Lou Ye's docufiction hybrid “Unfinished Film” is one of the best films made about life during pandemic, even though it wasn't originally planned to be that. It was the new circumstances that forced Ye to change his plans, when he and his crew were caught in the lockdown in a place near Wuhan to make a completely different kind of movie. What came out of it is a captivating act of genius which captures the exact moment when normality got squashed by the unpredictable chain of events: first the pandemic, and then a complete lockdown. Shot by multiple cameras, “Unfinished Film” is a movie within a movie, showing people in front and behind the camera, each absorbed in their own line of duty. But the actors and crew members are also caught off-guard, and at one point even Ye himself uexpectedly appears on screen, doing his directing job. In the movie,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Marina D. Richter
- AsianMoviePulse
Cannes film festival
Lou Ye’s docu-realist film starts as sophisticated comedy, morphs from looking like a zombie apocalypse to intimate drama, and evolves into a tribute to how a nation handled trauma
Out of agony and chaos, Chinese film-maker Lou Ye has created something mysterious, moving and even profound – a kind of multilayered docu-realist film, evidently inspired by a real-life situation in film production. As well as everything else, the film meditates on what it means to be “unfinished”. Very few of us will leave this life with a satisfied sense of everything achieved, complete, squared away. To be mortal is to feel that things have ended without being finished. It is possibly his best film since the courageous Tiananmen Square drama Summer Palace from 2006 – and set near Wuhan, the city in which his 2012 film Mystery was set in the days when that place was internationally known – if at...
Lou Ye’s docu-realist film starts as sophisticated comedy, morphs from looking like a zombie apocalypse to intimate drama, and evolves into a tribute to how a nation handled trauma
Out of agony and chaos, Chinese film-maker Lou Ye has created something mysterious, moving and even profound – a kind of multilayered docu-realist film, evidently inspired by a real-life situation in film production. As well as everything else, the film meditates on what it means to be “unfinished”. Very few of us will leave this life with a satisfied sense of everything achieved, complete, squared away. To be mortal is to feel that things have ended without being finished. It is possibly his best film since the courageous Tiananmen Square drama Summer Palace from 2006 – and set near Wuhan, the city in which his 2012 film Mystery was set in the days when that place was internationally known – if at...
- 5/16/2024
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Philippe Bober’s Coproduction Office has boarded worldwide sales of Lou Ye’s An Unfinished Film ahead of its premiere at Cannes and has already closed two major deals.
The film, which is set to play in the Special Screenings section of the festival next month, has been snapped up by Bac Films for France and Lucky Red for Italy. A first look at the film can be seen above.
Set in January 2020, the story follows a film crew that reunites near Wuhan to resume shooting a film halted 10 years earlier, only to share unexpected challenges as cities are placed under lockdown.
The film, which is set to play in the Special Screenings section of the festival next month, has been snapped up by Bac Films for France and Lucky Red for Italy. A first look at the film can be seen above.
Set in January 2020, the story follows a film crew that reunites near Wuhan to resume shooting a film halted 10 years earlier, only to share unexpected challenges as cities are placed under lockdown.
- 4/23/2024
- ScreenDaily
In 2013, after a riot in a redevelopment district in Guangzhou, the Construction Committee Director Tang Yijie (Zhang Songwen) is found murdered. A young police detective Yang Jiadong (Jing Boran) is tasked with the investigation and soon discovers the involvement of the town´s real estate tycoon Jiang Zicheng (Qin Hao), Tang’s long-suffering wife Lin (Song Jia) who also turns out to be Jiang’s lover, and Tang’s daughter Xiaonuo (Ma Sichun). A cold case from several years ago concerning the mysterious disappearance of Lian Ahyun (Michelle Chen), who was known to Tang and Jiang, seems to be the missing link. Soon Yang finds himself framed, suspended from duty and on the run in Hong Kong…
A 2018 Chinese crime mystery directed by Lou Ye who is renowned for his controversial movies Suzhou River (2000) and Summer Palace (2006). The Shadow Play made its world premiere at the 58th Taipei Golden Horse...
A 2018 Chinese crime mystery directed by Lou Ye who is renowned for his controversial movies Suzhou River (2000) and Summer Palace (2006). The Shadow Play made its world premiere at the 58th Taipei Golden Horse...
- 1/27/2023
- by Suzie Cho
- AsianMoviePulse
‘Saturday Fiction’ Film Review: Gong Li Period Piece Falls Short as Spy Thriller and Backstage Drama
History struggles to come alive in the mainland Chinese WWII spy thriller “Saturday Fiction,” a poorly lit memory play about a doomed espionage mission involving a famous Chinese actress (Gong Li) and a prominent Japanese military official (Joe Odagiri).
Set in Japanese-occupied Shanghai just before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, this sleepy and visually murky black-and-white drama belabors the same banal truisms about memory and role-playing during wartime –basically, it’s impossible to maintain your autonomy when you’re only a pawn in a complicated game — and tends to be more interesting to think about than to watch.
Filmed with stifling hand-held photography, many scenes plod along in real time without a momentous or compelling pace. The sound design’s focus on background noises, instead of a musical score, also soon becomes more irritating than intriguing. Gong and Odagiri do what they can with a generally thin scenario, inspired by...
Set in Japanese-occupied Shanghai just before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, this sleepy and visually murky black-and-white drama belabors the same banal truisms about memory and role-playing during wartime –basically, it’s impossible to maintain your autonomy when you’re only a pawn in a complicated game — and tends to be more interesting to think about than to watch.
Filmed with stifling hand-held photography, many scenes plod along in real time without a momentous or compelling pace. The sound design’s focus on background noises, instead of a musical score, also soon becomes more irritating than intriguing. Gong and Odagiri do what they can with a generally thin scenario, inspired by...
- 4/20/2022
- by Simon Abrams
- The Wrap
The Chinese filmmaker Mei Feng is best known as the regular screenwriter for Ye Lou’s films, including “Summer Palace” (2006), Cannes title “Spring Fever” (for which Mei won the Best Screenplay award) and, most recently, “The Shadow Play” (2018). His directorial debut “Mr. No Problem” (2016) premiered at Tokyo International Film Festival and toured across the East- and South-East Asia afterwards. Mei’s second directorial effort, “Love Song 1980”, also premiered at Tokyo, while its European premiere took place at the competition of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
“Love Song 1980” could be accurately described as an unofficial prequel to Mei’s debut screenwriting work, “Summer Palace”, dealing with the milieu of the students in Beijing during the times of the great change and paradigm change that occurred in the 80s. While the plot of “Summer Palace” takes place in the year of Tienanmen, “Love Song 1980” is situated at the beginning of the decade,...
“Love Song 1980” could be accurately described as an unofficial prequel to Mei’s debut screenwriting work, “Summer Palace”, dealing with the milieu of the students in Beijing during the times of the great change and paradigm change that occurred in the 80s. While the plot of “Summer Palace” takes place in the year of Tienanmen, “Love Song 1980” is situated at the beginning of the decade,...
- 11/26/2020
- by Marko Stojiljković
- AsianMoviePulse
Chinese production firm Aim Media has licensed the North American rights of director Yang Lina’s “Spring Tide” to distributor China Lion. Smart Cinema, the digital venture by former Wanda executive Jack Gao, has also bought the rights to screen the film on its platform in South Korea.
