Wong Kar-wai: Auteur of Time (Bfi World Directors)

Book Description

This, the first book-length study of Hong Kong cult director Wong Kar-wai, provides an overview of his career and in-depth analyses of his seven feature films to date. The study also takes an intriguing look at Wong's commercials for the likes of Motorola, BMW, and Lacoste and at his music video for DJ Shadow. Stephen Teo probes Wong's cinematic and literary influences--from Martin Scorsese and Alfred Hitchcock to Manuel Puig and Haruki Murakami--yet shows how Wong transcends them all. This comprehensive and thoroughly accessible study confirms Wong's position as the star of the Hong Kong-global nexus and as a postmodern exemplar of world cinema.

Customer Reviews:

Still waiting for a good book on Wong.......2006-01-24

The problem for me with Teo's references to telos or Julia Kristeva, to follow-up on the comments of a previous reviewer, is that they seem symptomatic of the author's inability to truly get a handle on Wong's films. Teo applies ideas/theories to Wong's works like a graduate student dutifully displaying his wares. His work seems generally intelligent (as a student he'd get an A- for the assignment), but he provides very little insight into Wong's aesthetic. It came as little surprise, toward the end of the book, when the author admitted his indifference to In the Mood for Love. One thing is for sure: no one is going to write a good monograph on Wong Kar-Wai who thinks that In the Mood for Love is cold and uninvolving.

All about Time and more.......2005-11-04

The one thing one can say about Stephen Teo is that he has figured out Wong Kar-wai in part because he understands the enigmatic director on so many levels. Part of watching movies is trying to figure them out on one level and then to try to catch other levels or layers on a second viewing. Kudos to Stephen Teo - for making me aware of the multi-layered as well as multi-dimensional quality of Wong Kar-wai's work.

On one level, Teo reads Wong Kar-wai as intensely local and at the same time are intimately global. Moreover, Teo brings to presence the iconoclastic quality of Wong Kar-wai's experiments. Lastly, Teo deftly navigates the reader to the multitude of symbols relating to Wong Kar-wai's play on time, space, and memory.

Teo's Wong Kar-wai (published in the World Directors series) situates Wong's work primarily in a Hong Kong cultural milieu as well as explores Wong Kar-wai's historical context. Teo also is really good at framing Wong Kar wai's work around the literary inspirations and sources. However, Teo does not pull any punches in that most of the literary inspirations are pushed aside and little of the book or movie that are supposed to inspire the movies show up differently in the new creation.

One could well imagine that Teo reads Wong Kar-wai's movies as text. Teo's Wong Kar-wai is easy to read but not simplistic at all. He does what few are able to do - sustain an argument questioning Wong's oeuvre. It is an understatement to say that his book is extraordinary because of its range and profundity. Teo brings together an all-inclusive sweep of home grown Chinese interpretation to the movies with a not equally matched familiarity with the Hong Kong film industry. Teo convinces me of both the local significance as well as the international impact of Wong Kar-wai's movies - which ironically fail at the local Hong Kong box office. He locates Wong's movies vis-à-vis a highly complex local historical background - which I would never have understood unless I had read this book. At the same time, Teo grounds each film against the literary readings that supposedly guide their creation. This is very difficult to do while still maintaining some sense of cohesion. Teo brings in an incredible understanding of authors like Puig, Cortázar, Murakami, Dazai, Jin Yong and Liu Li-chang while still maintaining a real sense of Wong Kar-wai's musings on time, space, and memory.

It would not be fair to ignore Teo's ability to understand genre. Teo situates "As Tears Go By" as a gangster movie. "Days of Being Wild" - I cannot help but agree - is an 'Ah Fei' (discontented punk) movie-cum-romance. "Chungking Express" argues Teo is a light romance with touches of noir intrigue. "Ashes of Time" is predictably a wuxia movie - but not really one as it breaks rules while adhering to some very key ones. "Fallen Angels" according to Teo takes over from where "Chungking Express" leaves of. "Happy Together" according to Teo is predictably gay road movie. "In the Mood for Love" is what Teo calls a "wenyi film" evoking deep emotions about love but more importantly repressed desire.

