Father Geek here with Darius25, AccSpy, pigmon, and the rest of the Asia-AICN crew with this week's Thursday morning report. I received the following info this morning that some of you have been waiting for...
Hi, guys. Since you complained at great length about Battle Royale not getting a wide release in the US... I thought I'd pass along this little tidbit.
If you're willing to do a little searching, you can buy Battle Royale on Video CD. (If you don't know, this is a CD-based format that never caught on in the US but is very popular in Asia; they have no region coding and will play on most DVD players.) I just ordered mine for $11.99, plus shipping, from Poker Industries, an importer in New Jersey (www.pokerindustries.com).
Here's a link to their Battle Royale page: Just Click Here to See It
I've also seen it at Five Star Laser Corp., in Los Angeles. They're at www.fivestarlaser.com. They charge $12.50 for it. Undoubtedly there are other importers that can get it.
Just thought you'd be interested. If lots of people start ordering it, maybe we can get some momentum for a domestic release, hmmmm?
Later,
TheFool
Father Geek back with this tidbit from Germany that I found very interesting...
I haven't heard of this THAI epic before, but boy this trailer really looks like some serious shit:
Click Here Now to Get Your Ass Kicked
WOW!!! Battle scenes with hundreds of extras (hey, they even put some elephant-battle action in it), really stylish camera-moves, great drama, and incredible swordsplay...
This epic is called SURIYOTHAI and its the most expensive Thai production ever.
There is an offical website with a lot of flash and even big parts in english online at This Site
Check it out!
greez:
Blake Falls
OK enough of ol' Father Geek... Here's Darius...
Asia-AICN
Hey all, hope everything went well during the last week. We have a
pretty packed column for you this time with news on "Tiger Hill", "Dil
Chahta Hai (Desires of the Heart)", Mahesh Manjrekar's new film, Feroz
Khan's next film, Wong Jing's next film, "The Touch", "God of Cookery
2", actor Sam Lee's next film and an a report on a Korean Film Festival
in NYC. We also have some pics from "Dil Chahta Hai", "Yeh Raaste Hain
Pyar Ke (The Paths of Love)", "Highbinders", and "The Touch". Now here's
the latest from Asia.
INDIA
To start things off, here's a review of "Dil Chahta Hai (Desires of the
Heart)" sent in my "Moviemaniac":
Hey all, hope everything went well during the last week. We have a
pretty packed column for you this time with news on "Tiger Hill", "Dil
Chahta Hai (Desires of the Heart)", Mahesh Manjrekar's new film, Feroz
Khan's next film, Wong Jing's next film, "The Touch", "God of Cookery
2", actor Sam Lee's next film and an a report on a Korean Film Festival
in NYC. We also have some pics from "Dil Chahta Hai", "Yeh Raaste Hain
Pyar Ke (The Paths of Love)", "Highbinders", and "The Touch". Now here's
the latest from Asia.
INDIA
To start things off, here's a review of "Dil Chahta Hai (Desires of the
Heart)" sent in my "Moviemaniac":
To start things off, here's a review of "Dil Chahta Hai (Desires of the Heart)" sent in my "Moviemaniac":
Dil Chahta Hai is the story of 3 guys, Aakash (Aamir Khan), Sid (Akshaye Khanna) and Sameer (Saif Ali Khan). These three guys are close friends and the first half of the movie is all about them and their wacky antics. Aakash is a casanova, he hates sticking with one girl for longer than 2 weeks, he hates long relationships and he does NOT believe in love at all. He doesn't think it exists. Sid, however is a more serious guy. He's a painter, and he's one of those creative, brooding, silent types, altho he does have his fun too. Sid doesn't believe in fooling around at all. He's got his head screwed on straight. Sameer is the perfect balance between the two. He's frivolous, but not as bad as Aakash and he gets into one disastrous relationship after another (including a particularly disastrous one in Goa ;) The first half involves a lot of fun and friendly pranks in Goa, and is fast paced. The songs rule (not the typical bollywood song-and-dance around trees) and they have a very urban/techy feel.
