Having spent part of my Christmas holidays watching THE FOUNDING OF A REPUBLIC, my heart is bursting with patriotic fervour.  Compelled by the nationalist frenzy, I’ve decided to pay homage to “Father of the Nation” Sun Yat-Sen and his Three Principles of the People by looking at the 2000s in Chinese movies from three different perspectives: the Most Valuable Film of the 2000s, the Best Films and Personal Favourites of the Double Zeros.

Now that I’ve protected the Kozo Entertainment Group’s interests in the Mainland market (surely, with millions of sites to monitor, government censors can’t possibly have the time to read past the first paragraph), let’s start with perspective number one: The Most Valuable Film of the 2000s.

Based on the concept of the Most Valuable Player award in sports (those outside of North America probably know this award as “player of the match”), my pick for the Most Valuable Film of the 2000s wasn’t the most technically accomplished movie of the decade or the one that was most artfully rendered.  It is, however, an outstanding film that had a huge impact on Chinese movies in this past decade:  CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON.

Released in 2000, CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON is, to date, the most commercially successful and globally acclaimed Chinese film ever.  At box offices worldwide, it earned over US$213.5 million.  At various film awards across the globe, it won a staggering seventy-three awards and prizes.  At the world’s most prominent film awards, the Academy Awards, it won in four categories after being nominated in ten.

Besides making an impact internationally, CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON had a huge impact on the course of the Chinese movie industry.  After the Asian Economic Crisis of 1997, there wasn’t much interest in making lush, historical costume epics.  In between 1997 and the release of CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON, the only costume epic of note was Chen Kaige’s THE EMPEROR AND THE ASSASSIN.  Movies were mostly small budget affairs consisting of offerings like Milkyway Image’s crime films or Wong Jing’s exploitation flicks. The big money was reserved for commercially driven projects like the special effects extravaganza STORM RIDERS or the star-driven vehicle TOKYO RAIDERS.  Big-budget costume epics were viewed as risky ventures with little or no chance of financial return.  By making a profit of close to US$200 million (the film cost US$17 million to produce), CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON revived investment into big-budget costume epics and made the genre in vogue for major Chinese directors.

From left to right: Zhang Yimou, Feng Xiaogang, Peter Chan Ho-Sun

Take, for instance, Zhang Yimou, the man behind the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics.  Zhang’s three films before CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON made its splash were the low-key affairs THE ROAD HOME, NOT ONE LESS and HAPPY TIMES.  Zhang’s next three films: HERO, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS and CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER.

Before CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON, Feng Xiaogang was known mostly for making successful Lunar New Films for the Mainland market.  He stepped out of that genre by making THE BANQUET and THE ASSEMBLY.

Venturing into elaborate costume epics wasn’t limited to Mainland directors.  Tsui Hark, who had been off making “Hollywood” films like KNOCK OFF and TIME AND TIDE, came back with THE LEGEND OF ZU and SEVEN SWORDS.  Peter Chan Ho-Sun, famous for urban romances HE’S A WOMAN, SHE’S A MAN and COMRADES: ALMOST A LOVE STORY, threw his hat in the ring by directing THE WARLORDS and producing BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS.  For his first Asian movie since HARD BOILED in 1992, John Woo — renown for his slick modern action movies - made RED CLIFF and RED CLIFF II.

With the emergence of China as an economic power in the 2000s, it is possible to legitimately argue that investment in big-budget costume epics would have happened eventually but it is impossible to argue against the idea that CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON was a catalyst in the choices that major Chinese filmmakers made in the past decade.  There can be no doubt that the runaway success of CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON in late-2000/early-2001 set the table for Chinese filmmaking in the 2000s and is, undeniably, the Most Valuable Film of the decade.

Next time: The Best Films of the 2000s

BLOG POST EXTRA:

The impact of CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON wasn’t limited just to the Chinese movie industry, it had an effect on Hollywood as well.  Paying, once again, tribute to Sun Yat-Sen and his Three Principles (still with me Mainland censors?), here are three ways the afterglow of the film manifested itself in the West:

1. It made Zhang Ziyi a commodity in Hollywood.

Without her breakthrough performance as Yu Jiao Long, there is no doubt that in the minds of most people over here in North America, she’d be mostly anonymous.  Only people who had an interest in foreign films would possibly know of her and, even then, they may not remember her name.  Most people would have thought of her in this way: “… that plucky country girl from that Zhang Yimou film - what was it called?  THE ROAD HOME?”