Yang is an independent documentary maker turned feature film director who is making a trilogy of films about women. “Spring Tide” is the second in that series. It tells a story of family dysfunction in which a woman must deal with the competing demands of her daughter and mother as they all live together in a small apartment. Featuring an all-female cast and starring Hao Lei, it debuted in competition at the Shanghai International Film Festival last year.
Aim Media had intended for the film to screen theatrically sometime between March and May, but when the coronavirus shuttered cinemas, it moved the title straight to streaming.
Yang is an independent documentary maker turned feature film director who is making a trilogy of films about women. “Spring Tide” is the second in that series. It tells a story of family dysfunction in which a woman must deal with the competing demands of her daughter and mother as they all live together in a small apartment. Featuring an all-female cast and starring Hao Lei, it debuted in competition at the Shanghai International Film Festival last year.
Aim Media had intended for the film to screen theatrically sometime between March and May, but when the coronavirus shuttered cinemas, it moved the title straight to streaming.
- 7/14/2020
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The First International Film Festival this week announced that it will occur with in-person screenings from July 26 to August 3 in China’s Qinghai province — implying that cinemas will be open in at least parts of the country by the end of the month.
This would make it among the first festivals in the world to occur since the novel coronavirus, and one of few that has not had to cancel or change its originally planned dates. First follows at least two other in-person events: Taiwan’s Taipei Film Festival (June 25 to July 11) and France’s Fid Marseille (July 7-13).
China’s showcase Shanghai Intl. Film Festival was postponed from its original June time slot. It is believed to be looking for a late July revival, but those plans have not been made public.
First’s official selection of 13 feature films, eight documentaries and 13 shorts will compete for a series of ten awards.
This would make it among the first festivals in the world to occur since the novel coronavirus, and one of few that has not had to cancel or change its originally planned dates. First follows at least two other in-person events: Taiwan’s Taipei Film Festival (June 25 to July 11) and France’s Fid Marseille (July 7-13).
China’s showcase Shanghai Intl. Film Festival was postponed from its original June time slot. It is believed to be looking for a late July revival, but those plans have not been made public.
First’s official selection of 13 feature films, eight documentaries and 13 shorts will compete for a series of ten awards.
- 7/2/2020
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
James Su (Su Che Hsien) was born in Taiwan, but lived in Beijing from 2011 until 2014. He got his Film Director degree (Mfa) from the Applied Media Arts School, National Taiwan University of Arts. His first film, “Hip Hop Storm”was awarded as “best documentary” in Taipei Golden Horse Award in 2010, which made James the youngest person to be awarded this. James directed a lot of Tvc and Short Films covering Taiwan and Mainland China markets. In 2019, he worked on “Summer”, a mainland China-Taiwan co-production long feature film and also for the first time created a short feature film, “Nine Shots”.
On the occasion of Nine Shots screening at Vienna Shorts, we speak with him about his career, the difference between feature and documentary, the film and the situation with immigrants in Taiwan, and many other topics
You were the youngest director to win a Golden Horse Award for Best Documentary.
On the occasion of Nine Shots screening at Vienna Shorts, we speak with him about his career, the difference between feature and documentary, the film and the situation with immigrants in Taiwan, and many other topics
You were the youngest director to win a Golden Horse Award for Best Documentary.
- 5/29/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Strand Releasing has scooped all North American rights to Lou Ye’s Second World War-set spy thriller “Saturday Fiction” from Wild Bunch. The film world premiered in competition at Venice last year and played at the New York Film Festival.
“Saturday Fiction” stars Gong Li as a famous actress who has returned to Japanese-occupied Shanghai to act in a play directed by and co-starring her old flame. But it turns out she has ulterior motives, functioning as a double agent gathering intelligence for the Allies leading up to Japan’s upcoming attack on Pearl Harbor.
Written by Ma Yingli (“Summer Palace”), the lavishly shot black-and-white movie also stars Mark Chao, Pascal Greggory and Tom Wlaschiha.
Strand Releasing, one of the key purveyors of upscale foreign-language cinema in the U.S., previously distributed Ye’s critically-acclaimed 2000 drama “Suzhou River,” as well as “Spring Fever,” which had won the screenplay award at...
“Saturday Fiction” stars Gong Li as a famous actress who has returned to Japanese-occupied Shanghai to act in a play directed by and co-starring her old flame. But it turns out she has ulterior motives, functioning as a double agent gathering intelligence for the Allies leading up to Japan’s upcoming attack on Pearl Harbor.
Written by Ma Yingli (“Summer Palace”), the lavishly shot black-and-white movie also stars Mark Chao, Pascal Greggory and Tom Wlaschiha.
Strand Releasing, one of the key purveyors of upscale foreign-language cinema in the U.S., previously distributed Ye’s critically-acclaimed 2000 drama “Suzhou River,” as well as “Spring Fever,” which had won the screenplay award at...
- 5/5/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
At a panel on indie film production at the Shanghai Intl. Film Festival, Chinese and foreign producers discussed the shifting funding landscape for their projects over the years.
Nai An, the longtime collaborator of controversial “sixth generation” Chinese filmmaker Lou Ye, kicked off the talk with a look back at her producing career, which has spanned the entire range of his works from 2000’s “Suzhou River” to last year’s “The Shadow Play.” Nai and Lou both received five-year bans over 2006’s “Summer Palace,” which depicted the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and was screened at the Cannes Film Festival without the permission of government censors.
A decade ago, Nai was forced to look to Europe for arthouse funding, which was largely unavailable in China. Her first seven or eight films were all made with foreign investment, she said – sidestepping the fact that most of them were also banned in her home country.
Nai An, the longtime collaborator of controversial “sixth generation” Chinese filmmaker Lou Ye, kicked off the talk with a look back at her producing career, which has spanned the entire range of his works from 2000’s “Suzhou River” to last year’s “The Shadow Play.” Nai and Lou both received five-year bans over 2006’s “Summer Palace,” which depicted the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and was screened at the Cannes Film Festival without the permission of government censors.
A decade ago, Nai was forced to look to Europe for arthouse funding, which was largely unavailable in China. Her first seven or eight films were all made with foreign investment, she said – sidestepping the fact that most of them were also banned in her home country.
- 6/16/2019
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The inaugural CineCina Film Festival, screening at Sva Theatre and Peter Norton Symphony Space through April 19, brings an impressive slate on recent Chinese-language independent films, both narrative and documentary, from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Also included is a retrospective of sixth-generation Chinese director Lou Ye, who made a splash on world cinema stage with such films as Suzhou River and Purple Butterfly, and who ran afoul of government authorities with his 2006 film Summer Palace, a drama centered on the 1989 student protests that culminated in the crackdowns of Tiananmen Square, earning him a five-year ban from filmmaking. His new film The Shadow Play has recently opened in China. It's an impressive body of work well worth revisiting. Here are three notable features in the lineup: Tsai Ming-liang...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 4/11/2019
- Screen Anarchy
Director Lou Ye’s intriguing but exasperating drama focuses on criminal undertakings with overblown results
Lou Ye is a Chinese director who has courageously challenged the authorities, receiving bans and rebukes from a Beijing establishment nonetheless wary of their troublemaker’s international prominence at film festivals. This is probably most true of his 2006 movie, Summer Palace, that tackled the great taboo: Tiananmen Square. Latterly though, he seems to be drawn to the noir-melodrama mode, simmering emotions and criminal secrets incubated in the vast new megacities which China has been building. That was true of his aptly titled 2012 film, Mystery, and it’s true of his initially intriguing, but ultimately exasperating, overlong and borderline preposterous new mystery drama-thriller, set in Guangzhou, southern China, whose scary vastness Ye establishes in his opening shots.
