My Blueberry Nights - Latest Wong Kar-Wai Movie

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 16 Feb 2008, 00:39

I figured it was about time we had a trailer for this. It's the latest WKW film and WKW's English language debut.

It opens on the 22nd of February in the UK.

Trailer:

20Mb: http://movies.apple.com/movies/jp/movie ... ry/mbn.mov
Source: http://www.apple.com/jp/quicktime/trail ... k-ace/mbn/

Sorry it's the best trailer I can find. All the rest seem to be either You Tube or other Flash based streaming trailers.

The HK DVD is out, £9.99 before discounts: http://www.cd-wow.com/detail_results_2. ... de=2606918

No extras mentioned so far but DDD says it will have DTS:

http://www.dddhouse.com/v3/product_deta ... uctID=8190

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 25 Feb 2008, 22:16

This is showing in my local cinema. I'll try and see if I can see it tomorrow night. Is anyone else going to see it?

I'm not going to download the trailer for this one.

thelostdragon · Post by **thelostdragon** » 25 Feb 2008, 22:25

Don't know why, but I have no interest in this film.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 25 Feb 2008, 23:13

I do. It's Wong Kar-Wai!

I hear it's not as good as past films but it's still Wong Kar-Wai!

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 26 Feb 2008, 00:26

bradavon wrote:I do. It's Wong Kar-Wai!

I hear it's not as good as past films but it's still Wong Kar-Wai!

I've learned that the early reviews of WKW movies never mean much. Pretty much all of WKW's movies get better and better the more you watch them, and even masterpieces like in The Mood For Love and Ashes of Time etc, got a bunch of mediocre reviews when they first came out, by people who just didnt find it interesting, or didnt get it, or whatever.

That being said, I'm feeling a bit the same as LD about this movie. It just doesnt seem very interesting and I'm not all that interested and curious to see it.
Not sure why. When I think of WKW I think of asian settings and asian actors etc...
Maybe I'm just not confident enough that 'the magic' will be there when everything is in a language that isnt WKW's own, or I just have doubts about the cast or the story.

I just much rather see WKW do movies with an asian cast in an asian setting.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 26 Feb 2008, 01:11

This is WKW's first English language film, a territory he's not used to working in. WKW would never been given the creative freedom he was in 2046 in a Western film.

That does add an element of concern but like I said I'll hopefully be seeing it tomorrow night. The HK DVD doesn't look anything special (awful cover art and no extras doesn't bode well) so I'll probably wait for a better Disc.

It just doesnt seem very interesting.

The best WKW films don't sound too interesting on paper.

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 26 Feb 2008, 02:08

bradavon wrote:This is WKW's first English language film, a territory he's not used to working in. WKW would never been given the creative freedom he was in 2046 in a Western film.

That does add an element of concern but like I said I'll hopefully be seeing it tomorrow night. The HK DVD doesn't look anything special (awful cover art and no extras doesn't bode well) so I'll probably wait for a better Disc.

It just doesnt seem very interesting.
The best WKW films don't sound too interesting on paper.

Hmmm... maybe... but in all of those WKW movies the story was mostly from a male perspective, so I, as a guy, could relate.
A man who has been left by his mother, depressed, and affraid to love and lose again (Days of Being Wild)
A movie about regret (Ashes of Time)
A movie about loving a person who at the same time isnt compatible (Happy Together)
A movie about falling into an inpossible love that cant be consumed (ITMFL)
Dealing with a love that was never consumed, regret, getting over it, etc (2046)

Blueberry Nights, from what I understand, is about a chick in search of herself, a roadmovie, etc.

It could be great, I dont know. From what I've seen and read about it, it just doesnt really grab me yet. 2046 I wanted to see after only seeing 5 seconds of the trailer. ITMFL same thing. This one!? Meh...

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 26 Feb 2008, 02:19

You've missed out Chungking Express. That had a women at the centre of one of it's stories.

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 26 Feb 2008, 02:33

bradavon wrote:You've missed out Chungking Express. That had a women at the centre of one of it's stories.

I know, and Fallen Angels as well.
But in Chung King Express you could relate to Takashi Kaneshiro after he got dumpedm, and relate to Tony after HE got dumped.
But I did leave that movie out because Faye Wong grabs the spotlights and steals every scene she's in, and yeah, dont know why. It's just less 'deep' than the other movies I did mention. It kinda asks less 'investment' from the viewer into the characters and their motives.

Fallen Angels I dont love. It's a well made, great looking and sounding flick, but there are no characters that are really appealing or attractive, so you wont really care about any of them. So that's why left that one out.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 26 Feb 2008, 03:00

Haven't read a single good review for this... Wong is a highly uneven director even in his native land and it seems like this venture may be one of the lows. I'll pass.

