9.3.2010 - News

NPR: 'Noodle Shop': A Coen Brothers Tale Goes East
Relocated from flat and empty Texas to hilly and vacant China, Zhang's film has a lot of fun with the original material, along with some smiles at the expense of the director's own style. But the pacing is too deliberate, and much of the humor doesn't translate; the result is a would-be farce that's more droll than uproarious.

NPR: A Family Torn Asunder Takes The 'Last Train Home'

Frequently moving and quietly enlightening, Last Train Home is about love and exploitation, sacrifice and endurance.

NYTimes: Last Train Home

FBA: Showtime (用心跳) (2/10)
Incoherent, wannabe musical drama fumbles the ball at every level.

Xinhua: Zhang Yimou presents "pure love" in Cultural Revolution in new film (Under the Hawthorn Tree)

Resisting his long-time penchant for dazzling, picture-perfect visual effects and dropping the political edge in his early movies, top Chinese film director Zhang Yimou has recreated a pure love story on the silver screen in a simple and direct way.

WSJ: Hong Kong: A Love Story - All About Love
"I make films because I really want to find out what Hong Kong is like at the moment," says the 63-year-old Ms. Hui.

THR: Contagion' spreads to Hong Kong - Soderbergh film to feature Josie Ho

Ho, who met Soderbergh in Hong Kong in July, said she would draw on her own memories of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak to play her role in “Contagion.”
“It was a very sad time when we were all scared and nobody knew where to turn for help,” Ho said. “I really respect all the doctors and nurses who saved us. They are heroes.”
FBA: Asian stars join Soderbergh's Contagion

CRI: 'The Piano in a Factory' to Compete at Tokyo Film Festival (formerly Steel Piano, here)

(Sina-gallery)

FBA: Tang Wei invited back to Party

Malaysian hit film Ice Kacang Puppy Love featuring Angelica Lee opens Sept. 9 in China

(Sina)

New stills from Legend of the Fist released

(Sina-slide show)

Promises, promises

Jackie Chan brewing up another donation-gate? Inquiries have revealed that Jackie's 2009 promise to donate funds from Little Big Soldier box office for the reconstruction of a Beichuan Middle School destroyed by the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan has so far been not met. Jackie Chan and Li Yuchan visited Beichuan on the first anniversary of the earthquake and made his pledge then. A search of the online website listing donors turned up nothing for Jackie Chan or his various other names, Sing Long, Chan Kong, etc. Jackie Chan's Charitable Foundation confirmed that no record of a donation to Beichuan has been made. (Xinhua)

Louis Koo's agent tried to clarify earlier reports that the star would be out of commission for 9-12 months. He said that the actor would not completely suspend working after surgery for that length of time, more likely one month for rest and recovery. (Sina)

Chen Kun and Zhao Wei in Chengdu appearing for luxury brand LV.

(Xinhua-gallery)

SG: Beautiful voice runs in Faye Wong's family
SG: Vicki Zhao thanks hubby

8.30.2010 - News

LATimes: Zhang Yimou remakes the Coen brothers' 'Blood Simple'
The result is the lush, slapstick 'A Women, a Gun and a Noodle Shop.' The film highlights the rise of Chinese cinema.
FBA: Woo to wage war in wide screen
John Woo will prepare his long in-development WWII epic Flying Tigers to be screened in the IMAX wide screen format.
Variety: Woo lives to make movies
Now if only someone would let him make a musical

Rating Wang Lee Hom the director

Wang Lee Hom's first attempt at writing and directing a feature film, Love In Disguise, drew mixed reviews from critics but raves from fans.

CRI: Jackie Chan, Li Bingbing to Play Couple in New Film
Jackie Chan and Li Bingbing will play a couple in the upcoming historical film "The 1911 Revolution" (aka Xinhai Revolution).

New stills released of Detective Dee and The Mystery of the Phantom Flame

Carina Lau

Andy Lau

Li Bingbing

Deng Chao

(Sina), (Xinhua-gallery)

(m1905.com)

Reporters learned that Zhang Yimou invited a group of friends into a small television editing room to watch a preview of Romance Under the Hawthorn Tree. Though the original novel brought numerous tears to readers, the film was described as touching but not overly sentimental. In addtion, much has been made of the young actress playing Quiet Autumn, Zhou Dongyu, but praise was lavished on the young boy played by Dou Xiao. According to one viewer, 'His performace was fine, pure, natural and simple. After the movie release, he will become a hit with young schoolgirls and thousands will fall in love with him.' (Sina)

Cast of A Chinese Ghost Story press conference at Changchun Film Festival

Liu Yifei, Yu Shaoqun

Kara Hui

Louis Fan Siu-Wong, Wang Danyi Li

Following Ip Man 2's May release this year, Wilson Yip is planning on a May 2011 release for A Chinese Ghost Story.

