Wednesday, March 23, 2011

3.23.2011 - News

ScreenDaily: Forever (SG) review
The film poses the question whether Joey’s relentless drive to snag the man of her dreams will succeed despite the almost stalker-like behaviour.
Xu Tong's 157-minute docu concerns a badly crippled fortuneteller with a severely impaired wife, driven from pillar to post by police crackdowns. If the central figure, Li Baicheng, were any less oddly charismatic, the film might register only as an exhaustive case history on the marginalization of the poor and disabled under Chinese capitalism. Yet Li maintains a remarkable level of equanimity, as Xu's camera becomes a kind of companion to whom he confides his thoughts.
Stylish "The Piano in a Factory" offers fitful entertainment value but little narrative cohesion or momentum, playing like a series of disconnected setpieces in search of context. Chinese writer-director Zhang Meng's sophomore feature (following 2007's "Lucky Dog") centers on a humble musician's attempt to hold onto his music-prodigy daughter by securing her a piano by hook or by crook. Melancholic comedy demonstrates considerable flair for camera movement and use of music, but is too fragmentary to realize its crowdpleasing goal. Film Movement plans a limited U.S. theatrical run this summer, simultaneous with VOD release.

TVB favorite and multi-hyphenate Eric Tsang is producing four titles, including cop thriller Fatal Connections with director Herman Yau, the first among the titles to go into production. He will also produce The Three Wise Guys, a Chinese vampire academy comedy for this summer where he reunites with his I Love HK director Chung Shue-kai; Jiang-hu Yi (tentative title), an original epic about Hong Kong triads before the handover in 1997, with director Daniel Chan; and Hunt for Love, co-directing with his protégé Heiward Mak on the original story by media personality/writerMichelle Lo...
Nansun Shi, the executive director of Film Workshop, said that demand for Asian co-production is actually declining as foreign producers now want to make a film in China on their own.
“There are a lot of investors, but nobody knows who is who,” she added.
FBA: The coproduction conundrum

THR: Mixed Results for Chinese Entertainment Firms Following IPOs
FBA: HAF favours edgy films
The 9th Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum presented six prizes this afternoon, 23 March, including the newly launched Chinese Script Development Fund.
FBA:Beautiful life heads to USA
Media Asia closed a deal on Andrew Lau's film A Beautiful Life for North America, Australia and New Zealand with new distributor China Lion.
Only some six months back Chinese films began getting day-and-date releases in North America thanks to the establishment of a new distribution concern China Lion Films and the participation of AMC, the US's second largest film exhibition group. 
CRI: Trailer Released for Zhang Ziyi's New Film
A new trailer has been released for the AIDS-themed film "Till Death Do Us Part"

Poster for comedy thriller Deadly Will


A document found by the media  revealed that Zhou Dongyu was born in 1991, not 1992 as listed on her blog. (Xinhua) Zhou Dongyu is reportedly signed to Stanley Kwan's My Kingdom. Fan Bingbing had been considered earlier but deemed not a good match for the character. (Sina)

Yang Mi, Jordan Chan at the Mysterious Island press conference

Shu Qi has a bit of fun with herself on her weibo, even admits to pimples, muscle aches and foot pain.




Beautiful Life with Liu Ye (Xinhua)

Zhao Wei

At an appearance in Shanghai for HSBC, Zhao Wei said that she would work on her delayed graduate film for Beijing Film Academy in September after finishing Painted Skin 2 and Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains.
(Xinhua), (Xinhua-gallery)

The Man Behind the Courtyard House starring Simon Yam has been toned down for both sexy and violent scenes prior to its release according to a media report. The film was previewed yesterday in Guangzhou. Pre-release publicity teased a suspenseful thriller and bloody violence, including Simon Yam committing homicide by hammering a nail into a man's brain. The film has spent four months in review and revision and the end result left the crew surprised. Also, a Cantonese version is planned for release in Guangdong area audiences. (21cn), (Sina), 2

Director Huang Jianxin, in an interview at Filmart, denied earlier reports that all of Tang Wei's scenes had been deleted from The Founding of a Party. He admitted that many scenes were cut to get the 3 hour film down to 2 hours. (Sina)


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