Modern Maestros: Ang Lee

Robert here, back with another entry in my series on great contemporary directors.

Maestro: Ang Lee
Known For: Prestigious, emotional, subtle character dramas.
Influences: according to Ang Lee himself, Bergman, Antonioni and Billy Wilder.
Masterpieces: Brokeback Mountain of course.  Maybe Sense and Sensibility too.
Disasters: Taking Woodstock wasn't notable enough to really be a disaster.  Not sure if that's worse.
Better than you remember: I maintain that whatever people dislike about Hulk, the real driving force against that movie was the special effects.  If those were better, people would be more likely to overlook other things.

Box Office: That being said, Hulk is his highest grosser with 132 Million.

It's said that no film is about the time it's set as much as it is about the time it's made.  For Ang Lee, whose films for the past fifteen years have all but one been period pieces, this is not just a truth but a great convenience.  His stories of evolving social, sexual, and class mores and how they sow despair are more easily embraced by a society that sees someone else's ugly reflection in the mirror.  But make no mistake, it is a mirror we're looking into.  Historical settings are also a useful way for Lee to keep his films modern without being dated by by distracting social or political messages.  In fact, for Lee, social and political messages are never the point, they're merely a means to an end.  The end is people.  Consider how many evil, one-dimensional homophobic characters Lee presented in Brokeback Mountain to underscore a "society bad!" message.  Can't really think of any?  Because Lee's not as interested in criticizing society as much as he is understanding the individuals whose desires run directly into the wall of its constraints. 

Lee's characters are sad, conflicted, confused, repressed and occasionally overrun with emotion, but never one dimensional to make a point. They are the heart of his films and the embodiment of his themes.  This is why Zhang Ziyi's rebellious Jen is the emotional center of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.  It's why the Dashwood sisters turned out to be perfect ciphers of social restrictiveness for Lee.  It's why reviewers (no offense to anyone) who complained that Lust, Caution was too subtle were surprisingly off the mark.  As if anyone should go into an Ang Lee movie expecting anything other than bound up emotions.  That film also has the distinction of owning perhaps the perfect title for an Ang Lee film.  The two things he comes back to again and again in his characters: caution... and lust.  And since we're talking about lust, let's.  It's the most primary element of Lee's films I haven't mentioned yet.  After all, lust and love are two of the most primal and powerful emotions we have, and the two emotions you least want suppressed by the reality around you.

From suburban key parties to wuxia legends, Ang Lee's characters' dramas are eternally caught up in the the conflict between their desires and the world's demands.  Fore Lee, focusing on such passion is a great way to immediately involve the audience.  We consider our own passions and the realities that would deny them to us.  This universal experience allows Lee to jump into a wide number of genres, timelines and characters, almost always with success.  It doesn't hurt that the man is a fantastic director of his actors (a theme that keeps coming up in these Modern Maestro pieces).  It is, after all, the actor who serves as the gateways for the audience.  For Lee, his actors portray their heartache with such intensity they they make watching anguish into a profound joy. Which is why we'll always be looking forward to the next Ang Lee film.

Ang Lee and Tang Wei Reuniting?

I've been hearing Ang Lee's next project The Life of Pi mentioned everywhere lately. When I attended the premiere of MicMacs at the Tribeca Film Festival, Jean-Pierre Jeunet even referenced the cinematic adaptation (his own that is, long abandoned due to budgetary problems). But today I'm hearing about another new Lee project that's also enticing even though it's a biopic. The masterful director has been given the right's to Teresa Teng's life and -- here's the enticing part -- Tang Wei may be playing the singer.

Ang Lee and Tang Wei during the Lust Caution brouhaha

Their previous collaboration Lust Caution was a triumph as a film (ignore the way it was brushed aside -- it's marvelous) and especially as a star-making performance so any reunion between the two is fully warranted.

I had never heard of Teresa Teng (sometimes spelled Teresa Tang to confuse us) so I had to look her up. Turns out I had heard both her name and her music. And as ever it's the cinema that teaches me. She's the pop star that Maggie Cheung and Leon Lai obsess over frequently in a movie I have seen (and quite enjoyed) called Comrades Almost A Love Story (1996).