Perhaps Ye took inspiration from screenwriter Robert Towne’s final line from Roman Polanski’s famous film: “Forget it Jake,...
Lou Ye is a Chinese director who has courageously challenged the authorities, receiving bans and rebukes from a Beijing establishment nonetheless wary of their troublemaker’s international prominence at film festivals. This is probably most true of his 2006 movie, Summer Palace, that tackled the great taboo: Tiananmen Square. Latterly though, he seems to be drawn to the noir-melodrama mode, simmering emotions and criminal secrets incubated in the vast new megacities which China has been building. That was true of his aptly titled 2012 film, Mystery, and it’s true of his initially intriguing, but ultimately exasperating, overlong and borderline preposterous new mystery drama-thriller, set in Guangzhou, southern China, whose scary vastness Ye establishes in his opening shots.
Perhaps Ye took inspiration from screenwriter Robert Towne’s final line from Roman Polanski’s famous film: “Forget it Jake,...
- 2/12/2019
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Chinese director Zhang Ming’s “The Pluto Moment” (“Ming Wang Xing Shi Ke”) has been acquired by French sales agent Loco Films ahead of its world premiere at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight.
Based on “The Tale of Darkness,” a traditional local song of mourning, “The Pluto Moment” follows Wang Zhun, a director in search of inspiration for his new script, who embarks on an unpredictable trek across the mountainous region of Shennongjia in Hubei province with his savvy producer Ding Hongmei, young actor Bai, and photographer Du Chun. The journey brings them unexpected physical challenges, while also bearing witnesses to the subtle emotional ebbs and flows of the protagonists.
“‘The Tale of Darkness’ is a mourning song sung at funerals, one that recounts the origins of Heaven and the Earth, and the genesis of the human race,” said Ming. “The protagonists (of ‘The Pluto Moment’) are trapped in a dilemma of action and inaction,...
Based on “The Tale of Darkness,” a traditional local song of mourning, “The Pluto Moment” follows Wang Zhun, a director in search of inspiration for his new script, who embarks on an unpredictable trek across the mountainous region of Shennongjia in Hubei province with his savvy producer Ding Hongmei, young actor Bai, and photographer Du Chun. The journey brings them unexpected physical challenges, while also bearing witnesses to the subtle emotional ebbs and flows of the protagonists.
“‘The Tale of Darkness’ is a mourning song sung at funerals, one that recounts the origins of Heaven and the Earth, and the genesis of the human race,” said Ming. “The protagonists (of ‘The Pluto Moment’) are trapped in a dilemma of action and inaction,...
- 5/10/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Cast includes Gong Li, Mark Chao, Tom Wlaschiha, Pascal Greggory and Joe Odagiri.
Berlin-based production house Achtung Panda! and Japan’s Uplink have boarded Saturday Fiction, a 1940s-set period drama from controversial Chinese director Lou Ye.
Gong Li, Taiwanese actor Mark Chao, German actor Tom Wlaschiha, France’s Pascal Greggory and Japan’s Joe Odagiri and Ayumu Nakajima head the cast of the multilingual drama, also produced by Lou’s YingFilms. Chinese actors Zhang Songwen, Huang Xiangli and Wang Chuanjun also star.
Helge Albers is producing for Achtung Panda! and is presenting the project to sales agents, distributors and other potential European partners at the Efm.
Lou recently completed The Shadow Play, a drama following Chinese families over three decades of reform and increased openness in China. As the film is undergoing a lengthy review process by Chinese authorities, he returned to Shanghai to start work on pre-production and actors’ rehearsals for Saturday Fiction.
Set in Shanghai...
Berlin-based production house Achtung Panda! and Japan’s Uplink have boarded Saturday Fiction, a 1940s-set period drama from controversial Chinese director Lou Ye.
Gong Li, Taiwanese actor Mark Chao, German actor Tom Wlaschiha, France’s Pascal Greggory and Japan’s Joe Odagiri and Ayumu Nakajima head the cast of the multilingual drama, also produced by Lou’s YingFilms. Chinese actors Zhang Songwen, Huang Xiangli and Wang Chuanjun also star.
Helge Albers is producing for Achtung Panda! and is presenting the project to sales agents, distributors and other potential European partners at the Efm.
Lou recently completed The Shadow Play, a drama following Chinese families over three decades of reform and increased openness in China. As the film is undergoing a lengthy review process by Chinese authorities, he returned to Shanghai to start work on pre-production and actors’ rehearsals for Saturday Fiction.
Set in Shanghai...
- 2/16/2018
- by Liz Shackleton
- ScreenDaily
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Dormant Beauty (Marco Bellocchio)
The newest film by Marco Bellocchio, one of Italy’s most revered directors, Dormant Beauty, initially seems like a risky proposition, being that it intends to marry both the often over-stuffed ensemble drama subgenre and what’s essentially an “issue” film. The exact fear being that the narrative would strain in a series of contrivances while also mass sermonizing. And yet, while the film still...
Dormant Beauty (Marco Bellocchio)
The newest film by Marco Bellocchio, one of Italy’s most revered directors, Dormant Beauty, initially seems like a risky proposition, being that it intends to marry both the often over-stuffed ensemble drama subgenre and what’s essentially an “issue” film. The exact fear being that the narrative would strain in a series of contrivances while also mass sermonizing. And yet, while the film still...
- 9/16/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Today in movie related history...
1907 Cracking Rosalind Russell is born. Stars in many classics including: His Girl Friday, Gypsy, and Auntie Mame and is nominated for 4 Best Actress Oscars. The only actresses that share her fate of 4 Best Actress nominations w/out a win: Greta Garbo, Marsha Mason, and Barbara Stanwyck. Of the four only Marsha Mason didn't receive an Honorary later on.
1913 Suffragette Emily Davison runs onto the track at the Epson Derby and is trampled by King George V's horse. It's a huge turning point in the court of public opinion and the suffragette movement. It was reenacted in last year's Suffragette.
1936 Bruce Dern is born and never stops acting thereafter. Also donates Laura Dern to the world for which he has our undying gratitude
1940 The last allied soldiers leave Dunkirk. Britain's Pm vows that his forces will "never surrender". Christopher Nolan is currently filming a movie about Dunkirk called,...
1907 Cracking Rosalind Russell is born. Stars in many classics including: His Girl Friday, Gypsy, and Auntie Mame and is nominated for 4 Best Actress Oscars. The only actresses that share her fate of 4 Best Actress nominations w/out a win: Greta Garbo, Marsha Mason, and Barbara Stanwyck. Of the four only Marsha Mason didn't receive an Honorary later on.
1913 Suffragette Emily Davison runs onto the track at the Epson Derby and is trampled by King George V's horse. It's a huge turning point in the court of public opinion and the suffragette movement. It was reenacted in last year's Suffragette.
1936 Bruce Dern is born and never stops acting thereafter. Also donates Laura Dern to the world for which he has our undying gratitude
1940 The last allied soldiers leave Dunkirk. Britain's Pm vows that his forces will "never surrender". Christopher Nolan is currently filming a movie about Dunkirk called,...
