Yeah, Japanese style of acting is just too artificial. There are some Japanese actresses who have "air-quality" too but they can't act well either, like 中谷美紀. Oh so there will be many bad Japanese dialogues in "Memoirs of Geisha", like those goose-pimple Jap lines of Lucy Liu in Kill Bill...?

Yeah, or maybe it's just natural "air quality" that the popular Japanese celebrities lacked. Most Chinese actresses lacked as well, only those couple few possessed it (maybe that's why they're internationally famed already ^^;;) Try to think of one current "leading material" Japanese actress that have the air quality and potential international appeal ...can't.....maybe that's why that Memoirs of Geisha movie roles all went to Chinese actresses (my boss was commeting, "Won't they get in trouble for casting all Chinese in that movie?" ^^;; Oh a Korean actressed was offered a role too but she turn it down because she didn't her first Hollywood movie role to be a Japanese, see the gutsy national ethnic pride they have!). Norika Fujiwara tried to, she wants to be Bond girl few years ago (hence accept some role in some lousy HK action flick to try to open road)...but come on~~ From reading reviews seem like most non-Japanese can't get used to Japanese actress's contrived style of acting, so it's hard for foreigners to get their charm and depth from their performance (unless if you dig that fake contrive way...).

Maybe we see those popular Japanese actresses too much - CM, crappy drama, variety shows etc. When you are popular you get to be on screen all the time - no mysterious feeling anymore. ^^;;;

yeah I notice too, like when I looked at the Cannes film festivals pictures, the chinese actresses all looked stunning, unique and diva looking (esp. Gong Li...her curves~~~) while Norika Fujiwara was there too (for Shrek 2), in contrast she suddenly seem so...normal...in comparison...^^;; I dunno why, like there's this commercial look in Japanese actresses that just don't feel divine, eye-opening and stage-demanding like the Chinese actresses (Gong li, Maggie Cheung).

I watched it with a friend. I think she liked it too. Yeah kimutaku really doesn't fit into the film at all! And his acting is just the same as how he does in Jap drama...well at least he dropped his pretentious angle-calculating way of kissing(probably just good directing).

One thing I do notice though - chinese women do have nicer bodies than Japanese. ^^;;; All the stunning actresses in the film have nice breasts nice butts, which are just so feminine and sexy, while Japanese girls are all too thin(like models), except those unnatural big-breast idols. ^^;;;

The soundtrack was fantastic - so many scenes that are simply beautiful shots with beautiful music flowing without much happening and yet still enjoyable.

Did you see the film by yourself or with friends? What do others think of it?

Ha yeah that was ÌÚ¼ÂóºÈ's attempt to became serious international movie star but then WKW keep dragging and dragging, until what...5 bloody long years later ? He has already became borderline has-been ^^;; Back then it was a big deal but now he's no longer a buzz to Asia media anymore. If the film was made in this past year, WKW would have gone for the hot-at-the-moment-korean star (like Won Bin) instead. Though Japan and France are proabably the 2 countries that most embrace WKW in the world but of course it's always more of the art/cultural crowd...it's just odd to mix in someone so uncool/counter-hip like ÌÚ¼ÂóºÈ. I saw in the newspaper of Tony Leung, ÌÚ¼ÂóºÈ, Chen Chang standing together for promoting the film in Japan, wow I never realize how handsome and cool Tony and Chen Chang were ^^;;; maybe I just can't stand the way ÌÚ¼ÂóºÈ look/dressed...that kind of no-personality lame effeminine Japanese guys look with long awlful bleached hair with tan...

I read that 2046 is so spell-out (=easy to understanding), and it's basiclaly reminiscence of all his old works, as in the theme of "unchanged," which the title saids it (no changes in 50 years + 1997 = 2046). Is the soundtrack cool? WKW films always have the coolest soundtrack (the sampling movie scores he emsembled), I read his interview that he said that he's a huge film music buff that if he weren't a movie director, he wants to be a movie-soundtrack DJ, that'll be the coolest job.

Oh the noodles was the normal white rice kind.

It is funny that Wong Kar Wai's films weren't THAT high-profile here but because 木村拓哉 is in it, it is such a hype this time - well easy for me to find a cinema to see it so I am not complaining...btw he only appears a little.

I want to see 2046 too~~

The noodle seems thick (looks like egg noodle?), I'm used to rice stick noodle for Tom yum or other Thai soup noodle

I saw 2046 today!! I am quite surprised that it has so many sex scenes(^^;) and so much crying. His stuff is usually very sad but never really that much open tears involved if I remember correctly? Not my favourite but I like it still.