One other thing that I am grateful to Teo for is framing Wong's three great "nostalgia" movies: "Days of Being Wild," "In the Mood for Love," and "2046" which are a 1960s trilogy. The films are linked via Tony Leung Chiu-wai enigmatic character from "Days of Being Wild's" mysterious epilogue and working its way to the other two. I loved this book. It brought a new level of understanding as well as a new level of appreciation to my viewing of Wong Kar-wai in particular and movies in general.

While Wong's movies move from the narcissism of Yuddy (in Days of Being Wild) and Chow Mo-wan (In the Mood For Love and 2046), the doubling of cops in "Chungking Express," Murong Yin and Murong Yang in "Ashes of Time," the mise-en-abîme of role playing within role playing between Chow Mo-wan and Su Li-zhen Chan in "In the Mood for Love" on the surface it would lead one to believe that it was all about identity. Just like the works of Milan Kundera - which are also about identity - but they are also more than that. To reduce Wong Kar-wai's work to identity would be like saying that Tiger Wood's gold game is all about the putting. Yes, Wong Kar-wai explores the crises of misidentification as well as the pathologies of self and others that epitomize an identity without established borders. However, without Teo - we would not be able to understand that it is about that and also more.

Miguel Llora

Terrible book on terrific director........2005-08-30

This book is an obfuscation rather than an elucidation of Wong's films. If you use the word "teleological" frequently and think the following fragment from one sentence makes sense--"...because of the messages encoded in the ambivalence of the film's 'linguistic structure' - ambivalence that arises from the 'insertion of history (society) into a text and of this text into history' as Kristeva defines it..."--, then you will probably love this book.

Having recently discovered the films of Wong Kar-wai, I wanted a book that would tell me about him, his ways of working, and that would discuss his films in a way that would be meaningful to a reasonably well-education person who does not and did not work in academia. Because this book does have some of this information buried within it, I can't trash it completely. But, I will call it pretentious, pseudo-intellectual B.S. And, I will certainly avoid any more writings by Mr Teo.

Amazon's physical description of the paperback is filled with errors. The book is 191 pages rather than 212 pages. The publisher is the British Film Institute and not the University of California Press. The listed dimensions are wrong. Also, the subtitle listed by Amazon does not appear on the book's cover or title page.

If you must have a book on Wong Kar-wai, then go ahead and buy this. You will get a small amount of useful information and a filmography. The price is inexpensive enough to justify the purchase.

Excellent collection of essays.......2005-07-31

Thought provoking essays on most of his films up to this point

Tracking the elusive Wong Kar-wai.(Wong Kar-wai: Auteur of Time)(Wong Kar-wai)(Book Review): An article from: Cineaste

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Tracking the elusive Wong Kar-wai.(Wong Kar-wai: Auteur of Time)(Wong Kar-wai)(Book Review): An article from: Cineaste
Shelly Kraicer
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000BM89Z0
Release Date: 2005-09-29

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Cineaste, published by Thomson Gale on September 22, 2005. The length of the article is 1948 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Tracking the elusive Wong Kar-wai.(Wong Kar-wai: Auteur of Time)(Wong Kar-wai)(Book Review)
Author: Shelly Kraicer
Publication: Cineaste (Magazine/Journal)
Date: September 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 30 Issue: 4 Page: 14(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

In this extraordinary "scrapbook"-a photo album as glamorous and compelling as its subject-Diana Ross has insightfully collected a treasury of filmic memories, iconic images, and personal moments from her long career.

An icon and powerful role model for four decades, she has been one of the most noticed people of our time, pictured by all the leading fashion photographers-Richard Avedon, Victor Skrebneski, and Herb Ritts, among them. From lead singer of The Supremes to one of the most successful female artist of all time, from her academy award nominated performance as Billie Holiday to her role as a muse to artists, she has been a powerful and vibrant force in American life.

Hers is an inspirational story, first told carefully in words in her 1993 memoir Secrets of a Sparrow. Here her life is daringly and lovingly assembled in pictures, many never before published, and all rich with recent history, insightful comments, and plentiful anecdotes. From fashion icon to mother at home, this is a rare self-portrait by a very special person of our time.

Customer Reviews:

Diana Ross: Going Back.......2007-09-17

Ultimate Diana. Her die-hard fans and anyone appreciative of style, fashion and beauty will love this book.

