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这是一篇关于《春光乍泄》的评论

　　Romeo and Lady Macbeth

　　by John A Nesbit

　　Hong Kong's famous art-house filmmaker, Kar-wai Wong, began gaining acclaim after his innovative Chungking Express and Fallen Angels, but he hit the big time in 1997, when he took home the Director award at the Cannes Festival for Happy Together (Cheun gwong tsa sit).

　　Wong has become famous for his dynamic cinematic style and his preference for improvisation, eschewing a written script and working only with a broad concept. Improvising creatively with the camera (and finding ways to put that raw footage together) isn't the easiest way to work. Wong's filmmaking methods require a team that can react instinctively and understand his vision.

　　You'll see that Wong retains the same cinematographer (Christopher Doyle) and the same editor (William Chang) in all his movies since Ashes of Time, from 1994. Wong remains stylistically consistent: experimenting with film stock, looking for interesting juxtapositions, having characters talk to themselves, and playing on familiar themes of loneliness and unrequited love.

　　Like other Wong films, don't expect much action, as again he treats the audience to an introverted in-depth examination of characters and their relationships. Chungking Express's Tony Leung returns to play Lai Yiu-fai, a loyal and sensitive man who is generally lonely and unhappy. From Wong's Ashes of Time, Hong Kong actor Leslie Cheung plays Yiu-fai's lover, Ho Po-wing, a promiscuous party animal who's always up for sexual adventure.

　　Even from the beginning, their relationship seems doomed. Yiu-fai speaks to himself about the many times they have broken up; Po-wing eventually says they can “start over.” Now they plan to “start over” by visiting the Iguaçu Falls in Argentina. Things go badly from the beginning—the two tourists get lost and find themselves stranded on a desolate highway outside of Buenos Aires. Po-wing abandons Yiu-fai for being “boring.”

　　Out of money, Yiu-fai takes a menial job as a doorman outside a Buenos Aires tango club, where he eventually sees his former lover enter the club with a few “white trash” men cruising for sex. Once again, Yiu-fai demonstrates the pained look of a typical jilted lover, as he watches Po-wing demonstratively kissing one of his newfound friends. Cut later to a pensive and sad Yiu-fai, alone in his rented room, clad in only his underwear and pounding his wall in frustration.

　　However, he resolves to detach himself from his obsessive love with a man who will never return his loyalty, and Yiu-fai sticks to his guns when Po-wing calls him and wants to “start over” again. The two former lovers engage in an angry shouting match and a non-sexual physical struggle, with Yiu-fai walking out this time. Surprise—this time the promiscuous, wild Po-wing is left behind to cry his eyes out.

　　It's like Yiu-fai later says: “Turns out that lonely people are all the same.” Though more outgoing and having had far more sexual partners than Yiu-fai, Po-wing desires an intimate relationship to escape his loneliness too, but has no idea how to maintain such a relationship.

　　For some, Wong's style will seem tedious (where's the action?) but I find his work fascinating. No one does the "unrequited love" theme better. The more recent In the Mood for Love (with Tony Leung) deals with this as well. Not only does unrequited love exist with the two main characters, but this also develops between Yiu-fai and Chang (Chen Chang).

　　Wong slowly develops Yiu-fai's relationship with Chang, just like it would happen in real life, and the ambiguities are numerous.

　　Wong also draws supreme acting performances from his lead actors. While Leslie Cheung exhibits authentic roller coaster moments between longing, obsession, and frustration, Tony Leung is cast as the central figure.

　　Leung acts from the inside; you can read his emotions through subtle body language, and especially through the eyes—it's always the eyes with him. Even scenes that require physicality, like the fights he has with Leslie Cheung's character, don't happen abruptly (Leung builds up to these moments naturally and underplays them). And when the tears come, they emerge naturally, making me wonder from what part of Leung's soul he dredges these moments from as Wong rolls the camera.

