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Best Blu-ray Discs of 2008 7

by Jason Rowan on January 6, 2009 at 12:01 AM



Chungking Express

The gist: Wong Kar-wai's 1994 feature set in an open air market in Hong Kong tells a story of people, and a place, in constant transition with unusual energy and verve. The film is a rapturous amalgam of influences, from film noir to Hong Kong cinema to The Mommas and the Poppas, and expresses a reckless romanticism. With its amped splashes of color, Christopher Doyle and Wai-keung Lau's astonishing cinematography captures the heat and intensity of pre-millenial Hong Kong.

Why it's on our list: Despite meager extras (although the ability to tag scenes to return to later is cool), it's all about the transfer. The heavily filtered (often dimly but always brilliantly lit) photography goes from luminescent to muddy on on lesser quality transfers -- here it finally shines. The intense flourishes of color in the film are restored to their original intensity -- fluorescent light never looked so ravishing and grimy markets were never more lovely. The re-mastered Dolby Digital soundtrack was overseen by Wong Kar-wai.

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