Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Lust, Caution: Two reviews


I think Ang Lee is a very talented director. I just heard of his latest movie called Lust, Caution from U. Lee. The movie has a NC-17 rating because of sexually explicit content.

The following reviewer gave the movie a 4 star rating. The review, or should I say impression of the movie, immediately after this, is by none other than our friend, U.Lee, story teller extra-ordinaire.

Tell me if you do not want to rush off to the next theater where the movie is showing to watch it for yourself? I am sorry for Zawi, because he will never be able to get the movie uncensored in Malaysia unless of course, he manages to get hold of a bootleg version! :-)

By COLIN COVERT - Minneapolis Star Tribune

The locales for Ang Lee’s stately, sublime “Lust, Caution” are World War II Shanghai and Hong Kong, but its roots are as much in Hitchcock as in Chinese history. Set in affluent, Westernized districts with cafes, cinemas and European fashions that recall wartime London or Paris, it begins as the kind of elegant spy romance that could have starred Ingrid Bergman.

A simmering tension builds as a spy (the exquisite Tang Wei) weaves a seductive web to trap a powerful collaborator (cool, calculating Tony Leung). Then, when we’ve been lulled by its refined tone and languid pace, Lee pulls the rug out from under us with brutal, bloody murder and ferocious scenes of explicit sadomasochistic sex. Even more surprisingly, Lee handles those lurid sequences with impeccable artistic integrity. Like the martial arts battles in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” they are essential to our understanding of the characters.

Tang makes a stunning debut as Wang Chia Chi, an actress whose patriotic student troupe moves its opposition to the Japanese occupation off the stage and into real life. They make an assassination target of the Chinese collaborationist government’s spy chief, Mr. Yee (Leung, a George Clooney-size superstar in Asia).

Acting the part of a wealthy merchant’s wife, Wang enters Mrs. Yee’s social circle, where gossip about official power plays and trade blockades circulates during afternoons of shopping and mah-jongg. When Yee drops by the parlor to pay his respects, Wang begins to turn his head. She pursues Yee, who trusts no one, on and off for three years. In the meantime, she witnesses the student actors blundering their way through a horrific killing that tests her convictions. When she finally meets Yee in a barren love nest, he lashes her with his belt as if he were brutalizing a suspect. Are her gasps and post-coital smile genuine or part of a performance? He can’t tell; nor can we, nor possibly she.

Their physical intimacy acts as a catalyst toward love, while patriotism, ideology and morality become irrelevant. Yee repeatedly slips away from his bodyguards, exposing himself to danger to be alone with her. Wang confesses to the menacing Communist agent who becomes her controller that while she yearns for Yee’s death, he has wormed his way into her heart. We are left to decide who is more cruel to Wang: Yee, a traitor whose savage lovemaking is shot through with moments of tenderness, or the resistance fighters who pushed her into his arms.

The following review is written in Manglish, so begging your pardon if you are a non-Manglish speaker.

By U.Lee - [A]nyway, my wife dragged me to go see Ang Lee's latest, 'Love and lust' or something saying I will like it as a war drama. My foot! War drama?

Both of us even brought along an unmarried friend, not sure she still virgin or not, but HOLY SMOKE!

Puteri...I am not one easily shocked if a woman strips naked in front of me, or whatever, unless Zawi's sarong accidentally drops...but this movie... where got war? There were about 6 sex scenes, each about 15 minutes long, and I tell you, Tony Leung and that new Chinese actress must both have a 4th Dan Black belt in sexual positions whatever and drank Tongkat Ali past 58 days before this movie...and Puteri, NO HOLLYWOOD MOVIE can beat this movie, believe you me.

They were actually going into it like the charge of the light brigade, take no prisoners! You name it, you see it, they did it, what with the sensurround sounds to add dramatics...like Hyenas about to buka puasa.

HOLY SMOKE Puteri...and me now presently behaving like about to do my thesis for a Bangkok Monastry in chantings...they were having sex in every which way. Can see ahemmm, everything, and I mean including the kitchen sink!

I tell you, that fellow whats his name, ahhh yes, Incik Hugh Hefner...he would have raised both eyebrows among other things. Makes what we see on Channel 29 here at 10pm look like young girls and boys playing doctor.

Puteri...that virgin, ahhh I mean that young lady friend sitting beside me...aiyohhh, saya pun malu la, I was like a new kampong bride on honeymoon night, shy la...as she watched both her eyes buka so big like seeing ghosts at 3am, arhaaaa ha ha.

Had to apologise to her, blame my wife, "aiyaaaa, see la! War movie"?? The virgin, I mean SYT laughed and giggled, "hey uncle, good movie, that". Huh? Ha ha ha.

