Flashback: Maggie Cheung and... Sigourney Weaver?

A very happy birthday to the incomparable and elusive Maggie Cheung who turns 46 today. We haven't seen her mysterious mojo onscreen in about six years -- since Clean and 2046 hit and she announced that unfortunate retirement -- but she did do a cameo earlier this year in the Chinese film Hot Summer Days (pictured left), an all star ensemble romance about a heatwave.

Here in this ancient clip from the Golden Horse Awards, you can see Maggie winning one of her four Golden Horse Best Actress awards for Comrades a Love Story (1996) aka Tian Mi Mi... good flick - rent it. And who is presenting this award but Sigourney Weaver herself! It's an Ang Lee connection since Sigweavie was doing The Ice Storm round about that time. They switch to English about a minute into the clip.



Leslie Cheung (RIP) is also in the clip. *sniffle*
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Favorite 100 Movies of the Decade (#75-51)

We're doing this a little different than we did the male and female performances... but we're still skipping the 2009 films -- we'll get to those soon

the list #100-76, #75-51, #50-31, #30-16 and #15-1.

Awards for 2009 begin tomorrow or thereabouts.

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*****
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Here we go again...


75 The Fountain dir. Darren Aronofsky (2006)
Who needs drugs when you can snort Aronofsky movies?

74 thirteen dir Catherine Hardwicke (2003)
I still maintain that this was a stunning debut, deeply felt and ferociously performed. I'm still confused about what followed with Hardwicke.

73 Monsoon Wedding dir. Mira Nair (2001, released 2002)
For its color, energy and beauty and for one of my all-time favorite portraits of extended family love. Naseeruddin Shah and Shefali Shetty jerk my tears every time. Plus a great soundtrack.

72 Kings and Queen (Kings and Queen) dir. Arnaud Desplechin (2004, released in 2005)
Anchored by two of the most important French actors of the decade (Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Devos) and so rich with feeling and complication, that I actually feel guilt that I haven't returned for a second look


71 Brødre (Brothers) dir. Susanne Bier (2004, released in 2005)
The remake is Globe nominated and in theaters right now, but this is the one for you.

70 Lovely & Amazing dir. Nicole Holofcener (2001, released in 2002)
So few films are made about women and when they are they're so often cheaply written romantic comedies with clichéd quirks for lovable girlwomen protagonists. I love how thorny and mature these characters are and how authentically they navigate their relationships. Bonus points to Holofcener for achieving here what she didn't achieve with Friends With Money which is the threading of thematics (body image and identity) through interpersonal drama without coming across as stiffly THEMATIC at its core.

69 Peter Pan dir. PJ Hogan (released in 2003)
If more people had read the source material, they'd understand how diluted this story had become and what a gift this movie was for the centennial of J.M. Barrie. Bonus points for the amazing below the line team: Roger Ford (production design) known for the Babe films, Donald McAlphine (cinematography) fresh off of Moulin Rouge! and Janet Patterson (costumes) of Jane Campion filmography fame.

68 Ying Xiong (Hero) dir. Zhang Yimou (2002, released in 2004)
It couldn't possibly live up to my expectations since I had to wait two years for it (Damn you Weinsteins!) but it was still a joy to lay eyes upon. The color and structure alone... orgasmic. Please don't remind me that this is the last pairing of one of the greatest screen couples of the entirety of cinema (Maggie Cheung & Tony Leung Chiu Wai) or I may well burst into tears. Don't do it!


67 Me and You and Everyone We Know dir. Miranda July (2005)

))<>(( forever

66 Sen to Chihiro no Kamikushi (Spirited Away) dir. Hayao Miyazaki (2001, released in 2002)
Transfixing. I really need to see it again. I only wish it had proven more influential. I'm not going to pretend it hasn't been a great decade for animated films, but there is a certain "sameness" that can occassionally feel like poison. Miyazaki is the antidote.

65 American Psycho dir. Mary Harron (2000)
What could have been another disposable serial killer picture (my god there are too many of them) was instead a slickly sick smart and well judged character piece. Without the character.

There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman, some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me, only an entity, something illusory, and though I can hide my cold gaze and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping you and maybe you can even sense our lifestyles are probably comparable: I simply am not there.

64 Shia Mian Mai Fu (The House of Flying Daggers) dir. Zhang Yimou (2004)
Eye candy extraordinaire

63 Shortbus dir. John Cameron Mitchell (2006)
I've realized in the years since its debut that the cracks from concept to execution show. But whatever. This is one of my favorite films about New York City and it's recognizable to me in a way too few films are. The cinema needs more intensely personal visions like this. Mitchell has only made two films and they're both on this countdown. Needless to say, I cannot wait to see Rabbit Hole.

