Cinema Eclectica

Back in 2007, Wong Kar-Wai could have done anything for his first American film. What he chose to do was cast easy-jazz chanteuse Norah Jones in a road movie where she would play alongside David Straithairn, Rachel Weisz, Jude Law and Natalie Portman, and tell her not to take acting lessons because she's such a natural. Which, you must agree, is a choice! On this week's Pop Screen, Sarah and Graham discuss the resulting film, which the passing of time has not made any less befuddling. It has all of Kar-Wai's usual strengths (gorgeous cinematography, swooning romanticism, a lovingly-picked score) and a few new flaws (a script full of clonking metaphorical dialogue, an unintentionally creepy ending). We also find the time to talk about the film-stealing cameo by Chan "Cat Power" Marshall, Portman's 2000s career, Jude Law's chequered legacy as both an actor and a spoonerism, and the Mike Flowers Pops for some reason. Kar-Wai's famously unconventional working methods are dissected at length, as is Amazon's hilar