Wayne-Wang Movie Reviews

This film is one of the strangest films you may encounter. The search for a father that turns sour-sweet, sour first because the father does not want to believe the boy is his son, sweet then because after some negociating with several witnesses of the meeting he will accept the idea and come to some fatherly agreement. The search for a father by a mother for her daughter in order to attempt her salvation from drugs and the salvation of the baby she is carrying. It turns frankly sour if not even bitter without any hope for recognition from the daughter and any salvation. The search for some financial success that has to do with hard work on the side of Auggie and pure luck on the side of Thomas, aka Rashid. And the good luck of one will compensate for his negligence that turned the hard work of the other into destruction and loss. And it all ends with a strange Christmas story, for the New York Times, mind you, where Auggie assumes the identity of a shoplifter of his and celebrates Christmas with the shoplifter's blind grandmother and shoplifts her apartment of a brand new camera that was probably stolen anyway in the first place. The film ends thus on pictures of the obvious pleasure of the black grandmother kissing and hugging the white Auggie as if he were her black grandson who had of course forgotten to come and celebrate Christmas with his grandmother, too busy he was shoplifting magazines, or other valueless goods, here and there.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

Smoke performs a rare feat. It captivates you, and takes you on a journey. It does this without much action. This is an actors movie, Wang leaves it to the performers to move the story along. No special effects, or uneccessary action sequences here. Just down to earth charachters with flaws. The story intertwines these charachters, and we learn each of their sad stories and regrets. From Paul(William Hurt)a novelist who lost his passion, to Auggie(Harvey Keitel) a tobbaco store owner who wades through life each day. You and I know these kind of people.We see them in restaurants, on the bus, and everywhere else we go. Smoke not only is a joy too watch, but it provides a valuable lesson as well. The realization that everyone has their own story to tell.

When I started watching Smoke for the first time it was just another indie film with big actors. When I finished watching Smoke it was a great story....actors not included. Though this movie does have a great cast, it doesn't need it. Smoke is a classic story-movie that makes you confused whether to smile or frown towards the end. If you're looking for a classic book on film, or story with vision, this is the one. Harvey Keitel is perfect as the lead role and William Hurt does his usual underrated performance. The bit parts by Ashley Judd, Harold Perrineau Jr., Forest Whitaker and Stockard Channing is the right mix. Rent this for yourself, by yourself.

Indie director Wayne Wang ("Chan Is Missing") was given a shot at a higher budget film and proved to be quite a stylish moviemaker with this largely ignored thriller from the late 80's. Almost universally panned by critics at the time of release (for no readily apparent reasons) this is one movie that deserves a second appraisal; I think it's one of the better of the 80's crop of stylish "neo noirs"--on a par with "Someone To Watch Over Me", "The Bedroom Window" and "Something Wild". Wang uses the classic Hitchcock "wrong man" scenario to push his hapless cartoonist turned murder suspect Tom Hulce through a twisty Kafkaesque nightmare with a Los Angeles backdrop.A fair amount of subtle black humor gives the film a unique flavor, as well as an excellent supporting cast. There's a bit of 80's rock star stunt casting with X's John Doe as a corrupt cop, Adam Ant (surprisingly effective) as Hulce's shady pal, and you'll have to look fast for a dreadlocked Mark Anthony Thompson in a cameo as a bartender. Not for all tastes, but a sleeper worth waking up for.

I originally watched this movie only becuase I'm an avid Adam Ant fan. I was totally suprised at what a sleeper hit this was. I'm not sure how a movie with Tom Hulce, hot off his Amadeus film, and Mary Elizabeth Mastratonio could have been missed at the box office. Adam Ant play his typical bad boy part with great zeal. A movie that will keep you watching and wondering. Also, a great part of the Police Detective played admirably by Harry Dean Stanton.