Teng was a massive figure in Asian pop where she reigned during the 80s. She died suddenly in the mid-90s from asthma complications. You know how early deaths tend to cement celebrity legends.

This is one of her biggest hits "The Moon Represents My Heart" and a Teresa Teng moment lifted directly from Comrades. (Argh! Now I miss Maggie Cheung.)



Do you look forward to a Lust Caution reunion? (If you haven't seen it yet, what's your excuse? Get on that.) Can we a get a cameo from Tony Leung in this reunion? No? How about Lee-Hom Wang?

Cape Link

cinema
stale popcorn is counting down the 00s in a comprehensively personal way. Love it
92nd Street Y are you going to the Grease 2 Sing-along?
serious film wonders what film might eventually throw Citizen Kane from its "greatest" throne
hot blog James Cameron discusses science in his science fiction. I love this bit

Asked whether the Alien or a Na'vi would win a fight, Cameron's answer was, "Sigourney (Weaver) would win."

Heh and duh!


/film Ang Lee and the Life of Pi in 3-D
thompson on hollywood talks with Annette Bening about her awards-contender roles in Mother and Child and The Kids Are All Right
natashavc young hollywood '98 fetal flashback: Reese & Ryan
movies kick ass talks up Oscar's 1964 Best Actor race with friends

small screen diversion
critical condition a great thinky piece on Glee's Madonna episode
i need my fix an evening with Glee
what's good... let's hear it for Jonathan Groff's agent
newnownext rich from fourfour visits the set of RuPaul's Drag Race. Lengthy interesting piece with wonderful photos

back to big
Finally, I just wanted to draw your attention to a great reunion pic: Juliette Lewis and Robert DeNiro at the Tribeca Film Festival!


DeNiro showed up at the party for Juliette's latest pic Metropia (she's not in it -- sigh -- just voicework). I mean seeing these two together again is just bananas. The last time I saw them together Juliette was sucking on Bobby's thumb. Which was also bananas. In both connotative senses of the fruit.


At the risk of embarassing one of my best friends, I must ask that if you ever meet Nick Davis you demand to hear his Juliette/Cape Fear voice. It's so unnervingly spot on that the first time he did it for me it made me love both him and Juliette more. And I didn't think I could in either case! So while I'm spreading the link love, please note that Nick is still on his best actress tear having recently written up performances by Ann-Margret, Jane Wyman, Talia Shire and, most controversially, Maggie Smith. Read 'em.

Favorite Movies of the Decade #15-1

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

Awards for 2009 begin tomorrow or thereabouts.

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Let's wrap this sucker up!
I had really intended to rewatch the top ten (why not?) before I ventured into the mental hospital. Trust me, that's where I've been heading as I've tried to rank the movies I love more than people (kidding! sort of) but who has the time? The 10th Annual FiLM BiTCH Awards begin tomorrow so I have to get a move on to wrap up the 2009 film year. It's possible I'll revisit this rundown at some point for a special project but who knows. These rankings are NOT final. God... I'm not ready for the straightjacket yet. I need my hands free so I can talk.

What follows is more like tiers. The numbers function as mere placeholders.

Tier 3

You could group them with #16-20... It doesn't mean
I don't worship them. I got a whole lotta love to go round

15 Vera Drake dir. Mike Leigh (2004)
Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton) whistles while she works. Though her "work", you soon discover as you follow her into crowded residential blocks, is not something you'd normally think of whistling to. It's part of the genius of Mike Leigh's best film (yeah, you heard me) that Vera doesn't question her calling or the tune in her head. When the bomb finally drops on Vera's happy-go-lucky existence, Staunton returns Leigh's faith in her with one of the most devastating closeups in cinema. It's the moment everyone remembers from the film but my mind often drifts to the aftermath, diminutive Vera in her coat in the snow heading to the police car, terrified. She's warmly dressed but the chill is already down to the bone.

