STEAMY STREAMING: ANG LEE
Brokeback Mountain, The Life of Pi, The Ice Storm +
Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee has solidified his standing among the most prolific directors working in Hollywood. His diverse catalog of seductive and provocative films earned him three Best Director Oscar nominations, two of which he won. Ang Lee can do it all from a Jane Austen adaptation to seemingly forbidden love and family dramas.
SENSE AND SENSIBILITY
Sense and Sensibility marked Ang Lee’s Hollywood debut. The Jane Austen adaptation stars Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman and Greg Wise. It was also the first film for which Emma Thompson wrote the screenplay.
Sense and Sensibility is available on Starz.
THE ICE STORM
The Ice Storm came out two short years after Sense and Sensibility. The film follows a family who would rather spend the Thanksgiving holiday separated and left to their sex-filled and drug-induced vices. That is until an ice storm hits, leaving them even more stranded. The Ice Storm stars Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Christina Ricci, Tobey Maguire and Sigourney Weaver.
The Ice Storm is available to rent on Amazon.
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
It’s difficult to put into words the magnitude and success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Ang Lee’s film brought him mainstream, global success. The film was written in Mandarin and translated for other audiences. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon tells the legend of a sword that bounces among different owners. The multinational production showed Ang Lee’s artistry and earned him a spot among the best directors.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is available to rent on Amazon.
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Speaking of artistry, Brokeback Mountain is one of Ang Lee’s most profound and emotional films to date. Likely one of his most well-known, the film stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger as two cowboys who form a romantic connection on Wyoming’s Brokeback Mountain. The men fight their feelings for one another, but they just can’t quit one another.
Brokeback Mountain is available on Starz.
LUST, CAUTION
After Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee made another low-budget indie film, but this one hails from Taiwan. The steamy, seductive Lust, Caution follows a woman hired to kill a man. But first, she has to make her fall in love with him. Lee won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for his directing, making him one of four directors to take home the prize twice. When distributed in the US, the film garnered an NC-17 rating for its explicit sex scenes.
Lust, Caution is available to rent on Amazon.
THE LIFE OF PI
The Life of Pi takes the common isolation theme to the next level. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Yann Martel that puts Pi on a lifeboat with an orangutan, hyena, zebra and Bengal tiger. The reflective film earned Ang Lee his second Best Director Oscar.
The Life of Pi is available to rent on Amazon.