　　Happy Together demonstrates the best that movies have to offer: fine acting and creative visuals that offer insights into character that linger long after seeing the film, all with the power to touch the heart
　　来源：http://www.outrate.net/outratehappytogether.html

　　然后是《霸王别姬》

　　Farewell My Concubine spans fifty-three years, presenting the lives of two men against the historical backdrop of a country in upheaval. Initially banned in China but shown to international acclaim, Chen Kaige's film is one of the year's true masterpieces. Deserving of its award at Cannes and of its prominent position in 1993's New York Film Festival, Farewell My Concubine is a motion picture experience that few will soon forget after leaving the theater.

　　In 1924 Beijing, the youthful Douzi and Shitou are brought together under the thumb of the strict master of a small acting troupe. It quickly becomes apparent that these are the most talented of the master's pupils, and he pushes them harder than his other students. Thirteen years later, their suffering has paid off. Douzi, now going by the name of Chen Dieyi (Leslie Cheung), and Shitou, called Duan Xiaolou (Zhang Fengyi), are major opera stars, and their production, "Farewell My Concubine" is nationally known. The two are inseparable, until the woman Juxian (Gong Li) comes between them.

　　Farewell My Concubine is neatly divided into eight chapters, including a 1977 prologue and epilogue that bookend the story. Each section represents a different era in Chinese history and the lives of the characters. The historical background from the time of the Warlords through the Cultural Revolution, including the Japanese invasion of 1937 and the Communist takeover, is integral to the plot.

　　The first portion of the film is devoted to the early lives of Dieyi and Xiaolou as they form an unshakable bond under the often-cruel punishments of their master. Years later, when we meet them again as well-known actors, the bond has only strengthened. These two are as close as men can be - yet Dieyi wishes for even greater intimacy. The subject of homosexuality is only once overtly referred to in Farewell My Concubine, but its presence is never far from the surface. While Xiaolou remains blissfully unaware of the nature of his friend's love, Dieyi is tortured by it. The introduction of Juxian, a prostitute who becomes Xiaolou's companion, creates a moral dilemma for Dieyi that he is unable to fully resolve. Chen Kaige has done a fabulous job portraying these various relationships with depth, sensitivity, and realism. This is a real and powerful illustration of human interaction that depicts layers of hatred and love.

　　Dieyi is the most fascinating character. From the beginning, his sense of identity is confused. Not only is he attracted to men, but his role as a woman in "Farewell My Concubine" creates a certain ambivalence about his own gender. In childhood, the refrain of "I am a girl" is drilled into him so that he can effectively assume the role of the concubine in the opera but, as another character observes, the line between reality and acting has become blurred. Dieyi has a prostitute for a mother, is raped by an old man, and has his best friend stolen from him by a woman. It's no wonder that his soul is so tortured.

　　Xiaolou has a more straightforward personality, at least on the surface. Nevertheless, through his ever-changing relationships with Dieyi and Juxian, he proves that this apparent simplicity often hides strong undercurrents. One of his actions ultimately propels the movie to its literal and emotional climax.

　　Juxian appears to be little more than a scheming whore frantic to capture a wealthy husband but, like everyone else, she is capable of a few surprises, including an entirely-unexpected streak of kindness towards Dieyi, who shows her nothing but contempt. Starting out as a wedge between the two friends, Juxian ends up a crucial element in their relationship.

　　The only member of the cast likely to be known to (some) American viewers is Gong Li, whose credits include Raise the Red Lantern and The Story of Qui Ju. She is, as usual, excellent, but no more so than her two co-stars, both of whom effectively realize difficult and complex personalities. For the supporting actors, there's not a weak performance to be found.

　　It's no wonder that this film was initially banned in China (although the government eventually relented and there was one showing; more may be forthcoming). The Communist movement is not shown in a positive light. While not specifically a force for evil, Communist attitudes contribute to one of the movie's most emotionally-shocking scenes. Those unfamiliar with twentieth-century Chinese history are in for a crash course. No film can ever hope to convey the complex mosaic of cultural upheaval caused by everything that happened between 1924 and 1977, but Farewell My Concubine does an excellent job presenting samples of the flavor while telling a story that is both epic and intimate.
　　来源：http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/f/farewell_conc.html

