Father Geek reporting in with the latest Asia-AICN column sent in by Darius25. This is his 28th regular Thursday morning report on the Asian film industry and its come a long way from those 1st couple of stories filed 7 months ago. Darius has put together a great crew of hard working reporters scattered the length of the earth's largest continent and we are now treated to weekly reports from all the major film producing countries in Asia. No smal task given that some of these countries have several different languages spoken within their borders. Imagine for a minute if California, Texas, North Carolina, New York, and Florida all had vastly different offical languages, it would be alot tougher to gather and report the film news for this country of ours then.
Well just as Father Geek wrote this I received the following report from the frozen northlands of St. Paul, Minn. Believe it or not they're putting on a pretty damn fine Asian Film Fest up there. Here's what I got...
Blue Blaze Fedora here, with a bit of coolness that many Twin Cities
area coolness fans might want to know about. I'll paste a bit from
their website (www.amamedia.org) here:
Asian Media Access (AMA) is proud to announce that
the 2000 Asian Children's Film Festival (ACFF) will
take place on Oct 26 - 29 at the Metropolitan State
University Auditorium, 700 East 7th Street in St.
Paul.
This year's festival selections shall consists of
35 mm full length animated feature films
and shorts from Japan, Hong Kong, China and Taiwan.
The 2000 ACFF will spotlight the works of Osamu
Tezuka. Tezuka, who was considered the grandfather
of Japanese animation or anime, was the creator of
classics such as Astro Boy and Jungle Taitei. Among
the Tezuka's works that we will be presenting include
Jungle Emperor Leo (Janguro Taitei), a full-length
feature film and two of his award winning shorts,
Legend of the Forest and Tales from a Street Corner.
There's a whole lot of info on their site, including schedule & plot
synopses etc. Last year's fest highlighted master filmmaker Hayao
Miyzaki, and had the first north american theatrical showing of the
incredible Princess Mononoke. A rerun from last year's fest is one of
my personal favorite films: Laputa, Castle in the Sky showing saturday
night and sunday afternoon. I'm also planning on seeing the Chinese
Ghost Story if I can; and I'll try and write decent reviews of anything
I see. However, with this being the weekend BEFORE Samhain and the
weekend AFTER the Playstation 2 comes out, time is at a premium. More
to come
Blue Blaze Fedora
Father Geek back again. If you think you may want to attend this great event you can get all the info you need at their site By Clicking Right Here and checking it all out. Now on to Darius25 and his Asia crew...
Asia-AICN #28
Hey all. I hope you all had a good week. Happy Deewali to our Indian
readers. This week, things were a bit light on the Indian side, with the
preparation for Deewali (Festival of Lights) and all. But overall, we
still have a packed column including the list of winners from the Putan
International Film Festival. Anyway, here's the latest info from Asia.
INDIA
- Producer / Director Ramgopal Verma's next production will be Love Ke
Liye Kuch Bhi Karega ("Do Anything for Love"), which will be directed by
Verma's protégé, E. Nivas. Nivas' last film was the critically-acclaimed
Shool. This new film will star Saif Ali Khan, Fardeen Khan, Aftab
Shivdasani, Sonali Bendre and Twinkle Khanna. The music for the film
will be composed by Vishal Bharadwaj.
- Producer Shubir Mukherjee's next film is Dil Deke Dekho (Give Me Your
Heart). The film will star Fardeen Khan and Amisha Patel.
- G.S. Entertainment (the production company owned by director Sohail
Khan) has announced that their next production will be directed by Actor
Atul Agnihotri and will star Salman Khan (Sohail's brother) and
Aishwarya Rai. The film does not yet have a title.
- Also, G.S. Entertainmet announced that one of their other films will
be directed by E. Niwas and star Salman Khan yet again. The film is
being written by Niwas, Salman Khan and Sohail Khan.
- Director Dharmesh Darshan's next film will be Ha Deewana Hoon Mein
(Yes, I am Madly in Love). The film will star Akshay Kumar and Karisma
Kapoor. This is not the Darshan film with Kumar, Kapoor, Abhishek
Bachchan and Shilpa Shetty that I talked about in Asia-AICN #25.
