Wong Kar Wai @ Opening Ceremony - April 2

[fallen angels]

is the film geek in anyone else excited about all the recent news?

im sure the true wkw fans already know about, but in case you havent heard, theres some big news in the wkw world recently:

1. Chungking Express is getting the Criterion x Blu-Ray treatment, as part of the first collection of the Criterion's blu-ray dvd's, release scheduled for Fall

http://www.criterion.com/blu-rayannounce.html

2. Fallen Angels will be released in Blu-ray this fall as well, as Kino International's first Blu-ray title

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1281

3. and the big news: the Ashes of Time redux was finally finished and premiered this past weekend at Cannes. the film never got a proper quality dvd release back when the movie came out in the mid 90's. when he finally decided to re-work the film, he discovered that the original negatives were all destroyed. To restore the film, he had to hunt down prints locked up in Chinatown warehouses around the world. after 3 years and 1.5 million dollars of re-editting, the redux was finally completed, and premiered at Cannes this past weekend.

http://www.sonyclassics.com/ashesoftimeredux/

http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/10802813/year/2008.html

happy together again :

doyle and wkw

check out the steez

[fade to black2]

they shoulda made a t-shirt series of WKW movies w/ Leslie Cheung in them... Days of Being Wild and Happy Together, i imagine some cool prints can come out of those. Leslie was god.

yeah im lookin forward to that ashes of time redux

[marquischacha]

Wow it's nice to see Wong and Doyle back together I know they had a falling out after filming 2046.

I will never forget going to the movies to watch Fallen Angels when it first came out here in LA. The theater was sparingly full of a bunch of film geeks and there was this lady in a wheel chair who was with her caretaker. The left midway through the movie, I am sure the sight of Michelle Reis vigorously masturbating in a leather dress and black fuck-me heels convinced them that they weren't watching a film about angels in Hong Kong.

While I am glad that Ashes of Time is getting the DVD treatment finally it's a real pity the negatives were destroyed. It's a beautiful movie and very similar in tone to Chung King/Fallen Angels; more so then his earlier films which were set in a more contemporary setting.

[fade to black2]

i have yet to see fallen angels...i think its the one of his i haven't watched yet.

As Tears Go By is underrated...WKW's visual style wasn't fully developed yet but there's traces of brilliance and Andy Lau and Jacky Cheung were still acting as if they gave a damn. The "take my breath away" sequence in particular is very cool and WKW.

[fallen angels]

they shoulda made a t-shirt series of WKW movies w/ Leslie Cheung in them... Days of Being Wild and Happy Together, i imagine some cool prints can come out of those. Leslie was god.

yeah im lookin forward to that ashes of time redux

word, Leslie is an inspiration to me and a legend. i thoroughly enjoyed him in all his wkw films, but especially in Days of Being Wild. he embodied the spirit of that character, no other HK actor wouldve been able to pull off that role as well as he did. Tony wouldnt have been able to, but his cameo in the end sequence was genius.

one thing i will miss in the AOT redux is the original soundtrack. wont be the same without it... that soundtrack is my favorite OST out of all wkw movies, those songs were so epic, and almost haunting. but of course a part of me also interested in hearing Yoyo Ma's interpretations/compositions in this new soundtrack

[fade to black2]

The Tony Leung sequence in DOBW is my favorite movie scene of all time...and i'm not even a Tony Leung fan other than that and Happy Together

Leslie immortalized himself as the James Dean of Hong Kong cinema with that role, i'd put that as one of the finest cinematic performances ever even. I also love his music, especially "Wind keeps blowing" and "Chase" (hahaha i cant type chinese here just went with the translations)

[polishmike]

The Tony Leung sequence in DOBW is my favorite movie scene of all time...and i'm not even a Tony Leung fan other than that and Happy Together

Leslie immortalized himself as the James Dean of Hong Kong cinema with that role, i'd put that as one of the finest cinematic performances ever even. I also love his music, especially "Wind keeps blowing" and "Chase" (hahaha i cant type chinese here just went with the translations)

That's an interesting opinion, especially that you're much more around asian cinema than I am. I respect Leslie but I never rated him that high (I do love that role by the way). On the contrary, I think that Leung is the best living actor and I don't see anyone even coming close to his level any time soon. I would love to meet him.

[fade to black2]

yeah maybe just different preferences...I (and quite a few locals i have spoken with) am of the opinion that Leung's acting is often comatose, contrived and somewhat pretentious...he was highly overrated in "Lust, Caution" as well. But for his style of acting i thought he really nailed Happy Together, and I suppose I can see how one would appreciate his work in In the Mood for Love as well.

it's funny the trajectory his career has taken...he started out hosting a kids show, became WKW's muse, and all this time would occasionally do the comedic C-movie. I think ever since 2046 he is now only taking on serious, heavy projects that allow him to brood throughout the whole movie. His public persona has shifted accordingly, as he gives off an appearance of being reserved and kinda depressed but his image just looks very fabricated to me.

for Hong Kong actors I think the other Tony Leung (Kar Fai), Anthony Wong, Francis Ng, and Lam Ka Tung (dont know his english name hes supporting in a lotta johnnie to films) are the best ones doin it here right now. Even Louis Koo is steppin his game up

[landho]

Agree with Tony Leung Chiu-Wai being the best living actor.

