IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE

4 out of 5. Kar Wai Wong's IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE reinforces the sensitivity of a director toward the interplay of emotions and images. He gets relationships in their beautiful clumsy ways that give Ang Lee a run for his money. The costuming and casting is perfect. I love the two leads. You literally ache for these people to be together without all the Hollywood schmaltz that infects most things stateside.

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AMORES PERROS

4 out of 5. While I"m at it Alejandro González Iñárritu's AMORES PERROS is worth mentioning as yet another film where he uses connectivity of circumstances to retool our perception of story. The acting is terrific in this and Gael García Bernal really stood out for me. At times it was quite hard to watch but as a whole I think it's visceral quality drew you into the characters state of mind, raising the stakes both internally and externally.

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