　　《阿飞正传》

　　Though this was Wong Kar-Wai's second film, it could easily be said that this was the one that started it all. Days of Being Wild possesses all the trademarks of Hong Kong's celebrated auteur: heavy doses of post-modern reflection, characters mired in paralyzing existentialism, exquisite cinematography, exacting pacing, sultry atmosphere, and an entirely too obvious "art film" air. For every person who swears this is a Hong Kong Cinema masterpiece, you'll find someone who decrys the film as boring and pretentious. And really, it's hard not to see the merit of either case.
　　The film's story is nothing too special. Leslie Cheung stars as York, a well-off layabout in 1960 Hong Kong. York is as charismatic as he is despicably selfish; his typical deal is to draw women around him into his self-centered web, only to betray them emotionally. The first victim we see is a shy girl from Macau named So Lai-Chun (Maggie Chueng), who he charms with the immortal line that for one minute on April 16th, 1960, the two were friends. Sadly, his affections prove fleeting and destructive. Lai-Chun realizes too soon that York only loves himself, and is quick to leave.
　　However, the damage has been done. Despite realizing York's inability to really care for her, she's driven into a romantic tailspin. Now unable to sleep and suffering from heartbreak, she finds solace in the platonic company of a beat cop (Andy Lau) who wanders the night streets in an entirely too-calm manner. He ends up developing his own minor attachment to Lai-Chun, but the moment is never realized.
　　Meanwhile, York has moved onto Mimi, a sassy cabaret dancer played with scenery-chewing flair by Carina Lau. Unlike Lai-Chun, Mimi is seemingly willful, but her apparent strength is not what it seems. When York jilts her, her reaction is pathetic, and yet painfully real. Her irrational desire to retain York's affections draws in York's friend (Jacky Cheung), who harbors his own requited affection for Mimi. Despite her obvious disdain, he pines after her in his own pathetic manner. And, since it's a Hong Kong summer, it's incessantly hot, muggy and rainy. It's almost out of a screenwriting textbook.
　　What's the purpose of this extended soap opera? For many, it could be the obvious existentialism of it all. Love grows and fades, people behave in disgustingly real ways, and nobody does anything remotely heroic or inspiring. It points to the maddening circle of human emotions, which leads from heartbreak to self-doubt and possibly even the onset of delusion. It's as depressing as it is real, which is why it's obviously an "art film." This is where some people decide to walk out and vow never to support Wong Kar-Wai ever again.
　　The apparent genesis of York's selfish (and ultimately self-destructive) behavior seems to be the apparent rejection by his real mother, who left him with a Hong Kong prostitute (Rebecca Pan). One could immediately decide that this is the reason behind York's entire modus operandi: a self-indulgent mother-complex. It's like something in a bad TV drama; if people were to decry the narrative as obvious and uninspiring, they probably wouldn't be wrong.
　　But, that would be the most likely reasoning if the film made its narrative the primary concern. In Days of Being Wild, and indeed in every other Wong Kar-Wai film, the narrative is really the last thing on the director's mind. What concerns him are the details: atmosphere, setting, fleeting emotion, and the terrible preciousness of memory. The physical details of the film are exquisite, such as the way Maggie Cheung's hair falls in front of her face, or the precision with which Leslie Cheung combs his hair. Wong shows so much of his characters through his choices, be they with the actors or with the camera. There is an appreciable artistry to the way he and cinematographer Christopher Doyle frame their shots, creating a divide or an intimacy through exact spacing. Wong uses his infamous voice-over exposition too, but unlike in Chungking Express or Fallen Angels, the device is used sparingly. He wisely gets his actors and his scenes to do the telling.
　　Wong's obvious use of style and technique creates the immediate impression that this is "art," thus alienating a good portion of the audience. Then again, the skill and emotional weight with which he pulls it off is remarkable. It's not hard to be drawn into the lives of these characters, who are so unmovie-like as to be patently bothersome. Everything the characters go through simply happens, and isn't the result of some cathartic response to onscreen stimuli. His actors are uniformly impressive in that no artifice exists to their craft. It's amazing that a director can take mega popstars and wring such naked performances from them, but that's exactly what he does. It's a process that takes patience and retake after retake. His isn't a job for a person with a short attention span.
　　Still, asking the audience to appreciate Wong's creation is not an easy task. Days of Being Wild is a film that rewards only as much as the viewer is willing to put in. If you walk in expecting the movie to tell you something, then you'll probably not be happy. This is a movie to discover, and indeed the film improves the more one views it. As mentioned previously, one could view Days of Being Wild and decide that it's just pretentious existentialism with a too obvious message. However, there are undoubtedly those who will find much, much more in the details Wong has so carefully put together. This is a movie which varies depending on individual taste—the exact antithesis of commercial filmmaking. And like the film or not, this much is certain: not many people could make a movie like Wong Kar-Wai.
　　来源：http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews/days_of_being_wild.htm

