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洛杉矶： 黑色电影之都(Los Angeles still inspires new takes on film noir)
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黑色电影是第二次世界大战后由法国评论家命名的。这是一种电影制作风格，通常以愤世嫉俗的反英雄为主角。
双语精读
Los Angeles still inspires new takes on film noir
洛杉矶仍为拍摄黑色电影提供灵感
"Middle of a drought and the water commissioner drowns," the mortician remarks drily to Jake Gittes, a private investigator played by Jack Nicholson: "Only in LA."
“正是干旱时期，水利局长却淹死了。”殡仪馆的人冷冷地对杰克·吉特斯（杰克·尼科尔森饰演）说，吉特斯是私家侦探：“只有在洛杉矶才会发生这种事。”
June 20th marks the 50th anniversary of the release of "Chinatown", the film truest to the Los Angeles of the countless noirs set in America's second-most-populous city.
6月20日是电影《唐人街》上映50周年纪念日，这部电影是无数以美国人口第二大城市--洛杉矶--为背景的黑色电影中最真实的一部。
Other films revolve around Hollywood-or at least its dark, gritty edges-where every millionaire, wannabe actor and insurance agent has a secret worth killing for.
其他电影围绕好莱坞--或者至少是好莱坞黑暗、粗粝的边缘地带--展开，在那里，每个百万富翁、想成为演员的人和保险代理人都有一个能招来杀身之祸的秘密。
Film noir was so named by French critics after the second world war. It is a style of film-making that often features a cynical anti-hero who either sleuths for a living or finds himself accidentally drawn into an investigation.
黑色电影是第二次世界大战后由法国评论家命名的。这是一种电影制作风格，通常以愤世嫉俗的反英雄为主角，他们要么以侦探为生，要么发现自己意外地卷入了一项调查。
Think of Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlowe in "The Big Sleep" (1946), a film based on Raymond Chandler's novel.
想想《夜长梦多》（1946）里亨弗莱·鲍嘉饰演的菲利普·马洛，这部电影改编自雷蒙德·钱德勒的小说。
There is a good chance that crooked cops, cover-ups, pretty blondes and business tycoons will turn up at some point in the story. The closest thing to a happy ending is that not everyone will end up dead.
很有可能在故事的某个时候会出现腐败的警察、掩盖真相的人、漂亮的金发女郎和商业大亨。最接近圆满结局的是人物没有死光。
Crime flicks can be made about any city. But Los Angeles cornered the market back when Chandler was writing screenplays. Why does Los Angeles continue to play a leading role in film noir?
犯罪电影可以以任何城市为背景。但当钱德勒还在写剧本的时候，洛杉矶就垄断了犯罪电影的市场。为什么洛杉矶继续在黑色电影中扮演主角？
Its status as America's long-reigning film capital is part of it. The city also lends itself to film noir because it is such a study in contrasts. The relentless sunshine and skinny palm trees jar with the genre's violence and corruption.
部分原因是它长期以来一直是美国的电影之都。这座城市也适合拍摄黑色电影，因为这是如此鲜明的对比研究。炎热的阳光和细长的棕榈树与黑色电影中的暴力和腐败格格不入。
LA is where people come to make it, and only a few succeed. What happens to those who are disappointed? Wannabe starlets become call girls. Men who cannot pay their mortgage become muscle for mobsters.
洛杉矶是人们追求出人头地的地方，但只有少数人能成功。那些失望的人会怎么样？想成为明星的女演员沦为应召女郎。无法偿还贷款的男人成了黑帮的打手。
A newer spate of LA noirs fetishise the genre even while challenging its conventions. In "Sugar", which premiered on Apple TV in April, John Sugar, a private investigator, is a cinephile. He wears a suit and drives an old Corvette in the mould of Marlowe or Gittes.
新一批黑色电影在对其传统进行挑战的同时依然迷恋这种类型。在四月份于AppleTV首播的《谜探休格》中，私家侦探约翰·休格是一位电影爱好者。他身穿西装，开着一辆老式科尔维特，效仿马洛或吉特斯的风格。
A girl goes missing, and as Sugar investigates, he finds each member of her family to be corrupt in their own way. Sugar, too, loses sight of himself the more he obsesses over the case.
