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News Archives |
| May 2004 | |
| MonkeyPeaches' Monthly Recap - Movies Released In May (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) | |
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May 31, 2004 |
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BREAKING NEWS Official Site (Media Asia Group) |
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| May 30, 2004 | |
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| Zhang Yimou Accepted The First Coolidge Award In Boston (Various) | |||||
| May 28, 2004 | |||||
The Coolidge Award 2004 celebrates Zhang Yimou (Coolidge Corner Theatre)
By Matthew Goltz (www.thefilmbasement.com)
Zhang accepts Coolidge Award in anecdote-filled celebration (The Boston Globe) By Janice Page An award to rival Oscar? |
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| SMMF News 081 - Some Detail Of SHI MIAN MAI FU / HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS' Beijing Grand Première (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) | ||
| May 27, 2004 | ||
The première will be held at Beijing's Worker's Gymnasium on Saturday July 10, and will be broadcasted live to four locations at four other Chinese cities - Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Shenzhen. However, only clips of the film will be shown at the première, probably due to piracy concern. The première has been designed more like a variety show or concert. Programs includes the recreated set of "Peony Work", performance from all three leads, theme song by soprano Kathleen Battle, and even shows from several red-hot singers who are not related to the film at all. Director Zhang Yimou is expected to helm the show, which would cost over US$ 1 million to produce. Ticket will be sold for approximately US$12 each. |
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Jackie Chan Starts Working On LEGEND / MYTH With Director Stanley Tong (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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| May 26, 2004 | |||||||||
According to Hong Kong media, Jackie Chan has started working on a new project, financed by his JCE Movies Ltd., with director Stanley Tong in Hong Kong a couple of days ago. Jackie Chan told Oriental Daily, that the title for the film could be Legend or Myth, but he was not ready to accept either one of them. The project was formerly known as Time Breaker, derived from Titanium Rain, which has dried up a year ago. Shooting will be wrapped up in a few days and re-start in Shanghai later next month. Jackie Chan is still looking for the right actress to play the character repeatedly shows up in the dreams of Jackie Chan's character, a time-traveler. (Thanks to Marie M for the reminder.) |
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SMMF News 080 - What Has Sony Pictures Classic Planned For SHI MIAN MAI FU / HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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| May 25, 2004 | ||||||
Shi Mian Mai Fu is coming to North America during the coming Christmas, and it will be put onto an Oscar quest, according to Michael Barker, Co-President of Sony Pictures Classics, who sit down and talked to a reporter from Beijing based newspaper Youth Times. This was the same path the company designed for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon a few years ago and was also what MiramAxe promised but did not offer to Hero. Sony Pictures Classics reportedly paid US $14 million for the North American rights to the film, Universal's art-house branch Focus Features secured the European rights (excluding UK) last fall and Warner Brothers acquired the Japanese rights with US$ 10 million. |
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SMMF News 079 - More SHI MIAN MAI FU / HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS Reviews (Various) |
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| May 24, 2004 | |||||||||
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2046 - The Unfinished Finished Film (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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| May 23, 2004 | |||||||||
2046, one of the most anticipated films only until a few days ago, departed Cannes empty-handed. Received mixed to positive reviews, 2046 has been suspected to be, by many, still a work-print. Have been working on the project for almost five years, Wong Kar-Wai might still don't know what the final cut should be. Why was the production so ever-lasting? He had three factors to blame. The first one is CG effect, which was very time-consuming. The second one is location, or more precisely, locations, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Macao, Thailand... Every time he made some alteration, he had to rush to various locations. And the third one is something occurred during the post-production. Is the one premièred in Cannes really the completed product? Wong said we would see a completely different version of 2046 if he was given three additional weeks or months. 2046 has been referred to, by some, not only the title of the film but also the year of its completion. Wong said he had heard the joke repeatedly, which made him very sick, and the joke should end, because he had promised not to touch the film ever again and leave the unused material to the DVD. |
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Cannes Finale - Maggie Cheung Wins For CLEAN (Cannes Film Festival) |
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| May 22, 2004 | ||
Palme d'Or (Golden Palm): "Fahrenheit 9/11," Michael Moore (United States).
Grand Prize: "Old Boy," Park Chan-wook (South Korea).
Jury Prize: Actress Irma P. Hall, "The Ladykillers," (United States), and "Tropical Malady," Apichatpong Weerasethakul, (Thailand).
Best Director: "Exiles," Tony Gatlif (France).
Best Actor: Yagira Yuuya (Japan), "Nobody Knows."
Best Actress: Maggie Cheung (China), "Clean." (news, photos)
Best Screenplay: "Look at Me," Agnes Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri (France).
Golden Camera (first-time director): "Or," Keren Yedaya, (France/Israel).
Best short film: "Traffic," Catalin Mitulescu (Romania).
Jury Prize for short film: "Flatlife," Jonas Geirnaert (Belgium).