62 Morvern Callar dir. Lynne Ramsay (2002)
A signature role for the screen's most talented enigma, Samantha Morton.

61 Pola X dir. Leo Caraz (1999, released in 2000)
Restless, foreboding, confident, shocking, erotic, dangerous, indelible... certifiable. At least that's how I remember it.


60 Ratatouille dir. Brad Bird & Jan Pinkava (2007)
Everyone can cook. Too bad that not everyone can make movies as well as Pixar.

59 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl dir. Gore Verbinski (2003)
Every once in a blue moon a summer blockbuster is perfect. I still remember the joy and shock of the first viewing. I pretend that the useless sequels don't exist and I watch this grand adventure any time it's on TV.

58 Tillsammans (Together) dir. Lukas Moodyson (2000, released in 2001)
So unusually warm, generous and moving that I felt scarred by the brutality of Moodyson's follow up Lilya 4Ever (2002). I've been scared to go forward into any of the subsequent miserabilist movies since. I like depressing hopeless movies (as this countdown should make clear) but I don't want to think of Moodyson making them after the humane beauty of Together and Show Me Love (1998)

57 Se, Jie (Lust, Caution) dir. Ang Lee (2007)
Against all odds, the follow up to Brokeback Mountain wasn't a letdown at all but another startlingly potent and exquisitely rendered doomed romance.

56 The Devil Wears Prada dir. (2006)
über quotable and movies that achieve that last. Think about it: they do. "Gird your loins!"

55 Children of Men dir. Alfonso Cuarón (2006)
So many great moments: a morning coffee explosion, the purring kitten, that slow car escape, that long violent tracking shot, Theo crying by the tree, the "theatrics" of the kidnapping. I don't even mind so much that they left out such fascinating parts of the book. Here was a complicated concept beautifully executed. I'm still mortified that Oscar didn't give Emmanuel Lubezki the cinematography prize. How many times have they stiffed him now? For shame.

54 Happy-Go-Lucky dir. Mike Leigh (2008)
Leigh's follow up to the brilliant Vera Drake put another cheerful woman center stage to very different inspirational effect. Life isn't always sweet, but why not enjoy it all the same?

53 In the Bedroom dir. Todd Field (2001)
Because I saw it so long ago but I can still feel the sting of the Sissy slap, the echo of the gunshot and the disturbing domesticity of that subversive quiet finale.

52 Pride & Prejudice dir. Joe Wright (2005)
One of the freshest liveliest filmmaking debuts of the decade... and for something that should have felt so disposable. Thankfully Joe Wright didn't make us wait for more. (Atonement almost made this top 100 list, too)

51 Milk dir. Gus Van Sant (2008)
If we have to have so many biopics every year, why can't they all be like this one: original, focused on a worthy subject, technically accomplished, and overflowing with fine performances?

continue on to #50-31

back to beginning / back to full blog
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Golden Horse Awards: Maggie Cheung, Ang Lee, Leon Dai, Tsai Ming-liang

Maggie Cheung alert!
She walked the Taiwanese red carpet today in this white number to your left. She was presenting Best Picture at the Golden Horse Awards. The Golden Horse is Taiwanese in origin but it's for Chinese language films regardless of country of origin so it's very competitive now. Warlords and Lust, Caution, which both had international releases, were recent winners of Best Picture.

This year, Maggie handed the trophy to No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti which, if we ever see it in the States, might be called I Can't Live Without You or Not Without You. That's Taiwan's submission for this year's Foreign Language Film Oscar race. The film is from actor/director Leon Dai and it's about a poor man who loses his daughter once the government learns of their illegal living conditions.

No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti (2009) from Taiwan

Winners
Best Picture: No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti
Best Director: Leon Dai, No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti
This prize was presented by four previous winners: Ang Lee, Ho Hsiao Hsien, Johnny To and Stanley Kwan. Imagine receiving your prize from that illustrious quartet.
Best Actress: Bingbing Li, The Message
You may have seen her last year in The Forbidden Kingdom. The Message is an espionage thriller

Best Actor: Was a tie for the first time in Golden Horse history.
Nick Cheung in Ching Yan (aka The Beast Stalker) a police drama
Bo Huang in Dou Niu (aka Cow) as a Chinese peasant protecting his livestock in the 1940s
Supporting Actor: Xueqi Wang, Mei Lanfang which is China's Oscar submission this year, a biopic about a famous opera star which also stars Zhang Ziyi

Supporting Actress: Kara Hui, Sham Moh

Original Screenplay: No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti

Adapted Screenplay: Dou Niu

Cinematography: City of Life and Death

Tsai Ming-Liang's gives good eye candy in Visage (Face)

Art Direction: Face

Makeup and Costume Design: Face

Choreography: Ip Man ... choreography is one of those prizes, like stunts, that one has to wonder why the Oscars never thought to reward.

