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News Archives |
| February 2005 | |
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| WU JI / THE PROMISE Stars Do Voice-Over in Beijing (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) | ||
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February 28, 2005 |
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According to Chinese media, stars of Wu Ji / The Promise are currently in Beijing doing voice-over for their roles. Director Chen Kaige asked them to speak Mandarin Chinese, which is a big challenge for Hiroyuki Sanada from Japan and Jang Dong-Kun from South Korea. Producer Chen Hong said they had learned speaking Chinese for over a year, even before the start of the filming last February. Hiroyuki Sanada is practicing Chinese way of yelling, which is different from the Japanese one. Hardworking Jang Dong-Kun temporarily lost his voice and his throat even bled at least once. Other cast members like Liu Ye, Nicholas Tse and Chen Hong have no problem of speaking Mandarin, but Cecilia Cheung's lines have to be dubbed because her voice sounds broken. Chen Kaige has yet completed the post-production but a 10 minute clip will be screened during the coming Cannes Film Festival in May.
More coverage on Wu Ji / The Promise
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February 27, 2005 |
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It is a variation of the original Chinese poster.
(Thanks to Alexis Moore of Sony Pictures Classics.)
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Jackie Chan Plans to Play Baddie for the First Time Since People Started to Remember Him (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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February 27, 2005 |
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Jackie Chan will play a bad guy, "world No. 1 Baddie" according to himself, next year in a new film co-produced by a Korean firm, according to Hong Kong's Oriental Daily and The Sun. At a press conference in Tokyo, for promoting his New Police Story, he said he would recreate Tokyo's Shinjuku district, because it would be very hard to shoot in the real Shinjuku district during the nighttime.
BTW, Jackie Chan played baddie before, before he had a onscreen breakthrough two and a half decades ago. (Thanks to Paul Skelding for this one.)
(Left) Jackie Chan is currently working on The Myth..
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February 26, 2005 |
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Taiwanese actor Miao Tien lost his final battle against lymphatic cancer February 21 at the age of 80. Miao's career started with two highly influential martial-art films from the 1960's - Dragon Inn and A Touch of Zen. He then joined Hong Kong's Shaw Bros. Studio and starred in such films like Empress Dowager and The The Last Tempest, both were from Li Han-Hsiang. Miao retired in 1987 and resurrected his career in 1991, after he met director Tsai Ming-Liang. For the next decade, Miao was credited as "Father" in almost every film by Tsai, such as Rebels of the Neon God, The River, The Hole, What Time is It Over There? and The Missing. Just two days before Miao Tien's passing, Tsai Ming-Liang's sexual musical The Wayward Cloud won a Silver Bear for an outstanding artistic contribution for the script of the film.
(Thanks to Shikaku from Tokyo for the special contribution to this story.)
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SEVEN SWORDS Official Site Launched (SevenSwordsTheFilm.com) |
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February 24, 2005 |
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Click for the official site (Thanks to Kington Jiang.)
Click here for the synopsis (Spoiler Alert!)
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KUNG FU / KUNG FU HUSTLE Official US Site Launched In Full (Sony Pictures Classics) |
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February 24, 2005 |
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(Thanks to Alexis Moore of Sony Pictures Classics.)
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Gong Li Offered a Role In THE LECTOR VARIATION, A LAMBS Prequel (?) |
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February 24, 2005 |
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Producer Dino De Laurentiis has told the Italian press that he had the fourth installment of the Hannibal Lecter series in planning and Chinese actress Gong Li had landed a role in it. According the report by Screen Daily, The Lector Variation would focus on Lector's childhood in Lithuania through a period in Paris to his arrival in the US.
Related stories: Li set for Silence of the Lambs prequel (Moviehole.net) De Laurentiis re-affirms Alexander project with DiCaprio and Kidman, to be directed by Luhrmann (Screen Daily)
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Zhang Yimou's QIAN LI ZOU DAN JI Had First New Conference In Tokyo (Various) |
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February 23, 2005 |
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A news conference for director's Zhang Yimou's Qian Li Zou Dan Ji was held yesterday in Tokyo. The film tells a story of a Japanese man travels to China's Southwest to complete a scholarly project on a local opera, for his dying son.
Related story: Chinese auteur Zhang directs Japanese actor in new film (AP via Yahoo! Asia News)
More photos from the news conference: A B C
Photos: (L to R) a Japanese producer, producer Bill Kong, director Zhang Yimou, actor Ken Takakura, director Yasuo Furuhata, actor Kiichi Nakai and actress Shinobu Terajima.