Instead, CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON planted her firmly into the consciousness of movie fans.  From 2001 to 2004, she probably had her pick of “compelling hot babe” roles in Hollywood action films.  Her fame certainly helped land her the lead role in MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA and got her membership into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

2. It deluded people into thinking that Ang Lee was the right person to direct HULK

In January 2001, at the height of the CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON phenomenon, Ang Lee was contacted by Universal Pictures/Marvel Studios to direct HULK¹.  While many viewed CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON as a straight-up wuxia action film, it was, in reality, a human drama film with wuxia touches.  It wasn’t about the quest for a sacred sword or a hard-core tale about revenge, it was about a young girl finding her identity and the unfulfilled love between two warriors.  CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON had more in common with past Ang Lee films like PUSHING HANDS, SENSE AND SENSIBILITY and EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN than classic wuxia movies like COME DRINK WITH ME or DRAGON GATE INN.

Predictably, HULK fizzled at the box office and Ang Lee returned to his human drama roots with the widely acclaimed BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN.

3. It helped the box office success of HERO in North America

Despite two years of dithering by Miramax, the company which owned North American distribution rights to HERO, the film opened on 2,031 screens and took in US$18 million on its opening weekend.  The result set three milestones at the time²:

• Best end of August opening
• Second best opening for a foreign language film (behind THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST)
• Widest release for an Asian film

None of that happens without the momentum and goodwill created by CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON.  It’s unfortunate that HERO squandered it all with that intellectually stimulating but emotionally disheartening ending.  While HERO went on to make US$53 million in North America, subsequent releases did not open nearly as wide and, as a result, did not do as well.  HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS took in US$11 million while KUNG FU HUSTLE earned US$18 million.

It’s hard to blame Zhang Yimou or HERO for the result, the ending was an artistic choice.  It’s just unfortunate that the film was positioned as a mainstream movie even though it had an art film ending.  People go to mainstream movies to be entertained, they don’t go to learn lessons or have intellectual constructs presented to them.  AVATAR has made US$1 billion because, at its heart, it’s old-school entertainment.  The good guys beat the bad guys and the guy gets the girl.  If entertainment value was sacrificed for greater emphasis on environmental protection and the virtues of nature, AVATAR tanks.

The ending of HERO, which told viewers that unification and peace for the people are more important than personal vengeance, was fine as an intellectual argument but unsatisfying as a capper to a kick-ass martial arts movie.  Let’s say OCEAN’S ELEVEN was released in 2010 in the current economic environment.  Wouldn’t it leave a bad taste in viewers’ mouths if Danny Ocean and friends decided to turn themselves in and return their score after their elaborate scheme because they didn’t want to see the workers in the hotel and casino lose their jobs?  I think that the ending of HERO soured many, many moviegoers on the genre and effectively killed any mainstream momentum that CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON fostered.

Image credits: Taiwan Tourism Bureau (Sun Yat-Sen statue), Star East Asia (Zhang Yimou), China Daily (Feng Xiaogang), Ming Pao (Peter Chan Ho-Sun), Universal Pictures (HULK)

FOOTNOTES:

¹ “From ‘Tiger’ to U’s ‘Hulk’ for helmer”.  Variety.  January 12th, 2001.

² “‘Hero’ Soars to Late August Record”. Box Office Mojo.  August 29th, 2004.

Hi.  I’m Sanney Leung.  You may remember me from such blog posts as Yummy Mummy Without A Tummy, Out With The Old, Part II and Sympathy For Mr. Imprudence.  It’s the season of Peace on Earth and Good Will Towards Men so, with apologies to Kozo, I’m going to interrupt the voting for Best Of The Decade and wish everyone a Happy Holiday.

As this is a HK entertainment website, here are my wishes to you for 2010:

May your life be as rich and full as Ekin Cheng’s hair.

May your future be as bright as Zhang Jingchu’s smiling eyes.

And may your secrets stay secret longer than Andy Lau’s relationship with Carol Chu.