14 There Will Be Blood dir. Paul Thomas Anderson (2007)
If it's not quite this world great's best film (that prize to Boogie Nights saith I) it's definitely his most audacious and technically thrilling. There are so many sinister and seismic moments, it's a wonder the earth doesn't open up while you're watching it, and drag you to hell with Daniel Plainview. "I'm finnnissshed"

Tier 2

I think about them so much that they have
ceased to be movies. They're now life events.

13 The Lord of the Rings dir. Peter Jackson (2001-2003)

Magic. Especially the first one.

12 Mulholland Dr. dir. David Lynch (2001)
So much has been written about this movie that I sometimes worry that familiarity will rob it of its mystery. Yet when Laura Elena Haring starts whispering "Mulholland Drive" I'm hypnotized again. I'm an amnesiac myself, and I've never heard her whispery chant.

11 Requiem for a Dream dir. Darren Aronofsky (2000)
"I like thinking about the red dress."

10 A History of Violence dir. David Cronenberg (2005)
In the past I've likened this movie to a machine, it's so finely calibrated and efficient. But that doesn't get at its emotional fire, its guttural poetry, and its savage eroticism. It's more like a cyborg.

9 Wo Hu Cang Long (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon) dir. Ang Lee (2000)
Ang Lee is not the only filmmaker with three movies in the countdown. But he's the only filmmaker with two in the top ten. How great is Ang Lee? And how glorious was/is this utterly transporting adventure?

8 Rachel Getting Married dir. Jonathan Demme (2008)
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change... like the fact that so many people don't love this movie. Their loss. I'm ready to dive back into this immersive, noisy, eclectic, spontaneous, superbly acted, wonderfully sustained, bleeding heart of a movie right this very second. Pass me the DVD.

7 Hable Con Ella (Talk To Her) dir. Pedro Almodovar (2002)
So imaginatively structured, exquisitely controlled, and enigmatically moving that it's nearly impossible to wrap your head around in one go. It's a good thing then that Pedro's movies miraculous improve with repeated viewings... even when they were brilliant to begin with. "Cucurrucucú paloma, cucurrucucú no llores."

Tier 1

As sustaining as oxygen or water or pets or friends.
If you try to take them away from me, I will cut you.

6 Fa Yeung Nin Wa (In the Mood For Love) dir. Wong Kar Wai (2000, released in 2001)
In a perfect world, I would always be fetching noodles or trying on cheomsangs with Maggie Cheung. Either that or writing wuxia and smoking with Tony Leung Chiu Wai. I'd gladly pay the price of heartbreak in the end.

5 Far From Heaven dir. Todd Haynes (2002)
Of all the things we have to thank Todd Haynes for: new ways of looking at Barbie dolls, Bob Dylan splintered, restless experimentation as cinematic life-blood, a mini Douglas Sirk revival, Ewan MacGregor naked and covered in glitter... this is the gift I cherish most: Julianne Moore in a purple scarf, waving love goodbye.

4 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind dir. Michel Gondry (2004)
The Eyes: a singularly imaginative visualist in Gondry. The Brain: the twisty intellect of Charlie Kauffman. The Body: a great acting ensemble operating as one powerful machine. The Heart: a comic (Jim Carrey) positively aching with true drama. The Soul: one of the most elemental faces and emotional forces in cinematic history (Kate Winslet); It's the collaborative miracle movie of the decade, all its parts made greater by their interconnectedness.

3 Brokeback Mountain dir. Ang Lee (2005)
A love story for the ages. And one that quietly enrages.

2 Dancer in the Dark dir. Lars von Trier (2000)

1 Moulin Rouge! dir. Baz Luhrmann (2001)

List-making is, by its very nature, personal. If you're doing it right that is.

Selma & Satine. To quote the hilarious Moulin Rouge! FYC ads:
"SHE SINGS! SHE DANCES! SHE DIES!"

The story of the Aughts for this particular moviegoer was the rebirth of the musical. To yank the dead genre from its unfortunate grave, fearless visionary filmmakers and prodigiously gifted musicians were required. The impish deconstructionist (von Trier) provoked such genius from a totally modern composer (Björk) that ten years later you can still be transported with just a bar of "New World" or "I've Seen It All".

