"Clean" (2004, Olivier Assayas)

Well-acted, written and edited. Its rather clinical directorial approach can both benefit the film and hurt it (we can never feel really connected to the characters, even the [miscast] Maggie Cheung's pivotal lead). I don't know how I feel about Maggie Cheung as an actress. She has her moments here (her teary scene with Beatrice Dalle is impressive but seems spliced in from another point in the film) but in this, as in In the Mood for Love, the mechanics of her performance are really clear. She never really seems comfortable or credible in this character, and I'd like to have seen a less poised, more earthy, intuitive actress (like, perhaps, Yang Kuei-mei, or Bai Ling [who is a good actress, actually]) in the part.

Grade: B

"In the Mood for Love" (2000, Dir: Kar Wai Wong)

I enjoyed the acting by the two leads and the gorgeous imagery (and, oh gosh, the costumes) - but the message could have been incredibly affecting had it been delivered with a bit more mystique and emotional power. The use of "play-acting" as a story device was a weird choice that didn't really work, and that one musical motif is beautiful but using it about 10,000 approaches overkill. I like Wong's work, but in terms of his films about love, loss and longing, I think "Happy Together" is this film's superior in every way.

Grade: B-