一个女孩失踪了，当休格调查时，他发现她的所有家人都有各自的道德败坏行为。休格也一样，他越是痴迷于这个案子，就越是迷失了自我。
But unlike the classics, Mr Sugar is no sarcastic anti-hero. In fact, he is nice. He does not sneer, antagonise police or hit women. He does not like guns. He helps the homeless and even adopts a dog.
但与经典黑色电影不同，休格并不是一个尖刻的反英雄。事实上，他是个好人。他没有冷嘲热讽、与警察作对，也没有打女人。他不喜欢枪。他帮助流浪汉，甚至还收养了一只狗。
It is a far cry from the blood-soaked impunity of "LA Confidential", in which almost everyone is unlikeable and gets shot. He solves his case and saves the girl. Gittes is not so lucky.
这与充满血腥、有罪不罚的《洛城机密》大相径庭，在《洛城机密》中，几乎每个人都不讨人喜欢，而且都被枪杀了。休格破了案子，并且救了那个女孩。吉特斯就没那么幸运了。
His efforts, like many a private investigator in film noir, prove futile. "Forget it, Jake," his partner says when the woman he wants to protect is killed. "It's Chinatown."
他的一切努力，就像黑色电影中的许多私家侦探一样，最终都是徒劳的。“别想了，杰克，”当他想保护的女人被杀时，他的搭档说道，“这里可是唐人街。”
词汇预习
release [高考]
美[rɪˈliːs] | 英[rɪˈliːs]
n. 释放；让渡；发行 vt. 释放；让与；准予发表；发射
drought [高考]
美[draʊt] | 英[draʊt]
n. 干旱
countless [高考]
美[ˈkaʊntləs] | 英[ˈkaʊntləs]
adj. 无数的；多的数不清的
accidentally [高考]
美[ˌæksəˈdɛntəli] | 英[ˌæksɪˈdɛntəli]
adv. 偶然地；意外地；附带地
investigation [高考]
美[ɪnˌvestɪˈɡeɪʃn] | 英[ɪnˌvestɪˈɡeɪʃn]
n. 调查
corruption [高考]
美[kəˈrʌpʃn] | 英[kəˈrʌpʃn]
n. 贪污；堕落；腐败
status [高考]
美[ˈsteɪtəs , ˈstætəs] | 英[ˈsteɪtəs]
n. 地位；情形；状况，状态；身份
unlike [高考]
美[ˌʌnˈlaɪk] | 英[ˌʌnˈlaɪk]
adj. 不同的，不相似的 prep. 不像，与…不同；与 ... 平时不同
violence [高考]
美[ˈvaɪələns] | 英[ˈvaɪələns]
n. 猛烈；暴力；暴行；强暴
insurance [高考]
美[ɪnˈʃʊrəns] | 英[ɪnˈʃʊərəns]
n. 保险；保险费；安全保障
jar [高考]
美[dʒɑːr] | 英[dʒɑː(r)]
n. 玻璃罐，广口瓶；一罐，一坛（的量或物）；猛然震动 vi. 震动；不和谐，不一致；（对…）产生不快的影响；发出刺耳声 vt. 使震动；使摇动 【名】（Jar）（罗）扎尔（人名）
anniversary [高考]
美[ˌænɪˈvɜːrsəri] | 英[ˌænɪˈvɜːsəri]
n. 周年纪念；周年纪念日
millionaire [高考]
美[ˌmɪljəˈner] | 英[ˌmɪljəˈneə(r)]
n. 百万富翁
corrupt [高考]
美[kəˈrʌpt] | 英[kəˈrʌpt]
adj. 腐败的；堕落的；讹误的 vt. 贿赂；使恶化；使腐烂 vi. 腐败；腐烂
set in [高考]
美[sɛt ɪn] | 英[set in]
嵌入； 开始
living [高考]
美[ˈlɪvɪŋ] | 英[ˈlɪvɪŋ]
adj. 活着的；生动的 n. 生活；生计
disappointed [高考]
美[ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪntɪd] | 英[ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪntɪd]