Then, the party of the decade. The inspired mashup conductor (Baz) and his darling stars (Nicole, Ewan, Jim) put on the messiest craziest livelest funniest tearjerking "Spectacular! Spectacular!" show on earth. I'd never claim it's a perfect movie but flaws are endearing when you love madly and deeply. and Love Is All You Need.

~ finis~
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DGA: Bigelow, Cameron, Daniels, Reitman, Tarantino

The Directors Guild of America used to be the Oscar precursor with the most famously accurate prediction record... not for guessing the Best Director lineup, exactly, but for predicting the eventual Best Picture lineup itself.


So *if* were were still only getting five Best Picture nominees (instead of ten) they would be:

• Avatar (James Cameron)
  
• The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow)
  
• Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino)
  
• Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire (Lee Daniels)
  
• Up in the Air (Jason Reitman)

"Tell us something we don't know," you scream in unison. "cuz those are obviously the top contenduhs!"

Okay okay... something you don't know. Let's see... Did you know that Clint Eastwood is arguably a microscopic bit more popular with the AMPAS directorial branch than he is with the DGA: The DGA didn't nominate his Letters From Iwo Jima; Oscar did. (You probably know this, too). But he could still show on Oscar's shortlist for pointing cameras at Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman in Invictus. Still, this list as is from the DGA is actually quite nicely representative of the film year: a little sci-fi, a little war, a lotta drama... films from the summer, fall and winter! It's also worth noting that, WW II reimagining aside, this is a truly contemporary field. Precious is set in the 80s but that's not really "period" now is it? (Shut Up! Don't make me feel old)

Another batch o' trivia: The DGA, which has a much larger membership than the Academy's director's branch, is also slightly more inclusive: Oscar has only given one Asian the Director's trophy (Ang Lee) but DGA did that twice (it was Ang Lee both times, but still... he deserved it! Sorry Traffic lovers but Crouching Tiger owned that particular shortlist); Oscar has only nominated three women for Best Director but Bigelow is the seventh so honored by the DGA; The DGA has also given an out gay man their top prize (Rob Marshall, Chicago) while Oscar hasn't... at least not "out" in the traditional modern sense of the word. But, that said, Lee Daniels is the first black man to be nominated by the DGA (at least in the movie category) and Oscar got there nearly two decades ago with John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood) although that's the only time they've done so. Sadly, neither the DGA nor Oscar ever nominated Spike Lee even when he was making critical smashes (Do The Right Thing) or epic biopics (Malcolm X) and you know how frequently Oscar goes for both of those things...

Do you think Lee Daniels can hang on to become the second black director nominated by Oscar? Or do you think this is the last hurrah after which he'll be replaced by ____________
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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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Glenn Gives Thanks

Australia's only knowledge of Thanksgiving is, essentially, what we see from TV and the movies. I feel then that it is only fitting that I "give thanks" for a certain woman who has shaped by idea of Thanksgiving more than any other: Christina Ricci.

Bless her lil cotton socks, but Christina Ricci had already solidified herself in the annals of cinema history by the age of 17 with her performance in Ang Lee's The Ice Storm. The gifts of that film are many, but the bit that I always remember first and foremost is the toast that Ricci's Wendy gives. Let us relive it:

Dear Lord, thank you for this Thanksgiving holiday. And for all the material possessions that we have and enjoy. And for letting us white people kill all the Indians and steal their tribal lands. And stuff ourselves like pigs, even though children in Asia are being napalmed.

Literally very amazing. And if it weren't just The Ice Storm keeping the Ricci Thanksgiving alive it would be Addams Family Values, a movie in which Ricci gives one of the best supporting actress performances of the decade (the Oscar, however, went to the New Zealand child, Anna Paquin). That Thanksgiving pageant is delightfully insane, and Ricci's speech is something to behold. The best moment in the film is Wednesday's smile. The faint crack of a smile that she emits to shocked onlookers. "I'm not perky."

