Monkeypeaches' The Best and Worst of 2005 (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

December 31, 2005

Opening This Week: December 24 - 30 (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

December 30, 2005

The Weinstein Co. has handed back the rights of the film in all major English speaking countries to its producers, China Film Group Corp. and Moonstone Entertainment. Reportedly, the producers of the film, including director Chen Kaige, demand a wider released in the US and the Weinsteins are only willing to give it a limited exposure. The Weinsteins get a full load of homemade films ready to sell at the Oscar and promoting a foreign import is not their priority. Producer Etchie Stroh will continue push the film with his less known Moonstone Entertainment. The film's title will be changed back to The Promise and Master of the Crimson Armor, the title the Weinstines picked for English speaking countries, will no longer be used. However, only the 102 minute version, rather than the original 121 minute version, will be available to the market outside of Asia. 

(Thanks to PY Kong.)

I knew it! I have been expecting the news ever since I saw the full 2 hour version of Wu Ji. I knew 2 hours are too long to be accepted by the Weinsteins, especially the action only count less than one hour of the film. I knew the Weinsteins would shorten it to make it more an actioner than a melodrama. The question is - when.

Now it is official. according to a Variety article by Patrick Frater, the Weinstein Co. has chopped off 24 minutes of the film and, allegedly, director Chen Kaige's had the honor of actually doing the chopping. The slimmed version version will be only thing officially available outside of Asia. In this case, the Weinsteins are again acted as businessmen, and if the report of that Chen Kaige did the final cut of the slimmed version was true, Chen should also be considered as a businessman rather than a filmmaker. There is absolutely nothing wrong about maximizing profit out of the investment. But should the people lose the right to decide which version is better?

(Thanks to PY Kong.)

Fox Searchlight Pictures official site

Michelle Yeoh Gets Some SUNSHINE in Space (Variety) June 9, 2005

Official Site of FEARLESS, Jet Li’s HUO YUANJIA Biopic Opened with Teaser and Stills (FearlessTheMovie.com) November 3, 2005

Official Site of FEARLESS, Jet Li’s HUO YUANJIA Biopic Opened with Teaser and Stills (FearlessTheMovie.com) November 3, 2005

Official Site of FEARLESS, Jet Li’s HUO YUANJIA Biopic Opened with Teaser and Stills (FearlessTheMovie.com) November 3, 2005

Opening This Week: December 17 - 23 (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

December 23, 2005

WU JI / THE PROMISE / MASTER OF THE CRIMSON ARMOR Performs Strong in China (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

December 22, 2005

Exclusive Promotional Stills of JADESOTURI / JADE WARRIOR (Sina.com)

December 21, 2005

THE AUNT'S POSTMODERN LIFE Press Conference (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

December 20, 2005

Chow Yun-Fat Boards Ann Hui's THE AUNT'S POSTMODERN LIFE (Screen Daily) July 20, 2005

DRAGON TIGER GATE Preview Video (Sina.com)

December 19, 2005

Donnie Yen	Nicholas Tse	Shawn Yue
(?)

Sina.com acquired a short preview video for Dragon Tiger Gate from Beijing-based Polybona Films. It doesn't show any footage from the film or will be included in the film, but rather many behind-the-scene shots.

WU JI / THE PROMISE / MASTER OF THE CRIMSON ARMOR Set New Records in China (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

December 18, 2005

RIDING ALONE FOR THOUSANDS OF MILES Premièred in Lijiang (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

December 17, 2005

Opening This Week: December 10 - 16 (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

December 16, 2005

Disney Tries out Chinese Market with THE SECRET OF THE MAGIC GOURD (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

December 15, 2005

Disney announced it will co-produce its first Chinese production, The Secret of the Magic Gourd, with Chinese state-owned China Film Group Corp. and Hong Kong based Centro Digital Pictures. The film will be based on the same name children's book published in 1958 by novelist Zhang Tianyi. The story tells a young boy accidentally discovers  magic gourd, which can do anything he wanted. Then he comes to realizes the magic gourd has become his burden and he decides to get rid of it, but that is not easy. The book was adapted to a black and white film in 1963, by Shanghai based Heavenly Horse Film Studios, now part of Shanghai Film Studios.

Shooting of the new feature has already begun in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, carried out by Centro Digital Pictures, which is best known for creating CG effects for Kill Bill, Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle and Wu Ji / The Promise / Master of the Chrisom Armor. Shooting is expected to wrap early next year and will be released during the second half of 2006 by China Film Group Corp., the biggest government controlled movie producer and distributor of the country, will distribute it in China. Disney's subsidiary Buena Vista will handle the film's international sales.

Related Links:

Disney to make film in China, Associated Press

Disney producing its first film in and for China, by Jeffrey Goldfarb, Reuters

Yue Qiu Says Shooting of KUNG FU HUSTLE Sequel Might Start in May (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

December 14, 2005

Yue Qiu, who played the landlady in Kung Fu Hustle, recently said shooting of the action comedy might start in May and director Stephen Chow had asked her to boost her weight to over 140 pounds and to do more martial-art practice. She said she knew nothing about the sequel's plot except she would resume her role as the landlady. There have been many casting rumors lately and none of them is confirmed by Stephen Chow himself. Huang Shengyi, who played the deaf girl in the original, has lost any hope of returning to the sequel since she departed from Stephen Chow's agency company.

The Golden Globe Nominated BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, Zhang Ziyi, KUNG FU HUSTLE and THE PROMISE (TheGoldenGlobe.com)

December 14, 2005

(Focus Features, Columbia Pictures, DreamWorks Films, China Film Group)

Ang Lee directed Brokeback Mountain received seven nominations, including Best Motion Picture - Drama and Best Director - Motion Picture; Zhang Ziyi is recognized for her leading performance in Memoirs of A Geisha; and two Chinese productions, Kung Fu Hustle and The Promise (aka. Wu Ji / Master of the Crimson Armor), are among five candidates competing for the title of Best Foreign Language Film.

Teaser Trailers: MIAMI VICE and M:I3 (MiamiVice.com / Yahoo.com)

December 13, 2005

Miami Vice teaser   M:I3 teaser

The Beijing Première of WU JI / THE PROMISE / MASTER OF THE CRIMSON ARMOR (Sina.com)

December 12, 2005

The Weinsteins Company's Plan for WU JI / THE PROMISE / MASTER OF THE CRIMSON ARMOR (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

December 11, 2005

The Weinsteins Company will give the movie one week Oscar run in Los Angeles starting December 23, which would make it qualified for most categories of next year's Oscar. But, the movie itself will not be available in North America (America and Canada) until sometimes in 2006. This is a major step back from the original plan, which was releasing it limitedly, at least in LA and NY, starting December 16. The Weinsteins Co. has yet started doing any promotions. Not even a trailer or a still has been distributed to the press. I have a vision showing the movie been pushed back again and again, just like what Shaolin Soccer and Hero were treated when the brothers still running Miramax. However, they told Alison Veneto, foreign film columnist of MoviePoopShoot.com, that they were pushing for it. If the pushing only includes that one-week run in LA, the movie will definitely been buried in a sea of films also runs Oscar screenings during the same time. Chen Kaige would have to do his own promotion if he still wanted his movie get some extra notice from the Academy voters. I really wanted to believe the Weinsteins changed with their new company, but they have proved that they still the same old business moguls.