Film Review: Precious

Starring: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd, Lenny Kravitz, Stephanie Andujar, Chyna Lane, Amina Robinson, Xosha Roquemore, Angelic Zambrana, Nealla Gordon, Grace Hightower
Directed By: Lee Daniels
Written By: Geoffrey Fletcher

Misery cannot seem to find greater company than with 16 year-old Claireece Jones (Sidibe). She goes by her nickname “Precious”, which smacks of hurtful irony given the context of her dire life. She is illiterate, obese, and is pregnant with her second child by her own father. Not only that, she suffers routine physical abuse at the hands of her demonic mother Mary (Mo’Nique), who belittles Precious at every opportunity. Living together inside a grimy and claustrophobic apartment in Harlem, Mary rules their home from the rut that is her couch, watching TV and engulfing the place with the haze of cigarettes and nauseating fried foods.

The misery continues outside of home, where Precious barely manages to function in the classroom. Her principal (Gordon) assigns the damaged girl to an alternative school where she can begin to improve her circumstances. With the help of the school’s teacher Ms. Rain (Patton) and the sated social worker Ms. Weiss (Carey), Precious finds two desperately-needed sources of healing.

Several words will spring to mind upon watching Precious: tragic, horrifying, raw, unrelenting, depressing…the list is a mile long. Without question, director Lee Daniels’s adaptation of the 1996 novel Push by author Sapphire is a brutal viewing experience. So much woe and suffering is dumped onto the title character that the film almost seems to stretch credulity. “How can one person really endure all that pain,” some may ask. As overdramatic as the film may appear to be, Daniels triumphs in making this hard story feel honest and unsentimental.

The strength of Precious derives from its exemplary and diligent cast. Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe is all kinds of remarkable as the teenage heroine of the tale. At 26 years of age, this film marks her very first foray into acting, and it is easy to assume she is a seasoned professional. Much of Sidibe’s performance is internal. Communicating her thoughts and feelings is a struggle for Precious, and years of abuse have stripped her of real interpersonal skills. Her primary defense mechanism is retreating to fantasy, where she imagines herself as a glamorous model bathed under the flash of cameras and the roaring adoration of fans. These make-believe scenes might be considered jarring as they are interspersed with cruel sequences of violence. One raging brawl between Precious and Mary is awkwardly juxtaposed with old childhood photos, which does not make the scene any less uncomfortable to watch. Then again, what other kind of refuge does Precious have?

The fantasy scenes are also telling of Precious’s own body image issues. When she looks into her mirror before heading off for school, she sees a white blond-haired girl staring back. She dreams of having a light-skinned boyfriend with “good hair”. Even the adults who reach out to Precious – Ms. Rain, Ms. Weiss, and a nurse played by Lenny Kravitz – are lighter-skinned black individuals. The film merely hints at these matters, and the development of Precious’s character would have traveled down some intellectually provoking directions if this aspect was explored further. Of course, this is not to say that the skin complexion of the aforementioned characters makes their actions somehow less impactful or believable. It’s just that this particular element of Precious would be entirely lost on many viewers had it not been highlighted.

Plenty of screen time is also devoted to Precious’s classmates, and their presence introduces some critically needed instances of humor and light-heartedness. Two students especially, the outspoken Joann (Roquemore) and the Jamaican Rhonda (Layne) provide some brightness to the film’s emotionally dark abyss. Paula Patton is stern and empathetic as Ms. Rain, never wavering in pushing her students and Precious to do their best. Mariah Carey’s depiction of a seen-and-heard-it-all-before social worker is surprisingly bewitching, and floats well above any accusations of mere stunt casting.

Finally on the performance front is comedienne Mo’Nique, who showcases a side of herself never before recognized in any of her previous works. Her Mary is a woman entirely unworthy of love and, dare I say, remorse. Throughout the film until the third act, Mary’s cruel and pernicious presence is simultaneously frightening and loathsome. She commits some utterly reprehensible actions that I do not care to relay here, but you will gasp at the things she does.

Mary’s penultimate scene with Ms. Weiss is crushing and definitive of whom she is as both a mother and as a woman. Just seeing Mary flat out deny and justify her treatment of her daughter, while choking back tears streaking her ugly, overly made-up face evokes the tiniest piece of pity for her. Redemption, however, remains beyond reach.