　　《胭脂扣》
　　My copy of this film has no subtitles, but it doesn't really matter. Leslie and Anita have two of the most expressive faces in the acting biz, and two of the best voices as well, both singing and speaking. So the drama and the emotion come through achingly clearly without understanding the dialogue.

　　Of course, having already seen it I know what the story is, which does help. But it's a fairly simple story, albeit one drenched with emotion. Anita plays Yuet Fa, a high class courtesan in a 1930s brothel, while Leslie is the scion of a respectable family who courts her. Their love, and his aspirations to perform in Cantonese opera, displease his family, and so the couple plan to commit suicide together by eating opium. An appropriately decadent ending for a decadent time.

　　The film cuts between the back story and the 1980s, with the ghostly Yuet Fa searching for the lover she hoped to find in the underworld. She enlists the help of a modern couple, which necessitated the casting for some absurd reason of the rather fluffy and annoying Emily Chu. Ick.

　　The first scene, in which Leslie enters a room where Yuet Fa is singing, is electric. Yuet Fa is dressed as a man, but nonetheless engages in a subtle seduction of Leslie (something that few of us with a pulse could resist). The two, both sultry in the extreme, exchange smouldering glances, and the sexual tension is almost visible in the air. Their subsequent encounters, though often less overt, are still heady with seduction. This was one of Anita's first films, and she is perfectly cast as the elegant "sour beauty". It's easy to believe that men would pay handsomely just to be allowed to touch her legs, as she moves with a langorous grace and uses her eyes to great effect.

　　Although a tad slow at times, this is still a fine film, with the two leads mesmerising in their respective roles. It's also worth watching for the historical sets: there's a particularly fine art deco mirror that I coveted mightily, as well as a huge brass bed that was a present from the young master. Despite the luscious presence of Anita, though, this is not a boy film: chick flick and proud of it, so keep those tissues handy.
　　来源：http://www.heroic-cinema.com/reviews/rouge

　　《英雄本色》
　　Review by Sanjuro:
　　Every so often in film history, an accomplished director and a talented actor will become friends and team up for a variety of pictures, thrilling moviegoers in film after film. John Ford and John Wayne, Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune, and Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro are all good examples. A Better Tomorrow adds to that illustrious list, boasting yet another inspired duo: director John Woo and star Chow Yun-Fat. For John Woo, the film marked the revival of a then-sagging career. And while costar Ti Lung got a similar John Travolta-style career boost, it was Chow Yun-Fat who gained the most from the collaboration as he ascended from mere dramatic actor to a certifiable icon.
　　The plot of this 1986 film centers on the lives of HK gangsters Ho (Ti Lung) and Mark (Chow Yun-Fat), two triads living the highlife due to their involvement in a counterfeiting scheme. Ho's younger sibling Kit (Leslie Cheung) adores his elder brother, but before long the two become separated by their professions. While Ho's a slick crook, Kit's quite the opposite: a police academy hopeful with something to prove. Despite his criminal ties, Ho vows to walk the straight and narrow for Kit's sake, but is instead double-crossed on that proverbial "last job" and sent to prison. Adding insult to injury, Ho and Kit are horrified to find that a hitman has murdered their father due to Ho's shady connections, thereby creating a significant rift between the formerly close brothers. And though super-cool gangster Mark avenges his imprisoned comrade in a fantastic guns-a-blazin' revenge sequence, the deed comes at a price: Mark's leg is crippled by an errant bullet.
　　Time passes, but old wounds do not heal. With his chances for promotion shot straight to hell due to his brother's checkered past, Kit is a cop on a mission with a huge chip on his shoulder. In addition, poor Mark has fallen from grace in the organization becoming more or less a janitor due to his hobbling injury...
　　来源：http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/better_tomorrow.htm

　　《倩女幽魂》
　　来源：http://www.kungfucinema.com/reviews/chineseghoststory.htm

这是一篇关于《春光乍泄》的评论

Romeo and Lady Macbeth

by John A Nesbit

Hong Kong's famous art-house filmmaker, Kar-wai Wong, began gaining acclaim after his innovative Chungking Express and Fallen Angels, but he hit the big time in 1997, when he took home the Director award at the Cannes Festival for Happy Together (Cheun gwong tsa sit).