With that, I’m off to observe my holiday tradition of watching my favourite Christmas movie DIE HARD.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, Christmas just isn’t Christmas until I see John McClane decorating Karl’s brother Tony with a holiday motif.

* * * * *

P.S.: I was going to go a different way with this post so, this morning, I spent some time scouring the Internet looking for holiday-themed pictures of HK starlets.  I came across this one of Twins back in December 2007 (who could predict the turmoil that loomed for the girls just one short month into the future).  You’d think that this photo was for some holiday-related EEG project but, this is HK we’re talking about here, so it should come as no surprise that it was from an ad promoting Hong Kong tourism and the “winter shopping festival”.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not sitting atop Sanctimony Peak, proclaiming that people in HK are godless heathens who worship the Almighty Dollar.  This was basically just an excuse to post a photo of two lovely women in short skirts.

Back soon with my HK$0.15 on the Best of The Decade.  Until then, have a safe and merry holiday.

Image credits: Tungstar (Ekin Cheng, Zhang Jingchu), Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (DIE HARD screen grab), Discover Hong Kong (Twins)

Returning to The House Where Words Gather after an extended absence, it’s time to clear out the cobwebs and sweep up the dust.  It’s also time to explain where I’ve been for the past little while.  Please indulge me as I do it CLAUSTROPHOBIA style …

ONE NIGHT AGO …

Why, oh why, did I agree to carpooling?  I already spend eight hours a day with these people at the office.  Why did I allow myself to be trapped in a car with them for an hour each morning and another hour each evening?  We really need to develop mass transit here in Canada.  The MTR in Hong Kong is fabulous, so is The Tube in London.  Why can’t we have something like that here?

Man, Jewel just will not shut up.  Going on and on to her boyfriend about what she wants to have for supper tonight.  She’s cute and all but, wow, that inane chatter gets tired after a while.   Here we go … look at that bulging vein on Uncle Karl’s neck, he’s either going to have a massive stroke or he’s going to turn around and yell at Jewel to shut up.  Same thing every single day.  I wonder how long it’ll be before Mount Karl erupts.  I put the over/under at one minute and fifteen seconds.

I hope I get home soon.  I’ve definitely got to sit down and bang out a blog post tonight.  Kozo’s been so gracious with his patience and beyond generous for not busting my chops for taking a long hiatus.  Granted, I did have to spend a night at his luxurious Repulse Bay mansion but it wasn’t too bad.  The only really bad thing about it was having Yotsuba stare at me the whole time.  Just thinking about that creepy stare gives me the shivers.

ONE WEEK AGO …

Hmmmm, Pearl looks preoccupied.  She’s probably distracted thinking about that guy who showed up at the office today to take her out to lunch.  They’re probably going out.  Damn, I thought I had a chance with her …

Oh well, time to move on and forget about Pearl.  I’ve got to concentrate and come up with something for my return blog post.  I still haven’t been able to think of something amusing.  Maybe I should say that I went to America or Japan or England for “a class”?

When I did my old site, stories about marginal HK talent going to America or Japan or England for a couple months to “study” acting, singing, etc. were always good for a laugh.  You were always left speculating why they had to be away from the entertainment circle for a little bit.  Sometimes it would be because they were getting their image “enhanced”.  Most times, it was just because they needed to get away from the grind but they — or more precisely, their management — couldn’t admit that they needed a break.  It was always because they were “hard at work” improving themselves.

THREE WEEKS AGO …

Good golly Miss Molly, Pearl is looking mighty, mighty fine today.  A month ago, she dressed like a dowdy librarian complete with old lady glasses.  Now, she looks smokin’ hot.  She looks a lot like that HK starlet … what’s her name?  Karena Lam Ka-Yan.  Yeah, she looks a lot like Karena Lam.

There’s either a man in her life now or there’s a man she’s interested in.  Could that man be me?  You know, Pearl is kind of nice in her quiet sort of way and this change in wardrobe does coincide with my arrival on the scene.  Boy, wouldn’t that make being trapped in a car with people that I already see at the office for eight hours every day worth it?  It’d totally be worth enduring the daily routine of Jewel’s prattling inevitably provoking an old guy rant from Uncle Karl.