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February 22, 2005 |
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According to the website of London based Sheer Film, Chow Yun-Fat will soon play a "Bounty-Hunter for the Undead" in The Wretched. It turns out that Chow Yun-Fat's beard is not for Pirates of the Caribbean sequels after all. Chow's wife told the Hong Kong Sun that in April her husband would go to Mexico to play a cowboy in a British film and for the role he had lost about ten pounds through slow-running. By the way, Mrs. Chow also said there were three more projects were waiting for her husband. Could they be two Pirates of the Caribbean sequels and Battle of Red Cliff with John Woo?
Click here for more about The Wretched.
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Jackie Chan Resumes Working For THE MYTH (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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February 22, 2005 |
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Shooting of Jackie Chan's fantasy action The Myth has resumed in Hong Kong. For this scene, Jackie Chan had to wear heavy armor and jump into the freezing sea.
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February 21, 2005 |
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Da Han Feng (literal title: Wind of the Great Han) is a 20 episode historical drama produced by the mainland China. It was shot with digital video camera and the first episode, Po Fu Chen Zhou, will be shown digitally on 160 screens in China. The story focuses on warlord Xiang Yu, who led one of many rebel forces to overthrow the Qin Dynasty and was later defeated by another warlord Liu Bang, the first emperor of Han Dynasty.
Left: DVD box design of Episode 1: Po Fu Che Zhou.
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February 20, 2005 |
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Review 1 by "no_math9" Review 2, by "MasterMogli"
(Thanks to Samee of Jet Li Online)
More about Unleashed / Danny the Dog.
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Editor Angie Lam Talks about Tsui Hark's SEVEN SWORDS (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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February 19, 2005 |
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Hong Kong film editor Angie Lam had a chat with a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily while working on the final cut of Seven Words in Beijing.
According to Hong Kong media, Tsui Hark's martial-art epic has been selling very well in the international market. At the recent American Film Market, rights of 13 regions were sold, including France, Italy, Thailand, East Europe, Indonesia, the UK and Germany. Production of Seven Swords is currently taking place in China's Xinjiang Region. Two movie sets, occupying an area of four football fields, were built outside Urumchi, the capital of Xinjiang. They contains restaurants, residences, farmlands and animal farms.
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Chinese Film PEACOCK Won The Jury Grand Prix at the Berlin Film Festival (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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February 19, 2005 |
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Peacock (Kong Que), a humorous family drama about individual freedom during the late 1970's China, directed by cinematographer Gu Changwei, was awarded with the Jury Grand Prix at the Berlin Film Festival and Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-Ling's sexual musical The Wayward Cloud (Tian Bian Yi Duo Yun), won a Silver Bear for an outstanding artistic contribution for the script of the film.
Related Stories: "U-Carmen eKhayelitsha" wins best film at Berlinale festival (AFP) Personal liberty in China spotlighted in Berlinale contender (AFP) Opening This Week: December 25 - 31, 2004 (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) December 31, 2004 Monkeypeaches' Best And Worst Films Of 2004 (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) January 1, 2005
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Opening This Week: February 12 - 18, 2005 (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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February 18, 2005 |
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Four movies, each with a love story, were released in China.
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MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA Interviews: Rob Marshall / Michelle Yeoh (Michelle Yeoh Web Theatre) |
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January 17, 2005 |
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More Photos of Chow Yun-Fat's Beard, for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN Sequels? (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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February 16, 2005 |
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Chow Yun-Fat just made a surprise visit to a small Hong Kong street where director Johnnie To was shooting Hei She HuiI / Election, a crime drama about the Hong Kong gangs electing their new boss.
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February 15, 2005 |
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Director Zhang Yimou Honored by The Art Director Guild of America (Business Wire) |
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February 14, 2005 |
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Chinese director Zhang Yimou was presented with an honorary award for Outstanding Contribution to Cinematic Imagery by The Art Director Guild (ADG) yesterday. As the leading figure of China's Fifth Generation Filmmakers, Zhang Yimou started his career as a cinematographer after graduated from Beijing Film Academy. From 1984 to 1986, he was the cameraman for One and Eight, Yellow Earth, The Big Parade and Old Well, all by the Fifth Generation directors. He was also cast as the male lead for Old Well and his role later won him a Best Actor title from the Golden Rooster Awards of China. In 1987, Zhang made his directorial début, Red Sorghum, which was the most influential film came out from China during the 1980's. After directed a very unsuccessful action Codename Cougar, he made a series of visual masterpieces - Ju Dou, Raise the Red Lantern, The Story of Qiu Ju, To Live, Shanghai Triad, Keep Cool, Not One Less and The Road Home. After another unsuccessful work, Happy Times, Zhang made two martial-art epics - Hero and House of Flying Daggers. Zhang Yimou is currently working on the post-production of Qian Li Zou Dan Ji.