Thank you Christina Ricci for services towards making Thanksgiving somewhat relevant to people outside of America. You'll always have a place in my heart!

Decade in Review: 2000 Top Ten

What follows is my original top ten list of 2000... or rather the revised version I published in 2002. Let's discuss each year of this decade as it winds down! Who's with me?!? It's always interesting to see which films remained at the forefront of our memory and which fade... both for a variety of reasons, quality being only one factor. New comments are in red.

Please note: This list was based on NYC release dates in the year 2000. Some movies are listed as different years at the IMDB based on when they were released in their home country or in LA or whatnot.




Runners Up (in descending order): Une Liaisons Pornographique, Nurse Betty, You Can Count On Me, Before Night Falls, Pola X, Chicken Run, American Psycho, Wonder Boys and Billy Elliott Um... WHAT THE HELL are some of these movies doing outside the top ten list? You Can Count on Me is still so lovely to think about. Particularly Laura Linney's gleeful waving to brother Mark Ruffalo and that beautifully coaxed ending, bless. Of these nine pictures, I think of American Psycho (originally #17!?) most -- see previous posts -- and then probably Pola X which I know a lot of people hate.


P.S. Those people are cuckoo!


10 Jesus Son
Allison MacLean's stark and arresting drug drama is laced with surprising (but occassionally off putting) comedy and blessed with two astonishing, enigmatic performances by Samantha Morton and Billy Crudup. Filled with memorable imagery it feels optimistic in such a realistic way that it should be required viewing in rehab.

I've rarely thought of this movie since but one image, Samantha Morton shimmying towards her man, remains particularly vivid. Morton is such an electric actor and she's never lost that alien watchability, even as her face has grown familiar.

09 Urbania
Full review here. Jon Shear's directorial debut (an adaptation of Daniel Reitz' stage play) is an exhilarating and unexpected ride through urban anxiety and grief. It's stunning. And though I'll cop to perhaps a little trouble being objective about it (it hit close to home), I'm betting that this overlooked film will grow in stature.
I probably overestimated this one at the time, which on a revisit a few years later felt too stagebound to totally work as cinema but I still wish more people would have seen / do see it. Dan Futterman is strong in the lead role.

08 Bring It On
Full review here. A dozen reasons to love Bring It On: 1. The best teen comedy in at least five years. 2. Hugely enjoyable, a great popcorn film. 3. Elisha Dushku's va va voom (for all of you Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans) -"Missy is the poo. So take a whiff!" 4. The toothbrush scene 5. Allows itself important themes (racism, sexual orientation, appropriation versus theft) without once feeling like a downer or casting the themes aside. 6. Spirit fingers. 7. "Cheerleaders are dancers who have gone retarded!" 8. "Brrrrr....it's cold in here." 9. Torrance plays the cassette. 10. A sports movies that's actually a good sport. 11. A gay man that's hotter than the straight men? Now, there's something you don't see too often in the homophobia ridden world of cinema. 12. Kirsten Dunst in top comic form, what more do you need?

07 Idioterne
Lars Von Trier's much maligned first and only "official" Dogme 95 film, The Idiots, is an in your face marvel. This Danish madman splits cinephiles in love and loathe camps. I'm firmly in the love category. His genius is clearly visible but only for those who have eyes to see...

Before Antichrist arrived to give me pause, I would have called this movie the definitive von Trier. It's so tellingly of him: the humor, the aesthetic, the not-entirely-serious self regard. I still think it's one of his best and most successfully provocative pictures

06 The House of Mirth
Gillian Anderson's coming out ball. While I wouldn't go so far as to say it was "the best performance in any category all year" as I've read in at least one review... she was up to the challenge of Lily Bart. But hey, I knew she transferred. She already proved that with Playing by Heart. And leaving Anderson aside for a moment, it's an exceedingly intelligent and gorgeous adaptation from Terence Davies which is sure to garner at least a few deserved technical nods at the Oscars. God bless Terence Davies for not having Joanne Woodward READ the whole freaking story to us as we watched (Are you listening Scorsese?)

