Father Geek here putting up Asia-AICN's 9th Thursday morning column. This time with a couple of cool photos of cool babes and word from Japan that Matango is slated to return to the big screen. Father Geek can't wait; Mysterious and deadly music, mysterious and deadly hallucinations, and mysterious and deadly Mushroom People. Honda's 1960's original was an even bigger hoot than Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster.
ASIA-AICN #9
Hey all. Hope you've had a good week. Our legion of reporters are
growing here at Asia-AICN. From now on, Runciter99 will help me report
Bollywood news every week (hopefully). Now, here's this week's news from
Asia.
INDIA
- About some time ago (Asia-AICN #5), I told you about the new Indian
International Film Awards, which is being held on June 24 at the
Millenium Dome, Greenwich, England. Well, fans all over the world can
now vote in some of the categories for the awards. You can participate
in the internet poll at this site: Right Here.
- Some release dates of upcoming films were released this week. It seems
that the new J.P. Dutta film, Refugee, has finally settled on a release
date. It was supposedly coming out tomorrow (Shaft day - June 16) but is
now releasing on June 30th. I expect that this movie will be a
blockbuster because some theatres in India have started selling tickets
already and many shows (15 in Nagpur and a lot in Delhi) are already
sold out.
- If Refugee is a big hit, most of its credit will most likely go
(unfairly) to its' stars Abhishek Bachchan and Kareena Kapoor, both of
whom are newcomers. Abhishek's second movie will also release this
summer. Supposedly, Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya (Your Magic has Worked) will be
released on August 18. The movie also costars Kirty Reddy.
- Abhishek's third movie, Dhai Akshar Prem Ka (I don't know what this
means, I think it's 2 and a half days of Love or something like that)
will be releasing on September 22. This means that one of his movie will
release every month for the next three months. Expect the release dates
to change if Refugee flops or Abhishek can't act. (The promos, not the
music, for Refugee look HORRIBLE!!)
- Also, Salman Khan's next movie will be Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega (Every
Heart That Loves) and it will be releasing on August 4. The film is
directed by Raj Kanwar and also stars Rani Mukherjee, Preity Zinta and a
major star in a special appearance. I won't disclose it here, but if you
want to know, just e-mail our offices. Remember he's a MAJOR star ?
- We finally have the confirmed cast for Sanjay Gupta's next movie. The
movie Kaante (Thorns) will star Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Sunil
Shetty, Akshaye Khanna, Kumar Gaurav, and Mahesh Manjrekar. More info on
Kaante is available down below in Runciter99's report.
And now, Runciter 99 will provide you more Bollywood news and then below
that, I will tell you about this/last week's new release and this week's
recommendation.
- SRK (Shahrukh Khan) has completed 10 years in the industry. Yes, King
Khan himself has done it with super performances in earlier films such
as Deewana (Romantic Fool) and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naan (Sometimes Yes,
Sometimes No) all the way to his two best performances of this year, Hey
Ram (Hey means Oh and Ram is Lord Rama of Hinduism) and Josh (Adrenaline
Rush, I will talk about this film down below - D25).
- Josh has had supposedly the biggest opening ever for films in the past
couple of years. Abroad, it smashed into the US top 20 (It's at number
16 - D25) by making $300,000, which is a huge amount of money. (In
fact, according to boxofficeguru.com, Josh's average per theatre was the
highest in the top 20 and it even beat Gone in 60 Seconds, and MI2's
averages. - D25) This opening simply places the point firmly in concrete
that Shahrukh Khan is not going anywhere for many years and is not going
to easily give up the Box Office mantle (Yay - D25).
- SRK's next release is a film called One Two Ka Four (One, Two, then
Four) directed by K. Shashilal Nair of Angaar (Anger) fame. The man is
very much underrated and you'll see that this Bharat Shah presented
flick will prove his brilliant directorial skills. The film also has
Jackie Shroff. Jackie and SRK play a cop duo and Juhi Chawla is the
female lead (No, it's not love triangle thank God. Jackie doesn't have a
heroine). Reports have it that the music by AR Rahman and lyrics by the
late Majrooh Sultanpuri are absolutely mind-blowing! The script is also
by Sanjay Chhel who gave us Rangeela (Colourful), Kaache Dhaage (Weak
Strings), Khoobsurat (Beautiful), and the underrated Phir Bhi Dil Hai
Hindustani (Our Heart is Still Indian). All of these films have been
really good entertainers so the excitement builds for One Two Ka Four
immensely.
- I was on a chat with Sanjay Gupta at rediff.com about a month ago and
he gave me more news about his upcoming movie Kaante (Thorns). The
movie has a mega-star cast and is being shot full-length, one schedule
all in the USA. The cinematographer is Binod Pradhan (Parinda (A bird, I
think it's a Dove) and 1942 - A Love Story) with a technical team from
Hollywood helping out. This film is a remake of Reservoir Dogs but I'm
getting worried because remaking this brilliant neo-noir film, in my
opinion, is a crime, it won't be even 1/4. (I disagree, Reservoir Dogs
was itself a ripoff of an HK film, City on Fire with Chow Yun-Fat and
that was better. - D25).
