looney tunes

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

domingo, 11 de agosto de 2013

914. Cheun gwong tsa sit/Happy Together (1997)

Posted on 13:50 by Unknown

Running Time: 97 minutes
Directed By: Wong Kar-Wai
Written By: Wong Kar-Wai
Main Cast: Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Leslie Cheung, Chen Chang
Click here to view the trailer

"I CAN'T SEE ME LOVIN' NOBODY BUT YOU..."

Just so everyone's aware, I had myself a nice, little four day weekend this week, which is why I've been able to bang out these movies so quickly. I'm back to work tomorrow and therefore, the pace my lessen. Also, while we're on the subject of my work schedule, I USUALLY work at 7am and get home around 4pm. What I usually end up doing is watching movies at night, after my wife goes to bed and writing the reviews the following day, when I get home from work. Don't think I've ever specified the details of my schedule before...Anyway...


Caught "Happy Together" this morning via the streaming portion of Netflix. The film is directed by Wong Kar-Wai ("In the Mood for Love") and tells the story of a gay couple, on vacation in Argentina, trying to sort out their relationship and "start over". It's a rocky relationship. There's definitely love there, but with the love comes a fair share of arguments, fights and disagreements. There's the more responsible Lai Yiu-fai (Leung) and the more flamboyant, childish Ho-Po Wing (Cheung). Once in Argentina, they plan to see Iguazu waterfalls together, but they break up before they make it there. Fai settles in Buenos Aires, where he gets a job at a nightclub. One evening, Ho visits the nightclub and memories are dredged back up. Ho has a new boyfriend and Fai, still not healed from the break-up, is forced to deal with an overflow of emotion all over again. After a while, the two begin talking and it becomes apparent that Ho's new boyfriend is abusive. One evening, Ho shows up at Fai's door, severely beaten and Fai can't help but help him. At the hospital, Ho's hands are bandaged to the point where he must rely on Fai to help him with everything. Ho stays with Fai at his dingy little apartment and Ho is hopeful that the two can, once again, start over. Fai stays strong and resists the temptations of Ho, however. Fai eventually gets a job at a restaurant where he meets Chang (Chang), a straight man who becomes a good friend.


"Open Your Eyes' was really good and "Return of the Jedi" and "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" were good enough, but finally something stellar comes along this season, after watching eleven movies. Of course, I'm talking about this movie - "Happy Together" - an absolutely fantastic piece of work by a director who's proving he's worthy of me keeping my eyes on - Wong Kar-Wai. I'll even say that this is EASILY better than my last viewing of a Kar-Wai film, "In the Mood for Love" (which landed on the "Ten Worth Mentioning" section of my last TOP 20 list). It's might be hard for me to explain why I actually took to this movie so well, but I promise to try my best. As movie fanatics, we all know that wonderful feeling we get when we're watching something we really like. That feeling, where we're able to detach ourselves from the dialogue and action for just a millisecond, long enough to say to ourselves, "This is REALLY good". If you've seen a lot of movie and if you're picky, like me, then you know that feeling doesn't come along THAT often and when it does, it's one of the greatest feelings a movie fan can experience. It's the special feeling of seeing a movie that you just know is going to become a favorite, that you just know you're going to see dozens and dozens more times, for the first time. It's one of those movies that makes you want to consume as many more movies as you can possibly find, so that you can experience that feeling all over again and hopefully find another one and another one. "Happy Together" gave me all of these feelings.

The film was beautifully shot, flawlessly scripted, perfectly cast, provided a unique mood/atmosphere and transcended cultural barriers. It doesn't matter where you live, be it Hong Kong, Argentina, Pennsylvania, London, British Columbia or Los Angeles, this is a movie that didn't speak to a certain cultural consortium, but rather spoke to everyone, because we could all relate to the characters. Within literally minutes, Wong Kar-Wai forced us to care for these characters as if they were our personal friends, made it easy for us to feel their pain and relate to their situations. We understood every tear that our characters shed, every smile they cracked and just by looking at the faces and listening to the perfectly scored notes, we could feel every sad thought and disappointed reaction. We've all been in relationships, most of us know what it's like to have our hearts broken and even if you've never been involved in a bad, argumentative relationship, you've been privy to one and those feelings and actions are very familiar. "Happy Together" puts those feelings, reactions, actions and emotions to film flawlessly.


