High Fidelity

"What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?"

A must-see for obsessive collectors and list-makers. Directed by Stephen Frears.

All I know is, it was on the rack during Hollywood Video's death watch. I took it home and watched it, not even knowing that it was almost exactly the tenth anniversary of its original release.

Let's see what the Scarecrow Movie Guide has to say:

"This film is most appropriate for boys who are obsessed with something (records, movies, comics, ex-girlfriends) and spend most of their time drinking and masturbating."

Heh.

Uh.

Hmmmm.....

In The Mood For Love

Bought me a bottle of red wine and a bar of Theo Chocolate, put this title in the player, and gave myself one of the Best. Valentine's Days. Ever!

Lots of quick glances, short brushes, and brief encounters. Lots of vowels hanging at the end of sentences. But not a lot of chick-flick rom-com clichés. When there's an awkward moment, it's left as awkward, and it doesn't get better just to relieve the awkwardness. Sometimes it doesn't get better at all. Sometimes, the off-balance surprise encounters that go nowhere are all that we have, and all our efforts to make them into something else is the only story we know.