An Introduction to Wong Kar Wai, and discussion thread.

[fish2plus2]

Hong Kong directer Wong Kar Wai (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0939182/) will be making his American debut with the movieBlueberry Nights (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0765120/) starring Racheal Weisz, Natalie Portman, Tim Roth, Jude Law and the Norah Jones.

I read somewhere that Wong Kar Wai told Norah Jones not to bother getting acting lessons, that he would direct her. Some of you may frown at this, but Wong Kar Wai has a strong history of placing Hong Kong pop stars in his films who have been able to give absolutely amazing preformances. Examples include Maggie Cheung(model), Leslie Cheung, and Faye Wong.

I am sure that Wong Kar Wai will rocket to fame. This is great because I want as many people to see his movies as possible.

Most of Wong Kar Wai's success has been achieved overseas. The majority of his films have not done well at Hong Kong box offices, and Wong Kar Wai is somewhat of an oddity in Hong Kong, because he is what most would call an art directer:

He does not use detailed scripts for his films, often the script is written minutes before shooting starts.

His films do not focus on plot, instead the story comes from the characters.

He claims that his non-linear style of story-telling is inspired by the late Argentinian writer Manuel Puig's novel titled "The Buenos Aires Affair".

Several of his films are primarily about time and loneliness, and what is not said, is often just as important as what is said.

Something you might find reflective in his work is that WKK was born in Shanghai, moving to Hong Kong as a child, where he did not pick up the language for several years.

To mention Wong Kar Wai, it seems mandatory to mention the man behind the camera, his cinematographer, Aussie Christopher Doyle, and William Chang who does production design and editing. The trio have worked on several of his films.

Doyle Article (http://www.reel.com/reel.asp?node=features/articles/doyle) Doyle Article 2 (http://www.space-age-bachelor.com/features/old/1037414888.htm)
Doyle Article 3 (http://www.greencine.com/article?action=view&articleID=168)

Every week, I will write an essay about one of his films, starting with Days of Being Wild. Anyone is welcome to post their own essay/review/comments in this thread. I also plan to make a similar thread on Korean Directer Kim Ki Duk.

[El Diablo]

f,

Either as a separate post or as part of your reviews, could you compare him and his films to other HK filmmakers? Thanks.

[The DaveR]

KKF, Looking forward to this. Love WKW movies. Great observation about loneliness in his movies. I suspect he loves Taxi Driver.

[colgin]

I love all of WKW's movies (especially "Happy Together")except "Ashes of Time", which I found unwatcheable. If my cineaste friend had no also found it unwatcheable I would have just assumed I was having a bad viewing day. Notwithstandign that someday I may give that one another chance.

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Great observation about loneliness in his movies.

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For the ne plus ultra on loneliness in Asian cinema check out the films of Tsai Ming-liang. He is my absolute favorite.

[onoble]

They shot parts of Bluberry Nights right near my apt. (Downtown NY).

Looked like a moderately bugeted affair, with shooting taking place in the same relatively blah bar for days.

[Wu36]

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Great observation about loneliness in his movies.

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For the ne plus ultra on loneliness in Asian cinema check out the films of Tsai Ming-liang. He is my absolute favorite.

[/ QUOTE ]
I'll second this, although I've only seen "What Time is it There" and "He Liu".

KKF, have you seen anything by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, more specifically, Invisible Waves? I liked sixtynine and really enjoyed Last Life in the Universe, but have to wait for a US release to see his newer films.

[private joker]

Colgin -- give Ashes of Time another go. It's seemingly incoherent upon first viewing, which makes it unwatchable, but if you read some stuff on the story and get the characters straight in your head, there's a lot to gain from getting through it again. I really love it.

But my favorite Wong films are In the Mood For Love, Chungking Express, and Fallen Angels. I even liked 2046, despite the inability for any film to recapture the atmosphere of In the Mood.

Tsai Ming-liang is really hit and miss. What Time Is It There? is of course awesome, but sometimes he is deadly boring, including his most recent film -- I Don't Want To Sleep Alone, which an asbolute abomination. And surprisingly humorless.

I'll recommend another Asian master-shot stylist who specializes in loneliness, and that's Hou Hsiao Hsien from Taiwan. "Millennium Mambo" is unbelievably great.