- Actress Manisha Koirala will co-host the quiz show Sawal Dus Karore Ka
(A Question of 10 Million Rupees) along with Anupam Kher. She will host
the show during the three-month period for which Kher has signed for.
Still no word on whether Madhuri Dixit will be roped in after the first
three months.
- The Hindi-language version of director Suresh Khanna's Aala Vandhaan
will be called Abhay (I think it's an Indian name). Both the Hindi and
Tamil versions (being shot simultaneously) will star Kamal Haasan (who
wrote the screenplay) and Raveena Tandon. Haasan plays a dual role in
the psychological thriller as a cop and a serial killer (this film is
NOT a remake of "Silence of the Lambs").
- Sanjay Dutt will make a special appearance in producer Satish Khanna's
Mohabbat Ho Gayi Hai Tumse (Being in Love with You). The film stars
Chandrachur Singh.
- There was no new movie released last week as everybody is hotly
anticipating the face off between the superstars Shahrukh Khan and
Hrithik Roshan when both Mohabbatein (Love Affairs) and Mission Kashmir
open next week. But for now, allow me to recommend a pretty good action
flick from last year, Hindustan Ki Kasam (India's Promise), directed by
veteran action choreographer Veeru Devgan. The film stars Ajay Devgan
(his son), Sushmita Sen, Manisha Koirala and Amitabh Bachchan. Now as I
said before, Veeru has choreographed some of the most kick-ass fight
scenes in Bollywood, including all of his son's fight scenes in his
various films. Devgan decided to turn director for this flick and even
though it's story is not exactly the best (to say the least), you do get
some pretty amazing action sequences. You get amazing skydiving
sequences, helicopter explosions, tonnes of shootouts, car chases, plane
chases, and an AWESOME air-to-air transfer in the finale (much better
than Cliffhanger, Air Force One or Executive Decision). Now this is
pretty much a popcorn flick so don't expect a very good story. The film
starts off as an Indian spy is leaving Pakistan with some secret
documents, disks, etc. Ajay Devgan then appears out of nowhere and
mercilessly kills him - in mid-air (much better than the Schwarzenneger
scene in Eraser). We cut to a scene where a writer (Devgan) returns home
to India from abroad. He writes about the spy's murder in his latest
book. The army officials come and arrest him even though Devgan claims
innocence. While Devgan is in captivity, we see yet another Indian
official murdered - again by Ajay Devgan. What happens next is the usual
action movie stuff where the hero goes on the lam to prove his innocence
leading up to an extremely exciting finale. Acting in general was
decent. Devgan has done way too many action films and he's relaxed in
the innocent/evil role. However the two actresses and Bachchan are
extremely wasted. Manisha and Sushmita are basically only needed for the
songs while Bachchan shows up every once in a while to give a lecture or
two. The songs are pretty good but they really do get in the way. All in
all, this may not be the best film in the world but I loved the
SPECTACULAR action sequences.
CHINA / HK
Here is some news from our informant "Wesley Snipes" regarding a Gordon Chan remake of John Woo's
The Killer (which I consider to be the BEST action film ever made):
This came from the TimeAsia site. They interviewed Gordon Chan,
writer/director of such diverse fare as Fist of Legend, The First Option, Beast
Cops, Dead Heat, Unfaithfully Yours, and 2000 AD. Pretty interesting!
Here's some excerpts from TimeAsia's interview with Gordon Chan that is located
at Their Great Site .
TIME: What is your next project?
Chan: I want to remake John Woo's The Killer. I'm trying to write it now
and I'm trying to get Leon Lai to star in it.
TIME: Really, that seems odd!
Chan: It is a strange choice, as he's never done any action before, but
he might be interesting for that very reason. Anthony Wong is also a
possibility, maybe as his sidekick.
TIME: When will the movie be finished?
Chan: Maybe in six months. I want to take my time with this film. The
thing that always distinguishes John Woo's films is the quality of the
production. In fact, that's why he went to Hollywood. Hong Kong couldn't
afford him. He was too good for Hong Kong. Directors would be amazed at
how long he would take to film individual gun-fighting scenes. Where
most directors took one day, he took two weeks. I want to bring back the
John Woo attitude to production, his influence to Hong Kong film, and
all the people
working within it. It's like a mission for me.