Visual Effects: Fengkuang de Saiche (aka Crazy Racer)
Film Editing: KJ: Music and Life
Sound Effects: KJ: Music and Life
Original Score: The Equation of Love and Death
Original Song: "For My Heart"
Documentary: KJ: Music and Life
Lifetime Achievement: Ming Ji (I'm not sure who this is or why they were rewarded since there are several Ming Jis or Ji Mings listed at IMDB)
Special Contribution: George Wang

Maggie presented Best Picture alone at the ceremony but said publicly that she most wanted to present it with Tony Leung Chiu Wai (her frequent co-star) and Carina (his wife). As Tony -- TFE reader, not the movie star ;) -- reminded me in conversation, this will undoubtedly cause a media stir since Tony & Maggie's relationship is always primo gossip fodder.

Here's a bit of the fashions on the red carpet. In order of appearance: Terri Kwan (star of Prince of Tears, another Oscar submission this year), Ting Ting Hu (Ghosted), Lynn Hung, the beauty in yellow plays Ip Man's wife and she's the real life girlfriend of Aaron Kwo, Maggie and Ang, Lunmei Kwai (in black), Shu Qi (who you'll recognize) walks with Ho Hsiao Hsien, Best Actress winner Li Bingbing is with Alec Su (in the leather pants), Yung-yung Chan star of Yang Yang, Vivian Hsu is wearing a necklace that I can't stop staring at.


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Speak up if you've seen any of these films. A few of you surely have. And can we get a petition going to pull Maggie Cheung out of retirement, please?
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Decade in Review: 2001 Top Ten

What follows is my original top ten list of 2001. We'll discuss each year of the decade over the next month or two (we already did 2000). I do this because I am curious about which films "stick" and which fade and why and maybe you are too? Best year of the decade I think. The top five films would all be valid #1 film choices in some years. New comments are in red.

Note: This list references films released in NYC in 2001, not year of production or year in which they first the hit festival circuit or whatnot.


Runners Up (in descending order): Sexy Beast, Ali, Series 7: The Contenders, The Others, Last Resort and Waking Life. I don't remember loving Ali that much... and more than The Others? I don't remember that at all. I mean Nicole Kidman was the shit TWICE OVER in 2001.

In my round up of the year I also sang the praises of Monsters, Inc, Crazy/Beautiful and Wet Hot American Summer. Even though I listed Monsters, Inc as "underrated" I still didn't have it in the top 16. That was weird, me! I never consider documentaries eligible for the year's top ten. That's a quirk of mine that I can't really defend except for to say that I don't see enough of them to fairly evaluate their merits and I find it nearly impossible to compare their merits to those of narrative features. That said, in 2001 I was wild for The Gleaners and I.

10 No Man's Land
This acclaimed Bosnian film from Danis Tanovic is a startling visceral comedy about the lunacy of war. Let's hope it beats the overpraised (if admittedly enjoyable) Amélie to the foreign language Oscar this year.

I was surprisingly prophetic there though I understand a lot of people are still mad about that underdog win.

09 The Royal Tenenbaums
A film that flirts with greatness and becomes all the more touching by missing the mark. There's one great scene after another in Wes Anderson's fairy tale document on a family of failed geniuses. The film is blessed with a beautiful team-spirit bouquet of fine performances from Paltrow, Hackman, Huston, Glover, and the Wilson brothers. They've got character.

er... I get what I was saying but I'm not so sure this film missed the mark. It's a thing of melancholy beauty and curious singular humor. Anderson's best by a significant margin.

08 In the Bedroom
Todd Field's studied and terrific debut may not be the masterwork some have claimed it to be but it's a damn good film nonetheless. Its most remarkable feature is its honest deceptiveness. You think it's a love story. Bang, It's not. You think it's a thriller. Oops, think again. It's not that the film is lying, but that we are so accustomed to certain plot trajectories that its difficult to see the film's harrowing turns coming or to immediately understand how thoroughly it undermines traditional notions of revenge or catharsis. Bonus points to the cast for illuminating the emptying effects of grief, and the rage of the broken.

Todd Field and Wes Anderson's subsequent films have made me question my love for these on occasion. I can't say that I remember In the Bedroom well but I like what I remember still. That The Tenenbaums is all the way down at #9 only goes to show what a great year 2001 was.

