GREAT E SCAPISM聖誕大逃亡
During the season of peace and goodwill – a dose of fullthroated action and heroism
本月的節日雖然寧祥和，但亦不妨來點緊張激烈的動作與令人敬仰的英雄故事
It’s the Christmas season – and if you want to feel festive, skip to the last paragraph – but that doesn’t mean we have to watch films solely about Santa and his elves. (After all, Bruce Willis’ Die Hard (1), showing onboard this month, is the ultimate Christmas movie – am I right?)
Instead, we’re showing some of this year’s biggest, most bombastic action films to make a seasonal trip whizz by a little quicker.
Director Christopher Nolan often reaches for the fantastical for his big blockbuster heroes. He explored the mythology of Gotham’s caped crusader, Batman, in The Dark Knight trilogy; and sent a Nasa pilot to the limits of outer (and inner) space to save humanity in blockbuster Interstellar.
Dunkirk (2), however, may be his grandest statement yet – and his most grounded. Through three timelines following a fighter pilot, beached soldiers awaiting rescue and a father and son crossing the English Channel to ferry troops back to England in their little boat, Nolan unfolds the inspiring story of the Allied evacuation of occupied France in 1940.
Through the eyes of young soldiers (played by young men like singer Harry Styles, barely out of his boy band years), shipwrecked men dealing with PTSD and civilians answering the call to help, Nolan portrays different types of heroism and sacrifice in this Second World War epic.
For a heroic tale from the Asian side of the war there’s The Battleship Island (3). Based on a real island where Koreans under Japanese occupation were forced to mine coal in brutal conditions, South Korean director Ryoo Seung-wan ups the ante by weaving in a prison-break plot with masterfully choreographed, largescale action set pieces. And while realism takes a backseat to melodrama, it’s hard not to root for the underdogs.
Chinese audiences proved they love action films as much as anyone else, flocking to cinemas to make blockbuster Wolf Warrior II (4) the highest grossing film in Chinese history. It’s a Chinese Rambo for the 21st century: with martial artist and actor turned director Wu Jing reprising his role as China’s top special forces operative, forced out of retirement to rescue Chinese citizens and locals besieged by an American mercenary in Africa. It’s an unabashedly patriotic romp with non-stop fights, explosions, heroics and histrionics. (And you can read an interview with star Celina Jade at cathaypacific.com/discovery.)
We’ve also got Christmas-themed comedies (including Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (5)), touching classics ( Miracle on 34th Street), family favourites ( The Muppet Christmas Carol) and recipes for festive feasts ( Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Cookbook).
聖誕佳節來臨，並不代表我們就只能看一些關於聖誕老精人和 靈的電影（不過如你果 想歡度氣氛濃厚的節日，請跳到本文最後一段）例。 如，月本 機上放映由 Bruce Willis主的演 《虎膽龍威》（ 1），不就是一部極精采的聖誕應節電影嗎？
因此我， 們在機上選映多部本年度製作規模最大、場面最誇張刺激的動作片，讓你情全 投入其中，有精個 采的佳節之旅。
導演 Christopher Nolan 的賣座熱門片中，往往以幻想英中的 雄作主角。在《蝙蝠日》三部曲中，他發掘葛咸城的神秘守護者的故事；在《星際啟示錄》中，他將位一美國太空總署的飛行送員 往外太空（和內太空）去拯救人類免於滅亡。
至於《鄧寇克大行動》（ 2），則是可能Nolan 至為今 止最氣魄宏大、也最踏實的英雄禮讚。他將故事分成三條，主線 透過一名戰鬥機機師眾、 多在沙灘上等候救援的士兵，以及一對著駕 小船橫渡英倫海峽、將軍隊送回英國漁的 民父子，講述盟軍於
1940年在淪陷敵手的法國撤退的事故 ，感人至深。
片中有滿剛 20 歲的年輕士（兵歌手Harry Styles 飾演其中一位，他剛離開原來所屬的男子組合不久） ，沉也有 船後對面 創傷後遺症的男，子 還有前應召 來幫忙的平民等； Nolan 藉著這些不同的人物，描寫二次戰大 中各式的英雄和他們所作的犧牲。
至於《軍艦島》（ 3）則是戰時亞洲英雄故的事。軍艦島是個真實存在的島嶼，二次戰大 時，日軍佔領韓國後，將韓人往國 送該島，強迫他們從事艱苦採的 煤礦工作為。加強戲劇效果，南韓導演柳昇完更加插了一段勞工逃亡的情節，裡面有不少緊張精采的大型動作場面，令觀眾不禁為逃亡者擔希心，望他們能成逃魔功 脫 掌。
賣座華語大片《戰狼 II》（ 4）成為中國歷來票房收入最高的電影，證國明中 觀眾跟無數影迷一樣熱愛動作片。這是《第一滴血》的 21世紀中國版，優演而 則導的武打明星吳京，再次演飾 被迫退役的高級特種隊部 特工冷前鋒， 往非洲救援被美國僱傭兵圍攻的中國公民及當地居民。本片帶濃厚愛國色彩，其中充斥連場打鬥與爆破場面，營努力 造一個英勇故的 事。（請於cathaypacific.com/discovery 參閱本片女主角盧靖姍的訪問。）
此我外， 們亦有多部以聖誕為主題的喜劇（包括《寶貝智多星續集轉玩 紐約》（ 5））、感人的應節經典（《夢幻街奇緣》）、合家歡電影（《布公仔誕聖 頌》） ，教以及你煮出豐富節日大餐的烹飪節目（《Jamie Oliver’s Christmas Cookbook》）。