DISSAPOINTING BOOK.......2006-12-28

I was very dissapointed with this book, because I thought it was going to be a "picture book" of her life and 40plus year career. NOT! Just pictures of HERSELF in the 70's, 80's and 90's. WHERE ARE HER CHILDHOOD PICTURES? FAMILY PHOTOS? THE SUPREMES? Noooothing! I am interested in her incredible life, her sibblings, the early years of the Primettes before they became the incomparable Supremes. Nooooothing! NEVER BEFORE SEEN PICTURES. Again....Nooooothing! Thank God I didn't pay for this book. I got it for Christmas years ago, and it's somewhere in my house collecting dust.

Coffee Table Book ...The Ultimate!!!!!!!.......2006-03-16

Just because it is not a holiday,

doesn't mean that we can't send a special friend a copy of:

Going Back by Diana Ross.

Friends that are "artsy", "shutter-bugs", or simply

into

beautiful images...will love getting >>> SURPRISED !!!

"reach out and touch"

with a beautiful book...i wonder if Oprah has a copy?

It Is What It Is.......2005-11-04

How befitting that a music and fashion icon such as the Supreme One have her own coffee table book. That is exactly what it is.

This photo journal though somewhat limited in its scope of her career is interesting to view and lucious in its photography. If you are a fan then its a must have. If you like fine quality coffee table books you should consider it. If you are looking for a photo journal of La Ross' career then you will be disappointed.

I made a very grateful and ardent fan of Diana Ross very pleased with a gift of my copy. It was worth the money. I replaced it soon after. It is worth the investment to see the Lady in so many poses and genres that differ from the typical way in which we often see her.

Worth the money (If your'e a fan).

Diana Ross on how wonderful it is to be Diana Ross........2004-04-28

Diana Ross is such a visual performer that a book of photographs spanning her career is a very natural collection for her to put together. With the exception of Cher, I've never seen a performer who can look so beautiful and so different seemingly at will. Each photo gives the photographer credit and it reads like a who's who with most of the great photo journalist's taking their turn at capturing a unique quality of Diana's timeless beauty. I never get tired of looking through this beautifully done coffee table pictorical memoir. As the title suggests, this book is all about Diana Ross and is scattered with antidote's and notes from Diana herself. If you're not a Diana Ross devotee then this book probably isn't going to do a thing for you and in that case you'd be better off sticking with her music.

Book Description

In this broad overview of humanity's predicament, psychiatrist Benjamin Kovitz illustrates the parallels between anxiety in the individual and discord in civilization as a whole. Kovitz emphasizes that civilization rests upon the precarious foundation of human nature, with its age-old tendencies toward self-deception, violence, and pursuit of power. He argues that resistance to facing our hidden motives is what lies at the core of political and religious strife as well as individual anxiety.

At the heart of the book is an illuminating chapter on the meaning of anxiety, explaining with clarity and detail how the pathology arises, how it is expressed, and how it can be relieved. The complexities of the condition are portrayed in vivid clinical examples, often using the patients' own words. Kovitz takes issue with the current practice of relying solely on psychiatric medication without addressing the patient's understanding of what his or her symptoms mean. On the societal level, Kovitz shows how evasion of reality complicates our efforts at progress and peaceful coexistence, despite the advances of science and democracy, and how defensive behavior among nations can culminate in war.

Turning to religion, Kovitz explores the psychological underpinnings of our need for religion and briefly summarizes the major world faiths with an eye to their underlying attitudes and assumptions. While pointing out the contradictions inherent in a literal approach to religious dogma, the author appreciates the need for faith that transcends logic. In a psychiatric evaluation of the life of Saint Teresa of Avila, Kovitz recognizes pathological anxiety yet respects the therapeutic value of her religious visions.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Conscience, published by Catholics for a Free Choice on March 22, 2003. The length of the article is 3188 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: A retreat from reason? The Catholic church and scientific progress.
Author: Malcolm Potts
Publication: Conscience (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2003
Publisher: Catholics for a Free Choice
Volume: 24 Issue: 1 Page: 16(4)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Science and the Retreat from Reason

Manufacturer: The Merlin Press Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000H5Z1LQ

Book Description

This family-oriented guide covers more than 50 scenic walks from Worcester County to the Pioneer Valley and beyond.