That said, I have been very, very impressed with everything I've seen Leslie Cheung in. I've seen only four of his movies, however: Days of Being Wild, Bride with White Hair, Ashes of Time, and Happy Together, and honestly I thought he was superlative in every single one.

[polishmike]

I think we might have a different approach to judging ones abilities (though I'm not criticizing yours). I generally don't "like" too many films or acting performances and I don't judge an actor for his complete work but rather on his best performances. I know some actors try harder in some movies, certain directors or even scripts can bring more out of them. This is visible in european and asian productions a little more than in hollywood.

I can see how Leung in 'Lust, Caution' could be taken less deep than in let's say 'In the mood...', especially by the asian audience. I thought the movie was good and it was very well made but his performance made it a great one. He also acted without acting, if you know what I mean. He can bring so much to the feel and atmosphere of the film without even saying anything, his movement and facial expressions are just so fantastic.

I also don't look at him as a "Honk Kong actor", I think he could do well enough in Allen's movie as well as WKW's or Almodovar's. I'm not sure if I would want to see him do other movies but I'm pretty happy with watching 'In the mood...' once or twice a month to satisfy myself.

(I don't think I ever praised any actor so much. I'll probably write something horrible about a decent actor now just to level myself)

[fade to black2]

best asian actor i wouldn't try to dispute, even though i disagree? But best living? Better than:

- DDL

- Javier Bardem

- PSH

- Johnny Depp

- Clive Owen

- Viggo Mortensen

- Sean Penn

- Terrence Howard

i could go on...even some of the local actors i named in the post above i'd take over Leung easily. i think even some young actors like Gael Garcia Bernal are better...

[landho]

He also acted without acting, if you know what I mean. He can bring so much to the feel and atmosphere of the film without even saying anything, his movement and facial expressions are just so fantastic.

He is very aware of how much the camera will capture.

[fade to black2]

i agree, but my argument is that at the same time along with his awareness, he's quite limited in his range. One or two performances and i can take it as a subtle, implosive performance. But the same shtick over and over doesn't display much range or depth...i dunno

[landho]

FTB2, some of your choices seem very odd to me, especially Philip Seymour Hoffman, Terrence Howard, Clive Owen, and Viggo Mortensen.

I would argue that as good actors as Sean Penn and Daniel Day-Lewis are, they seem capable (these days) of only acting in intense, highly dramatic roles in which they're allowed to chew up the scenery. I don't know Bardem's work so well in general, so it's hard for me to gauge.

Johnny Depp is amazing, though, and it's funny because for all the acclaim and universal praise he's received, I still think he's underrated. (Maybe because he usually acts in quirky roles.)

[fade to black2]

i think Terrence, Clive and Viggo do a better job of capturing quiet intensity with more subtle nuances

PSH can basically act as anything at this point i am convinced...he could probably play a lamp for 2 hours and i'd watch it. From Capote to The savages, i think that's one hell of a range with these two examples alone.

Bardem i love because he strikes a good medium...and Jeffrey Wright I think is another fantastic actor.

i think the best performance i saw last year from a male actor, aside from Bardem in NCFOM was Max Von Sydow in his very small part in "Diving bell and the butterfly"....

i think something that i find more disappointing is the lack of quality asian female actresses...maybe im not payin enough attention, but i don't think any living asian actress is capable of pulling off something on the level of Cotillard as Piaf.

[polishmike]

best asian actor i wouldn't try to dispute, even though i disagree? But best living? Better than:

- DDL

- Javier Bardem

- PSH

- Johnny Depp

- Clive Owen

- Viggo Mortensen

- Sean Penn

- Terrence Howard

i could go on...even some of the local actors i named in the post above i'd take over Leung easily. i think even some young actors like Gael Garcia Bernal are better...

Only Day Lewis comes close and even he has to sweat it out for the camera. Bardem is a great actor but human emotions come fairly hard to him, it's not hard to act cold, it's hard to be a cold character while showing emotions. PSH is good but he doesn't care, he doesn't act much, it's just how he is in real life. He would fail miserably even in "Lust, Caution".

Viggo, Owen and Howard are respectable, very one dimensional, and talentless in that order. Penn is worse than John Candy (rip). Fuck, I can't even watch Penn's face on the poster. He's so bad even Madonna, the worst actress in the world divorced him. He should be making drivers education videos in North Korea or a documentary about the inside of Michael Moore's anus.