OK, quit daydreaming.  I’ve got to do a blog post but what to do, what to do?  How about the old “I was frozen by the Kozo Entertainment Group” gag?  No?  How about a bit where I suggest I went away for “male enhancement”?  Nah, that’s limp.  I need to come up with something better.

ONE MONTH AGO …

Finally!

After a long wait for an installation appointment, I’m finally back on the Internet.  I’m not going to be a contrarian-hippie and claim that being off the grid was “refreshing” but it was oddly enjoyable to not have TV or Internet for a little while.  But, enough of that, bring on NFL Sundays, bring on new episodes of CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, THE BIG BANG THEORY, THE OFFICE and LAW & ORDER.

I’ve also got to get online and see what became of the manhunt for Noriko Sakai.  More important, I’ve got to see if Athena Chu has finally come to her senses and dumped that goofball Paul Wong.

Don’t worry baby, there’s more than enough room in my heart for you and your eight dogs.

SIX WEEKS AGO …

I just became a nodding acquaintance with my neighbour on the left.  She seems like a nice Muslim lady.  I’m guessing she’s Muslim because she’s wearing a head scarf.  It’s not one of those full-blown burqas where you can’t see anything but her eyes.  You can see her face and her forehead.

Not that there’s anything wrong with living next door to a nice Muslim lady but, damn, why can’t I ever get a hot-blonde Kaley Cuoco-type for a neighbour?

I saw my other neighbour a couple of days ago but he gave me the high hat when I gave him the ol’ International Rescue Tracy family head nod.  Granted, he may have been preoccupied with wrangling the huge mastif he was walking.  All I know about him is that he must be from Cambodia because of that small Cambodian flag he hangs on his front door.

Oh well, I probably would have alienated him anyway by doing something stupid like asking him if his name was Anketell Brewer.

SEVEN WEEKS AGO …

Driving on Highway #17 just north of Sault Ste. Marie, I’m scanning the radio hoping to find something to get a sense of the local culture.  I land on a station that has light rock with some Taylor Swift/Carrie Underwood type singer.  She’s singing a song that has lyrics which include phrases like “I’m giving myself to you”, “I’m submitting myself to your will” and “take my body and my soul”.

Oooh, I start thinking to myself, is it my imagination or are those lyrics kind of explicit?  It’s one thing for Lady Gaga to sing about “bluffin’ with my muffin” and wanting to take a ride on a “disco stick”.  It’s another matter all together to be singing about allowing someone to do what they will with your body and soul.

As those thoughts race through my mind, the song ends and a radio station tag goes on: “You’re listening to CHIM (pronounced “See Him”), Canada’s Christian Radio Network”.

Oh, I think to myself, turns out there was nothing wrong with the song, I’m just a pervert with a sick mind.

TWO MONTHS AGO …

5:36 am:  It’s a cool, crisp 8°C morning.  The sun is just peeking above the Eastern horizon.  It’s quiet.  Through my bedroom window, I can smell the morning dew on the grass.  I can also hear the tranquil sound of some birds chirping.  The peaceful scene outdoors belies the clamour in my mind and in my heart.  I’m leaving Saskatoon in a couple of hours.  As is the case with any major life decision, I have mixed feelings about moving.  I’m optimistic and hopeful about the future yet I feel wistful and, even though I haven’t left yet, nostalgic about a city that’s been my home for many years.

I turn on my MP3 player and the Steve Miller Band’s “Jet Airliner” starts to play.  Before I went to sleep last night I picked the song to play first thing in the morning because it captures sentiments that I’m feeling as I start a week-long drive out to Eastern Canada:

Goodbye to all my friends at home
Goodbye to people I’ve trusted
I’ve got to go out and make my way
I might get rich you know I might get busted

I’ve got to keep on keepin’ on
You know the big wheel keeps on spinnin’ around

And I’m goin’ with some hesitation
You know that I can surely see
That I don’t want to get caught up in any of that
Funky shit goin’ down in the city

 

Image credits: Irresistible Films (CLAUSTROPHOBIA screen captures), Warner Bros. (Kaley Cuoco), Haus of Gaga (Lady Gaga)

Part two of the news links catch-up but first some reader interaction …

In the comments from News Links: July 27th, 2009, Gleen Glenn writes:

What are your thoughts on Kelly Chen babygate?  Did she fake the pregnancy?  It’s someone else’s baby?  Just nasty gossip?