07 Tillsammans (Together)
The sweetest film of the year is also one of the smartest. Lukas Moodyson throws a broken family into a 70s commune and the resulting emotional, personal, romantic, and idealistic collisions that ensue expose, illuminate, and energize all involved. "Feel good" is a term often used to describe manipulative, simple-minded, happy endings and Hollywood-style sugarcoating. Thankfully, this Swedish comedy has neither of those attributes and actually feels good. It uplifts while engaging you both emotionally and intellectually.

Nobody talks about this movie (maybe because Lukas Moodyson's subsequent films have been so brutal as to be deemed unwatchable by some fans of his first movies) and in truth I don't remember it well but I do remember how I felt leaving the theater: marvelous.

06 Gosford Park
No movie this year approaches it in terms of its nimbleness and fluidity in mixing character, theme and wit. Robert Altman's return to form is wildly entertaining.


05 Mulholland Dr.
This, the critical darling of 2001 (OK, In the Bedroom came close) was the year's most familiar complete stranger. We've seen all the Lynchian motifs, images, and characters before but this time, the singular auteur fashioned something new and revelatory out of his used parts. This picture, a grand one, had tremendous "give" in it allowing for multiple correct intrepetations, thereby prompting the most fascinating critical discussions of the year. But all that aside, the truly smart way to watch Lynch's mindfuck is to just let go and give in to its undeniable and nonsensical pull. From the frenetic overexposed jitterbug opening sequence to the final silencing moment, it's undeniably gripping. Just dive into the blue box.

Subsequent years have only strengthened its grip on the imagination, haven't they?

04 Hedwig and the Angry Inch
A triple threat triumph from writer/director/star John Cameron Mitchell. That this unforgettable theatrical experience made such a successful transfer to the screen with its punk edge, subversive charm, and visceral rock spirit intact was the year's happiest little miracle.

03 In the Mood for Love
Wong Kar Wai has outdone himself. The year's most glorious foreign film has the year's best cinematography. It paints a masterful and hypnotic meditation on memory, emotional stasis, and romantic yearning. The luminous coupling of Maggie Cheung as Mrs Chan and Tony Leung Chiu Wai as Mr. Chow astonish: They're as erotic as Mulholland Dr's Nancy Drew lovers without a sex scene, as glamorous as Moulin Rouge!'s doomed bohemians without as many costume changes and in the end they're more emotionally affecting than either of those sensational couplings. Unmissable.

If I had a gazillion dollars I would have this movie projected on my bedroom wall 24/7. Who needs photos, wallpaper, art or paint? Just these visuals on loop, forever.

02 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Pure magic. Peter Jackson's new film sets the bar high. Released just one month prior to it, Harry Potter looks even more factory-like next to it. The Fellowship of the Ring recalls the grandiose Star Wars magic minus the bad acting and none of the eventual dissappointments of an embarassing Episode One. Fellowship is compared to many films but the one it looks prettiest sitting next to is Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. In just two short years, two signature adventure epics for The East and the West have arrived that dwarf everything their genre has offered for years. Both films will likely inspire future filmmakers who are now but starry eyed children discovering the enormous magic of the cinema while watching them for the first time.

01 Moulin Rouge!
It's no secret that I've always adored Bazmark productions. (Strictly Ballroom and Romeo + Juliet were also top ten entries in their years.) But Luhrmann and his troupe topped themselves this time. With the final film in his Red Curtain Trilogy celebrating 'real artificiality,' Baz delivered his masterpiece. A lot of ink has been spilt covering Bazmark's divisive musical fantasia and I could certainly spill a lot more, but I think this revolution of a musical sums itself up quite well and accurately in one of its first numbers.

Spectacular! Spectacular!
no words in the vernacular
can describe this great event
you'll be dumb with wonderment.

More than any film in 2001 this film hit my nerve center of cinephilia: I got completely lost in the daring aesthetics, inspired performances, music, dance, and romance. I was stunned, flabbergasted, thrilled, moved, entertained, and drained all at once. When it was over I could only applaud, buy the soundtrack, and return to the theater repeatedly. To paraphrase another song from the film: come what may... come what may.... I will love this film until my dying day.

I wasn't kidding.

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What were your favorite pictures from 2001?
Do they hold up now? Do you agree that 2001 was the best film year of the decade? For the record the films I was not at all crazy about that quite a few other people love include: The Devil's Backbone, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, A Beautiful Mind, Shrek, Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone and Ghost World.
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Halfway House: In the Mood For a Nap

halfway house halfway through the day, we stop a movie 'bout halfway through... what do we see?