Charles Drood (Tom Hulce) is in the wrong place at the wrong time. By no fault of his own, he is caught in the middle of a tangled web of murder, deceit, and police corruption. With few clues to go on, he must untangle the web before it entraps him completely. The plot twists in this video wend unceasingly right to the end of the movie. If you like Hitchcock, you just might enjoy this video. It's one of my favorites.

This and the Ang Lee film "Eat Drink Man Woman" were both released at about the same time. And I think they may have cancelled out each other. Both are great but like any wonderful film, if another equally great film with a similar theme is released at the same time it can cause an overload. People won't go see either.

So why should you see the Joy Luck Club? Because the acting is wonderful. Really top notch. If the current affection for having asian women in films lasts then maybe we could see more of these fine actresses. Too bad that so many wonderful actors can get typecast because of race but there is hope. I'd absolutely love some more films like this.

Wayne Wang's direction is great. This story goes from funny to sad to touching without being cliche. This movie might be marketed more toward women, and it does hit on great female relationships, but it's not to sappy the boyfriend will cry from boredom.

This tearjerker adaptation based on the book by Amy Tan, is about four Chinese mothers and their American born daughters, and how the distinct cultural chasm in their upbringing, play into their daily lives.

The flashbacks into the young lives of each mother is masterful storytelling filled with rich imagery.
But it is the everyday struggles of modern life with their daughters and the conflicts between them that most will easily recognize. In this way the movie does not exclude the general viewer from identifying with their own personal relationships with their mother, spouse, or friends.

This is one of the best technically engineered movies I have ever seen. The way in which the lives of the characters are weaved together is nothing short of genuis, and the movie slides flawlessly from the present to the past and back to the present again

The story of each mother's youth is both heartbreaking and wonderful at the same time, and with their somewhat broken english offer up an amazing amount of simple yet profound statements and insights as they tell their story and try to impart upon their daughters wisdom gained through both suffering and sacrifice.

The modern day entanglements of each daughter and their often tense relationships with their moms, show us in the end that no matter who we are, or where we come from, the bond between a mother and daughter is often a complex enigma, full of conflicting emotions.

Throughout all this, the main underlying issue is the trip to China one of the daughters is about to embark on, to meet for the first time, two sisters previously abandoned in wartime China while at the same time paying a personal tribute to her own mother.

If I had to flaw the movie it would be the constant onslaught on one?s emotions right up until the very end.
Nevertheless, I still give it 5 stars although I am sure this movie will appeal more to women.

FAVORITES MOVIE QUOTES:

"..and on that day, second wife's hair began to turn white"

"All around me I see the signs. My daughter looks but does not see. This is a house that will break into pieces"

"But Lena had no spirit, ..because I had none to give her"

"I like being tragic mom... I learned it from you"

I have not read the book before and I borrowed this dvd from the library thinking that it should be boring. Boy! Was I wrong!

I feel that the film is very interesting, heartwarming and easy to understand. It is about the lives of 4 pairs of Chinese mothers and daughters and also about the differences in their upbringing and expectations in China (all mothers in flim are from China) and in America (all daughters are born in America).

It should appeal to a wide audience, especially American Chinese or Chinese who live abroad.

Driving away from the quiets of Wisconsin, this amazing mother and daughter team duo are on their way to Beverly Hills, California, but are already arguing and ripping each other's heart out. The mother shows her out of the car, and leaves her in the middle of nowhere. Maybe even this time for good.
Adele August (Susan Sarandon) and Ann August (Natalie Portman) have played through this scene many times, however they never hold it true. What they do not know is that they are not only sharing the same name and blood, but they share the same kind of hidden true love. Two of a kind. Ann, the daughter, however, knows that one day she'll leave her mother for sure. When the time comes, she finds that it's a lot harder than expected.
With brilliant and sometimes funny performances from the two leading ladies, and a beautiful story based on the novel by Mona Simpson, this movie will make you cry, laugh, and cry some more. Many audiences saw this as awful and depressing. Let's just say they really didn't see into it.