[sam h]

KKF,

WKW is awesome. While its definitely true that he doesn't have a big mainstream following in America, I think that you might underestimate his popularity here having spent most of your post high-school life abroad. In places like New York or San Francisco, I think you could walk into a lot of restaurants and 90% of the people there would have heard of him and seen at least one of his movies. My friends aren't particularly big cinephiles, but he's a foreign director that one generally assumes everybody knows.

I second joker's Hou Hsaio Hsien recommendation.

[donkeylove]

On your recommendation I bought the kino box set from amazon today. As Tears Go By/Days of Being Wild/Fallen Angels/Chungking Express/Happy Together are included in the set. Any particular order to be best watched? I will chime in with my review after viewing.

[private joker]

Watch Chungking Express first. It's the poppiest one, and probably the most accessible/entertaining. It will give you a good intro to his style.

It's a movie in two halves, and the second half is absolutely amazing.

[cbloom]

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KKF, have you seen anything by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, more specifically, Invisible Waves? I liked sixtynine and really enjoyed Last Life in the Universe, but have to wait for a US release to see his newer films.

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"Last Life in the Universe" is one of my top movies of all time, 69 was okay but a bit too ridiculous, definitely excited to see more of his films in the US.

[Wu36]

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Watch Chungking Express first. It's the poppiest one, and probably the most accessible/entertaining. It will give you a good intro to his style.

It's a movie in two halves, and the second half is absolutely amazing.

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QFMFT, I /images/graemlins/heart.gif Faye Wong

[fish2plus2]

Personally, Id watch them in order. Make sure you watch Days of Being Wild, In the Mood, and then 2046 since that is a trilogy. Fallen Angels is the sequel to Chungking Express. Happy Together and Ashes of Time exist independently. As Tears Go By was his first film and is more mainstream, however it is his most successful in Hong Kong and still has some great scenes, shots and a barless Ms. Hong Kong Maggie Cheung.

[Hoya]

I actually liked 2046 better than In the Mood - but I saw it first, so perhaps that is why.

IMO WKW creates a mood in his films that no other current director can match.

[donkeylove]

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Personally, Id watch them in order. Make sure you watch Days of Being Wild, In the Mood, and then 2046 since that is a trilogy. Fallen Angels is the sequel to Chungking Express. Happy Together and Ashes of Time exist independently. As Tears Go By was his first film and is more mainstream, however it is his most successful in Hong Kong and still has some great scenes, shots and a barless Ms. Hong Kong Maggie Cheung.

[/ QUOTE ]

I look forward to seeing them. I have read a lot of your threads and a book recommendation that I think you would like. The Moon and the Sixpence by Somerset Maugham. If you haven't read it I think you would really like it. It's about breaking social conventions and pursuing your bliss.

[jaustin]

For anyone who knows a decent amount about Won Kar Wai, I have a couple questions.

Before I'd ever heard of the director, I saw a preview for 2046 at my local arthouse theater and thought it looked very interesting. I went to a video store to rent it a few months later, but the back of the box described it as being a semi-sequel to In the Mood for Love (I don't remember the exact wording). Do I need to see ItMfL before 2046, or should I?

On a related note, are either of those two movies a good starting point for checking out WKW's films? I think privatejoker mentioned a diff. film as a good first film of his to see. FWIW, I've seen enough experimental/artsy/avant-garde film that I don't need to start with one of his "more accessible" films, if accessability is in fact an issue, I just want to know which of his films I should see first if I'd like to explore his work.

[Wu36]

fwiw, i saw fallen angels first awhile ago and it didnt really leave an impression on me(i was around 15). the first one i gave a fair viewing was in the mood and i enjoyed it right away.

[invisibleleadsoup]

i've only seen 2046,and i would like to watch it again since i was fairly tired,but i really enjoyedit,it does have an amazing atmosphere,visually it is stunning and the soundtrack/use of music is second to none.

in particular i love the song "siboney" by connie francis which is on the soundtrack,although every track in the film is great and perfectly used.

the film has a very woozey,layered,stoned sort of feel to it,its all reds and purples and layers and although somewhat bleak overall i thought it was very beautiful.

the atmosphere reminded me more of a painting by mark rothko or of the album loveless by my bloody valentine than any film,although i don't know a huge amount about film so maybe there are more obvious comparisons.

i have in the mood for love on dvd but haven't got around to watching it yet,since at the moment i'm heartbroken and so i haven't really been in the mood for it,but i'm sure i will be soon...

should i see the others first?

