The 50th Asia-AICN weekly column! The International Column experiment has been a success on all fronts, and FATHER GEEK is proud of all the reporters, editors, spies, and the AICN readership in general, everyone connected to our site in any manner is owed a big THANKS for helping shrink the world a little bit, for helping to bring us all closer together... THANK YOU ALL! Now on to this weeks news from Asia...
Hi Father Geek,
Here's the fiftieth Asia-AICN column. Time flew by very quickly!! I
certainly don't feel as if I have edited 50 of these columns. Anyway,
here it is - I hope you like it.
Take care,
Atul
Asia-AICN
Hey all. Welcome to our 50th column - it is so great to see that we have
reached this milestone. I can't wait till we reach Asia-AICN #100!!
Anyway, we have quite a lot for you guys this week including news on
Kaante (Thorns), The Highbinders, Time & Tide's North American release,
the new Godzilla film, Battle Royale 2, and some new on-set pics from
Rush Hour 2. Now here's the latest from Asia.
INDIA
- Some new details have come in regarding Sanjay Gupta's next film -
Kaante (Thorns). The film ( a remake of Reservoir Dogs) follows a group
of 6 guys who decide to rob a bank and all hell breaks loose when they
find out of them is an undercover cop. The cast is just simply
magnificent - Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Aditya
Panscholi, Kumar Gaurav, Mahesh Manjrekar (yeah, the director of Vaastav
- The Reality in his acting debut) and Lucky Ali (yes, the singer of "Ek
Pal Ka Jeena" from Kaho Naa Pyar Hai - Say There is Love). With Sanjay
Gupta as the director, you can expect tonnes of highly stylized action.
The film is based more on Ringo Lam's original (City on Fire) than
Tarantino's film. The coolest news is that Gupta is in talks with a
major studio to release the film in North America. There will be two
versions of Kaante - a 150 minute Indian version with songs and a 110
minute version without songs for the international release. Only the
songs will be omitted from the version we see here, so we won't be
missing out on any bloodshed. The film will start shooting in NYC (for
the complete 50-day schedule) from August 20. It will be released summer
2002. Here's a WICKED poster from the film (from left: Sanjay Dutt,
Sunil Shetty, Amitabh Bachchan, Mahesh Manjrekar, Kumar Gaurav, and
Lucky Ali), click here: To See Picture
- Actor Salman Khan is about to produce a film to be directed by Pankaj
Parashar (a popular actor from the '70s). Not much info has been
released on the film other than the fact that Salman will play the lead.
The untitled film is set to start shooting this summer.
- Model Priyanka Chopra will star opposite Govinda in a film to be
produced by Maan Singh Deep and Kalyani Singh. The producers are hoping
to rope in a big-name director.
- Manisha Koirala has replaced Karisma Kapoor in a film to be directed
by Anees Bazmee. The film stars Ajay Devgan and it is about to start
production sometime next month.
- Director Sushen Bhatnagar's Soch (Think) is nearing completion. The
film stars Sanjay Kapoor, Arbaaz Khan, Raveena Tandon, and Aditi
Gawarkar. It will release this summer.
- The new release from last week was director Aziz Sajawal's Chhupa
Rustam (Dark Horse), a long-delayed film which was just released in a
dull week to recover any money possible. Sanjay Kapoor stars in a dual
role, playing a rich guy (Nirmal) and a con-artist (Raja). Of course the
whole film revolves around the old mistaken identity formula - Nirmal is
"supposedly" dead from an accident and Raja is hired by the villains to
take his place. There's a bit of comedy and a lot of stale action and
almost all of it is just plain boring. You can tell the film is old when
the two leading ladies have not had a MAJOR release since
god-knows-when. Manisha Koirala and Mamta Kulkarni do attempt to give
decent performances though, even when they don't really succeed. Manisha
should really think twice about her career because she was on track to
become a major contender like Karisma Kapoor or Aishwarya Rai. The
direction is average - not bad, not good - while the music is just plain
bad - fast forward at once. This film wasn't even released in North
America so it should be on DVD by the end of this week - rent it if
you're curious otherwise just skip it.
