IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (2000) (A) - It's difficult not to swoon over this gorgeous love story. It invites you to flow along with Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung -- both old-Hollywood beautiful -- as they glide through 1962 Hong Kong, sometimes artfully in slow motion, ogled by Wong Kar-Wai's curious camera.
The music, ranging from the hypnotic theme song that gets repeated to intoxicating effect to Nat King Cole crooning in Spanish, wraps everything in warmth and elegance. It takes a while to figure out who's who and why the attraction between the two main characters is taboo, and part of the fun is in figuring out not only their inclinations but what their spouses are up to, as well.
The outfits they wear are impeccable. Occasionally rain slicks the streets. Noodles are always aboil. Glances are stolen. Discretion is observed. It is looping but not repetitive. Cheung and Leung rhyme in more ways than one. If you're not in the mood for love at the start of the film, you'll almost certainly have succumbed by the end.
JAWS (1975) (A) - This is remembered by history as the first real summer blockbuster and for the ominous strains that herald the imminent arrival of the great white, but it is also the epitome of storytelling and moviemaking. Yes, we've had a ban on Steven Spielberg for decades now, but there is no denying that during his first decade or so -- roughly from "Duel" (1971) to "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (1982) -- he had a magic touch and helped define a generation.
JAWS (1975) (A) - This is remembered by history as the first real summer blockbuster and for the ominous strains that herald the imminent arrival of the great white, but it is also the epitome of storytelling and moviemaking. Yes, we've had a ban on Steven Spielberg for decades now, but there is no denying that during his first decade or so -- roughly from "Duel" (1971) to "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (1982) -- he had a magic touch and helped define a generation.
"Jaws," to this day, is a rollicking epic with something for everyone -- it's a thriller, a comedy, a horror story and a snapshot of Americana in the middle of the Me Decade. It has three lead actors -- Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss -- that feed off each other like dance partners. It updates the classic literature of "Moby Dick" and it skewers the evils of crony capitalism.
Peter Benchley's screenplay (adapting his novel with comedy writer Carl Gottlieb ("The Jerk")) sings with wit and subtlety. And Spielberg, at the helm, wastes not a single frame or a minute of the two-hour runtime. (Try to catch it on the big screen.) He sweeps you up and carries you out to sea, eventually spitting you back on the beach emotionally wrung. It holds up 45 years later as a thrill ride that would make just about anyone fall in love with the movies.
BONUS TRACK
That haunting theme to "In the Mood for Love":
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