Reviews

Sammi Cheng & Andy Lau are coupled yet again in their 3rd film -- YESTERDAY ONCE MORE -- directed by HK's actioneer Johnnie To...fans of To's action films will be disappointed to find not a single gun was used in the filming...furthermore, fans of Cheng & Lau's previous films, NEEDING YOU & LOVE ON A DIET, will also be disappointed to find that YESTERDAY is no where near as funny or endearing...

Mr. & Mrs. To (Lau & Cheng) are a divorced couple...both affluent HK citizens...both incredibly mischievous...both just happened to be professional thieves -- 'two birds of the same feather'....A couple years earlier, they divorced over an inability to find middle ground on splitting the loot...Now she's remarrying...to the son of a rich heiress -- a total momma's boy (Carl Ng) through & through...The soon-to-be mother-in-law (Jenny Woo) is suspicious of Mrs. To's past & thinks she's only marrying her son for the family jewels -- the heiress' priceless ruby necklace...

The necklace is stolen...is it Mrs. To's materialistic eye that gets the best of her?... or is it her ex-husband, Mr. To's way of sabotaging the marriage to steal the jewels for himself?...

This is not a movie about two pple falling in love or rekindling a love...its about two pple who have always been in love but have somehow been to foolish to realize it...they let pride & greed overwhelm them...

Overall: YESTERDAY is one part caper/heist film & one part homage to classic Hollywood glamour from its golden years -- i.e. Cary Grant & Grace Kelly's TO CATCH A THIEF...Johnnie To is riding too heavily on Cheng/Lau's chemistry from their previous films...hoping Cheng/Lau's immense popularity & fan base will be enough justification for this third film....I think Sammi Cheng is one of the most likable/charming entertainers working t'day...& Lau is definitely the Tom Cruise of Asian cinema...

I really enjoyed their first two films & consider the Cheng/Lau pairing comparable to those classic Hollywood couples of the 40's & 50's...but YESTERDAY falls very short of expectations...terrible writing, ridiculous situations, product placements galore, & all the subplots & supporting characters were unnecessary...come to think of it...this film was unnecessary...unless you just love celebrity watching...

Patrice Leconte has long been one of my favourite directors...his predominate theme is simple...the intimate connection between two lonely strangers; evident in his previous classics....GIRL ON THE BRIDGE (1999) & MAN ON THE TRAIN (2002)...With INTIMATE STRANGERS, his characters meet by mistake...Anna (Bonnaire) is a beautiful, mysterious woman who has suddenly walked through the door of William's (Luchini) office in need of his professional counsel...however, she has mistaken his office for her psychiatrist's & has mistaken William to be a shrink...

INTIMATE STRANGERS is an elegant film...it has the feel & pace of an old noir film of the past where an equally beautiful & mysterious woman walks suddenly into the office of a private eye on some dark, stormy night...Leconte deals with the mind of a woman...revealing her deepest thoughts & desires...teasing us with every appointment between the two strangers...Bonnaire is intense & uninhabited as the distraught Anna & Luchini is the perfect compliment to keep the mode & atmosphere light when it needs to be...

Overall: Gorgeous looking film; camera work is almost excellent, shots over the shoulder seem almost voyeuristic...as if we are eavesdropping or tailing the characters....definitely one of the best Leconte films & one of the best of '04...

City of God will singe you like hot gun barrel...its gritty, painfully violent, heartbreaking, & void of any morality...Rocket has lived his whole life in the slums outside of Rio De Janeiro -- a place called City of God...don't let the name fool you, its the city forsaken by God...he meant for greater things says his brother & family...he's smart has potential to make something of himself & leave this 'hell' on earth...but can he keep his head down long enough & stay away from trouble?

Due to poverty, corruption, & crime every boy it seems must wield a revolver & initiate himself into manhood to be excepted into the only real family there is...the gangs...Working is for suckers; the only ethics is survival...the streets are a war zone...a 'Vietnam'...your lucky if you get to see your 18th birthday...

Overall: This generations' MEAN STREETS...the first 10 minutes in, I knew this one was something special...

This is one of those films you'll either love or hate...Julien & Sophie meet as children; each coming from a depressing, tragic home...their bond is an escape from 'real life' & an obsession over a game of dares where they attempt to one-up each other...at first the dares were just naughty & funny...but as Julien & Sophie got older, their dares turned darker & more destructive...

The question is...is this obsession fueled by love? Sado-masochism? or are they just extremely foolish?...I really enjoyed this film; its not that i like seeing people suffer...but its a great study of how two people -- who are obviously so right for each other -- are more obsessed with besting one another instead of being honest...

Overall: This film is AMELIE meets FIGHT CLUB...this is definitely NOT a chic-flick...its a romantic/comedy where the guys might find more enjoyable than their girlfriends...

NEAREST TO HEAVEN a memorable line from the 1957 classic AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER is the springboard for this film...Fanette (Deneuve) is a woman living in regret over the fact she failed to commit to the love of her life during the best times of her life...she's haunted by him on every street corner, corridor, & movie theatre...his image seems to be burnt into her head...now after years of waiting & wondering she finally gets a second chance at love...

The story is uneven & frustrating...music score is sometimes inappropriate to say the least...it's more of a homage to Deneuve than the wonderful Grant/Kerr film...Yes, Deneuve is stunning & yes, the camera seems to caress her every move & expression...but...she comes across as very cold & distant...uncomfortable mostly...its quite believable men in Fanette's life have thrown themselves at her feet & she just shrugs them off....one of them, Matt (Hurt) is a spontaneous photographer who's unexpectedly become her partner in NYC while she's there on business & a long awaited personal appointment...but it seems his character is written in as filler for someone to bounce Deneuve's dialogue off of...

Overall: Even if your a Catherine Deneuve fan as I am, you might want to skip this one...

Lenny (Pearce) has this condition...you see, he can't retain any of his memories since the incident happened...the incident?...His wife was brutally raped & murdered...now his only purpose in life is to find & kill John G...Who is John G?...

MEMENTO is an enthralling film that begs the viewer to blink...Christopher Nolan is fast becoming one of today's most impressive directors...His inventive way of re-structuring this thriller enhances its story & in effect the thriller becomes more suspenseful & exciting for it...

The story has a noir feel...there are voice-overs from Lenny as he lets us in on his frustrations, his paranoia, & his desperation...He makes a lot of notes & takes Polaroid snapshots to help him at least have some kind of foundation & structure on life...we as the viewer are just as lost as he is & we understand his situation...but, however, we can't really develop any emotional connection with him...

Overall: Ingenious thriller; pay attention & keep an eye on this Nolan guy...