So, here are the question to answer about this movie. As always, you have to answer this question:
In your opinion, what is the theme of Chungking Express? Give three solid examples from the movie that show this is the theme.
Then, you may choose to either answer one of the following questions or respond to something someone else has said already in this post:
- Do you agree or disagree with what Blair said about this post? Provide a good reason why. Why do you think some people like Blair think this is such a great film?
- Why did you learn from the cultural research we discussed in class that helped you understand this film better?
- What did you see in this film that helped you understand Hong Kong culture better?
- What have you learned from your own research that you can share with us that will help us better understand unfamiliar cultural things that happened in this film?
Ashton Bowers: I think the theme of this movie was to not beat yourself up over losing someone you love. because someone else could come into your life that could be better, mabey it was better to lose that person, and you might go crazy and buy thirty cans of pineapples or start to talk to inaminent objects.
ReplyDeleteI think that what Blair said was kinda true, its a great movie but hard to understand if you dont follow every second. People like Blair might think its a great movie because they like stories of people trying to find love.
Good job answering both of the questions.
DeleteI like how you embedded some of the evidences to back-up your theme in clever language. For example, you made reference to the cans of pineapples and talking to inanimate objects (which are moments in the film which very much back up your theme) without writing out "and the parts which support this idea are ...."
And I like the theme you put. It is unique to you and totally in the film.
Be sure to make your paragraphs a good four lines long. Your second paragraph is a little short.
i think in this film the theme is "everything expires." my three reasons for my theme would be: in the first story the man kept buying only the pinapple that expired on May 1 because may (his now e-girlfriend) loved pinapples and his birthday was also on that day. second when the police officer gets broken up with he gets all sad and ends up talking to random objects and third when the police officer finds out that the girl was in his appartment her fun in spending time there and oddly snooping around became expired. also another thought was when he couldnt fallow her to California im sure there love expired over the time they were appart.
ReplyDeletei started to see how crazy and weird some people can be. i also saw how offten people eat noodles. i realized they eat allot of the same things we do here in the United States.
-Courtney Valdez
I love your theme and you provided lots of solid examples. If I had to name one theme for this film, I'd steal yours.
DeleteI also like how you're noticing little cultural things like how people eat in other countries. That is how you become a better world citizen. VERY GOOD WORK.
Tayia Groesbeck- I think the theme in this film is to not give up on relationships. My three reasons are he ate a can of expired pineapple all the way up to may 1st, the day him and may broke up and then he would finally give up on his ex then he meets the girl with the blonde wig. My second reason is when the cop was dumped but he met the lady working at the restaurant and then she makes him somewhat happy by changing little things in his apartment. The third reason is they both were dumped but they both were happy in the end so that shows that you shouldn't get down about getting dumped because there is always someone else out there.
ReplyDeleteI personally didn't get this movie at times but i thought it was kinda cute in some scenes.
VERY GOOD WORK, Tayia. I like how hopeful your theme is. It is interesting that in a film about relationships that keep not working, you find such hope. I can that though especially in the way that the film ends without us knowing if the guy and girl will hook up but the mood of the moment gives you hope that it will work out.
DeleteI like how you provided so many solid reasons to back up your theme. Very good work.
I appreciate the way that you gave the movie time after it was over to sink in and that that paid off. That is a sign of great film scholarship. Keep it up.
This movie was a pretty good movie, but it was deffinately different. The theme I thought was, that no matter what happens, losing someone is always gonna happen. So prepare yourself for it. This movie was so different and all over the place that for me personally, it was hard to concentrate. But ther were some great parts, and some very cute ones too, that I enjoyed (:
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I would necessarily agree with Blair, but I did think it was a good show, and it was a good recommendation, and I thank her for that. Everyone has their own opinions on things, and movies, and I enjoy hearing peoples opinions, that's the great thing about this blog.
-Bambie T
Way to plug the blog in your post ;)
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the film for its strong points even if it is not your favorite movie. I had a similar reaction as you. I think I need to watch it again now that I'm prepared for what it is and then I'll be ready to really have a great experience with it.
I find it interesting to contrast your theme, Bambie with Tayia's theme.
I deffinately agree with you, Josh! I think, maybe if I watch it again, I'd have a different opinion. Because I'd know to pay attention to the little things.
DeleteYou've strengthened my resolve to watch this film a second time.
Delete-Tommy kiter
ReplyDeleteThe theme of this movie to me is yeah some relationships can knock you down. But, there's always that special someone that will bring you back up. This movie was different In some areas it made no sense at all it told two people in the movie and they switched off i couldn't tell if it was both one person or two different couples if that makes sense.
I appreciated this movie because, It's always good to mix things up you know start something new. Everyone has there own opinions on what there type of movie is. But, it is not bad to experience something different. I am agreeing with bambie's opinion i do love to here what people have to say. It's what makes this blog intersting.