(Xinhua), (Sina)

Anthony Wong has no opinion on Jackie's remarks

(Xinhua)

(Aug.28) Alan Tam, Hacken Lee, Raymond Lam, Wang Leehom and Twins performed in a concert to celebrate the 3rd anniversary of the Macau Venetian.

Twins

Raymond Lam, Charlene Choi

Wang Leehom

(Xinhua-slide show)

Faye Wong, daughter Dou Jing Tong

Dou Jing Tong, Li Yapeng

Faye Wong's 13 year-old daughter is said to have inherited her mother's genes after she sang in public for the first time. Dou Jing Tong sang a song, I Need You, in English beginning a little tentatively at first but gaining strength as she continued. The occasion  was part of the 'Angel Fund Tour'.  Stepfather Li Yapeng and Dou Jing Tong and volunteers of the medical team of the Angel Fund to benefit children with free surgery to correct cleft lips were visiting a school in the town of Chifeng. After a day's activity and a few glasses of wine, the students performed singing and dancing around a bonfire party to welcome the distinguished guests. Then, Li Yapeng introduced Dou Jing Tong, 'Now I introduce to you a guest, she is my eldest daughter, Tong Tong. She will sing a song on stage for everyone, please give her a little applause.'  Afterwards, volunteers said her voice was crisp and sounded very much like her mother's. Li Yapeng said that three years ago Tong Tong asked for a set of electronic drums and he approved. Tong Tong is active in the orchestra and choir at school. (Xinhua), 2

Francis Ng spotted alone at Beijing airport

(Xinhua-gallery)

Aug.29 - Zhang Ziyi attending a celebrity dinner and auction organizned jointly by the Shanghai Love Foundation and Beijing Foundation for Disabled Persons.

Other guests included Huang Xiaoming, Pau Gasol, Jiang Wenli, Huang Yi, Gong Beibi, Liu Qian, Chen Luyu and many others.

Zhang Ziyi looks to have gained a little healthy weight

Pau Gasol

Huang Yi, Huang Xiaoming

Lin Miaoke (the Olympic girl), Sun Ming Ming

Magician Liu Qian

Liu Yan (the classical dancer who was paralyzed after a fall during a rehearsal for the Olympic Opening Ceremony)

(Sina), (Xinhua)

Global Times: Jackie Chan's twitter arouses haters in Hong Kong

Jackie Chan apologises for 'disrespectful' bus hijacking tweets

Some felt there was nothing wrong with his tweets and expressed disappointment that he caved to pressure and apologised while others felt he should have been more careful with his words in the first place.

SG: Vivian Hsu, Stephen Fung caught in a rendezvous

4.9.2010 - News

Poster for Love in a Puff

Love in a Puff has little hope to be screened in the mainland due to its Cat.III rating. It has a limited release in Hong Kong. Director Pang Ho-Cheung said that he did not originally expect a Cat.III rating. On his upcoming Dream Home, there are a large number of bloody scenes and mutilated bodies, so it might also face difficulty to introduce in the mainland. Said Pang, he did not intentionally give up the mainland market but just wants to make his own films. (Sina)

Derek Yee's Triple Tap poster

Derek Yee, Daniel Wu, Alex Fong Chung-Sun, Chin Ka-Lok

Charlene Choi, Louis Koo

Derek Yee fears June 30 scheduled release will run up against World Cup matches

(Sina)

Taipei Times: A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop
The joke’s on Zhang Yimou‘A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop’ translates the Coen brothers’ ‘Blood Simple’ into slapstick, but the comedy backfires.

CRI: "A Tale of Two Donkeys" Wins Laughter in CSFF

Hong Kong honors kung fu director with award

The Hong Kong Film Awards have honored veteran kung fu film director and choreographer Lau Kar-leung with its lifetime achievement prize.

