2046 (2004)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

The Worst Film Ever

Absolutely Brilliant!

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

2046 (2004) Another beautiful atmospheric piece by Kar-Wai Wong. Nicely ties together Days of Being Wild (1990) & In the Mood for Love (2000). Visually much more similar to the latter; but in content and style, this one seems much more Hollywood and mainstream. For one, there are a substantial number of intense sex scenes. Nothing wrong with that, except when compared to the other two, where the subtle illusion of it forces us to realize how true the adage "less is more" can be. The Good. Christopher Doyle again. I do love his magic. Peering through holes, around edges. Fast forward, slow motion, pause. Long shots, panning shots. Looking up at a hotel balcony. Flying through the steampunk monorail tracks. Close ups on faces as we wait for a tear to form and fall. We move with him, we dance with him, we see a specific vision that is nothing short of amazing. Regrettably, that vision was a story that needs a little improvement. The Bad. A notable concern I expressed for the first two film was the use of Cantonese over Mandarin, for I find Mandarin to be a much more beautiful language, being less choppy and harsh. I feel this is very well exhibited in this film, since Chow almost exclusively speaks Cantonese, while the other characters often use Mandarin. (Especially incongruous as Nat King Cole sings "Merry Christmas" in English in the background and two characters speak alternatively in Cantonese and Mandarin.) I do understand Mandarin, not so much Cantonese- so this was an opportunity for me to see how much the translation suffered. There are many subtle differences. A lot, in fact. ("Difficult to say" becomes "Who can say?"; "Good to me" becomes "Kind to me"; "Do not leave" becomes "Stay with me tonight".) But a couple key ones were actually significant enough to alter meaning. After Chow and Bai-Ling's first dinner, where she wonders out loud whether his girlfriends would be angry. This is actually translated as "Won't your girlfriends be missing you tonight?". The worst ones I noticed use the word "love" when the word spoken was atually "like". The first, when Bai-Ling had fallen in love with Chow and was giving him an ultimatum. The translation tells her saying, "I don't care if you love me or not, I'll love you anyway." In reality, she is using the word like. As in, "I don't care if you like me or not, I will still like you." Big difference. A second incidence is when Chow is telling gambler Su Li-zhen about first Su Li-zhen ("In the Mood for Love"). "You loved her deeply?" she wants to know. In actuality, what she asks is, "You really liked her?" Not sure if the Cantonese translation is any better. If it is as bad as the Mandarin, that puts into question my understanding of these films. Luckily, Kar-Kai Wong's films are much more about mood and atmosphere and visual storytelling, but still. The concern has been posited. The Ugly. Felt like Wong was trying for too much. The first two films in this trilogy fard better with focus. Science Fiction aspect was not to my liking. Maybe made for some nice visuals and fun for the crew (great neon colors in the train, zooming backward through the annular and ever-shifting train tunnel to transition back to reality), but really did not add anything to the story. Rather, it distracted. Fictional world blending into reality and vice versa. Wonderful idea in concept, but executed here did not work. Art over substance. This feels more similar to "Chungking Express" than the first two in this trilogy- trying so hard to be arthouse that his work suffers. "Let's see each other again. Then, if you think we shouldn't be together, tell me so frankly... That day, six years ago, a rainbow appeared in my heart. It's still there, like a flame burning inside me. But what are your real feelings for me? Are they like a rainbow after the rain? Or did that rainbow fade away long ago?" "Love is all a matter of timing. It's no good meeting the right person too soon or too late. If I'd lived in another time or place, my story might have had a very different ending."

I was unawares that this film was a trilogy - and so this review is based on my initial viewing not having seen the first 2 films (although some googling gave me a basic understanding of what happened in the first 2 films). This is a story more so about the past than the future. A writer, Mr. Chow, caught up in the throws of a previous failed love affair, tries to recapture the past but is unsuccessful each time in each new woman that he meets.His new love interests all have some element of romantic tragedy about them - his writing assistant, who is deeply in love with someone who her father will never approve of, a call girl who has a desperate unrequited love for Chow, a gambler with a mysterious past, very much like Chow... all of them will never replace the one he lost so many years ago.From the get go, potential viewers should know that this is a deeply depressing film. By the end, viewers will leave with a feeling of emptiness and feeling that "This can't be the end." Much like Gone with the Wind (although, I won't say that this is equal to or greater than that classic), this film is about love at the wrong times and places. I suppose the strongest message that I can get out of the film is that everything changes - there is no way to recapture the past, and if one tries to do so, it will never go the way that one plans. Although confusing at times, and often drifting in and out of time sequences, the film is beautifully directed, artistically stunning and definitely something that will keep you watching until the very end. Tragically beautiful.

