After a few years of procrastination, I finally get to write this one. Hehe.
The Cities of Love concept films franchise continue with New York, I Love You, a collection of ten short films (eleven if you count the in between scenes) based on the titular city, helmed by a slew of both established and up and coming directors.
The first segment is short but charming. It stars an almost unrecognizable Hayden Christensen (and given Star Wars Episode III, that's a good thing!) as a charming ne'er do well who gets infatuated with a lady who has dropped her phone. But fate (and Andy Garcia) steps in the way. The film is driven by character development and conversation and is a nice way to engage the viewer for the rest of the film, but is a bit lacking in some parts. I was pleasantly surprised to see Jiang Wen as the director of this film. Wen directed the Chinese independent film Green Tea, which is one of my all time favorite films.
The second segment is actually my second favorite of the bunch. It stars Natalie Portman and Irfan Khan as a Jewish Woman getting married and a jeweler wanting to sell his gems for a good price. Despite the difference in religions and cultures, the two achieve a unique level of understanding that can only happen in a cultural potpourri like New York.
I was really excited about the third segment, since Shunji Iwai, one of my most favorite Japanese Directors, is at the helm. Much like his previous films it's about the sense of disconnect between people and how it can either bring them together or tear them apart. Orlando Bloom and the voice of Christina Ricci star. In the end everything falls neatly into place, and there's a bit of that feel you only see in some Japanese films by the time it ends.
The fourth segment has Ethan Hawke and Maggie Q get into a conversation that increasingly gets uncomfortable... but for who? It's plain and simple but it gets its message across. Plus the main players get to show their acting chops.
The fifth segment is directed by Brett Ratner (oh no) who manages to make something like a generic Hollywood teen comedy short film. It's entertaining in that aspect, but compared to the other segments, something is left wanting.
The sixth segment is interesting, as it chronicles a rendezvous between two people after a bout of really good one off sex. It unravels the circumstances of their relationship layer by layer until the whole picture presents itself. It's a bit exotic and not exactly my taste, but it's really good.
The seventh segment is opaque to analysis. There's something about a retired opera diva, a butler/bellboy with a disability (played by Shia LaBeouf, no less) and weird stuff happens. It's more liable to be experienced than anything else.
Natalie Portman marks her directorial debut with this short. It's a touching look into the relationship between a Latino father and his daughter who looks Caucasian enough that you can't see the relationship right away. But what is more striking about the short is how, despite being beside the person you love, you couldn't be more far apart.
The ninth segment has Shu Qi acting as the unwilling muse for a painter. She is offered to become a willing muse by the painter himself, but she says no... at first. She eventually gets around to deciding in favor of it, but as we say sometimes, c'est la vie. I really like the guy who played the painter.
The tenth segment is similar to the fourth one, but it's about relationships and the prospect of second chances (or is it first chances?) The film ends as ambiguously as it starts, with a healthy dose of Radiohead for good measure. It's one of my more favorite shorts in the entire bunch.
And, giving the phrase "save the best for last" some added punch, the last segment is the best of the bunch, in my humble opinion. Veteran actors Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman show us how its done as they portray a sweet old couple on the way to some place. As they shamble and bicker all the way there, they share a short tender moment that brought tears to my eyes. It caps the movie perfectly.
And that ends the Cities of Love series for now. This year sees the release of anthology films based on the cities of Rio, Tblisi and even Jerusalem. Hopefully it won't take me a few more years to churn out those posts... hehe.
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