I'm glad that Wong Kar-Wai didn't harp on the gay thing too much, like "Brokeback Mountain" did, for instance. In Ang Lee's movie the fact that the two men were gay was half the story, whereas in Kar-Wai's picture, it's never really brought up. We just happen to be watching a film about a relationship, where the two members of said relationship happen to be both men. Speaking of the two men, how amazing is Tony Leung? I've only seen two movies with the guy and already I'm prepared to put him on a list with the rest of my favorite actors. He's too good to be true, yet he is true; pouring out true emotion after true emotion and playing it all so perfectly. The score was great too and I love how Kar-Wai always seems to pick a certain theme for his movies and allows it to play over and over (like "In the Mood for Love"). I really can't wait to see the rest of his filmography after watching this and I can say that "Happy Together" is definitely a "must see" movie. See it...now.

RATING: 10/10  Finally a big '10' and I can tell you now that until something better comes along, THIS is the #1 spot of my next TOP 20...hands down.

MOVIES WATCHED: 712
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 289

August 11, 2013  4:46pm

Enviar por correo electrónicoEscribe un blogCompartir en XCompartir con Facebook
Posted in Wong Kar-Wai | No comments
Entrada más reciente Entrada antigua Inicio

0 comentarios:

Publicar un comentario

Suscribirse a: Enviar comentarios (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • SINS OF OMISSION - Entry #6: Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)
    Running Time: 137 minutes Directed By: Quentin Tarantino Written By: Quentin Tarantino Main Cast: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Michael ...
  • 648. Die Blechtrommel/The Tin Drum (1979)
    Running Time: 142 minutes Directed By: Volker Schlondorff Written By: Jean-Claude Carriere, Gunter Grass, Franz Seitz, Volker Schlondorff, f...
  • 670. Das Boot/The Boat (1981)
    Running Time: 209 minutes Directed By: Wolfgang Petersen Written By: Wolfgang Petersen, from novel by Lothar G. Buchheim Main Cast: Jurgen...
  • 637. Days of Heaven (1978)
    Running Time: 95 minutes Directed By: Terrence Malick Written By: Terrence Malick Main Cast: Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard, Lin...
  • 17 Hours
    COMING SOON
  • 737. Manhunter (1986)
    Running Time: 121 minutes Directed By: Michael Mann Written By: Michael Mann, from the novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris Main Cast: Willi...
  • 636. GREASE (1978)
    Running Time: 110 minutes Directed By: Randal Kleiser Written By: Bronte Woodard, Allan Carr, from musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey ...
  • 793. Rain Man (1988)
    Running Time: 133 minutes Directed By: Barry Levinson Written By: Ronald Bass, Barry Morrow Main Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Valeri...
  • 665. The Big Red One (1980)
    Running Time: 163 minutes Directed By: Samuel Fuller Written By: Samuel Fuller Main Cast: Lee Marvin, Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine, Bobb...
  • 514. Little Big Man (1970)
    Running Time: 139 minutes Directed By: Arthur Penn Written By: Calder Willingham, from novel by Thomas Berger Main Cast: Dustin Hoffman, F...

