Rough Groove

Movies watched: January 08, Part 3 of 3

January 2008 was a bit productive with around 22 full feature films and 3 shorts (under Eros) that have been watched either in theaters and, mostly, at home. 11 came from North America with two from Canada, the rest from the US. Four from Europe: UK, France, Italy and Spain. The last is set in Canada and acted Canadians but produced in Spain with a Spanish lady director. Asia is represented by 2 Japanese films (the second a sequel), Thai, my second film watched from Thailand (the first was in Bangkok which was Nang Nak). Of course, I had a marathon movie watching, all by one of my favorite directors: Wong Kar Wai.

I had my own mini film festival of Wong Kar Wai films! While I have already watched In the Mood for Love and 2046 many years ago, I watched the former again. I’m still looking for copies of 2046, Ashes of Time, Fallen Angels and As Tears Go By. Eros, by the way, is three shorts, with the other two done by different directors. Of the three, WKW’s is the best.

Days of Being Wild - Wong Kar Wai, 1990 (Hongkong)
In the Mood for Love - Wong Kar Wai, (Hongkong)
Chunking Express - Wong Kar Wai, 1994 (Hongkong)
Chun gwong cha sit (Happy Together) - Wong Kar Wai, (Hongkong)
Eros - Wong Kar Wai, Steven Soderberg, Michelangelo Antonioni, 2005 (Italy)

HK: Wong Kar Wai movies

One of my must buy in Hongkong is Wong Kar Wai’s Chunking Express. I’ve watched this during a film festival more than a decade ago as a college student but unfortunately, I was not able to start it since I arrived late in the cinema. It has haunted me since I was able to watch In the Mood for Love and 2046 and made it a point to watch his other movies.

While looking over some other titles, I was able to find two other WKW movies: Eros, which is part of a three story movie and Days of Being Wild.

Real movies from the master!

Relive my posts on Hongkong:

Out of the country
Last night in HK
HK: I’m impressed
Back from HK
1st SEA Lepidoptera Conservation Symposium
HK: Chek Lap Kok
HK: A beautiful city
HK: Transport
HK: Central
HK: People watching
Series 39: Hongkong
Series 40: Hongkong International Airport

2046 - Wong Kar Wai, 4 - Mania

This is already a mania! I can’t still get this 2046 fever off my system Was able to check this site out and 2046 coverage is good. Below are the posters from the site.

Hongkong

Japan

China

This one from this site

France

2046 - Wong Kar Wai, 3

I’ve been anticipating this film ever since I saw the trailer a month ago while watching a movie in Makati. It opened in local theatres last Wednesday and already, I’ve seen my second screening last night.

I could not help but notice that this last work of WKW and “In the Mood for Love” have many similarities though each one is a full story in itself. From the love story that seems, in the end, unfulfilled, to the images that is flashed on the screen to the setting (1960’s). There are even parts wherein the frames are familiar, as if I was watching the latter. In some reviews, authors even mentioned that this was supposed to be a sequel of Mood and picking up where that film left. While Maggie Cheung Man Yuk just made a cameo appearance, she was central to Tony Leung Chiu Wai’s love that was lost and still hurting for that loss. While Mood was rather compact, 2046 on the other hand moves seamlessly between the present and the future.

The cinematography is good. I like the visual style. Closeups, pans, slow movements. One thing that got my attention though was that for most of the time the frame is bisected equally by a wall or other things or parts of the house and characters are conveniently located on the right or left side of the frame. Shots of the cast talking are quite close that it fills one part of the frame and most of the time, talking facing the edge. At times, it seems that they are too close to the edge. Watching it, one feels being close to the people involved. You feel their sadness, their joy, their hopes. Scenes are framed also in such a way that the viewer feels like a voyeur at times, an eavesdropper on other people’s lives.

The beautiful Zhang Ziyi never fails to awe. Subtle body movements, expressions and skillful acting shows her deep talent. Tony Leung is very much convincing of his forlorn self. Struggling with the pain of a lost love. Other notable stars are Gong Li, Takuya Kimura and Faye Wong.

2046 - Wong Kar Wai, 2

While watching Laurice Guillen’s wonderful film “Santa Santita,” a more extended trailer for “2046″ was shown. It seems that whenever Tony Leung Chiu Wai is around, Maggie Cheung isn’t far behind but this time, with just a cameo appearance. I really love their pairing in WKW’s other movie “In the Mood for Love” and am really looking forward to see “2046″ which will be shown soon enough at local theatres.