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As promised
Dec. 22nd, 2005 06:46 pmTwo reviews concerning the two last films I saw, The Wayward Cloud and Where The Truth Lies.
I really don't know what to say about the Taiwanese movie, Tian bian yi duo yun (The Wayward Cloud), except that it is a cinematographic experience, even though I prefered Tsai Ming-Liang's previous works (like The River). It isn't a movie for everybody and certainly not for kids. First off it's a movie for photographers and people who enjoy arty shots. Every shot is thought, polished, built as a masterpiece of cinematic work. There are a few amazing shots in the film. But above all, it's a conceptual movie with a symbolical language and haunting themes (that are in all of his films).
As for the pitch:
A very hot summer in Taipei drives everybody on the edges. It's very dry so the lack of water quickly becomes an issue. Watermelons are cheap and they can stand in for water. A young woman and a young man live in the same building. They have nothing in common but some day they meet up and love ensues, but she doesn't know he makes a living as a porn actor playing in movies just above her own apartment.
I went to see Atom Egoyan's Where The Truth Lies because of the two leading actors, Kevin Bacon who is often excellent and Colin Firth who is well...Colin Firth! By the way I kinda feel the urge to watch my DVDs of Pride and Prejudice BBC style...
A successful comedy duo, Lenny and Vince who were a national sensation thanks to their mob-run nightclub and telethon act, split up in the 50's after they were both involved in the demise of a young girl, Maureen, whose body was found in their suite in New Jersey. 15 years later a young journalist, Karen O'Connor, who used to be a big fan of the duo, wants to know the truth. But of course it's more complicated than that...
The revelation, the truth that we apparently get in the end, is not as important to the movie as the actual journey. It looks like true film noir but what I liked about this film is that it seemed mainstream but actually was not at all. It had a very refreshing tone and actually conned the audience.
