Rating: 
Summary: A slice of Vietam
Review: A cross-sectional portrayal of life in economically recovering Hanoi. The director uses three sisters and their spouses to explore traditional and modern Vietnamese mores and values. The cinematography is intellectually interesting adding a languid feeling to the sexual tension of the nearly plotless story. This visually satisfying and semi erotic work unfolds like a lazy Sunday morning, to be enjoyed and not rushed through. Probally boring to those unaware of non-action genre films or having limited cultural perspectives. In other words you may have to think for yourself while viewing this flick.
Rating: 
Summary: Vertical ray of sheer beauty
Review: After the cold and sharp as knife, but explosive cyclo, the philosopher director returns with vertical ray of the sun.This time like the scent of green papaya, he uses a more laid back story with intense emotions. Film is mainly set in Hanoi the capital city, and tells the story of 3 sisters and their loved ones. Strange family relationships, marriages with hidden problems and secret lovers are issue of the film. This time director uses lots of dialogue to build up the stories unlike his last 2 movies. Thus we can zoom in to the characters deep thoughts without much effort. All these are made with minimal, simple, non pretentious but always brilliant ideas,making easy to understand the lives of the characters.He also uses the philosophic elements more economically this time unlike cyclo.
An interesting point is sex is always there , hiding but never shown directly to the viewer by the director . Vietnam is still one of those countries where issues like sex is taboo and traditional way of life is well preserved. Director chooses to show the things as they are in the country and tries to give the feeling that is shared by his characters.But interestingly, portrayal of flirtious acts of the sister and her brother in morning scenes are indeed set to confuse the viewer as showing how mixed emotions can be.
Most of the actors and actresses are from the last 2 Hung films so we are familiar with their capabilities.When it comes to cinephotography, Tran Anh Hung's films are very hard to beat. In door and out door scenes, lovely colours and well established shots are again the name of the game. Music choices are excellent and fits like a glove especially in morning scenes.
This movie may not be as beautiful as the scent or as explosive as cyclo. But Hung does his best to tell his not too strange story by not falling in to the trap of being boring.
In sum another excellent addition to the director's career.
An excellent watch and an excellent film to own.
Rating: 
Summary: Vietnamese chick flick
Review: After the first fifteen minutes, I was bored with these stories of three sisters. Maybe beautifully filmed, but that doesn't make it a good movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Viet-American Soap Opera
Review: America may have lost the war in Vietnam but this movie is proof positive that American culture has taken root in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam despite the pervading presence of its watchful commissars. Now I will be the first to admit that the indoor sets are elegantly filmed, masterful stills, and the street scenes and landscapes are also brilliantly depicted. But the problem with this movie is that there are people in it, simpering, inane, ridiculous characters clumsily portrayed living dull and pointless lives. The muscial score is equally insipid, particularly the often repeated droning of a mush-mouthed balladeer whining and droning in English about something or other. I saw where recently the superb actor, Don Duong, was arrested for treason when he returned to Vietnam because he played in movies such as "We Were Soldiers," films the government of Vietnam considers anti-party. Hey, Central Committee rats, wake up! Your country is really under attack by movies like this! Arrest its director at once!
Rating:
Summary: A beautiful and real depiction of a family
Review: An exciting and truly prolific story, told through beautiful cinematography. My first rue glimps into the beauty of Vietnam and it's people.
Rating:
Summary: Not to compare, but...
Review: As visually innovative and fresh as was Lelouche's "A Man and a Woman" in 1965; as intimate and time-stopping as Eric Rohmer's best.
Rating:
Summary: Slow and Pretentious.
Review: By now, with his third film, Tran Anh Hung has no new elements to sustain his debut, Scent of Green Papaya. Hung tries so hard to avoid the war politics of Vietnam and gets bogged down on melodramatic mess. It is sad that Hung, respected by western critics, is in deep denial of Vietnam's colonial history. In Cyclo, he deals a little bit with the sociological aspects of Vietnam; unfortunately, he does not probe deep enough to be compelling.