Lu Cheng (Passage) by Yang Chao was one of two special mentions of "Golden Camera" category.
Shi Mian Mai Fu (House Of Flying Daggers) by Zhang Yimou and Lu Cheng (Passage) by Yang Chao were re-screened today.
Cannes praises Zhang's 'Daggers, by Michael Wilmington film critic, Chicago Tribute via Yahoo! News, May 22 (Thanks to "peter") |
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2046 Is Approaching The Palm (Various) |
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| May 22, 2004 | |||||||||
The Jury from Screen International just picked 2046 as the favorite for the Palm. Click here. (Thanks to Scott Kelly)
(Left): The makeup press conference: (L to R) director Wong Kar-Wai, Chang Chen, Takuya Kimura, Leung Chiu-Wai, Carina Lau and Zhang Ziy
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CLEAN Premièred Today (Various) |
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| May 21, 2004 | ||
Clean, starring Maggie Cheung and was written/directed by her ex-husband Olivier Assayas.
Official reports by the festival: news introduction videos Review, by David Rooney, Variety via Yahoo! News
L to R: Beatrice Dalle, Nick Nolte, director Olivier Assayas and Maggie Cheng, |
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BREAKING NEWS Premièred Today (Various) |
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| May 21, 2004 | ||||
Hong Kong director Jonnie To's crime drama Breaking News has been shown today in Cannes.
Official reports by the festival: news introduction
Left: two poster designs
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2046 Premièred Today (Various) |
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| May 20, 2004 | ||
Wong Kar-Wai made a very last minute delivery of his 2046 to Cannes, something he has never felt very comfortable about. But, he made it. Four years ago, his In The Mood For Love was also late for Cannes première. Déjà vu?
Official reports by the festival: red carpet videos
Suspense over as missing China film premieres to acclaim in Cannes (AFP via Yahoo! News) Cannes, a k a Asia West by A. O. Scott (New York Times)
(Thanks to everyone who has sent me reminders!) |
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SMMF News 078 - More SHI MIAN MAI FU Coverage (Various) |
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| May 20, 2004 | ||||||||||
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SMMF News 077 - SHI MIAN MAI FU Premiered Today (Various) |
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| May 19, 2004 | |||||||||||
Videos: clip, press conference, interview / photo call, red carpet (scroll-down) Official report by the festival Press conferences: click here, here, here
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SMMF News 076 - More SHI MIAN MAI FU Photos (Sina.com) |
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May 18, 2004 |
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According to Variety, Sony Pictures Classics has picked up the North American rights to Shi Mian Mian Fu (click here, thanks to Patrick Y and Mark Singh). This is not much a news because we knew it over a month ago: SMMF News 059 - Columbia Picked Up SHI MIAN MAI FU (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) April 7, 2004. |
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| May 17, 2004 | ||||||||
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THE HUADU CHRONICLE - BLADE OF THE ROSE (a.k.a. THE TWINS EFFECT 2) Stuffs (Various) |
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| May 17, 2004 | |||||||
Here are a few scans of a pamphlet distributed at Cannes Film Market.
(Thanks to Marie M)
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Cannes Update - ONE ARM SWORDSMAN Screened Today (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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May 16, 2004 |
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Shot in 1971, New One-Armed Swordsman was the follow-up of One-Armed Swordsman made four years before. Both films were helmed by Chang Cheh (1933-2002), the most celebrated Chinese martial-art film director. He made over a hundred martial-art films, most were for Shaw Bros. Many influential figures in Hong Kong film industry had worked for him in separate time periods, including Wang Yu, Wu Ma, Ti Lung, Cheng Pei-pei, Lo Lieh, Chiang Dai-Wai, John Woo, Lau Kar-Leung, Lee Sau-Yin and Andy Lau. As part of the newly added Cannes Classics category, New One-Armed Swordsman is shown today at the festival.
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| More 2046 Stills (Océan Films) | ||||||||||||||
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May 15, 2004 |
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The French distributor Océan Films just updated its official French 2046 site with a press kit plus many never-been-seen stills from the film. (Thanks to "xp".)
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| Cannes Update - LÜ CHENG Reviews (Variety / The Hollywood Reporter) | |||||
| May 15, 2004 | |||||
In the 1990's, two young students, after failing the college entrance exam for the fourth time, run away from their little county town to search for a a quick way of getting rich...
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Cannes Update - LÜ CHENG Premièred And Gong Li To Be Awarded (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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May 14, 2004 |
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Chinese film Lü Cheng (Passages) from the Un Certain Regard category has premièred today in Cannes.
Chinese actress Gong Li will be presented with the annual Cannes Special Award on May 21.
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The Cannes Schedule Update (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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May 14, 2004 |
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Zhang Ziyi will arrive in Nice May 17th at 8:55 am on AF #277, and then travel to Cannes.
