Days is the film that finally sold me on Wong Kar Wai. I'd previously tried watching Fallen Angels but couldn't get through it. Days has such a languid tone to it, it's a real character piece. York (Leslie Cheung) is a ladies man who shuts himself at the first sign of attachment and eventually ends up having two women, Su-Li Zhen (Maggie Cheung) and Mimi (Carina Lau) pushing and pulling for his affection abd Andy Lau skirting the background as a policeman.
It's on the strength of Maggie Cheung's performance that this films works like it does, her wallflower character is the perfect victim for York and we watch as she she struggles against him, only to relent then come to the realization how crippling her loneliness is, her phone booth confession is really one of the most heartbreaking scenes ever filmed. Leslie Cheung plays against his boyish good looks and delivers a great performance as a young man who eees himself as a wounded soul but really, he's just a jerk with mommy issues. Carina Lau plays her character full tilt, she's brassy, insecure and can't understand why York plays with her emotions, yet she refuses to give up. Andy Lau has a cupporting role as a policeman who ends up falling for Su-Li Zhen. Jacky Cheung also has a supporting role as York's best friend who ends up falling for Mimi.
Days is shot in a fairly classical style, it's nothing like the hyperstyle of his other films like Chungking or Fallen Angels, I wish Wong would return to this style more often.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A4P6YAl3Uc
Carnal Knowledge is a film by Mike Nichols about two men, Jonathon (Jack Nicholson), who yearns for intimacy but is incapable of getting it because he sees it as a weakness and Sandy (Art Garfunkel) who spends half his life trying to understand women but really doesn't understand himself. The film charts their relationships from college to adult life.
It's Nicholson's performance that carries this film, like Days of Being Wild, his character is confident, cocky and sees himself as a ladies man in contrast to Art Garfunkel, who begins the film fairly inexperienced with women, his awkward attempts at courting his first serious girlfriend, Candice Bergman. It's the relationship with Bergen that's pivotal to both characters as Jonathon starts dating Susan behind Sandy's back and forcing her to choose between them when clearly she cares for both of them.
That's only half the film though, it's very much an actor's film, Nichol's direction isn't showy, occasionally he'll pull something out but mostly it's fairly static but that doesn't mean his direction is boring, far from it. The film is unflinching in it's depiction of Jonathon, man who can't decide whether he wants intimacy or just a great set of tits. Ann-Margaret shows up as the woman, Jonathon seemingly wants but isn't prepared to engage on her on an intimate level, she holds her own with Nicholson.
I prefer to think of this film as the second in a trilogy of films starting with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and ending with Closer about damaged relationships through each generation.
It's a really great film and kind of a warning not to end up like Jonathon.
It's on the strength of Maggie Cheung's performance that this films works like it does, her wallflower character is the perfect victim for York and we watch as she she struggles against him, only to relent then come to the realization how crippling her loneliness is, her phone booth confession is really one of the most heartbreaking scenes ever filmed. Leslie Cheung plays against his boyish good looks and delivers a great performance as a young man who eees himself as a wounded soul but really, he's just a jerk with mommy issues. Carina Lau plays her character full tilt, she's brassy, insecure and can't understand why York plays with her emotions, yet she refuses to give up. Andy Lau has a cupporting role as a policeman who ends up falling for Su-Li Zhen. Jacky Cheung also has a supporting role as York's best friend who ends up falling for Mimi.
Days is shot in a fairly classical style, it's nothing like the hyperstyle of his other films like Chungking or Fallen Angels, I wish Wong would return to this style more often.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A4P6YAl3Uc
Carnal Knowledge is a film by Mike Nichols about two men, Jonathon (Jack Nicholson), who yearns for intimacy but is incapable of getting it because he sees it as a weakness and Sandy (Art Garfunkel) who spends half his life trying to understand women but really doesn't understand himself. The film charts their relationships from college to adult life.
It's Nicholson's performance that carries this film, like Days of Being Wild, his character is confident, cocky and sees himself as a ladies man in contrast to Art Garfunkel, who begins the film fairly inexperienced with women, his awkward attempts at courting his first serious girlfriend, Candice Bergman. It's the relationship with Bergen that's pivotal to both characters as Jonathon starts dating Susan behind Sandy's back and forcing her to choose between them when clearly she cares for both of them.
That's only half the film though, it's very much an actor's film, Nichol's direction isn't showy, occasionally he'll pull something out but mostly it's fairly static but that doesn't mean his direction is boring, far from it. The film is unflinching in it's depiction of Jonathon, man who can't decide whether he wants intimacy or just a great set of tits. Ann-Margaret shows up as the woman, Jonathon seemingly wants but isn't prepared to engage on her on an intimate level, she holds her own with Nicholson.
I prefer to think of this film as the second in a trilogy of films starting with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf and ending with Closer about damaged relationships through each generation.
It's a really great film and kind of a warning not to end up like Jonathon.
