Ashes of Time Redux

I couldn't help thinking of that Boyz II Men song "4 Seasons of Loneliness" while watching Wong Kar Wai's "Ashes of Time Redux." Heck, that should be the name of the movie.

But first, some backstory: "Ashes," originally released in 1994, has been Wong's most epic -- andcalamitous -- project. The delays and over-budgeting in production were so widely reported that, while he was editing the movie, he made another film, his internationally acclaimed "Chungking Express," during a two-month break. (FYI: Criterion will be dropping a "Chungking" DVD at the end of the month.) He also produced his very own "Ashes" takeoff, "The Eagle Shooting Heroes," a parody of the novel "Ashes" is loosely based on, Louis Cha's "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," starring the same cast as "Ashes." (Full review)