[fade to black2]

haha i guess we'll just agree to disagree then.

curious about your PSH acting how he is in real life comment though...out of curiosity are you acquainted with him? Not saying this as a sarcastic dig...but judging from those two examples i posted, hard for me to see that...although if he was as his character in the savages is i think that is not totally implausible.

[polishmike]

haha i guess we'll just agree to disagree then.

No. You are wrong and I'm right

Toby Jones was way better than PSH as Capote. Again, in 'The Savages' PSH didn't really act, he just read the script. He did a little better in 'Charlie Wilson's War' but again, he wasn't trying. When he starts he will be a great actor.

Terrance Howard? Really? I'm just curious where he was good. I mean in every movie he is the same, he like a black Clint Eastwood. I just hope we won't have to watch him for 40 years.

[fade to black2]

come to think of it i'm a total hack

i just realized the only Terrence Howard films i've seen are Crash and Ironman, guess i'm not qualified to make that statement...but he was the only redeeming thing in Crash along with Matt Dillon.

i love Clint Eastwood though, especially modern Clint Eastwood as a director. And I'm a sucker for over the top emotional movies Million Dollar Baby was a tearjerker almost.

[polishmike]

curious about your PSH acting how he is in real life comment though...out of curiosity are you acquainted with him? Not saying this as a sarcastic dig...but judging from those two examples i posted, hard for me to see that...although if he was as his character in the savages is i think that is not totally implausible.

I met him few times, he's a good friend of someone I know. I also met 3 other actors you like, my family is in the movie business (I'm not) so I have a chance to meet some people.

[polishmike]

i love Clint Eastwood though, especially modern Clint Eastwood as a director. And I'm a sucker for over the top emotional movies Million Dollar Baby was a tearjerker almost.

Haha here come's our difference of tastes. I'm not dissing yours, I think we just like different films. I loathe Eastwood as a director and I only saw 'Million Dollar Baby' cause my mom wanted to go to the premiere. I will probably never see another movie he makes.

[fade to black2]

yeah i know what you mean

i will never outright dislike Tony Leung though...he reminds me too much of my father. Coincidentally, his image consultant who is also the guy who collaborates with WKW on his films as the art director got his start working for my dad...hrm.

[polishmike]

What about Rinko Kikuchi? Do you like her at all? I think she has a lot of potential and was the only bright feature in 'Babel'.

[fade to black2]

I liked Babel very much...thought Rinko was the best thing in it. although Pitt wasn't half bad either.

[polishmike]

Can't rep you but this exchange made superfuture fun, even if only for a very short time.

[Yardsale]

saw the shirts at opening ceremony. too rich for my blood.

[habia]

WHAT THE FUCK

this shit is in ENGLISH

god damn I just saw this. I try to stay pretty clueless about films since I hate most contemporary stuff and rarely go to non-MOMA theatres. pretty dissappointed when I realized all the actor's names in the opening credits were white pretty much.

regardless it was good though. too much Cat Power. Should have substituted Jana Hunter for any cat power song and the whole thing would have been better.

[habia]

I have been thinking about this more.

and I have calmed down after my initial anger at feeling "tricked" into seeing a movie with Jude Law, Norah Jones and Natalie Portman. Fortunately only two of them were ever in one scene at a time.

The thing that really strikes me is that this feels like a film made in America by a foreigner.

As an american viewer I have trouble not getting caught up in my expectations and prejudice; Jude Law bothers me since he plays the same border-line sleazy guy in a lot of movies and has personal life tabloid issues, Norah Jones is an ok musician who is really not my type, Natalie Portman I actually like but know a ton of people who cannot stand her, Cat Power is too obnoxiously mainstream indie and border-line sellout.

In one way I hate that I cannot let myself get over these types of things. This is why I usually enjoy foreign music and film. I haven't been forced to see media overexposure of the actors' personal lives, don't have to deal with connotations from people I hate liking an actor/musician or people I like hating an actor/musician. Additionally I really enjoy not understanding lyrics, or even better listening to Japanese lyrics where I might understand 2-15 words per song.

It is refreshing though to see these people I would normally dismiss framed with the perspective of WKW who almost with an innocent, child-like viewpoint can judge the actors for who they are.

Another level of simplicity in film is that pretty much only two "real" characters with emotional depth are interacting on screen at a time. Allows emotions to be examined with fewer distractions. Almost more like chess.

and the gambling scences I wasn't really into. I wrote an essay about gambling and living in Masahiro Shinoda's Pale Flower this past semester and really learned a lot while writing it so I was almost too burnt out still to enjoy another gambling scene so soon.

It sort of bothers me how much I let personal connotations get in the way of experiencing and analyzing art sometimes, but at the same time that is a major part of life and artists take that stuff into account.

Glad I saw My Blueberry Nights. It is art. Recommended.

[red]

he shouldve just directed a jag commercial and left it at that.

[marquischacha]

Resurrecting this thread. Ashes of Time Redux is out October 10 in LA and NYC only. Fuck yeah, love livin' in LA. HD trailer link below.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/ashesoftimeredux/