My Blue-ish, Blue-sy, Blueberry Pie, Nights and Music

Wong Kar Wai will be releasing his first English debut My Blueberry Nights this year. I heard it will be in November 2007. Anticipation runs high.

Wikipedia states this: The director describes it as "a story of a woman who takes the long route instead of the short one to meet up with the man she loves."

From the various wallpapers found on the official website of the movie and severalwebsites of reviewers/critics, it seems that the general positive description (as always with all his past efforts) is the excellent cinematography. The ambience is slightly different than Wong Kar Wai's previous films. The scenes for My Blueberry Nights is made by a new cinematographer, Darius Khondji.

My Blueberry Nights has some nice blue-ish colour tones in some scenes, the soundtrack centralising on music that is slightly blues inspired. If my guess is correct, the overall emotion will be a bit bluesy as well. Splendid, doesn't it? A true blue "blues" movie.

Norah Jones, the lead actress in her acting debut will be singing a track. There are already praises going around for Chan Marshall's (of Cat Power) splendid blues-inspired track. Other instrumental tracks supplied by Ry Cooder, a famous recording artiste and soundtrack composer in his own right. Gustavo Santaolalla, the award-winning composer who contributed as well to Ang Lee's movie Brokeback Mountain will be strumming his guitar in a track.

I have always been impressed with Wong Kar Wai's selection of music for his movies. From "In The Mood for Love" to 2046, Happy Together and Eros : The Hand. I have enough confidence to say the songs for My Blueberry Nights will be equally good, only on a different vein. His past few movies would probably rely more on violin-type strings. This time it shall be more on guitar.

It seems most of the shots are done indoor. As usual Wong Kar Wai's work has always been of the art house genre with some touches of the French New Wave style. Not everyone will immediately get what he is trying to convey, but those who pay enough attention with a deeper sense of analysis to combine the cinematography and emotions potrayed through the motions of the actors and actresses with the mood conveyed by the music would definitely appreciate his work.

Just like any good wine, his art work is of acquired taste.

It took me a second watch to appreciate "In The Mood for Love". The moment the messages hit me, I hunted down all his other shows and soundtracks for watching.

You can view My Blueberry Nights trailer in Youtube

Past films directed by Wong Kar-wai , a prize winner in the highly-acclaimed internationally, Cannes Film Festival....

Feature films:
• As Tears Go By (1988)
• Days of Being Wild (1991)
• Chungking Express (1994)
• Ashes of Time (1994)
• Fallen Angels (1995)
• Happy Together (1997)
• In the Mood for Love (2000)
• 2046 (2004)
• Eros (The Hand) (2004)
• My Blueberry Nights (2007)
• The Lady from Shanghai (2008)

Short Films:
• wkw/tk/1996@7′55″hk.net (1996)
Site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wkw/tk/1996@7
• Hua Yang De Nian Hua (2000)
• The Hire: The Follow (2001)
• Six Days (2002)

Enjoy.....