Above all else, Precious is a film brave enough and powerful enough to avoid wallowing in its own pitiful atmosphere. Do not mistake this film as yet another heavy-handed, polemical after school special in theatrical form. At its very core, the film is about a young woman finding the resoluteness and insight to want to prevail, even when she believes she cannot.

DVD Highlight: The Red Violin

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Carlo Cecchi, Irene Grazioli, Anita Laurenzi, Samuele Amighetti, Christoph Koncz, Jean-Luc Bideau, Arthur Denberg, Jason Flemyng, Greta Scacchi, Joshua Bell, Sylvia Chang, Liu Zifeng, Colm Feore, Monique Mercure, Don McKellar, Ireneusz Bogajewicz, Marvin Mill
Directed By: François Girard
Written By: Don McKellar & François Girard

One crimson stringed instrument, five generations, five countries, and 300 years worth of history. François Girard’s The Red Violin is a five-in-one film experience, with each tale filled with just as much intrigue and passion as the last. The story is anchored in present-day Montreal, where appraiser Charles Morritz (Jackson) is just one of several parties at an auction clamoring to place top bids on the Stradivarius. As the violin passes down over the centuries, the unspoken power and influence of the instrument manifests in unpredictable measures, inspiring love, creativity, obsession, and even death.

Originally released on DVD in 2000, The Red Violin received a second release in June 2008 under the Meridian Collection banner. This re-release includes a crisper video transfer as well as three extras:

• Audio commentary with director/co-writer François Girard and co-writer Don McKellar
• “The Auction Block”, an 18-minute video on the film’s inspirations
• "The Oscar-Winning Chaconne", a video about the film’s score by composer John Corigliano

Blu-Ray Highlight: The Wages of Fear

Starring: Yves Montand, Charles Vanel, Folco Lulli, Peter van Eyck, Vera Clouzot, William Tubbs, Dario Moreno, Jo Dest, Antonio Centa, Luis De Lima
Directed By: Henri-Georges Clouzot
Written By: Henri-Georges Clouzot & Jérome Geronimi

In a small South American town, the unscrupulous Southern Oil Company dominates its residents with cheap labor and near-nonexistent wages. When one of their oil wells explodes, SOC hires four indigent men to drive two trucks carrying nitroglycerin towards the faraway site. Each of the men, strapped for cash and lacking any ends, sees the extremely dangerous job as their only means out of poverty.

Mario (Montand), a charming Casanova of sorts, pairs up with Jo (Vanel), an arrogant old criminal. Mario’s jovial roommate Luigi (Lulli) takes the second truck with Bimba (van Eyck), a man of a few words and a dark past behind him. Everything about their perilous journey across the South American countryside screams potential death. Even the tiniest bump in the unpaved dirt roads could set off their volatile cargo. To survive, the fearful four inevitably have to reach inner depths of courage they have never faced before.

Director Henri-Georges Clouzot’s The Wages of Fear is a very well-developed character drama, constructed with fine-tuned editing and abundant suspense. Despite my issues with the film’s ending, The Wages of Fear is a solid recommendation for cinephiles and Criterion collectors.

Both the Blu-Ray and DVD editions feature the following supplements:

• Video interview with assistant director Michel Romanoff
• Video interview with Marc Godin, biographer of Henri-Georges Clouzot
• 1988 interview with actor Yves Montand
• Henri Georges Clouzot: An Enlightened Tyrant, a 2004 documentary on the director’s career
• Censored, a look at the various cuts made to the film for American distribution.
• A booklet featuring an essay by novelist Dennis Lehane, and print interviews with the film’s cast and crew.

Film Review: This Is It

Directed By: Kenny Ortega

Michael Jackson’s This Is It could have ended up as nothing more than a tastelessly thrown-together cash-in of a movie. I originally thought it was destined to be a cynically designed film exploiting the collective grief and nostalgia of fans everywhere.

Thank goodness that it is none of these things. In fact, This Is It turned out to be nothing like I assumed it was going to be. Instead, the end result is a brilliantly edited documentary/tribute film that serves as an all-access pass revealing the King of Pop’s artistic process.