adj. 失望的
mould [高考]
美[moʊld] | 英[məʊld]
n. 模具，铸模；类型，个性；霉，霉菌；框架，型芯；松软沃土，腐殖土 v. 使…成形，用模子制作，浇铸；影响，塑造；（使）紧贴于，吻合；（使）发霉 【名】（Mould）（英、美、爱）莫尔德（人名）
palm [高考]
美[pɑːm] | 英[pɑːm]
n. 手掌；棕榈 vt. 把 ... 藏于掌中；诓骗某人
revolve [高考]
美[rɪˈvɑːlv] | 英[rɪˈvɒlv]
v. 旋转；考虑；围绕
sarcastic [高考]
美[sɑːrˈkæstɪk] | 英[sɑːˈkæstɪk]
adj. 讽刺的
challenging [高考]
美[ˈtʃælɪndʒɪŋ] | 英[ˈtʃælɪndʒɪŋ]
adj. 挑战性的；有吸引力的
shot [高考]
美[ ʃɑːt] | 英[ʃɒt]
n. 注射；投篮；发射；拍摄；开枪；子弹 adj. (织物)闪色的；精疲力尽的；完了的
where [高考]
美[wer] | 英[weə(r)]
adv. 在哪里；在那个地方 conj. 在 ... 地方
investigator [四级]
美[ɪnˈvestɪɡeɪtər] | 英[ɪnˈvestɪɡeɪtə(r)]
n. 调查者；研究者；审查者
anti [四级]
美[ˈænti] | 英[ˈænti]
n. 反对者 adj. 反对的 prep. 反对
populous [四级]
美[ˈpɑpjələs] | 英[ˈpɒpjələs]
adj. 人口多的；人口稠密的
mortgage [四级]
美[ˈmɔːrɡɪdʒ] | 英[ˈmɔːɡɪdʒ]
n. 按揭；抵押；抵押贷款 vt. 抵押
come to [四级]
美[kʌm tu] | 英[kʌm tu]
v. 总计；苏醒；到达；突然想起
make it [四级]
美[mek ɪt] | 英[meik it]
成功 达到预定目标,性交易,幸存
revolve around [四级]
美[rɪˈvɑlv əˈraʊnd] | 英[riˈvɔlv əˈraund]
围绕 ... 旋转； 以 ... 为主要内容
many a [四级]
美['meni ə] | 英['meni ə]
一个又一个； 许多的
leading [四级]
美[ˈliːdɪŋ , ˈledɪŋ] | 英[ˈliːdɪŋ , ˈledɪŋ]
adj. 领导的；指导的；主要的；在前的
skinny [四级]
美[ˈskɪni] | 英[ˈskɪni]
adj. 皮的；皮包骨头的；很瘦的 n. [俚]内部消息
sneer [六级]
美[snɪr] | 英[snɪə(r)]
n. 冷笑；嘲笑 v. 嘲笑；冷笑
based on [六级]
美[best ɑn] | 英[beɪst ɔn]
以 ... 为基础； 基于
relentless [六级]
美[rɪˈlentləs] | 英[rɪˈlentləs]
adj. 冷酷无情的；不间断的
remarks [专四]
美[rɪ'maks] | 英[rɪ'ma:ks]
n. 附记；备注
cynical [专四]
美[ˈsɪnɪkl] | 英[ˈsɪnɪkl]
adj. 愤世嫉俗的；悲观的；恶意的
futile [专四]
美[ˈfjuːtl] | 英[ˈfjuːtaɪl]
adj. 无效的；无用的
spate [专八]
美[spet] | 英[speɪt]
n. 泛滥；洪水；突然的一阵
crooked [专八]
美[ˈkrʊkɪd] | 英[ˈkrʊkɪd]
adj. 弯曲的；歪的；不老实的；不正直的
genre [考研]
美[ˈʒɑːnrə] | 英[ˈʒɒ̃rə , ˈʒɒnrə]
n. 类型；流派
commissioner [考研]
美[kəˈmɪʃənɚ] | 英[kəˈmɪʃənə(r)]
n. 专员；委员；行政长官
重点讲解
Los Angeles still inspires new takes on film noir
洛杉矶仍为拍摄黑色电影提供灵感
drought n. 旱灾；干旱
【例】to fight drought 抗旱
a tourist drought 旅游萧条
【拓展】dry adj. 干旱的
【辨析】draught n. 药水；一口的量
“Middle of a drought and the water commissioner drowns,” the mortician remarks drily to Jake Gittes, a private investigator played by Jack Nicholson: “Only in LA.”
