Short Reviews of Wong Kar Wai Films

As Tears Go By, 1988

Wong Kar Wai showed his rebellious intention of unwilling to compromise to commercialized HK film industry with this feature debut wrapped up cleverly in an audience favorite gangster-themed subject. Though the filmmaking was very rough, you can still tell that this is a very unconventional HK movie. Even Maggie Cheung once said it was Wong who enlightened her acting talent. But I believe it was Jacky Cheung who got the showiest role. The repeating Cantonese cover of "Take My Breath Away" by Sandy Lam still sounds so classic in the film.

Days of Being Wild, 1990

A massive leap for Wong from "As Tears Go By," he proved himself the most daring and worthy HK director with this deeply nostalgic piece about people can never find a substitute comfort if they never had a root where they feel belonging to in the first place. Even so, they would still be obsessed with finding that root which they may never find. The film was so beautifully made with the big name cast to celebrate the born of a new master together. A great first chapter of what I call the "Nostalgia for the 60's" trilogy.

Chungking Express, 1994

The most stylish modern urban tale ever made, and Wong only took a very short time to make it. It contains two parts, the first part is an opposite-attraction story with a double meaning, the second part is a hide-and-seek, lost-and-found story. The characters from different parts passed by each other which I think responded to Kieslowski's chance theme. It seems like borrowing from "The Double Life of Veronique," but this is what makes it even more interesting to me. Faye Wong's film acting debut was unforgettable with her cool Cantonese cover of the Cranberries's "Dreams."

Ashes of Time, 1994

After so many years, it hasn't gone with the wind like its title. Instead, the film gradually became a cult's favorite. Wong was probably the only director who insisted to film a martial art piece in actual locations instead of in the studios. He was notorious for the endless spending and delaying, but he is ironically esteemed now for his insistence, especially after the huge success of Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger." Even it's loosely based on the favorite wuxia novel "The Eagle Shooting Heroes" by Louis Cha, the film continues Wong's constant theme of the regrets and loss of love.

Fallen Angels, 1995

The originally-planned third act of "Chungking Express" is actually very far from the delightful tone. This more experimental piece by Wong is a daring mix of film-noir and black comedy. It also can be seen as a modern extension of "Ashes of Time" with a contract killer, a killer's agent, a woman who seeks revenge and a deaf guy who tries to get attentions. All of them found nowhere out tragically, but after the depressing and self-destructing process, Wong still gave us a brighter ending.

Happy Together, 1997

Wong made this film with a multiple meaning. As HK people tried to get away to the other side of the world because of the return to China in '97, Wong took them there with two gay characters who were inspired by Rainer Werner Fassbinder's themes of loneliness and isolation. "Each Man Kills the Thing He Loves" which was composed by Peer Raben in Fassbinder's "Querelle" can be used to describe the relationship of the leading roles perfectly. But instead of actually leading them to death as originally planned, he gave them a chance to be reborn or to regret and atone which everyone should get as well.

In the Mood for Love, 2000

The long anticipated Wong Kar Wai film didn't fail everyone's expectation. It continues the simple two-character act of "Happy Together" and surrounds them through out the entire film. This following chapter of the "Nostalgia for the 60's" trilogy arrived 10 years later with the character who showed up at the very end of "Days of Being Wild" and finally became a real part. To me, it inherits the suspenseful atmosphere in Michelangelo Antonioni's "Eclipse" which keeps the audience hanging and craving for more after the end.

2046, 2004

The final chapter of the "Nostalgia for the 60's" trilogy is Wong's most ambitious work to date. It went back to the multiple storyline of "Days of Being Wild" and "Ashes of Time" with a big name cast again. Though it was nothing like "In the Mood for Love" which everyone anticipated, it's still very fascinating and full of Wong's trademark signatures. To many people, it shows Wong's self-indulgence. To me, it proves that Wong is still the same person who is unwilling to compromise as he was when he released his debut back in the 80's.

Eros, 2004

This whole project was to celebrate Antonioni, but his part was ironically the least favorite of all three parts. But the collaboration by three of the most celebrated filmmakers alive is still very much worth to celebrate. Wong's part is acknowledged as the best with a simple story surrounds a young tailer and a high-class prostitute which has rich metaphors. Soderbergh's part is very experimental and playfully interesting. The master's part is mostly about the presentation of the erotic images, but it either shows it all or nothing depends on different perspectives.