AMC's Best Day Hikes in Connecticut: Four-Season Guide to 50 of the Best Trails from the Highlands to the Coastal Lowlands

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AMC's Best Day Hikes in Connecticut: Four-Season Guide to 50 of the Best Trails from the Highlands to the Coastal Lowlands
Rene Laubach , and Charles W.G. Smith
Manufacturer: Appalachian Mountain Club Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Travel | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 193402810X

Book Description

This new guide from the experts at the Appalachian Mountain Club leads beginner and experienced hikers alike along 50 of Connecticut’s most spectacular trails, from short family nature walks to long day hikes that reward with magnificent views. Inside, readers will find 50 detailed trail descriptions with maps, Nature Notes on the region’s flora and fauna, and more. Readers will also learn the best trails for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, and find other opportunities for outdoor adventure. AMC’s Best Day Hikes in Connecticut is an essential four-season reference for visitors and locals, new and experienced hikers, and everyone in between who wants to explore the state’s hidden pockets of wilderness.

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Attendez que je me rappelle--
Rene Levesque
Manufacturer: Quebec/Amerique
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

French | Foreign Language Nonfiction | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

History | French | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

Nonfiction | French | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books

All French Books | French | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 2890372944

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Follow Me
Rene Voillaume
Manufacturer: Darton,Longman & Todd Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0232513767

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God Told Me
Rene Bates
Manufacturer: Carlton Press, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0806241926

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Remember her -- and this book

Lola Schnabel: Remember Me
Lola Schnabel , and Rene Ricard
Manufacturer: Perceval Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Drawing | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Drawing | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0972143629
Release Date: 2003-04-02

Book Description

Drawn from Lola Schnabel's notebooks and Polaroids, these images possess a febrile and precocious imagination. Her drawings, layers of pencil and paint sketches over crumpled, stained iconic imagery, are tough, naive, and verging on the pathological, where her photographs are softer and dreamlike, featuring her family and friends through blurred light-saturated compositions and the ocasional overpainting.

Customer Reviews:

Remember her -- and this book.......2004-04-28

A handful of artists try their hands at many media -- photography, painting, acting, and just about anything else. Lola Schnabel is one such artist. And she exposes her art in "Remember Me," revealing a scratchy collage of mind-bending photos and paintings. Warning: contents may take a bit of time to digest, but they're worth it.

Schnabel's drawings/paintings are vivid and sharp. Sometimes they're just pencil drawings, minimalistand deliberately smudged in places. Others have thin layers of bright paint on them. Her photographs are quite different -- much softer and blurrier, as if seen through a thick window. They seem much more distant and grounded.

Schnabel (who had a role in the movie "Basquiat") doesn't waste time trying to lure in viewers. Her work is just there, and it has no pretenses. Her work has a rough, exhilarating quality, like a an urban crazy quilt. As an added bonus, Rene Picard wrote an essay to accompany "Remember Me." It serves as a good counterpoint to the artwork, as Picard spins up some poetic prose about Schnabel's art and persona.

Schnabel's work is full of light and color. Specifically, her photos have light and her paintings/drawings have color. Splashes of vivid color spread over her drawings and paintings -- sometimes stylized, sometimes just accentuating the rough pencilwork. And her photographs are simply lovely -- horses in the woods, friends and family, graveyards.

Beautiful and vivid, budding artist Lola Schnabel's work is like a pile of rough diamonds -- unpolished but still precious. The title is a pretty fortunate one -- "Remember Me" shouldn't be forgotten.

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Lord, Support Me in My Illness
Philippe Aviron-Violet
Manufacturer: Editions du Signe
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Pamphlet

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 2746803259

Product Description

Prayers for Healing.

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Interesting read

Love Me Not : A Vampire Tale
Lisa Rene' Smith
Manufacturer: PublishAmerica
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Horror Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
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ASIN: 1413721117

Book Description

“He knew in his heart that he shouldn't kill her; he didn't want to kill her, but as his body began to tremble, the primal urge for blood defeated his conscience and fangs distended, he bent to her throat once more .... “Benjamin! NO!” The deep bloodcurdling voice roared. He felt the mighty hand on the back of his neck and his feet left the floor. It could only be his Creator. He knew before his feet again touched the floor what he would see when he turned around. They stood facing one another, Ben fighting the thirst with all his power as he stared into Colin's dark smoldering eyes. “It's over now.” In the ancient blood seeker society, the females of their species are rare and coveted by all centenarian males. They would do anything to find a mate, even steal her from another. In the absence of females they would also steal the neophyte of another centenarian just for the companionship they seek. The powerful can be brought to their knees when emotions are allowed to blossom, and Colin is no different. His love for his young neophyte, Ben and his newfound mate, Joanna may be his doom and perhaps his salvation as well.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting read.......2005-05-24

This book is great. I never knew what to expect from the characters. Well written and interesting story. Look forward to the next book.