“正是干旱时期，水利局长却淹死了。”殡仪馆的人冷冷地对杰克·吉特斯（杰克·尼科尔森饰演）说，吉特斯是私家侦探：“只有在洛杉矶才会发生这种事。”
drought n. 旱灾；干旱
【例】to fight drought 抗旱
a tourist drought 旅游萧条
【拓展】dry adj. 干旱的
【辨析】draught n. 药水；一口的量
June 20th marks the 50th anniversary of the release of “Chinatown”, the film truest to the Los Angeles of the countless noirs set in America’s second-most-populous city.
6月20日是电影《唐人街》上映50周年纪念日，这部电影是无数以美国人口第二大城市--洛杉矶--为背景的黑色电影中最真实的一部。
be true to 忠于某物；与某物一样
【例】The movie is true to the novel.
这部电影忠于原著。
He is true to his words.
他信守承诺。
Be true to yourself.
要忠于自我。
revolve around 围绕……旋转；以……为中心
【例】The earth revolves around the sun.
地球绕着太阳转。
His whole life revolves around his business.
他一辈子都在忙他的生意。
Other films revolve around Hollywood—or at least its dark, gritty edges—where every millionaire, wannabe actor and insurance agent has a secret worth killing for.
其他电影围绕好莱坞--或者至少是好莱坞黑暗、粗粝的边缘地带--展开，在那里，每个百万富翁、想成为演员的人和保险代理人都有一个能招来杀身之祸的秘密。
be true to 忠于某物；与某物一样
【例】The movie is true to the novel.
这部电影忠于原著。
He is true to his words.
他信守承诺。
Be true to yourself.
要忠于自我。
revolve around 围绕……旋转；以……为中心
【例】The earth revolves around the sun.
地球绕着太阳转。
His whole life revolves around his business.
他一辈子都在忙他的生意。
Film noir was so named by French critics after the second world war. It is a style of film-making that often features a cynical anti-hero who either sleuths for a living or finds himself accidentally drawn into an investigation.
黑色电影是第二次世界大战后由法国评论家命名的。这是一种电影制作风格，通常以愤世嫉俗的反英雄为主角，他们要么以侦探为生，要么发现自己意外地卷入了一项调查。
feature v. 以……为特色
【例】Haidilao, a hot-pot restaurant, features remarkable service.
火锅店海底捞以非常周到的服务为特色。
【拓展】feature in... 在……中占重要地位
【例】Rice features heavily in East Asian diets.
米饭是东亚饮食中的重要食物。
Think of Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlowe in “The Big Sleep” (1946), a film based on Raymond Chandler’s novel.
想想《夜长梦多》（1946）里亨弗莱·鲍嘉饰演的菲利普·马洛，这部电影改编自雷蒙德·钱德勒的小说。
feature v. 以……为特色
【例】Haidilao, a hot-pot restaurant, features remarkable service.
火锅店海底捞以非常周到的服务为特色。
【拓展】feature in... 在……中占重要地位
【例】Rice features heavily in East Asian diets.
米饭是东亚饮食中的重要食物。
There is a good chance that crooked cops, cover-ups, pretty blondes and business tycoons will turn up at some point in the story. The closest thing to a happy ending is that not everyone will end up dead.
很有可能在故事的某个时候会出现腐败的警察、掩盖真相的人、漂亮的金发女郎和商业大亨。最接近圆满结局的是人物没有死光。
turn up
1. 出现；露面
【例】We waited for an hour, and then she finally turned up.
我们等了一个小时，她最后才出现。
【近义词】show up 出现；露面
2. 突然被找到；偶然出现
【例】I've been looking for that book for days, and it just turned up in my backpack.
这本书我找了好几天，然后在包里找到了。
I’m sure a job opportunity will turn up.
我相信会有工作机会的。
corner the market 垄断市场
【例】By developing innovative technology, the company was able to corner the market on smartphone sales.
通过研发创新科技，这家公司得以垄断了智能手机零售市场。
【近义词】monopolize v. 垄断
【拓展】be cornered 被逼到无路可退的境地
Crime flicks can be made about any city. But Los Angeles cornered the market back when Chandler was writing screenplays. Why does Los Angeles continue to play a leading role in film noir?
