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My Blueberry Nights
Directed by Wong Kar Wai, starring Norah Jones, Jude Law, David Straithairn, Natalie Portman, and Rachel Weiz.

The English-language debut of acclaimed director Wong Kar Wai (my favorite director). Norah Jones plays a young woman on the run from her romantic problems. She meets a diner owner (Law) and they begin to develop a relationship of sorts, when she decides she hasn't really gotten away from her problems, and she leaves to work things out. Along the way, she meets people with their own problems, and discovers a bit about herself.

While there are moments of brilliance and excellent performances, excluding a somewhat shaking performance from Jones, My Blueberry Nights is a disappointment. I have to be honest, I wouldn't judge this film a harshly as I do if it weren't made by Wong. For anyone else, this would be an incredible achievement. However, from the man who made Days of Being Wild, Chungking Express, and In the Mood For Love, this should have been better.

To dimiss it as a fine piece of cinema merely because of it's failure to live up to expectations would be unfair. For those unfamiliar with Wong's previous features, this would be a great gateway film. Also, for those simply looking for an interesting film that does manage to elicit emotion and, however lightly, does effect, this is definitely something worth seeing.

Films of note:
Wong Kar Wai - As Tears Go By, Days of Being Wild, Chungking Express, Ashes of Time, Fallen Angels, Happy Together, In the Mood For Love, 2046


Lifeline
Directed by Johnnie To, starring Lau Ching-Wan, Alex Fong, Ruby Wong, Carmen Lee, and Raymond Wong.

An incredbile film about a group of unlucky firefighters. After the obligatory, and engaging, getting to know the characters, we are treated to an amazingly intense finish. Johnnie To is an excellent filmmaker, who brought together a stellar cast, lead by Lau Ching-Wan. While this film has virtually no plot, other than firefighters putting out fires, it never lags or feels aimless. See this film.

Films of note:
Johnnie To - Loving You, The Longest Nite, Expect the Unexpected, Where a Good Man Goes, The Mission, PTU, Throw Down, Election, Sparrow
Lau Ching-Wan - C'est La Vie, Mon Cheri; Loving You, Big Bullet, Too Many Ways to be No. 1, The Longest Nite, Expect the Unexpected, Where a Good Man Goes, Lost in Time, My Name is Fame, Mad Detective

First Shot
Starring Ti Lung, Simon Yam, Maggie Cheung, Andy Hui, and others.

A Hong Kong ripoff of The Untouchables. With such a great cast together and some entertaining scenes, it is a shame that this film, which could have just as easily been a tight cop drama (had they taken out the scenes lifted from The Untouchables), falls to the side as an unnecessary exercise.

Next time: Visible Secret II, Rule #1, other stuff.