The following was reported by "The Accidental Spy":
- Jackie Chan must be very pleased with this idea: According to Oriental
Daily, instead of shooting "Rush Hour2" in HK and USA, director Brett
Rattner and New Line have finally decided to shoot the film ENTIRELY in
HK. With the full support from the HK government and police force, the
plotline will be changed from bombing LA to bombing the USA embassy in
HK. Brett Rattner, the casting director and the crew are now in HK
searching for locations and some HK actors and actresses. Sean Lau
Ching-Wan ("Running Out of Time"), Sandra Ng ("Juliet in Love"), Candy
Lo ("Time & Tide"), and Josie Ho ("Purple Storm") are among the actors
who will likely join the film (good cast, especially Candy Lo who
absolutely ROCKS in Time & Tide - D25).
- Nicolas Tse is having second thoughts about doing the cameo in TVB's
"Chaos of Comics (literal title)" which continues to deepen the
conflict between Tse and TVB. The actor/singer has trashed TVB's
programs and policies in an interview with TIMEASIA last May. TVB had
boycotted him since then until recently when Tse was invited to appear
on their charity show. Meanwhile, Chilam Cheung, one of the cast
members from "Chaos of Comics", has just signed three more movies with
TVB.
- Ti Lung ("A Better Tomorrow" and "Drunken Master 2") is back in films.
He's now shooting a BIG cop drama titled "Clean My Name, Mr. Coroner!"
with Francis Ng, Nick Cheung and Stephanie Che.
- Anita Mui said she won't join "Basic Instinct 2" but is very excited
about her next movie "Chung Mo Yim (literal title)" in which she plays a
king who's torn between two concubines (played by Sammi Cheng and
Cecilia Cheung). This will be her first comedic role since 1995's
"Rumble in the Bronx".
- I just want to say that Sammo Hung's "Springing Dragon, Jumping Tiger
(literal title)" is not necessary a parody of CTHD - it might be one,
but I don't know yet. If the title seems funny and sounds similar to
CTHD, then I have to say that this is just the LITERAL TITLE. In
Chinese, the title just sounds common (while somehow uninspired), and in
fact, tonnes of Chinese movie titles have the characters of "dragon
(lone)" and "tiger(fu)" involved, which end up being not straightly
translated as the official english title as CTHD did ;
- As expected, Tsui Hark's "Time & Tide" landed at no.1 at HKBO last
weekend, "Frequency" was up 1 spot to no.2, the slasher thriller "Cherry
Falls" fell to no.3, and "In the Mood of Love" remained at no.4 with the
strongest staying-power and the slimmest decline. Nick Cheung and Yoyo
Mung's school comedy "The Teacher without Chalk" debuted at no.5.
- Ekin Cheng and Louis Koo's action comedy "For Bad Boys Only", about
two private detectives who specifically help the clients to find their
lost first-loves, will be opening this Christmas. The film also co-stars
Shu Qi and Kristy Yeung. Here are two stills from the movie:
Ekin Cheng and Louis Koo as private detectives and Kristy Yeung (middle)
as their assistant:
Ekin Cheng:
- Finally, here's an exclusive picture from Wong Kar-Wai's long-awaited
"2046". In the picture is Faye Wong and Japanese actor Kimura Takuya.
The film also stars Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Zheng Zhun ("CTHD"). The
film will start shooting this December. Enjoy:
JAPAN
The following was reported by "Pigmon":
- Katuyuki Motohiro, (the director of "Bayside Shakedown" and "Space
Travellers") is shooting a new film titled "Satorare". Kiyoka Suzuki is
starring in this sci-fi about a man with psychic powers. The film will
open next spring in Japan.
- Shunji Iwai's new film, a long awaited follow up to "Swallow Tail",
"Lily Shushu No Subete" has nearly completed principal photography. Its
about the relationship between a young boy and a famous pop star named
Lily. The film is based on the an online novel.
- Shunji Hukasaku's acclaimed "Battle Royal", starring Beat Takeshi got
an R-15 rating meaning that no one under 15 is allowed to see the film.
Toei wanted a "PG" rating but there were too many violent scenes. I just
saw its latest trailer and it featured many young boys and girls killing
each other (Sounds good to me - D25). "Battle Royal" will make its world
premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival next week and will
open on December 16 all over Japan.
