又中又英｜laughing all the way to the bank

laughing all the way to the bank

Hollywood has produced two blockbuster movies this summer that have made Tinseltown laugh all the way to the bank. The two movies are Barbie and Oppenheimer. I have no intention of seeing Barbie. It’s a silly movie based on Barbie fashion dolls. The movie is about Barbie going to the real world where she experiences life among humans. Blockbuster movies are Hollywood movies with big stars that cost a lot to produce and are often very popular. Tinseltown is a slang word for Hollywood which critics describe as a beautiful place on the surface but is harsh and ugly underneath.

To laugh all the way to the bank means to be earning a lot of money easily. The producers of Barbie are laughing all the way to the bank because the movie is very popular in the US. Many young girls grew up with Barbie dolls. The other blockbuster movie is Oppenheimer. It’s about J. Robert Oppenheimer, an American nuclear physicist who led a team to create a nuclear bomb. The US used two nuclear weapons created by Oppenheimer to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 during World War ll. Japan surrendered after the bombings. Oppenheimer was nicknamed “father of the atomic bomb”.

Barbie has made more money than Oppenheimer so far although Oppenheimer is a more meaningful movie. Wall Street experts say Barbie’s success will likely be just a flash in the pan for Mattel, the multinational toy manufacturer that created Barbie dolls. A flash in the pan describes something or someone that enjoys sudden but brief success that won’t happen again. Analysts say the movie’s success will mean more Barbie toy sales for Mattel, but it won’t last long.

今個夏天荷里活製作了兩齣賣座電影（blockbuster movies），令這浮華城（Tinseltown）可輕鬆發大財（laugh all the way to the bank）。這兩套電影就是《Barbie芭比》與《奧本海默》。我沒有意圖要看《Barbie芭比》，它是一齣建基於芭比時裝公仔的傻電影。電影是關於芭比去了真實世界，在人類中間經歷人生。Blockbuster movies是成本高昂、由巨星主演的電影，通常都會很受歡迎。Tinseltown是荷里活的俚語別名，影評人會形容它為花花世界，外表浮華艷麗，實則內裏艱苦醜陋。

To laugh all the way to the bank是指輕鬆賺很多的錢。《Barbie芭比》的製作人現在都輕鬆發大財（laughing all the way to the bank）因為電影在美國非常受歡迎。許多少女成長是玩着芭比公仔大的。另一齣賣座電影（blockbuster movie）是《奧本海默》。它是關於朱利葉斯‧羅拔‧奧本海默，一位美國核物理學家，引領了一個團隊去製作核彈。於二次世界大戰期間，美國用了兩個由奧本海默研製的核武器，在一九四五年轟炸廣島和長崎。日本受到原子彈轟炸後便投降。奧本海默被稱為「原子彈之父」。

直至目前為止，《Barbie芭比》的票房比《奧本海默》要高，賺更多的錢，雖然《奧本海默》是一齣更有意義的電影。華爾街專家們指，《Barbie芭比》的成功，對於創造芭比公仔的跨國玩具製造商美泰兒來說，很可能只是曇花一現（a flash in the pan）。A flash in the pan是用來指某事或某人享受了突然而短暫的成功，但轉瞬即逝，不會再現。有分析指，電影的成功意味着美泰兒有跟高的芭比玩具銷售額，但卻難以持久。

mickchug@gmail.com
Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