My Blueberry Nights, 2007

Wong's first English feature returned to the delightful with a slightly sentimental tone of "Chungking Express." Regrets, loss and heartbreaking characters, Wong mixed all his old materials and make it into a collaged road film as a homage to the classical American genre. Norah Jones feels like an extension of Faye Wong without the mysterious and careless. David Strathairn and Rachel Weisz's part was a reprise of "Happy Together." Natalie Portman's gambler responds to Gong Li in "2046." As for Jude Law, he's the delicious blueberry pie that no one orders except for Jones.

To Each His Own Cinema, 2007

Another collection of short films which gathered the 33 distinguished directors/co-directors in the world to express each of their point of views about their passion, cinema. It is a feast for movie buffs but too few of the segments can actually impress the audience. Wong Kar Wai's part was poetic as always but not as memorable as his other short films. The most impressive ones were still from the provoking directors such as Cronenberg, Polanski and von Trier. Lynch strangely became an Easter egg in the DVD.

Ashes of Time Redux, 2008

The martial art classic was finally restored which it definitely deserves to be. Instead of made only for a new DVD/Blu-ray release, Wong decided to re-edit and re-score it to make it a re-release to the theaters. But Wong's director's cut is even shorter without ever picking up the footages on the editing room floor. The quality is for sure enhanced, but the presentation of this redux apparently doesn't satisfy all the die-hard cult fans.

Cinematized Eileen Chang

I finally watched "Love in a Fallen City" directed by Ann Hui and released in 1984 a few days ago and witnessed what people said was over-carved about it. In fact, there wasn't any problem with the words in it. The problem was Hui's method, especially as a female director, wasn't as good as Stanley Kwan's or Ang Lee's later on. Of course, some people would say Kwan can't be put in the comparison because he's gay, and Lee is famous for being incredibly anal. But I saw a few interesting resemblances and connections from these Eileen Chang adaptations.

The Hong Kong and Taiwanese audience probably knows more that Chow Yun-Fat was a acclaimed actor in realistic and romantic genres before he became the hero in John Woo's movies. Hui was naturally one of his benefactors. The leading role in "Love in a Fallen City" made his unrestrained but affectionate image. Mabel Cheung's "An Autumn's Tale " was even one of his representative works. But everyone took him as an action figure for granted after Woo until Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" which dug the romanticism out of him again. But he was in fact the second choice after Jet Li passed on it. Comparing to the delicate quality and face features of Rene Liu who portrayed Eileen Chang herself in a bio-TV series, the leading actress Cory Miu in "Love" might fit Chang's traditional yet resolute quality better. Though she was criticized for not being traditional enough and plainly acted, I, however, think she presented the most vivid character out of Chang's writings to date, but she didn't fully develop her acting skill shamefully.

Wu Chien-Lien, who played a major part in Lee's "Eat Drink Man Woman," was casted as the female leading role in Ann Hui's "Eighteen Springs" later on. It was an interestingly interactive interlude. Joan Chen, who was originated in Shanghai, is fully westernized and naturally the best choice for the Red Rose in Stanley Kwan's "Red Rose White Rose." Winston Chao, who was discovered by Ang Lee, was transformed from the modern gay yuppie in "The Wedding Banquet" to the womanizer in early twentieth century Shanghai in "Red." He was also casted as Eileen Chang's first husband Hu Lan-Cheng later on. Ang Lee also casted Joan Chen in "Lust, Caution" as Tony Leung's wife. There seems to be also some sort of a Eileen Chang curse to end acting careers. The White Rose in "Red" Veronica Yip was married and retired soon after it. Anita Mui in "Eighteen Spring" died at a young age. Tang Wei in "Lust, Caution" was casted away by the Chinese government after playing the instantly classic role. But she seems to be benefited from Chang again by getting a role in a newly released HK film. Maybe she'll play another role in another adaptation of Chang's someday later. Tony Leung and Joan Chen won their Golden Horse Awards together twice coincidentally, Ge You in "Eighteen" was already a Cannes Best Actor winner, and Leon Lai in the same film also won his Golden Horse Award later on. The late Taiwanese director Fred Tan's "Rouge of the North" is the only film adapted from Chang's fully-English-written novel to date. It also won a supporting actress a Golden Horse Award then and is the only film adaptation I haven't watched yet.