Maggie Cheung, Jiang Qiong Er

Maggie Cheung is rumored to have split with her younger German boyfriend architect Ole Scheeren. According to Hong Kong's Next Weekly Ole is smitten with Chinese designer Jiang Qiong Er. In the past six months Maggie has been seen travelling alone and unaccompanied to public events. When asked about her boyfriend recently Maggie seemed embarrassed. Jiang Qiong Er is an internation jewelry, furniture and clothing designer starting her own brand. (Xinhua) 

Taipei Times: Pop Stop

Ethan Ruan dodging miltary service? Shu Qi Happy Online Farmer?

Shu Qi posts a photo of herself on her micro-blog

Shu Qi's online farm

(Xinhua)

Zhang Jingchu promoting a fragrance brand

(Xinhua), (Sina)

2.15.2010 - News

Growing pains of China's animation movie

Chop Socky Chooks: Volume One

Screen Daily: A Woman, A Gun And A Noodle Shop (A Simple Noodle Story)

Playing more like a slapstick version of the Coen brothers’ classic Blood Simple than a remake, Zhang Yimou’s latest moves the action back a few hundred years and switches location to the spectacularYellow Earth landscapes of Northern China.
Variety: A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop

For the record, pic's international version is four minutes shorter than that released in China and Hong Kong.
Chinese remake of Coen brothers classic screens in Berlin

Screen Daily: Au Revoir Taipei

Asian-American director Arvin Chen’s boy-meets-girl romance coasts along on sheer goofy sweetness. A brightly-coloured Before Sunrise in Taiwanese screwball sauce with just a pinch ofUmbrellas Of Cherbourg thrown in, it does little except charm, seduce and mildly amuse. But it does so with enough grace and storytelling skill to keep most audiences hooked though to the end, even though the sugar-rush wears off pretty soon after leaving the cinema.

Variety: Monga (Taiwan)

It's the kind of larger-spanned movie that Taiwan should be attempting if the island's industry is ever to get back on its feet again. Niu's gamble looks to be repaid -- at least locally -- with "Monga" strong-arming a brawny $1.6 million in its first week since bowing Feb. 5.

Variety: The Actresses (South Korea)

Six movie stars -- playing themselves -- gather for a Vogue photo shoot in a Seoul studio in "The Actresses," a talky but involving fakumentary that continually plays with the thin dividing line between reality and fiction. Hardly the catfight it's expected to be, this cheekiest outing yet from writer-director E J-yong is a funny, sometimes surprisingly touching exploration of the role of actresses in South Korea's still socially proscribed film world, though considerable knowledge of local showbiz and the thesps themselves is necessary to get the most from the movie. Asia-friendly fests should extend invites to these broads.

Variety: I'm In Trouble (South Korea)

Korean Academy of Film Arts alum So Sang-min makes a promising feature debut with "I'm in Trouble!," a charmingly modest talking-eating-drinking movie -- carved from the same rockface as helmers like Hong Sang-soo, Emmanuel Mouret and Woody Allen -- in which a bunch of likable, indecisive losers endlessly repeat the same emotional mistakes.

Taipei Times: You might as well live

Based on a novel by one of Japan’s most acclaimed fiction writers of the 20th century, ‘Villon’s Wife’ possesses a cinematic presence rarely achieved by literary adaptations

All's Well Ends Well Too 2010

Ronald Cheng, Raymond Wong, Louis Koo, Sandra Ng

Raymond Wong

Sandra Ng

Ronald Cheng, Louis Koo
(Xinhua)

Jacky Cheung

Jacky Cheung promoting his new CD Private Corner on a TV program

(Xinhua)

Chrissie Chau

Chrissie Chau will celebrate Valentine's Day with boyfriend Avis
(Sina)

Liza Wang, Law Kar-Ying

(Sina)

AngelaBaby

James Parry, AngelaBaby (Sina)

Donnie Yen (Sina)

Rainie Yang (Sina)

Faye Wong - CCTV Spring Gala Festival

(Sina) (36)

CRI: Faye Wong, Tigers Are Highlights of CCTV Spring Festival Gala

Donnie Yen: I'm good in bedroom kungfu

Sandra Ng has no time to go online

Jackie Chan backs Vivian Hsu's Jap comeback

Zhang Ziyi - Chinese art of reveling in another's pain

Taipei Times: Pop Stop

With so many in Taiwan’s celebrity firmament embroiled in scandals over the past few years, 2010 may turn out to be the year when some turn to religion to change their evil ways. But don’t count on it.

Shannon Lee at Hollywood Madame Tussauds

(Sina)