It makes me really happy Tommy to see that you are reading other people's posts and referring to them in your posts. That is excellent! As we keep doing this sort of thing, this blog will fulfill its intended purpose.
DeleteI like how you wrote a very well developed theme statement (it's freaking two sentences long!) Be sure to also give examples from the film to back up your theme.
The switching off confused me for a bit too :|
C.J. Barrett: Chungking Express' theme is... awkward to place in one word. Its theme is how if you make a confusing movie that sends people through a loop, you'll get a ton of praise and good reviews. I kid, of course. Its theme is, as previously mentioned, everything expires. The pineapple is an obvious example, another being how each relationship came to an end, but it wasn't dramatic. Generally relationships in movies end in a really dramatic way, because x person cheated on y person, or x person was secretly the murderer of y's aunt's best friend's kid's dog. In Chungking Express, though, its all realistic, it tapers off to an end, rather than exploding, like how pineapple would expire.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with Blair, for now. I wasn't able to follow the movie when we first watched it, because I wasn't prepared for its style. However, I think if I watched it again, I would like it much, much more. I probably wouldn't agree that it was super phenomenal, due to my preliminary confusion with the film.
LOL! I love your first tongue-and-cheek theme a lot. It reminds me of one of my film professors who said he once made a video to train the guys who drive ice cream trucks around. He needed to resonate with the work he was doing and so decided to passionately embrace the theme of not liking it when ice cream guys drop the ice cream on the floor and the theme of needing to pay his mortgage.
DeleteI am at the same place as you in terms of not loving the film but feeling more confused by it but wanting to watch it again and see if my opinion will change.
I thought the theme of Chungking Express was not to mourn or obsess so much over the end of a relationship because there will always be someone else you could be with. Another theme I thought of in that movie was that relationships can blossom at times you never expect with people you never expect you'd be with.
ReplyDelete1- I don't think 663 ever expected to be with Faye.
2- I don't think 223 ever expected to get over May and find someone new.
3- I don't think putting all hope for your relationship to be mended into buying 30 cans of pineapples is a good idea. Instead of waiting for something to get better, go out and make it better. Eating all 30 cans in one night is probably not a very good idea, either.
There was a lot of color, which was a great aspect of the movie, but it was also really dark for the first half which I didn't like very much. The movie was really weird to me. I didn't understand a lot of it very well. I understood the 633 & Faye part. I don't know why he would date her after she took the key from the letter his flight attendant ex-girlfriend left and messed around with his apartment. I like how the guy at Chungking Express talks to his customers and connects to them, giving them advice on their relationships and just being a friend to them. It was a good movie but it was hard to understand. If I were to watch it again I think I would like it more than I did while watching it in class.
I love the personal voice you infuse into this post when you say, "eating all 30 cans in one night is probably not a very good idea, either." LOL.
DeleteI like the ambiguous ending. I'm glad he couldn't get permission to film in the airport. It's interesting how great things can come from what seems like set backs in production.
ReplyDeleteThe girl in the beginning was a drug dealer. I want to see Fallen Angels as well. And I don't blame you for thinking it was confusing.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the theme? What is the theme for you?
This is the type of movie that should not be judged right away. Watching it in class, I just could not take it seriously. I wanted to. But I couldn’t. I think I may have to see it once or twice more before I can. Everything about it just felt so ridiculous. Everything. The style of the first story made me feel as if I was watching a “pirating is a crime” commercial. The pacing also added to that. The rest of the movie just made me want to laugh. The characters were so unbelievably lame and unrealistic. But, maybe that’s just how they fell from an American perspective. Most of these movies just would not work at all if made in America… Then again, I’m not entirely sure this one even worked for a foreign film. Again, just watching it once isn’t enough to really decide. I’m not even sure if I liked it or not.
ReplyDeleteI think that Blair was definitely overselling to say the least. Or, it might just be one of those things where you’ve seen a movie so many times that you forget not everyone knows as much about it as you do and won’t be able to appreciate it’s awesomeness in the same way. That was probably the case.
Also, maybe as American’s whenever we think “Hon Kong Cinema”, we automatically associate it with Kung Fu and imperial China. So, when we get a movie that has nothing to do with either of those things, we aren’t entirely sure what to think about it. I think that is something this class could really help with, getting rid of all those stereotypical generalizations we have when it comes to the cinematic value of other countries. Also helps us as world citizens.
