DesertTalkies Film Reviews!

  Fallen Angels [1995] Starring: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Michelle Reis, Leon Lai, Charlie Yeung Direction by Wong Kar-wai Language: Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese  I managed to avoid revision for my upcoming exams for one last time to see Fallen Angels in the cinema! This movie was nothing like what I was expecting: just the name Fallen Angels seems like a movie with a primary focus on love: it is a Wong Kar-Wai movie after all! Although there was a love plot in the movie, it wasn't the main focus, which was interesting to see.  If anything, Wong Kar-wai movies are known for their romance, and this movie presented love in a very different manner: it explored isolation, and the loss of love. It was quite interesting to see: love was exhibited in a way that was not just romantic and sexual; it was layered like many of his other movies are. It explored the idea of platonic love and love through what could be described as friendship. It explored the idea of familial love. It was a ...

  Days of Being Wild [1990] Starring: Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Andy Lau, Carina Lau Direction by Wong Kar-wai Language: Cantonese, Mandarin I was very lucky to find that in my city, a local independent cinema was having a Wong Kar-wai retrospective, where they were showing Wong Kar-wai's most influential movies in a bid to increase tourism to Hong Kong. I had originally wanted to watch 'In the Mood For Love' on the big screen, yet it sold out almost instantly. In response, I watched this instead, and I am so glad that I did.  If the movie does anything well, it is character development that excels. Although the movie was quite short, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of symbolism Kar-wai was able to pack into it. All of the characters felt very fleshed out, but not the the point where their storylines became repetitive, as is the case with may Western movies. Kar-wai's craft, in my opinion, is giving the audiences small hints throughout his movies, meaning t...

  Jerry Maguire [1996]  Starring: Tom Cruise, Renée Zellweger , Cuba Gooding Jr.  Direction by Cameron Crowe Language: English  After I watched a few good movies from the section, Netflix's critically acclaimed section is my new best friend: expect reviews from movies there.  I had forgotten that Tom Cruise was once considered by many to be a talented actor: somebody who was a chameleon whose movies did well. This movie, despite its flaws, taught me that the people who think of Tom Cruise as a frontrunner in the industry are not completely crazy. He was very good in the movie - I tend to find it difficult to judge acting and the quality of it, especially where characters play largely comedic or optimistic roles. I feel like a member of the Academy - only capable of recognising very dramatic performances in what tend to be very dark films.  Renée Zellweger was also great; I really do need to start watching her movies.  That being said, the movie felt so...