5.5.2011 - News

THR: Feng Xiaogang's Next Film Tackles China Famine During Japanese Invasion
Remembering 1942 will be the first time Feng addresses on the big screen Japan’s WWII era atrocities, a fraught subject for Chinese filmmakers, but one that in recent years has proven commercially popular in the marketplace.

CRI: "Nanjing Heroes" Reveals Battle Scenes
CRI: "Wu Xia" to Premiere in Cannes Film Festival
Peter Chan Ho-sun's martial art flick, "Wu Xia," originally known as Swordsman, will have a global premiere on May 13 at the 64th annual Cannes Film Festival this year.

Reportedly, the director has employed a very different approach to demonstrate the physicality of martial arts by magnifying some medical and scientific elements in the action choreography.

CRI: First Peek of Love Birds Deng and Sun in "Painted Skin 2"

Deng Chao opened up on his marriage with years-long girlfriend and fellow actress Sun Li in a recent on location interview of his new film "Four Famous Detectives."

Deng Chao in The Founding of a Party

Pan Yueming, Deng Chao (Sina)

CF: Theme Song of "Till Death Do Us Part" Releases

CF: Poster Released for "My Kingdom"

"My Kingdom" is based on an epic story about two orphans adopted in an opera troupe in the 1920s in Shanghai.

THR: Chinese Director Chen Kaige Named Jury President of Sydney Film Festival, (FBA)

A1: Bladesman of Glory
The Lost Bladsman - Granted that the feature-film format provides only a limited canvas to properly explain the entire history and myriad of characters of that era, it's clear that at the core of the film is the treachery of politics that even heroes can't get untangled from.

FBA: Bladesman cuts to top of China BO 

The Lost Bladesman made a robust RMB100.4 million ($15.5 million) in its first six days in cinemas last week.

Stills of Kelly Lin from newly-released trailer of The Devil Inside Me

(Sina)

Additional stills (Sina)

Choy Lee Fut Kung Fu press conference in Guangzhou, the film opens May 10 (May 5)

Wang Baoqiang, Michelle Ye

Wang Baoqiang, Ng Man-Tat (Sina)

Gillian Chung and Kevin Kwan have been filming in the mainland. The Chinese title is literally Midnight Angel and Gillian plays an OL (office lady).

(Sina)

Beijing premiere press conference for Gu Changwei's Love For Life/Till Death Do Us Part (May 5)

Zhang Ziyi , Aaron Kwok , and Pu Cunxin , Jiang Wenli , Tao Zeru , Sun Haiying , Cai Guoqing , and others attended the press conference for the premiere of Till Death Do Us Part.

Zhang Ziyi and Aaron Kwok arriving

Gu Changwei

Zhang Ziyi

Tao Zeru

Li Danying

(Sina), 2, (Sina-gallery)

Edison Chen, Andrew Lau

Edison Chen helped Andrew Lau promote A Beautiful Life by recording the theme song with him. According to the report, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai is also helping out. (Sina)

Poster for The Pretending Lovers

Huang Bo

The Pretending Lovers (lit.Pretend Couple) is an urban romance-comedy shot in Norway(!) and stars Huang Bo and Jiang Yiyan. The film is set to be released June 24. (Sina)

Tse and Chou in action as filming gets under way, (A1)
KUALA LUMPUR: Hong Kong superstar Nicholas Tse and Taiwanese heart-throb Jay Chou have started shooting for the action movie Against War at two locations right in the heart of the city.
MSN: Andy Hui meets his in-laws to discuss wedding plans
MSN: A-Mei has a fear for crowds
During the shoot of her album cover, she had an attack and was spotted to be trembling and sweating profusely. The sudden attack brought on by her fear for crowds caused her manager, Chen, to suffer a relapse in depression.

MSN: Wu Chun donates $5.2mil to Japan relief efforts

Suzanne Siu (Xinhua)

Suzanne: "How come I'm such a bitch?"
Taiwan actress Suzanne Siu went behind bars yesterday for the second time and is paying the price again for her drug-related offences, according to Apple Daily.
The jail term is one year and seven months but with good behaviour she might be released on probation in March 2012 the earliest.