One day I did a weird thing. I went to the cinema and watched this movie by myself. Some people found it strange that I, being a guy, would go see a real girl-movie alone, including the man in the ticket-office who looked really nonplussed and asked me if I really wanted only one ticket.

Well, I did, and I'm glad I did it.

Anywhere But Here is, exactly as its poster says: A movie about a mother who knows best and a daughter who knows better... And it's good.

The story is quite thin: Ann August (Natalie Portman) is a young girl whose single mother Adele (Susan Sarandon) hasn't quite lost her youthful lust for adventure. They move from bay City, Wisconsin to Beverly Hill where Adele hopes to find a better life. But she forgot to take her daughter's feelings into account...

As you might expect, there are lots of emotional outbreaks in this movie, but it never becomes too much. Also, it's refreshingly devoid of sentimentalism and happy-go-lucky lovestories, which makes the story far more believable and worthwhile.

But the main reason for seeing this movie is the divine acting by both leads. Natalie Portman plays the independent daughter that is far more mature than her mother and does an extremely convincing job. That girl is destined for absolute stardom! And while Sarandon is always good, this is no doubt one of her best performances ever. Adele is neurotic and selfish, but still has strength and love for her daughter. A difficult character to play, but Sarandon makes her come to life, swaying from borderline insanity to joyous strength and zest for life. Together, they make one of the best mother/daughter relationships I've ever seen in a movie come truly alive.

All in all, the story is little more than an excuse for getting two great actresses together. I suspect Wayne Wang knew this when he directed the movie. But it still works brilliantly.

This is a movie that will warm your heart and thrill you if you care for great acting. Very recommendable, and not only for girls :)

Its really good it shows what teens go through and what her mom is going through and how the daugther is the mom role and how disfuncanational things are.

Driving away from the quiets of Wisconsin, this amazing mother and daughter team duo are on their way to Beverly Hills, California, but are already arguing and ripping each other's heart out. The mother shows her out of the car, and leaves her in the middle of nowhere. Maybe even this time for good.
Adele August (Susan Sarandon) and Ann August (Natalie Portman) have played through this scene many times, however they never hold it true. What they do not know is that they are not only sharing the same name and blood, but they share the same kind of hidden true love. Two of a kind. Ann, the daughter, however, knows that one day she'll leave her mother for sure. When the time comes, she finds that it's a lot harder than expected.
With brilliant and sometimes funny performances from the two leading ladies, and a beautiful story based on the novel by Mona Simpson, this movie will make you cry, laugh, and cry some more. Many audiences saw this as awful and depressing. Let's just say they really didn't see into it.

One day I did a weird thing. I went to the cinema and watched this movie by myself. Some people found it strange that I, being a guy, would go see a real girl-movie alone, including the man in the ticket-office who looked really nonplussed and asked me if I really wanted only one ticket.

Well, I did, and I'm glad I did it.

Anywhere But Here is, exactly as its poster says: A movie about a mother who knows best and a daughter who knows better... And it's good.

The story is quite thin: Ann August (Natalie Portman) is a young girl whose single mother Adele (Susan Sarandon) hasn't quite lost her youthful lust for adventure. They move from bay City, Wisconsin to Beverly Hill where Adele hopes to find a better life. But she forgot to take her daughter's feelings into account...

As you might expect, there are lots of emotional outbreaks in this movie, but it never becomes too much. Also, it's refreshingly devoid of sentimentalism and happy-go-lucky lovestories, which makes the story far more believable and worthwhile.

But the main reason for seeing this movie is the divine acting by both leads. Natalie Portman plays the independent daughter that is far more mature than her mother and does an extremely convincing job. That girl is destined for absolute stardom! And while Sarandon is always good, this is no doubt one of her best performances ever. Adele is neurotic and selfish, but still has strength and love for her daughter. A difficult character to play, but Sarandon makes her come to life, swaying from borderline insanity to joyous strength and zest for life. Together, they make one of the best mother/daughter relationships I've ever seen in a movie come truly alive.

