Thursday, May 20, 2010

5.20.2010 - News

Variety: Poetry (Sourth Korea) Latest film from Lee Chang-Dong
A woman takes up writing poems as a means of coping with her difficult grandson and the onset of Alzheimer's -- a description that conveys little hint of the subtle intelligence at work in Lee Chang-dong's quietly haunting new picture. Calmer and less shattering than his masterly psychodrama "Secret Sunshine" (2007), "Poetry" is a deceptively gentle tale with a tender ache at its center, as well as a performance from Yun Jung-hee that lingers long in the memory. http://hkmdb.com/news/?p=5496

Although the story is set in present-day Hong Kong, the film's trailer easily conjures up the Shaw Brothers movies of the 1970s and '80s. The background music is familiar, and text in old-school fonts is deliberately printed from right to left. A cast of '80s stars also adds to the retro feeling.
"Gallants" will open on the Chinese mainland on June 4 without a Mandarin version, unlike most Hong Kong movies, which usually are released in an additional Mandarin version to cater to mainland audiences.

September 2 release date.
Lam Suet, Huang Yi - Legend is Born

To Yu-Hang - Legend is Born



Jet Li's first non-action drama, "Ocean Heaven" [Ocean Paradise], is among the 16 films competing for the top Golden Goblet award at this year's Shanghai International Film Festival, the organizer announced Thursday.
Guei Lun-Mei's pole dance scene was, regrettably, deleted

Wen Zhang, Guei Lun-Mei - Ocean Paradise



(May 18) Jeff Lau's Fantastic Water Babes began its publicity tour in Changsha, Hunan. A July 9 release is planned.

Jeff Lau, Alex Fong Lik-Sun, Gillian Choi, Stephen Fung

Gillian Chung

Jeff Lau

 
Stephen Fung, Alex Fong

Jiang Wen is busy in Cannes promoting Let the Bullets Fly

[I'm guessing the Fanling Theatre is the one that's often seen in the old Connie Chan films.]

THR: Bangkok cinemas burned by rioters
Multiplexes, classic theater destroyed by arsonists
The classic Siam Theater nearby was gutted by fire. The 1,000-seat, single-screen cinema opened in the 1960s, and was considered a Bangkok landmark, especially among film fans.
The fires were sure to slow the boxoffice of Tony Jaa's newest martial arts release, "Ong Bak 3," released May 5.

Wang Xueqi
Wang Xueqi, lead actor in Chongqing Blues, missed the Cannes red carpet due to problems obtaining a visa. He is hoping to join the rest of the cast and crew before the closing ceremony and also get in some sightseeing. In 1998, he won the Special Grand Jury Prize at the Montreal Film Festival for Sun Bird a film that he co-directed. It's also reported that the crew has been asked to stay in Cannes, a hint and usual indicator that the film may collect a prize or two. (HunanTV), 2


Andy On Chi-Kit's birthday
Andy On, Donnie Yen
Cast and crew conspired to surprise Andy On with two large birthday cakes on the set of Felix Chong and Andy Mak's Guan Yun Chang (Lost Bladesman) (Sina)


Sammi Cheng gets a (temporary) tattoo for a cause

July 7 (7.7) is MSF (Doctors Without Borders) 2010 Day
Sammi is donating part of her album royalties as Action Ambassador for MSF


Fan Bingbing, Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele of Chopard

 
Caroline Gruosi-Scheufele is the co-president of luxury watch and jewelry brand Chopard. Chopard redesigned Cannes' highest award the Golden Palm (Palme d'Or) in 1998. (Sina)

2 comments:

  1. Re: Fanling Theatre

    Poops... wish I'd visited this on my previous trips.

    The theater scene I most remember from Connie Chan's films is the one in Movie Fan Princess, when she rushes to her performance at the last minute after a fight with the bad guys.

    BTW, while trying to find pictures of the Fanling Theatre, I found these photos of graffiti on the outside of the theater building.

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  2. This post reminded me of the scenes in To Live and Die in Tsim Sha Tsui where Nick Cheung's character looks for old movie theaters. That sparked my interest about those real places, now gone.

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