This Is It is comprised of rehearsal footage, shot from April to June 2009, for what was intended to be Michael Jackson’s final concert series scheduled to begin this past summer. For two hours, we witness a genuine master at the peak of his game, as he takes us through most of the classic hits fans have known and loved since forever. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", "Jam", the beautifully melodic "Human Nature", "They Don't Care About Us"; you cannot help but move and groove in your seat when you hear these songs and others performed live. Jackson states on a few occasions that he is trying to preserve his voice for the real show. He almost appears to imply that he is withholding from unleashing the full extent of his energies. Amazing still, because even a Michael Jackson operating at 80 percent still leaves the much younger dancers and vocalists working with him in awe.

Forget about finding any scenes of controversy, scandal, or moments that paint Jackson in a less-than-favorable light. This Is It is strictly about the effort and creative craftsmanship required to bring such a grand spectacle of a concert to fruition. Jackson and director Kenny Ortega are collaborators, mapping out logistical details of staging, lighting, and musical cues with each performance. While Jackson is the head conceptualist of the concert's individual set pieces, he fosters an inclusive environment of collaboration and respect among his peers. Even when missing cues or having technical issues, Jackson remains a gracious gentleman at all times. Smaller, innocuous instances in the film further imbues its subject with dashes of whimsy, such as Jackson's delight in riding a cherry picker in preparation for "Beat It".

Stagehands, background dancers, and musicians alike exhibit a great deal of reverence for the star, demonstrating just how deeply the man and his work has touched millions worldwide, and continues to do so. During a run-through of "Black or White", Jackson encourages his lead guitarist Orianthi Panagaris to "have [her] time to shine" and boy does she ever. A riveting duet between Jackson and singer Judith Hill on "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" stirred me immensely. Jackson's precise and playful responses to Hill’s vocals and her joy in working with her childhood idol are absolutely sublime.

Each of the extra vignettes filmed separately for the concert are nothing short of impressive. Watching Jackson digitally inserted into scenes from the Rita Hayworth film Gilda, as well as fleeing from Humphrey Bogart, put a Cheshire grin on this cinephile's face. Brand-new, high-definition sequences for "Thriller" and "Earth Song" are effective compliments to their respective numbers.

The documentary does start to run a bit long near the conclusion, and there are times where the less patient will complain just when the film seems to reach a final endpoint. Nevertheless, this is only a minor quibble. For two hours, it felt to me as though Jackson was still alive, delivering what was indeed going to be one roof-burner of a concert. Artistically and physically, Michael Jackson proved that he still had the genius, the spark, and the passion that made him a success.

Rest in peace, MJ.

Film Review: American Violet

Starring: Nicole Beharie, Alfre Woodard, Michael O’Keefe, Tim Blake Nelson, Will Patton, Malcolm Barrett, Xzibit, Charles S. Dutton, Pamala Tyson, Tim Ware
Directed By: Tim Disney
Written By: Bill Haney

In his final stand-up special in March 2008, It’s Bad for Ya, George Carlin asserted that Americans do not have any actual rights at all. Instead, what we believe to be our rights are in fact privileges. The late comedian expounded further, “Rights aren’t rights if [the government] can take them away.” After watching the vexatious story of Dee Roberts (Beharie) in American Violet, it is pretty difficult to argue against Carlin’s sentiments.

The film is based on the story of Regina Kelly (changed to Dee Roberts, along with other names in the film), a single mother of four little daughters who unexpectedly gets arrested in a sudden police sweep of a small housing project. The raids are led by Calvin Beckett (O’Keefe), the corrupt district attorney of Hearne, Texas. It is clearer than crystal that the arrests are racially motivated, as all of those arrested happen to be black. Even more deplorable is the fact that the arrests were based off of a tip from one lone informant with a history of mental illness.

Dee, having no record of dealing or using drugs, is given two rotten choices by the courts. One is accepting a plea bargain in which she can be freed as a convicted felon. Option two leads to years of possible prison time should she choose to fight the case. When faced with such choices, you have to ask yourself what in the world is the law really good for.

American Violet is an edifying civics lesson/legal procedural that centers its lens on the “-isms” of race and class, and the shamefully wretched body of the Texas justice system. Newcomer Nicole Beharie provides a rousing, able performance as the 24-year old Dee. She does not let the monumental fear of her ordeal paralyze her, as she has far too much to lose. The venerable Alfre Woodard lends her terrific supportive presence as Dee’s mother Alma, who understandably wishes for her daughter to take the plea and return to her children. Xzibit puts his limited time to sound use as Dee’s former boyfriend Darrell.