[invisibleleadsoup]

(i know i probably sounded pretentious comparing a film to a painting,but have a look,i think there's definitely a similar atmosphere...
neither of these are the one i was thinking of,but you can see what i mean.


http://twebzine.no.sapo.pt/rothko.jpg

[invisibleleadsoup]

http://arliquido.blogs.sapo.pt/arquivo/rothko.jpg

[fish2plus2]

I would definitely see DOBW, then ITMFL, then 2046. For instance, a character dies in 2046, and this scene is not nearly as powerful if you did not see this character's main role in DOBW.

Each film stands by itself, but you are missing out somewhat if you havent seen the previous films in the trilogy. It probably isnt that important that you see DOBW before ITMFL, but 2046 really does complete both movies.

Awesome painting, it really does remind me of 2046. Thank you for the book selection.

[fish2plus2]

--------------Spoilers------

Days of Being Wild takes place in Hong Kong during the 1960's but it is filmed as though the city has been abandoned: no one is ever around. The movie is shot inside cramped apartments, narrow hallways, cheap hotel rooms, and dark empty streets. There is very little lighting, and the camera is always focused on the faces of five characters, each of whom we pity. They work lonely jobs as a club girl, a graveyard shift police man, and a ticket booth attendent. Throughout the movie, we are shown clocks; this is a film about time and loneliness.

Have you ever heard the story about the bird without legs who dies when it lands? The legless is bird is Yuddy who finds a beautiful and innocent Su sitting bored watching a clock behind a drink counter in a hotel. He tells her that she will see him in her sleep, and it is not long before we see her smiling in her dreams. Each day he returns, finally cornering her between his arms, he asks her to look at his watch for one minute, and we can hear her heavy breathing.

'Today is...'

'16th'

'16th... April 16th. April 16th, 1960, one minute before 3 pm, you are with me. because of you I will remember that one minute.'

We then hear the first voice over which is very common in Wong Kar Wai's film and allows its characters to pour their lonely hearts out, and is a very important of his films.

'Has he remembered me for that one minute? We became friends from that minute, then 2 minutes, and then we spent an hour together everyday.'

The next scene brings us to the two of them laying in bed together, sweating and kissing, as new lovers do unaware of time. Su tells Yuddy that she needs a place to stay because her cousin is getting married and asks if she can stay with him, he rejects her. She leaves.

Yuddy does not work. We learn that he was born into a rich family who did not want him, so they paid a women to raise him and take care of him. This women refuses to tell Yuddy the location of his real family. Because of this, Yuddy is unable to commit to a women.

Immediately, Yuddy seduces another women, a showgirl named Lulu...

It seems as though I am just recapping everything that happened, which seems pointless. I could just list all the little details about the film that I love, but that too seems unnessecary. I dont think I am really going to be able to review these movies. Someone on IMDB said it best "Everything will sound too banal. It's like to describe a melody, almost senseless."

I will comment though on the structure. Wong Kar Wai always seems to have one line to complete a scene that highlights and romanticizes everything we just watched. This is usually in the nature of voice overs. Take the above line by Su, and also take these lines:

Su now finds herself spending nights outside of Yuddy's apartment building heartbroken. She befriends a police man and tells him about her problems with Yuddy. He listens to her. In another movie, they'd fall in love. She tells him "I used to think a minute would pass very quickly. Now, it takes a long time. A guy once asked me to remember one minute with him. Now when I look at my watch, I think I must forget him from this minute... When I was a kid I used to want to ride on a tram... My cousin is getting married".

The officer tells her not to compare her life with others. He mentions that when he was younger he was poor and couldnt afford a school uniform. He had wanted to be a sailor, but took this job because of his Mother's poor health. He tells her that if she is lonely, she can call him since he has nothing to do during his work. They part ways.

As always, the perfect music begins to play. And a voice over begins:

Tide tells the audience "I never dream she will call me. But I always stop in front of the telephone. Maybe she has returned to Macau(meaning she got over Yuddy) or maybe she wants someone to talk to. Nevermind, my mother died shortly after this and I decided to become a sailor." We watch him walk away, the camera is centered one the telephone kiosk.

Yuddy's friend is in love with Lulu. Yuddy has given him his prize car to watch over as he has gone to Phillipines. He sells the car and gives the money to Lulu to go looking for Yuddy. He tells us that he doesnt look cool in the car the way Yuddy does.