49 minutes into In the Mood for Love: a sticky rice snack and short nap

Mrs. Chan (Maggie Cheung) and Mr. Chow (Tony Leung Chiu Wai) are eating sticky rice, killing time until the coast is clear and she can leave his rented room. They haven't cheated on their spouses (who never appear in the movie) but they're obsessed with appearances

Mr. Chow: What would they assume?
Mrs. Chan: One can't put a foot wrong

...and with good reason, too. It's not hard to read their love, however languidly they try to sidestep it. Director Wong Kar Wai, his art director/costumer (William Chang) and cinematographers (Christopher Doyle and Pin Bing Lee) are also obsessed with appearances. The beauty of this movie can render one speechless.

In the Mood For Love just aches with longing throughout. Every time I see this couple I just want them to tear each other's clothes off and pretend they're in Lust, Caution instead. They're so painfully separated even when they're sharing a frame. It's a heartbreaker and one of the masterpieces of the decade.
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Broken Sword With Broken Arm

"Broken Sword" has broken his arm! It's practically all I've been thinking about today. Perhaps I should explain for those who haven't yet heard...

Tony Leung Chiu-Wai was so injured while training for Wong Kar Wai's next picture, a biopic about Bruce Lee's mentor called The Grand Master (not to be confused with Ip Man starring Donnie Yen which is on the same topic). Apparently his arm must rest for over a month (the September start date is looking shaky). My poor Tony. That arm is a cinematic treasure: it draped languorously over his head while he smoked in bed, it tenderly held stuffed animals and Faye Wong's legs, it smoked endless cigarettes and carried so many noodles, it held Tang Wei down while another appendage had its way with her, it embraced the goddess Maggie Cheung so many times. No real harm should ever come to it.

If you're thinking 'Nathaniel's laying it on thick,' I hereby assign you a triple feature of Chiu Wai essentials.


You'll thank me. Any triple from this list will more than make the case for loving him deeply, fanatically.

• Chungking Express (1994) see the first Wong Kar Wai movie to make a real dent in America. It's so gorgeous. Bonus points: Brigitte Lin and Takeshi Kaneshiro.
• Happy Together (1997) Tony's stormy gay romance with Leslie Cheung.
• In the Mood For Love (2000) among the very best romantic dramas of all time. That isn't hyperbole.
  
• Hero (2002) when Tony did martial arts without breaking his arm.
• Infernal Affairs (2002) doing the DiCaprio thing before DiCaprio himself did it, The Departed being a remake and all.
  
• Lust, Caution (2006) See Tony in the altogether giving (arguably) his best performance.

He's made many other movies. Some fine. Some not so. Like any giant movie star. But he's the best. He's even won the equivalent of three Oscars for Chinese language films.

If anything Tony's broken arm makes me love him even more.
I'm not sure what it is but there is something so appealing about the wounded. I don't mean that in a sick violent way but in an... um... affectionate healer way. Consider. Was Brad Pitt ever more attractive than when his arm was in a sling and his head and nose were all bloody and bandaged in Se7en ? Didn't Javier Bardem radiate more heat from his wheelchair lovemaking in Live Flesh than he did standing on two legs in other movies? Or is this just a personal quirk?

Nah, it can't be. Oscar loves wounded men, too. I know I'm not completely alone. But they like their wounds to be permanent (disabilities, disease) so that they can praise the man for soldiering forth with courage and determination. They like their women wounded too... if you consider the surrendering of beauty (de-glam!) to be a physical disability (and you know they do).

I've lost the thread. My point is this: Get well soon, Tony.
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Beauty Break: Catsuit

meow

literally!

clip, clip here
clip, clip there
we give the roughset claws
that certain air of savoir faire
in the merry old land of Oz

Cannes: Maggie Cheung and Your Nine "Great Directors"

Before the Palme D'Or is handed out, I've got two last bits from our buddy in Cannes but first (sigh) a big old frowny face in regards to the following nugget.

<--- Maggie Cheung and her boyfriend Ole Scheeren in 2008

Maggie Cheung's scene in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds was cut before the Cannes opening and will not be restored even though Tarantino is returning to the editing room. Presumably he's tinkering for maximum audience playability. The cutting room floor is a regular habitat for actors with small roles but this time it really hurts: Maggie still works the red carpet, but never the silver screen. She retired from movies after Clean and 2046 five long years ago. Basterds was going to provide us with a rare chance to see one of the most bewitching living actresses on the big screen again. Damn!
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On to cheerier topics.

