Last night, I watched Chungking Express. 4½ stars. Although there isn't much of a story, the film is full of images, statements, and moments that will stay in your thoughts long after the movie is over.

I know it's just my ignorance, but I have a picture of old films as heavy-handed and over-acted, and expect Asian films to be farcical, full of kung-fu moves and wirework, or alien to my western way of thinking. Most of the last dozen movies I've watched have been either old or foreign (or both), and almost all of them have been deft, subtle, and altogether fabulous.

It's funny, even when you know your preconceptions are silly, they stick with you. A good remedial course of film-watching is in order.