@rooprect said:

In no universe is it ok to kiss and lick the ice cream off the face of a girl who's passed out drunk. Are we clear on that? Not even if you're Jude Law. Not even if the cinematographer does his best to give it soft romantic lighting. It's f'kn creepy dude.

Do you mean that it is all right to do that when she is awake? In some countries you can get arrested and sentenced to prison for kissing or touching someone without their permission on charges of sexual assault and attempted rape.

Obv my point is about lack of consent. The problem is this movie tries to make it look romantic, brushing over the fact that she’s blacked out drunk which is ‘no consent’ any way you look at it.

Btw he does it twice in the movie. But the 2nd time she’s faking sleep and then kisses him back, totally driving home the point that unconscious chicks want it 😐

@rooprect said:

Obv my point is about lack of consent. The problem is this movie tries to make it look romantic, brushing over the fact that she’s dead drunk which is ‘no consent’ any way you look at it.

Btw he does it twice in the movie. But the 2nd time she’s faking sleep and then kisses him back, totally driving home the point that unconscious chicks want it 😐

Before all that he was stroking her hair and holding her in his arms. She was in a vulnerable state and anything could have happened after that. He should have just offered another piece of blueberry pie to comfort her.

@wonder2wonder said:

He should have just offered another piece of blueberry pie to comfort her.

Righto, he could've done any number of things that would've been charming & romantic. Offer her pie, or dab the ice cream off her face with a napkin (instead of his mouth). He could've even done the poetic/tragic thing of professing his love for her while she's unconscious, which I've seen in another movie somewhere.

My guess is WKW wanted them to have an unconventional first kiss, and that was what he came up with. Jeunet talks about this in the making of Amelie; he says the first kiss has been done a million ways since cinema began, so the artistic director is obligated to come up with something new. WKW definitely came up with something new, gotta hand him that.

I have seen 6 of WKW's films (5 were given 8/10, one a 6/10), but not this one. Never had a desire to see it.

@bratface said:

I have seen 6 of WKW's films (5 were given 8/10, one a 6/10), but not this one. Never had a desire to see it.

Which one was the 6/10 so I can avoid it?

@rooprect said:

@bratface said:

I have seen 6 of WKW's films (5 were given 8/10, one a 6/10), but not this one. Never had a desire to see it.

Which one was the 6/10 so I can avoid it?

The Grandmaster. It was fine but didn't tell us anything new. But I watched it mainly for Tony Leung Chiu-wai.

This is the film by that Hong Kong filmmaker with Norah Jones the pianist in it, huh? His work tends to be very romantic.

The more I see from him, I fear he just seems to be a one-, two- or three-trick pony....

It's understandable to have mixed feelings about Wong Kar-Wai's transition to Hollywood with "My Blueberry Nights." While it had some intriguing moments and stylish visuals, it may have fallen short of the high expectations set by his earlier works. The excessive use of artistic techniques that have become cliché over time can be a letdown. Additionally, the inclusion of cringe-worthy plot elements and characters' actions can detract from the overall experience. It's a reminder that not all talented foreign filmmakers find seamless success in Hollywood, and sometimes, their unique sensibilities can be lost in the transition.

@smeltzergloria said:

It's understandable to have mixed feelings about Wong Kar-Wai's transition to Hollywood with "My Blueberry Nights." While it had some intriguing moments and stylish visuals, it may have fallen short of the high expectations set by his earlier works. The excessive use of artistic techniques that have become cliché over time can be a letdown. Additionally, the inclusion of cringe-worthy plot elements and characters' actions can detract from the overall experience. It's a reminder that not all talented foreign filmmakers find seamless success in Hollywood, and sometimes, their unique sensibilities can be lost in the transition.

Yup, just like Ang Lee who did Crouching Tiger, then got a big budget Hollywood deal and did Hulk. The transition can be brutal. Heck, how about Jean-Pierre Jeunet who did the masterpiece City of Lost Children, then came to Hollywood and did ...um, Alien: Resurrection 😐 At least he went back to France, found his groove and did Amélie.

It's possible that the Hollywood producers stick their noses in the works, and that's why the transition falls flat so often. I'm sure that was the case with Hulk. I doubt they would've let him make poetic work of art based on a big green cgi superhero.

@smeltzergloria said:

It's understandable to have mixed feelings about Wong Kar-Wai's transition to Hollywood with "My Blueberry Nights." While it had some intriguing moments and stylish visuals, it may have fallen short of the high expectations set by his earlier works. The excessive use of artistic techniques that have become cliché over time can be a letdown. Additionally, the inclusion of cringe-worthy plot elements and characters' actions can detract from the overall experience. It's a reminder that not all talented foreign filmmakers find seamless success in Hollywood, and sometimes, their unique sensibilities can be lost in the transition.

My feeling is the film is no good. After some time, it's like I'm watching the same 2 films over and over again, that's all. Kar-Wai won me over a very long time ago with brilliant works such as Fallen Angels and Happy Together, but well-implemented technique (which I like so much) needs to be wed to better story ideas, or else what is the point of seeing the films? NOrah Jones is effing gorgeous but her breathtaking looks alone certainly don't carry a film!

@rooprect said:

It's possible that the Hollywood producers stick their noses in the works, and that's why the transition falls flat so often. I'm sure that was the case with Hulk. I doubt they would've let him make poetic work of art based on a big green cgi superhero.

That is certainly an important reason why so many movies turn out disappointing, as if creativity is something to be molded into whatever Hollywood executives want it to be.

@wonder2wonder said:

@rooprect said:

It's possible that the Hollywood producers stick their noses in the works, and that's why the transition falls flat so often. I'm sure that was the case with Hulk. I doubt they would've let him make poetic work of art based on a big green cgi superhero.

That is certainly an important reason why so many movies turn out disappointing, as if creativity is something to be molded into whatever Hollywood executives want it to be.

Yea I keep reading about situations where a writer's or writers' ideas get stamped out of screenplays through development....

@Rocky_Sullivan said:

@wonder2wonder said:

@rooprect said:

It's possible that the Hollywood producers stick their noses in the works, and that's why the transition falls flat so often. I'm sure that was the case with Hulk. I doubt they would've let him make poetic work of art based on a big green cgi superhero.

That is certainly an important reason why so many movies turn out disappointing, as if creativity is something to be molded into whatever Hollywood executives want it to be.

Yea I keep reading about situations where a writer's or writers' ideas get stamped out of screenplays through development....

Exactly, and the more I think about it that's probably the reason here. I don't think any good artist can suddenly turn stupid. But as they get more successful and start working with the Hollywood machine, there are more & more people calling the shots and corrupting the artist's ideas.

It reminds me of Orson Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons which I thought was sortofa dud for such a great director. Then I found out that the entire 2nd half of the movie was basically done without him because he refused to compromise. They reshot scenes, locked him out of the editing room and released it without his approval. That's an extreme example, but it shows you how much power the suits have in Hollywood. Money wins, art loses.

Ahhh yes. Maybe you've heard the old legend about how a producer took one of the great Jean Luc Godard's films and changed it w/o Jean Luc's permission.

Upon finding out, Jean Luc punched the producer in the face, then I believe he left.

Jean Luc lived to about 100 years old, may he rest in peace.