Categories

  • Abbas Kiarostami
  • Abel Ferrara
  • Abel Gance
  • Abraham Polonsky
  • Adrian Lyne
  • Agnes Varda
  • Agnieszka Holland
  • Aki Kaurismaki
  • Akira Kurosawa
  • Alain Resnais
  • Albert Lewin
  • Alejandro Amenabar
  • Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
  • Alexander Hammid
  • Allan Dwan
  • Amos Gitai
  • Amy Heckerling
  • Andre Bonzel
  • Andre Techine
  • Andy Warhol
  • Anh-Hung Tran
  • Anthony Mann
  • Anthony Minghella
  • Arthur Penn
  • Atom Egoyan
  • Barbara Loden
  • Barry Levinson
  • Baz Luhrmann
  • Bela Tarr
  • Benoit Poelvoorde
  • Bernardo Bertolucci
  • Bill Forsyth
  • Billy Wilder
  • Bobby Farrelly
  • Brian De Palma
  • Bruce Conner
  • Bruce Robinson
  • Bryan Singer
  • Budd Boetticher
  • Cameron Crowe
  • Carol Reed
  • Cecil B. DeMille
  • Charles Crichton
  • Charles Laughton
  • Chris Marker
  • Chris Noonan
  • Claire Denis
  • Claude Chabrol
  • Claude Lanzmann
  • Daniele Huillet
  • Danny Boyle
  • Darren Aronofsky
  • David Fincher
  • David Lean
  • David Lynch
  • David O. Russell
  • David Zucker
  • Delbert Mann
  • Dennis Hopper
  • Denys Arcand
  • Don Siegel
  • Edgar Morin
  • Edgar Wright
  • Edward Yang
  • Edward Zwick
  • Elem Klimov
  • Elia Kazan
  • Emir Kusturica
  • Eric Rohmer
  • Fatih Akin
  • Fernando Meirelles
  • Francesco Rosi
  • Francis Ford Coppola
  • Frank Borzage
  • Frank Capra
  • Frank Miller
  • Frank Tashlin
  • Gavin Hood
  • Geoff Murphy
  • Geoffrey Wright
  • George A. Romero
  • George Cukor
  • George Kuchar
  • George Lucas
  • George Miller
  • George Sluizer
  • Germaine Dulac
  • Gillian Armstrong
  • Giuseppe Tornatore
  • Glauber Rocha
  • Godfrey Reggio
  • Gordon Parks
  • Guillermo del Toro
  • Gus Van Sant
  • Guy Maddin
  • Hal Ashby
  • Hal Hartley
  • Hany Abu-Assad
  • Hark Tsui
  • Harry Smith
  • Hayao Miyazaki
  • Henri-Georges Clouzot
  • Herbert J. Biberman
  • Howard Hawks
  • Hsiao-hsien Hou
  • Hugh Hudson
  • Ida Lupino
  • Irvin Kershner
  • Irving Rapper
  • Isao Takahata
  • Jack Arnold
  • Jack Smith
  • Jackie Chan
  • Jacques Becker
  • Jacques Demy
  • Jacques Rivette
  • Jacques Tourneur
  • Jafar Panahi
  • James Benning
  • James Cameron
  • James Ivory
  • James L. Brooks
  • Jean Cocteau
  • Jean Eustache
  • Jean Renoir
  • Jean Rouch
  • Jean Vigo
  • Jean-Daniel Pollet
  • Jean-Marie Straub
  • Jean-Pierre Jeunet
  • Jerry Zucker
  • Jerzy Skolimowski
  • Jim Abrahams
  • Jim Jarmusch
  • Joel Coen
  • John Dahl
  • John Ford
  • John Frankenheimer
  • John Halas
  • John Hughes
  • John Huston
  • John McNaughton
  • John Sayles
  • John Singleton
  • John Sturges
  • John Woo
  • Jonathan Demme
  • Joris Ivens
  • Joseph H. Lewis
  • Joseph L. Mankiewicz
  • Joy Batchelor
  • Julian Schnabel
  • Kaige Chen
  • Katia Lund
  • Katsuhiro Otomo
  • Ken Jacobs
  • Kim Ki-young
  • Kira Muratova
  • Krzysztof Kieslowski
  • Larisa Shepitko
  • Lars von Trier
  • Laurence Olivier
  • Lee Kresel
  • Leslie Arliss
  • Louis Malle
  • Luc Besson
  • Luchino Visconti
  • Luis Bunuel
  • Luis Puenzo
  • M. Night Shyamalan
  • Marc Caro
  • Marcel Camus
  • Marcel Carne
  • Marcel Ophuls
  • Marcel Pagnol
  • Marco Tullio Giordana
  • Marguerite Duras
  • Mario Bava
  • Mark Robson
  • Marleen Gorris
  • Marlon Riggs
  • Martin Brest
  • Martin Scorsese
  • Maurice Pialat
  • Max Ophuls
  • Maya Deren
  • Mel Gibson
  • Melvin Van Peebles
  • Michael Curtiz
  • Michael Mann
  • Michael Tolkin
  • Michael Wadleigh
  • Mike Leigh
  • Mike Newell
  • Mike Nichols
  • Mikheil Kalatozishvili
  • Miklos Jancso
  • Milos Forman
  • Mohsen Makhmalbaf
  • Monte Hellman
  • Nanni Moretti
  • Neil Jordan
  • Nicholas Ray
  • Nicholas Roeg
  • Nick Broomfield
  • Norman Z. McLeod
  • Nuri Bilge Ceylan
  • Oliver Hirschbiegel
  • Oliver Stone
  • Orson Welles
  • Otto Preminger
  • Ousmane Sembene
  • P.J. Hogan
  • Paolo Taviani
  • Paul Auster
  • Paul Schrader
  • Paul Thomas Anderson
  • Paul Verhoeven
  • Pedro Almodovar
  • Peter Farrelly
  • Peter Greenaway
  • Peter Weir
  • Peter Yates
  • Quentin Tarantino
  • Radu Mihaileanu
  • Randal Kleiser
  • Raoul Walsh
  • Raul Ruiz
  • Remy Belvaux
  • Rene Clement
  • Richard Donner
  • Richard Marquand
  • Ridley Scott
  • Rob Minkoff
  • Robert Altman
  • Robert Hamer
  • Robert Rodriguez
  • Robert Siodmak
  • Robert Zemeckis
  • Roberto Rossellini
  • Roger Allers
  • Roland Emmerich
  • Roland Joffe
  • Ron Shelton
  • Ross McElwee
  • Russ Meyer
  • Sam Peckinpah
  • Samuel Fuller
  • Scott Hicks
  • Sean Penn
  • Sergei M. Eisenstein
  • Shirley Clarke
  • Shohei Imamura
  • Siu-Tung Ching
  • Souleymane Cisse
  • Spike Jonze
  • Spike Lee
  • Stan Winston
  • Stanley Kramer
  • Stanley Kubrick
  • Stanley Kwan
  • Stephan Elliott
  • Sydney Pollack
  • Terrence Malick
  • Terry Gilliam
  • Terry Zwigoff
  • Theo Angelopoulos
  • Thorold Dickinson
  • Tian Zhuangzhuang
  • Tobe Hooper
  • Todd Haynes
  • Todd Solondz
  • Tom Tykwer
  • Tony Scott
  • Victor Sjostrom
  • Vincent Gallo
  • Vincente Minnelli
  • Vittorio De Sica
  • Vittorio Taviani
  • Volker Schlondorff
  • Warren Beatty
  • Wayne Wang
  • Wes Anderson
  • Wes Craven
  • William A. Wellman
  • William Friedkin
  • William Wyler
  • Wim Wenders
  • Wolf Rilla
  • Wolfgang Becker
  • Wolfgang Petersen
  • Wong Kar-Wai
  • Woody Allen
  • Yash Chopra
  • Yasujiro Ozu
  • Yimou Zhang
  • Youssef Chahine
  • Zack Snyder