2046 is a poignant film about a writer named Chow Mo Wan's numerous relationships with different women,his experiences, and the numerous lessons he has learned from them. Chow,a man who is characterized by his boozing habits, womanizing,narcissism and non-commitment to romantic relationships, shares his thoughts and views about numerous affairs that he has had through his narratives and makes them parallel with his novel. The novel is entitled 2046, which is the room number of the hotel that he stayed on for a number of years. The movie is told in a non-traditional and non-linear fashion wherein the it is more likely to be character-oriented instead of plot- oriented.The film jumbles from past to present and not told in a straight-forward manner. That is the reason why the movie would confuse people viewers who are not used to these type of films.The cast led by Tony Leung,who portrayed Chow,and the premier Asian stars such as Maggie Cheung, Gong Li, Zhang Ziyi, Carina Lau, Faye Wong and Kimura Takuya did a masterful job in their performances. They simply provided understanding of what their characters are going through as people who are undergoing frustrations in their romantic life. The direction of Wong Kar Wai should also be given credit as for the work that he has done to make this film wonderful.Overall,this film deserves an excellent rating. It may not be a masterpiece but it is a must-see and highly recommended for people who seek a different type of film with great actors and actresses in it

A marvelous movie by Hong Kong director Kar Wai Wong, with an original script, innovative film narrative, wonderful characters and a super-stylish visuals. The movie depicts with realism, nostalgia and lyricism the difficulties and constrictions of the human heart, to love and being loved.It is a nostalgic view to the bygone loves of Tony Leung's, a part-time journalist and writer of romance novels, who lives in room 2047 in a hotel in Hong Kong. 2046 is the room where some of the stories happen, and also the title of Tony's sci-fi novel. The movie is the continuation of In the Mood for Love, and some references are directly related to the story in that movie.1/ The visuals The first thing that will catch your eye are the rich deep colors of the movie, especially the gorgeous reds and greens, but also the beautiful interior cinematography, the dresses, the make-up and hairdos, the colorful retro atmosphere and vintage texture of the film, the super-classy style of the film, in which even the smallest detail is taken care of.2/ The story Two main themes are explored in the film, love and literature. The movie tells several love stories, but they are not corny, as this movie is a reflection on real love - about how the past conditions our present relationships, about how love obsession can self-sabotage your emotional life, about those people who love us but we cannot love, and about the the importance of timing in love. Secondly, the movie depicts the process of literary creation, how our life and experiences affect our writing consciously or not, and how they are intricately mixed together.Tony's character is terrific so realistic and sophisticated at the same time, without all his human flaws well visible to the viewer. The women characters are quintessentially female but clever and powerful, but also drop dead gorgeous.3/ The narrative The narrative is circular but not straightforward as the different love stories are not chronologically told. The movie starts with one important story that happened in the past, and ends with the same story, as this story is the one that affected Tony's heart the most. Moreover, this circular and hopping movement is affected by the insertion of pieces of the present, in which Tony writes his novel 2046 and reflects about his past.The narrative breaks the love stories in different pieces, placing them according to the heart, not according to the time in which they occurred. This honors Tony' emotional memory, although emotional memories are never linear, and they are also affected by our present. Moreover, the way the story is told is intensely evocative and full of nostalgia, and really engaging from a mental point of view. I think that a linear script would have ruined the movie and had a soapy effect on the movie.4/ The acting Tony Leung Chiu Wai (as Tony Leung), Ziyi Zhang (as Bai Ling), and Faye Wong (as Wang Jing-wen and the android) are terrific in their performances, completely in tune with the needs of their characters. This is specially so in the case of y Ziyi Zhang, who looks ravishing beautiful but offers an unforgettable depiction of an emotionally multifaceted woman. One wonders why such a fine talented actress is doing crappy movies in Hollywood while she can really perform.Kar Wai Wong is a rare example of true artist, and this movie is a perfect example of that. I think the movie can be tricky for lazy watchers.