Tim Blake Nelson admirably shines as ACLU lawyer David Cohen, and Will Patton is quietly laid back as Sam Conroy, a retired sheriff-turned-local attorney who has his own regrets of tolerating the pervasive racial hatred of his Texas town. Michael O’Keefe’s D.A. figure is a man easy to despise; every passive scowl informed by severe loathing and insatiable lust for power.

It is unproductive to point out that American Violet is a by-the-numbers, message-driven drama. The story does not in any way allow for any narrative or stylistic deviations, and it never needs to. Its agenda is made transparent from the first frame, but the film remains wholly absorbing. Only the most indifferent individuals would not feel any semblance of anger well inside themselves upon witnessing such flagrant injustices seen wherein. Rights or privileges are not just a matter of semantics.

Film Review: Medicine for Melancholy

Starring: Wyatt Cenac, Tracey Heggins
Directed & Written By: Barry Jenkins

Two 20-something strangers awaken in an immoderate San Francisco house, hung over and at a loss for words. The awkwardness that hangs over them is thick enough for a machete to chop through. They had a one night stand, and they do not remember each other’s names. The man introduces himself as Micah (Cenac). She agitatedly responds “Angela”, but Micah later discovers her real name: Joanne (Heggins).

After a more casual but no less awkward reintroduction at her home, Joanne and Micah begin to spend the next 24 hours together. They become more comfortable with each other, their conversations cultivating more intrigue and intimacy. Micah’s chief conversation topics revolve around racial identity, self perceptions, and San Francisco’s history with gentrification. He adheres to what he believes is a true definition of what a black person is. For instance, he half-jokingly remarks that a black person’s Sunday afternoon entails churchgoing and fried chicken, not visiting museums. When Joanne suggests a visit to the Museum of Modern Art, he takes her instead to the MoAD (Museum of the African Diaspora).

Joanne appears to exist outside of Micah’s preconceived notions, which enamors him all the more. She is artsy and has what Micah would call an “indie” vibe about her. Her boyfriend is an art curator who is currently in London, although there is nothing in her beau’s apartment that would give this impression. Unlike the bare walls in her home, Joanne is not a blank slate. She is who she is, simply put.

Medicine for Melancholy is a thoughtful and intelligent presentation from first-time director Barry Jenkins, who flourishes the city of San Francisco with a beautifully raw lens. The bleached-out coloring of the picture works to an impressively evocative effect. The first portion of the film appears muted and near-monochrome, portraying the unsure gray areas of Micah and Joanne’s rocky start. More colors seep into the frame as they grow closer and their melancholy alleviates.

Wyatt Cenac, best known as a writer and “Senior Black Correspondent” on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, is confident and restrained in his role. Tracey Heggins is equally dauntless, and emits a certain quiet vibrancy as Joanne. A winning film on all fronts, Medicine for Melancholy is an excellent exercise in tone and feeling.

Film Review: Where the Wild Things Are

Starring: Max Records, Catherine Keener, Pepita Emmerichs, James Gandolfini, Chris Cooper, Catherine O’Hara, Forest Whitaker, Paul Dano, Lauren Ambrose, Michael Berry Jr., Mark Ruffalo, Steve Mouzakis
Directed By: Spike Jonze
Written By: Spike Jonze & Dave Eggers

Spike Jonze’s lugubrious adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s beloved 1963 children’s book is a strange beast of a film. People have given this movie either one of two classifications: that it is a film about the essence of childhood, or that it is about an adult’s idea of being a kid. Both viewpoints are accurate, for the most part. Where the Wild Things Are does illustrate the imaginative whimsy and petulant anger that all children are entitled to, but the tenor of the film is darker and more adult-minded.

Max (Records) is a young boy brimming with pent-up frustrations. He looks up to his older sister (Emmerichs), who does not have any time to spare for him. His divorced mother (Keener) is straining to keep her job while trying to find romance. After a rowdy outburst at the dinner table, which culminates in Max biting his mom, the boy runs away in the middle of the night and into the woods. There, he finds a tiny boat which takes him to a faraway island populated by giant furry wild creatures. The hulking and threatening-looking things first view Max as a hapless snack, but he quickly boasts his way into making them believe that he is their new king. Each of the creatures represents aspects of his personality and home life.