- 6/4/2016
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Exclusive: French producer Sylvain Bursztejn’s Ambre Films is joining forces with Celine Loop and Q’s Kolkata-based Oddjoint to produce a feature version of Alka Raghuram’s documentary Burqa Boxers.
Entitled Houma, the Hindi and Bengali-language film tells the story of a teenage girl in a poor Muslim community in Kolkata who takes up boxing. She is determined to fight her poverty, but a girl who looks exactly like her starts raising uncomfortable questions about her past.
Raghuram [pictured] is working on the script and the producers aim to start shooting in the third quarter of 2016.
“India is one of the most interesting places in Asia in terms of new talent and dynamic young directors,” said Bursztejn who co-produced Lou Ye’s Summer Palace and Wang Chao’s Luxury Car.
Burqa Boxers, about four Muslim girls who learn boxing, is screening in this year’s Work-in-Progress Lab at Film Bazaar. The project...
Entitled Houma, the Hindi and Bengali-language film tells the story of a teenage girl in a poor Muslim community in Kolkata who takes up boxing. She is determined to fight her poverty, but a girl who looks exactly like her starts raising uncomfortable questions about her past.
Raghuram [pictured] is working on the script and the producers aim to start shooting in the third quarter of 2016.
“India is one of the most interesting places in Asia in terms of new talent and dynamic young directors,” said Bursztejn who co-produced Lou Ye’s Summer Palace and Wang Chao’s Luxury Car.
Burqa Boxers, about four Muslim girls who learn boxing, is screening in this year’s Work-in-Progress Lab at Film Bazaar. The project...
- 11/21/2015
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Often controversial Chinese filmmaker Lou Ye delivers one of his finest films with Blind Massage, a delicately observed and artfully directed ensemble drama, based on the novel of the same name by Bi Feiyu. Putting aside, at least for the time being, the intensely sexualized scenarios that marked some of his previous films (Summer Palace, Spring Fever, Love and Bruises, Mystery), Lou immerses us in a unique world - that of the blind - that's never been captured on film in quite this way. Sighted professional actors playing blind, including some Lou regulars, mesh seamlessly with actual non-sighted and partially-sighted amateurs to create a broad canvas encompassing several stories that are all engrossing and beautifully rendered.Blind Massage begins with an offscreen narrator (who is heard...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 7/2/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Hong Kong – Director Peter Chan unveiled the English title of his new film to be Dearest. The film, a drama about the search for a missing son, will be released in China on Sept. 26. Produced by Chan and Jojo Hui (Wu Xia), Dearest features a galaxy of Chinese stars including Zhao Wei (Red Cliff), Huang Bo (Lost in Thailand), Tong Dawei (American Dreams in China), Hao Lei (Summer Palace), Zhang Yi (Beijing Love Story) and Zhang Yuqi (White Deer Plain). Story: Social Media to Boom During Soccer World Cup The film's Chinese title has also been changed from Dear
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- 6/9/2014
- by Karen Chu
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Chinese production and investment company Dreams of the Dragon Pictures (Ddp) has hired Christopher DeHau Lee as president of its film division.
Based in Beijing and Los Angeles, he will oversee feature film development and production as well as international business for the company.
Ddp was an investor in Cloud Atlas, handling mainland Chinese distribution and marketing on the film, which grossed $27m in China this January.
The company has also produced Chinese films such as Heaven Eternal, Earth Everlasting and horror thriller The Man Behind The Courtyard House. It also operates a TV production studio and talent management division.
Lee previously founded China-based production and consulting company Move Eye Media and prior to that worked for Dmg Entertainment.
Before moving to China he worked at Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment, Ron Burkle’s Absolute Entertainment and Paramount-based Melee Entertainment.
Ddp is producing and co-producing a slate of films including a romantic drama set in Beijing’s [link...
Based in Beijing and Los Angeles, he will oversee feature film development and production as well as international business for the company.
Ddp was an investor in Cloud Atlas, handling mainland Chinese distribution and marketing on the film, which grossed $27m in China this January.
The company has also produced Chinese films such as Heaven Eternal, Earth Everlasting and horror thriller The Man Behind The Courtyard House. It also operates a TV production studio and talent management division.
Lee previously founded China-based production and consulting company Move Eye Media and prior to that worked for Dmg Entertainment.
Before moving to China he worked at Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment, Ron Burkle’s Absolute Entertainment and Paramount-based Melee Entertainment.
Ddp is producing and co-producing a slate of films including a romantic drama set in Beijing’s [link...
- 10/30/2013
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
The Jackie Chan we all knew and loved is back in this awesome, action-packed new trailer for his new film CZ12, a.k.a. Armour of God III: Chinese Zodiac. I almost forgot what it was I liked about watching Chan until I saw this trailer and was reminded by his awesomeness. I was like, "Oh yeah! He used to do awesome stunts like that!" It's really cool to see him doing some fun and inventive martial arts work again. It's been awhile. The movie is a sequel to the 1991 film Operation Condor and features Chan reprising his role as Asian Hawk. Here's the synopsis:
Asian Hawk (Jackie Chan) leads a mercenary team to recover several lost artifacts from the Old Summer Palace, the bronze heads of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals which were looted by foreigners in the 1800s. Assisted by a Chinese student and a Parisian lady, Hawk...
Asian Hawk (Jackie Chan) leads a mercenary team to recover several lost artifacts from the Old Summer Palace, the bronze heads of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals which were looted by foreigners in the 1800s. Assisted by a Chinese student and a Parisian lady, Hawk...
- 10/2/2013
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
The latest film from Jackie Chan, once called Chinese Zodiac, has been teased for over a year now, and the film is finally coming to theaters later this month. Chan writes, directs and stars in CZ12 which is actually a sequel to his 1991 film Operation Condor, one of the earlier films that got him noticed in the United States. Asian Hawk is back in action to recover several lost artifacts from the Old Summer Palace, the bronze heads of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals which were looted by foreigners in the 1800s. This first Us trailer looks like the old school action we've been missing in blockbusters, and it could be fun. Watch! Here's the first official Us trailer for CZ12 (formerly Chinese Zodiac), originally from Apple: Jackie Chan writes, directs and stars in CZ12 (aka Chinese Zodiac or Armour of God III: Chinese Zodiac), a sequel to the 1991 film...
- 10/1/2013
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Jackie Chan is back on the big screen this year with CZ12 , an action adventure project that he's written, directed, produced and stars in. Check out the film's new trailer in the player below, courtesy of iTunes Movie Trailers . Also known as Armour of God III: Chinese Zodiac , CZ12 is the sequel to the 1991 film Operation Condor and features Chan reprising his role as Asian Hawk. The movie follows Hawk as he attempts to bring back the bronze head statues of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, which were sacked by the French and British armies from the imperial Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860. CZ12 hits theaters October 18.
- 10/1/2013
- Comingsoon.net
A scattering of awards at the Cannes Film Festival has given international prominence to what experts say is an exciting era in Asian film-making, where China is emerging as the creative powerhouse. Directors from China, Japan, Singapore and Cambodia were all present at the Palais des Festivals, and this is where the world’s most prestigious movie bash ended on Sunday, May 26th. Generous praise has been lavished upon China’s Jia Zhangke for his screenwriting of “A Touch of Sin” (Tian Zhu Ding), which he also directed. This is a tale involving corruption, greed and the exploitation culture involved in modern day China. Festival jury boss Steven Spielberg said the movie was nothing less than “visionary,” high praise indeed. Jia, 43, was born into real poverty. He was raised in the harsh province of Shanxi, which has frequently provided a grim setting for his story-lines. “A Touch of Sin,” a...