From "Love" to "Lust," besides Chang Zheng for "Rouge" and Lee Pin-Bing for "Eighteen," the rest of the dps were all westerners. It makes me wonder if it fits Chang's taste more by looking through a westerner's eye. Tony Hope for "Love" only shot five films in HK, and "Love" was the last one. There seems to be no record of showing his latter works. Christopher Doyle was naturally chosen for "Red" after his famous retrospective work in "Days of Being Wild," and the cinematography did make the film look outstanding. It didn't look like the same case for "Lust" but more like Lee's preference of recruiting the well-collaborated crews from previous works. For example, Frederick Elmes, who joined the film industry with David Lynch, worked with Lee in three of his films, "The Ice Storm," "Ride with the Devils" and "The Hulk." He is also Jim Jarmusch's preferable cinematographer. Rodrigo Prieto, who was nominated for an Oscar for "Brokeback Mountain," was firstly noticed for Alejandro González Iñárritu's "Amores Perros," which was beaten by "Crouching Tiger" at the Oscars in the Foreign Film Category. He must be given loads of reference films by the constant homework-giving Lee. His outstanding effort won himself a grand technical award at Venice Film Festival.

Lee recruited Lai Pan, the double Golden Horse Award winner for "Red," as the production and costume designer for "Lust." He, as a Korean, seems to know better about the period than the other HK and Taiwanese professionals. As for the score, the score of "Love" by the HK pop music godmother Lam Man-Yee still couldn't get rid of the cheesiness of HK pop music. The score of "Red" by the Taiwanese musician Johnny Chen has the surprisingly international momentum. Lee got the currently famous French composer Alexandre Desplat for "Lust." The continuously coiling melody distributes an epic spirit. The score of "Rouge" was by the late distinguished Taiwanese musician Peter Chang. I'm looking forward to its performance in the film.

Adapting Chang is of course a great challenge for screenwriters. "Love"'s Fengcho, "Rouge"'s Tan and "Red"'s Edward Lam all did it as a fan, but they didn't have much experience in screenwriting. HK blockbuster writer Chan Kin Chung showed his literate skills in "Eighteen" but fell average unfortunately, but his screenplay for Johnnie To's "Sparrow" two years ago won himself some reputations instead. As usual, Lee handed the work to his teammates Wang Hui-Ling, who wrote the teleplay for Chang''s bio-TV series, and James Schamus. The collision of east and west made the sparks that matched Lee's big picture once again and also brought Chang's adaptation to a whole new level. In fact, Hou Hsiao-Hsien's "Flowers of Shanghai" is related to Chang as well. Apart from Heng Bangqing's original chapters from Ching Dynasty, it also took references in Chang's English translations necessarily. It boldly casted the modern figures such as Tony Leung, Carina Lau and Michelle Reis, Jack Kao was the only actor who got in touch with another Chang's adaptation "Rouge" before. Chiu T'ien-Wen's delicate adaptation, Huang Wen-Ying's exquisite artwork and Lee Pin-Bing's thoughtful shots all delivered Chang's infiltration of the story.

I have a not-so-unique imagination. If Wong Kar Wai filmed "Love" and "Eighteen" instead of Hui, the result would definitely be much better. He, as a representative director for romanticism of HK cinema, is good at making atmosphere that brings extra points to a film singly. I believe anyone who have seen "Days of Being Wild" and "In the Mood for Love" would agree with me. I also believe that Tony Leung got the part in "Lust" must had something to do with his work in "In" which made him a Cannes Best Actor winner. Kwan in fact considered Maggie Cheung as the Red Rose in "Red," but that's more related to "Yuen Ling Yuk" than Wong's films.