When I first read the rumours about Kelly Chen’s pregnancy being an elaborate cover-up for a pregnancy caused by her brother Victor Chen, my initial reaction was: “What?  Is this the 1950s?  Would someone really bother to concoct such a complex scheme in an age where the term “baby daddy” has become firmly entrenched in the cultural lexicon?  Do families still send their pregnant kids away to “distant relatives”?  Do “rest homes” that cater to unwed single mothers still exist?  Didn’t Richard Li and Isabella Leong just proudly celebrate the birth of an out-of-wedlock child?”

Then, I put aside my Western sensibilities and remembered that we’re talking about the shame-based Chinese culture where “young models” are a source of controversy for the Hong Kong Book Fair so, yeah, maybe someone would go to ridiculous lengths to cover-up a pregnancy.  Like the earlier rumours about Ronald Cheng’s extra-curricular activities involving photos of Charlene Choi, these rumours are so absurd, you can’t possibly have formed them just out of your imagination.  It’s like the Little Vito shower situation in the “Chasing It” episode of THE SOPRANOS, you don’t just dream up scenarios like that without some sort of real-life kernel inspiring it.

So, do I think the rumours are true?  Not really.  Some HK girls are alarmingly thin but otherwise healthy, like my 89-pound cousin Agatha, so it’s not like Kelly Chen’s slight weight gain is out of the norm for HK women.  However, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it turned out, years later, that the rumours were true (see one Bobby Darin).

I can’t believe that I just spent time breaking that down … 

Onto some links …

PRODUCTION NEWS:

BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS:

‘Infernal’ Lau joins ‘Bodyguards’

Latest Stills of ‘Bodyguards and Assassins’

After 112 days of shooting, principal photography of BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS wrapped on the weekend.  Among those present was Michelle Reis who has a small part playing a woman who has a “profound effect on Leon Lai’s ‘beggar’ character”.

RELATED LINKS:

• Sina.com article and photos
• Xinhua article

Shaw Bros. returns with trio of films

Sundream joins IHQ and Polybona for Let’s Fall in Love

HK indie filmmakers taking the lead

Production still of Jet Li in THE EXPENDABLES

This film look likes it’ll be dynamite but, with such a star-studded cast, they couldn’t make room for Jean Claude Van Damme?  I can understand not wanting Steven Seagal (since he looks like he weighs 300 pounds and has less mobility than Zhang Fei in DYNASTY WARRIORS 4) but no love for The Muscles From Brussels?

One more comment, a project like this is what Jackie Chan should be doing instead of KUNG FU KID.

Chinese filmmaker Feng Xiaogang begins shooting earthquake movie

COMING SOON:

Message of ‘Overheard’: Don’t Be Greedy

McDull’s Big Success at Box Office

FEATURES:

Lee Byung Hyun (Korean actor who has a role in G.I. JOE: RISE OF THE COBRA):  You can’t see his face on the posters

EASON CHAN:

HK singer Eason Chan’s marriage in trouble?

Eason Chen breaks down in tears during his concert

Photo of Constance Chan and Hilary Tsui at the Beyond concert where Eason Chan was a guest performer

AROUND TOWN:

‘Tracing Shadow’ Premieres

More photos courtesy Xinhua (Gotta love that dress on Pace Wu)

Donnie Yen celebrated his 46th birthday on July 27th with a party at a HK nightclub.  Among the attendees were his real-life wife Cissy Wang, his on-screen wife Lynn Xiong, producer Raymond Wong, Andrew Lin Hoi, Vincent Kuk Tak-Chiu, Cheung Tat-Ming and Leon Lai.

RELATED LINKS:

• Photos courtesy Sina.com
• Photos courtesy Xinhua

Jessica Hsuan, Kate Tsui, Amanda Strang and Ivan Ho Sau-San attended a press conference on Monday for their new TVB documentary series 《活着》 (trans. LIVING). For the series, the artistes will visit Ethiopa, Kenya and Sawarak among other locales.

• Photos courtesy Xinhua
• I wish I was the meat in a Jessica Hsuan, Kate Tsui sandwich — that Ivan Ho is one lucky bastard.
• I almost want to join Facebook just so I could be Jessica Hsuan’s friend.