CHINA/HK
Here's the weekly column from AccSpy:
- Jackie Chan & Chris Tucker are now shooting "Rush Hour 2" in HK. A man
is recently accused of blackmailing the producers for "protecting
money". Director Brett Ratner thanked HK police for their support and
said that he will come to HK for shooting frequently since he just found
his new girlfriend here. Here are some on-set pics:
Zhang Ziyi in a blonde wig and sunglasses, the classic "Changking
Express" look:
Click Here
Chan and Tucker baring all, literally:
Click Right Here
Just how embarrassing the situation is? let's zoom out to see the whole
situation:
Just Click
- Chow Yun-fat was in Los Angeles last week for the Oscars so he
arranged some time to visit his old friend John Woo. They talked about
their long-awaited team-up project "Honor Among Thieves", which will
start shooting next year. Here's a pic of them in John Woo's home,
cooking food:
Just Click Here
- Rowan "Mr. Bean" Atkinson will join Jackie Chan's "Highbinders" as
Chan's partner. This "Lethal Weapon" meets "The Sixth Sense" hybrid will
be directed by Reginald Hudlin and financed and distributed by HK-based
EEG production. It's scheduled to start shooting this July.
- Kelly Chen ("Lavender") and Daniel Wu ("Purple Storm") will join
Golden Harvest's big-budget production, "108+", which also stars Aaron
Kwok and is being directed by Benny Chan ("Gen-Y Cops").
- Tony Leung confirmed that he and Maggie Cheung will join director
Zhang Zimou's period drama epic "Qin Assassination", also co-starring
Zhang Ziyi and Jiang Wen. The film is set to start shooting this July.
It's worth noting that Tony's role was originally written for Jet Li.
- Before stepping in for "Qin Assassination", Tony Leung is currently
"wrapping up" Wong Kar-wai's "2046" (you know it isn't happening soon
for WKW films). He is also shooting an urban romantic comedy with Sammi
Cheng from last year's highest grossing HK movie "Needing You...".
- Tsui Hark's "Time & Tide", which just earned 6 noms from HK film
awards, is set to release in North America this May. The film,
distributed by Columbia Tristar, will be released in NYC in May and open
nationwide a month later.
- "Feel 100% II" was still on top of HKBO last weekend with $7.28
million HKD grossing so far in just 9 days. "Miss Congeniality" entered
2nd place with $2.21 million HKD in 4 days, while the Korean comedy "The
Foul King", "Traffic" and "Billy Elliot" each slipped one place to no.3,
4 & 5, respectively. Sylvia Cheng's critically-acclaimed "Forever &
Ever" is still doing great after 3 weeks by landing at sixth place,
while two Oscar-nominated films, "The Contender" and "Quills" entered
no.7 & no.9, respectively.
JAPAN
Here is Pigmon with his report:
- Just a minor tidbit - The King Gidorah creature featured in "Godzilla,
Mothra, King Gidorah - All Monsters Attack" will be the younger version,
not the older one.
- After Manex (VFX company) completes their work for The Matrix 2, the
Final Fantasy movie's VFX team might take over.
- Kinji Fukasaku, the director of "Battle Royal" asked Shintaro Ishihara
(the mayor of Tokyo) for permission to shoot a big battle and some car
chase sequences for "Battle Royale 2" in the center of Tokyo. Mr.
Ishihara just requested Tokyo film offices for an order permit to easily
shoot films in downtown Tokyo. The question is that is Toei planning to
make Battle Royale 2"?
- Finally the "Daimajin" project rises again. This time Toho has gotten
the rights to remake the popular 60's monster film. Toho is becoming
Monsters Inc.!
- Toei will produce "Go", a film based on last year's best-selling
novel, about a Japanese-Korean student searching for his roots.
Mr.Yukisada will direct this film which will have its world premier at
the Poo-san International Film Festival in October.
KOREA
Here is 18nom's usual column:
It is another slow week in Korea as far as cinema news is concerned.
Here we
go.
- Flower Island. Song Ilgon, a short film winner at Cannes two years
ago, has just finished his first feature. And it looks as though he has
already received an invitation from the Cannes committee. Folks at
Cannes are known to favor those who have debuted in southern Froggytown
festival and to keep them on a short but preferred list. Song will be
back even if his film doesn't win anything this year.
- Gift. A tearjerker via Oh Kiwan has come out on top in past weekend's
boxoffice. It stars Lee Jungjeh ("There's no Sun" and "Affair") and Lee
Youngae ("JSA"). The "Gift" is the second domestic film to open at
number spot so far this year. Melodramatic films have a strong
track-record in Korea with its built-in audiences that consists mostly
of young females.
- Cannes 2001. Three films are said to have a good shot at being
selected in the prestigious competition category. Besides aforementioned
"Flower Island", there is a film by Kwok Kyungtek called "Friend" and
the other contender belongs to AICN's darling Kim Kiduk of "Isle" fame.
His film, "Receipient Unknown" has finished post production and has been
already submitted to the selection committee at Cannes. Kim is no
stranger to France as he has spent a few years studying painting at one
of universities in Paris. Director Im Kwontek's "Chunhyang" was the
first ever Korean film to be featured in the competition at Cannes last
year. Hope the streak will continue on.
