ByTowne ByTowne Cinema
ByTowne Cinema
325 Rideau St. Ottawa K1N 5Y4
Info Line: (613) 789-FILM
Chungking Express
Print this pageMust-See Cinema! Urban angst, melancholy and the most gorgeous visuals imaginable!
Showtimes:
No screenings currently scheduled.
This is essential viewing, and not because Quentin Tarantino says so. Wong’s first four films breathe new life into world cinema. They filter established Hong Kong genres (and stars) through Godard, Fassbinder and Wong’s own jukebox poetry. Chungking Express is where it all comes together. Two cops, three women, two fractured love stories, set at night at the Chungking Mansions and the Midnight Express fast-food counter.
This movie is audacious beyond belief, and addictive. As far as I’m concerned, it’s in the running for best film of the decade. More than anything, Wong Kar-Wai understands cinematic time. He can communicate an emotion in a few frames, then he can turn around and play out an entire pop song, showing us an actor responding to music in real time. The step-printed sequences in Chungking Express aren’t just empty flash. They’re an attempt to capture the sensation of time simultaneously speeding up and slowing down. They’re Wong’s way of showing what Hong Kong looks like with the meter running.
– Cameron Bailey, NOW Magazine
The ByTowne doesn't have a parking lot of its own, but denizens of downtown can usually find street parking close by fairly easily.
This web site is very useful, but the hard copy of the ByTowne guide still has its merits. People rely on it and love it. Plus, its calendar pages can be pulled out and posted on your fridge door, something that we still can't achieve with the web site. Get your copy today at many local stores, coffee shops and info centres around town! 