PHOTO GALLERYS:

Li Bingbing on the cover of the August issue of Harper’s Bazaar

Sina.com slideshow featuring Vicki Zhao Wei

Donnie Yen on the cover of L’Officiel Hommes

BRUCE LEE:

Bruce Lee legend remains strong in Hong Kong 36 years after his death

Hollywood Reporter:

• Bruce Lee museum in design phase 
• Bruce Lee’s family OKs biopics

HK Standard: New Bruce Lee flick to focus on his life and loves

Xinhua: Kungfu star Bruce Lee’s new movie to be shot

Associated Press: Bruce Lee’s siblings authorize Chinese biopics

Variety:  Bruce Lee museum, biopic unveiled

Design competition held for Bruce Lee museum

New York Times: Design Competition for Bruce Lee Museum

BEYOND HK:

Ken Zhu hopes to take nude photos of Kelly Lin

Vic Zhou: I won’t conceal my future relationships

Jolin launches own fashion label in America

CULTURAL NEWS:

Alarm sounded as youth ditch reading for idol worship

Book fair seeks model behavior - or else

Drug war and sexy models spice Ani-Com 

* * * * *

Best wishes to Shing Fui-On who, according to reports in HK papers, has suffered a recurrence of the nasopharyngeal cancer that he battled in 2004.  Incidentally, this is the same kind of cancer for which I received treatment.

Apologies for the recent lack of posts.  While Asia was plunged into darkness by a total eclipse of the Sun last week, I was plunged into darkness by a total eclipse of the heart, getting a little bit nervous that the best of all the years have gone by.

Kidding, kidding.  No need to worry for my mental health.  I’m not sitting in the dark, drinking myself into a stupor like a TVB protagonist after he’s had a stupid misunderstanding with his love interest.  It’s just that talk of the eclipse put Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” back onto the radio for a couple of days and the tune turned into a mindworm that burrowed itself into my brain.

If you want to worry about something, worry about how Earth’s brilliant scientists missed spotting an object as big as the Pacific Ocean approaching Jupiter.  If they didn’t see an object that size gunning for Jupiter, how are they going to spot massive objects coming towards Earth?  Disconcerting — no?  Related links:

• All Eyepieces on Jupiter After a Big Impact
• Like Earth, Jupiter’s a duck in celestial shooting gallery
• Jupiter: Our Cosmic Protector?
• How an amateur beat the pros in spotting Jupiter collision 

Now that I’ve planted seeds of anxiety in your mind, allow me to distract you with some links.  As I’ve missed almost two weeks, I’m splitting the links up into smaller more manageable posts.  Here’s post number one:

FEATURES:

Stephen Chow’s Short List

The rise and fall — and rise? — of Hong Kong cinema

Aaron Kwok: Tortured Soul

Everything Will Change: An Interview with Wai Ka-Fai

Charmaine Sheh: Charmaine speaks her mind

RELATED LINKS:

• HK actress Charmaine Sheh tackles romance rumours
• Charmanine Sheh dating Kevin Cheng? 

Moses Chan: The pursuit of happiness

RELATED: Moses Chan only loves coffee and not women?

Michael Hui: Just For Laughs

Carl Ng (son of Richard Ng Yiu-Hon):  Journey to the East

My Interview with Francoise Yip

Regular reader Glenn nabs an interview with Yip Fong-Wah.  There’s a link to his review of MOTHERLAND below.

Stefanie Sun: The Stage is a Career and a Challenge

PRODUCTION NEWS:

Wong Jing  to live and die with ‘Mongkok’

DETECTIVE DEE:

• Detective Dee Talks to Animals
• ‘Sick’ Detective Deng Smells out Clues
• Li Bingbing back to Tang Dynasty

Looking for Kung Fu Girls for Andy Lau’s New Film ‘Unshakeable Military Orders’

Stanley Kwan, Christopher Doyle Chase Solar Eclipse for New Film

37:

• Stellar Megamedia boards Dennis Chan’s 37 
• Charlie Yeung sacrifices hair for art
• RELATED: Sina.com photos of Charlie Yeung from event

POKER KING: The Asian Poker Tour Macau To Star As Backdrop For New Chinese Poker Film

