Thursday 19 May 2005

18 May - Wong Kar Wai Retrospective, Dendy Opera Quays

Arrived at Circular Quay at around 5.20, pretty pleased with myself at being early, and not being out of breath from all my powerwalking. Then I take my ticket out and realise the movie started at 5! WTF! Serves me right for not looking at the schedule, and presuming that the same schedule as yesterday would be followed. Not that there was any reason for me to assume that!



Slimmer pickings this time around. Both films presented are
representative of early period WKW, BCD (before Chris Doyle). No hyper-saturated, neon-soaked colours here! Both are straightforward, non-arty, very 80s flicks. The first film is "Final Victory", which I guess is a comedy, but not a memorable one. Somewhat clunky, mass-market comedy. "As Tears Go By" has a more coherent plot, and has Andy Lau and Maggie Cheung. (okay, having MC is enough for me to watch it). Lots of cheese, with a Chinese version of "Take My Breath Away" at the romantic sequences. Lots of beatings, broken glass, and weapons - not so much guns as knives and baseball bats. In some scenes you see the beginnings of WKW's usual techniques - the slo-mo foreground contrasting with blurry sped-up action in the background, for example, in the scene with Andy Lau at a bar in front of a jukebox. Or I think that's what it was...

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