jeremy-giroux
I really loved this movie. Many people didn't and I really understand why : it's a very slow movie. Everything takes time, everything is long and you don't really see where the director really wants to go. He follows this girl. She appears to us at the beginning at the film, walking in a very long corridor, in a slow motion and on pop music. As this girl is impersonated by Shu Qi, she is absolutely beautiful. This girl smokes, she seems a little bit sad and you don't really know what is her story. The voice of a girl tells you about the relationships this girl had in the past and this voice says that, when she speaks, it's in 2010 (ten years later after when the action takes place). You never really understand why this voice says that. You never really understand what this girl wants and what is her past (although you have some informations during the film), you just see her live and it's absolutely fascinating and hypnotic. It's hard to say but you see how much Hou Hsia Hsien is fascinated by beauty, time and modern life. His fascination for time is also present in "Three Times". In this movie, everything is normal, nothing is spectacular and incredible (about the plot, the sets or whatever) but everything is poetic, mysterious and hypnotic. It's the kind of feeling you have when you see someone and you don't know why, but this person fascinates you. It's the same kind of feeling. It's fascinating as when you see someone's life and just let this person free to do what she wants, you just look at this person. It's a very good movie although fascination is something very personal.
lucid-12
The opening scene in which Vicky runs in slow motion accompanied by some fine techno music is amazing. This scene haunts me to the present day (and I've seen the film in 2001) and is in my opinion just visually/technically stunning. Also the colours which Hou Hsiao-hsien captures are amazing, eye candy. I've seen the Film at a film festival and liked it a lot. It may seem boring to some people because there seems to be no real given story (with twists and turns to be expected). But the slow development of the story depicts real life and pulls one deeper into the movie.Also I wanted to note that the film is also known as "chie shi manpo" - millennium mambo.
Dhomochevsky
Amongst the few people who saw it i'm surprised to be the one who liked "millennium mambo" the most. You will too if you keep to looking for beautiful music, sets and colors. Some will instantly fall in love with the main actress, too. Unfortunately, the story is a bit too plain too convince. And the lack from dialogues doesn't really help as well. It's true that "all the talk about girls and drugs in asian clubs" doesn't necessarily need some but... I've never been a real fan of highly "brained" movies, and that's why i liked it. Not everyone will. Now you're warned. The choice i was talking about in the summary is wether you want to get experienced in contemporary "fantasied" hong kong cinema, or not. My advice would be to watch it on a boring and/or quiet saturday night, with 2 or 3 friends, just to realize how it's cool to feel at home.
robbie-30
A grey-blue tunnel, neon lights, a surrealistic music and a girl "slowly" running through... That's the great, fashionable, beginning of Millennium Mambo. This start gives the film the right imprinting: everything you will see and hear from now on, will be equally beautiful and magic. But...But there are no characters and it is very hard to be interested on the stories of Vicky and her silent, unemployed, boyfriend. everything is so, so boring. Why?Now-a-days Chinese film-makers can be the best. The best in cinematography, in composing good scores, in acting, in art direction, but sometimes they miss the story. Like in Millennium Mambo.
AD