犯罪电影可以以任何城市为背景。但当钱德勒还在写剧本的时候，洛杉矶就垄断了犯罪电影的市场。为什么洛杉矶继续在黑色电影中扮演主角？
turn up
1. 出现；露面
【例】We waited for an hour, and then she finally turned up.
我们等了一个小时，她最后才出现。
【近义词】show up 出现；露面
2. 突然被找到；偶然出现
【例】I've been looking for that book for days, and it just turned up in my backpack.
这本书我找了好几天，然后在包里找到了。
I’m sure a job opportunity will turn up.
我相信会有工作机会的。
corner the market 垄断市场
【例】By developing innovative technology, the company was able to corner the market on smartphone sales.
通过研发创新科技，这家公司得以垄断了智能手机零售市场。
【近义词】monopolize v. 垄断
【拓展】be cornered 被逼到无路可退的境地
Its status as America’s long-reigning film capital is part of it. The city also lends itself to film noir because it is such a study in contrasts. The relentless sunshine and skinny palm trees jar with the genre’s violence and corruption.
部分原因是它长期以来一直是美国的电影之都。这座城市也适合拍摄黑色电影，因为这是如此鲜明的对比研究。炎热的阳光和细长的棕榈树与黑色电影中的暴力和腐败格格不入。
lend oneself to sth 适合某事
【例】The novel’s complex narrative lends itself to multiple interpretations.
这本小说有复杂的叙事，很适合进行多种解读。
【近义词】be suitable for sth 适合某事
jar with sth 与某事不协调；与某事冲突
【例】His casual attitude jars with the seriousness of the situation.
他漫不经心的态度与这个严肃的场合很不协调。
【近义词】conflict with sth 与某事冲突
【拓展】jarring adj. 不和谐的；与环境不符而令人不快的
【例】a jarring cry 一声刺耳的喊叫
muscle n. 肌肉；打手；力量
【例】The mob boss sent his muscle to deal with the debtor.
帮派老大派打手去处理欠债的人。
to flex your muscle 秀肌肉；炫耀力量
the political muscle 政治影响力
LA is where people come to make it, and only a few succeed. What happens to those who are disappointed? Wannabe starlets become call girls. Men who cannot pay their mortgage become muscle for mobsters.
洛杉矶是人们追求出人头地的地方，但只有少数人能成功。那些失望的人会怎么样？想成为明星的女演员沦为应召女郎。无法偿还贷款的男人成了黑帮的打手。
lend oneself to sth 适合某事
【例】The novel’s complex narrative lends itself to multiple interpretations.
这本小说有复杂的叙事，很适合进行多种解读。
【近义词】be suitable for sth 适合某事
jar with sth 与某事不协调；与某事冲突
【例】His casual attitude jars with the seriousness of the situation.
他漫不经心的态度与这个严肃的场合很不协调。
【近义词】conflict with sth 与某事冲突
【拓展】jarring adj. 不和谐的；与环境不符而令人不快的
【例】a jarring cry 一声刺耳的喊叫
muscle n. 肌肉；打手；力量
【例】The mob boss sent his muscle to deal with the debtor.
帮派老大派打手去处理欠债的人。
to flex your muscle 秀肌肉；炫耀力量
the political muscle 政治影响力
A newer spate of LA noirs fetishise the genre even while challenging its conventions. In “Sugar”, which premiered on Apple TV in April, John Sugar, a private investigator, is a cinephile. He wears a suit and drives an old Corvette in the mould of Marlowe or Gittes.
新一批黑色电影在对其传统进行挑战的同时依然迷恋这种类型。在四月份于AppleTV首播的《谜探休格》中，私家侦探约翰·休格是一位电影爱好者。他身穿西装，开着一辆老式科尔维特，效仿马洛或吉特斯的风格。
convention n. 传统风格；社会传统
【例】to break social conventions 打破社会传统
the conventions of Greek tragedy 希腊悲剧的传统手法
【拓展】conventional adj. 传统的；循规蹈矩的
unconventional adj. 非常规的；别开生面的
in the mould of 以某种风格；模仿
【例】He is a leader very much in the mould of his predecessors.
他的领导作风和他的前任很像。
【近义词】in the style of 以某种风格；模仿
【反义词】break the mould of 打破某种模式
A girl goes missing, and as Sugar investigates, he finds each member of her family to be corrupt in their own way. Sugar, too, loses sight of himself the more he obsesses over the case.