I compared it unfavorably to The Age of Innocence? While I do very much hate overbearing voiceovers, there's a lot to recommend in both films. Why was I mad at Scorsese in 2000? Hmmm, what came out then? I haven't thought of Mirth in years and years and I am surprised to see it in my top ten list. It's amusing how I entirely misread its Oscar chances (nomination total: zero) but it's sad that Gillian Anderson's film career never really panned out.

05 Erin Brockovich
At its core it's a brassy superbly wrought star vehicle with Julia Roberts at her all time best. With Soderbergh's auteurial skills in full bloom however, it's elevated to a whole other realm of humanity. Sharp, funny, focused, and auteurial ...and for my money stronger than Soderbergh's other more highly praised 2000 endeavor. At any rate it's easily the best pure "Hollywood" film of the year.

04 Beau Travail
Claire Denis contemplative masterwork of masculine rituals and hierarchy.

Then and now I seem to be at a loss for words but oh, how that movie lingers. Greatness. Haven't seen it in years, though and it's obviously one that needs multiple viewings to fully appreciate.

03 Requiem For a Dream
Darren Aronofsky's astoundingly cinematic second film is not easy to sit through, but the rewards are great. Ellen Burstyn is miraculous as an unravelling diet pill addict. Jennifer Connelly and Jared Leto are heartbreaking as the foolish young lovers who throw their lives away but the film's ultimate power comes courtesy of Aronofsky's vision. Making as bold a statement as you can make about what the cinema can and should do, he discards any narrative device other than imagery. The further I get away from the film the more it's looking like a masterpiece.


02 Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Ang Lee & James Schamus's delightful one off homage to a favorite genre. The modern feminist kung fu genre pic is fused with an old fashioned romantic period piece by a superb cast, haunting gorgeous cinematography by Peter Pau, and Ang Lee's own seemingly infallible directorial instincts. Whichever culture or characters he fixes his versatile lens on, he gets straight to the heart of the matter. Ang Lee tops his own impressive roster of films (Sense & Sensibility, The Ice Storm, & The Wedding Banquet among them) and makes what could only be called magic. This movie will restore your faith in the cinema. No joke. It's that wondrous.

01 Dancer in the Dark
Full review here. Lars von Trier. Björk. Catherine Deneuve. "Love it. Hate it. See It." Overwhelming, visionary, absolute genius... I'm tempted to call it best of the decade and there's nine years left to go.

I sure went hyperbolic on my bronze, silver and gold medalists there. It's a good thing all three pictures hold up. Though I suppose it's worth noting that Requiem for a Dream which I labelled 'not easy to sit through' is the one I've sat through the most on this entire top ten list in the intervening years... even more than Bring It On. What a double feature that is, eh?



What are your favorite pictures from 2000?
Which that you used to love are you surprised that you let go? Which have changed the most for you over the years? Which do you think I should revisit.

Woodstock Winners

I meant to reveal the winners of the Taking Woodstock contest earlier in order to celebrate that peace/love '69 flick from Ang Lee (Utopia!). Unfortunately I've been pretty hammered by the flu (Dystopia!) so I'm just now getting around to it. The five winners receive the original motion picture soundtrack, a t-shirt, an air freshener and a mud sliding date with Emile Hirsch (kidding!).

If you missed Taking Woodstock in theaters, I hope you'll check it out on DVD. It felt a bit formless in the theater but I think that form, er...formlessness, was right for the material and it plays well in the head (and heart) afterwards. I asked each contestant to name their favorite Ang Lee movie so I've included their comments below.

Winners were drawn randomly.

And the Winners are...

Cindy from Washington

My favorite would have to be Sense and Sensibility. I don't particularly like Jane Austen films, yet I loved this movie. And besides, who would've thought that a Taiwanese director could do something so charming and utterly British at heart?

Amir from Surrey

got to see Taking Woodstock yesterday. Joyous ensemble piece. Definitely not the "lesser Lee" some people are making it out to be. Watching Mamie Gummer in that wonderful, little, lived-in performance, it felt as though Manhattan-era Meryl was back. (That long hair! Ah!) Still feeling all tingly about Jonathan Groff. (Ah!)

