Saturday, I went to see My Blueberry Nights, the English-language debut by the acclaimed Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai (In The Mood For Love and 2046). It was also the acting debut for musician Norah Jones, although I'm not positive you could call what she was doing acting. She wasn't a bad actress, but she didn't convey emotions the way you normally except the main character in a film too. I heard somewhere that Wong Kar-wai wrote the role for Jones and insisted that she play it because he was so fascinated with her. I like her music just fine, but his affection for her did not rub off on me.

Jones plays Elizabeth, a broken-hearted New Yorker who sets off to escape her past, staying in a few cities just long enough to witness other people's dramas unfolding. Jones's lackluster acting left her largely overshadowed by the lively perfomances of her co-stars: a typically charming Jude Law, a heart-wrenching David Strathairn, a slightly overacting Natalie Portman, and a marvelous, almost unrecognizable Rachel Weisz. Chan "Cat Power" Marshall also has a brief cameo.