Yuddy has gone to the Phillipine to find his mother. She refuses to come to the door. He walks away and says that he will not turn around because he doesnt want to give her the chance to see what his face looks like. Once again, we here the same music.

By chance, these two meet in the Phillipines. Tide asks Yuddy(dying of a gunshot wound) what he was doing during that minute. Yuddy tells him that he remembers the things that need to be remembered. Yuddy tells him if he ever sees her again, to tell her that he forgot everything. Tide responds, "Even if I see her again, she might not remember me".

Music once again begins to play as we watch Yuddy die, and see a train moving forward, and see Lulu with her bags packed, and Su bored at work, another clock, the telephone finally ringing, and Tony Lueng preparing to go gambling(2046 sequel) which symbolizes that this story will repeat itself.

"I used to think there was a kind of bird that, once born, would keep flying until death. The fact is that the bird hasn't gone anywhere. It was dead from the beginning."

This movie envokes feelings inside of me like no other. The movie centers on the impermanence of our lives. It reminds me of a JD Salinger story called A broken Heart Story. It tells the story about two people falling in love and the life they live with eachother, it then ends by saying that none of it every happened, that they walked past eachother, never saw eachother again and went on to live different lives.

This is the type of movie which forces you to approach girls sitting on park benchs because you know that one day you will be an old man sitting on a park bench and it will be too late.

[fish2plus2]

I would also like to mention the romanticism of loneliness. I think that we are all lonely. When we are on vacation, our watch is always in our mind. We know that it will end. In someway, if things lasted forever, they wouldnt be as special.

Talking about time again, the characters all look ahead to the future and worry about the future. They all feel the clock ticking, and at the sametime, they all look at the past. None of them seem to be able to find any place to live happily in the present.

[The Yugoslavian]

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I would also like to mention the romanticism of loneliness. I think that we are all lonely. When we are on vacation, our watch is always in our mind. We know that it will end. In someway, if things lasted forever, they wouldnt be as special.

Talking about time again, the characters all look ahead to the future and worry about the future. They all feel the clock ticking, and at the sametime, they all look at the past. None of them seem to be able to find any place to live happily in the present.

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Yes, I too love Wong Kar Wai's temporal treatment of his movies....you can *feel* time oozing or dripping by....his movies are very sensory even though most movies donm't get past being limited to sight and sound.

Yugoslav

[Dominic]

After watching In the Mood For Love, I can't recall ever seeing any film that so greatly relied on its production design and unusual framing to convey a "mood." It's simply masterful in every way and I remember watching the film with my mouth agape in wonder.

The only comparable filmmaker I can think of who can so expertly convey emotion and complexity through film was Kieslowski. But even Kieslowski never shot anything as purely gorgeous as In the Mood For Love.

[Potvaliant]

[ QUOTE ]

He does not use detailed scripts for his films, often the script is written minutes before shooting starts.

His films do not focus on plot, instead the story comes from the characters.

... and what is not said, is often just as important as what is said.



[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds like Altman. Is this at all accurate?

[invisibleleadsoup]

2046 has a completely different atmosphere to altman films i think,maybe there are similarities in method but in atmosphere not really at all,it is a much more abstract film and from what i have heard the others are too...

[fish2plus2]

what is the best way to take screen shots from a DVD? When I hit 'Print Screen' and paste in Paint, it seems that the photo changes even after I already save it - if that makes any sense at all. its very strange.

[cbloom]

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what is the best way to take screen shots from a DVD? When I hit 'Print Screen' and paste in Paint, it seems that the photo changes even after I already save it - if that makes any sense at all. its very strange.

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Get a raw screen capper like "madcap" or "hypersnap" or any of 1000 others.

[glengarry]

I find his movies truly artful in the sense that they affect you and your view of living in the world, often in hard to decifer, emotional and intellectual ways, and they bear repeated viewing. More specifically, he is a master of composed images and of combining those images with sounds and themes. These images are striking and beautiful while watching the movies, but they also affect me (and others I've talked to) later upon quiet reflection and unconsiously, in dreams. Many find his movies harder to watch initially because he does not use a narrative structure and music to create a "story" or to impose reactions and judgments on the audience, a la Spielberg, and because his movies are carefully but slowly paced. I think it's better with his movies first to soak in the images and dialogue and music and performances and let whichever of many images and themes strike you, then later if you liked the experience, watch the movie again.