Anyway, as for my favourite Ang Lee film, I have to cheat and go with two: Brokeback Mountain and Lust, Caution. For me, there is absolutely no separating the two. Both are repressed love stories (my favourite kind). Both subvert the conventions of their genre to startling effect. Both are very pretty to look at. I actually think the two films were made to be in dialogue with each other. They are his twin masterpieces.

Ang Lee's filmography. How many have you seen?

Dimi from Nashville

Hands down my favorite is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon simply for blowing my mind when I first saw it. I was 10 years old and naive to the capabilities of films that aren't Adam Sandler comedies. I have learned better since.

David Low from Connecticut

I have two favorite Ang Lee movies, Sense and Sensibility and Brokeback Mountain. Sense shows Lee’s masterful sensitivity in capturing matters of the heart, abetted by Emma Thompson’s impeccable adaptation of the Austen novel. Elinor and Marianne have to suffer before they find fulfillment with the right men but the serious side is balanced by the gentle humor throughout the film, leading up to the memorable ending in which Elinor (Thompson) cries uncontrollably and then smiles grandly when she finds out that Edward (Hugh Grant) isn’t married – what a moment of bliss at the movies. Elinor is like Ennis Del Mar because she represses her true feelings but thankfully she finds a happier end.

As for Brokeback, which I just rewatched recently, I love the spareness of the dialog, the precision and beauty of the cinematography and editing, its portrayal of American life we just don’t see very much in American cinema, and the devastating and heartbreaking portrayal of the love between Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, played to perfection by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. That scene when Ennis breaks down in Jack’s arms the last time they see each other is so moving you can barely stand watching it—and then there's the unforgettable last shot of Ennis with tears in his eyes looking at the two shirts entwined.

Drew Smith from California

My favorite Ang Lee movie is Lust, Caution because Tang Wei. The end.

Ha! Drew doesn't beat around the bush. Tang Wei was definitely something special in that movie. So very Oscar worthy. Sadly, we haven't seen a follow up film just yet. At first I expected Ang Lee to ride in to her rescue but then I remembered that he doesn't tend to work with actors a second time. But, ah, good news... she has finally made a second feature. It's called Yue man xuan ni shi (aka Crossing Hennessy) and it's a romantic comedy co-starring Jacky Cheung (Ashes of Time) about shopkeepers in Hong Kong.

Congratulations people!

Just for the record The Ice Storm had several votes for "favorite Ang Lee" movie but none of them were drawn. It was quite interesting for yours truly to see how well loved his entire filmography is. Though I don't believe Hulk nabbed a single "favorite" vote.

Finally...

Though he did not win the contest, I must also send out a big groovy loving thank you to frequent commenter/loyal reader Wayne B who was the only contestant to send in a photo with the requested hippie vibe. Well done, Wayne! I guess everyone else was shy this month but that's a total bummer because reader photos are fun-fun-fun! Hopefully when the next contest with a photo request rolls around, y'all won't be so stingy with your collective beauty.

Peace out,


Nathaniel (your host)
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Venice: Two Trophies for A Single Man

By now you've heard the news that Colin Firth received the papal blessing in Venice.


What?!?

The only church I believe in is the church of cinema and Ang Lee is a holy man. Don't tell me otherwise, blasphemer!

If you have to receive a blessing from an auteur, a vote of confidence if you will, what better man than Ang Lee? He has exceptional taste. Colin Firth might be floating up towards heaven even as we speak since Ang Lee and his Venice International Film Festival jury named Colin Firth Best Actor. The honor came for his work as a grieving gay academic in Tom Ford's A Single Man (see: related posts).

I'd like to intone "The Oscar race has begun" in sotto voce right about now, but has it? A Single Man's distribution is still up in the air. Though the movie, based on the Christopher Isherwood novel, is having a great week (positive reception at both Venice and Toronto) only time will tell if the film will be eligible for any more trophies in 2009. For now, it has two.