That's it for me, folks. 18nom is checking out and will be back next
week with
more Korean cinema news.
ANIME
By Scott Green
Upcoming Manga DVD's
Manga has sent out press releases for their upcoming DVD releases of Appleseed, and Black Jack for release April 24th.
Black Jack is based on the manga by Osamu Tezuka (Atro Boy, Kimba the White Lion). DVD features include English 5.1 Surround Sound and Stereo audio tracks, as well as a Japanese Stereo audio track with optional English subtitles. The disc will also include Manga Video previews, a Manga DVD catalog, fan club information, Palm Pictures DVD Previews and Weblinks. . Dr. Black Jack, an unlicensed but extremely successful surgeon, is a lone wolf who makes use of his astounding skills, challenges the limits of medical science, and applies his talent against crime. During the Atlantis Olympics, a new breed of superhumans created by a corrupt scientist, break world records and excel in all disciplines. These genetically engineered superhumans later catch a catastrophic degenerative disease called the 'moira syndrome' and die rapidly.
Appleseed is based on the manga of Masamune Shirow (of Ghost in the Shell fame). After the devastation of World War III, the scattered governments of the world have engineered a modern utopia - a refuge governed by artificially created half-human, half-robot Biodroids. Life in Olympus is carefully controlled and monitored - and some of their human populations have had enough. A dedicated band of terrorists plot to destroy Gaia, the central computer, and restore freedom to mankind. After a daring raid of a high security facility, they have the weapons and information they need to complete their mission - including the key to the end of Gaia. DVD features include: English 5.1 Surround and Stereo, Japanese Stereo, English Subtitles, Character Bios, Japanese Production Credits, Manga Video Previews, Fan Club Information, Manga DVD Catalog, Palm Pictures DVD Previews and Weblinks.
Appleseed is general regarded as a poor adaptation of Masamune Shirow's with a badly abridged story, and weak, dated animation (too pastel for the atmosphere). Black Jack is far better regarded. Osamu Tezuka had a great knowlege of medical science, which shows in the movie attention to details. The series' high quality animation, and the depth of the Black Jack character make it an interesting movie to check out.
New New FAQ Question
From http://www.dragonballz.com
Q: Will there be subtitled DVD releases of Dragon Ball Z episodes 1-53 that contain the corresponding uncut Japanese episodes 1-67?
A: FUNimation does not control the home video rights to the first 53 English version episodes since we had sublicensed it to Pioneer. Pioneer has no intention of releasing anything new associated with these episodes. Once the Pioneer sublicense expires in 2003, FUNimation will evaluate the possibility of releasing these episodes on DVD, un-edited if demand exists for them.
Enlish Masaki Kajishima Part III
The third part of the English translation of AIC's interview with Masaki Kajishima can be read at here http://www.anime-int.com/e/interviewpage/index_k3.htm
Possible Akira Theatrical Run Outside New York
Anime on DVD http://www.animeondvd.com learned: "Attention Akira Fans! If you want Akira to come to your city, support the theatrical release in New York City on Friday March 30th at the AMC Empire 25 on 42nd Street in Times Square. Your support will directly influence the upcoming theatrical release plans beyond the New York opening.
AMC EMPIRE 25
234 W. 42ND STREET
TIMES SQUARE
NEW YORK, NY 10036
T 212 398 2597
Take a road trip, tell a friend, spread the word, pass it on!!"
Akira Price Change
The upcoming deluxe edition of Akira has received a price increase from $34.98 to $39.98 to 39.95 but a limited number of them will also be in a special tin, more than likely similar to the ones for the Anchor Bay Hollywood releases such as Evil Dead and others. Akira Deluxe edition will contain an entire second DVD of extras such as the "Making of Akira", a documentary on the creation of the soundtrack and much more! This special edition will also be packaged in limited edition tin packaging (while supplies last).
Shortly after announcing their price increase on Akira DVD Deluxe Edition , Pioneer Entertainment has announced that they will also be increasing the price of Akira (SUB / DUB) from $14.98 to $19.98.
Akira Receive Rating
The upcoming release of Akira has received a R rating for graphic violence and brief nudity.
Cartoon Network Officially Announces Toonami Reactor
http://cartoonnetwork.com/TOONAMI/reactor/
From official announcement to all Toonami fans from Cartoon Network:
We are preparing to launch a fully functional animation website devoted totally to anime for a three month experiment ONLY! WE NEED YOUR HELP to prove to everyone it can be a success so that it will be brought back PERMANENTLY with more episodes and more features! The Toonami Reactor will go live Monday, March 26 at here. A preview is available at this URL now.
