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Sun | April 23, 2006
The Definitive Bootleg DVD Review of Wong Kar-Wai's (Master)piece "2046"
By Chee-Ming Hung
I hated "2046." I don't know if it's okay to feel this way, given all of the praises from some top critics... and every Asian I have ever met, ever. "You don't like it?" one Chinese girl asked me. "But... you're Chinese. Why don't you like?"
Maybe I had missed something in the film that should have resonated with anyone who understands the existence of tofu that smells like poop as a delicacy.
But I only saw the movie once, while I was trying to sew a button back onto my wool coat (yes it took me that long), on a bootlegged version of the film from China (I saw the film a year before it hit American theatres). The quality of the DVD wasn't bad, just the content sucked.
These days, I judge a movie from it's first pass. I wanted to be in "Jurassic Park." "The Muppets Take Manhattan" took me away. I never wanted the story to end in "The NeverEnding Story." Even if these films don't hold up afterwards, if I liked it then, I'll give it the a-okay.
But with "2046" I will never feel this way.
The movie follows the life of a huge Hong Kong movie star (I can't seem to get the thought of this out of my head) attempting to play a writer who gets his material from the other Chinese movie stars he has sex with. Some of the scenes are actually quite hot, in a non-pornographic way. I normally don't see flicks of Asians getting it on, so it was a nice change of pace for me.
Yes, there is an emotional aspect to the film, and a deep philosophy behind love and time. But it was reaching... and after twenty minutes of watching this drag on, I was tempted to fast forward to the "good parts."
You have to hand it to the director, Wong Kar-Wai, for making the movie as elegant and easy-on-the eyes as can be (and just short of the soft lens that Barbara Walters uses obsessively in her annoying "10 Most Fascinating People of the Year" programs). Wong consistently does this technique with all his other films. I could barely concentrate on my button-sewing project as I watched the film, feeling like it would be nice to be in that dreamlike world of the future. Or maybe I was just feeling tired.
My general impressions of the film, aside from not liking it, are as follows, in no particular order:
- If that's what the future looks like, I don't want any part in it. It's like "Blade Runner." Way too congested. I wouldn't mind visiting there for a few days, but then I'd have to get out, and back to more peaceful surroundings, like Nova Scotia, or Queens.
- Wow, that Japanese guy is strangely good-lookin. HE should star in the picture, and switch roles with Tony Leung, whose face gets leatherier with every new film.
- The writer's entries (or inner voice) is lame. I could care less what he wanted to say. I just wanted to see him make it with Zhang Ziyi, or Ziyi Zhang, or whatever the hell she wants to call herself these days.
But I couldn't get into the characters at all. They bored the hell out of me. The dialogue was so-so at best, forgetful at worst. Ultimately, 2046 was so artsy I wanted to take the DVD out and wash it down with "Shallow Hal" or any other Farrelly Brothers film that isn't "Stuck on You."
I don't think it's just me. I've seen many Asian movies in my time and I've liked some. In the realm of Wong Kar-Wai, "Happy together" was good, "Chungking Express" was great. But "In the Mood for Love" sucked. And since "2046" was intended to be a follow-up to that piece, my reaction is, at the very least, consistent.
I think he's trying too hard. I think he should keep it simple. And stop hiring the same damn Asian actors. They're already in 1,500 other films. Unlike "independent" Hollywood, there are rarely fresh faces in Hong Kong independent cinema. With Wong's talent potential, he could really make something here work. Until then, the 2046 DVD goes into the junk pile, along with the latest CD sent from America Online.
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Chee-Ming Hung has published three books within the past two years, is a regular contributor to Slate, Esquire, and Highlights for Children, and is a complete and utter liar. His lives in New York where his pants are currently in flames.
Posted by Chee-Ming at April 23, 2006 06:58 PM
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