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 26 Feb 2008, 03:04

I hear it shares many themes with Chungking Express and somewhat a similar storyline.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 26 Feb 2008, 03:24

CKE was middling WKW so I'm not really desperate to see an English language redux. But do let us know what you think when you see it.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 26 Feb 2008, 09:49

CKE is a classic, I love it

I didnt even know Blueberry Nights was WKW until you told us Brad

Shingster · Post by **Shingster** » 26 Feb 2008, 10:47

Markgway wrote:CKE was middling WKW so I'm not really desperate to see an English language redux. But do let us know what you think when you see it.

Which of his films do you consider higher than "middling"?

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 26 Feb 2008, 12:05

Days of Being Wild, Ashes of Time, happy Together and ITMFL are all more interesting and IMHO better than CE.

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 26 Feb 2008, 18:15

Shingster wrote:Which of his films do you consider higher than "middling"?

Days of Being Wild & In the Mood For Love

Markgway · Post by **Markgway** » 26 Feb 2008, 18:17

Out of ****

As Tears Go By **
Days of Being Wild ***.5
Chung King Express **.5
Ashes of Time **.5
Fallen Angels **
Happy Together *.5
In the Mood For Love ***.5
2046 **.5

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 26 Feb 2008, 18:59

I've yet to see:

Fallen Angels
Happy Together
Eros

I have them on DVD and was funnily enough planning to see them soon. But otherwise I've found them all excellent except for:

As Tears Go By which was pretty dull. WKW's worst film and not all that good at all really.
Days of Being Wild which was only okay - I don't get why Yi loves it so much.
Ashes of Time but that's a lot to do with the disastrous DVD I had to sit through, the subtitles were a nightmare to read. It's also the only film of his (except for MBN) I don't have on DVD. I sold it recently on eBay. I'm discounting this one as I really need to see it again. It showed lots of potential though.

In the Mood for Love
2046

Are both particularly excellent. Chungking Express is also very good too. It's WKW's third best film IMO.

p.s - I'll let you guys know what I think of MBN. I'm off to see it in an hour.

grim_tales · Post by **grim_tales** » 26 Feb 2008, 19:47

Fallen Angels is very good though I think CKE is more accessible

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 26 Feb 2008, 20:45

Days of Being Wild I feel is his very best work, but it is true that I didnt think it was amazing the first time I watched it. When you first watch it, it's good but not great. But there was stuff in Yuddi (Leslie's character) that I recognized, and the brilliant acting by Leslie made me rewatch it again and again, and the movie got better and better each time I watched it (as is the case with most WKW movies)

I love that movie.

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 26 Feb 2008, 23:04

FFS Brad, sit down and watch Fallen Angels and Happy Together. You have no excuse not to now that you're on welfare.

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 26 Feb 2008, 23:14

EvaUnit02 wrote:FFS Brad, sit down and watch Fallen Angels and Happy Together. You have no excuse not to now that you're on welfare.

Happy Together doesnt have a decent DVD release, so that's an excuse.

I'm also on welfare btw, but sadly I watch surprisingly few movies... which is a shame. I should watch Paprika this week.

EvaUnit02 · Post by **EvaUnit02** » 26 Feb 2008, 23:16

There's at least three, including the R1 SE, which Brad own.

Yi-Long · Post by **Yi-Long** » 26 Feb 2008, 23:19

EvaUnit02 wrote:There's at least three, including the R1 SE, which Brad own.

Really? I thought pretty much all releases of HT sucked. Might pick one up then...

bradavon · Post by **bradavon** » 26 Feb 2008, 23:37

EvaUnit02 wrote:You have no excuse not to now that you're on welfare.

I ask you stop bringing that up every two minutes thank you very much. I don't need remind of it.

As I've already told you I will soon, they're both actually on my to watch list. I've watched some very good films lately (such as Misery) and will get to them when I do. I actually plan to watch DOBW first again before moving on to Fallen Angels, Happy Together then Eros.

Yi-Long wrote:Really? I thought pretty much all releases of HT sucked. Might pick one up then...

Only Ashes of Time still has a DVD that sucks.

As to Happy Together: Avoid the UK DVD at all costs as it has woeful PQ but the R1 SE is decent, as is the HK LE (but it costs a fortune) and so is the R4. I think that's the third DVD Eva is referring too.

I own the R1 box set which is an easy and relatively cheap way to own most of WKW's work.

I may end up selling it though and re-buying the ones I like. Especially when I didn't think much of As Tears Go By, currently Days of Being Wild and also have the Chungking Express/Fallen Angels 2 Disc Remastered Korean DVD, which has fantastic PQ.

If I continue to dislike Days of Being Wild I'll just need to re-buy Happy Together.