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KEKEXILI: MOUNTAIN PATROL Reviews, Very Positive (Film Threat / NIXFLIX.COM) |
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February 13, 2005 |
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Review 1, by Daniel Wible, Film Threat Review 2, by "The Beggar", NIXFLIX.COM
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UNLEASHED / DANNY THE DOG Reviews, Very Positive (Fan-Site.org/Jet-Li / JetLiUK.com) |
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February 12, 2005 |
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Review 1, by Jeff Miny, Fan-Site.org/Jet-Li (Thanks to Samee) Review 2, by "dRuNkEn@!M*~ aka Tim" (JetLiUK.com) (Thanks to "dRuNkEn@!M*~ aka Tim")
Screen caps: The making of (Thanks to Samee)
More about Unleashed / Danny the Dog.
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Opening This Week: February 5 - 11, 2005 (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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February 11, 2005 |
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A modern day Chinese version of Romeo and Juliet story and a Hong Kong version of James Bond thriller...
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February 11, 2005 |
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Sony Pictures Classics has reserved this url for the future location of the official site: www.2046themovie.com
(Thanks to "Paul".)
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SHI MIAN MAI FU / HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS Grabbed Four Saturn Awards Nominations (Saturn.org) |
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February 10, 2005 |
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House of Flying Daggers is up for Best Fantasy Film (Maybe this is not the right category), Zhang Ziyi is running for the title of Best Actress, Zhang Yimou is honored in the Best Director category and Emi Wada is nominated her costume design.
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February 9, 2005 |
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It is the first day of the Year of Rooster according to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar and it is also the day for stars and filmmakers to do nothing but to rest, therefore there is no news today. But that does not mean you will not hear anything from me.
For the rest of the year, three master directors of China's Fifth Generation will show us their new works - Qian Li Zou Dan Ji, a low budget contemporary drama from Zhang Yimou, Wu Qingyuan, a medium budget biopic from Tian Zhuangzhuang and Wu Ji / The Promise, a mega budget period fantasy from Chen Kaige; directors of the Sixth Generation will also release their own titles and many of them have to comply with the censorship to acquire shooting permits in their home country; Feng Xiaogang, who could not be classified as any "generation", will present his annual comedy treat with Noble; on-screen martial-art stars, will continue their legacy with new actions, The Myth from Jackie Chan, Unleashed / Danny the Dog with Jet Li and Sha Po Lang with Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung; Tsui Hark, who absented from directing for years, will make a comeback with Seven Swords; Johnnie To will take anther look at Hong Kong's "gang culture" with Hei She Hui; Ang Lee will have Brokeback Mountain, with a cowboy love story, coming out; Stephen Chow will work on Kung Fu Hustle sequel as what he has promised, John Woo will begin realizing his US$ 50 million historical drama Battle of Red Cliff and Wong Kar-Wai will probably start focusing on the production of The Lady from Shanghai with Nicole Kidman; and last but not least, the highly anticipated Memoirs of a Geisha, with so many Chinese stars filling the title roles, will finally make its Oscar quest in December.
By the way, today is also the 26th birthday of Zhang Ziyi, the hottest Chinese girl on earth.
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KUNG FU / KUNG FU HUSTLE Becomes Hong Kong's Top Grower (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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February 8, 2005 |
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By yesterday, Kung Fu Hustle's box-office revenue has soared to HK$ 60.83 million (US$7.80 million), surpassed the previous record holder Shaolin Soccer by HK$ 30,000. Shaolin Soccer's record was achievement through 84 days and Kung Fu Hustle' has only been released for 46 days.
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| Director Feng Xiaogang Wants Ge You and Maggie Cheung for His NOBLE (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) | |
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February 7, 2005 |
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According to Beijing Youth Daily, Chinese director Feng Xiaogang is now thinking about casting Ge You and Maggie Cheung as the male and female leads of his upcoming comedy Gui Zu (literal title: Noble). Ge You has been in every movie Feng directed. Recently Maggie Cheung told another Chinese paper Goat City Evening News that she had not been in contact with Feng Xiaogang over this matter and she would like to work with him nevertheless. Also, Gong Li and Takeshi Kaneshiro will not be involved in the project. The script will be done next month and the shooting is expected to begin in May or June.
Related Story: Director Feng Xiaogang Tempts Ge You And Stephen Chow With NOBLE (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) December 29, 2004
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| Hong Kong's The 10th Golden Bauhinina Awards Nomination (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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February 6, 2005 |
