I was trying to introduce Chungking Express to a coworker of mine today. I think I sold it well, because at least at the end, he said he would check out the movie - or maybe he just wanted to politely shut me up.
I've always loved Chungking Express for three things: 1. Takeshi Kaneshiro's (金城武) good looks. 2. Those canned pinapple expired on 5/1/1994 3. That dripping towel
I have to say among these three things, the second one has the biggest influence on me - I am certainly thinking from a can of pineapple's point of view more often than before. See the thing is , if in your life, you have never been a can of pineapple that has expired or is going to expire soon, I believe you probably would just take another can of pineapple for granted. If you are lucky to be an expired can of pineapple for once in your life, your view of the world will be forever changed and that is a good thing.
I first decided to see this movie after seeing Edward Norton on tonight show promoting it. My friend, who's also fond of Edward Norton, went together with me. We braved the brutal weather in Feburary and drove to the only theater in town that showed the film. Needless to say that we right away fell in love with the incredily beautiful scenery of 1920s' Chinese countryside and the movie's lingering music. Speaking of its music, there are two soundtracks I have to mention: River Waltz and À la claire fontaine. River Waltz is included in the soudtrack CD, while the latter, a French folk song, sung by a Chinese singer, is not - but you can certainly find it online if you try. I just found it on youtube. So there you go:
Adapted from Maugham’s novel, it's about a love story that heads to tragic ending from the start. Having not read the novel myself, I don't think I'm qualified to judge whether it's a good adaptation. But I do appreciate a good love story when it comes. And like a lot of- if not majority of those classic love stories out there, the eternity of this love is effortlessly preserved/interruptted by death.
I'm not doubting Kitty's love for Walter at the end one bit and you won't, if you see the way she immersed herself in grave sorrow and remorse while Walter's body was being burried. And I totally understand what's behind Walter's revengeful mindset and why he initially suppressed it. Too proud to let his love for Kitty go, yet too kind to be a real revenger as he claims he would be, the character has tragedy written all over him. The way they fell back in love, or for Kitty's case, fell in love with Walter for the first time, is almost believable, considering that they were in an isolated and dangerous foreign land. You can almost connect with Kitty when she sobbed and yelled to Walter, "You have to forgive me...".But finally, it was Walter who asked for her forgiveness at the final moment of his life... Ah, the forever magic of forgiveness.. And that's probably one element I didn't quite understand yet.
I went to see Waitress Friday night. I didn't quite like it in the
beginning. I felt the dialogues could be less staged and it was too
obvious that Jenna and the doctor were put together for an affair. But
at the end, I'd say I kinda like it.
I
love those letters that Jenna wrote to her unborn baby. You have to
appreciate her wacky sense of humor and honesty in writing those
letters that start with "Dear damn baby". I wish I could find a script
of those letters. Some of the sentences are just too darn good.
The
scene that Jenna says to her husband that she hadn't loved him for
years is the best part of the movie. Her calmness and devil-may-care
attitude is so convincing. And to see how much her stupid husband was shocked is just icing on the cake. Better yet, she broke up with the
doctor in the same calm manner, only a little bit more grateful.
Written,
directed and starred by females, it's basically a by women, for women
movie. It feels like Jenna's own declaration of independence.
As it for me, seeing a woman close to my age going through the initial
phase of motherhood makes me think more about my own life at this moment
- as if I hadn't done that enough. And usually, I don't easily buy
that kind of my-life-was-turned-around-because-of-my-baby miracle. But
with Keri Russell's fine acting, I did.
