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: * * +

Election

The Wo Shing triad have held elections to select their chairman for over 100 years. Now it is the turn of Big D (Tony Leung Ka Fai) and Lam (Simon Yam) to fight and bribe their way to the post. And even a democratically held election can be filled with strife and violence. A gritty and slick crime drama that will make you one with your couch.

Rating: * * *

Lost in Beijing

A prostitute makes her way to a hotel. She tells her client waiting inside that it's the usual fee but she is in a hurry as she has a dinner date. The customer hands her 1000 yuan and leaves... "I can't make love in a hurry". And so the film begins and you are lost in "Lost in Beijing".

In the background you have smog filled and congested Beijing with its hustle and bustle. In the foreground you have two couples entangled in a web of sex and deceit with a streak of dark comedy cutting through it. A brilliant follow up to  Dam Street by Yu Li.

Rating: * * * +