Release Date:
11/25/2008
The Skinny: Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai's 1994 naval-gazer comes to Blu-Ray courtesy of the Criterion Collection. Featuring a pair of overlapping love stories, Chungking is a moody look at love, alienation, and stewardesses.
The Good: Kar-Wai may not be a tight storyteller, but the guy can certainly create a mood and definitely (since he's also a published photographer) has an eye for beautiful shots and beautiful women. Chungking has a kind of dreamy gauze over ityou may not always know what the hell is going on, but it'll certainly have you thinking about it long after it's over.
The Bad: Again, you may find yourself wishing for a little less brooding and awkward silence and a little more anything to happen onscreen. Relax, Westerner. Sit back and let the calm magic of World's Cutest Stalker Faye Wong wash over you.
Best Extra: For a Criterion disc, this isn't as loaded as you might expect. Still, the episode of the British TV short "Moving Pictures" offers some insight into how Wong Kar-Wai and cinematographer Christopher Doyle got such pretty images on the screen.
Buy, Rent, or Ignore: This may be a tough find at Blockbuster, but it's worth owning if only to give your girlfriend the illusion that you can watch a movie without explosions.
The Good: Kar-Wai may not be a tight storyteller, but the guy can certainly create a mood and definitely (since he's also a published photographer) has an eye for beautiful shots and beautiful women. Chungking has a kind of dreamy gauze over ityou may not always know what the hell is going on, but it'll certainly have you thinking about it long after it's over.
The Bad: Again, you may find yourself wishing for a little less brooding and awkward silence and a little more anything to happen onscreen. Relax, Westerner. Sit back and let the calm magic of World's Cutest Stalker Faye Wong wash over you.
Best Extra: For a Criterion disc, this isn't as loaded as you might expect. Still, the episode of the British TV short "Moving Pictures" offers some insight into how Wong Kar-Wai and cinematographer Christopher Doyle got such pretty images on the screen.
Buy, Rent, or Ignore: This may be a tough find at Blockbuster, but it's worth owning if only to give your girlfriend the illusion that you can watch a movie without explosions.