Postscript: the film adaptations of Chang's literature works

1984 Love in a Fallen City (Ann Hui, HK)

1988 Rouge of the North (Fred Tan, Taiwan)

1994 Red Rose White Rose (Stanley Kwan, HK)

1997 Eighteen Springs (Ann Hui, HK/China)

1998 Flowers of Shanghai (Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Taiwan)

2007 Lust, Caution (Ang Lee, Taiwan/China/US)

If there were 10 Oscar Best Picture nominees... 2000-2008

2000

Almost Famous

Billy Elliot

Chocolat

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Erin Brokovich

Gladiator

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Traffic

Wonder Boys

You Can Count on Me

2001

Amélie

A Beautiful Mind

Black Hawk Down

Gosford Park

In the Bedroom

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Memento

Moulin Rouge!

Mulholland Drive

Shrek

2002

Adaptation.

Chicago

Far from Heaven

Frida

Gangs of New York

The Hours

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

The Pianist

Road to Perdition

Talk to Her

2003

City of God

Cold Mountain

Finding Nemo

In America

The Last Samurai

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Lost in Translation

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Mystic River

Seabiscuit

2004

The Aviator

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Finding Neverland

Hotel Rwanda

The Incredibles

Million Dollar Baby

The Motorcycle Diaries

Ray

Sideways

Vera Drake

2005

Brokeback Mountain

Capote

Cinderella Man

The Constant Gardener

Crash

Good Night, and Good Luck.

A History of Violence

Munich

Syriana

Walk the Line

2006

Babel

Children of Men

The Departed

Dreamgirls

Letters from Iwo Jima

Little Children

Little Miss Sunshine

Pan's Labyrinth

The Queen

United 93

2007

Atonement

Away from Her

The Bourne Ultimatum

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Juno

Michael Clayton

No Country for Old Men

Ratatouille

The Savages

There Will Be Blood

2008

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Dark Knight

Doubt

Frost/Nixon

Frozen River

Happy-Go-Lucky

Milk

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire

WALL-E

My Top 100 Films of the Dacade (2000-2009)

