Eros (US Version) DVD Region 1

We'll start with Steven Soderbergh's Equilibrium, which features Robert Downey Jr. as a harried ad executive who comes to a psychiatrist (Alan Arkin) to help interpret his recurring dream about a mysterious woman. I'm not quite sure what Soderbergh was going for here. Even though there is a copious amount of nudity, I had a hard time understanding what this part of the anthology had to do with sex. It actually comes off more as a "head trip" movie, which makes it all the more aggravating when the film suddenly ends. Still, the short is shot quite nicely, and Downey gives an interesting performance, which makes Equilibrium at least worth a viewing.

The same cannot be said for Michelangelo Antonioni's The Dangerous Side of Things. This soft-core sex romp disguised as an "art-house" movie irritates, bores and angers the viewer as they are subjected to an inane script and wooden acting. The plot, about a couple having problems (which leads to the husband having an affair) has been done dozens, if not hundreds, of times before. Even though this segment offers the most "erotic" content (i.e., the most nudity and sexual scenes), it's not all that sexy. Combined with the poor quality of the actual film-making, the only thing "dangerous" about Antonioni's contribution is how it will take a half-hour of your life that you will never get back.

Thankfully, Wong Kar Wai's entry, The Hand, is much better. This could be seen as a companion piece to Wong's In the Mood for Love and 2046, as they all take place during the same time period and deal with some of the same issues, like loneliness. Chang Chen plays a tailor who falls for a prostitute (Gong Li) after she offers her "services" to inspire him to make gorgeous dresses for her. Through the years, their relationship never fully develops, and by the time both characters acknowledge their true feelings for each other, it is too late for the two to act on them. Like Equilibrium, The Hand feels a bit incomplete, especially since Wong uses a "slow burn" technique to develop his characters and the short running time simply does not allow him to do that here. Still, there are many classic Wong Kar Wai elements on tap here (including stunning cinematography by Christopher Doyle) that are used effectively enough to make The Hand a solid short film, which redeems Eros as a whole. Rating: 7/10

By Neil Koch - hkfilm.net