Saturday, February 10, 2007

We Can't Wait #5 Lust, Caution

Leung & Chen: hottest fictional marrieds since Brangelina in Mr & Mrs. Smith

Oscar winning director Ang Lee has a pretty good track record at turning out critically acclaimed films that become more successful than anyone ever expected them to be --think Crouching Tiger and Brokeback Mountain. Successes the size of Brokeback will usually give filmmakers a 'get out of jail free' card to do whatever the hell they want for at least one picture. (Remember that's how Gus Van Sant got away with recreating Psycho post Good Will Hunting to name one frequently gabbed about post breakthrough move) So, Ang Lee is following his cowboy romance with a film set in Shanghai during WW II. Focus Features plans to unveil it in September. Headlining the film are the eternally gorgeous Joan Chen and the world's greatest Asian movie star Tony Leung Chiu-Wai (who will now probably be referred to in the press as 'the guy Leonardo DiCaprio was playing in The Departed ' *sigh*) who must be on loan from Wong Kar Wai or something. They play Mr & Mrs. Yi in this espionage drama.

Gabriel: I don't think there's any film on the "We Can't Wait" list that has a better set of production elements than this one. Ang Lee is a malleable filmmaker who brings elegance to every genre he touches. Tony Leung and Joan Chen are exquisitely tender performers. Even the technical artists involved (Rodrigo Prieto, the cinematographer from Babel and Brokeback, Tim Squyres, the editor of Syriana) are astonishing. The potential here is mind-blowing.

Lulu: Maybe Joan Chen will finally have a role worthy of her.
Maybe Joan Chen will finally get her Oscar nom.
Maybe Joan Chen will be beautiful, scary, sweet and freaky all at
once -- the way Lulu likes it.
Maybe Joan Chen will cause the screen to spontaneously ignite at theatres around the globe.
It's all about Joan Chen.

Nathaniel: But what ab...

Lulu: Joan Chen.

Joe: I love that "Lust, Caution" could have been an alternate title for Brokeback
Mountain
. I also love that Ang Lee is able to hop genres without making it
seem like he's taking this big departure, mostly because his style is so
strong that whatever genre he dips into, you know you're getting an Ang Lee
film. Love that he's re-teaming with Prieto, too. He's used to lensing
things as beautiful as Tony Leung and Joan Chen.

Nathaniel: The beauty doesn't end there. There's also Lee-Hom Wang (pictured, right. I'll try to stop drooling) and scrumptous Tang Wei in the supporting roles. But anyway...back to Ang Lee!

JA: I nearly broke the world wide web with my posting about Brokeback Mountain. I could've crippled the Earth's servers. So yeah, I won't be quitting (oooh, dated and lousy humor!) Ang Lee any time soon. I want Ang to take on every imaginable genre that there is. His next project sounds like a semi-straightforward romantic comedy; maybe he can do an outer-space vampire movie after that! That or underwater zombies. Hmm.

Joe: I’d like to see him do a semi-faux-documentary where he tours the country putting middle-Americans into awkward situations by being hilariously blunt about their prejudices.

Nathaniel: You mean like Oscar night last year?

Lust, Caution arrives to blow our minds with beauty in September from Focus Features.


previously on "we can't wait"
#6 I'm Not There, #7 Margot at the Wedding, #8 moved to 2008, #9 The Golden Compass,#10 Grindhouse, #11 Bug, #12, Sunshine, #13 Southland Tales, #14 300, #15 Hot Fuzz, #16 Stardust, #17 The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, #18 Spider-Man 3, #19 Rendition, #20 The Bourne Ultimatum
Intro -films that didn't make the list

tags: Tony Leung, Joan Chen, Ang Lee, movies, Lust, Caution, oscars, Brokeback Mountain, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Has anyone read the short story it's based on? I've been searching for it all over the web.

Anonymous said...

Number one on my list. Ang Lee and Tony Leung is a dream pairing. I love it that Ang Lee can go back and forth between english and chinese films. All his chinese films have been stellar: Pushing Hands, Wedding Banquet, Eat Drink Man Woman and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. September can't come soon enough!

Glenn Dunks said...

Joan Chen is having a comeback I think? She has the lead role in an Australian film (out this year) called The Home Song Stories about a singer from Shanghai.

But, Lust, Caution sounds great. I trust it's more Brokeback than The Hulk, despite the genres.

Great title too.

Anonymous said...

joan chen is not a leading role, her role doesn't exist in story, simply created by Ang Lee. Tang Wei
and Leung are main characters in the story.

NATHANIEL R said...

well, given that this is being made into a feature from a short story the roles could be any size (with Leung as lead of course since he's the star)

but that's interesting to know, thanks. now i have to find this story.

gabrieloak said...

Joan Chen. You broke my heart on Twin Peaks. Yes, the new Ang Lee film sounds like a winner.

evermoon said...

Any film that can get Tony Leung and Joan Chen some Oscar buzz (and what better way than to be directed by Ang Lee) is really something worth getting excited about.

Unknown said...

Joan Chen is not a leading role, but her role does exist in the original story.
Tang Wei is the leading role.The story is all about her character.