Wong has become famous for his dynamic cinematic style and his preference for improvisation, eschewing a written script and working only with a broad concept. Improvising creatively with the camera (and finding ways to put that raw footage together) isn't the easiest way to work. Wong's filmmaking methods require a team that can react instinctively and understand his vision.

You'll see that Wong retains the same cinematographer (Christopher Doyle) and the same editor (William Chang) in all his movies since Ashes of Time, from 1994. Wong remains stylistically consistent: experimenting with film stock, looking for interesting juxtapositions, having characters talk to themselves, and playing on familiar themes of loneliness and unrequited love.

Like other Wong films, don't expect much action, as again he treats the audience to an introverted in-depth examination of characters and their relationships. Chungking Express's Tony Leung returns to play Lai Yiu-fai, a loyal and sensitive man who is generally lonely and unhappy. From Wong's Ashes of Time, Hong Kong actor Leslie Cheung plays Yiu-fai's lover, Ho Po-wing, a promiscuous party animal who's always up for sexual adventure.

Even from the beginning, their relationship seems doomed. Yiu-fai speaks to himself about the many times they have broken up; Po-wing eventually says they can “start over.” Now they plan to “start over” by visiting the Iguaçu Falls in Argentina. Things go badly from the beginning—the two tourists get lost and find themselves stranded on a desolate highway outside of Buenos Aires. Po-wing abandons Yiu-fai for being “boring.”

Out of money, Yiu-fai takes a menial job as a doorman outside a Buenos Aires tango club, where he eventually sees his former lover enter the club with a few “white trash” men cruising for sex. Once again, Yiu-fai demonstrates the pained look of a typical jilted lover, as he watches Po-wing demonstratively kissing one of his newfound friends. Cut later to a pensive and sad Yiu-fai, alone in his rented room, clad in only his underwear and pounding his wall in frustration.

However, he resolves to detach himself from his obsessive love with a man who will never return his loyalty, and Yiu-fai sticks to his guns when Po-wing calls him and wants to “start over” again. The two former lovers engage in an angry shouting match and a non-sexual physical struggle, with Yiu-fai walking out this time. Surprise—this time the promiscuous, wild Po-wing is left behind to cry his eyes out.

It's like Yiu-fai later says: “Turns out that lonely people are all the same.” Though more outgoing and having had far more sexual partners than Yiu-fai, Po-wing desires an intimate relationship to escape his loneliness too, but has no idea how to maintain such a relationship.

For some, Wong's style will seem tedious (where's the action?) but I find his work fascinating. No one does the "unrequited love" theme better. The more recent In the Mood for Love (with Tony Leung) deals with this as well. Not only does unrequited love exist with the two main characters, but this also develops between Yiu-fai and Chang (Chen Chang).

Wong slowly develops Yiu-fai's relationship with Chang, just like it would happen in real life, and the ambiguities are numerous.

Wong also draws supreme acting performances from his lead actors. While Leslie Cheung exhibits authentic roller coaster moments between longing, obsession, and frustration, Tony Leung is cast as the central figure.

Leung acts from the inside; you can read his emotions through subtle body language, and especially through the eyes—it's always the eyes with him. Even scenes that require physicality, like the fights he has with Leslie Cheung's character, don't happen abruptly (Leung builds up to these moments naturally and underplays them). And when the tears come, they emerge naturally, making me wonder from what part of Leung's soul he dredges these moments from as Wong rolls the camera.