Soon after their trip from Goa, Sameer's parents try to arrange his marriage to a friends daughter, and although he vehemently refuses to even consider an arranged marriage, he falls in love with the girl the minute he sees her. Only problem is that she hates arranged marriages too and is seeing someone else. Meanwhile, Sid meets a divorcee living near his house who's older than him. She's an interior decorator named Tara (Dimple Kapadia in the 2nd comeback role of her life, hehe) and sh'es got an alcohol problem. When Sid confesses his love for her to his friends, he ends up having a big fight with Aakash. Aakash can't understand how Sid can even consider going out with an older woman.
That, is the basic setup. From here the film splits into three parts exploring the parallel lives of Sid, Aakash and Sameer. The 2nd half slows down, but its still pretty damn engrossing and there's even a hilarious song that spoofs old bollywood cinema thru the ages, from the 50's to the 80's. The movie also has some great cinematography. I must say I enjoyed this movie a lot. Its unconventional and breaks a lot of cliches while taking a risk when it comes to mass appeal (I doubt it will do well in the interiors of India). The script is great, the songs are great and above all, the performances are great. Aamir Khan turns in an above average performance as usual, Saif Ali Khan outdoes himself, Priety Zinta and Dimple Kapadia are amazing. But Akshaye Khanna is the real stunner, his performance is really good.
I have a few qualms with the little too neatly wrapped ending, but enjoyed the movie too much to hold that against it. All in all, Farhan Akhtar's Dil Chahta Hai raises the bar of Bollywood. Lets hope it rubs off on other Hindi flicks as well.
- Moviemaniac
Now here's the latest news from India:
- Director J.P. Dutta has approached Hrithik Roshan to appear in his multi-starrer "Tiger Hill" but the actor has yet to decide on the offer. The mega-budget war epic will boast a record 11 stars in major roles including Shahrukh Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan, Sunil Shetty, Saif Ali Khan, Aaftab Shivdasani, Abhishek Bachchan and Akshaye Khanna. The director is still casting even more actors for his film, and is currently scouting locations. The film is slated to release sometime next year or even 2003.
- Aishwarya Rai has backed out of director Feroz Khan's next project citing a scheduling conflict. The film was initially a two-hero project with Ajay Devgan and Fardeen Khan (the director's son) but Devgan left several months ago. The new actress opposite Fardeen will now be upcoming actress/model Celina Jaitley. Feroz Khan will also play the role of the villain in the film. It will be shot sometime this winter.
- Here's some really good news for Mahesh Manjrekar fans. You all know that the acclaimed director is planning a remake of the gangster epic "The Godfather" with Amitabh Bachchan in the Marlon Brando role. Well, Manjrekar has now accepted Akshay Kumar in the leading role (the same one as Al Pacino) rather than Abhishek Bachchan as was originally planned. Akshay has really improved over with "Dhadhkan (Heartbeat)" and "Ek Rishta - The Bond of Love" and I feel that he is a much better choice than Amitabh's real son. It's a pity for Abhisek though.
- Poor Abhishek Bachchan is really losing out on many films these days. First he was replaced by Arjun Rampal for Abbas-Mustan's next film, now he is replaced by newcomer Vivek Oberoi (son of actor Suresh Oberoi) in one of producer Yash Johar's upcoming films. More casting has yet to be completed and the film, being directed by Nitin Manmohan, is still in the pre-production stage right now. In the meanwhile, Vivek will make his debut in Ramgopal Verma's "Company" later on in the year and will that up with Vidhu Vinod Chopra ("Mission Kashmir")'s next film.
