I thought this recent installment of Nathan Rabin's excellent "My Year of Flops" series might interest folks here, particularly if they haven't seen the film under the 'scope. He doesn't let it off the hook, but he doesn't write it off entirely, either, which seems fair in light of so much of the expectations-laced criticism it received during its brief theatrical run. I have the DVD, but haven't watched it yet, so I might revisit this piece when I do, as I had a feeling someone would write about this way sooner or later. I mean, it is a Wong Kar-wai film after all. Time is usually kind to them . . .
http://www.avclub.com/articles/in-the-mood-for-lovesickness-case-file-191-my-blue,57896/
http://www.avclub.com/articles/in-the-mood-for-lovesickness-case-file-191-my-blue,57896/
Nathan Rabin wrote:"Perhaps My Blueberry Nights got the reception it deserved. It feels not so much like a major statement from an important filmmaker as it does a sprightly aperitif before a heavy meal. It’s the kind of agreeable trifle a genius makes between big movies. In that respect, it’s similar in conception, if not execution, to Chungking Express, which Wong originally conceived as a silly little project to distract him from the daunting task of completing his kung-fu epic Ashes Of Time. The big difference is that no one had huge expectations for Chungking Express (or its companion piece, Fallen Angels), while critics and audiences understandably expected something at least substantial from the maker of In The Mood For Love and 2046. A lovely, sweet little wisp of a movie would not suffice from a grandmaster like Wong Kar-Wai. Here at My Year Of Flops, we’re a little more accepting."