Help us prove full animation and anime has a place on the web by making this three month experiment a hit! Post this announcement anywhere where people would be interested and tell all the fans to check it out starting Monday!
We welcome your feedback at ToonamiReactor@turner.com.
CartoonNetwork.com officially announces the construction of the Reactor. Enter the Reactor and prepare to experience Toonami in a whole new way. Created to provide an exceptional experience on your broadband (high-speed) connection, Toonami Reactor offers the best action animation on the Web. Inside the Reactor you'll discover exclusive games, character profiles and reviews. Watch your favorite shows. Answer mind-bending trivia questions. See your opinions transmitted alongside your favorite episodes. Who knows? Maybe you'll even battle Frieza for the future of Planet Namek. With Reactor you'll play four new games, uncover classified information from the editors of Animerica magazine, watch 40 episodes of Dragonball Z (the Frieza Saga) and 26 episodes of the anime masterpiece Star Blazers. And that's only the beginning. If you like what you see, tell us. You can help make Reactor a permanent addition to the Toonami universe.
Reactor goes live for three months starting March 26, 2001.
Reactor...Toonami to the core.
Click here for a preview of the Reactor
http://cartoonnetwork.com/TOONAMI/reactor/
Second Daft Punk Anime Video
The sequel to the anime video "One more time" directed by Leiji Matsumoto is available for
download and online viewing. It looks very promising and I think all
videos in a row will make a nice music movie...
With credit to Alexander Ullrich (DevilHunter-Yohko@t-online.de) who
reported it in de.alt.anime, there's a page on MTV Germany:
http://www.mtvhome.de/daftpunk/index.php?historie=,,,,Home&groupie=28
The videos there are in Microsoft ASF format.
On http://the-raft.com, you can find an alternative download of the
videos in Quicktime format. These files feature far better video but
the audio quality is slightly less compared to the ASF versions:
http://the-raft.com:80/pieces/daftpunk/movies/aerodynamic_l.mov
(long, highest quality)
http://the-raft.com:80/pieces/daftpunk/movies/aerodynamic_m.mov
(medium)
http://the-raft.com:80/pieces/daftpunk/movies/aerodynamic_s.mov
(short, bad quality)
Toonami PLans
Commercial for next Monday's airing of Big O have started to air on Cartoon Network. The series will be run at 5:30 PM and 12:30 AM (ET/PT).
DBZ Kingdom has indicated that a source at Toomani has stated: Toonami is still in the talking stage of the following:
There is some truth in the DBZ (hour) from 5PM to 6PM, but no final date is set yet.
Gundam Wing will stay on CN till May.
Tenchi may be taken off the lineup for April 2nd.
Sailor Moon R will air on April 13th 2001
DB Series has a tentative air date of May 14 2001
CN has announced that starting Wednesday, May 02 at 5:00 PM (E/T) Toonami will begin airing the Garlic Jr. Saga. Toonami will also air the Garlic Jr. Saga during the mid-night run starting Thursday, May 03 at 12:00 AM (E/T). CN has also acknowledged that they will start airing the third set of re-runs for DBZ: Season 4 starting with the episode #103 - Frieza's Counterattack. Season 4 will start reruns from Friday, May 18 5:00 PM (E/T). DBZ Season 4 will broadcast during the mid-night run starting Thusday, May 17 12:00 AM (E/T). Looks like Toonami Movies or In-flight movies will
be in the closing stages by mid-May.
Upcoming Digi Charat Special
A new special of the super-deformed (big head, small body) comedy series has been scheduled for this Spring. Di Gi Charat "ohanami(Cherry-blossom viewing)" special will be aired on Apr.6. This special will be the longest program of Di Gi Charat series (4 episodes in 60 minutes).
Anime in Italy
Italia 1 start airing "Dr.Slump & Arale-chan" (1997 remake) and Pokemon (new episodes) Rai 2 every day air "Monster Rancher" MTV Italia air now "Trigun", "Tenku no Escaflowne" and "Master Mosquiton" (the OAV Series) every Tuesday at 21:00. It will start airing Excel Saga this April.
Trigun is a science-fiction western about a mysterious man called Vash the Stampede who travels his desert planet clad in a red trench-coat, leaving behind a trail of destruction. The series starts as a hyper-active comedy, but gets more somber as it progresses. It is released in the US by Pioneer.
