By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Wong Kar Wai
Starring: Chad R. Davis | David Strathairn | Jude Law | Natalie Portman | Norah Jones
Country: china, france, hong_kong
Year: 2008
Running time: 90
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0765120/
Chadd says: “As I discussed my love of indie and foreign film to a woman I recently met (coincidentally, the same woman who accompanied me to see this film), I described that the process of viewing most foreign films is different-there may not be the emphasis on plot to ‘move the action forward’, there may be massive amount of screen time devoted to character development that is largely absent in most blockbusters, and many of the time, the camera sees thing VERY VERY SLOWLY. Thus, with heavy heart did I sit down to see Wong Kar Wai’s latest offering open with a speedy subway train shooting across the screen.
“I had read the advance reviews and wanted to keep an open mind- I have no love for Norah Jones’s music, but I haven’t actually ‘seen’ her act. I don’t necessarily mind that this is an ‘American’ movie- there is plenty of good cinema done in an American style. The list goes on, but I felt that the man who directed one of the best cinematic trilogies in existence (DAYS OF BEING WILD, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, and 2046) could deliver. Sadly to say, this was not to be.
“There is little to no character development and the acting ranges from passable to atrocious (now I have seen Norah Jones ‘act’). Norah’s character Is the genesis of the film because she has a broken heart- but that’s it. We learn nothing about her other than she needs to to take a journey to rediscover herself and even this is painfully stated by the character’s ACTUAL NARRATION of her situation. Show and don’t tell is a good rule to follow.
“The film is divided into three main parts (NYC, Memphis, and Nevada) and only one of these presents any hint of the director’s previous artistic brilliance. The Memphis sequence works precisely because it slows down- the characters are allowed to breathe a little more than presenting themselves as carieatures that we are supposed to blandly accept because it moves the plot forward. Gone is the repressed nuance that allows us fleeting glimpses into the minds and emotions of those on the screen- instead we are given ham-fisted explanations of ‘what we need to know’.
“Sadly, this film is ‘Americanized’ for all the wrong reasons. I don’t understand if this was an attempt to capture this nation’s audiences and sensibilities, but very little in this film plays to Wong Kar Wai’s strengths as a filmmaker. I have to agree with all of the reviews about the miscasting- both Jude Law and Natalie Portman seem to be capable of much better roles than the ones they are allotted. I appreciate the style he tried to appropriate, but it is not an appropriate one for the character studies he has so masterfully executed in his previous undertakings. 2 cats (mainly for the Memphis sequence with David Strathairn’s weariness- shown, not necessarily told).”
Thom says: “I gave this gorgeous film a strong 5 CATS!!!!! Natalie Portman has definitely become one of the strongest actors of her generation.”
Barbara says: “Though it is a fairly typical story of someone trying to find herself after having her heart broken, I liked this film. It does start out a bit slow but I liked the visuals. Nora Jones is pretty photogenic and she has a voice but I don’t think acting is her strong suit. Natalie Portman was wonderful and Jude Law is easy on the eyes. 3.5 cats”