Wong Kar Wai - Feature Films, 1988-2007

surprised myself by voting for fallen angels on the basis of, which one would i most want to watch right now.

― flying squid attack (tipsy mothra), Monday, August 17, 2009 1:11 AM (9 hours ago) Bookmark

this is very OTM - it's about the only film of his I'd watch without first preparing a huge pot of coffee and taping my eyes open before watching

WKW's films benefit hugely from second viewings, or from reading spoilers so you know the general plot outline that all his dreamy sequences reference obliquely

despite California Dreamin', WKW really does use music impeccably; I really, really, really have to thank him for introducing me to Xavier Cugat's 'Perfidia'

I mean, you would never ever otherwise be able to get me to say that an acapella version of 'Only You' is good quality music

faye wong singing that cranberries song was way more annoying than mamas & papas

you sir, are dead wrong

that reminds me, the best part about As Tears Go By is Sandy Lam's version of 'Take My Breath Away'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K38Ov3U71ag

you guys should also seek out FW's Cocteau Twins covers

wong kar wai is boring i would rather watch, i dunno, bullwinkle cartoons

you sir, are dead wong

WKW's films benefit hugely from second viewings, or from reading spoilers so you know the general plot outline that all his dreamy sequences reference obliquely

despite California Dreamin', WKW really does use music impeccably; I really, really, really have to thank him for introducing me to Xavier Cugat's 'Perfidia'

― a being that goes on two legs and is ungrateful (dyao), Monday, August 17, 2009 3:27 PM (4 hours ago)

this is so otm, and by otm I mean OFF the mark

kind of bewildered by people who hate 2046, I think it's just overwhelmingly beautiful. but I like Eyes Wide Shut and other pretentious shit too.

^^ OTM

yeah, but without the eyes wide shut bit, eyes wide shit morelike

Lol Kubrick, agreed. But 2046 is a film of wonders though isn't it? Like akm said, so overwhelingly beautiful

yeah if Happy Together and 2046 are my two favourite def, with Happy Together barely clinching it

A Christopher Doyle poll would be interesting as well.

Yeah except I've never seen his crazy ass film.

western directors don't know what to do with doyle anyway, so it might as well be a wkw poll

How about a Non-WKW Cinematography of Christoper Doyle poll? I'll start one soon.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

I'm cool with all of this except DoBW placing so low, it's considered by many (in HK) to be the pinnacle of HK cinema.

0 votes for Ashes is a shame. In retrospect I should have voted for that just to give it some much-needed love (although HT didn't get enough either so whatever.)

i think chungking express is overrated here. it's a lot of fun, but i don't quite class it with the other top 5.

I honestly think, Alex, that you're the only one in the world who likes that movie!

nah i love ashes. just didn't vote for it.

xp nah I know plenty of other folks who do too. Quentin Tarantino likes it too, I think!

i think he likes CK Express more... he paid for the distribution costs on its first US theater run IIRC.

as much as Paasion of the Christ? xp

Just checked my Asian Cult Cinema book and he gives Ashes 4 stars and Chungking and Days two and two and half respectively. Admittedly that book came out in 1997 so maybe Thomas Weisser changed his mind, but yeah I'm not the only one so *blows raspberry*

xxxp the DVD was definitely initially on Rolling Thunder or whatever it was called.

Thomas Weisser is like the Chuck Eddy of film, why on earth would you actually keep a copy of that book!!!!?????!?!??!

LOL

Anyway I'm guessing Thomas Weisser's taste in HK cinema is closer to mine than yours is. Don't you hate yakuza films too. Talk about suspect tastes.

i hate all that shit which is why I like WKW.

One doesn't have anything to do with the other (although I don't agree with Weisser that Chungking and Days are boring.)

Bordwell loves Ashes IIRC

Yeah, but he's the Frank Kogan of film so fuck that guy too.

it's considered by many (in HK) to be the pinnacle of HK cinema

this may be true of HK critics but I have yet to meet an actual HKer who loves Wong Kar-Wai

"it's considered by many (in HK) to be the pinnacle of HK cinema"

Yeah this is bullshit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Film_Awards#Best_100_Chinese_Motion_Pictures

I know that DoBW pretty much swept the HKFA when it came out, but I think it was due to a feeling of "finally, one of ours is also doing arthouse cinema"; the thought was that WKW was legitimizing HK cinema in the eyes of the West, for better or for worse

So does the fact that A Better Tomorrow is one spot higher mean that its the super pinnacle of HK cinema?

I would watch A Better Tomorrow over Days of Being Wild

I'd watch A Better Tomorrow 2 over either.

Happy Together

just watched happy together. def his most narratively straight forward film outside of as tears go by, of the ones I've seen (haven't seen ashes of time or my blueberry nights). man, when tony leung gets left alone with that tape recorder...

I saw Chungking last night for the first time since soon after it came out. (A seemingly tipsy Christopher Doyle was there to introduce the film.) I like the Faye Wong/Tony Leung half (or more); the Brigitte Lin/Takeshi Kaneshiro section doesn't go anywhere for me, and he's thoroughly annoying. Overall, I'm somewhat puzzled as to why this is so highly regarded.

Cuz it looks great!

That said it's not my favorite of his. It's still ranked tied for fifth on my list with Fallen Angels (although the bits with Kaneshiro and his father are probably my favorite bits in either film.)

xp to think that that would be enough.