1. Lust, Caution (Ang Lee, Taiwan/China/US, 2007)
2. Brokeback Mountain (Ang Lee, US, 2005)
3. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Ang Lee, Taiwan/HK/China, 2000)
4. In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar Wai, HK, 2000)
5. Good Night, and Good Luck. (George Clooney, US, 2005)
6. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Peter Jackson, New Zealand/US, 2003)
7. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, US/UK, 2008)
8. 2046 (Wong Kar Wai, HK, 2004)
9. Spirited Away (Miyazaki Hayao, Japan, 2001)
10. Amélie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, France, 2001)
11. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, US, 2004)
12. Before Sunset (Richard Linklater, US, 2004)
13. Away from Her (Sarah Polley, Canada, 2007)
14. The Hours (Stephen Daldry, US/UK, 2002)
15. Memento (Christopher Nolan, UK, 2000)
16. Volver (Pedro Almodóvar, Spain, 2006)
17. The Departed (Martin Scorsese, US, 2006)
18. Batman Begins (Christopher Nolan, US/UK, 2005)
19. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Peter Jackson, New Zealand/US, 2002)
20. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson, New Zealand/US, 2001)
21. Children of Men (Alfonso Cuarón, UK/US, 2006)
22. Still Walking (Hirakazu Kore-eda, Japan, 2008)
23. Taking Woodstock (Ang Lee, US, 2009)
24. 35 Shots of Rum (Claire Denis, France, 2009)
25. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, US, 2001)
26. A Prophet (Jacques Audiard, France, 2009)
27. Moulin Rouge! (Buz Luhrmann, Australia/US, 2001)
28. Erin Brockovich (Steven Soderbergh, US, 2000)
29. Almost Famous (Cameron Crowe, US, 2000)
30. Y Tu Mamá También (Alfonso Cuarón, Mexico, 2001)
31. The Reader (Stephen Daldry, US/UK, 2008)
32. Hairspray (Adam Shankman, US, 2007)
33. About Elly (Asghar Farhadi, Iran, 2009)
34. Chicago (Rob Marshall, US, 2002)
35. 4 Months, 3 Days and 2 Weeks (Cristian Mungiu, Romania, 2007)
36. Talk to Her (Pedro Almodóvar, Spain, 2002)
37. About a Boy (Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz, UK, 2002)
38. Pride & Prejudice (Joe Wright, UK, 2005)
39. The Constant Gardener (Fernando Meirelles, UK, 2005)
40. Blindness (Fernando Meirelles, US, 2008)
41. Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris, US, 2006)
42. Million Dollar Baby (Clint Eastwood, US, 2004)
43. Happy-Go-Lucky (Mike Leigh, UK, 2008)
44. City of God (Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund, Brazil, 2002)
45. Atonement (Joe Wright, UK, 2007)
46. No Country for Old Men (Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, US, 2007)
47. Closer (Mike Nichols, US, 2004)
48. Far from Heaven (Todd Haynes, US, 2002)
49. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Julian Schnabel, France, 2007)
50. Ratatouille (Brad Bird, US, 2007)
51. The Incredibles (Brad Bird, US, 2004)
52. Milk (Gus Van Sant, US, 2008)
53. The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke, Germany/Austria, 2009)
54. The Lives of Others (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Germany, 2006)
55. The Twilight Samurai (Yamada Yôji, Japan, 2002)
56. Vera Drake (Mike Leigh, UK, 2004)
57. A Very Long Engagement (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, France, 2004)
58. Howl’s Moving Castle (Miyazaki Hayao, Japan, 2004)
59. The Prestige (Christopher Nolan, US/UK, 2006)
60. Yi Yi: A One and a Two (Edward Yang, Taiwan, 2000)
61. Adaptation. (Spike Jonze, US, 2002)
62. Oldboy (Park Chan-Wook, South Korea, 2003)
63. Frost/Nixon (Ron Howard, US, 2008)
64. Silent Light (Carlos Reygadas, Mexico, 2007)
65. The Banishment (Andrej Zvyagintsev, Russia, 2007)
66. Head-On (Fatih Akin, Germany/Turkey, 2004)
67. Pan’s Labyrinth (Guillermo Del Toro, Mexico, 2006)
68. Road to Perdition (Sam Mendes, US, 2002)
69. American Splendor (Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini, US, 2003)
70. Gladiator (Ridley Scott, US/UK, 2000)
71. Nobody Knows (Hirakazu Kore-eda, Japan, 2004)
72. The Edge of Heaven (Fatih Akin, Germany/Turkey, 2007)
73. Hotel Rwanda (Terry George, UK, 2004)
74. Billy Elliot (Stephen Daldry, UK, 2000)
75. The Queen (Stephen Frears, UK, 2006)
76. Tony Takitani (Ichikawa Jun, Japan, 2005)
77. Requiem for a Dream (Darren Aronofsky, US, 2000)
78. The Piano Teacher (Michael Haneke, France/Austria, 2001)
79. The Return (Andrej Zvyagintsev, Russia, 2003)
80. Ghost World (Terry Zwigoff, US, 2001)
81. Sideways (Alexander Payne, US, 2004)
82. Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold, UK, 2009)
83. Punch-Drunk Love (Paul Thomas Anderson, US, 2002)
84. O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, US, 2000)
85. I’ve Loved You So Long (Philippe Claudel, France, 2008)
86. The Class (Laurent Cantet, France, 2008)
87. Broken Embraces (Pedro Almodóvar, Spain, 2009)
88. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (Steve Box, Nick Park, UK, 2005)
89. Mondays in the Sun (Fernando León de Aranoa, Spain, 2002)
90. Bad Education (Pedro Almodóvar, Spain, 2004)
91. Amores Perros (Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexico, 2000)
92. The Man Without a Past (Aki Kaurismäki, Finland, 2002)
93. The Pianist (Roman Polanski, France/UK/Germany/Poland, 2002)
94. Dancer in the Dark (Lars von Trier, Denmark, 2000)
95. The Fountain (Darren Aronofsky, US, 2006)
96. Bloody Sunday (Paul Greengrass, UK, 2002)
97. Shaun of the Dead (Edgar Wright, UK, 2004)
98. Collateral (Michael Mann, US, 2004)
99. Solaris (Steven Soderbergh, US, 2002)
100. Dogville (Lars von Trier, Denmark, 2003)

Away from Her

Away from Her (Sarah Polley, Canada, 2007) ★★★★

When the partner you spent almost the entire life with suddenly doesn’t recollect you, it would be like an impact that the whole world just turns upside down, but it also could be a turning point to look inside yourself.