Wong Kar Wai has several repeating themes in his movies, some of which were described here: loneliness, rejection, existential longing and romanticism, obsession with (often flawed) memories, falling for the wrong person. One of his themes which particularly strikes me is how we can become trapped or paralyzed by our past and our memories, and our struggle to escape stasis and inertia.

Also, if you don't like one of his movies, try another, because even many of his hardcore fans have extreme and widely divergent feelings about his movies. I loved 2046 and really liked In the Mood and Chungking Express, but Days of Being Wild was not an enjoyable viewing experience for me.

[hanster]

*Bump*
Ah. I didn't see this thread when it first came out. This thread is awesome. I'm just wondering what you guys think about the Chinese directors that have "made it" in Hollywood, such as Lee Ang and John Woo. i am very surprise that Zhang YiMou haven't been mentioned at all yet for his works in "Da Hong Deng Long Gao Gao Gua" and "Hero".

[private joker]

I have a long history with Zhang Yimou and it's hard to look at him objectively anymore. When I was first getting into movies as a teenager, I saw films like Red Sorghum, Ju Dou, and of course Raise the Red Lantern, which is still one of the greatest films ever made.

He continued to be the world's best storyteller through masterpieces like To Live, The Story of Qiu Ju, and his last movie with Gong Li, Shanghai Triad. I assumed he would falter after he broke up with Gong, but although I didn't see Keep Cool, I really liked his smaller films like Not One Less, Happy Times, and that incredible debut for Zhang Ziyi -- The Road Home (which makes me weep every time I see it).

It's funny that after all that, he finally "hit it big" in the States with Hero, and that turned out to be my least favorite of his movies up to that point. It looked great, of course, but I didn't buy the love story between Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung like I wanted to. And the Jet Li character was a complete zero. Definitely the least substantial thing he had done in my eyes.

But he rebounded quickly with House of Flying Daggers, which is probably my favorite martial arts movie ever made. There's a lot of haters of that movie (I expect several of them to quickly reply to this post, calling Daggers stupid and over the top and not at all like the great wuxia films of the 70s and 80s -- a la Bride With White Hair or something), but I think it's marvelous.

But his two movies from 2006 were letdowns again. Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles was pretty gooey, sentimental, and cheap for Zhang. Good lead performance, weak story. Then he really tumbled with the nearly awful Curse of the Golden Flower. Another beautiful film (and a reunion with Gong), but the script was retarded and almost laughable at times.

So yeah, in the past 10 years or so I think The Road Home and House of Flying Daggers are his only really great films, but from the late '80s to the '90s, he was unstoppable. I defy anyone to watch Raise the Red Lantern or To Live and not just bow down to his genius -- both in aesthetics and in storytelling.

As for John Woo, well I mean how can you ever do something as great as The Killer and Hard Boiiled again? You can't, but of his American films, Face/Off came close. Some people hate that movie because it's so over the top, but that's just because it's a Chinese opera done with American actors -- it's not what American audiences are used to seeing. I think that movie is incredibly good. But otherwise, Woo hasn't been the same in Hollywood. Windtalkers was a piece of crap and Paycheck was forgettable. Actually, I did kind of like Mission: Impossible 2.

I don't really see Ang Lee fitting in with those guys. He spent most of his life in New York and I see his movies as fairly American. I liked the Taiwanese flavor of Eat Drink Man Woman, and his entry into the martial arts epic (Crouching Tiger) was great fun, but his two best movies are about as American as they come -- The Ice Storm and Brokeback Mountain. Watch both of those treatises on the failures of love and family and you'd never know the director was Taiwanese. They're just beautifully told slices of the past. (Please don't remind me that Ang Lee did Hulk. Jesus.)

[Wu36]

joker posts good.

im one of the house of flying daggers haters, not sure why , especially since im a big fan of andy lau and zhang ziyi.

regarding john woo, i think bullet in the head needs to be mentioned more.

otherwise i agree w the above post completely.

[hanster]

Joker,
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your analysis on the three directors. Do you understand Chinese? I try to explain to my friends who don't how great one movie is and they wouldn't seem to understnad the "aesthetic" side of the language sometimes that proves to be so important in films, especially those that were done by Zhang Yimou. I saw his films way too long ago and it left a long-lasting memory that I can't honestly say much about his films anymore because how I felt 10 years ago when I was still a kid might not be the same now. I was surprised to find that you have such high regards for Dagger and not so for Hero.

