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Chungking Express

Chungking Express

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: hilarious...mind bending...spirit lifting
Review: This is the funniest movie I've ever seen. It's a blast, it's poignant and romantic, the actors are terrific and beautiful to look at, and the soundtrack is fabulous. Parts of this film are so fast paced that if you blink you might miss a great scene, so it stands up to many viewings, and you'll keep seeing new things each time. It has a sweet wisdom to it that will bring a smile to your heart. It's one you won't forget..it's a gem !

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Intriguing and confusing, but in good ways.
Review: I found this movie to be a challenge. I like a challenge though. The two intersecting stories were interesting but not great but the characters were. I especially love the girl who keeps listening to California Dreaming.( I keep humming that tune) I have to admit that despite the confusing way that these stories are told. (I have to repeat that I loved the characters. The woman in the blonde wig is a real hoot.) It has a charm to it that I can't quite put my finger on. This movie really reminds me of Jean Luc Goddards Breathless. There definitely an energy that pulls you into the story. I felt like I was being led by the smallest of strings and all I could do was follow. :) Kar- Wai Wong makes fine use of the camera not only to tell a story but to set a mood. I'll have to check out some of his other work. I still am shaking my head at this intriguing and pleasant movie, because it challenged me. It's the type of movie that you have to see twice because you keep thinking there's something that you missed. But you haven't. Just leave all of you critical thinking at the door. Don't follow the story, follow the theme just let it lead you. If you like a movie that is off the beaten path, check it out.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A film that perfectly captures modern life, everywhere.
Review: I have to take issue with those who claim this movie has no plot - the plot(s) may not be as predictable or simplistic as those coming from Hollywood, but that's what makes this movie genius! And though I have never been to Hong Kong, this movie makes me homesick for it, because it sets Hong Kong as THE modern city, and hence makes it accesible, familiar to everyone. To me, Wong Kar Wai is hands-down the most interesting director of the 90s, and this movie shows his amazing vision. If you enjoy films that are more complex than the lackluster Hollywood productions of late, and if you appreciate life for its idiosyncracies instead of its tediousness, then I would guess you'll be as blown away by Chungking Express as I was.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great
Review: Wong Kar-wai gives us the modern city in all its giddy, melancholy beauty. I've watched this movie over and over, and it always makes me happy. Repeated viewings will only ensure its greatness.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best film of the 1990s
Review: Chungking Express is the best film of the 1990s. Extremely funny, deeply moving, very fresh, and totally unforgettable film. A must for all film buffs.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: You will never want to eat canned pineapples again!
Review: Hong Kong movies seem to dwell on either violence or extremely juvenile love stories. Can anyone explain this? Chungking Express is a perfect example of the genre under the sophisticated cloak of some fine camera work. It contains sappy, unfulfilled love stories that would please any 14 year old. However you would not want to show the movie to a 14 year old because of the violence in the first half of the film.

The film ended up getting some rave reviews because of its New Wave look. It does have some innovative parts, but is not worthy of 4 much less 5 stars when compared to far more worthy films. Chungking Express does make one contribution to your waistline as it will definately keep you from wanting to eat canned pineapple.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: You may think this movie isn't good, but you're wrong.
Review: The overpowering things about this movie were the feelings that it managed to capture. The first story (which, for those who complain the second one is too long, is shorter in some versions) has a darker, lonelier quality to it. The second story (which didn't go on long enough for me) was light-hearted and happy in a weird sort of way. Principally, this movie turns around a place and a theme rather than a set of characters and a single plot. As with any serious artistic endeavor, the important thing is the feeling. Watch and feel, rather than analyzing-at least the first time. For those who say it has no plot, well, it has more plot than those movies you like! It has TWO plots! Twice as much as most movies! The other important quality, for me, was the subtlety of how everything was fitted together. Much more is suggested than actually said. In particular, watch for the first scene Faye shows up in! It's much earlier in the movie than you might expect.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great film, obviously not for everyone
Review: If you have any passion for the art cinema, any affinity for the French new wave and any tolerance for a non-static camera, then there is a good chance you will like or love Chungking express. To fault this movie for having "no plot"(and by the way, it certainly did have a plot - just not one in the classical hollywood mould) seems quite ridiculous to me. There are many categories of film - hollywood narrative, art cinema and experimental to name a few. Wong Kar Wai is quite obviously attempting to make a film in the tradition of new wave auteurs and independents like Godard and Cassavettes. To fault a film in one category for not living up to the conventions of another is akin to my complaining that a grapefruit doesn't taste much like watermelon or that a documentary about giraffes didn't have any wild boar in it. Do NOT buy or rent CK Express, expecting it to be just like a Tarantino film.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Huh?
Review: I completely understand the reviewer from Jan 18. and I thank you for your honest input. I couldn't get into this movie to save my life! And there was absolutely NO PLOT! Alanjay wanted a sequal to this one? Oh please! If you want exceptional cinematography, a beautiful lead actress, and A PLOT, I suggest that extreamly weird flick "The Pillow Book". Although "The Pillow Book" wasn't that much of a good movie, at least it had everything that all of the reviewers here claimed that this movie had.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: stylish nostalgia
Review: Having grown up in Hong Kong, I can say that no film better captures the ethos and vibrancy of the city and the melancholia felt by those no longer present. When I first watched CK Express, my heart leaped as familiar locations were rendered with such cinematic beauty and originality. Those who complain that the story left something to be desired or lacked realism are completely missing the mark. This film is a practice in capturing a particular sentiment through spontaneous cinematic collaboration. Objectively speaking, I would say that Ashes of Time and Days of Being Wild are better films, but CK Express will always be my favorite (Wong Kar Wai film, that is) for nostaligic reasons. My only regret is that this release does not have the full soundtrack of the original HK version. If you like Chung King Express, I would also recommend Autumn Moon (dir. Clara Law), Hold you Tight (dir. Stanley Kwan), Song of the Exile (dir. Ann Hui) and recent Taiwanese films by Tsai Ming Liang.


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