Happy Together

A friend of mine once told me that in every relationship, there is a giver and a taker. This film is about such relationship with drastic skew. Set in Argentina, Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung play lovers who are constantly starting over.

Christopher Doyle's signature camera work brings to life the gritiness of Buenos Aires. The taxi scene is an echo from "In the Mood for Love" or maybe it is the other way around. In the center is the master, Mr. Cheung. All in all, a masterpiece from Wong Kar-Wai.

Rating: * * *

Ashes of Time Redux

Wong Kar-wai's re-edit of his 1994 Chinese period drama centers around Ou-yang Feng (Leslie Cheung), who lives on the edge of a desert eking out a livelihood by acting as a middleman. He matches his clients with the right type of services, be it a bodyguard or assassin! A wide array of characters sift across his timescape each fleeting as the desert sand. They all seem to project a sense of loss causing them to seek the past and regret the future.  Kar-wai in his usual meandering style, tries to stich the disparate storylines together. It his failure to do so cleanly that makes the film endearing and magical.

Rating: * * +

Sunflower

The Cultural Revolution takes Xiangyang's father away from him during his early childhood. After six years in a re-education camp, he abruptly walks back into Xiangyang's life. The initial surprise and distrust of his father soon turns into annoyance bordering on hatred, when Xiangyang starts to chafe under his dad's iron rule.

A film that sweeps across three decades, following the tumultuous relationship between father and son is also a brilliant look at the life of the middle class in China. It also helps that the canopy which houses the film with saturated hues and vivid colors had something to with a visual consultant that this blog is more than familiar with...

Rating: * * * +

Paris Je t'aime

An ode to Paris and the love that it creates, I suppose. Some 20 different directors come together with a variety of international stars, to shoot 18 chapters of romance in Paris. Some of them are amusing/interesting - some others are bizzare especially Christopher Doyle's piece in Chinatown. I realise I am not a big fan of these joined up movies - it appears to be nothing more than some pointless kind of a creative need to "do something together". Worth a watch though.

Rating: * * +

Days of Being Wild

This is the second time I am watching the movie and it yet again left me with the feeling of floating in space. Wong Kar Wai is sublime. This was his first movie with Chris Doyle and you can see the beginnings of ITMFL. The movie follows various characters trying to find meaning, purpose and direction to life who are left feeling disconsolate and lost in a world of missed opportunities. The pace is gentle but has a certain panache to it.

Maggie Cheung is ethereal and vulnerable. I think this is the film she looks the most beautiful in. It is interesting to note that she plays a character with the same name in ITMFL and Tony Leung shows up at the end looking very much like our friend Mr Chow.

Rating: * * *

Lady in the Water

Go watch it. With no sixth sense, unbreakable hangovers.

However, M N Shyamlan seems to have the same problem as his Tamil brudder, Kamal Hasan - over self-indulgence as the years go by.

And the Idiots are featured in the movie. Chris Doyle in charge of Cinematography.

Rating: * *