Chungking Express/Fallen Angels


We've fallen in love with movies made by the Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai. So, when the Amazon shipment arrived a home recently, a birthday gift to Connie, we quickly got into watching his two contemporary Hong Kong flicks, Chungking Express and Fallen Angels.

Super-hip cinematography, super-cool music, and tortured, sensitive characters are WKW trademarks.

In the mood for Love is still our most favorite WKW movie, but Chungking Express and Fallen Angels are definite favorites, with their edgy filming and cool music. The story lines are strange; but traditional plot is not exactly what you watch a WKW film for. The stories are more about character development, and you have to pay attention to the subtle acting that is typical of Asian actors -- subtle movements of face that communicate endless emotions and internal conflicts.

Chungking Express is our favorite of the two, simply because its so funny, in its tragic sort of way. At least the second sub-story is, with Faye Wong, and the endless playing of California Dreamin'! Fallen Angels is filmed entirely at night, and is an edgier story, about a killer and his agent (with a funny sub-story about a handsome but mute fellow that breaks into stores at nights and forcibly recruits customers!). Actually, its the sub-story that is the really poignant one in Fallen Angels.

Both these movies are worth viewing multiple times, just to gawk at the stunning filming. Coolest scenes of all? When he has the main actors act in super-slow motion in the foreground, while the background is moving at normal or high speed. Stunning to watch. Another WKW trademark? Slow motion filming when an actor is smoking, smoke drifting slowly upwards. Very subtle filming; in fact, at first you may not even notice that it's in slow motion, since the actors are keeping so still. But with the smoke magically drifting upwards ...

"Cool, because I'm cool"

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Posted: Sat - April 3, 2004 at 06:30 PM

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