Happy Together demonstrates the best that movies have to offer: fine acting and creative visuals that offer insights into character that linger long after seeing the film, all with the power to touch the heart
来源：http://www.outrate.net/outratehappytogether.html

然后是《霸王别姬》

Farewell My Concubine spans fifty-three years, presenting the lives of two men against the historical backdrop of a country in upheaval. Initially banned in China but shown to international acclaim, Chen Kaige's film is one of the year's true masterpieces. Deserving of its award at Cannes and of its prominent position in 1993's New York Film Festival, Farewell My Concubine is a motion picture experience that few will soon forget after leaving the theater.

In 1924 Beijing, the youthful Douzi and Shitou are brought together under the thumb of the strict master of a small acting troupe. It quickly becomes apparent that these are the most talented of the master's pupils, and he pushes them harder than his other students. Thirteen years later, their suffering has paid off. Douzi, now going by the name of Chen Dieyi (Leslie Cheung), and Shitou, called Duan Xiaolou (Zhang Fengyi), are major opera stars, and their production, "Farewell My Concubine" is nationally known. The two are inseparable, until the woman Juxian (Gong Li) comes between them.

Farewell My Concubine is neatly divided into eight chapters, including a 1977 prologue and epilogue that bookend the story. Each section represents a different era in Chinese history and the lives of the characters. The historical background from the time of the Warlords through the Cultural Revolution, including the Japanese invasion of 1937 and the Communist takeover, is integral to the plot.

The first portion of the film is devoted to the early lives of Dieyi and Xiaolou as they form an unshakable bond under the often-cruel punishments of their master. Years later, when we meet them again as well-known actors, the bond has only strengthened. These two are as close as men can be - yet Dieyi wishes for even greater intimacy. The subject of homosexuality is only once overtly referred to in Farewell My Concubine, but its presence is never far from the surface. While Xiaolou remains blissfully unaware of the nature of his friend's love, Dieyi is tortured by it. The introduction of Juxian, a prostitute who becomes Xiaolou's companion, creates a moral dilemma for Dieyi that he is unable to fully resolve. Chen Kaige has done a fabulous job portraying these various relationships with depth, sensitivity, and realism. This is a real and powerful illustration of human interaction that depicts layers of hatred and love.

Dieyi is the most fascinating character. From the beginning, his sense of identity is confused. Not only is he attracted to men, but his role as a woman in "Farewell My Concubine" creates a certain ambivalence about his own gender. In childhood, the refrain of "I am a girl" is drilled into him so that he can effectively assume the role of the concubine in the opera but, as another character observes, the line between reality and acting has become blurred. Dieyi has a prostitute for a mother, is raped by an old man, and has his best friend stolen from him by a woman. It's no wonder that his soul is so tortured.

Xiaolou has a more straightforward personality, at least on the surface. Nevertheless, through his ever-changing relationships with Dieyi and Juxian, he proves that this apparent simplicity often hides strong undercurrents. One of his actions ultimately propels the movie to its literal and emotional climax.

Juxian appears to be little more than a scheming whore frantic to capture a wealthy husband but, like everyone else, she is capable of a few surprises, including an entirely-unexpected streak of kindness towards Dieyi, who shows her nothing but contempt. Starting out as a wedge between the two friends, Juxian ends up a crucial element in their relationship.

The only member of the cast likely to be known to (some) American viewers is Gong Li, whose credits include Raise the Red Lantern and The Story of Qui Ju. She is, as usual, excellent, but no more so than her two co-stars, both of whom effectively realize difficult and complex personalities. For the supporting actors, there's not a weak performance to be found.

It's no wonder that this film was initially banned in China (although the government eventually relented and there was one showing; more may be forthcoming). The Communist movement is not shown in a positive light. While not specifically a force for evil, Communist attitudes contribute to one of the movie's most emotionally-shocking scenes. Those unfamiliar with twentieth-century Chinese history are in for a crash course. No film can ever hope to convey the complex mosaic of cultural upheaval caused by everything that happened between 1924 and 1977, but Farewell My Concubine does an excellent job presenting samples of the flavor while telling a story that is both epic and intimate.
来源：http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/f/farewell_conc.html

