Lust, Caution
I couldn't wait to see Ang Lee's new film, so I went by myself to Jurong Point, despite the fact that the censors have taken a knife to it so that more people will see it, which I think is really, really stupid. Anyway, I can't be objective about any Ang Lee film since I am such a big fan of his. Like Billie Holiday and Katharine Hepburn, the man can do no wrong. I couldn't even bring myself to hate The Hulk, and I was just thinking just now that I want to see it again to see if I can't bring myself to love it.
Which film director today, Western or Asian, has the breadth and range of Ang Lee? I first grew to love his work, not with the Wedding Banquet or Eat, Drink, Man, Woman or Pushing Hands, (although they were pretty damn impressive) but with Sense and Sensibility. Then came Crouching Tiger, Brokeback Mountain and now Lust, Caution. Whether it's the manners of the English countryside, the claustrophobic expanse of cowboy country or the vicissitudes of pugilistic China, Lee has an incredible eye for bringing out the humanity of the stories he tells and the characters he presents. Watching Lust, Caution, I can't help but think that his way of directing must be so character- or even actor-based. The casting in Lust, Caution is not perfect. Wang Lee Hom just doesn't come across very vividly or naturally as the young and reckless revolutionary. Joan Chen is great as the mahjong-playing wife in a role that really doesn't require too much of her. The two leads, however, are perfect. Tony Leung's reputation as an actor of nuance almost imperceptible is untouched. The revelation comes in the form of Tang Wei as the newfound ingenue. Comparisons with Zhang Ziyi have already been made, but of course they are very different. I personally find Tang's directness as an actress refreshing and gripping.
Lust, Caution is not a love story, or even a story about love. It's one about hate and fear, and how these all-too-human emotions drive us through our lives on to our destinies just as much as love does. Of course there is no happy ending. Were you expecting one?
Two things: despite the fact that this was Shanghai during the Japanese occupation, the film still made me want to visit the glamorous Chinese city. And if you're trying to quit smoking, be warned. I don't think cigarettes have ever seemed so necessary, or so sexy.
Now I can't wait to see the uncensored version when it comes out on DVD. Damn you, censors!
It's been a long time since I saw a movie alone. I was trying to see if I could get anyone to come with me, but of course, who would come to Boon Lay? Gone are the days when I would happily go to the movies by myself. Now I seem to crave company. Yet, walking home after the movie, smoking a cigarette, and pretending I was Tang Wei or Tony Leung, there is a kind of serenity to my solitude that I could get used to again.
Which film director today, Western or Asian, has the breadth and range of Ang Lee? I first grew to love his work, not with the Wedding Banquet or Eat, Drink, Man, Woman or Pushing Hands, (although they were pretty damn impressive) but with Sense and Sensibility. Then came Crouching Tiger, Brokeback Mountain and now Lust, Caution. Whether it's the manners of the English countryside, the claustrophobic expanse of cowboy country or the vicissitudes of pugilistic China, Lee has an incredible eye for bringing out the humanity of the stories he tells and the characters he presents. Watching Lust, Caution, I can't help but think that his way of directing must be so character- or even actor-based. The casting in Lust, Caution is not perfect. Wang Lee Hom just doesn't come across very vividly or naturally as the young and reckless revolutionary. Joan Chen is great as the mahjong-playing wife in a role that really doesn't require too much of her. The two leads, however, are perfect. Tony Leung's reputation as an actor of nuance almost imperceptible is untouched. The revelation comes in the form of Tang Wei as the newfound ingenue. Comparisons with Zhang Ziyi have already been made, but of course they are very different. I personally find Tang's directness as an actress refreshing and gripping.
Lust, Caution is not a love story, or even a story about love. It's one about hate and fear, and how these all-too-human emotions drive us through our lives on to our destinies just as much as love does. Of course there is no happy ending. Were you expecting one?
Two things: despite the fact that this was Shanghai during the Japanese occupation, the film still made me want to visit the glamorous Chinese city. And if you're trying to quit smoking, be warned. I don't think cigarettes have ever seemed so necessary, or so sexy.
Now I can't wait to see the uncensored version when it comes out on DVD. Damn you, censors!
It's been a long time since I saw a movie alone. I was trying to see if I could get anyone to come with me, but of course, who would come to Boon Lay? Gone are the days when I would happily go to the movies by myself. Now I seem to crave company. Yet, walking home after the movie, smoking a cigarette, and pretending I was Tang Wei or Tony Leung, there is a kind of serenity to my solitude that I could get used to again.