13 comments:

  1. Haha...that's a good one Puteri.

    Uncle Lee, wanted to buy the DVD, after what u posted, will not do so already..:)

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  2. Puteri,
    Don't feel sorry for me, I got the bootleg version (minus the sesurround sound)hahahaha. The acts of love or lust was so explicit that nothing of the beautiful actress' and actor's private parts are private anymore. U Lee is definitely right, every which way of it. Usually U Lee's stories make our eyes shed tears. This time around its not the eyes that shed fluid but the rarely seen private parts of us. That must have happened to that unmarried guest of U Lee after being shown everything so artistically with nothing left to the imagination. That was why she was shifting around so much. Poor girl. If only a gallant knight in rubbery armour was around, she (the unmarried guest of U Lee)could have been relieved of her discomfort hahahaha.
    Great review anyway.

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  3. Hello Puteri, was surprised to see you post this movie review here. Ha ha.
    I thought after my coffee pop in your place here maybe see you post something exciting, about knitting sweaters for Christmas or how to bake a Sarawak Bidayu pineapple cake....gosh!
    You got Tony and that beautiful actress here.
    We went to a X'mas dinner party on Monday at an exclusive Golf club, and quite a few of us had seen the movie, ladies included, the matured ones, and you can imagine, not one was discussing about the actual story, or talking about X'mas shopping, but more on those very heart, palpitating, explicit scenes...and those ladies not seen the movie yet, will be seeing it ASAP! After hearing my ahemm, discussion of what Tony was not wearing, arhaaa ha ha.
    And I told them, my wife dragged me to go see a war movie! Hey, I'm not complaining, you know, heh heh. I did learned certain moves I never tried before. How to get in a car, I mean.
    And me innocently inviting a friend's daughter, not sure she still virgin as only sweet 17.
    HOLY SMOKE! She was practically swallowing her popcorn without chewing, forgot to drink her Coke too, I accidentally drank it all, ha ha, by mistake. Quite a lot of her popcorn dropping on the floor too, especially when Tony and the lady with him decided to try out page 65 of the Kama Sutra as well doing Yoga exercises. I think Aerobics too.
    When the six 15 minute heart palpitating scenes were showing, you can hear a pin drop. But I think I did hear some familiar sounds coming from two rows behind us. It was not coughing too.
    Now I don't trust my wife re her wanting to see 'war movies', ha ha. I will check myself first...and the SYT, not sure she virgin or not, only other day phoned me, "uncle, when you going to invite me go see another war movie again"?
    17 years old? She sure burped loud after the movie from swallowing the large bag of popcorn!
    I will invite her go see Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music"...not good for 17 year old SYT's to swallow popcorn instead of chewing. Arhaaa ha ha.
    Puteri...don't have your 9mm Beretta on you when see this movie...!! Lee.

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  4. Haha, Nightwing, you not old enough for the movie or what?! Heheh.

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  5. Zawi,

    Wow!! You are more up to date with the movie than I am! Now I have to wait for the DVD version to come out before I can watch it. Cannot get bootleg copy here, unless someone illegally uploaded it to some file sharing site! Heheh! I don't think I want to watch the movie in the theater now. Hahah.

    Haha, a gallant knight in rubbery amour?! Hahahahaha!

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  6. Lee,

    Haha, I want to knit but I don't really know how to knit very well! Haha. Pineapple cake? I miss the pineapple tarts la! Hehe.

    I am sure those matured ladies will go to the movie ASAP coz they want to see Tony Leung's impressive gadget! Hahah!

    No, I won't bring the Beretta to the movie ..err, in case it fired at the wrong moment! Hahahahaha!!

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  7. nadai kala aku ninga cerita tuk..hehe..mesti kena banned ba malaysia :P

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  8. Baru keluar, Pat. Zawi bisi meli cetak rompak! Nadai censored ko iya! Hehe!

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  9. Aha, you guys talking Martian lingo, huh?
    Wait, I now going to learn Kenyah lingo...or Kadazan.
    Ha ha.
    Keep well, Puteri, Lee.
    ps, I think Zawi MIA because of the floods his area...he's trapped, he doesn't have a boat or canoe.
    Or power lines down? L.

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  10. Puteri,
    Oh my, that story is over the border, I guess. Pretty sure this stuff won't be in Malaysia. 6 scenes? 15 minutes? 'War' movie? Ohh boy. Uncle Lee, any Saving-Private-Ryan kind of scene in the movie? No?
    I am pretty sure this movie is among the top downloads(illegal, of course) in the torrent right now.
    You have a nice day Puteri(",).

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  11. Akmal, I checked torrent myself today! Hehe, but afraid to download anything because I don't have anti virus software on my new pc.

    Ask Zawi where he got his bootleg copy. I'm sure you won't be able to see the movie uncensored in Malaysian cinemas.

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  12. Hi Puteri, wishing you and all at home the best of seasons greetings, merry Christmas, and a very happy New Year.
    Best regards to you and a steady hand always, Lee.

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  13. Lee, thank you for your Christmas greetings! Merry Christmas to you too, and a Happy New Year!

    Re Zawi, I think he is still in KL. I think it will be hard for him to go back to a flooded area. Better to stay put in KL.

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