- Boney Kapoor is producing a remake of "Not Without My Daughter"
starring none other than the mega, onscreen-couple SRK and Kajol.
- Guddu Dhanoa is worried about his latest flick, Bichchoo (Scorpion) as
it may be released opposite the box office juggernaut, Refugee, on June
30th. Bichchoo stars Bobby Deol and Rani Mukherjee, the plot (from
indiafm.com) is as follows: it is a revenge story with the usual love
angle to it. Rani Mukherjee is a rich pampered girl leading a life of a
bratm who vows to seek revenge after her parents are killed She then
comes in contact with Bobby who plays a shady character with a
mysterious past. Bobby is enlisted as her trainer to combat the villains
but as is usual falls in love with her.
- Ok, I'm (Darius25) back again. This week's (Friday, June 9) new release was, as
you already know, Josh (Adrenaline Rush). This movie has been in the
making for over 2 years and was extremely anticipated because of the
teaming up of two of Bollywood's biggest stars - Shahrukh Khan and
Aishwarya Rai. The movie, directed by Mansoor Khan, is an extremely
loose remake of West Side Story. The only thing it has in common with
WSS, or Romeo and Juliet, is that there are two gangs and the siblings
of the two gang leaders fall in love. However, things are drastically
changed in this movie from the starting point. Since Aish is a major
star now, she has a really large role, similar to Natalie Wood's role in
WSS. However, Maria (or Shirley in this movie) is not really that
innocent anymore. She is as rebellious, or as much as a vagabond like
her brother Max (SRK). However she changes her ways when she falls in
love with Rahul (played by Chandrachur Singh) the other gang leader's
brother. However their love is not really the focus of the film. The two
gangs are the real focus and the main lead is DEFINITELY Shahrukh Khan,
who is on screen most of the time. Think of this movie as a Romeo and
Juliet with Tybalt as the lead and R&J in supporting turns. But in doing
this drastic change, the movie loses sort of its focus and in turn, it
seems to be go in various directions at once. However, that is the only
complaint I have with the movie, it is pure entertainment - the songs
are good, there is lots of cool violence, lots of slo-mo shots (no
two-guns though), and the acting is very good also (especially Aish, who
proves that she can probably do any role offered to her, and of course
SRK, who is very good as the villain). All in all, I hope this is a big
hit so all the naysayers of SRK could shut the hell up. Here's a promo
picture from Josh (from left to right: Shahrukh (in glasses - looking
like a BADASS!!), Aishwarya, and actor Sharad Kapoor who plays the rival
leader
- I know we have a lot of Amitabh Bachchan fans here at AICN so this
week, my recommendation is The Great Gambler (1979). It was made back in
the 70's (The best decade for ALL movies, period.) when Bachchan
actually used to star in GOOD films, not the ego-fests he indulges in
now. The movie, directed by Shakti Samanta, also co-stars Zeenat Aman,
Neetu Singh, and Prem Chopra. If you like spy/Bond films, you will LOVE
this. Bachchan stars in a dual role as a gambler Jay, and a secret agent
Vijay. The plot is pretty complicated so it's sufficient to say that
every character in the movie is after some important video tape and a
codebook, especially after it falls into the gambler's hands. There are
also plenty of double crosses, blackmail, mixed-identity crises,
beautiful women (umm, these were the 70s though) and many exotic locales
(Cairo, Rome, Venice, Lisbon, and Goa). I would say this is the movie
that falls in the best old Bond movie tradition, so its less on
techno-babble and gadgets, and has plenty of story and intrigue.
Therefore, don't expect Tomorrow Never Dies but expect You Only Live
Twice or From Russia With Love.
- Before we head over to HK news, I just wanted to tell you the final
winners from the second annual Zee Gold Bollywood Awards, held recently
at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, NY. The winners were:
Best Film: Taal (Beat)
Best Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (I Have
Given My Heart To You)
Best Actor: Sanjay Dutt for Vastaav (Reality)
Best Actress: Aishwarya Rai for Taal
Best Comic: Satish Kaushik for Haseena Maan Jayegi (She Will Understand)
Best Male Singer: Kumar Sanu for "Ankhon Ki Gustakiyan" in Hum Dil De
Chuke Sanam.