The Golden Lion winner, Lebanon, which takes place in a tank

Ang's other holy blessings
Golden Lion (Best Film): Lebanon, directed by Samuel Maoz and Maoz Shmulik [Israel]
Silver Lion (Best Director): Women Without Men directed by Shirin Neshat [Iran]
Grand Jury Prize: Soul Kitchen directed by fest trophy magnet Fatih Akin of Head On and The Edge of Heaven fame [Germany]

Actress: Russian thespian Kseniya Rappoport (pictured right) in The Double Hour [Italy]
Young Performer: Jasmine Trinca in The Big Dream [Italy]
Screenplay: Todd Solondz's Life During Wartime [USA]
Set Design: Sylvie Olive for Mr. Nobody [USA]

The sidebar juries handed out the following prizes
Lion of the Future (Debut Film): Engkwentro by Pepe Diokno [The Philippines]
Queer Lion: A Single Man directed by Tom Ford [USA]
Documentary: 1428 directed by Du Haibin [China]
Special Mention: The Man’s Woman and Other Stories directed by Amit Dutta [India]
Controcompo Italiano: Cosmonauta by Susanna Nicchiarelli [Italy]

The only bum deal about the glorious Toronto International Film Festival that's in full swing as Venice shutters, is that they don't do juried awards. So this is your last big film award for awhile. Trophies, cups, scrolls, and golden statues are the way to go, you know. Oh sure, art is silly to quantify in that way but there's something generous and worthwhile about saying "you... you deserve this you beautiful piece of celluloid, you!" Ciao bella!

But back to "Darcy" himself for a second. I like Firth's chances in the Oscar race should the film find a distributor. Not only is that category awfully barren this year, but Firth is a respected enduring star who has never been nominated. When known previously neglected commodities do "best of career" work, big things can happen on Oscar night. Plus, he's a straight man playing gay as he reminded the world in his acceptance speech with a nod to his Italian wife.

I rarely seem to come home from Italy empty-handed – wine, balsamic vinegar, wife, two children, and now a nice piece of silverware.

Everyone knows how hard the Academy thinks that acting gay is for straight men. Imagine the unspeakable horror of locking lips with Matthew Goode! Poor, poor put upon Colin. He thought pretending to be in love with Bridget Jones was hard work.

Taking Giving Woodstock

It's been ages since we held a giveaway so, here you go. I have 5 packages to give away celebrating Ang Lee's latest Taking Woodstock. The gift bag includes an original motion picture soundtrack (entertaining!), a t-shirt (useful) and an um... air freshener (???) In case you're a dirty hippie, I guess.

To enter, send me an e-mail by Sept 14th with:

1. "Woodstock" in the subject field
2. Your full name (and a nickname if you don't like your full name used when I publish the winners)
3. Your mailing address
4. A sentence or two explaining what your favorite Ang Lee movie is and why. What a filmography, right? This last bit is for publication in a later reader-centered post.
   

Optional for fun... If you'd like to include a photo of yourself giving a peace sign, wearing tie-dye or doing any such appropriately Woodstockian thing, feel free. I'll publish them in some sort of freeloving photo collage when the winners are announced.


5 winners will be drawn randomly from entries received. One lucky winner will also win a nude mud-sliding date with Emile Hirsch. I made that last part up just to see if you were still reading. Are you? Have you seen the movie yet?
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Genetic Lottery Winner

Do you know who this 19 year-old (pictured left) is?

Well, he's the grandson of two Hollywood giants. I'm not sure which two exactly though the maternal line in the equation is clear. She's the one pimping posting the picture, the one they called "The Look"...

You know how to whistle play Twister, don't you Steve...?

Read my new Towleroad article to identify him. I also briefly bitch about Humpday's newly photoshopped DVD cover and Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock. (Well, not so much bitching about the latter. It has its moments)

At this very moment...

I'm watching Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock. Which leads me to the natural question: Which historic concert do you most wish you could've seen in or before your lifetime? Other than Woodstock I mean. Let's see what kinds of music lovers film experience fans are. Your comments are required for this impromptu survey.

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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