A couple of movies that make my soul (and/or innerds) stir.

Christopher's last entry spoke of a film that he "still [has] not been able to shake." Here are some films just off the top of my head that have really rocked my world:


Yi Yi (2000), dir. Edward Yang

This was the last film to make me tear up. The plot points definitely hit me emotionally, but it struck me on a much deeper level than that. The filmmaking in Yi Yi is just so goddamn virtuoso, it made me think, "I am not worthy. This film is utterly perfect." I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard that Edward Yang had succumbed to colon cancer.


Miami Vice (2006), dir. Michael Mann


Yes, this film is completely ridiculous. Yes, it's pretty much incoherent at parts. Yes, Colin Farrell does switch between accents during the film. Yes, that Linkin Park song sucks. But can you deny the kickassness of the opening of this film? (No studio logo, no titlecards. It just goes straight to Crockett and Tubbs in the middle of a packed nightclub.) That's genius, holmes.


Chungking Express (1994), dir. Wong Kar Wai



In my mind, a lot of folks like this film for the wrong reasons. Many only cite its great cinematography. I think that view is simply scratching the surface of this master work. For me, Chungking Express manages to do the impossible--it perfectly captures the wonderful whirlwind of love on celluloid. Indeed, love is very much like eating pineapples till you puke.

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974), dir. Rainer Werner Fassbineder



This film just inspires the hell out of me. It was shot in a mere two weeks but is an totally perfect piece of work. Mix tenderness, anguish, malevolence, and lust in a blender, and this is what you get. Delicious.

Frenzy (1972), dir. Alfred Hitchcock



This film is, bar none, my favorite Hitchcock film. Sick, perverted, haunting, titillating, raw, totally thrilling. It amazes me that he churned this out in the later stages of his career--usually the sick shit occurs early in one's career and fades away as one gets fat off one's fame.

The New World (2005), dir. Terrence Malick



(The above is the conclusion of the film. So, if you haven't seen it, don't play the clip!)

I was pretty close to simultaneously weeping and pissing/shitting my pants during the last five minutes of this film. YouTube does it no justice; if you haven't seen this film before, watch it on at least DVD or Blu-Ray or something (with a pair of Depends on). It is the most beautiful five minutes of cinema ever crafted. Your body won't be able to handle it.

*****

This is by no means a comprehensive list. I just had to stop, because I realized if I kept doing this, I could be typing and looking up clips on YouTube all night. So, that's enough for now.

Keep on keepin' on,
Kwok