All in all, the story is little more than an excuse for getting two great actresses together. I suspect Wayne Wang knew this when he directed the movie. But it still works brilliantly.

This is a movie that will warm your heart and thrill you if you care for great acting. Very recommendable, and not only for girls :)

Its really good it shows what teens go through and what her mom is going through and how the daugther is the mom role and how disfuncanational things are.

What a waste. It's terribly filmed and aimless. It also suffers from shoddy editing. Harvey Keitel is great, I don't think I've ever seen him in a bad film. But many charachters, such as the one played by Michael J. Fox, are only seen for a few brief minutes. There is no narrative, this movie is shameful compared to it's predecessor. I understand the directors wanted too do an ode to Brooklyn, but why, oh why, did they have to do it around a sequel to smoke?

All events go on in one of the most famous districts of New York- Brooklyn.
Ozzy's shop with tobacco is the centre of the action. People come there not only to buy cigarettes but also to talk, to meet some friends. A lot of funny, absurd situations take place in Ozzy's shop. We can see some famous faces such as Jim Jarmush who is giving up smoking, Harvey Keitel (Ozzy), Madonna and her provocative dance...
"Brooklyn Boogie" is also a specific description of american city, inhabitants and their attitude towards living there. Lou Reed talks about New York, why he still lives there despite all that danger he meets everywhere.
It's really interesting film. It has nice, relaxing atmosphere, good for sad winter evenings.

I had no idea who this guy was...but his bit on Nazis and movies and cigarettes has caused me to recommend this movie to friends. I saw Smoke first and enjoyed it, but Blue in the Face will leave you rolling on the floor laughing..promise!

The Chinese Box is a film that draws parallels between the relationship of Jeremy Irons and Gong Li to that of the Hong Kong handover. It is far from Irons' best performance, and I was dissapointed by Li's miniscule role in the film. Such a wonderful actress could've been given more lines despite her shaky english. Oh, and it was a little slow.

Despite all this, the film does manage to draw you in somewhat and you end up caring about what happens to the two character. In the end, it's worth a view... but not twenty dollars.

Chinese box is a very interesting film. First of all a Wayne Wang film (remember eat a bowl of rice ? a film portrayed the Chinese immigrants life in US and excellent movie smoke as a result of his cooperation with Auster) that is set in Hong Kong and includes excellent performances by Irons, Li, and Cheung . Secondly it is based on the time period which was extremely important as well as worrying for many Asian people. It marked the end of British rule and unification with China. Film focuses on those days with an impossible love story between Irons and Li.
Film has full of images and tales about the people of Hong Kong and their way of living, power politics and market scale as well as the difference of eastern and western people in their way of thought and living. Irons' impossible love for Li and her struggle between two man, are represented throughout the film in a different way and thus forcing to make the viewer try to understand or at least make him/her to be as objective as it is possible on making judgements on Asian life. Western people has problems with understanding Asian mind and way of living and unfortunately only very few people really tries to do. As portrayed in Irons character, he tries to understand the people and the city over a decade but fails because in his words everything is changing so fast.(Maybe like many westerners suggest, it is rather a difficult task and since you have the best (!) of it why sweat it ?)
Wang draws the picture of city in one hand a fast moving, modern Asian city full of local and foreign businesscholics.Caught in the middle , on one hand trying to stay as traditional it can be but on the other hand trying to look , live and feel as a western democracy. There are many symbols and signs showing this as fish market, mah jong, family relationships as well as the businessman with mobile phones and blasting western flavoured music, scarred cheung and the running dog prepared to fight by the owner etc. Lions offers a solid performance and Li suceeds to come up with goods as it is her most difficult role so far portraying such an untraditional character. Cheung continues to rise with the young, hip but a bit of a desperate character.
This movie is not an easy, let's go type of film. As I mentioned, Wang tries to make us understand the way of life, thinking as well as the identity clashes in people who lives in this fascinating neon city. So viewer has to force his/hers mind to de code the symbols and icons which tells a lot to the viewer about the situation.
Basicly film is called Chinese box and it is a chinese box indeed. It expects you to open and solve it.