- 5/29/2013
- by john glynn
- Obsessed with Film
Putting on the Ritz to help some of the poorest children in the world, Prince Harry attended the Sentebale Gala Dinner at Summer Palace in Johannesburg, South Africa on Wednesday (February 27).
Sporting a classic black tux, the wild child of the royal family spoke with co-founder of the charity, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho.
During his address, Prince Harry explained, "I hope [Queen Mamohato Bereng Seeiso] would be proud of what we are trying to achieve in her name. I hope that my mother will be proud, too."
"Maybe, just maybe, they are together somewhere up there, with blueprints and sketches already mapped out! I can only hope we put the swings in the right place," he told the guests.
"Talking about HIV and understanding it isn't dangerous," Harry continued. "Denying it, or not knowing about it, definitely is."...
Sporting a classic black tux, the wild child of the royal family spoke with co-founder of the charity, Prince Seeiso of Lesotho.
During his address, Prince Harry explained, "I hope [Queen Mamohato Bereng Seeiso] would be proud of what we are trying to achieve in her name. I hope that my mother will be proud, too."
"Maybe, just maybe, they are together somewhere up there, with blueprints and sketches already mapped out! I can only hope we put the swings in the right place," he told the guests.
"Talking about HIV and understanding it isn't dangerous," Harry continued. "Denying it, or not knowing about it, definitely is."...
- 2/28/2013
- GossipCenter
Prince Harry donned a tuxedo to attend the Sentebale Gala dinner at the Summer Palace in Johannesburg today. He's overseas doing charity work with the Sentebale organization, which he founded with Lesotho's Prince Seeiso in honor of their late mothers. Harry spoke at the black-tie event, saying that he hopes his "mother will be proud" of the charity's efforts to decrease the transmission of HIV in the region. Earlier in the day Harry visited Lesotho, where he danced and played games with a group of children. View Slideshow ›...
- 2/27/2013
- by Lauren Turner
- Popsugar.com
Prince Harry donned a tuxedo to attend the Sentebale Gala dinner at the Summer Palace in Johannesburg today. He's overseas doing charity work with the Sentebale organization, which he founded with Lesotho's Prince Seeiso in honor of their late mothers. Harry spoke at the black tie event saying that he hopes his "mother will be proud" of the charity's efforts to decrease the transmission of HIV in the region. Earlier in the day Harry visited Lesotho, where he danced and played games with a group of children. View Slideshow ›...
- 2/27/2013
- by Lauren Turner
- Popsugar.com
Seoul, South Korea — Jackie Chan wants his latest film to spread the message about how China's national artifacts are being looted and sold.
"Chinese Zodiac" or "CZ12" is about a man who finds and recovers 12 bronze zodiac animal heads historically depicted as being looted from China's Summer Palace by colonialists.
The blockbuster's director, writer, producer and star, Chan said he was upset after seeing three of the bronzes being auctioned while he lived in Hong Kong.
"I wanted to give you and people around the world a message through a movie" about the looting, he told reporters Monday in South Korea.
Hailed as an action-comedy superstar with Asian and Hollywood success, Chan repeated past remarks that his future films may not be in the action genre.
"I have thought about retiring and in the case of action movies, I think `Chinese Zodiac' may be my last blockbuster-scale action movie," he said.
"Chinese Zodiac" or "CZ12" is about a man who finds and recovers 12 bronze zodiac animal heads historically depicted as being looted from China's Summer Palace by colonialists.
The blockbuster's director, writer, producer and star, Chan said he was upset after seeing three of the bronzes being auctioned while he lived in Hong Kong.
"I wanted to give you and people around the world a message through a movie" about the looting, he told reporters Monday in South Korea.
Hailed as an action-comedy superstar with Asian and Hollywood success, Chan repeated past remarks that his future films may not be in the action genre.
"I have thought about retiring and in the case of action movies, I think `Chinese Zodiac' may be my last blockbuster-scale action movie," he said.
- 2/20/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Chinese Zodiac (2012) Action superstar Jackie Chan’s last foray into the cinematic world of death-defying stunts is sure to rub a number of his long-time fans the wrong way. Instead of going back to basics, Chan goes completely over-the-top. Unfortunately, the film tends to suffer as a result. Chan stars as Jc, a worldly adventurer who is known for his ability to find and retrieve rare artifacts from around the globe. His latest mission is to recover a number of relics stolen from the Old Summer Palace years ago. Chan’s excursion takes him to a number of exotic locales, which allows for a number of goofy action-packed set pieces. Sadly, the story driving these confrontations feels like an unproduced episode of “Jackie Chan Adventures.” While Chan does participate in a few cool fights towards the end of the feature, those of you hoping for an old school Jackie Chan...
- 1/13/2013
- by Todd Rigney
- Beyond Hollywood
Well you know what they say, if anyone can do it, Jackie can and he certainly as done it again. According to reports issued by the official Movie Zodiac on Weibo, Chinese Zodiac had a record breaking opening day in China, with a box office of 43.5 million Yuan.
The first couple of reviews suggested that Jackie’s latest offering wasn’t so great and it lacked any real action, but i don’t listen to one person’s views and i am glad i was right. Jackie Chan as once again shown he is the real deal at the box office and with movies such as Police Story 2013 on the way, i cant see it stopping any time soon.
Plot
Jackie Chan reprises his role as adventurer and treasure hunter Asian Hawk, who is seeking to repatriate twelve bronze heads of the animals of the Chinese zodiac that were looted...
The first couple of reviews suggested that Jackie’s latest offering wasn’t so great and it lacked any real action, but i don’t listen to one person’s views and i am glad i was right. Jackie Chan as once again shown he is the real deal at the box office and with movies such as Police Story 2013 on the way, i cant see it stopping any time soon.
Plot
Jackie Chan reprises his role as adventurer and treasure hunter Asian Hawk, who is seeking to repatriate twelve bronze heads of the animals of the Chinese zodiac that were looted...
- 12/22/2012
- by kingofkungfu
- AsianMoviePulse
Lou Ye's first release in his homeland for a decade is a beautiful and violent film echoing some of contemporary China's problems
The launch party for the first film by Lou Ye to be screened in China for 10 years was held in Yugong Yishan, a trendy music venue in central Beijing, once the headquarters of a Chinese warlord. Lou Ye, dressed in black from top to toe, mingled with the crowd of journalists and friends, while on stage, the group Zhao Ze played one of the film's theme tunes.
Mystery (Fucheng mishi) was presented at the Cannes Film Festival last May and released in China last month. It is a story of a love triangle that turns to tragedy against the smoggy backdrop of Wuhan, taken from a woman's real-life account about her unfaithful husband that caused a stir in China in 2009. This is Lou Ye's seventh film but only...
The launch party for the first film by Lou Ye to be screened in China for 10 years was held in Yugong Yishan, a trendy music venue in central Beijing, once the headquarters of a Chinese warlord. Lou Ye, dressed in black from top to toe, mingled with the crowd of journalists and friends, while on stage, the group Zhao Ze played one of the film's theme tunes.