Best Female Singer: Asha Bhosle for "Rang De" in Thakshak (Serpent)
Best Sound Track: A R Rahman for Taal
Best Choreography: Farah Khan for Dilbar Dilbar in Sirf Tum (Only You)
Best Actor (Critics' Award): Anil Kapoor for Taal
Best Actress (Critics' Award): Aishwarya Rai in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
Best Actor in a sensational role: Anil Kapoor in Biwi No1 (Wife No. 1)
Best Actress in a sensational role: Aishwarya Rai for Taal
Best Costume Designer: Neeta Lulla for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
Best Cinematographer: Anil Mehta for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
Best Song (lyrics): Anand Bakshi in "Taal Se Taal Mila" in Taal
Best Editing: Subhash Ghai for Taal
Best Screenplay: Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Kenneth Phillips for Hum Dil
De Chuke Sanam
Best Story: Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Kenneth Phillips for Hum Dil De
Chuke Sanam
Best Actor (Supporting Role): Anupam Kher for Hum Aap Ke Dil Mein Rahte
Hain (I Live In Your Heart)
Best Actress (Supporting Role): Tabu for Biwi No 1
Best Newcomer Male: Rahul Khanna for 1947: Earth
Best Newcomer Female: Rinki Khanna for Pyar Mein Kabhi Kabhi (Sometimes
in Love)
CHINA / HK
The following was reported by "Crashpoet":
- Here's a link to a little behind the scenes of Jackie Chan's
Accidental Spy. In the movie, there will be a full nude scene of Jackie
[The story leads Jackie to Turkey and while taking a Turkish bath, he is
attacked and runs while trying to cover himself]. The film is directed
by Teddy Chan [Downtown Torpedoes, and Purple Storm].
JUST CLICK HERE to check it all out.
- Do you think that Michelle Yeoh is a Female Mark Gor?? Here's a
picture of her:
- In case you missed it, Christian Slater has signed on to be one of the
soldiers in John Woo's next project, "Windtalkers."
The following was reported by "The Accidental Spy":
- First, I want to clarify that Leslie Cheung doesn't play a cop in
every movie all of a sudden. He is NOT a cop in "double tap", he's the
villain, the maniac, as well as the skillful shooter who challenges the
police force, and that makes this film more interesting.
- After enjoying two big blockbusters (Sleepless Town, Space Travelers)
and a successful career in Japan for the last two years, Takeshi
Kaneshiro is finally back to the place where he established his fame.
The star of Wong Kar-Wai's "Chungking Express" and "Fallen Angels" will
join a HK project from United Filmmakers Organization (UFO) later this
year. It will be a romantic comedy about an angel (Takeshi Kaneshiro)
who is occasionally attracted to the scent of an unique perfume, as well
as the perfume salesgirl(Kelly Chen). This is the third time that the
leading couple have teamed up together since 1996's "Lost and Found" and
1998's "Anna Magdalena".
- There's a rumor that international star Gong Li may join the cast of
Wong Kar-Wai's scientific epic "2046". Rumors also say that Wong Kar-Wai
is busy searching for a perfect actress to have a very special
mysterious role in the film and Cannes' Best Actress Bjork was one of
the considered choices but turned it down during the Cannes' film
festival.
- Stareast production may drop a project which was an adaptation of the
HK comics "Dragon Tiger Gate" due to the high salary of the leading man
Nicholas Tse (Gen-X Cops) and a forced condition from Tse's contract for
female singer Joey Yung to star in the movie.
- On the other hand, Nicholas Tse is in final negotiations to star in
director Stanley Tong's "Thunder Cop" as Aaron Kwok's sidekick. The cast
also includes Japanese actress Norika Fujiwara, Taiwanese
singer-songwriter Leehom Wang and Taiwanese actress Lin Sin-yu.
- Director Tsui Hark told the press that the shooting of "Zu Warriors
II" is now complete and that he will start the shooting of "Black Mask
2" in Shanghai in two months. Hark said that the story of the sequel is
related to the first installment and the casting will start soon.
JAPAN
The following was reported by "Pigmon":
- There is a rumor that part of "Hannibal" will be shooting in Japan
(maybe the ending).
- Towani's first feature, "Sakuya Yokaiden" (Sakuya monster story), held
a press conference in Tokyo and one of the top Japanese actresses, Keiko
Matszaka, appeared. She plays "Spider Queen" and looked fantastic. The
story has been kept secret, but we have started seeing some of the
photos bit by bit. There will be an HP soon for this film, and it will
be feature all the monsters.
- On June 6th, the Japanese premiere of Mission Impossible 2 was held at
the big Tokyo Forum. Both Tom Cruise and John Woo says that there is a
possibility that they will make Mission Impossible 3 together.
- Toho is seriously thinking about remaking " Matango", a cult
mushroom-man monster film from 1966. This time it will be set in space.
- It was a strong first week for Mamoru Oshii's "Jin-Roh" in which every
showing was sold out. There is only one theater showing it in Tokyo and
I still can't see it - no time to stay in line.
Well, that's it for this week. Be sure to send us any info regarding
Asian cinema at our Asia-AICN offices Right Here . See you all
next week.
- Darius25
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