'Being compelling' perhaps is Hung's problem. The characters, particularly the three sisters, in this movie are flat, one-dimensional, and utterly unconvincing. Furthermore, they are exoticized, especially Hung's own star and real-life wife, who played the youngest sister. The plot is so thin and choppy. The pacing of this film is so erratically episodic and as slow as molasses.
Hung focuses on so much so on the visual aesthetic that he completely abandons the storytelling aspect of the movie.
Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing.
Review: Director Anh Hung Tran's third effort is another intoxicating look at post-war Viet Nam that blends modernism and its problems with oriental mysticism and its values. Even on a small screen, the pastel beauty of rural Viet Nam contrasted with the congestion of its urban life make for powerful visual appeal. Speaking of which, the appeal of star Tran Nu Yên-Khê is nothing short of haunting. The plot line is easy enough to follow, and even the subtitles do not detract from the film's flow. I can't wait to watch it again!
Rating:
Summary: Watching a painting come to life
Review: First off, I just want to say that I am reviewing this in terms of the movie itself, not the DVD. I rented it but my place only has it on VHS. I watched it 5 times during one rent and I just have to review it. I don't know what extras the DVD does or does not have, but this movie is magical.This has become one of my favorite movies of all time. I have a feeling that it may be too slow and thoughtful for the majority of the American audience, though. I don't see this as a fault of the movie at all. Only a fault in the bright, flashy dazzle, quick edit after quick edit style of tv, movies, sports, and commercials that Americans are surrounded by 24/7. If the picture isn't jumping around and changing every 1.3 seconds, the average American loses interest. Their (our) loss. Scent Of Green Papaya has been a favorite of mine since I saw it a few years ago, thus when Vertical Ray showed up at the video store I had to rent it. I hate to slight Green Papaya, but now having seen both, this movie is the better of the two. Vertical Ray is absolutely hypnotic. There are shots in this movie that take my breath away. tran nu yen khe (Lien) is so sensual, magnetic, and free in this movie that I can't help but fall for her. I thought I fell for her in Green Papaya, but this movie goes way beyond that one. Her emotional range with just facial expressions, not to mention words, is so alluring. She is so perfectly entrancing. It's a strange thing to say, but just she herself...the way she looks at things, talks, and moves... her face... she is a work of art in and of herself. The camera truly loves her. I really can't explain it. She may be the very definition of grace and sensuality. I don't think there is any lack of movement in this plot or screenplay. There is a lack of explosions, gunfire, and nudity, yes, but that in no way means the movie is missing anything. Also, I didn't see it mentioned in the couple reviews I read, but there is some very funny stuff in this movie! If you don't laugh out loud a few times during this movie then you aren't paying attention! Obviously we are all different, and maybe it's just me, but I think the director of this movie and Green Papaya, tran anh hung, is amazing. There is absolutely no one in American cinema capable of making films like these. Now I need to see Cyclo.
Rating:
Summary: lots of languishing
Review: Gauguin might like it.
The modern Vietnamese motion picture equivalent of that painting where Greek patricians are lounging on the divan, eating grapes. OK, the photography is good. But the vivid colors and painstakingly arranged scenes (right off the bat I worried it was just another food movie) don't seem to enhance the story; rather they serve as a substitute- because the story and characters are so uninteresting! Is it that I'm too hooked on sex and exploding helicopters to enjoy such a thoughtful movie? No, there just isn't enough to think about here. And I wonder if this urban Eden is the real Hanoi. The characters don't have to work much (are they all trustfunders?) They're not quite believable in that they seem to be able to squeeze the emotion (be it joie de vivre or pathos) out of every single trivial moment. I find myself feeling inadequate at my inability to get such intense pleasure out of cutting a piece of fruit. I'll continue to browse the positive reviews to learn about what I'm missing, but I have one question for the 5 star folks, "What did you get out of the third viewing of little sister and brother going through their Lou Reed morning exercises?"
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