Blog Archive

  • ►  2014 (78)
    • ►  julio (13)
    • ►  junio (2)
    • ►  mayo (2)
    • ►  abril (6)
    • ►  marzo (16)
    • ►  febrero (22)
    • ►  enero (17)
  • ▼  2013 (219)
    • ►  diciembre (7)
    • ►  noviembre (23)
    • ►  octubre (23)
    • ►  septiembre (22)
    • ▼  agosto (18)
      • 913. The English Patient (1996)
      • 907. Independence Day (1996)
      • 236. Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951)
      • 230. Los Olvidados/The Young and the Damned (1950)
      • 228. All About Eve (1950)
      • 227. RIO GRANDE (1950)
      • 226. Winchester '73 (1950)
      • 915. Mononoke hime/Princess Mononoke (1997)
      • 917. The Butcher Boy (1997)
      • 914. Cheun gwong tsa sit/Happy Together (1997)
      • 919. The Sweet Hereafter (1997)
      • 924. Abre los ojos/Open Your Eyes (1997)
      • PINTREST
      • 225. RASHOMON (1950)
      • 223. Orphee/Orpheus (1950)
      • 212. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
      • 199. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
      • July 2013 Recap
    • ►  julio (7)
    • ►  junio (10)
    • ►  mayo (23)
    • ►  abril (26)
    • ►  marzo (35)
    • ►  febrero (20)
    • ►  enero (5)
  • ►  2012 (203)
    • ►  diciembre (10)
    • ►  noviembre (36)
    • ►  octubre (32)
    • ►  septiembre (28)
    • ►  agosto (17)
    • ►  julio (17)
    • ►  junio (33)
    • ►  mayo (30)
Con la tecnología de Blogger.

Datos personales

Unknown
Ver todo mi perfil