|
Movie Lineup
Happy
Together
(Hong Kong,
1997)
Wong
Kar-Wai's
romantic elegy
about two men
(played by Tony
Leung Chiu Wai
and Leslie
Cheung) whose
relationship
falls apart
during an
extended stay in
Buenos Aires.
Filled with
Wong's typically
inventive visual
style and an
eclectic,
seductive array
of music, this
is one of the
most directly
emotional of
Wong's films.
Monsoon Wedding
(India, 2002)
MONSOON WEDDING.
The hurly-burly
of a largescale
wedding party
amongst the
gentry in Delhi
provides the
backdrop for a
multi-character
investigation
into tradition
and new
attitudes.
Filled with
music, songs and
dances, and
vibrant color,
this is a
fast-paced movie
which uses many
Bollywood
conventions as
ironic
commentary.
Shall We
Dance?
(Japan,
1995)
A salaried
man (played by
Koji Yakusho)
finds renewed
meaning to his
life once he
starts taking
dance lessons
from an elegant,
remote dance
teacher (played
by Tamiyo
Kusakari).
Masayuki Suo's
crowdpleasing
comedy is always
surprising and
genuinely
touching;
perhaps most
surprisingly,
it's not a
typical romance.
Beautiful
Boxer
(Thailand,
2005)
Ekachi
Uekrongtham's
biographical
drama is about
Nong Toom
(played by
Asanee Suwan), a
championship
kick-boxer in
Thailand. But
Nong Toom has a
secret: he is
saving his prize
money for his
hoped-for sex
change
operation. His
endurance and
his amazing
prowess are
testimony to his
remarkable
courage.
Oldboy
(South Korea,
2003)
Chan-wook
Park's legend of
revenge begins
with Dae-Su
(played by Min-sik
Choi) being
released from
his
imprisonment.
Gradually, he
finds himself
consumed by
revenge, just as
he finds out
that freedom for
him is as
elusive as ever.
Memoirs of a
Geisha
(USA, 2005)
Rob
Marshall's
extravaganza,
based on Arthur
Golden's novel,
is a lush
recreation of
the life and
times of women
trapped in the
geisha culture
of an imaginary
by-gone era,
with some of the
most alluring
pan-Asian stars
(including Zhang
Ziyi, Gong Li,
and Michelle
Yeoh) turning
Japanese.
Brokeback
Mountain
(USA, 2005)
Ang Lee's
drama is in the
classic
tradition of
Hollywood
romance: a
thwarted romance
which spans a
lifetime. Here,
it's two men
(played by Heath
Ledger and Jake
Gyllenhaal)
whose hidden
passion disrupts
their lives and
the lives of
those around
them.
Perhaps Love
(China, 2005)
A director
(played by Jacky
Cheung), his
star (played by
Xun Zhou) and
her co-star
(played by
Takeshi
Kaneshiro) enact
a romantic
triangle in a
film-within-a-film,
a musical about
the making of a
movie which is
full of wit,
humor, pathos,
and heart in
Peter Chan's
delightfully
devious
concoction.
|
