Road movie sends director down new path ; Wong Kar Wai makes his first English-language film

MOVIES

Wong Kar Wai is a bit of a fashionista.

Known for his hipster style, the Hong Kong filmmaker arrived for his interview wearing a casual black suit, his trademark 24/7 sunglasses, and an additional touch of personal sartorial flair: purple socks.

"I just grabbed them," said the 49-year-old writer and director, whose romantic drama "My Blueberry Nights" opens Friday in the Boston area. (He has approved a limited line of "Blueberry" T- shirts, to be sold at the fashion boutique price of $95 a pop.)

Using splashes of color to enhance a look is old hat for Wong. Known for his vivid MTV aesthetic and grainy, slow-motion wide shots, the "master of melancholy" behind 1994's cult hit "Chungking Express" and 2000's exquisite 1960s period drama "In the Mood for Love" has built an oeuvre based on his mingling of hyper-stylized atmospheres, moody music, gorgeous leading ladies (and men), and lovelorn plotlines about yearning and lost time. …