Adapted from the short story “The Bear Came Over the Mountain” by one of my favorite author Alice Munro, the famous Canadian actress Sarah Polley shows her extraordinary talent with her first directorial and written debut and transited Munro’s words into emotionally compelling images exquisitely. She also took the nonlinear narration cleverly and adds up the refreshment of the film.

Fiona, who lost her memories and moved into a nursing home, already makes her husband Grant anxious. At the reunion after a certain of time, she even forgets him completely and has built up a relationship with a patient. It makes Grant’s anxiety much worse. The only thing he can do is to hope that he can someday awaken the memories of Fiona with a consistent strength. He who never experienced a “love crisis” is like experiencing a juvenescence of mind in this battle.

Grant, who might had an affair long ago, is suspecting that Fiona is just putting on an act to punish him. But he gradually threw away his prejudice. For he only wants to see the smile on Fiona’s face, even he has to deliver her another person that she dreams of.

Inside the seemed-plain but compelling underneath story by Munro, besides the attentiveness of Alzheimer, there’s also the yet desire for love of the elderly. The details added by Polley’s point of view emphasize the careness of the situation that everyone could very likely face. Oscar winner Julie Christie, who this role is costumed for, and the acclaimed Canadian play actor Gordon Pinsent both delivered their acting very precisely and naturally. Another Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis also makes this film glows.

P.S. The original short story is published in the collection titled “Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage.”

No Country for Old Men

No Country for Old Men (Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, US, 2007) ★★★★

Well-known by the crime film noir “Blood Simple.” and “Miller’s Crossing,” the Coen brothers are already highly respected filmmakers in the US, even worldwide. Except “Barton Fink” rarely won both Best Picture and Director at Cannes Film Festival, the following “Fargo” and “The Man Who Wasn’t There” also won them three Best Director Awards at Cannes in total. “Fargo” is even considered a film noir classic.

Though they only got selected in competition for Palm d’Or again but didn’t win this time, the excellent reviews keep coming intensively after released. Not only that it swept almost every critic association’s best picture of the year, but it also got nominated for 8 Oscars to become one of the frontier nominees and is the most likely winner. The Coens are even nominated for 4 personal categories each, tied with the legend Orson Welles’s record for the ultimate classic “Citizen Kane.”

The Coens works are usually created originally, but after failed on both critics and box office continuously with “Intolerable Cruelty” and “The Ladykillers,” under the high suggestion by the famous producer Scott Rudin, they decided to adapt this widely acclaimed novel by Cormac McCarthy after resting for a while. Even Billy Bob Thornton got terrible reviews with “All the Pretty Horses” which was adapted from another McCarthy’s work, the Coens were very confident that they can manage this genre that they love and are good at.

The three main characters in the story, Llewelyn Moss the illegal hunter, Anton Chigure the Killer, and Sheriff Bell, are successfully formed. Of course it’s the credit of McCarthy’s creation, but the Coens added their unique black humor so they could have the total different funny images from those in the original. Josh Brolin gave such a brilliant performance for the first time. Tommy Lee Jones returns to the top after several years of downward after winning with the performances in this film and “In the Valley of Elah.” The interpretation of the Spanish best actor Javier Bardem is incredible, the accent, the motions and the looks are simply perfect, even makes you forget that he’s not an American. Oscar’s Best Supporting Actor this year has already been meant to be his since long ago.

Except the intense and entertaining plot with the Coens’s black humor on the side, this seem simple story actually contains variety of levels. Does the greed of humanity get more and more endless, or the endless greed is originally a human nature. People who are tough become hypocrite of being competitive, and people who are extremely evil could have very solid principles. Though the background was set at the end of the 70’s, it still seems like what happens any moment in modern society.

This story may not provide an ending that everyone is satisfied with, Sheriff Bell devoted himself in danger for the first time ever since he took the job. Unlike the great achievement his grandfather or his father made, he finally chose to drop out. Father is 20 years younger than him in the dream. He lost the money his father gave him, and he couldn’t catch up his father on a horse back. But he’s the only man who is still getting old and has hope for death.

My Blueberry Nights

My Blueberry Nights (Wong Kar Wai, HK/France, 2007) ★★★★

In “Chungking Express,” what happened on the journey when Faye left for a year are all in this movie “My Blueberry Nights.” The 9th film by Wong Kar Wai returns to the relaxing basis of “Chunking Express,” combined with the multiple character story of “2046” and specially baked this sweet yet a little sour desert.

