promote tourism. Due to his obligation, he has to make these films, good or bad. However, these films need to have public appeal, so there you have all the stars, in Barcelona, Paris, and Rome. Woody Allen himself doesn't really give a shit about his films. It's just for a laugh. Mr. Allen said so himself " I’ve never been satisfied or even pleased with a film that I’ve done." That's why he keeps on doing it...

In fact, I was in Rome few days ago. I know almost all those places in the film. There's comfort in knowing those places, but it doesn't necessarily make me like the film better. If there's another European city series... I am not going to see it.

Soundtracks for my journey

This is a perfect album for my trip around southern Europe... summer sun everyday, but still feel quite melancholy because holidays don't last forever. I really love Yo La Tengo's music... gentle voices from Ira and Georgia can really calm my soul.

Europe by Allo Darlin' is the album of the year for me. Not because it's the best album, but it's an album I'll always remember the great time I had in Europe in 2012. Though no doubt the memories will fade someday, but...I'm alive, and I'm living. Life is about living, not traveling, you know.

一個人閒晃在大街上,聽這張EP真的心情會變好。我覺得這張的歌超級陽光,夏日豔陽下,戴著耳機,拎著啤酒,到處亂晃,這世界還有甚麼比讓自己開心更重要的事?

里斯本第一日

飛機穿越雲層,緩慢的降落,轉個彎,長長的一整片沙灘從我地下飛過。在機上俯瞰里斯本,已經令我不由得驚嘆她的美麗(坐飛機時聽得正好是 The Walkmen 上一張專輯 - 里斯本)。因為,習慣旅行不做功課,寫下來的地址在地圖上卻找不到。叫了計程車,司機繞路帶我逛了市區一圈,原來我上計程車的地方離旅社不到三分鐘的走路的路程,司機卻開了快十分鐘。不過我並不抱怨,里斯本城市就像迷宮一樣,高高低低,拐拐彎彎,你根本不知道下一個路口轉彎會遇見甚麼。雖然,我另外一個旅遊習慣是迷失在陌生的城市中,不看地圖,沒有目標,到處亂走。但這次,我有葡萄牙詩人佩索亞所撰寫的里斯本旅遊指南(可免費下載)。跟著他寫的順序,跟著地標一個一個地走,同時還有他還詳細地介紹了每個地標的歷史和背景,第一天完成了四頁,整本有四十頁。亂晃到了一家出版社的書店,買了兩本他寫的詩集(英文和葡萄牙文同步)。走在里斯本,到處都有佩索亞的蹤影。想想,會想要來里斯本的遊客其實不算多(比起哥本哈根和阿姆斯特丹,我實在很不喜歡遊客爆滿的地方),會因為佩索亞來的更少,但我喜歡這感覺,像是一個少人知道的祕密基地。而我在里斯本正執行著一個秘密任務,一個有詳細指示但沒有明確目標的任務。不,我的目標是跟著我的導遊認真當一個遊客。夜深了,是該出去遊蕩了。