Master Mosquiton is a six episode OAV (direct to video release) set in the 1920's about a young adventurer who enlists the help the help of a vampire to help her find artifacts that will grant her eternal youth. The series was released in the US by ADV Films. ADV Films also has the American rights to the greatly praised comedy series Excel Saga, but they have made no statements about releasing it other than joking about the difficultly of translating it.
'History of Trunks' Ranked #15 in Video Sales
Washington Post is reporting that, Video Sales for week of ending March 4th 2001, Dragon Ball Z Movie: History of Trunks was ranked #15 in local sales for Blockbuster Video, week ended March 4, in the US. Other anime titles making the top 20 were Digimon: The Movie was ranked #8 and Pokemon: 2000 was ranked #11.
Captain Tylor DVD Problem?
Posts on Anime on DVD's forum indicate that there is a problem on the fourth disc of Right Stuf's release of Irresponsible Captain Tylor on DVD. In episode 23 there appears to be a character missing. Lengths seem to among posters with most saying 3-4 minutes while others claiming 10-11 minutes. Some folks indicate that the missing footage is there and it works on their players (mostly Sony owners). Anime on DVD has chatted briefly with the folks at TRSI and they are currently investigating where this happened. According to those who proofed the final check disc everything was in place, so it'll take a day or so to track it all down and figure it all out. TRSI has indicated that they will be replacing the disc once they isolate where it happened (so it doesn't happen again).
Shawne Kleckner of TRSI has posted information about what happened, what they're doing to correct it and what you may need to do to get your copy exchanged. For more information, and details on a swap program see http://www.animeondvd.com/press/trsi/trsi012.htm
Metropolis Trailer online (2001-03-27 11:29:38)
Katsuhiro Otomo's latest movie, "Metropolis," now has a trailer available online. Go to: http://www.metropolis-movie.com/trailer.html.
Akira Site Update
http://www.akira2001.com/
The Akira website has been updated again, this time with a few clips with some of the voice actors including Wendee Lee and Joshua Seth.
New Saint Seiya Possible?
Information has surfaced about April's Cartoonist salon in Toulon. It has been announced that a intro film to the anime series Saint Seiya (Hades), which was created in order to goad the production houses, animators who have participated in the
previous seasons and TV channels, into financing this sequel, so awaited by
fans. The character design would be signed by Jerome Alquie,
talented designator from Marseilles, big fun of Shingo Araki's and Leiji
Matsumoto's style. Besides, he's an author of several Saint Seiya
illustration art-books. The project of the after-Hades manga sequel, will be presented for itself, during the November's Salon in Paris. Apart from this, another exclusivity : Mr. Shingo Araki (Saint Seiya character designer and Saloon Cartoonist 95's honored guest) completed one unedited illustration, for shitajiki print.
For more information see http://www.cartoonist-france.com/
Thanks to Jose Rene Ruiz Lainez for the information
Nadia DVD Announced
According to a post on Anime on DVD's forum by David Williams Nadia Vol. #1 will be released on 6/19/2001. The disc will feature four episode on a dual layered format. Extra will include textless openings, and ending, and two ADV created trailers.
Many have been asking about the inclusion of omake (bonus features, usually humorous shorts) that were created by Gainex for the Japanese laserdisc release of the series. ADV is still discussing the possibility. As Anime on DVD explained the series was initially created by Gainax (of Evangelion fame) for Toho in a work for hire situation, but the omake were created by Gainax at a late date, and Gainax presumably hold the rights to the features.
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water is a 39 episode anime series that is loosely based on Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea considered a classic example of the strengths of anime story telling by many fans.
There was a previous English dubbed only release of the series by the now defunct Streamline.
El Hazard DVD Announced
http://www.animenondvd.com
Pioneer has announced the DVD release of the two El Hazard OAVs. The set which includes the original 7 episode OAV, and the follow-up 4 episode OAV will be released on 8/07, and retail for $120.
El Hazard features the often user storline of students being transported to a mystical land, and becomes and the center stage of that world's conflicts. Aparts from its detailed animation depicting the strange world of El Hazard, the series' greatest strength is its memorable characters. Many watch the series just for Mr.Fujisawa, a scruffy school teacher addicted to nicotine, alcohol, and mountain climbing, who upon arriving in El Hazard gains super strength when he is sober, and the attention of a slightly past her prime water priestess looking for marriage.
Interesting non-Anime Show
Its not an anime series, but may be worth checking out.Jhonen Vasquez' (creator of comic book seris Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, Squee, I Feel Sick,
Fillerbunny) new animated show will debut on the Nickelodeon cable
network this Friday, March 30th, at 9PM. For more information about
the show, visit www.nickelodeon.com
A clip can be seen at This Site
Darius 25 back to say goodbye. 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
| 
