Wong Kar Wai’s masterful, In the Mood for Love, is one of my favourite films of the past twenty years but I had only ever watched it once. It left such an indelible impression I felt as if I knew every single second of this sumptuously produced and achingly restrained modern classic. A decade has past since that viewing, and whilst my memory of every image has not diminished, it seemed like the perfect time for a revisit, not least because Criterion have recently released it on Blu-Ray.

In many ways seeing it in eye-popping high definition is like seeing it for the first time. The colours have never looked so luminous nor the textures so tactile, and coupled with…

Part of Dastardly Difficult December: film nr.72

What is the purpose of art? A short and simple question with a multitude of answers, all correct. It depends on so many things, but for me, art is always about the personal response. Does it resonate, does it cause something to happen within you or is it something that appeals the intellect. It can be as basic as sheer enjoyment to deep, soul stirring ruminations. I need this kind of response, I look for it and if it's there I let it wash over me, if it isn't I often grow bitter and angry or even worse, indifferent.

That In the Mood for Love is a masterful piece of art, of that…

This is a beautifully crafted story of relationships. It's so colorful and rich looking. The lighting, the sets, the clothes, everything was so textured and gorgeous. A woman simply walking up the stairs was so mesmerizing and beautiful. I was entranced by the beauty, you can tell there was a high amount of care put into every shot. This is the product of a master film maker, hardly anyone can make any mundane or regular thing so enticing. The color gives the whole film such a warm feeling and this accompanied by the fantastic cinematography makes such an attractive and memorable film.

Even with all that praise, the visuals weren't my favorite aspect. The music is what made me fall…

"He remembers those vanished years. As though looking through a dusty window pane, the past is something he could see, but not touch. And everything he sees is blurred and indistinct."

If simplicity and perfection could be shown in a film, it would be with Kar Wai Wong's 'In the Mood for Love'. With spot on pace and incredible visuals, this film sits you down and makes you stare at the screen without wanting to look away.

Kar Wai Wong is quickly becoming one of my favourite director's with such an incredible ability to tell a story. Through both dialogue and visuals, 'In the Mood for Love' is one film I won't be forgetting anytime soon. Much like his other…

Stunning. Beautiful. Director Kar Wai Wong knows exactly what loneliness looks like. He knows exactly what it is like to be and to care about being proper in the eyes of others. And he knows how to tell a story with smoke and mirrors and double-entendres.

It is amazing that a simple story of two lonely neighbours who become friends when their respective spouses spend too much time away turns into an epic in Kar Wai Wong's hands. This director knows how to use all elements of cinema to show isolation and loneliness. The sparse sets, grey concrete outdoor walls in the rain, isolated light bulbs in the foreground of so many shots, bland cement staircases to a noodle shop,…

Simply poetic.

This is only my second viewing of In the Mood for Love, so I don’t think I’m qualified to offer more than just a few observations.

This is Wong at the top of his game. His sometime erratic, playful, and impromptu style has matured to become extremely well considered and focused. The integration of sight and sound has always been a strong suit in his pictures, but here it reaches a new level of refinement. Maggie Cheung gliding down the stairs is filmmaking transcended. Even his trademark visual devices such as step printing and twin speed are so incredibly refined that they’re almost completely invisible .. but they’re there, and they have a powerful effect.

The thing that…