hong kong, benares, and paris

Days of Being Wild (A Fei jing juen) (1991)
3 Stars
Directed by Wong Kar Wai
Starring Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Carina Lau, Andy Lau, Tony Leung
The one that started it all. Shows some signs of age (released in the same year as Once Upon A Time in China), but very similar to In the Mood for Love, 2046, and Chungking Express.

Pather Panchali (1955)
5 Stars
Directed by Satyajit Ray
The simple but beautiful story of a hard-luck rural Bengali family. Think Scent of Green Papaya but with strong characterizations and the rudiments of a story. Also features a fine score by Ravi Shankar. Ray's debut film, this is billed as the first Indian hit in the West, and was the original winner of the San Francisco Film Festival's Golden Gate Award.

Moulin Rouge (1952)
2 Stars
Directed by John Huston
Starring Jose Ferrer, Zsa Zsa Gabor
Like Jose Ferrer, haughty; like Toulouse-Lautrec, lame. Mainly interesting as the screen debut of Paris Hilton's prototype and great-aunt Zsa Zsa. People aren't literally famous just for being famous; sometimes they have to make a movie to remind everyone they're still around. Doesn't mean we have to watch it though.