Mystery (Fucheng mishi) was presented at the Cannes Film Festival last May and released in China last month. It is a story of a love triangle that turns to tragedy against the smoggy backdrop of Wuhan, taken from a woman's real-life account about her unfaithful husband that caused a stir in China in 2009. This is Lou Ye's seventh film but only...
- 11/20/2012
- by Brice Pedroletti
- The Guardian - Film News
Armour of God III, or simply Chinese Zodiac is an upcoming Jackie Chan‘s action adventure movie which definitely deserves our full attention. Especially now, when we finally have the full trailer for the whole thing. Get ready for a little preview of the story which will show us that searching the world for a set of mystic artifacts is never an easy job. Not even for Jackie Chan!
What’s important thing for you to know is that Chinese Zodiac is produced, written and directed by Jackie Chan, who (as usual) stars as the lead in the whole thing as well.
The movie is actually a sequel to that 1991 film Armour of God II: Operation Condor film, which means that Chan is back as that Asian Hawk guy who has to bring back the bronze head statues of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, which were sacked by the French and...
What’s important thing for you to know is that Chinese Zodiac is produced, written and directed by Jackie Chan, who (as usual) stars as the lead in the whole thing as well.
The movie is actually a sequel to that 1991 film Armour of God II: Operation Condor film, which means that Chan is back as that Asian Hawk guy who has to bring back the bronze head statues of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, which were sacked by the French and...
- 10/16/2012
- by Jeanne Standal
- Filmofilia
Subtitled fare always seems to consume me in September and early October as the Foreign Language Submission List for Oscar takes shape (it's not quite official yet but the submission deadline has passed). This is also the time of year when The Golden Horse, the preeminent Chinese/Taiwanese film awards, announce their nominations. Rather than a huge Academy vote, the Golden Horse is determined by a jury. Andy Lau who starred in Hong Kong’s Oscar submission A Simple Life last year and is best known internationally for two hits from the Aughts (The House of Flying Daggers and Infernal Affairs which was later remade into The Departed) is the president of this year’s jury.
Caught in the Web, China's Oscar submission, was apparently not eligible.
Best Picture Nominees
Beijing Blues -a police procedural Mystery - is the leader with 8 nominations. It's a thriller from Lou Ye, who is...
Caught in the Web, China's Oscar submission, was apparently not eligible.
Best Picture Nominees
Beijing Blues -a police procedural Mystery - is the leader with 8 nominations. It's a thriller from Lou Ye, who is...
- 10/3/2012
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Cast: Jackie Chan, Kwon Sang Woo
Director : Jackie Chan
Producer : Jackie Chan, Stanley Tong Gwai Lai, Albert Yeung Sau Sing
Action Director : Jackie Chan, Sing Ga Ban
Writer : Jackie Chan
Chinese Zodiac (Chinese: 十二生肖), also known as Armour of God III: Chinese Zodiac is an upcoming Hong Kong action film produced, written, directed by and starring Jackie Chan. It is the sequel to the 1991 film Armour of God II: Operation Condor, in which Jackie will reprise his role as Asian Hawk. The movie tells about Asian Hawk bringing back the bronze head statues of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, which were sacked by the French and British armies from the imperial Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860.
A major fight scene of the action movie cost 70 million yuan, or more than 10 million U.S. dollars.
There was lots of talk that this was going to be the final Jackie Chan movie,...
Director : Jackie Chan
Producer : Jackie Chan, Stanley Tong Gwai Lai, Albert Yeung Sau Sing
Action Director : Jackie Chan, Sing Ga Ban
Writer : Jackie Chan
Chinese Zodiac (Chinese: 十二生肖), also known as Armour of God III: Chinese Zodiac is an upcoming Hong Kong action film produced, written, directed by and starring Jackie Chan. It is the sequel to the 1991 film Armour of God II: Operation Condor, in which Jackie will reprise his role as Asian Hawk. The movie tells about Asian Hawk bringing back the bronze head statues of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, which were sacked by the French and British armies from the imperial Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860.
A major fight scene of the action movie cost 70 million yuan, or more than 10 million U.S. dollars.
There was lots of talk that this was going to be the final Jackie Chan movie,...
- 7/25/2012
- by kingofkungfu
- AsianMoviePulse
We at Asian Movie Pulse are proud to post the official trailer for Jackie Chan’s latest action adventure Chinese Zodiac.
The trailer was shown at The Cannes festival where Chan spoken about himself not getting any younger and he cant perform stunts and fight scenes like he used to do, but gives it is all in this movie.
it is the sequel to the 1991 film Armour of God II: Operation Condor, in which Jackie will reprise his role as Asian Hawk. The movie tells about Asian Hawk bringing back the bronze head statues of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, which were sacked by the French and British armies from the imperial Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860.
A major fight scene of the action movie cost 70 million yuan, or more than 10 million U.S. dollars.
I have been waiting a long time to see this and i am not disappointed, this...
The trailer was shown at The Cannes festival where Chan spoken about himself not getting any younger and he cant perform stunts and fight scenes like he used to do, but gives it is all in this movie.
it is the sequel to the 1991 film Armour of God II: Operation Condor, in which Jackie will reprise his role as Asian Hawk. The movie tells about Asian Hawk bringing back the bronze head statues of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, which were sacked by the French and British armies from the imperial Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860.
A major fight scene of the action movie cost 70 million yuan, or more than 10 million U.S. dollars.
I have been waiting a long time to see this and i am not disappointed, this...
- 5/21/2012
- by kingofkungfu
- AsianMoviePulse
A vintage Cannes offers a whale of a drama, a Chinese mystery, and a dainty slice of dysfunctional family life from Wes Anderson. Meanwhile, Woody Allen and Roman Polanski have some explaining to do
Like the Godfather of film festivals that it is, Cannes keeps its friends close and its enemies closer. Over the 65th edition's early days, Cannes clawed back any deserters or doubters with a storming selection, confirming it as the best showcase for challenging cinema from around the world.
Andrea Arnold, the British director whose career Cannes nurtured by promoting her films Red Road and Fish Tank, showed her version of Wuthering Heights at Venice last year. Cannes immediately installed her as a member of this year's jury.
Regulars such as Woody Allen and Roman Polanski, neither of whom have a film showing here, have instead been rewarded with warmly respectful documentaries, made and populated by high-profile friends and fans.
Like the Godfather of film festivals that it is, Cannes keeps its friends close and its enemies closer. Over the 65th edition's early days, Cannes clawed back any deserters or doubters with a storming selection, confirming it as the best showcase for challenging cinema from around the world.
Andrea Arnold, the British director whose career Cannes nurtured by promoting her films Red Road and Fish Tank, showed her version of Wuthering Heights at Venice last year. Cannes immediately installed her as a member of this year's jury.
Regulars such as Woody Allen and Roman Polanski, neither of whom have a film showing here, have instead been rewarded with warmly respectful documentaries, made and populated by high-profile friends and fans.
- 5/19/2012
- by Jason Solomons
- The Guardian - Film News
All the latest news, reviews, comment and buzz from the Croisette
10.04am: Day three of Cannes 2012 rolls round. If you want to catch up with what happened yesterday (whenever that was), here's yesterday's blow-by-blow live blog.
But as is the way with Cannes, it's history already; all that's left is to pick over the bones. And that will assuredly be happening in the video we'll post later this morning, when Peter, Xan and Catherine run the rule over Rust and Bone, last night's biggie. We'll also have a gallery of red carpet pictures, featuring star Marion Cotillard and ice-cold director Jacques Audiard. (I've said it before, I'll say it again: he's the person I want to be when I grow up.)