一个女孩失踪了，当休格调查时，他发现她的所有家人都有各自的道德败坏行为。休格也一样，他越是痴迷于这个案子，就越是迷失了自我。
obsess over sth 痴迷于；过度关注
【例】She used to obsess over her weight.
她曾经过度关注自己的体重。
【近义词】be obsessed by/with 迷上；对某事着迷
antagonise v. 对抗；使生气
【例】His aggressive manner tends to antagonize people rather than persuade them.
他的强势态度往往会引起别人的敌意，而不是说服别人。
【拓展】antagonist n. 敌人；对手
Arctic adj. 北极的
Antarctic adj. 南极的
But unlike the classics, Mr Sugar is no sarcastic anti-hero. In fact, he is nice. He does not sneer, antagonise police or hit women. He does not like guns. He helps the homeless and even adopts a dog.
但与经典黑色电影不同，休格并不是一个尖刻的反英雄。事实上，他是个好人。他没有冷嘲热讽、与警察作对，也没有打女人。他不喜欢枪。他帮助流浪汉，甚至还收养了一只狗。
obsess over sth 痴迷于；过度关注
【例】She used to obsess over her weight.
她曾经过度关注自己的体重。
【近义词】be obsessed by/with 迷上；对某事着迷
antagonise v. 对抗；使生气
【例】His aggressive manner tends to antagonize people rather than persuade them.
他的强势态度往往会引起别人的敌意，而不是说服别人。
【拓展】antagonist n. 敌人；对手
Arctic adj. 北极的
Antarctic adj. 南极的
It is a far cry from the blood-soaked impunity of “LA Confidential”, in which almost everyone is unlikeable and gets shot. He solves his case and saves the girl. Gittes is not so lucky.
这与充满血腥、有罪不罚的《洛城机密》大相径庭，在《洛城机密》中，几乎每个人都不讨人喜欢，而且都被枪杀了。休格破了案子，并且救了那个女孩。吉特斯就没那么幸运了。
a far cry from sth 与某事相去甚远
【例】Her current position as CEO is a far cry from her humble beginnings as an intern.
她现在的CEO地位与她开始时的卑微实习生地位相差悬殊。
【近义词】poles apart 截然相反
futile adj. 徒劳的；没有结果的
【例】All attempts to convince him were futile; he refused to change his mind.
所有说服他的努力都是白费力气，他拒绝改变想法。
【近义词】in vain 徒劳的；枉然的
His efforts, like many a private investigator in film noir, prove futile. “Forget it, Jake,” his partner says when the woman he wants to protect is killed. “It’s Chinatown.”
他的一切努力，就像黑色电影中的许多私家侦探一样，最终都是徒劳的。“别想了，杰克，”当他想保护的女人被杀时，他的搭档说道，“这里可是唐人街。”
a far cry from sth 与某事相去甚远
【例】Her current position as CEO is a far cry from her humble beginnings as an intern.
她现在的CEO地位与她开始时的卑微实习生地位相差悬殊。
【近义词】poles apart 截然相反
futile adj. 徒劳的；没有结果的
【例】All attempts to convince him were futile; he refused to change his mind.
所有说服他的努力都是白费力气，他拒绝改变想法。
【近义词】in vain 徒劳的；枉然的
课后练习
What can be learned about the movie "Chinatown" from the text?
A. It tells a story about the water scarcity in Los Angeles.
B. It is a documentary about the history of Los Angeles.
C. It is a noir film and accurately portrays Los Angeles.
D. It focuses on the glamorous side of Hollywood.
What are common elements found in film noir?
A. Complicated plots with unexpected endings.
B. Criminal events and unconventional heroes.
C. Romantic narratives with unhappy endings.
D. Detectives that solve cases and deliver justice.
Why does Los Angeles continue to be a prominent setting for film noir?
A. Because it has a history of high crime rates.
B. Because it has a desolate natural landscape.
C. Because it is home to many actors and gangsters.
D. Because it witnesses stories of success and failure.
How does the TV series "Sugar" differ from traditional film noir?
A. It tells a different type of story about family life.
B. It is set in a fictional city rather than Los Angeles.
C. It features a less dark and more cheerful visual effect.
D. It portrays a kind-hearted investigator with a happy ending.