Like the characters in all the WKW movies, the leading role Elizabeth met the coffee shop owner Jeremy because of being love-crossed, their chemistry fermented in the conversations every night. The whole blueberry pie also was also finally appreciated by someone who knows its delicious taste. But Elizabeth who was still soaked in the trauma suddenly disappeared since one day. It turned out that she decided to give herself space and time to see clearly what she should throw away and what she should keep.

On the journey, Elizabeth met a cop who was lost in his sadness, a wife with ambivalence and struggle and a woman gambler without s sense of trust. She saw her own reflections on them. Undoubtedly, she could feel the pain of the love-crossed cop with all her heart. She could also understand the insecurity the wife had in a relationship. As for the distrust the woman gambler disguises in a sturdy look made her feel the importance of trust all over again.

The performance by the first screening-acting Norah Jones is refreshing and inevitably reminds me of Faye Wong who was also a new star in “Chungking Express.” The brilliant acting by a cast of Oscar winning and nominated actors is even out of question. Jude Law played the coffee shop owner skillfully and presented the light sorrow when facing the lost love naturally. David Strathairn who played the cop makes the heartbreaking moments with every look. Rachel Weisz brilliantly portrayed the psychological turning from being uninhibited to painfully regretful. Natalie Portman has the cool attitude she always got and also a slight fragility behind the sturdy.

Though the cameraman changed from Wong’s old partner Christopher Doyle to Darius Khondji who was famous for the strongly visualized “Delicatessen,” the image of the whole film is still full of Wong’s consistent free yet with rich aftertaste style. Also being good at using music, Wong picked the songs and score that match the story and the image perfectly, there’s even a harmonica version of the theme music from “In the Mood for Love.” Of course there are also William Cheung’s art design and editing which is essential as always.

When Elizabeth met Jeremy again, they finally knew keys are just bindings. Sometimes it only needs a heart to open a door. This film is not an ambitious work that Wong is trying to breakthrough, but people who like his previous works can surely feel his perspective and feelings for life, family and love profoundly.

Lust, Caution

Lust, Caution (Ang Lee, Taiwan/US, 2007) ★★★★

A wolfhound brings out what Ang Lee so called “amuck atmosphere.” This might not necessarily be Eileen Chang’s intention, but Lee achieved his practical “masterpiece” through expressing his feel for this short story.

Just right before the task seems about going to end, Wang Jiazhi memorized, from an innocent college girl to a highly skilled actress and patriot, this extremely dangerous ambition kept circling around her mind and couldn’t possibly go away may because of her ideal of doing something big and important, may because of proving that she’s not only a puppet, or may because of a man that she can’t get him out of her head.

A terrific ensemble cast. Tang Wei, who played the soul of the film, transformed herself into the leading character successfully through an unfamiliar face to audiences and has the acting of unattached perfection just like Zhang Ziyi. Though she got set up to get involved with this role by Lee, the result shows that her efforts worth every second.

The best performance of Tony Leung by far, every look and movement is very precise. Though it’s also postmodern and the same kind of costumes, the effect is totally different from the images in Wong Kar Wai movies. Even he has been through several villain characters, the devotion and outcome that he put in this role is never been seen before.

As for the controversial sex scenes that gather all the spotlights, they all take important places in the film just as Lee said. Even there’s no sign of sex in Chang’s story. Except the power demonstration of the leading male role, Mr. Yee, Wang learned to use her sex power, the abreaction from the huge frustration of both their occupations and the struggle and joy they soaked in the functioning sex. They could very likely be the perfect match for each other that they can never find another one in this lifetime.

The second-time Mexican cinematographer for Lee, Rodrigo Prieto, French musician Alexandre Desplat, the senior Korean designer Lai Pan, and Lee’s longtime partner editor Tim Squyres. The global combination achieved the great technical support besides the compelling story and the feast of performances.

The funny part is Lee chose short stories back to back for his films. The time line of the previous one goes across over 20 years. As for the latter one is just an afternoon. Sure it seems like a story in a decade, but after all they are the flashbacks of the leading female role.