- Last week's major release was the hotly anticipated "Dil Chahta Hai (Desires of the Heart)", directed by newcomer Farhan Akhtar. The film features an all star cast headed by Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni and Dimple Kapadia. The wonderful comedy breathes new life into Bollywood and Hollywood alike with its totally different take on the teen-angst genre. The story, on the surface, is very simple - it follows the love lives of three best friends and how their interaction with others change their overall perspective on life. The depiction of these characters and their interactions is what makes the film work SO WELL. Aamir Khan is downright perfect as Aakash, an arrogant guy who doesn't believe in love or any form of long-time commitment. Naturally he meets his match in Preity Zinta, who manages to play off him so naturally you'd think they were a couple in real life. Saif plays Sameer, the comedian of the gang who never takes anything seriously, manages to provide some of the more physical comedy in the family. His comedic timing is great and his responses to some of the more outrageous situations are even greater. Akshaye Khanna gets to enact the most serious role of the three leads and he doesn't disappoint. His on-screen romance with a much older woman is portrayed maturely and honestly. His pairing with Dimple Kapadia is NOT used for laughs, but rather as an excuse to provide a more insightful look into their complicated characters. The film's major advantage is its tight script, written by Akhtar aswell. Everything else is treated secondary to the script and it really shows. The offbeat music, the witty dialogue, the dazzling cinematography, and the look of the characters all play an important part of the script's treatment and the overall results is just marvelous. The direction is equally stylish and complements the plot rather nicely. This is the film that we've been all waiting for and I wouldn't be surprised if it stays on my top 10 at the end of the year.
Here's a pic of the three leads, Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna, respectively: Click to See
The AMAZING Ms. Zinta: Go Here
Here's another pic of Aamir and Preity: Click
And finally, a pic of the entire cast (including Sonali Kulkarni): Click Now
- The other new release was "Yeh Raaste Hain Pyar Ke (The Paths of Love)", directed by Deepak Shivdasani and starring Ajay Devgan, Madhuri Dixit, Preity Zinta and Sunny Deol. While the romantic drama has some fine acting, it is lacking in the plot department with a familiar story that has been told a countless number of times. Ajay plays a thief, Vicky, on the lam from the cops and his associates. He comes upon a town in which everyone mistakes him for a local resident whom they thought was dead. Vicky assumes the identity of the missing man, and everyone starts to accept him, including the man's wife, Neha (Madhuri Dixit), who we soon discover is living in a state of denial after witnessing the death of her husband. Vicky eventually develops empathy for Neha and starts to help her realize the truth. Of course the criminals come at the end for some last minute action while Preity Zinta also shows up as Vicky's girlfriend. Ajay Devgan has played a similar role in his last two movies and he's at ease with the character this time around aswell. The guy's a superb actor and he handles both drama and action scenes equally well. Madhuri Dixit finally returns into the limelight after her highly publicized marriage and she's in fine form her. She has been given a rather meaty role which provides her ample opportunity to show off her acting skills. Preity Zinta has been wasted in a role which doesn't allow her to do nothing but look pretty. Sunny Deol's much-advertised special appearance doesn't distract from the movie, but doesn't add much either. The cinematography is decent while the music is average. Only the title song is somewhat memorable, but probably more for its depiction in a scenic setting and not for its tune. The editing and direction are adequate enough - the film moves at a brisk pace and ends right when it should. All in all, "Yeh Raaste Hain Pyar Ke" is a decent film that does not disappoint, but I would much rather see "Dil Chahta Hai" instead.
Here's a pic of Madhuri Dixit:Click Here
Here's one of Ajay and Preity: Just Click
CHINA / HK
Here is the latest report from "AccSpy":
- Wong Jing will direct Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Shu Qi in a romantic comedy and its shooting will be finished before Tony Leung jumps to the filming of "Hero". Tony recently provided the voice for the evil cat Mr. Tinkles in the Cantonese version of "Cats & Dogs" while the accidental spy dog Lou is voiced by Edison Chan
- UK Empire magazine has confirmed that Claire Forlani ("Meet Joe Black") is the female lead in Jackie Chan's now-shooting "Highbinders", which also co-stars Lee Evans, Christy Chung and Anothny Wong and is directed by Gordon Chan. Here's another pic from the set: http://www.orientaldaily.com.hk/photo/20010812/ent/0812enew01p4.gif
- Jason Isaacs ("The Patriot') has joined the cast of Michelle Yeoh's "The Touch". The film company and Yahoo were cooperating to hold an open audition throughout Asia recently in order to look for a young actress to play the 14-year-old version of Michelle Yeoh's character in the film. Click here to see a pic of Michelle's character at the age of 12: Do It Now!
