Film Review by Michael Parent |
| My Blueberry Nights (Wong Kar-Wai, 2007) 8.9
First of all, I’m discovering contemporary Asian Cinema. The amount of amazing films from amazing directors of this part of the world is too much to handle for my part time reviews. I do the best I can to stay up to date. However, I’ve seen a lot of Kurosawa’s, some Ozu’s and Mizoguchi’s and others classics like Kwaidan, Sword of Doom and the Samurai triology. From Wong, I had only watched In the Mood For Love. But, looking forward to discover 2046, Chungkin Express, and Ashes of Time. As for the envouting In the Mood For Love, My Blueberry Night is a film highly aesthetic with rich and warm colors. The opening sequence is the best execution, with the constant looking through the glass of the restaurant. So on the side of the visual It can’t be more artistic than Wong. And he proves it again here. Somehow, My Blueberry Night is not as rafinate as In The Mood For Love. The story of the young Norah Jones (who excels in her first appearance here) is not as bone chilling as the isolated couple having a love affair. Maybe it’s the American scenery that reminded me rough Westerns of John Ford or maybe I was too groggy from the stunning visuals and I didn’t take attention enough on the characters and their motivations. Finally Wong didn’t make an American film to seduce the isolated American filmgoers and then reduce his work to empty inspiration. Let’s hope he’ll be an example to all those international directors that when they touch the Hills of Hollywood they change their style and loose their integrity… 2008-09-28 |