BEAUTIFUL SADNESS, SULTRY EROTICISM INHABITS '2046'.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic WONG KAR WAI'S ``2046'' arrives as a sequel of sorts to his masterpiece of longing, ``In the Mood for Love,'' and certainly anyone familiar with Wong's work will settle in to the movie's languorous lan·guor n. 1. Lack of physical or mental energy; listlessness. See Synonyms at lethargy. 2. A dreamy, lazy mood or quality: "It was hot, yet with a sweet languor about it" rhythms and beautifully photographed despair from the get-go. It's all there - the passionate glances that can't be met, the billowing bil·low n. 1. A large wave or swell of water. 2. A great swell, surge, or undulating mass, as of smoke or sound. v. bil·lowed, bil·low·ing, bil·lows v.intr. 1. smoke from countless cigarettes, the bad romantic timing, the unrequited love affairs, Nat King Cole's tender voice providing comfort from the emotional storms - along with a dreamy meditation on memory and the imagination. To quote a title from Wong's favorite crooner: It's unforgettable. Tony Leung, quite possibly the world's most graceful movie star, returns as Chow, the writer who had his heart broken by Su Li Zhen (Maggie Cheung, who returns briefly in a cameo) in ``Mood.'' That experience has left Chow bruised and unwilling to put his heart on the line again, no matter how beautiful or tempting the prospect may be. And there's a parade of lovely and amazing women in ``2046.'' The movie is set primarily at a Hong Kong hotel Hong Kong Hotel was the Colony's first five-star hotel in Hong Kong. It was opened on the waterfront of Victoria Harbour, Central, Hong Kong. Competing in all respects with the owners of The Star Ferry Company, who owned the Peak Hotel, The, the management provided a special launch in the 1960s (Chow lives in Room 2046), but the action moves back and forth in time as Chow recalls his experiences with a Cambodian professional gambler (Gong Li), a ravishing rav·ish·ing adj. Extremely attractive; entrancing. rav  ish·ing·ly adv. call girl (Ziyi Zhang, sexy, sad, never better) who lives next door in Room 2047 and the hotel owner's daughter (Faye Wong from Wong's ``Chungking Express''). The title also refers to the year 2046 (the year Hong Kong will be integrated into China) as well as the room where Chow conducted his affair in ``Mood.'' In one segment of ``2046,'' Chow writes a story about a futuristic city called 2046 where people travel by train to recapture lost memories. Chow's a lady killer there, too, breaking the heart of an android An open platform for cellphones from the Open Handset Alliance (OHA). Based on Linux, Android includes a library of Java classes for building mobile applications. Android and GPhone train hostess. There's the vague feeling that Wong wants to ruminate ru·mi·nate v. ru·mi·nat·ed, ru·mi·nat·ing, ru·mi·nates v.intr. 1. To turn a matter over and over in the mind. 2. To chew cud. v.tr. on the Hong Kong of the past (his work often is awash in nostalgia) and the future (occasional newsreel footage inserts some political commentary), but ``2046,'' at its best, is simply Wong being Wong, delivering eroticism Eroticism Aphrodite novel of Alexandrian manners by Pierre Louys. [Fr. Lit.: Benét, 783] Ars Amatoria Ovid’s treatise on lovemaking. [Rom. Lit. of the highest order, working on a level that no one else can hope to match. If his last film put you in the mood, this beauty will pierce you to the bone. Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672 glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com 2046 - Four stars (R: sexual content) Starring: Tony Leung, Gong Li, Ziyi Zhang, Faye Wong Director: Wong Kar Wai. Running time: 2 hr. 9 min. Playing: Landmark's Nuart Theater in West Los Angeles
In a nutshell: More peerless eroticism from the master of melancholy. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Ziyi Zhang, left, and Tony Leung share a moment of passion in Wong Kar Wai's ``2046.'' |
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