Hong* Kong Cinema. Freaking typo's. :(
DeleteGreat response, Ciya. I imagine that Blair may have done just what you suggested in the second paragraph. And thanks for plugging the value of the class ;)
Delete-Randi Ralston :3
ReplyDeleteI think the theme of this movie is sometimes we just have to accept that there are certain people that are going to stay in our hearts, but sadly not in our lives. But for the most part..I was really confused by this movie. I was really stupid and only got 2 hours of sleep the night before...so I just so happened to fall asleep for like 5 seconds as soon as the movie switched stories. So when I woke up I was like "WHAT IS THIS SORCERY???" Because didn't that May chick that one dude was talking about end up hooking up with the cop? Or was that some one else? I don't really remember, but even after watching the rest of the movie none of it made much sense to me. I just couldn't take it seriously. Maybe if I watched it again knowing what to expect I might be able to understand it, but I don't know to be honest.
I disagree with Blair's choice...I honestly don't see what's so great about this movie. I didn't like it because it confused the living crap out of me...like why would he buy a bunch of expired canned fruit to save his relationship? If some guy did that to me, and then said "See??? I still love you!!! Why don't you love me????" I'd be sitting there going, "Dude, there's other fish in the sea, chill out." Again, maybe if I watched the film a second time it'd make more sense but I can't be sure. I think a reason why somebody would agree with Blair is because maybe they had a better understanding on it. I can't be sure though, this movie just really really confused me and I didn't understand it at all. :(
I agree that this film might need to be watched twice in order to appreciate it. Maybe we should watch it again in class ;)
DeleteI like the WHAT IS THIS SORCERY moment in your response. That's a great example of strong personal voice.
This is definitely a hard movie to watch after only two hours of sleep. I can relate to that. There were times in film school when I didn't get much sleep and then tried SO hard in vain to appreciate a slow paced film in class the next day. It's a hard thing to do!
Alyssa Strasburg
ReplyDeleteChungking Express
I don’t feel that there’s a real theme to Chungking Express. It’s a very random movie. It’s pretty much two movies split by a can of sardines with an expiration date. If I had to put a theme on this movie it would be love. The first part of the movie doesn’t really end at all and that really bugged me. But the second part of the movie is a new found love. The girl is always breaking into the cop’s house, the cop always wants to see the girl, and in the end they leave the country with each other.
I didn’t enjoy the movie very much. I can watch it, but the story doesn’t connect. I’m sorry Blair, but I just couldn’t really get into it. I think people really like it because it’s so different and original, but I just didn’t enjoy the story line at all. But I can appreciate the originality.
I honestly didn’t learn much from the discussion. I don’t feel like we could find the answers to the questions at that time.
I feel like this movie is very experimental. So what I got from the culture the movie was portraying was that love and relationships are taken very seriously.
What do you say in response to other responses here that have articulated the theme as "Love Doesn't Last Forever"?
DeleteFirst of all, Im going to say that i do not necessarily agree with Blair but it didnt kill me to watch Chunking Express. I believe that the theme for this movie was kind of the same thing Courtney was saying before me.. (yeah i totally read everyones comments, haha.) Nothing lasts forever, everything has an expiration date. This movie totally compared people in relationships to canned fruit, it was kinda awesome. But i think it was also trying to say,even though things come to an end you just have to prepare yourself for whats coming. Like you know, crazy stalker girls breaking into your apartment. Whatever..
ReplyDeleteI love this response Jessi. I love that you referred to other posts (thank you reading them all -- way to get more out of the class that way!) and that you used a strong personal voice to make your points.
DeleteBe sure to include two paragraphs in your responses but I am glad that the one paragraph is a very long paragraph.
If you're out there, Blair, listen to me carefully! We don't want your hipster films! This film is so abstract in a non-positive way. I couldn't even differentiate that there were two separate stories until near the end of the movie! And the story felt so unreal. I know of no man who would be cool with a crazy woman breaking into his apartment every day. Also, the guy who eats the expired pineapple has attachment problems. It was just too... Hipster. That's the only word that aptly describes this film.
ReplyDeleteThis film showed a lot of daily Hong Kong life. So as long as daily life was portrayed correctly, I learned a lot about what kinds of places they eat at, the architecture, and how the people go through their daily lives. And I guess that's pretty cool... Before it was cool.
"Hipster" is such a great description of the film. I like how you bookended your response with another reference to hipsters at the very end. Good work.
DeleteThis is one of the stranger movies I have ever seem haha So the theme was pretty hard to find I honestly had to think a while and still only came up with. The one that I thought was every thing and everyone expires. Relationships come and go. But that doesnt mean you should avoid them completely. Life is better not spent alone.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with Blair but not entirly. I liked the movie but... It was extremely weird too weird for me there is a limit and this movie was so weird it did not tell you what happened to anyone the starting part didn't even seem like it should be in the movie. oh and what happened to the drug opperation? haha no one know it was just weird. But I for some reason liked it.... It just kinda made me happy I cant really explain why It did and why I liked it haha but yeah...
I almost ... almost ... want to watch this again in class so we can try to get more out of it now that we've seen it once to get over the strangeness of the style ... almost.
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