Originally posted by :
2046
I find this show fascinating and engrossing!
For the horror genre, The Shutter and The Ring did pretty well. I second 2046.
Gangsters meet art and the perverseness of desire: Days of Being Wild (ah fei zheng zhuan)
This film is a prelude to who the characters will become. Wong forms them so you'll know why these characters will eventually collapse in the next 2 chapters. The central character (Chow Mo Wan played by Tony Leung) in this trilogy is briefly introduced in the final scene of this chapter.
Romance and the memory of it: In the Mood for Love (hua yang nian hua)
Subtly hypnotic story about love, longing, self doubt and indecision. Nothing carnal was shown but I consider this a very sensual film. It heightens what isn't experienced.
Impossibility of love through the passage of time (it never yields): 2046
Still the cigarette smoking, anti-hero writer, gone was the restrained romantic in In the Mood for Love. The years have ushered in a pathological playboy. Same name, same history and Chow Mo Wan has inevitably become a very different man.
All lead characters are known for their startling sense of inaction against the backdrop of a tumultuous HK in the 1960s.
Tsk tsk tsk... don't know what to say about these 3 pieces by Wong. They redefined HK cinema. Maybe this is a biography of his experiences growing up in those days (a long gone era), I figure it already takes a lot of pain and affection for anyone to come up with such a great tale, following it to the big screen spanning a decade must've been unimaginable. I don't think he is capable of any work as good as this one after 2046. That is just the way it is for most artists like him.
Just watch. Must watch. At least once in your lifetime.
Features Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Carina Lau and afterwards, Tony Leung, Gong Li, Faye Wong and Zhang Zi Yi continued as leads.
This is a great story told with charismatic actors, especially Tony Leung. With luck it met Christopher Doyle's cinematography and Wong has also been made famous by his unique choice in soundtracks. They range from Latin moodiness, sensual waltz to Hawaiian guitar.
***
Infernal Affairs (wu jian dao)
One of the best contemporary psychological thrillers ever written and produced for HK cinema. The Departed was rubbish. It doesn't count because Scorsese butchered IA then watered it down with just blood violence for a bunch of stupid red necks. Moral ambiguity is the original theme and that is what makes Infernal Affairs a success. A tale of cop and robber with moral conflict. Great intensity and pace before the meltdown during the last installation.
The good story finishes when you graze the tip of an iceberg!
***
Other impressionistic romance movies: Millennium Mambo (qian xi man bo) & Tempting Hearts (xin dong)
He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother (xin nan xiong nan di)
Comedy with Tony Leung (liang jia hui) as lead
True Love (zhen ai)
Cheesy 80s version of Pretty Woman played by the then ravishing Maggie Cheung and Jacky Cheung
Hoping the DVD will come out here soon!
I love the twists!