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Archive for April, 2008
There are barely a handful of artists whose music perfectly accentuates whatever state I’m in. The last time I was this moved by an album was when I listened to Jeff Buckley’s Grace for the first time; an underrated (by today’s general public I mean) masterpiece – the kind of music that slowly grows on you and before you know it, consumes you.
Johnny Cash’s (1932 – 2003) American IV: The Man Comes Around is undoubtedly the work of a man relapsing into the cold comfort of religion in his last days but that shouldn’t put you off of it. Some of the tracks do have not-so-subtle religious overtones but then again, the songs are so organic, so heartfelt that you cannot help but go back and take them in all over again. One of the truly brilliant tracks on the disc is his cover of “Hurt” by Trent Reznor (yes, of Nine Inch Nails fame). The song takes a completely different meaning when sung by Cash; lending credence to that Edith Wharton saying, “There’s no such thing as old age, there is only sorrow.”
The video, for your viewing pleasure-
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go]
Wong Kar Wai’s My Blueberry Nights is a strange film. Some thirty minutes into it, there’s a scene in which Jude Law’s character kisses the sleeping Norah Jones; and they barely know each other. Whether or not you’ll fall in love with this film depends on how you react to that one scene. You could either think it’s immensely beautiful or incredibly creepy, like I did.
WKW’s films are filled with strife and agony that aggravate the already existing emotional and sexual tension between characters. He makes them go through terrible bouts of loneliness before giving them a reprieve. The emotions are underplayed; what really does the trick in a WKW film is the visual style. He’s probably the only director who can make neon lights, blurs and bright colors look sensual and intimate as opposed to well…sleazy.
My Blueberry Nights follows Elizabeth (Norah Jones) as she takes a road trip of sorts whilst trying to come to terms with a recent heartbreak. Along the way, she meets the proverbial clown car of characters, each of them struggling through life themselves- a troubled couple (played by David Straithairn and Rachel Weisz) and a compulsive gambler (Natalie Portman). You know she’s supposed to learn something along the way, but you can never be sure of what Wai really wants to say. Elizabeth shares an ambiguously defined connection with Jeremy but still goes a long way before she realizes truths that only characters in films do. My Blueberry Nights has a very weak screenplay; one that’s not quite sure of what it wants to tell. The character arcs are ill conceived and you never really get a satisfying resolution. I have to agree with the critics who say WKW’s vision got lost in translation somewhere; it’s pretty obvious he was never comfortable with the language or the nuances involved.
However, the film is perhaps the most beautifully shot film you’ll come across this year and has one of the most amazing kisses ever filmed. If nothing, this film will be remembered for that one (creepy yet beautiful) kiss. At the end of the day, My Blueberry Nights is a disappointment for WKW fans; a beautiful disappointment.
Links:
- My Blueberry Nights is not so tasty: Daily News
- Norah Jones’s Three Day Kiss: Telegraph
PS: See how I didn’t go overboard with Natalie Portman this time?