Stephen Chow salvages romance ‘Jump’

Preview of the Set in Zhang Yimou’s “Three Guns”

Chinese director Jia to make 1st big budget film

COMING SOON:

OVERHEARD:

• Lau Ching-Wan: The Spy Game
• Behind the scenes 
• Tapping into the craze for stocks
• ‘Overheard’ the best Chinese film this summer
• Louis gains 14kg for ‘uncle’ role
• Photos from the Beijing premiere courtesy Sina.com

ON HIS MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE:

• New Film Guarantees Laughs and More
• Louis Koo Becomes a Robot in Golden Armour
• Hong Kong movie ready to open

MCDULL KUNG FU DING DONG: Never a McDull moment

The Storm Warriors to create new Wuxia world with more special effects

Battle Film “Wheat” to Be Released in September

RELATED: Sina.com Photo Gallery

Critics Give Thumbs-up to “One Night in a Supermarket” Ahead of Release (Link to Variety review below)

Ge You ‘Gasps’ out Funny English

MOVIE REVIEWS:

MURDERER reviews: Hollywood Reporter, HK Magazine, bc Magazine

WRITTEN BY: bc Magazine review

SOUNDLESS WIND CHIME: bc Magazine review

PLASTIC CITY: Channel News Asia review

ONE NIGHT IN SUPERMARKET: Variety review

MOTHERLAND: Review from A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed

GENERAL NEWS:

Vicki Zhao:

• Zhao Wei to marry boyfriend
• Agent Denies Zhao Wei’s Hiatus Rumor 
• Vicki Zhao delays graduation for ‘Mulan’
• Unsuccessful Graduate Zhao Wei to Halt Career for School

Kelly Chen:

• Kelly Chen faked pregnancy?
• Slim New Mom Kelly Chen In ‘Surrogate Mother’ Suspection 
• Kelly Chen goes home with baby
• Sina.com photos of Kelly Chen and baby Chace

Hong Kong Book Fair:

• Stephy Tang and Theresa Fu encourage each other
• HK Book Fair marred by idol-related books controversy

Charlene Choi: Ronald Cheng is not a Casanova

Nicholas Tse encourages wife to have second child

Sonija Kwok searching for Mr. Right

Leon Didn’t Announce Wedding at ‘Dream Wedding” Concert

Edison Chen re-engaged as jeans endorsee

Taipei Times Pop Stop: Edison Chen, Zhang Ziyi

Jackie Chan to Donate All Property after Death

Taipei Times Pop Stop: Jackie Chan, Little S, more

Shu Qi seen in Stephen Feng’s house

RELATED: Photos courtesy Xinhua

Zoe Tay, Stephen Fung graces Cartier’s flagship opening

Raymond Lam:

• Raymond Lam taking on detective drama 
• Hong Kong star bores Vietnam at outset of Asian tour
• Raymond Lam Fung meets fans ahead of concert in Vietnam 
• Hong Kong singer, TV star gets warm reception in HCM City
• Chinese superstar says “Hello” to HCM City 
• Hong Kong star opens heart to local audiences

Denise Ho:

• HK singer Denise Ho comes out of the closet
• Denise Ho out of the Closet?

Fann Wong plans to follow Kelly Chen’s footsteps

Paulyn Sun: Wealthy ex walks free after model punch rap

Ekin Cheng promotes HK tourism in Japan

CoCo Lee goes futuristic gold for East To West

BEYOND HK:

Phyllis Quek (you may remember her as the compelling hot babe from Aaron Kwok’s 2000 AD): You Can’t Have Best of Both Worlds

RELATED: Phyllis Quek loses sleep over her role as Kidnapper

Rocker Wu Bai refuses to be a “Fashion Dog”

Andy Lau and Jingle Ma inaugurate Cheryl Yang’s journey in showbiz

Sam Lee Sheng-Chieh: This balladeer’s shy about ballet past

Fiona Xie:

• Fiona, Where Are You?
• Fiona Xie OUT! Eelyn Kok IN!
• If not Fiona Xie, then who?
  
• Fiona Xie quitting MediaCorp?
  

HONG KONG MOVIES ABROAD:

Asian American International Film Festival debuts in NYC