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A Thrilling Experience
A Thrilling Experience
A sparkling tale to make your heart sing
Magic, miracles and the smell of great coffee...
a fun read, and thought provoking to boot!

Me 'n God in the Coffee Shop
Rene Donovan
Manufacturer: Book World, Inc/Blue Star Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Metaphysics | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | New Age | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

General | Occult | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1881542491

Book Description

A spiritual journey, a lullaby, an awakening. Its pages hold starlight and the fragrance of new mown grass. With a blending of magic, mystery, and ancient beliefs, the reader is carried to a place of warm and tender joy, a place that whispers, "You are a miracle!"

Customer Reviews:

A Thrilling Experience.......2000-01-05

I loved the God in the Coffee Shop Donovan portrayed. So caring, loving and real. I was right there , breathlessly waiting for each new encounter. I talked with Grandma for months after finishing the book. A very moving tribute to a new author, I can't wait for her next book. Maura Rand, Marshfield, Massachussetts

A Thrilling Experience.......2000-01-05

A sparkling tale to make your heart sing.......1999-12-26

Rene Donovan's sparkling descriptions of nature and the miracles of everyday life make my heart sing. It's good to know that I'm not alone in seeing God's glory in every ounce of creation. As I write this review, on a north bound flight, the Canadian Rockies glisten outside my window in snowy majesty, their silent voices proclaiming, "She's right you know! There's joy and beauty in all of God's handiwork."

Though everyone may not agree with the beliefs and practices described in this book, the principles of love and divinity set forth are universal. Whether you embrace the Pentacle or the Cross, after reading "Me 'n God-", you must agree that God is love no matter by what name we might call him. The author has done a marvelous job of conveying meaningful concepts through the medium of fiction.

Magic, miracles and the smell of great coffee..........1999-01-28

Rene Donovan offers her readers more than a great story: she gives the gift of the divine. Love flows from every page, love of self, love of the Earth, and love for the divine that exists in all. For those on a path of spiritual awakening, the book offers encouragement and reaffirmation. Those who have not yet stepped on the path may well stumble onto it through this incredibly wise, funny, and uplifting tale. It is rare to encounter the divine in everyday life; rarer still to run across it in a novel. But "Me 'N' God in the Coffee Shop" is most certainly a divinely inspired work, refreshing in its hopeful outlook and its wonderful message that "each of us is a miracle". Spiritual seekers will love this book, and Starbucks should, too...

a fun read, and thought provoking to boot!.......1998-11-18

This delightful book was an easy read, yet the unique approach to spirituality kept me thinking, even re-examining the way we think about "god." The plot and commentary push open the mind's windows and let some new light in, and like a draught of fresh air, rejuvenates the mind.

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Refreshingly Direct

Rene and Me
Gordon Kaye , and Hilary Bonner
Manufacturer: Pan Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Television | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0330314513

Customer Reviews:

Refreshingly Direct.......2007-02-22

Synopsis
Gordon Kaye is famous for his portrayal of the cafe boss in "Allo, Allo", a BBC sitcom and stage show. This is his story of how a shy working-clas Yorkshire boy fought his way up to become the extrovert Rene, discussing the knocks he took along the way. Perhaps the most devastating blow was the recent tabloid revelations about his private life, but Gordon Kaye won the sympathy and admiration of the country by facing up to the situation and telling [..]his homosexuality. He tells the whole story with wit and compassion and also talks about the other stars he has known and worked with - his friendship with Pat Phoenix and how she got him his first big TV break on "Coronation Street"; his work with John Inman on "Are You Being Served" and there is a wealth of anecdotes about people such as Les Dawson, John Cleese, Marty Feldman, Max Wall, Joan Syms and many more. (From the publisher)

Gorden Kaye's book is not the usual autobiography. It's more like an extended conversation, jumping about, full of anecdotes, and refreshingly honest and direct. He shares enough of his background to fill us in on the important aspects of his past, but does not bore us with endless details, choosing to focus on the more interesting aspects of his career.

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