- Japan's oldest film magazine, "Kinema Junpo", has chosen Alfred
Hitchcock as best director of the 20th century in the foreign director
category. Federico Fellini, John Ford, Charlie Chaplin and Jean-Luc
Godard rounded out the top 5. The magazine will soon announce the best
director of 20th century in the Japanese director category.
- This week at the Japanese box office, Hollow Man topped the charts,
followed by X-Men, Autumn in New York, Being John Malkovitch, Disney's
The Kid, The Patriot, Nagasaki Pura Pura Bushi, Gone in 60 Seconds,
Music of the Heart and Dancer, respectively.
KOREA
The following was reported by "Matrix1966":
Here are the award winners at the 5th Pusan International Film Festival:
New Currents Award:
New Currents Award serves to promote emerging film talent in Asia by
selecting the best new film by an Asian director.
The award guarantees domestic film distribution in Korea or $10,000 to
the director in case Korean distribution is not possible.
Winner: 'The Day I Became a Woman' by Director Marziyeh Meshkini of Iran
FIPRESCI Award:
The FIPRESCI Award (Prize of the International Film Critics) is awarded
annually at PIFF to a new Asian film
for its experimental and progressive spirit by the Association of
International Film Press.
Winner: 'Sunflower' by Director Isao Yukisada of Japan;
Special Mention: 'Tears' by Director Im Sang-Soo of Korea
NETPAC Award:
The NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) Award is
presented to
the best Korean feature film by the NETPAC jury.
NETPAC was founded as an international body in 1990 and its mission is
to
promote and distribute Asian films,
as it recognizes the outstanding achievements in Asian filmmaking.
Winner: 'Chunhyang' by Director Im Kwon-Taek of Korea
The PSB Award:
The PSB Award is given to most popular film of PIFF, with audience award
of
$10,000 presented by the Pusan Broadcasting Cultural Foundation to its
director.
Winner: 'Die Bad' by Director Ryoo Seung-Wan of Korea
Sonje Fund:
A cash sum of $10,000 is given to the best Korean short film or video
production, to encourage young filmmakers of independent filmmaking.
Winner: 'Bardo' by Director Yoon Young-Ho of Korea
Woonpa Fund:
A cash sum of $10,000 is given to the best Korean documentary film or
video.
Winner: 'Sky-blue Hometown' by Director Kim So-Young of Korea
PHILIPPINES
The following was reported by "AznFob55":
There's no big news this week so I'll just throw in a couple of reviews
of films I recently saw:
- "Ayos Na Ang Kasunod" (All Set For The Next) is a typical Fernando Poe
Jr. Movie. It's the usual slapstick comedy, a lot of action and a tidbit
of soft-porn (courtesy of Ara Mina - extremely HOT - D25). This film was
not very well made. The script was especially lackluster. I almost
turned the TV off when the movie began with Jimmy Santos covering Rick
Martin's "Living La Vida Loca" while taking a shower. All in all, it was
entertainment, much like what you expect from an FPJ Film. This film is
not on par with FPJ's last movie, "Isusumbong Kita Sa Tatay Ko" with
Judy Anne Santos. This movie was total bomb for me and the only thing
good in this flick is the presence and the wonderful acting of the
always comedic genius, Candy Pangilinan. She is the ONE true queen of
COMEDY (next to Nova Villa and Gloria Romero).
- "Heto Na Naman Ako" (Here I Am Again) came to me in the beginning as a
"Bodyguard" rip-off but Vina Morales' acting and Robin Padilla's action
placed weight in this film. One different thing was that Vina and
Robin's character already had a background (very Dawson's Creek like)
before Robin became Vina's bodyguard. The identity of the stalker comes
off as a surprise as well. Troy Montero was good in his effort as a
distraught fiancee. Again, the true gem of this movie is Candy
Pangilinan who acts as a crazy fanatic to Vina's character and Robin's
cousin. Her scene with the cameras after the show was hillarious.
Lindsay Custodio was also good on her portrayal as Vina's couterpart
(There was a Britney-Christina tension). This movie IS a real treat.
I think it's time to end the column for this week. Make sure to send us
any info you may have to Our Asia-AICN Office. See you all next week.
- Darius25
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