John Woo is freaking awesome. It seems as if he has the best of both worlds (HK and Hollywood).

lol. Lee Ang did The Hulk? I didn't even hear about that to tell you the truth because the Taiwanese people didn't brag too much about that film apparently.

Another name I should've tossed in there, but is in a league or two below those three, is Wong Jing. Although not as critically accalimed as those three directors, I still watch it from time to time and have a blast watching his movies. Starting from God of Gamblers series, to bunch of movies he did with Stephen Chow (Royal Tramp, Hail the Judge and etc). Yeah, he did a lot of crappy movies. But in my book he is an enjoyable director to watch.

An inconsistent director that I really don't know whether to put him here or not but I guess I will because I want to hear more about what Joker has to say about these directors. Andrew Lau Wai Keung has his moments at times but in some films he just seems like passing time until the next project comes along. I love the Young and the Dangerous series but after the series proves to be a bit repetitive. Only until he came out Infernal Affairs did he prove what he can do. (I still think he did a better job than Scorsese did. I will be flamed for this but whatever). Should I expect to see great things from him again ever?

[private joker]

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Joker,
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your analysis on the three directors. Do you understand Chinese?

[/ QUOTE ]

Not one lick. Neither Mandarin nor Cantonese. But I took a Chinese history class in college and I've seen so many Chinese films that I am pretty familiar with some points of reference.

[ QUOTE ]


Another name I should've tossed in there, but is in a league or two below those three, is Wong Jing. Although not as critically accalimed as those three directors, I still watch it from time to time and have a blast watching his movies. Starting from God of Gamblers series, to bunch of movies he did with Stephen Chow (Royal Tramp, Hail the Judge and etc). Yeah, he did a lot of crappy movies. But in my book he is an enjoyable director to watch.

[/ QUOTE ]

I remember the God of Gamblers movies from when I watched all those Chow Yun Fat flicks in the '90s, catching up on an icon. This director never did much for me artistically.

[ QUOTE ]
An inconsistent director that I really don't know whether to put him here or not but I guess I will because I want to hear more about what Joker has to say about these directors. Andrew Lau Wai Keung has his moments at times but in some films he just seems like passing time until the next project comes along. I love the Young and the Dangerous series but after the series proves to be a bit repetitive. Only until he came out Infernal Affairs did he prove what he can do. (I still think he did a better job than Scorsese did. I will be flamed for this but whatever). Should I expect to see great things from him again ever?

[/ QUOTE ]

I like Infernal Affairs fine, but I'm one of those who actually prefers Scorsese's version much much more. I don't think Lau really nailed the tone of the story with as much confidence as Scorsese.

But this reminds me of two directors you haven't mentioned yet -- that probably deserve some love in this thread.

First is Johnnie To, sort of the Sam Peckinpah-meets-Godard of Chinese action movies. I mean this guy is just awesome. You've got The Mission, Throwdown, etc. His whole Election series... and my favorite pic of his is a new Western called "Exiled." Damn is that an expertly filmed piece of genre genius.

To also co-directed Fulltime Killer (starring Andy Lau again) with Wai Ka Fai. I wrote a review of it here (http://exitmusic.mindspring.com.namezero.com/id85.html) . Wai Ka Fai is the other name I wanted to bring up -- he did a movie called Peace Hotel, a black & white Western starring Chow Yun Fat, that is totally awesome. One of my favorite action movies of the '90s. I highly recommend any fan of this genre to find a way to see Peace Hotel.

[hanster]

I just checked my stash (i bought complete series of Andy Lau, Chow Yun Fat, Jet Li, and Stephen Chow's movies when i was in Shanghai this summer. They're actually legit dvds, mind you. I bought it for about $1/disc and there are about 120 movies among the four actors) I have the Election series along with Fulltime Killer and Peace Hotel. Seems like a great way to spend the Chinese weekend holiday!

[private joker]

[ QUOTE ]
I just checked my stash (i bought complete series of Andy Lau, Chow Yun Fat, Jet Li, and Stephen Chow's movies when i was in Shanghai this summer. They're actually legit dvds, mind you. I bought it for about $1/disc and there are about 120 movies among the four actors) I have the Election series along with Fulltime Killer and Peace Hotel. Seems like a great way to spend the Chinese weekend holiday!

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh man, I would love to get Peace Hotel on disc. If anyone can provide me with a Region 1 DVD (I don't have an all-region player, alas) or a way/place I can get one, I will be eternally grateful.

