and this can be 2 hours of melancholy longing and anomie, as in the one set in 1960s Hong Kong whose title I've forgotten.
IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, perhaps?
That's beautiful. Or taken literally, incredibly gross.
Buffy ,'Potential'
Buffista Movies 3: Panned and Scanned
A place to talk about movies--Old and new, good and bad, high art and high cheese. It's the place to place your kittens on the award winners, gossip about upcoming fims and discuss DVD releases and extras. Spoiler policy: White font all plot-related discussion until a movie's been in wide release two weeks, and keep the major HSQ in white font until two weeks after the video/DVD release.
Frankenbuddha - Feb 24, 2005 4:44:40 am PST #9290 of 10001
"We are the Goon Squad and we're coming to town...Beep! Beep!" - David Bowie, "Fashion"
candyb - Feb 24, 2005 5:01:18 am PST #9291 of 10001
2 hours of melancholy longing and anomie, as in the one set in 1960s Hong Kong whose title I've forgotten.
yes, In the Mood for Love, one of my favorite movies ever.
Excellent for when you just need some good wallowing.
I am seeing a trend away from hilarity and toward anomie. I do tend to prefer the hilarity, or anyway the instance of it in Chungking Express.
He needs to recapture a bit of that. Have you seen the sorta sequel, Fallen Angels? Has a nice mix of both. You may want to stay away from 2046, or just watch for the huge amount of pretty and seeing Tony be a hot rake.
But yeah, I think everyone is a bit tired of WKW being stuck in the sad "pretty people being in badly timed all consuming messed up love is so entrancing" thing.
But he claims he's done with all that as of 2046. Though I loved it, I love wallowing in WKW, but I hope he's done. I'm ready for him to move on.
Nutty - Feb 24, 2005 5:07:31 am PST #9292 of 10001
"Mister Spock is on his fanny, sir. Reports heavy damage."
I haven't seen either of his two latest. I work at the speed of Netflix.
(Speaking of which, I expect to get Infernal Affairs next week. All hail international DVD releases, since I think that one was in theatres in New York only, and for exactly ten days.)
Maysa - Feb 24, 2005 5:31:52 am PST #9293 of 10001
I agree with everything you guys are saying about WKW (and I also think that Tony Leung Chiu-wai is one of the greatest actors around). I rented ItMFL a few months ago and I've been on a Wong Kar-wai kick ever since. He really doesn't have any bad movies - even one which I didn't love love like Days of Being Wild (which is actualy playing in theaters right now) had some really beautiful scenes. I think ItMFL and Fallen Angels have been my favorites so far.
What I like about him is that even though he's legendary for his style (jumpy, artsy, and chronologically messy), I think he's more brilliant at getting to the heart of the loneliness in his characters. He focuses on missed connections, and people falling in love at the wrong time, and just being lost in one way or another. I think his movies are much more accessible and easy to relate to than most hollywood films because who doesn't feel lonely and screwed up?
Nutty, that scene with the tape recorder was my favorite in the film. It just about broke me.
Jessica - Feb 24, 2005 5:36:41 am PST #9294 of 10001
If I want to become a cloud of bats, does each bat need a separate vaccination?
All hail international DVD releases, since I think that one was in theatres in New York only, and for exactly ten days.
Is the whole trilogy being released, or just the first one?
Nutty - Feb 24, 2005 5:39:54 am PST #9295 of 10001
"Mister Spock is on his fanny, sir. Reports heavy damage."
Just the first one, I think; or anyway, this is a single DVD, so only what fits in 2-3 hours. Maybe the rest of it will come out some day, under another title.
juliana - Feb 24, 2005 5:43:28 am PST #9296 of 10001
I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I miss them all tonight…
He focuses on missed connections, and people falling in love at the wrong time, and just being lost in one way or another.
Speaking of, we saw Sideways last night. What a wonderfully crafted little film.
Back to WKW and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai talk.
Dana - Feb 24, 2005 5:58:29 am PST #9297 of 10001
"I'm useless alone." // "We're all useless alone. It's a good thing you're not alone."
We rented Infernal Affairs last week, and I really enjoyed it. Lovely performances all around, and a couple of moments that had me gasping for one reason or another.
Vonnie K - Feb 24, 2005 6:13:06 am PST #9298 of 10001
Kiss me, my girl, before I'm sick.
Infernal Affairs is on its way to me right now, courtesy of Netflix!
Tony Leung Chiu-Wai is dreeeeamy.
Renting a HK movie based on an actor is a bit of a dicey business though. I recently Netflixed a Leslie Cheung flick (with Michelle Yeoh in a small role!) called Moonlight Express. Cheung was an undercover cop betrayed by his friend, and he runs across this Japanese woman who fiance just died in a car crash and happened to look just like Cheung's character. Or something. The climax of the film was the couple getting it on in a barn, surrounded by a flock of ducks. Or maybe chicken. Some type of poultry. The whole thing was kind of funny, if inadvertently.
Nutty - Feb 24, 2005 6:24:13 am PST #9299 of 10001
"Mister Spock is on his fanny, sir. Reports heavy damage."
I've seen a couple of the sillier HK efforts too. Theodosia gifted me one movie, starring none other than Chow Yun-fat, who acts the suave gambler and the childish buffoon by turns (he gets hit on the head and loses his memory). You haven't lived till you've watched Chow Yun-fat sulk and pout and be distracted by helium balloons. It is sort of like a Bollywood movie, without the singing (for which absence I am grateful).
I should also note that the hilariously cheap and amateurish subtitles on this movie -- banged out in a couple of hours by a college kid, I think -- mean that you can only tell what is actually being said half the time, which makes the movie that much more fun.