May 31, 2004

Click here for 11 movies released in May.

BREAKING NEWS Official Site (Media Asia Group)

Official site

Page by Cannes Film Festival

Will Wong Kar-Wai Make A Biopic For Bruce Lee? (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

Director Wong Kar-Wa said in Cannes that he would make a biopic for Bruce Lee and Leung Chiu-Wai would play Lee's master, Ye Wen. During an interview with China's CCTV, Leung Chiu-Wai also said their next project would be an martial-art film. The biopic will centers around the story of Lee and his master during the 1950's and 1960's, before Lee was an super star. Someone from Wong's Block 2 Pictures told Shanghai Youth Daily that the biopic was only one of many projects they were working on. Soft Coffee (literal title), a low budget film starring Chang Chen and Dong Jie will be Wong's next project and he will only produce it. Director Tsui Hark and the municipal government of Shunde, Guangdong Province, Lee's hometown, are also pursuing their own Bruce Lee biopics.

(Thanks to Scott Kelly for the reminder.)

The Coolidge Award 2004 celebrates Zhang Yimou (Coolidge Corner Theatre)

Zhang Yimou in Boston

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?

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.

Jackie Chan Starts Working On LEGEND / MYTH With Director Stanley Tong (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

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.)

SMMF News 080 - What Has Sony Pictures Classic Planned For SHI MIAN MAI FU / HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

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.

SMMF News 079 - More SHI MIAN MAI FU / HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS Reviews (Various)

2046 - The Unfinished Finished Film (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

Wong Kar-wai	Leung Chiu-wai	Zhang Ziyi
(Block 2 Pictures / Shanghai Film Group Corp. / Paradis Films / Orly Films)

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.

Cannes Finale - Maggie Cheung Wins For CLEAN (Cannes Film Festival)

Cannes praises Zhang's 'Daggers, by Michael Wilmington film critic, Chicago Tribute via Yahoo! News, May 22 (Thanks to "peter")

2046 Is Approaching The Palm (Various)

CLEAN Premièred Today (Various)

BREAKING NEWS Premièred Today (Various)

2046 Premièred Today (Various)

SMMF News 078 - More SHI MIAN MAI FU Coverage (Various)

SMMF News 077 - SHI MIAN MAI FU Premiered Today (Various)

SMMF News 076 - More SHI MIAN MAI FU Photos (Sina.com)

May 18, 2004

(Beijing New Pictures Films / Elite Group Enterprises Inc.)

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 075 - SHI MIAN MAI FU Photos (Sina.com)

THE HUADU CHRONICLE - BLADE OF THE ROSE (a.k.a. THE TWINS EFFECT 2) Stuffs (Various)

Here are a few scans of a pamphlet distributed at Cannes Film Market.

(Thanks to Marie M)

(Emperor Motion Pictures) (Originally published by Ta Kung Pao (Hong Kong), Tom.com and Lycos China.

Cannes Update - ONE ARM SWORDSMAN Screened Today (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

May 16, 2004

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.

Page by Cannes Film Festival official site

May 15, 2004