The 34-year-old Siu (other aliases Suzanne Siu Suk-San, Lily Siu, Suzanne Xiao Shu-Shen, Hsiao Shu-Shen, Cecelia Hsiao, Siu Sou-San and Suzanne Hsiao) was viewed as a shining star when she first entered showbiz at the age of 21

."Other people who take drugs never get caught. Why does it have to be me? So I just abandoned myself to vice," she said in a recent interview.
(Nov.6.2009), (Oct.10 2009), (Nov. 2008), (Nov.2007), 2

Speaking at an anti-drug rally in Taiwan recently (Xinhua)

5.4.2011 - News

Variety: The Lost Bladesman review
CF: New Take on Legend

Director lauds Christian Bale for China film work (AP)
"Nanjing Heroes," a $90 million production, is scheduled to finish shooting in June and will be released in China on Dec. 16. CF: Christian Bale Finishes Shooting "Nanjing Heroes"

Nanjing Heroes

Dou Xiao

Huang Haibo

Tong Dawei (Sina)

AP: Dancer-turned-actor Kwok is focus in 2 May movies
The dancer-turned-singer-turned-actor stars in two of the month's major releases — Gu Changwei's romance "Love for Life," and Oxide Pang's crime thriller "The Detective 2" — and has earned rave reviews from both directors.

CF: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" Goes to Cannes

Just a few days before, actress Fan Bingbing revealed that she would join Korean director Kang Je-gyu and actor Jang Dong-gun to promote her new movie "My Way" at Cannes.

GlobalTimes: A Chinese Ghost Story Redux offers nostalgia

Green Snake (1993) will be released alongside It's Love later this year; The Soong Sisters (1997) will be showing with new film 1911; New Dragon Inn (1992) with the original Dragon Inn, and King of Western Chu (1994) with The Last Supper.

First poster for My Kingdom

My Kingdom will screen at Cannes

Four years in the making, MY KINGDOM is a sweeping story of love, honor and revenge set against the backdrop of Chinese opera during its heyday in 1920s Shanghai. Written by Zou Jingzhi, one of China’s most popular writers, the story centers around two sworn brothers and their quest to regain their master’s honor. Their relentless quest leads them to fame and love, but also to their own downfall.

Bringing this epic tale to life is director Gao Xiaosong, one of a new wave of young Chinese directors defining the next evolution of Chinese cinema. Although Chinese opera performers have been the subject of iconic films before, Gao wants audiences to see a different side of this art form, one filled with strength, honor and deadly duels. Playing the lead roles are three of today’s hottest young idols in Asia: Wu Chun, Han Geng and Barbie Hsu. Each actor trained for over three months to hone their martial arts skills in order to perform the duels in the film. (FBA) [Sammo Hung provides the action choreography] (Sina)

Till Death Do Us Part premieres in Beijing May 5, with a full release May 10.

Zhang Ziyi, Aaron Kwok

(Sina)

The Founding of a Party - following the tradition of The Founding of a Republic, Huang Jianxin selected Lu Chuan to help co-direct a key scene in the new film. The production also released an NG trailer to thanks all the big name guest stars in the film.

Wang Bo-Chieh plays a patriotic student

Wang Lee-Hom

Liu Ye as Mao Zedong

(Sina)

Jackie Chan and Tan Jing ;D opened the torch relay at Tsinghua University in Beijing for the 26th Shenzhen Universiade 

Tan Jing and Jackie performing at the recent 100th anniversary celebration of Tsinghua University (Apr.24)

(Sina)

Tan Jing singing the theme song at The Lost Bladesman premiere (Apr.18)

(Sina-slidshow), 2, 3, (Xinhua), Shenzhen Universiade flame lit at Tsinghua University

GlobalTimes: Hong Kong actor, Law Lok-Lam, dies 5 times on 5 TV shows within 24 hours

Hong Kong soap actor Law Lok Sam who is making headlines for dying so often on TV shows.

CNA: Shawn Yue denies romancing Shu Qi: "I'm not so lucky"

He exchanges intimate micro blog posts with Shu Qi, was spotted chatting her up on a few occasions and described the 35-year-old Taiwan actress as "very charismatic" and "a good girl" when he met the Taiwan media on Sunday.

Shawn will be singing the theme song in Shu Qi's A Beautiful Life directed by Andrew Lau who also accompanied Shawn on guitar.  (Sina)

Angelababy gets apology

Hong Kong-based publication Three Weekly has issued a statement apologising for its untruthful reports about Angelababy's facelifts, in the latest development to frequent media speculation about the Chinese beauty.

MSN: Zhang Lan’s comment creates a stir
Barbie Hsu’s mother begged for forgiveness on behalf of her in-law’s careless remark

MSN: Tanya Chua falls for A-Mei’s rumoured boyfriend

MSN: Jay Chou to perform at Jolin Tsai's concert?

