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In the Mood for Love - Criterion Collection

In the Mood for Love - Criterion Collection

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Mood is good
Review: In the mood for love is easily vintage Wong Kar Wai - Slow scenes of reflection, simple characters leading simple lives, excellent cinematography, slow but deliberate pacing and a dark moody atmosphere. Because of this, a lot of people call this an "art" film. And for every people who say this is an excellent HK noir film, there are people who will insist that this is a boring, slow and shallow movie.

The story is simple. Chow Mo-Wan (Tony Leung) and his wife move into their apartment on the same day that Mrs. Chan (Maggie Cheung) and her husband move into the apartment next door. Initally, their relationship consists of passing pleasantries and mundane mahjong games with the neighbors. Soon, circumstances like their spouses' absence, and the suspicion that their spouses have a thing going on results in a friendship between the two. In the process, The two falls in love.

But this definitely isn't a love story. Remember, this is a Wong Kar Wai film. It's never a love story but rather a story about love. That love grows and eventually fades. That no one ever really does anything extraordinary or heroic for most of their lives. If you're looking for a good narrative story, rich character development, you will not find it here.

What you'll find are dark atmospheres/settings and conflicting emotions. Take note of the excellent physical details. The way Maggie cheung runs her hands thru her hair, the way smoke curls up from Tony Leung's cigarette, dark walls and alleyways on their way back home or from the noodle vendor.

This is a Wong Kar Wai movie not to be missed. It excels in its simplicity. Definitely not for the impatient. Here, the actors and the situations tell the story. Not much dialogue, not much action but the result is excellent in its quiet way.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Masterpiece!
Review: Truly one of the best films in recent years. Stylized, breaktaking. I often play it without sound just to have something so beautiful in the background. An artistic marvel.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wong Kar-Wai and Maggie Cheung....o yea Tony Leung too...
Review: Chow Mo-Wan played by Tony Leung and his wife move into their apartment on the same day that Mrs. Chan played by Maggie Cheung and her husband move into the apartment next door. At first their relationship consists of passing pleasantries and simple mahjong games with the neighbors but soon a sneaking suspicion bubbles its way to the surface. The increasing absence of their respective spouses arrives at the same time that Chow sees his wife carrying the same handbag as Mrs. Chan. Mrs. Chan, in turn, notices that her husband sports a tie similar to that worn by Chow. The two begin a secret friendship, and soon discover their desire turning from revenge to genuine passion.

This movie is simply amazing...i can not believe Wong Kar Wai makes such good movies...Wong Jing and rest of the HK pack should learn some from him and the beautiful cinematography by Christopher Doyle..mmm mmm mmm thumbs up. Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung turn in performances that will leave you in awe. Direction, Music, technique, etc. ALL THUMBS UP

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A FILM MASTERPIECE
Review: This film is without a doubt one the top 3 of the last decade and one of top 20 ever. Every bit as good as Hitchcock at his best. Simple, human, powerful, beautiful, enlightening, moving. Kar-wai Wong is one of the worlds great film makers, and this is his best work yet. Tony Lueng is great as always and Maggie Cheung again proves herself to be at the top of her profession. She is radiant. One of the world's great beauties. If there were ever an American version (which would never work and I hope no one would dare try), I'd love to see Ms. Streep try to out act this performance. Wong, Lueng, and Cheung create a masterpiece. Atmosphere you can taste. The colors of chilis and hot mustard drench the screen. The costuming and styling are brilliant, esp. Ms. Cheung's hair, "Suzie Wong" dresses and high heels used almost as if it were a bondage film - hinting at the bonds that the characters cannot escape. There is so much longing for love and sexual tension in this film you almost hold your breath. And the final scene at Angor Wat, COMPLETELY UNFORGETABLE. Perhaps the best scene ever filmed.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Opposite Expectations
Review: Most movies nowadays vie for spectacular love affairs, consummated after lots of explosions (Boy meets girl, boy blows a lot of buildings up, boy loses girl, boy crashes fifteen classic muscle cars during a fiery chase, boy gets girl back.) Moviemakers search for new ways to jade and shock us.

This film is different.

