NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU!

caught my 1st movie for the year today - New York, I love you.
a similar project to "Paris, I love you" which i sadly missed a few years back.
New York, I love you is made up of 10-odd segments by different directors.
the result:- a mixture of different stories with the common theme of love by many, many actors/actresses coming together in the big apple.

im not sure about Paris, I love you. but New York, I love you definitely seems to have more misses than hits.
still, there are a few segments which i think are brilliant.
1) Directed by Yvan Attal; Written by Olivier Lecot and Yvan Attal; Starring Robin Wright Penn, Ethan Hawke, Maggie Q and Chris Cooper
Robin & Chris's story of 2 strangers cosying up outside a restaurant joint for a cigarette break has an unexpected twist that makes one's feelings swing from the depressed to the hopeful. very delightful.
the short exchange between Ethan (the writer) & Maggie Q (the hooker) gives the most realistic snapshot of NYC to me. it has a lovely twist at the ending too. :)

2) Written and directed by Fatih Akin; starring Burt Young, Ugur Yucel and Shu Qi
Shu Qi was gorgeous in this piece, sans make up. the director has a way of capturing her natural beauty. or rather, she is really beautiful. or maybe i never notice it till now.
the obsession of the painter with her left a weird taste in mouth yet the story intrigued me.
the ending was abrupt, as life is.

3) Directed by Jiang Wen; Written by Hu Hong and Meng Yao; Starring Hayden Christensen, Andy Garcia and Rachel Bilson
Jiang Wen! what a surprise. but as expected, his story can happen in any city. not necessarily in NYC.
aside from that, this segment is not without its appeal.
the battle of wits/skills (?) of the old against the young man was particularly exciting to watch.

and that's about it.

the rest of the show plodded along with mediocre to really meaningless/senseless parts.
still, i encourage you to catch it if possible.
for this is really an interesting project, differing from the usual run-of-the-mill shows.
showcasing exlusively @ cathay nia.