《阿飞正传》

Though this was Wong Kar-Wai's second film, it could easily be said that this was the one that started it all. Days of Being Wild possesses all the trademarks of Hong Kong's celebrated auteur: heavy doses of post-modern reflection, characters mired in paralyzing existentialism, exquisite cinematography, exacting pacing, sultry atmosphere, and an entirely too obvious "art film" air. For every person who swears this is a Hong Kong Cinema masterpiece, you'll find someone who decrys the film as boring and pretentious. And really, it's hard not to see the merit of either case.
The film's story is nothing too special. Leslie Cheung stars as York, a well-off layabout in 1960 Hong Kong. York is as charismatic as he is despicably selfish; his typical deal is to draw women around him into his self-centered web, only to betray them emotionally. The first victim we see is a shy girl from Macau named So Lai-Chun (Maggie Chueng), who he charms with the immortal line that for one minute on April 16th, 1960, the two were friends. Sadly, his affections prove fleeting and destructive. Lai-Chun realizes too soon that York only loves himself, and is quick to leave.
However, the damage has been done. Despite realizing York's inability to really care for her, she's driven into a romantic tailspin. Now unable to sleep and suffering from heartbreak, she finds solace in the platonic company of a beat cop (Andy Lau) who wanders the night streets in an entirely too-calm manner. He ends up developing his own minor attachment to Lai-Chun, but the moment is never realized.
Meanwhile, York has moved onto Mimi, a sassy cabaret dancer played with scenery-chewing flair by Carina Lau. Unlike Lai-Chun, Mimi is seemingly willful, but her apparent strength is not what it seems. When York jilts her, her reaction is pathetic, and yet painfully real. Her irrational desire to retain York's affections draws in York's friend (Jacky Cheung), who harbors his own requited affection for Mimi. Despite her obvious disdain, he pines after her in his own pathetic manner. And, since it's a Hong Kong summer, it's incessantly hot, muggy and rainy. It's almost out of a screenwriting textbook.
What's the purpose of this extended soap opera? For many, it could be the obvious existentialism of it all. Love grows and fades, people behave in disgustingly real ways, and nobody does anything remotely heroic or inspiring. It points to the maddening circle of human emotions, which leads from heartbreak to self-doubt and possibly even the onset of delusion. It's as depressing as it is real, which is why it's obviously an "art film." This is where some people decide to walk out and vow never to support Wong Kar-Wai ever again.
The apparent genesis of York's selfish (and ultimately self-destructive) behavior seems to be the apparent rejection by his real mother, who left him with a Hong Kong prostitute (Rebecca Pan). One could immediately decide that this is the reason behind York's entire modus operandi: a self-indulgent mother-complex. It's like something in a bad TV drama; if people were to decry the narrative as obvious and uninspiring, they probably wouldn't be wrong.
But, that would be the most likely reasoning if the film made its narrative the primary concern. In Days of Being Wild, and indeed in every other Wong Kar-Wai film, the narrative is really the last thing on the director's mind. What concerns him are the details: atmosphere, setting, fleeting emotion, and the terrible preciousness of memory. The physical details of the film are exquisite, such as the way Maggie Cheung's hair falls in front of her face, or the precision with which Leslie Cheung combs his hair. Wong shows so much of his characters through his choices, be they with the actors or with the camera. There is an appreciable artistry to the way he and cinematographer Christopher Doyle frame their shots, creating a divide or an intimacy through exact spacing. Wong uses his infamous voice-over exposition too, but unlike in Chungking Express or Fallen Angels, the device is used sparingly. He wisely gets his actors and his scenes to do the telling.
Wong's obvious use of style and technique creates the immediate impression that this is "art," thus alienating a good portion of the audience. Then again, the skill and emotional weight with which he pulls it off is remarkable. It's not hard to be drawn into the lives of these characters, who are so unmovie-like as to be patently bothersome. Everything the characters go through simply happens, and isn't the result of some cathartic response to onscreen stimuli. His actors are uniformly impressive in that no artifice exists to their craft. It's amazing that a director can take mega popstars and wring such naked performances from them, but that's exactly what he does. It's a process that takes patience and retake after retake. His isn't a job for a person with a short attention span.
Still, asking the audience to appreciate Wong's creation is not an easy task. Days of Being Wild is a film that rewards only as much as the viewer is willing to put in. If you walk in expecting the movie to tell you something, then you'll probably not be happy. This is a movie to discover, and indeed the film improves the more one views it. As mentioned previously, one could view Days of Being Wild and decide that it's just pretentious existentialism with a too obvious message. However, there are undoubtedly those who will find much, much more in the details Wong has so carefully put together. This is a movie which varies depending on individual taste—the exact antithesis of commercial filmmaking. And like the film or not, this much is certain: not many people could make a movie like Wong Kar-Wai.
来源：http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews/days_of_being_wild.htm