This movie definitely goes beyond the achievement of “Brokeback Mountain,” which is already very brilliant. While showing the conflict of sense and sensibility, it also pays tribute to a bunch of classics and the master creators which reflect the mind of the roles and are inherited such as “Intermezzo,” “Suspicion,” and “Penny Serenade.” This is not only the best screen adaptation of Chang to date but also a must-see of all time.

American Gangster

American Gangster (Ridley Scott, US, 2007) ★★★★

The great British director Ridley Scott tried the gangster subject set in US for the first time. He challenged a story based on a true event and presents the different sense of period epic from “Gladiator” and “Kingdom of Heaven.”

When US were covered in the shadow of join the Vietnam War in the 60s, the already-serious problem of drug abuse was even more outrageous. Frank Lucas, who had a high status in the gangster society in New York, faced the death of his boss and mentor and had to build his own foundation of power as soon as possible. The Vietnam War and drug abuse are together the best way.

The just and righteous detective Richie Roberts although resisted the various temptation of money without any doubt, he who focused on work couldn’t give his family happiness. While he was assigned as the leader of the drug investigation squad, he also had to deal with the lawsuit of custody.

Under the written by the Oscar-winning writer Steven Zaillian, except being persistence or brutal on the outside, there’s also the situation of unable to take care both or dilemma the two main characters engaged. It makes audience understand the motivations behind their actions.

All the way from the first co-star movie “Virtuosity” to the Oscar nominations for several years in a row, Russell Crowe and Danzel Washington still keep this image of being opposite to each other in this second co-star film. But as long as where there are the names of them both, where there is the guarantee of absolute brilliance. The performances of them still hold the outstanding standard as usual, and the first-string ensemble acting reinforces the seeing-worthy of this film.

Although it’s a story about a period that had gone away long ago, the phenomenon of gangsters, drug abuse and corrupted, power-abused officials in US still remain nowadays. In the mean time of presenting the society form and event of the time, this movie also provides a comparison compares to the modern society and the consequential results that are resulted by each one’s different values.

Atonement

Atonement (Joe Wright, UK, 2007) ★★★★

Like many stories, this story has a storyteller. But in this one the person is not only a narrator but further more, the creator of the entire story. This bestseller presents the immense influence on fate caused by the trivial events once again by the acclaimed British writer Ian McEwan, continues the discovery of the delicate children psychology in his earlier screenplay “The Good Son,” and reflects the destiny theory with another work “Enduring Love” mutually.

As a mistress comes from a wealthy family, Briony, who lives without any worries, actually has a high gift in literature and also the limitless imagination of a teenager. But also because of the misunderstanding of things, her imagination causes a result that makes her regret for all her life. The mutual affection of the son of the maid, Robbie, and Briony’s sister, Cecilia, and the immature admiration that Briony has for Robbie are similar to the character setting of “Sabrina,” only the sex is exactly the opposite and much more realistic.

The new star James McAvoy gave a more mature performance with this second leading role. Already trying every sort of roles, Keira Knightly still has a great and inward acting. Saoirse Ronan, Romola Garai and Vanessa Redgrave who each plays Briony in 13, 18 and aged have continuously exquisite interpretations. It also symbols the meaning of passing generations of the British actor society.

Joe Wright has shown his extraordinary vision on technical levels in the last piece, and it’s even better in this one. Except the mansion and the exquisite costumes in the first half of the movie, the soldiers’ and nurses’ wear are also very elegant and quite precisely researched. The far focus shots that show the ambiguous feelings and the extremely difficult long shot on the battle field of the cinematography are very brilliant. The jumping film editing that keeps the intensity and the transition of reality and fiction is also very fluent and clear. Unlike the lightness and joyful of “Pride & Prejudice,” the endless and haunting of the score combines with every frame equally perfect.

Only finished two works by far, Joe Wright proves his talent of controlling literature adaptations with this film once more. With the screenplay by the already internationally acclaimed Christopher Hampton outcomes this piece which is very sensitive in storytelling. Except the insisting of true to the original, it also delivers the mental states of each character and the motivations of individual behaviors successfully. We all like briony, have some regretful and indescribable tiny reactions. Maybe we can only comfort ourselves with the inevitable fate. In the current of the history, what creates this kind of destiny is exactly humanity itself.