I first saw this film in Scottsdale, AZ at the local arthouse movie theatre, and it really left me with a feeling. Couldn't immediately put it into words or identify it, but a feeling nonetheless...an impact...a strange sensation. The more time that passed, the more I thought about the film and the more I liked the experiece while watching it. Although I have never been to HK, I believe that Wayne Wang has captured the breath and soul of Hong Kong and the mysteries that it carries. It has put in me, a hope and a dream that one day I can visit this exotic city and breathe in the aroma, the sounds and sights of its vibrant, pulsing atmosphere. Even with Ms. Li's newly budding English skills, this is still a remarkable piece and dazzles with metaphors and rich character-driven fabric. Ruben Blades is a marvelous choice as Iron's ex-pat friend and strums a beautiful song, Across the Borderline. Mr. Wang, if you are listening, this is fine piece of work and I hope that you continue to make these wonderful films that evoke a canvas of feelings and stimulate the senses.

This is a really awful movie. The characters are one-dimensional so it's hard to care about this bunch of loosers. There is no significant plot development (when a third character appears there's a brief hope that there might be something of interest, but she soon leaves the script) so it's hard to sustain attention. The production values would earn a "C" in film school--instead of a "gritty, reality" feel, you end up saying: "I could have made a better movie myself." Avoid it.

Borrowing a part of it's plot from 'Indecent Proposal', 'The Center Of The World' manages to be a sexually charged, and erotic film, one that may surprise some viewers because it was an American made movie.

The deal is simple...Richard, a computer genius (Peter Sarsgaard) offers Florence, a struggling musician/stripper (Molly Parker) $10,000 to spend the weekend with him in Vegas, but before she says yes he must agree to her terms...no kissing, only meeting between the hours of 10pm and 2am, not getting personal and absolutely no falling in love.

With these rules laid out in front of him Richard agrees even though he plans on making her love him.

The story of Richard and Flo unfolds slowly, but as the characters are developed the viewer realizes the pair are searching for the same thing...love.

Molly Parker gives an intimate performances of a woman looking to find herself, and get past her fear of intimacy, and Peter Sarsgaard does a great job as Richard, an empty young man looking to make his life complete.

Although sexually explicit in spots (the lollipop scene must be seen to be believed) 'The Center Of The World' never becomes cheap or porno-ish. And bravo to Ms. Parker and Mr. Sarsgaard for being brave enough to take on roles that required them to be fully nude in several scenes.

Anyone looking for a sex movie should look elsewhere, for the power of this film lies in it's two main characters. Those looking an artsy/erotic movie will enjoy this.

Nick Gonnella

Richard, a computer genius (Peter Sarsgaard) offers Florence, a struggling musician/stripper (Molly Parker) $10,000 to spend the weekend with him in Vegas, but before she says yes he must agree to her terms...no kissing, only meeting between the hours of 10pm and 2am, not getting personal and absolutely no penetration or sex.
With these rules laid out in front of him Richard agrees even though he plans on making her love him. Richard, actually love this stripper(Florence) and what make piss off and 'force' sex with her is that Florence told him that she was only paid to make her enjoy him(can't really remember that much).

This is a really awful movie. The characters are one-dimensional so it's hard to care about this bunch of loosers. There is no significant plot development (when a third character appears there's a brief hope that there might be something of interest, but she soon leaves the script) so it's hard to sustain attention. The production values would earn a "C" in film school--instead of a "gritty, reality" feel, you end up saying: "I could have made a better movie myself." Avoid it.

Borrowing a part of it's plot from 'Indecent Proposal', 'The Center Of The World' manages to be a sexually charged, and erotic film, one that may surprise some viewers because it was an American made movie.