Thanks to Ling. |
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BREAKING NEWS Stills (Various) |
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May 13, 2004 |
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Festival de Cannes Opens Today (Various) |
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May 12, 2004 |
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Cannes Film Festival official site More coverage on Shi Mian Mai Fu
(From left to right): Leung Chiu-Wai in 2046, Zhang Ziyi in Shi Mian Mai Fu (House Of Flying Daggers), Maggie Cheung in Clean, Richie Jen in Breaking News, and Chang Jieping in Passages.
Shaw Bros.' old-school martial-art classic The New One-Armed Swordsman by past director Chang Cheh will also be shown at the festival. |
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Chinese Actor Niu Zhenhua Passed Away This Morning (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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May 12, 2004 |
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Chinese actor comedian Niu Zhenhua was killed during a car accident last night in Beijing. Born in 1956, Niu Zhenhua started his comedy career as a xiangsheng performer. Since early 1990's, he has starred in seven movies, Stand Up, Don't Bend Over, Back To Back, Face To Face, Signal Lef t, Turn Right, Madly Kissing Russia (literal), West Gate Police Story, The Soong Sisters and The Marriage Certificate. He also appeared at dozens of TV series and TV programs. Niu Zhenhua just celebrated his 49th birthday the past May 1. |
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The Cannes Schedule (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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May 11, 2004 |
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According to Chinese paper Nanfang Daily, the major figures from the team of Shi Mian Mai Fu, director Zhang Yimou, producer Zhang Weiping and William Kong, Zhang Ziyi, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Andy Lau, will arrive in Cannes next Monday, the 17th.
According to a very reliable source, Zhang Ziyi will arrive in Nice May 17th at 8:55 am on AF #277, and then travel to Cannes.
2046 will be premiered May 20 at 19:00 at the Palais des Festivals and be screened at 14:30 and 19:00 at Grand Théâtre Lumière.
Breaking News will be screened May 21 at 00:30 at Grand Théâtre Lumière.
Clean will be screened May 21 at 11:30 and 22:00 at Grand Théâtre Lumière. |
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Chinese Film THE GREEN HAT Takes Top Honors At Trbeca Film Festival (TriBeCa Film Festival) |
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May 11, 2004 |
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Chinese film The Green Hat has become the winner of Best Narrative Feature and its director Liu Fendou is also awarded with the title of Best New Narrative Filmmaker.
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Cannes Stills - 2046, SHI MIAN MAI FU, BREAKING NEWS, CLEAN (Cannes Film Festival Official Site / my Stuff and News) |
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May 10, 2004 |
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Here is a collection of stills specifically released for Cannes Film Festival. Surprisingly, director Wong Kar-Wai did not release any picture of Maggie Cheung in 2046. Maybe it is because she is also the leading woman of Clean, written and directed by her ex-husband Olivier Assayas. A few images from Zhang Yimou's Shi Mian Mai Fu (a.k.a. House Of Flying Daggers) and Breaking News, by Hong Kong director Johnnie To, are also released.
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More Official Stills From The Completed 2046 (Oriental Daily) |
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May 9, 2004 |
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(Block 2 Pictures) |
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WU JI / THE PROMISE In The "Earth Forest" (Sina.com) |
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May 8, 2004 |
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Shooting of Wu Ji (English title: The Promise) just restarted in the "Earth Forest" of Yuanmou County, Yunnan Province. Hundreds of military service men were commissioned to play slaves.
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First Official Still From The Completed 2046 (Sina.com) |
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May 7, 2004 |
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(Block 2 Pictures) |
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PTU Sequel Is Coming (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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May 6, 2004 |
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Hong Kong actor Simon Yam told a Chinese paper that, next year, director Jonnie To and him would do a a sequel to the highly stylized crime drama PTU, which has been a big winner of several local awards this year, including Hong Kong Film Awards and Golden Bauhinina Awards. |
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| HERO News 303 - Official Sites Around The Globe, Revisited (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) | ||
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May 5, 2004 |
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See how Hero has been presented around the world: Official Polish site (Thanks to szkp)
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WU JI / THE PROMISE Goes To Shangri-La (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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May 4, 2004 |
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Shooting of Wu Ji (English title: The Promise) at Hengdian World Studios wrapped up few days ago and the multi-million dollar set will be torn down this month. The production has moved to the location in Shangri-La County of Yunnan Province. According to Tianjin Daily, Hundreds, if not thousands of bulls will be gathered to form an "army" commanded by the general played by Hiroyuki Sanada.
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SMMF News 070 - SHI MIAN MAI
FU Teaser Posters
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May 3, 2004 |
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SMMF News 069 - More
Snapshots From SHI MIAN MAI FU Stills
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May 2, 2004 |
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These pictures were from Chinese newspaper BigStar.
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SMMF News 068 - SHI MIAN MAI FU
Trailer In Japanese
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May 1, 2004 |
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