The generous take on Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock appears to be that it's a "minor" effort. Rosengje found it charming and especially enjoyed the first "fun and frothy" hour, but understands why people aren't taken with it

...the movie loses a lot of momentum toward the conclusion, with the actual music festival not quite coming together in a cohesive manner. Ang Lee makes the puzzling decision to not include any concert footage. The managed chaos that defines Taking Woodstock's first hour feels like it has been building toward something that viewers are ultimately denied access to.

Liev Schreiber is the movie's real standout as a transvestite security guard -- the audience interrupted his first scene with boisterous applause. The actor has limited screen time, making probably around four substantial appearances. Demetri Martin was extremely enjoyable, giving a nuanced performance that belies his limited screen experience. He has great comic timing and definitely suggested the character's muted sexuality (he's closeted) effectively. The supporting cast is generally impeccable, with Emile Hirsch and Paul Dano making the biggest impressions in small roles.

Rosengje also notes that she thinks age will play a heavy factor in reaction to the movie. She admits that some of the details and mythos escaped her (she's in her 20s) but thought the movie was a pleasant diversion, nonetheless.

She also told me about a documentary I hadn't yet heard of from Angela Ismailos called Great Directors.

One of the treats of Cannes is the ability to see sprawling epics alongside small, intimate pieces. The endearing and informative Great Directors falls into the latter category. Pic focuses on nine directors that have influenced Angela's life: Bernardo Bertloucci, Agnes Varda, Stephen Frears, Todd Haynes, David Lynch, Catherine Breillat, Richard Linklater, Ken Loach and John Sayles. A mixture of new interviews, archival footage, and well chosen film clips craft winning portraits of each of the auteurs. David Lynch proves most memorable, putting forth a charmingly gregarious personality that bizarrely contradicts his films. Trying to reconcile clips of Eraserhead and Inland Empire with the man telling anecdotes about Mel Brooks is one of the film's chief pleasures.

The mix of genders, ages, and nationalities of the directors ensures that the topics discussed do not become repetitive, but are constantly revisited in fresh and innovative ways. Despite the unique elements and perspectives, common threads do emerge. Hearing Sayles discuss working on Hollywood scripts to finance his own efforts evokes and contradicts Frears’ and Loach’s development through the BBC. Though the documentary is interview heavy, Ismailos varies her visuals to correspond to the character of her subjects: Bertolucci is shot primarily in formal interviews, while Linklater and Haynes are shown in a variety of interactive locales (i.e. driving, perusing books).

I wish the film shed more light on the Angela herself, who remains an enigmatic presence throughout “Directors,” occasionally revealing her presence during interviews or walking through shots on perilously high heels. She grants the directors a platform for expressing their own inspiration and intentions, but never really delves into the specifics of her own. With such unusual and impeccable taste in auteurs, I constantly wanted to know more about her own pursuits.

Indie Wire has more on the screening and the yacht party that I also sent Rosengje too.

The film sounds intriguing and it certainly prompts a completely necessary! commenting exercize. If I were making a documentary about nine living auteurs that influenced my life (not necessarily my favorites) I might have to go with: Tarantino, Haynes, John Hughes, Mike Nichols, Tim Burton, Paul Thomas Anderson, Woody Allen, James Cameron and Pedro Almodovar... but it's tough to say.

What about you? Which nine men or women would you choose if you were making a personal documentary about auteurs that shaped you?
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Red Carpet Rendezvous

Okay... I know when you mention Twilight you're supposed to be panting exclusively about Robert Pattison and Kristen Stewart but at the risk of losing every tween or soccer mom reader i may have *they do nothing for me*. However, it was fun to see Anna Kendrick back in high school again. Remember that choice Camp moment when she belted out "Ladies Who Lunch" Wicked funny that was. Worth a rental just for that scene! Maggie Cheung was coaxed out of retirement for filming on Tarantino's upcoming WW II epic. Hey however we get her back is fine. Even if it's only a cameo it's still something. Madonna attended a Gucci event in this grass skirt. It's the weirdest look for her since that time her eyes were mouths in the Bedtime Stories video


Unfortunately it's not as cool.

TANG WEI! I'm shouting because I was just so excited to see her. I know she's banned in China and all but somebody give this woman a follow up role. Did no one in the movie industry see Lust, Caution. It's like turning your nose up at gourmet food or lighting your money on fire. Do not let her go to waste. Nicole Kidman is tall.

Viola Davis is soon to be an Oscar nominee, thank God. I still smile thinking of how rich she made 2002 cinema even from the sidelines (Remember Antwone Fisher, Far From Heaven, Solaris?). And finally Faith the Vampire Slayer. I have been waiting a long time for her to be in something worthwhile (Tru Calling = awful) but after the cancellation of Pushing Daisies and all the production woes from the set of Dollhouse, I'm thinking it wasn't such a good idea for me to become interested in television again. I knew I should've quit it altogether when Sex & the City or Six Feet Under went off the air.