The lead thing, Carol (Gandolfini) takes an immediate liking to Max, primarily because they echo each other in fecklessness and fury. The eagle-like Douglas (Cooper) is Carol’s right-hand thing and resident voice of reason. The gratingly cynical Judith (O’Hara) is a self-described downer who falls for the soft-spoken and peaceful Ira (Whitaker). Alexander the goat (Dano) begs for attention every chance he gets, and the silently intimidating thing known only as The Bull (Berry Jr.) channels Max’s simmering temper. Much to Carol’s resentment, the cucumber-cool KW (Ambrose) stays on the periphery of the things’ space, and acts as a mother/older sister figure for Max.

Craziness ensues, unhappiness swells, and ultimately Max learns a key lesson: While life is filled with disappointments, we mature by developing the intrepidity to deal with them. It is not a particularly deep notion, and neither is the film, which is what Where the Wild Things Are intends to be. Plot-wise, the film is awfully thin. Even though the film is based on a ten sentence-long book, Jonze and co-writer Dave Eggers had ample room to craft a fuller and richer narrative than what was ultimately produced. Nothing grandiose occurs in the story, which leaves much of the middle empty and void of any palpable suspense. There just is not enough happening in the film to fully care about what these characters do and why.

It appears that Jonze came into Sendak’s work with the intent of crafting a children’s film that does not condescend its target audience, which is to be respected. The wild things of the story carry themselves as regular people in the guise of outlandish monsters, and they never stoop to lowbrow physical gags or humor. Commendable as this is, they remain quite non-compelling despite fine voice work from Gandolfini, Ambrose, and the rest of the cast. Yes, they share imperfections like any other family, and this is crucial for Max to realize. Yet, most of them act as if they are sad adults too incapable to confront their own insecurities. Rather than embracing these characters, you would want to recommend them an excellent therapist. It does not make for enthralling viewing, for both child and grownup alike.

Cinematically, the film yields a simple surreal beauty. Bare forests, spacious deserts, and dusky coastlines are pleasing to watch. The look of the creatures themselves – a blend of real costumes and CGI facial animations – is nothing short of top-notch. The Jim Henson Company Creature Shop deserves accolades for what they provide here.

Children’s/child-targeted fare such as Pixar’s productions (Wall-E, Finding Nemo) succeed in striking that fine balance between kid and adult appeal. Where the Wild Things Are does not achieve this equilibrium. What could have been a special film is instead a fundamentally hollow and self-pitying 101 minutes.

Film Review: Zombieland

Starring: Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin
Directed By: Ruben Fleischer
Written By: Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick

Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later augmented the scare factor of zombies by endowing them with the gift of speed. Edgar Wright’s horror-cum-romantic comedy Shaun of the Dead made them hilarious. Zombieland serves up a thoroughly enjoyable mixture of both films’ elements, and while it is less scary than the former and has a touch less wit than the latter, the end result is chock full of win.

Jesse Eisenberg stars as Columbus, a geeky bundle of nerves who has managed to endure the zombie apocalypse by adhering to his self-fashioned rules of survival. Maintaining good cardio serves him well; he points out that the more portly members of the populace were the first to go. Traveling from Texas, Columbus heads towards Ohio, where he hopes that his parents are still alive. On his way, he runs into a man who calls himself Tallahassee (Harrelson), a crusty, armed, and dangerous redneck with an appetite for destruction. Tallahassee’s goals are simple and twofold: slaughter lots and lots of zombies, and find the elusive, last remaining delicacy that is the Twinkie.

The reticent Columbus and the gung-ho Tallahassee later meet two hard-nosed sisters, Wichita (Stone) and the 12-year old Little Rock (Breslin). Trust issues abound between the four as they head west, bumping off legions of the living dead left and right, up and down, and side to side.

At just under 90 minutes, Zombieland does not overstay its welcome. Its four lead characters yearn for the simpler pleasures in life, and the film’s aims reflect this through its charming humor. Scenes play out as long as they should, and character development is minimal yet enough to engage us with their crucial quest. Woody Harrelson throws caution to the wind with his performance, creatively killing his flesh-hungry game with the zeal of a painter crafting a masterpiece. Tallahassee is given more backstory than the others, which adds slightly more dimension to what could have been a tiring one-note buffoon.

Eisenberg narrates the movie, and his quirked-up Michael Cera-esque role is an amusing contrast to the rest of his sharper-edged companions. Little on-screen touches, such as the slow-mo opening credits showing victims fleeing from their rotting predators, and a certain cameo midway that will surely draw a lot of “What’s?!” from viewers bolsters the movie.