The deal is simple...Richard, a computer genius (Peter Sarsgaard) offers Florence, a struggling musician/stripper (Molly Parker) $10,000 to spend the weekend with him in Vegas, but before she says yes he must agree to her terms...no kissing, only meeting between the hours of 10pm and 2am, not getting personal and absolutely no falling in love.

With these rules laid out in front of him Richard agrees even though he plans on making her love him.

The story of Richard and Flo unfolds slowly, but as the characters are developed the viewer realizes the pair are searching for the same thing...love.

Molly Parker gives an intimate performances of a woman looking to find herself, and get past her fear of intimacy, and Peter Sarsgaard does a great job as Richard, an empty young man looking to make his life complete.

Although sexually explicit in spots (the lollipop scene must be seen to be believed) 'The Center Of The World' never becomes cheap or porno-ish. And bravo to Ms. Parker and Mr. Sarsgaard for being brave enough to take on roles that required them to be fully nude in several scenes.

Anyone looking for a sex movie should look elsewhere, for the power of this film lies in it's two main characters. Those looking an artsy/erotic movie will enjoy this.

Nick Gonnella

Richard, a computer genius (Peter Sarsgaard) offers Florence, a struggling musician/stripper (Molly Parker) $10,000 to spend the weekend with him in Vegas, but before she says yes he must agree to her terms...no kissing, only meeting between the hours of 10pm and 2am, not getting personal and absolutely no penetration or sex.
With these rules laid out in front of him Richard agrees even though he plans on making her love him. Richard, actually love this stripper(Florence) and what make piss off and 'force' sex with her is that Florence told him that she was only paid to make her enjoy him(can't really remember that much).

This is a really awful movie. The characters are one-dimensional so it's hard to care about this bunch of loosers. There is no significant plot development (when a third character appears there's a brief hope that there might be something of interest, but she soon leaves the script) so it's hard to sustain attention. The production values would earn a "C" in film school--instead of a "gritty, reality" feel, you end up saying: "I could have made a better movie myself." Avoid it.

Borrowing a part of it's plot from 'Indecent Proposal', 'The Center Of The World' manages to be a sexually charged, and erotic film, one that may surprise some viewers because it was an American made movie.

The deal is simple...Richard, a computer genius (Peter Sarsgaard) offers Florence, a struggling musician/stripper (Molly Parker) $10,000 to spend the weekend with him in Vegas, but before she says yes he must agree to her terms...no kissing, only meeting between the hours of 10pm and 2am, not getting personal and absolutely no falling in love.

With these rules laid out in front of him Richard agrees even though he plans on making her love him.

The story of Richard and Flo unfolds slowly, but as the characters are developed the viewer realizes the pair are searching for the same thing...love.

Molly Parker gives an intimate performances of a woman looking to find herself, and get past her fear of intimacy, and Peter Sarsgaard does a great job as Richard, an empty young man looking to make his life complete.

Although sexually explicit in spots (the lollipop scene must be seen to be believed) 'The Center Of The World' never becomes cheap or porno-ish. And bravo to Ms. Parker and Mr. Sarsgaard for being brave enough to take on roles that required them to be fully nude in several scenes.

Anyone looking for a sex movie should look elsewhere, for the power of this film lies in it's two main characters. Those looking an artsy/erotic movie will enjoy this.

Nick Gonnella

Richard, a computer genius (Peter Sarsgaard) offers Florence, a struggling musician/stripper (Molly Parker) $10,000 to spend the weekend with him in Vegas, but before she says yes he must agree to her terms...no kissing, only meeting between the hours of 10pm and 2am, not getting personal and absolutely no penetration or sex.
With these rules laid out in front of him Richard agrees even though he plans on making her love him. Richard, actually love this stripper(Florence) and what make piss off and 'force' sex with her is that Florence told him that she was only paid to make her enjoy him(can't really remember that much).