In Praise of Maggie Cheung

A great beauty and greater actress, last year Maggie Cheung stunned and saddened film-goers the world over when, at age 43, she announced her retirement from the screen. A recipient of numerous awards for memorable roles, she's opted to focus on other creative endeavors, painting and music among them.



Having appeared in over 70 movies, the need for a rest is understandable. As for her countless fans, well, we'll have to make do with a vast back-catalog of indelible performances. The Actress, Ashes of Time, Chinese Box, Irma Vep, Clean, Hero, 2046, and, of course, In the Mood for Love are just a few of her films to find a following in the USA. If you haven't seen any of these gems, you have your work cut out for you. Get to it! Beauty and intensity will be your reward.


(Humbly posted by Thombeau of FABULON. Come play with us!)

恭喜恭喜 (Congratulations!)

UPDATED ~ Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, (Hero, Red Cliff, Chungking Express, In the Mood for Love and a million other fine films) married Carina Lau (2046, Days of Being Wild) his longtime girlfriend yesterday in Bhutan. Here they are!



Below is the initial "they're getting married" post from Sunday...

Nathaniel here. Back for a moment from my break because I couldn't NOT mention this. My thanks to loyal TFE reader Tony for the heads up on this news.

Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, also known as "One of the Best Living Actors and World Great True Movie Stars" --or at least he would have those titles if the cinema were a meritocracy -- is marrying his longtime love/sometime co-star Carina Lau (2046, Days of Being Wild) tomorrow, Monday July 21st in Bhutan.


Here they are dressed in traditional Bhutanese garb (apparently provided by the royal family) in their first official wedding pic. Reports have it that Wong Kar Wai himself (Scorsese to Leung's DeNiro or von Sternberg to Leung's Dietrich if you need reference points) is going to film and edit the ceremonies for his muse.

That sound you hear is the confused crack of millions of movie fanatic hearts breaking, overlayed with their saner selves whispering congratulations to the dreamboat. (It's complicated when movie stars we ...erm... love are no longer available as it were)

In popular imagination Tony is usually paired off with Maggie Cheung who he romantically co-starred with in the masterpiece In the Mood for Love (2001, pictured left) as well as the box office smash Hero (they were the doomed lovers Broken Sword and Flying Snow) and a handful of other films. They were sometimes said to be coupled offscreen as well. Either way it was screen chemistry for the ages: Beatty/Christie level screen chemistry.

Maggie Cheung has unfortunately retired from acting (I weep) but Leung & Lau's relationship continues. They've been a couple since the late 80s when they were both in their 20s (they're 45 and 42 now). One assumed she was totally OK with that whole 'paired with Maggie' thing but for new rumors that Cheung was not invited to the wedding. Like many internationally famous couples, Leung & Lau are old pros at weathering the storm of controversies and gossip. In 2007 there were reports linking Lau to billionaire Terry Gou as well as that entire Tang Wei, Lust Caution 'were they really doing it?' controversy (um, I think yes. Carina says no)


So... 恭喜恭喜, Gong He Gong He, Gong Xi Gong Xi, Congratulations! to this gorgeous and talented longtime couple. For further reading on the wedding check out International Herald Tribune or The Star Online.

And because it's fun to gawk at movie stars, one more round of Leung & Lau goodness through the years....

Top Actress: What Are They Up To? (1 of 2)

One of the most successful projects in Film Experience history was the half decade review of top actors and top actresses of the Aughts (2000-2005). The plan is to revisit in a few years for an official "best of decade" but in the meantime let's check in with our former top 20 this is part one #20 through #11 [part 2: #10 through #1]. How've they done since the list was published? Will they yet pull rabbits out of hats or is their magic hour over?

[FWIW: La Streep and Jake Gyllenhaal's Sister were both outside the top 20 in the fall of 2005 --remember this was only counting film work done between 2000 and mid 2005-- but have been so busy and excellent these past two years that they're easily jostling for top ten ranking when the decade is done]

20-16

Tilda Swinton
"the movies are always better for her presence"
Age: 46
Since the list was published we've seen her projected on MoMA's walls and she's swung a nifty double blade as the icy queen in The Chronicles of Narnia . The immediate future looks solid: A supporting role (possibly Oscary?) in Michael Clayton, a gig opposite Brad & Cate in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and even a possible stab at my favorite Shakespearean actress role (Lady MacBeth) in Come Like Shadows with Sean Bean. But with so many actresses coming on strong it'll be tough for her to hold position.