Zombieland is, in a word, fun. Considering the on-screen resurgence of vampires last year, and the small wave of zombie films in this decade, one wonders what other fabled monsters Hollywood will resurrect next. Werewolves? Mummies? Frankensteins? Zombified, lycanthropic, bloodsucking, mummified ghouls…with chainsaws and firearms? What a joy it is to dream.


Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Film Review: The Informant!

Starring: Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Joel McHale, Melanie Lynskey, Thomas F. Wilson, Patton Oswalt, Scott Adsit, Eddie Jemison, Allan Havey
Directed By: Steven Soderbergh
Written By: Scott Z. Burns

Corporate espionage, white collar crime, and mountains of deceit combine to form the impassive and idiosyncratic film that is The Informant!. Steven Soderbergh’s based-on-a-true-story tale follows Marc Whitacre (Damon), an executive at Archer Daniels Midland in the mid 1990s. His job entails overseeing the profits of ADM’s food additives, most notably lysine. When revenues begin to drop, Whitacre posits that it may be an internal sabotage job for the company’s Japanese competitors.

Cue the FBI, who subsequently arrives to investigate the malfeasance. At the insistent prodding of his wife Ginger (Lynskey), Whitacre tips the feds off on a price fixing scheme involving ADM higher-ups. Despite appearances, his motives are anything but clear cut. His FBI handlers, specifically agent Brian Shepard (Bakula), are pushed to the brink of total exasperation when dealing with Whitacre’s conduct.

So why would he blow the whistle on his fellow executives? What does Whitacre hope to gain from acting as an FBI informant? The revelations are far murkier than one would expect, mainly because its protagonist is bafflingly unreliable and distrustful. Matt Damon pulls off a tricky balancing act as the pudgy and seemingly oblivious ADM executive, trailing off with random and nonsensical voiceovers that insulate him from reality. One is never too sure if Whitacre is worthy of anybody’s sympathies, or if he even comprehends the magnitude of his actions. Damon and Soderberg succeed in keeping audiences questioning the film’s directions, and the film maintains a minimized tongue-in-cheek tone from the start.

The beginning portion of The Informant! is not the strongest aspect of the film. It does keep the nature of Whitacre’s character close to the vest and sets up the events that will follow. As borderline unengaging as it feels, the film manages to gather steam at the 30-minute mark and does not decline afterwards. Though it is not Soderberg’s strongest or deepest project, The Informant! is positively serviceable. The outright absurdity of the story and Damon’s meritable portrait of a man under self-inflicted pressure spices up this light effort.


Rating: 7 out of 10

Blu-Ray Highlight: Chungking Express

Starring: Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Brigitte Lin, Faye Wong, Valerie Chow, Chen Jinquan
Directed & Written By: Wong Kar-Wai

A young and dejected cop (Kaneshiro) traverses the crowded and ceaselessly bustling streets of Hong Kong, reeling over a rather sad breakup. He purchases cans of pineapple every night with an expiration of May 1, his upcoming birthday. By eating the soon-to-be rotten fruit, the cop hopes that he will be reunited with his former love. If that doesn’t work, then he will conquer his heartbreak by falling in love with the next woman he sees.

That next woman (Lin) happens to be involved in some shady underworld dealings that have gone south. Disguising herself in a blond wig and red-framed sunglasses, the woman’s worries spare little room for lovelorn law enforcement officials.

Another police officer (Leung) is also dealing with a breakup. His flight attendant girlfriend (Chow) has left him, and all he has left is his work. Faye (Wong), a spunky young girl working at a local café, quietly takes a shine to the cop. She goes so far as to finding his apartment and rearranging everything whenever the officer isn’t home.

Wong Kar-Wai’s Chungking Express is more of an exercise in cinematic virtuosity than it is in plot and straightforward storytelling. That is not to say that the characters within are nothing special. In fact, it is quite the opposite. The two unrelated stories paint a vivid and sparking picture of basic human longing, and unspoken yet understood camaraderie between strangers.

Criterion presents a pleasant batch of extras for both the Blu-ray and DVD editions:

• Audio commentary by noted Asian cinema critic Tony Rayns
• Episode excerpt from the BBC Television series Moving Pictures, featuring Wong and cinematographer Christopher Doyle
• U.S. theatrical trailer
• A booklet featuring a new essay by critic Amy Taubin