《胭脂扣》
My copy of this film has no subtitles, but it doesn't really matter. Leslie and Anita have two of the most expressive faces in the acting biz, and two of the best voices as well, both singing and speaking. So the drama and the emotion come through achingly clearly without understanding the dialogue.

Of course, having already seen it I know what the story is, which does help. But it's a fairly simple story, albeit one drenched with emotion. Anita plays Yuet Fa, a high class courtesan in a 1930s brothel, while Leslie is the scion of a respectable family who courts her. Their love, and his aspirations to perform in Cantonese opera, displease his family, and so the couple plan to commit suicide together by eating opium. An appropriately decadent ending for a decadent time.

The film cuts between the back story and the 1980s, with the ghostly Yuet Fa searching for the lover she hoped to find in the underworld. She enlists the help of a modern couple, which necessitated the casting for some absurd reason of the rather fluffy and annoying Emily Chu. Ick.

The first scene, in which Leslie enters a room where Yuet Fa is singing, is electric. Yuet Fa is dressed as a man, but nonetheless engages in a subtle seduction of Leslie (something that few of us with a pulse could resist). The two, both sultry in the extreme, exchange smouldering glances, and the sexual tension is almost visible in the air. Their subsequent encounters, though often less overt, are still heady with seduction. This was one of Anita's first films, and she is perfectly cast as the elegant "sour beauty". It's easy to believe that men would pay handsomely just to be allowed to touch her legs, as she moves with a langorous grace and uses her eyes to great effect.

Although a tad slow at times, this is still a fine film, with the two leads mesmerising in their respective roles. It's also worth watching for the historical sets: there's a particularly fine art deco mirror that I coveted mightily, as well as a huge brass bed that was a present from the young master. Despite the luscious presence of Anita, though, this is not a boy film: chick flick and proud of it, so keep those tissues handy.
来源：http://www.heroic-cinema.com/reviews/rouge

《英雄本色》
Review by Sanjuro:
Every so often in film history, an accomplished director and a talented actor will become friends and team up for a variety of pictures, thrilling moviegoers in film after film. John Ford and John Wayne, Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune, and Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro are all good examples. A Better Tomorrow adds to that illustrious list, boasting yet another inspired duo: director John Woo and star Chow Yun-Fat. For John Woo, the film marked the revival of a then-sagging career. And while costar Ti Lung got a similar John Travolta-style career boost, it was Chow Yun-Fat who gained the most from the collaboration as he ascended from mere dramatic actor to a certifiable icon.
The plot of this 1986 film centers on the lives of HK gangsters Ho (Ti Lung) and Mark (Chow Yun-Fat), two triads living the highlife due to their involvement in a counterfeiting scheme. Ho's younger sibling Kit (Leslie Cheung) adores his elder brother, but before long the two become separated by their professions. While Ho's a slick crook, Kit's quite the opposite: a police academy hopeful with something to prove. Despite his criminal ties, Ho vows to walk the straight and narrow for Kit's sake, but is instead double-crossed on that proverbial "last job" and sent to prison. Adding insult to injury, Ho and Kit are horrified to find that a hitman has murdered their father due to Ho's shady connections, thereby creating a significant rift between the formerly close brothers. And though super-cool gangster Mark avenges his imprisoned comrade in a fantastic guns-a-blazin' revenge sequence, the deed comes at a price: Mark's leg is crippled by an errant bullet.
Time passes, but old wounds do not heal. With his chances for promotion shot straight to hell due to his brother's checkered past, Kit is a cop on a mission with a huge chip on his shoulder. In addition, poor Mark has fallen from grace in the organization becoming more or less a janitor due to his hobbling injury...
来源：http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/better_tomorrow.htm