Hello hello :3

So I recently signed up for Netflix which is pretty cool - and have a whole bunch of Wong Kar Wai's films lined up. I simply adored Chungking Express which was the first WKW film that I saw way back when - I remember being really moved by it. I started out with In the Mood for Love, which I enjoyed, and I just got 2046 which I'll watch this weekend. Fallen Angels' the next one on my queue... want to see the CK Express sequel *hearts*

I got most of his other films lined up in queue but any recommendations for order, must-watches, or ones that aren't so good? I also love Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro so general recommendations along those lines would be good :3

standalone, WKW films are great but if at all possible it is recommended to try and see them in chronological order. 2046 would ideally been the last film of his that you should watch but the main factor for that film is that of being a nearly direct continuation of In The Mood For Love, so its good you saw that first. btw Fallen Angels really isnt a sequel in regards to seeing any role reprisals. It has Kakeshiro but in a fairly different character. In terms of what I consider must watch, Id say you need to check out Days of Being Wild and Happy Together. Most of his films make appearances in 2046, but the major two are ITMFL and DOBW. Happy Together is a must as well and imo is Wong at his best. Much of his experimentation in past films sees refinement here and also includes possibly the most memorable performances Ive seen either Tony Leung or Leslie Cheung give.

Id actually say that half of WKW's charm comes from his strong visual style which is heavily attributable to his longtime collaborator Christopher Doyle. So in terms of checking out similar films aesthetically, Id recommend films that he has done cinematography for as well. Ill list the ones I consider must-watches:
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) - directed by Phillip Noyce
Last Life in the Universe (2003) - directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang
He's also done Hero, Infernal Affairs, and Lady In The Water, but I assume you've seen those already.....

The following is more a list of directors then films. The general jist is, I find the following similar, and have offered one major film of theirs to check out as an entry:
Blowup (1966) - directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
Persona (1966) - directed by Ingmar Bergman
The Terrorizers (1986) - directed by Edward Yang
The Double Life of Véronique (1991) - directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski
Suzhou River (2000) - directed by Lou Ye
3-Iron (2004) - directed by Kim Ki Duk

As for Tony Leung, I recommend the following:
A City of Sadness (1989) - directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien
Hard Boiled (1992) - directed by John Woo


Heres a few other films from China that I consider must-watches (in case you wanted to branch out):
In the Heat of the Sun (1994) - directed by Jiang Wen
Big Shots Funeral (2003) - directed by Feng Xiaogang
Blind Shaft (2003) - directed by Li Yang

Awesome! Yeah I've seen Hero and Infernal Affairs. Not Lady in the Water though xD (I know you liked that one). I'm definitely going to keep referring back to this a lot. Thanks *hearts*

Well first of all, I guess it depends on why your asking but in all honesty, Tsai's film imo aren't really able to be enjoyed by the casual watcher. Hell, I think its really hard to enjoy his films on really any levels. This doesn't mean they are bad but depending on why you want to check him out, you may not actually want to.

For example if you don't know, his films are notorious for taking the style made famous by other Taiwanese directors such as Hou Hsiao-hsien to the nth degree. This being very unelaborate shooting consisting of long....long shots of little to no action. For directors like Hou, this was more of a neccessity from low production budgets, but this isnt really the case with Tsai.

For example, the first film of his I ever watched was Goodbye Dragon Inn, and it literally seemed pointless. No discernable story or conflict. It literally came off as random shots of one location just stitched together. Theres hardly any dialogue or really even any human interaction. The film only had one or two really discernable characters, of whom little was really known about. And the most significant factor, shots are long... Not only are they long, the camera itself hardly moves or tracks, nor is there little action on screen. This creates for one, a real sense of realism and isolation, but the more practical reaction being, its extremely boring. I didnt actually clock it, but from what I remember there were literally shots that went into the plural minute range of people just sitting doing notihng, or one person like....taking a piss or a smoke.

With all that said, Tsai is actually probably one of more significant directors active in Taiwan and even worldwide now, but it might be hard to seriously watch any of his films out of mainly enjoyment. I've actually only seen a few of his completely, but seen segments of most of his works. I would say, stay away from Goodbye Dragon Inn at least at first. The only film of his I can see recommending really, is The Hole. Its actually not one of his more well-known films but I actually found myself strangely enjoying it on a certain level. So yea, if your dedicated to checking him out, I'd say start with that one as its the most viable one I can see anyone liking in the slightest.

Haha thanks. I wanted to renname this thread to "movie recommendations" but couldn't ; D;

Anyhoo I think my thought process for this literally went, saw Tsai's name in some review/article, thought hey maybe a good one to Netflix! Vaguely remembering you mentioning it, and then just asked for recommendations without knowing anything about him whatsoever xD

Main motivation would probably be to watch more Taiwanese films though since I'm not familiar with it at all. I'll see if Netflix has the Hole. If you have any Taiwanese film recommendations though totally let me know x3

The only problem with Taiwanese film on the whole compared to say HK or Mainland is, releases on a widescale are simply not available. Given the few big names such as Tsai, Hou Hisao-hsien, and Edward Yang, its pretty impossible to get ahold of prints unless you got a copy somehow from the director directly. Even for Hou who is arguably one of the most significant Asian directors active, his most famous film to date never saw a stateside release nor a subbed one even that I know of, that being City of Sadness. Of course, if you live in Taiwanese or the language isnt a problem thats a different story of course. I remember a few films actually that my Chinese film prof had copies of that he had to get pretty much from the director or someone else in production as no release was ever made. And these arent like low budget indie/underground productions, but fullblown studio-endorsed works. Just goes to show the complete shitty situation of the Taiwanese film industry. Anyways with that said, the must watch for Taiwanese film is City of Sadness. This, and Terrorizers which is mentioned above are probably my two favorite from that region. Given both may be hard to find, and Im actually sure the 2nd will be near impossible to locate a copy of. Either way, if the opportunity arises, both films are deifnitely ones that should be watched.

So onto a few releases that are actually viably obtainable:
Ang Lee's Eat Drink Man Woman & Wedding Banquet
I have a feeling you may ahve already seen these given his relatively large status after Crouching Tiger and then Brokeback. If you haven't, both these films are surprisingly very fucking good. The latter first of all, is probably the best and really only good film I've seen that dealt with Asian-American conflicts on a generational context. The former is similar in its examination of a growing generational dichotomy emerging from a rapidly changing social makeup due to globalization, but is set within the framework of Taiwan itself.

Hou Hsiao-hsien's Dust In the Wind
Basically, if you ever check out City of Sadness and end up liking it, this is another great film from his earlier period. You can actually try watching one of his more recent works too which I have not seen any of, but are alot more commercially viable. Essentially, they are supposedly a very different style and aesthetic.

King Hu's Dragon Gate Inn & Touch of Zen
I dont know if this may be your thing, but both are wuxia classics. Kung Hu in general is really one of those shining examples that really exemplifies how the kungfu genre could actually be a respectful means of artistic expression.