Angelina Jolie
"so potent is her screen presence that the audience will let her get away with murder"
Age: 32
Apart from a controlled performance in A Mighty Heart (review), the movie career is a whisper while the personal life (thanks to the press) is ever shouting. The question with her ranking is whether or not she'll start focusing on movies. She's currently filming Wanted (for the director of the Russian series Night Watch) with the ubiquitous James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman. She's also got a Clint Eastwood picture on the fast-track: The Changeling. The rest is all rumor. She gets plenty of offers. Will she ever say yes.

The Lovely Laura Linney
"what this actress sometimes lacks in surprise she more than makes up for with consistency"
Age: 43
Just two months after the actress list was finalized, Linney amazed us again in The Squid and the Whale. The films after that haven't set the cinema on fire (Breach, The Hottest State, Man of the Year) though people say she's superb in the underseen Jindabyne. Next up: The Nanny Diaries and The Savages. Judging by the trailer of the latter it looks like a master class in comic delivery with dramatic bite. We shall see. I suspect she's moving up this chart by decades end but I worry... no matter how terrific or popular any actress is, the mid 40s seem to be the trouble spot with Hollywood. That's when Pfeiffer vanished, when even Streep couldn't find great roles and when the Oscar parts stopped coming to Glenn Close.

Holly Hunter
"one of the silver screen's MVPs"
Age: 49
Speaking of worrying... Holly should have screenplays written for her, her choice of plum roles, and star perks offered without question -- especially after what she did with The Incredibles (2004) and thirteen (2003), neither of which would have come off so magically in lesser hands. Instead things have been quiet and she'll be dropping in the ranks on this list. She is turning to television right about now. Say it ain't so. She may be a tiny woman but she's big screen all the way. Damn you Hollywood! She even shares your name. Show her some love.

Maggie Cheung
"her mystique is overpowering"
Age: 43
Maggie has already announced retirement (I'm sensing a theme here. uh oh) She hasn't made a picture since the list was published. Goodbye catsuits and noodle runs *sniffle*

15-11

Uma Thurman
"tremendous (if haphazardly applied) talent"
Age: 37
Uma neared the top ten on the strength of the Kill Bill saga alone. We've since seen her "flaunt it" as Ulla in The Producers (she was game though the film was gamey) and bomb in My Super Ex-Girlfriend. Next she'll be doing some heavy dramatic lifting for In Bloom. Will she be in the Actress Oscar race? I'm hoping she barrels into the top ten but her career is so uneven she could also fall dramatically.

Frances McDormand
"paints her characters with vibrant colors and leaves you wanting more"
Age: 50
She isn't considered a bankable star but the audience always seems to fall in love with her confrontational chutzpah, don't they? In the past two years she's co-starred with Charlize Theron twice, once for an Oscar nomination (North Country) and once, well, not (Aeon Flux). She was a bundle of enjoyable rage in Friends With Money just last year. Frances' next film will offer her a co-starring role (title character even!) with Amy Adams in Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day which takes place in the 30s and is about a governess (McDormand) and the actress she works for (Adams). She'll then have a role in next year's Coen Bros picture (she's a regular and of course a Coen by marriage) Burn After Reading. George Clooney, Brad Pitt and John Malkovich are also starring.

Isabelle Huppert
"a model of sturdy excellence and bravery"
Age: 54
France's ballsiest actress is still headlining films at 54 (they revere their legendary actresses more than we do obviously) but I'm getting behind in my viewing even as she's slowing down a bit after a very busy few years. Since the list came out she's Private Property and Gabrielle have made it to US theaters. I'm guessing she slips a few to several notches in the final ranking.

Catherine Deneuve
"majestic presence: still a world great"
Age: 63
Iconic Deneuve (the oldest actress in the top 20) had a rather stunning run from 2000-2002 when US theaters showcased six of her films (though some were made in France in the late 90s) and most of them were very strong indeed. The second half of the Aughts has been the polar opposite, a Deneuve drought. She had a small role in Kings and Queen (the film is terrific) and will reunite with that film's director, Arnaud Depleschin, and most of its cast for Un conte de Noel but she'll probably be out of the top 40 by decade's end unless the pictures she is making in France make it across the sea.

Joan Allen
"needs about two seconds of screen time before inspiring hosannas and Oscar talk"
Age: 50
Joan Allen had a killer 2005 (Off the Map, Upside of Anger, and Yes all saw release) but otherwise it's been a rough decade with only the Jason Bourne films to showcase her acting gift and formidable presence. She brings it as Pamela Landy but expect a dramatic fall on the list.

The top 20 will look very different come 2010.

PART TWO -The Top Ten

For more on these ten actresses, chase the labels below
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