Silent Lucidity - Chungking Express

We watch movies on a regular basis, two maybe three a month. If you are any where close to a movie buff you would watch about 4 - 5 a week. But if you are anyone like me you would go on to watch anywhere close to 7 - 8 in a week. Don't ask me how we accomplish this feat, i am at a loss myself. What is the point of establishing this fact?....oh yes because of the enormous library of movies it becomes very difficult to actually get your hands on something which just blows you out of your seat. After a certain point you have already seen it, interpreted in a certain way, shown in a particular way and nothing really affects you in the same way as you were before. You start losing hope and then you are just drinking the same wine in a new bottle.

Every so often, not regularly you actually come across something worth while. Something that you are compelled to share with the world, something that jumps up at you and restores your faith in the life long pursuit of movies. For me it was Chungking Express.

I am a big fan of Cantonese movies, i started with the classics of Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee, Jet Li then i was a big fan of the gangster movies Chow Yun Fat, John Woo, Andy Lau but only recently did i realise that there is a world beyond these movies, movies about every day people, every day emotions. I was introduced to Wong Kar Wai and Tony Leung - subliminal is the only word i can think of. There are scripts, there are actors, there are directors and there is cinematography and then there is treatment. Treatment of the smallest most mundane of things can be so precious, its only when you see it do you believe it. Pineapple in a burger sounds yuck right? but if done right it can be heavenly. You try it and if you don't have it, you will ruin some good ingredients.

Chungking Express is exactly that, treatment of human emotions, depicted beautifully by four fantastic actors. Their story is not extraordinary, its not legendary and most definitely not historic. You immediately connect with the movie because it is either a story of your life or somebody that you know of.

There is an obvious down side to this, you have tasted glorious taste of a fabulous dish, now...where do you go to get some more. Sorry, you have to wade through mountains of movies again and just when you think you have lost all hope.......BOOM - Silent Lucidity