true it is bad but consider the many flaws/brilliance on WKW:
As any WKW fans know, he works without a script. Hence, this affects the Western actors. It may have translated well with his usual repertoire of actors who understand the madness but especially not the newly and cutey NJ, not so much there.
I dont think he is ready for a Western audience or talents in that matter. ANd reversely, I dont think the Western audience and actors are ready for his talents either.
THroughout the film I kept measuring every woman to Maggie Cheung. I wonder if he is fixated on that images of her, so deep that he couldnt see anyone but her. All are brunette and with big eyes, except the fakey blond NP (but she is a gambler). In many ways looking so similar to each other. Not too much in ages either. It is like all the young girls are impressing themselves to be experienced women. Not much character polarizations. It seems like all of them are just one single character/woman.
Rachel Weiz is not a convincing Southern wife. SHe should have been blond and trashy. Too thin and european. The assistant writer is to blame. He is an AMerican, at least he should know how to translate this nor alot of the dialogue as how a gambler would talk or a cafe owner would talk or southern wife would talk...
NP follows right behind that for a city girl looking.
Nevermind JL, he is just another pretty face in this poorly translated film. His role should have been played by Takeshi Kaneshiro.
Imagine this same film with Tony Leung and WKW's usual cast in Hong Kong or anywhere, it would have worked just as well as In the Mood...
The film is too much on visual and not substance.
I figure this would be the case but i had to see it to see if i am wrong.
WKW is still one of my favorite Dir. He is trying, a stretch but still good to see him working. I would love to see this with Chinese talents instead. More mysterious and more on his ground...and none of the accents, typecasting or smugginess that we are or not accustomed to when WKW concerns...
sorry to repeat but i will make a new post from this...i am afraid my response will be buried in here...just want to see if anyone agrees to me is all...no troll hogs here..
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silvercreature
16 years ago
i don't really feel strongly one way or the other about this movie. didn't think it was great. didn't think it was terrible. that said, the original poster is a moron. some people are so pathetically awful at expressing their lame opinions. message boards are a great way to see this but really...original poster guy, you totally win.
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Tanyaa
16 years ago
I think it's just a prejudice. Wong Kar-Wai is my favorite director too. And I was as negative about him making a movie with Western actors as many other people. And I couldn't bring myself to watch it til now.
And I actually liked it. Yes, it wasn't as natural as with Asians actors. But you just have to let go that image, to compare them with Tony leung and Maggie Cheung all the time. Of course, it's not his best movie. But come on, just because he shoots from a script doesn't mean it's a bad script. It was still nice.
He is still Wong Kar-Wai and you're insulting him making him look so stupid as a filmmaker that he can't work with Western actors or shoot from a script! He has enough talent as a filmmaker to try tell a story like that. Everyone want to try something new sometime and he did so with this movie.
It is a nice movie.
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16 years ago
[deleted]
jorgddh
15 years ago
This was a credential card for american audiences. It happens every day with asian filmmakers. The movie is trite, derivative, yes, and everything told here has been exposed much better in other WKW films, but the reason of doing "My blueberry nights" wasn't making a step further in WKW career, or filming a groundbreaking entry in his filmography, but presenting an unknown (for the general audience) director making an accesible movie.
People bashing this movie, and calling it "HORRIFIC VOMIT" (I would like to know what they think then about movies like "Transformers 2"), are not being objective. They shouldn't be so drastic, because they could turn some people off to watch a good movie, only because it didn't match "their" expectations.
It could have been worse. Chen Kaige's credential card was "Killing me softly".
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