Yes, it is about UNREQUITED love. It is an eye-blindingly beautiful study of the thing we do when we truly love somebody- which is to say, what is best for our beloved, not for ourselves. The last fifteen seconds of the movie literally broke my heart. If Casablanca had been set in Shanghai and given a good dose of reality, it would have been very close to this movie. There are not many films that make me cry, but this was one of them. Not only would I buy this, but I'd make my significant other watch it with me.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: over-rated
Review: It is amazing to me that so many people like this movie! Yes it is sumptuous in its use of oversaturated colors and the cinematography is a very hypnotic painterly style. And Yes the two lead characters, Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung, are very attractive. But, beneath all the gloss, and a thick gloss it is, lies the same old story of unrequited love, or unconsummated love, what have you. In fact, it is a theme Wong Kar Wai has rehashed already, particularly in Chungking Express. And that is all the story, absolutely nothing else happens, it is minimalist to no end. The pace is plodding, and you just wish they would, at the very least, hold hands or something. It really gets pethodic, and then the ending, it was just too much, really overdone....Maggie Cheung is a hottie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A medicine for sour eyes
Review: The plot is less than simple... I would have left it for the soaps... Married couple.... Cheating... Who cheats who?... bla bla bla...
Actually very dull... right?
WRONG!!!
This is a great movie, the ambientation, the colors (for Christ Sake, THE COLORS!!!), the music and even the acting... All is magnificently coordinated in a moving canvass that unfolds before your eyes.
After seeing this one there can be no doubt: Hollywood has a lot, and I mean A LOT TO LEARN.

No dinos, no clones, no special effects, just a couple of great people with a vision... and what a vision it is!!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Hallucinatory...And Romantic
Review: In the Mood for Love tells of a smoldering romance set in a confined world; neighbors in a boisterous rooming house whose spouses are having an affair with one another find themselves falling in love, but are too shy to do anything about it. On the surface the film appears to be boring, made up mostly of brief, minute-long vignettes that mesh together to form a more complete fabric. Director Wong Kar-Wai knows things about the rules of effective on-screen eroticism, and while sex is altogether absent from the film it nonetheless seethes with sexuality. In certain ways, it shares similarities with The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and also Last Tango in Paris. The direction, music, and cinematography here are especially luminous. It plays like a dream.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Fascinating
Review: This is one of the most breathtaking movies I have seen in recent years. A lot of people complained about the slow pace of this film, calling it boring, but I find it fascinating and captivating...there was never a minute of boredom while i was watching this movie, and I usually don't have much patience. I don't know what some of the people are whining about...because you obviously don't go to see this movie and expect action. I think the pace of this movie suits the ambience of the film perfectly. I am just thankful that there is a director like Wong Kar-Wai who gives so much care about the all the little intricate details. Superb acting, gorgeous cinematography, amazing details, unconventional film making...what more can i say...I love it.

Love it or hate it...it's a movie that cannot be ignored!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Love in the Absence of Fate
Review: Perfection in cinema is an almost impossible goal to achieve. Mostly because spectators have varying taste and perspectives. But you can't help but feel that Wong Kar-Wai's "In the Mood for Love" is anything short of perfection. The imagery with its lush colors and breathtaking movements is enough to elevate this film. The simple, yet somewhat complicated tale is both heartfelt and authentic. And the performances by Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung are a marvel. But it's none of these that really makes this film, it's rather the manner that Kar-Wai so magically molds all these factors to set a mood that I have never felt before while watching a movie. In all honesty, I'm really not too fond of "forbidden love" movies, but this film really startled me.

Ironically, "In the Mood for Love" feels nothing like a Wong Kar-Wai film. It's a very slow moving film which uses lots of fades and dissolves. The Criterion edition of this film is probably the best dvd package I've seen to date. There are just so many extras on it, it's hard to believe. Deleted scenes, interviews, and promotional material, are just a few of the extras. The way Kar-Wai shoots his films (without a script) also adds to the suprise of picture. You see in the extras how much different the original concept was for "In the Mood for Love." There is also an alternate ending that seems very plain, but at the same time very heartbreaking.


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