So what to look forward to today? The line-up is perhaps a tad less starry that on days one and two: the competition films are Reality, from Italian director...
10.04am: Day three of Cannes 2012 rolls round. If you want to catch up with what happened yesterday (whenever that was), here's yesterday's blow-by-blow live blog.
But as is the way with Cannes, it's history already; all that's left is to pick over the bones. And that will assuredly be happening in the video we'll post later this morning, when Peter, Xan and Catherine run the rule over Rust and Bone, last night's biggie. We'll also have a gallery of red carpet pictures, featuring star Marion Cotillard and ice-cold director Jacques Audiard. (I've said it before, I'll say it again: he's the person I want to be when I grow up.)
So what to look forward to today? The line-up is perhaps a tad less starry that on days one and two: the competition films are Reality, from Italian director...
- 5/18/2012
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Opening this year’s Un Certain Regard programme, Mystery returns festival veteran Lou Ye to Cannes for the fourth time, having screened Purple Butterfly, Summer Palace and Spring Fever in the main competition in past years, and after being banned from filmmaking for five years by the Chinese government. Though he is on less provocative form here than previously, he does still sneak in a criticism of the Chinese justice system and the somewhat distasteful practice of private settlements overriding criminal prosecution. His story here focuses on Lu Jie (Hao Lei), a happy housewife whose life is shattered when she discovers that her husband (Hao Qin) is having an affair. The story isn’t quite that conventional however, as it is framed by an explosive event – the death of her husband’s mistress under the wheels of a young rich playboy’s car – and when murder is suggested, the film quickly sets about solving the mystery of...
- 5/18/2012
- by Simon Gallagher
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Distinctive and confident, Lou Ye's intriguing if ultimately slightly preposterous noir-melodrama lives up to its name
Lou Ye has marked himself out as a film-maker who is ready to put sex on screen in a way few or none of his fellow Chinese film-makers are willing or able to do. This intriguing if overcooked noir-melodrama is another case in point: a sexually intense thriller set in the colossal city of Wuhan in eastern China, which the director portrays as an unimaginably gigantic forest of featureless skyscrapers, their summits lost in the smog. The film has touches of Chabrol – and even a weird hint of Fatal Attraction – and also offers a sly satirical perspective on modern China's new rush to capitalist riches and bourgeois prosperity.
The title is apt: it is very mysterious. The director baffles us with what appear to be two separate plot strands: a woman is hit by...
Lou Ye has marked himself out as a film-maker who is ready to put sex on screen in a way few or none of his fellow Chinese film-makers are willing or able to do. This intriguing if overcooked noir-melodrama is another case in point: a sexually intense thriller set in the colossal city of Wuhan in eastern China, which the director portrays as an unimaginably gigantic forest of featureless skyscrapers, their summits lost in the smog. The film has touches of Chabrol – and even a weird hint of Fatal Attraction – and also offers a sly satirical perspective on modern China's new rush to capitalist riches and bourgeois prosperity.
The title is apt: it is very mysterious. The director baffles us with what appear to be two separate plot strands: a woman is hit by...
- 5/18/2012
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Chinese Zodiac is the latest offering from the legend that is Jackie Chan. Here we have a few videos showing Jackie behind the scenes of the movie, we hope you enjoy them. There is also a video from someone’s phone catching Jackie greeting the fans.
It is the sequel to the 1991 film Armour of God II: Operation Condor, in which Jackie will reprise his role as Asian Hawk. The movie tells about Asian Hawk bringing back the bronze head statues of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, which were sacked by the French and British armies from the imperial Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860.
A major fight scene of the action movie cost 70 million yuan, or more than 10 million U.S. dollars.
From April 18 to May 2, Jackie Chan has visited Jelgava, Latvia to make some acrobatic scenes for movie at the “Aerodium” vertical wind tunnel.Filming also took place in France,...
It is the sequel to the 1991 film Armour of God II: Operation Condor, in which Jackie will reprise his role as Asian Hawk. The movie tells about Asian Hawk bringing back the bronze head statues of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, which were sacked by the French and British armies from the imperial Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860.
A major fight scene of the action movie cost 70 million yuan, or more than 10 million U.S. dollars.
From April 18 to May 2, Jackie Chan has visited Jelgava, Latvia to make some acrobatic scenes for movie at the “Aerodium” vertical wind tunnel.Filming also took place in France,...
- 5/10/2012
- by kingofkungfu
- AsianMoviePulse
The internets gave us first looks at Wild Bunch's upcoming Croisette-bound slate (Ken Loach and Cristian Mungiu) but a trio of Efm sales titles that might also break into the line-up (or worse case be kept for Venice) appear to have gone unnoticed. Though I thought Lou Ye's last picture, the 2011 Toronto Film Fest preemed Love and Bruises was a grating, basically unpleasant piece of art-house cinema, I'm indeed curious as to how the auteur went about creating this murder mystery. After his five year ban, Mystery is his film shot in China revolves around an investigation into the mysterious death of a young woman involved with a married businessman. I believe thesps Hao Lei (Summer Palace) and Qin Hao (Spring Fever) are in the final pic below.
- 2/27/2012
- IONCINEMA.com
Wild Bunch and Elle Driver are in Toronto with films by such illuminaries as Fernando Meirelles (City of God, The Constant Gardener), Cedric Kahn, Goro Miyazaki (Tales from Earthsea), Emanuele Crialese (Respiro, The Golden Door), Kore-eda (Nobody Knows), Lou Ye (Summer Palace), Nacho Vigalondo(Timecrimes) and Marco van Geffen. Handling their publicity is Martin Marquet, one of the bright lights in our universe. You can find the team at the Hyatt Regency on King Street West. Check out their films below the jump. 360 (Isa: Wild Bunch), Gala Directed by Fernando Meirelles Starring Anthony Hopkins, Rachel Weisz (Tbc) and Ben Foster,…...
- 9/15/2011
- Sydney's Buzz
"A pitch-black tale of murder, corruption and almost every other conceivable form of human injustice is taken to its bleakest possible conclusions in People Mountain People Sea," writes Justin Chang in Variety. "Set in motion by a man's hunt for his brother's killer, helmer Cai Shangjun's slow-burning second feature employs a certain narrative vagueness as its protagonist betrays not a word of his increasingly dark motives. But the story's threads, even if only partly grasped, come together in powerful fashion in this grim, formally impressive drama."
The Surprise Film of the Festival and winner of the Silver Lion for Best Director "had reportedly come to Venice without first receiving permission from the Chinese film censors (when Lou Ye did this, premiering Summer Palace at Cannes in 2006, he was officially banned from filmmaking for five years), and halfway through the screening it seemed for a moment that their government might be striking back.
The Surprise Film of the Festival and winner of the Silver Lion for Best Director "had reportedly come to Venice without first receiving permission from the Chinese film censors (when Lou Ye did this, premiering Summer Palace at Cannes in 2006, he was officially banned from filmmaking for five years), and halfway through the screening it seemed for a moment that their government might be striking back.
