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Columbia Pictures
HONG KONG: IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE // Put some curlers in and
make sure to starch your shirt, because we’re going back to 1960s
Hong Kong, baby! (PSA: if you’ve recently given up smoking, do not
watch this movie. They’re basically punching darts in every scene.)
Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love is a sad and atmospheric story
about relationships and betrayal, that will make you want to buy a
plane ticket – and probably a time machine – immediately. Chow
(Tony Leung) and Su (Maggie Cheung) are very attractive neighbours
who separately spend time wandering aimlessly around night
markets and tight alleys, then, as they become friends, hanging out
together in ruby-red diner booths and impeccably furnished, smoke-
filled apartments. This movie is beloved for its ‘shot-within-a-shot’
style of framing its two stars, but is also interesting for its portrayal
of competing cultural influences in the Asian metropolis....................
NEW ZEALAND: THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY // The best
fantasy worlds are the ones that feel complete; when the viewer
can truly believe that this fictional universe is as tangible as the real
world. And it’s hard to compete with the level of detail that exists in
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings realm. Since the release of the
film trilogy in the early 2000s, New Zealand has become synonymous
with the story of “one ring to rule them all”. This association could
have been annoying, if not for the fact that the LoTR films showcase
the New Zealand landscape in such a breathtakingly stunning way,
they could pretty much serve as a 10-hour Bureau of Tourism ad.
From the emerald green fields to the Jurassic-looking forests and
snowy mountain peaks, it’s hard not to feel like you’re breathing in the
same chilly air as the hobbits and elves while watching these movies.
(If you want to go a step further, you can actually visit Hobbiton and
duck into a hobbit hole or two on a trip to NZ.)NEW YORK: WHEN HARRY MET SALLY... // One of the most iconic
romantic comedies of all time, When Harry Met Sally... presents
New York as a city where you’re just as likely to bump into your
sworn enemy on a crowded sidewalk as you are the love of your
life. The New York-iness of this movie is almost incidental, but
inescapable – it presents the city as a sleepless microcosm with
its own rhythm and beating heart, where millions of people are
looking for love, avoiding it or ducking around street corners to
dodge the ones who got away. Anything is possible in Ol’ New
York! This sense of possibility is built into scenes where Harry and
Sally hang out in boutique bookshops, vast hotel ballrooms and
chic brownstone apartments. Who doesn’t want to take strolls in
Central Park among autumn leaves, or order from the renowned
Katz’s Deli? Heck yeah – I’ll have what she’s having....................
THE ARCTIC: ATANARJUAT: THE FAST RUNNER // The eeriness of
the sun hitting an endless expanse of snow and ice is something
that can inspire great awe or great terror, depending on your
emotional disposition. Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner was a
groundbreaking film in a few ways – it was the first feature
film ever to be written, directed and acted entirely in the
Inuktitut language, and remains one of the few films exploring
Inuit legend. Set in Igloolik in the Eastern Arctic wilderness,
it follows Atanarjuat (Natar Ungalaaq) who is forced to leave
his community after his brother is murdered. Apart from the
thrilling story of love and betrayal, it’s safe to say that Atanarjuat
is an excursion into a world very few people have experienced
first-hand. Filmed entirely in natural light (which lasted through
the 3pm-to-3am filming schedules), try not to be blown away by
the film’s blinding white ice and howling winds, we dare you.popcorn