World Of Wong Kar Wai - Criterion Collection (BLU-RAY)

With his lush and sensual visuals, pitch-perfect soundtracks, and soulful romanticism, Wong Kar Wai has established himself as one of the defining auteurs of contemporary cinema. Joined by such key collaborators as cinematographer Christopher Doyle; editor and production and costume designer William Chang Suk Ping; and actors Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Maggie Cheung Man Yuk, Wong (or WKW, as he is often known) has written and directed films that have enraptured audiences and critics worldwide and inspired countless other filmmakers with their poetic moods and music, narrative and stylistic daring, and potent themes of alienation and memory. Whether tragically romantic, soaked in blood, or quirkily comedic, the seven films collected here are an invitation into the unique and wistful world of a deeply influential artist. As Tears Go By (1988) The directorial debut of filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai, this crime drama blends what would become his trademark lyricism and romance with the Hong Kong action style. Tough Triad hood Wah (Andy Lau) finds himself torn between loyalty to his trouble-prone pal and partner Fly (Jacky Cheung) and his attraction to ailing cousin Ngor (Maggie Cheung), who offers Wah a way out of his dead-end life. 102 min. In Cantonese with English subtitles. Days Of Being Wild (1991) Leslie Cheung is Yuddy, a handsome womanizer in 1960s Hong Kong who reserves his true feelings for the birth mother he never knew. As Yuddy searches for his mother, he woos and abandons a beautiful shopgirl (Maggie Cheung), setting in motion a chain of dramatic confrontations. Writer/director Wong Kar-Wai's emotional character study also stars Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung. 89 min. In Cantonese with English subtitles. Chungking Express (1994) At once funny and touching, this comedy/drama of life, love, and take-out food in contemporary Hong Kong follows the barely-connected romances of two city policemen. One man (Takeshi Kaneshiro) pines for his long-gone girlfriend while meeting a mysterious woman in a bar, the other (Tony Leung) becomes the object of obsession for a gamine sandwich shop worker (Faye Wong). Brigitte Lin, Valerie Chow co-star; written and directed by Wong Kar-Wai. 102 min. In Chinese with English subtitles. Fallen Angels (1995) Considered by many to be director Wong Kar-Wai's masterpiece, this unconventional film intertwines two tragic tales of love and redemption: a woman in love with a contract killer, and a mute ex-convict who finds himself involved in an awkward romance with a girl named Cherry. Stars Leon Lai Ming, Takeshi Kaneshiro, and Michele Reis. 97 min. In Chinese with English subtitles. Happy Together (1997) Director Wong Kar-Wai's Cannes favorite centers around a gay Chinese couple-Ho Po-Wing (Leslie Cheung) and Lai Yiu-Fai (Tony Leung Chiu-wai)-living as expatriates in Buenos Aires, who are always on the verge of going their separate ways. However, the men find out things about themselves they never could have imagined when they meet a mysterious man from Taiwan (Chang Chen). 97 min. In Cantonese with English subtitles. In The Mood For Love (2000) Critically acclaimed effort from Wong Kar-Wai, set in Hong Kong in 1962 and centering on newspaper reporter Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung) and executive assistant Su Li-zhen (Maggie Cheung), two married people who move into the same cramped Shanghai apartment complex. While dining together, they realize that their respective spouses are having an affair behind their backs. This discovery brings Chow and Su closer and, eventually, into their own romantic tryst. 97 min. In Cantonese and French with English subtitles. 2046 (2005) Wong Kar-Wai's semi-sequel to "In the Mood for Love" finds (possibly) the same protagonist, Chow Mo-wan (Tony Leung Chiu Wai), now writing a science-fiction novel titled "2046," which is also the designation for the hotel room next door, where he has passionate and complicated affairs with a succession of women who live there. Poetic and visionary meditation on heartbreak and memory also stars Gong LI, Zhang Ziyi, Maggie Cheung. 128 min. In Cantonese with English subtitles.