- 9/11/2011
- MUBI
Jury president neither shaken nor stirred by ex-wife's marriage, resentment simmers over Polanski's failure to credit screenwriter, and a banned Chinese film-maker heads home
All aboard as Ark sets sail
Jury president Darren Aronofsky was gliding about the opening night party on the Excelsior beach in a velvet Gucci dinner jacket. The director, who won the Golden Lion for The Wrestler three years ago, looked trim and happy despite recent upheavals in his private life – his ex-wife Rachel Weisz married James Bond. "I'm just getting on with prepping my next movie," he told me. After the success of Black Swan, Aronofsky can command the budget he needs for his long-cherished film Noah's Ark. "It's a proper, old-school Biblical epic," he said. "No one's really done it, except for a segment in John Huston's film The Bible, when Huston himself played Noah. So I'm going all out, floods, real animals,...
All aboard as Ark sets sail
Jury president Darren Aronofsky was gliding about the opening night party on the Excelsior beach in a velvet Gucci dinner jacket. The director, who won the Golden Lion for The Wrestler three years ago, looked trim and happy despite recent upheavals in his private life – his ex-wife Rachel Weisz married James Bond. "I'm just getting on with prepping my next movie," he told me. After the success of Black Swan, Aronofsky can command the budget he needs for his long-cherished film Noah's Ark. "It's a proper, old-school Biblical epic," he said. "No one's really done it, except for a segment in John Huston's film The Bible, when Huston himself played Noah. So I'm going all out, floods, real animals,...
- 9/3/2011
- by Jason Solomons
- The Guardian - Film News
"When foreign directors make films in Paris, the result is often a predictable mix of cafés, croissants and obligatory shots of the Eiffel Tower at night," writes Jordan Mintzer in the Hollywood Reporter. "In the French-language drama Love and Bruises, Chinese auteur Lou Ye (Summer Palace) steers clear of such clichés, only to deliver a whole other brand of them in this sordid, ultimately bland tale of amour fu between a Beijing student and a banlieue thug, played by A Prophet star Tahar Rahim. Filled with Lou's usual sexcapades, and with enough rapes and scuffles to make the City of Light look like the South Bronx, Bruise should pound only a handful of arthouses after its Venice Days opening berth."
"Lou's sexually and politically charged Summer Palace (2006) led the Chinese government to restrict him from filmmaking for five years, a ruling he defied by making the frisky 2009 melodrama Spring Fever,...
"Lou's sexually and politically charged Summer Palace (2006) led the Chinese government to restrict him from filmmaking for five years, a ruling he defied by making the frisky 2009 melodrama Spring Fever,...
- 9/1/2011
- MUBI
Festival season heading your way out there in the dark. Even if you only experience film festivals through blog mania for the same, that's still something. That's how most of us experience Cannes each year, yes? This year Tfe will be doing a lot from Nyff as it's close to home (5 stops on the subway close!) and quite inexpensive since there's already a bed to sleep in: one's own! But we have lined up a few foreign correspondents to give you bits and bobs from Venice (Aug 31st-Sept 10th), Toronto (Sept 8th-18th), and London (Oct 12th-27th). Quite often commenting is light on film festival pieces, which one assumes is because of the unfamiliar factor of the films, though sometimes it's quite distressing -- I even drew you cartoons from Nashville and there was nary a peep! -- so some feedback would be greatly appreciated:
What interests you and what doesn't about film festivals?...
What interests you and what doesn't about film festivals?...
- 8/23/2011
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Does Japanese period costume reflect on contemporary fashion? French born writer Aurélie Coulibaly appraises the hipster style of Norwegian Wood.
Youth, love, Japan, 1960s; Norwegian Wood (2010, directed by Anh Hung Tran) is a fable on loss and growing up. Set from the summer of ’67 through to a spring morning just a few years later, somewhere between child and adulthood, we meet an assorted group of angelic characters to move any sensitive soul.
We are in Tokyo, and along with the hectic political context of students’ protests against established order, alternatively contemplating tormented Naoko (Rinko Kikushi) and youthful Midori (Kiko Mizuhara) in their intense, yet poetic relationship with Toru Watanabe (Kenichi Matsuyama). All are beautiful and secretive, ethereally flowing over the troubled waters of adolescence. Costume designer Yen Khe Luguern (first credit for a feature movie) selected different characteristics of 60?s fashion to subtly highlight the protagonists’ personalities. Khe Luguern’s...
Youth, love, Japan, 1960s; Norwegian Wood (2010, directed by Anh Hung Tran) is a fable on loss and growing up. Set from the summer of ’67 through to a spring morning just a few years later, somewhere between child and adulthood, we meet an assorted group of angelic characters to move any sensitive soul.
We are in Tokyo, and along with the hectic political context of students’ protests against established order, alternatively contemplating tormented Naoko (Rinko Kikushi) and youthful Midori (Kiko Mizuhara) in their intense, yet poetic relationship with Toru Watanabe (Kenichi Matsuyama). All are beautiful and secretive, ethereally flowing over the troubled waters of adolescence. Costume designer Yen Khe Luguern (first credit for a feature movie) selected different characteristics of 60?s fashion to subtly highlight the protagonists’ personalities. Khe Luguern’s...
- 7/8/2011
- by Chris Laverty
- Clothes on Film
Does Japanese period costume reflect on contemporary fashion? French born writer Aurélie Coulibaly appraises the hipster style of Norwegian Wood.
Youth, love, Japan, 1960s; Norwegian Wood (2010, directed by Anh Hung Tran) is a fable on loss and growing up. Set from the summer of ’67 through to a spring morning just a few years later, somewhere between child and adulthood, we meet an assorted group of angelic characters to move any sensitive soul.
We are in Tokyo, and along with the hectic political context of students’ protests against established order, alternatively contemplating tormented Naoko (Rinko Kikushi) and youthful Midori (Kiko Mizuhara) in their intense, yet poetic relationship with Toru Watanabe (Kenichi Matsuyama). All are beautiful and secretive, ethereally flowing over the troubled waters of adolescence. Costume designer Yen Khe Luguern (first credit for a feature movie) selected different characteristics of 60′s fashion to subtly highlight the protagonists’ personalities. Khe Luguern’s...
Youth, love, Japan, 1960s; Norwegian Wood (2010, directed by Anh Hung Tran) is a fable on loss and growing up. Set from the summer of ’67 through to a spring morning just a few years later, somewhere between child and adulthood, we meet an assorted group of angelic characters to move any sensitive soul.
We are in Tokyo, and along with the hectic political context of students’ protests against established order, alternatively contemplating tormented Naoko (Rinko Kikushi) and youthful Midori (Kiko Mizuhara) in their intense, yet poetic relationship with Toru Watanabe (Kenichi Matsuyama). All are beautiful and secretive, ethereally flowing over the troubled waters of adolescence. Costume designer Yen Khe Luguern (first credit for a feature movie) selected different characteristics of 60′s fashion to subtly highlight the protagonists’ personalities. Khe Luguern’s...
- 7/8/2011
- by Chris Laverty
- Clothes on Film
Here's a first look at on-the-rise thespians Tahar Rahim and Corinne Yam in Lou Ye's upcoming romantic drama "Love And Bruises"--formerly known by the evocative title of "Bitch." As the original title suggests, Ye's a helmer not adverse to controversy. Having been banned twice by the Chinese government for 2000's "Suzhou River" and for 2006's "Summer Palace," this latest project doesn't sound like any sort of compromise either. An adaptation of a banned Jie Liu Falin biography, the story follows Matthieu, a French man who has his Chinese lover follow him to Paris setting off an intense love addiction. After…...
- 3/15/2011
- The Playlist
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