2046: A different kind of romantic film

Drawing inspiration from the Oriental Hotel he once lived in, Chow writes a story about a mysterious woman who lives in room 2046. The story also tells of a place where people travel to recapture lost memories, and he is the first one to return from it.

2046 was a staggering cinematic spectacle presenting a mind-blowing tale of loss, jealousy, love and desperation, but doing so in unparalleled fashion. At its heart is Chow, a man haunted by a woman he loved but who left him. He spends a good deal of the film trying to find someone to replace her (including exotic beauty Zhang Ziyi) but finds that he cannot, nor will he be able to. To him, 2046 (the apartment as well as the year in which his story is set), was a beautiful state of mind filled with joyous memories that were next to impossible to leave. But that was not revealed by having Chow ramble aimlessly on with cheesy melodramatic dialogue. Through the glimpses of the universe he created in his story, the audience was shown Chow’s torment. Unable to truly express how he felt about those women he faced in the real world (as well as those in the story), he comes to realize he had love once, but will never find it again. 2046 is light years ahead of other romantic dramas in not only story and characters, but cinematic expressiveness as well.

While the plot of the film, with its non-linear storytelling, was definitely a challenge to the audience if they were able to stick with it, 2046 was something of a distinctive film going experience.

Grade: A

Duplicity: Espionage and romance, a good combo!

In the high stakes world of corporate espionage two former spies, and lovers, hatch a plan to make the score of a lifetime. But will they be able to trust one another long enough to pull it off?

This complex caper certainly kept the audience on its toes by not only keeping them guessing as to who exactly was playing whom, but also if the main characters (Ray and Claire) could trust each other. Writer/Director Tony Gilroy did a good job of structuring the movie in a non-linear fashion, to further aide in keeping the audience engaged in the plot, but he also created clever dialogue for the cast to eat up. Speaking of said cast, Clive Owen and Julia Roberts were dynamite as Ray and Claire, trading verbal jabs as well as kisses all the while looking cool. Their crackling exchanges might even remind some of those that are prevalent in those old 1930's and 1940's screwball comedies like Bringing Up Baby. But what made Ray and Claire's story so endearing, and relatable, was that the issues they were having with their relationship mirrored those we mortals face (although rarely are ours set against the background of corporate espionage). The fear of trusting someone implicitly and loving them for who they are is something most people have to deal with in their search for their better half and Owen and Roberts (thanks to Gilroy) were able to tackle those issues and more in an intelligent manner which did not insult the audience with over-sentimentality. Neither was the love story seemingly tacked on as an afterthought to justify certain aspects of the caper plot of the film.

While Duplicity successfully waves the banner as a breezy, fun caper film, it's the heart of its main characters which sets it apart from the rest.

Grade: B