4.22.2011 - News

THE WARRING STATES officially opens today here in the US via AMC Theatres, as well as various other countries. So be sure to catch it and support the latest film from China Lion Film Distribution. Okay, The Warring States sounds like it might be a vanity production, albeit star-laced, but still...

(Xinhua), 2

FBA: The Lost Bladesman review (6/10)
Serviceable costume action drama that's just about held together by its starpower.

CF: Latest Photos of "Till Death Do Us Part"
CF: Feng's Banquet
"White Vengeance," the next likely blockbuster from director Daniel Lee, unveiled its cast at a press conference in Beijing Tuesday, with William Feng [Feng Shao-feng] selected to play the main role of Xiang Yu,
CRI: Feng Xiaogang's Next Film to Begin Shooting in Oct.
China's entertainment group, Huayi Brothers, announced Thursday that director Feng Xiaogang's next film would be "Memory of 1942".Chinese director Feng says next disaster pic set against 1942 drought that killed 3 million
Feng Xiaogang announced in a live webcast on Chinese portal Sina.com on Thursday that he will adapt Liu Zhenyun's 1993 novel called "Remembering 1942." Liu's work examines the suffering in China's Henan province when the then-ruling Nationalist Party was preoccupied with a Japanese invasion.
THR: Shanghai Film Festival Launches Mobile Film Competition
Organizers of the first mobile phone film competition at The 14th Shanghai International Film Festival will accept submissions until April 30 and announce the final selections in mid-May, offering the winners in June more than $15,300 in cash prizes.

THR: China's Phoenix New Media plans U.S. IPO Worth up to $200 mln
The company, which traces its roots to Hong Kong-based Mandarin-language TV network Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings Ltd. -- one of whose major shareholders is a News Corp.

Change of plans

John Woo's "1949" (aka "Pacific Steamer") which ran aground due to copyright issues may be restarted and begin production in the autumn of this year. If so, this would push back his Flying Tigers film to 2012. Announced in May 2008, plans were scuttled for "1949" in March 2009 after a dispute over copyrights surfaced; Chang Chen and Song Hye-Kyo (Reign of Assassins) were initially cast. Recently, a company in Zhejiang obtained the rights and made agreements to collaborate with Lion Rock's Terence Chang and John Woo. In addition, Flying Tigers is rumoured to be financially underfunded. (Sina)

 March 13, 2009: John Woo to Film Chinese Sunken Titanic

The Detective 2 has escaped the censors scissors. Oxide Pang's latest film has managed to avoid the fate of earlier Hong Kong film like Election, Election 2, The Mad Detective, Protege, Running on Karma, etc, through a combination of timing and talent.

(Sina)

A Sentimental Story with Huang Xiaoming and Angelababy

A Sentimental Story, directed by Gao Qunshu (Wind Blast) is filming in the high altitudes of Shangri-La in Yunnan. Huang Xiaoming has an English teacher accompanying him so he can practice his English. The story involves a young policewoman trying to recover national treasures. (Xinhua)

Louis Fan Siu-Wong uses one-armed style in A Chinese Fairy Tale (Sina)

CF: Zhou Xun Graces "ADStyle" Magzine
TaipeiTimes: Pop Stop
Lin Chi-Ling, Mavis Pan, and Taiwan prostitution ring

An inside look at the late Anita Mui's residence which her estate is giving up 7 years after her death. The reason is that due to litigation (with her mother) the cost of administering her estate has exceeded 10M yuan. In addition, Mui's mother receives 1.2M per month for living expenses and 107,000 per month for the lease of the residence.

(Xinhua-gallery)

A1: Donnie Yen throws surprise birthday party for wife
Hong Kong action superstar Donnie Yen held a million-dollar birthday party for wife Cecilia Wang recently.

(Xinhua-gallery)

Edison Chen held a press conference for his new album "Confusion" in Beijing at the International Gallery of Exhibition last night.

(Xinhua-gallery)

MSN: Lynn Hung said to have brain tumour?
The Hong Kong actress clarified that she was only suffering from gastritis
MSN: Kenny Bee asks ex-wife Teresa Cheung to move on
MSN: Selina Jen tours the Taipei International Flora Expo

(Xinhua)

CDT: Tiananmen Confucius Statue Relocated
Third day of Shanghai strike threatens China exports
Striking truck drivers protested for a third day on Friday in Shanghai's main harbor district amid heavy police presence and signs the action has already started to curb exports from the world's busiest container port.