[KJS]

[ QUOTE ]
After watching In the Mood For Love, I can't recall ever seeing any film that so greatly relied on its production design and unusual framing to convey a "mood." It's simply masterful in every way and I remember watching the film with my mouth agape in wonder.



[/ QUOTE ]

I am not in any way trying to denegrate this thread but for me the fact that the main female character's derriere was so featured it was practically a character itself added a lot to the overall beauty of the film.

KJS

[Dominic]

Finally got around to seeing 2046 tonight...and I loved it. I can't help but once again compare this film and In the Mood For Love to Kieslowski's greatest works. I haven't seen the first film in this cycle, Days of Being Wild, but I plan to very soon. I couldn't imagine making heads nor tails out of 2046 without first seeing Love, however.

Tony Leung is amazing - the only other Asian actor that comes close to his on-screen presence is Chow Yun Fat (I wish they'd do another film together, in fact!)

Zhang Ziyi has got to be one of the most beautiful actresses in film. The scene where Leung leaves her room after the first time they make love is utterly heartbreaking.

Two questions about cinematographer Christopher Doyle: Do Wong Kar Wai's films that aren't shot by Doyle remarkable different looking, or does Wai use a similar look?

Also, I read that after 2046 Doyle said he would never work with Wai again - anyone know why not??

[fish2plus2]

Where did you read that? The only thing Ive read similar to that was Doyle saying this:

"I feel that 2046 is unnecessary, in retrospect. I think probably Wong Kar-Wai realized that somewhere, and that's why it took so long. You do realize that you have basically said what you needed to say, so why say more? I feel that way. I think you have to move on."

As far as I know, Doyle shot every Wai film except for As Tears Go By which wasnt exactly what would be considered a Wai film.

[Dominic]

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Where did you read that? The only thing Ive read similar to that was Doyle saying this:

"I feel that 2046 is unnecessary, in retrospect. I think probably Wong Kar-Wai realized that somewhere, and that's why it took so long. You do realize that you have basically said what you needed to say, so why say more? I feel that way. I think you have to move on."

As far as I know, Doyle shot every Wai film except for As Tears Go By which wasnt exactly what would be considered a Wai film.

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it was a blurb in Wikipedia...

[private joker]

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As far as I know, Doyle shot every Wai film except for As Tears Go By which wasnt exactly what would be considered a Wai film.

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KKF -- sorry to be a nit, but I thought you'd know this living in Asia... Wong is his surname. It's a "Wong film," not a "Wai film."

[hanster]

Joker,
That was the first thing i noticed in kkf's post

Dom,
Tony Leung has an amazing on screen presence. What about Andy Lau? He doesn't get mentioned enough. Chow is amazing in his old works but recently I've seen nothing but flops. (Bulletproof Monk? Curse of Golden Flower?) Wait 'til you see Lin C Lin in The Battle of the Red Cliff, Zhang will look dull compared to Lin.

[mikech]

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As far as I know, Doyle shot every Wai film except for As Tears Go By which wasnt exactly what would be considered a Wai film.

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KKF -- sorry to be a nit, but I thought you'd know this living in Asia... Wong is his surname. It's a "Wong film," not a "Wai film."

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yeah, but to be fair, it can be really confusing because some ppl "westernize" the order of their names. ang lee's surname is lee, for instance. i've also seen zhang ziyi's name recently presented in magazines as ziyi zhang (zhang is her family name).

anyway, great post on zhang yimou, john woo and ang lee. i of course disagree with you on flying daggers, i thought it was fine until the laughably bad plot twists towards the end, the blizzard in autumn, and zhang ziyi rising from the dead with a dagger thru her heart. i didn't like hero either, but probly for different reasons than you. i just found the political message of the movie really hard to swallow. the First Emperor is widely considered a tyrant by historians, but not coincidentally mao was a great admirer of him (the First Emperor infamously "burned books and buried scholars"; the cultural revolution was the same thing on an even more massive scale.)--no wonder the communist regime loved the film.

ang lee is probly my favorite of these particular three directors. you're right that many of his films have been more "american," but he still brings an outsider's perspective to what he examines. i think the ice storm is an astonishing movie. unlike another look at suburban ennui, american beauty, it's never glib, and lee tries to keep an outsider's emotional distance, but in the end it just makes the eventual tragedy that much more devastating.