Michelle at the press con.: Click
- Stephen Chow's next project may be "God of Cookery 2". He is in negotiations with Columbia/Tristar to finance the film in which the studio may allow him to both star and direct.
- Sam Lee is gaining fame in Japan thanks to films like "Made in HK" and "Gen-X Cops" . After finishing "No Problem 2", which will be released in Japan next year, Sam will star in a Japanese sport comedy in which he plays a Japanese ping-pong player seeking revenge for his teammate.
- "Jurassic Park 3" topped the HKBO with $10.33 million in the first 4 days. "Legend of Zu" came second with a good but not spectacular $6.1 million in 4 days while "Fulltime Killer" was at no.3 with another $5 million grossing during this weekend. The animated flick "Doraemon: The Movie" debuted at fourth place, and "Kiss of the Dragon" dropped to no.5. Look for things to slightly change as "Rush Hour 2" opens this week.
JAPAN
The following was reported by "Pigmon":
- Director Naoto Yamakawa director will be behind the camera for the first time in 8 years with "Toki No Kaori". This is the remake of one of most succesful films in Korea last year, "Remember Me". Kadokawa will also produce the film and it will be completed this fall.
- Director Seijun Suzuki's first film in 10 years,"Pistrol Opera", will be shown the Venice Film Festival this year.
- A follow up to a very popular cult series,"Siberian Express part 3" is now in production. Famous film critic/director Haruo Mizuno is starting work on the show shortly. It will start shooting in a couple of months.
- Famous comedian Maggiy's directorial debut,"Shokoki!", has now been completed. People are raving about this hillarious comedy about workers trapped in an elevator.
- "Danball House Girl" is Masako Matsuura's newest film starring the former super model Ryoko Yonekura. It is story about a girl who loses her money, man, house and job on the same day and becomes a homeless person. She might be the most beautiful homeless girl in the world....
- I attended the world premiere of director Hideyuki Hirayama's "Turn" and it was fantastic! It deservedly won the best director award at the 5th Puchong (sp?) International Film Festival. A great fantasy/drama, the film follows the adventures of a young woman who gets caught up in a mysterious world when she falls into a coma. In her present condition, she inhabits a strange world in which she exists only by herself with no living thing in sight. She uses a telephone to communicate with a young boy who is living with the same condition, in a different world. They eventually meet and due to certain circumstances, get separated when the woman returns to the real world. I wasn't expecting this film to be as good as it was, and I found it to have a strong story line with a very minimal use of CGI. The lead actress, Riho Makise, has done a wonderful job in the film - look for her to get lots of accolades really soon. The film will be participating in many film festivals shortly and will be opening in Japan this October.
KOREA
"NineLife" is back this week with a tidbit on an upcoming Korean Film
Festival, here it is:
WHEN KOREAN CINEMA ATTACKS! K-FILM FESTIVAL
For all you Asia AICN'ers living in the New York area, don't forget that this Friday, August 17th, is the opening of Subway Cinema's "When Korean Cinema Attacks! New York Korean Film Festival 2001". The festival is the first contemporary Korean film festival in America and will feature 11 major films and appearances by "Tell Me Something" director Chang Yoon-Hyun and "The Foul King" director Kim Ji-Woon. Samsung Electronics and the Korean Film Forum are co-sponsoring; for more info on tickets, surf on over to:
www.subwaycinema.com
*** FESTIVAL SCHEDULE ***
All films will be screened at:
The Anthology Film Archives;
32 Second Avenue at 2nd Street (in Manhattan)
That's it for this week, folks. Stay tuned for full festival coverage on Asia AICN at the end of this month.
NineLife
We have now reached the end of this week's column. Remember, if you have
information regarding any film industry in Asia, please contact our
Asia-AICN offices at atshrivas@home.com. See you all next week.
Darius25
