DRAGON TIGER GATE 2 Is Coming Next Summer (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 31, 2006

SUMMER PALACE Rejected by Chinese Censors Again (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 30, 2006

July 29, 2006

Young Pop Star Li Yuchun in Talk to play Stanley Tong's MULAN  (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 29, 2006

PU JIANG FENG YUN with Cheng Peipei, Ku Feng and Zhao Changjun (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 29, 2006

LUST, CAUTION Casting and Location Scouting Completed (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 29, 2006

Hong Kong's 11th Golden Bauhinia Awards Nomination List (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 28, 2006

Hong Kong Film Critics Association (HKFCA) just release the full nominee list for the11th Golden Bauhinia Awards yesterday. For an unknown reason, the list for some categories is nowhere to be found. According to an press article from Celestial Pictures, Perhaps Love received eight nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Original Film song and Best Sound Design. Winners will be announced at a ceremony held on August 13.

Stars showed up for the nominee announcement ceremony: photos video clip

Venezia 2006 Lineup (labiennale.org)

July 28, 2006

The full film list for all categories of Venezia 2006, except for Corto Cortissimo, has been released. Contenders for the Golden Lion include Hong Kong director Jonnie To's Fangzhu (Exiled), a follow-up to his acclaimed The Mission, and Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-Liang's abnormal erotic film Hei Yanquan (literal title: Dark Eye Sockets). In the Out of competition category, there are Chinese director Feng Xiaogang's Hamlet inspired period drama Yeyan (The Banquet) and Benny Chan directed Jackie Chan's baby-napping comedy action Rob-B-Hood. Films from category Horizons include Malaysian director Ho Yuhang's Taiyang Yu (literal title: Sunny Rain), Chinese director Liu Jie's Mabei Shang De Fating (literal title: Courtroom on Horseback), about a judge whose daily work is traveling to remote mountain villages to take various cases, and Chinese director Jia Zhangke's documentary Dong, about an artist's journey to The Three Gorges of China and Thailand. Chinese director Gu Changwei's Li Chun (literal title: The First Day of Spring), once tipped for a world première at the festival, will not make it due to longer than expected post-production process.

In Competition:
Fangzhu / Exiled, (by Johnnie TO), Hong Kong
Hei yanquan (literal: Dark Eye Socket), (by TSAI Ming-Liang), Taiwan
Paprika (by KON Satoshi), Japan
Mushi-shi (by ÔTOMO Katsuhiro), Japan
Sang sattawat (by Apichatpong WEERASETHAKUL), Thailand / France

Out of competition:
Yeyan / The Banquet (by FENG Xiaogang), China / Hong Kong
Rob-B-Hood (by CHAN Benny), Hong Kong, China
Gedo senki (by MIYAZAKI Goro), Japan
Sakebi (by KUROSAWA Kiyoshi), Japan
Jakpae (by RYOO Seung-wan), South Korea

Horizons:
Taiyang yu / Sunny Rain (literal) (by HO Yuhang), Malaysia / Hong Kong
Mabei shang de fating (Courtroom on Horseback) (by LIU Jie), China
Dong (by JIA Zhangke), China
Koorogi (by AOYAMA Shinji), Japan
Opera Jawa (by Garin NUGROHO), Indonesia
Tachiguishi retsuden (by OSHII Mamoru), Japan

Official Venice International Film Festival Website

DOG BITE DOG Stills (Sina.com.cn)

July 28, 2006

Edison Chen	Sam Lee
(TungStar)

Rated Category III in Hong Kong (roughly equivalent to NC-17 in the US) for several brutal fight scenes, Dog Bite Dog will be released in the city on August 17. Edison Chen plays a young Cambodian hitman being hunted by a sadistic Hong Kong cop, played by Sam Lee, who is determined to revenge his fallen colleagues killed by the hitman.

DOG BITE DOG Trailer (Kaiju Shakedown) June 23, 2006

Two CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER Stills (Sina.com.cn)

July 28, 2006

Opening This Week: July 22 - 28 (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 28, 2006

Click here for detail

Latest Casting Update on Olivier Assayas' BOARDING GATE (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 27, 2006

A New THRU THE MOEBIUS STRIP Trailer (Sina.com.cn)

July 26, 2006

MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS Production Update (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 25, 2006

DRAGON TIGER GATE Music Video (...)

July 25, 2006

A press conference for the theme song.

Visiting the set of the music video.

More about Dragon Tiger Gate

CURSE OF GOLDEN FLOWER's Day Set for North America (Box Office Mojo)

July 25, 2006

Box Office Mojo reports Curse of Golden Flower will be released on Friday December 22, probably with a limited scale. This should make the film qualified for next year's Oscar. A simultaneous release in China (mainland) and Hong Kong, on the same day or the day before, has been planned.

(Thanks to "Mary".)

CONFESSION OF PAIN Official Plot Description (Media Asia)

July 25, 2006

The official website of Hong Kong studio Media Asia has been updated with an official plot description of Confession of Pain, created by the Infernal Affairs trilogy writing/directing team.  The cast includes Leung Chiu-Wai Takeshi Kaneshiro, Shu Qi, Xu Jinglei and Chapman To. This should end the plot mystery surrounding the thriller once for all.

Caution! This description might be spoiling. Just highlight the following to read:

In a city of love and prosperity, a city of lost hope and premature death, veteran detective Hei (TONY LEUNG CHIU-WAI) feels it all: the hurt, the helplessness, the horror. When his father-in-law, the billionaire benefactor Kim, is gruesomely murdered in his palatial mansion, he enlists the assistance of his former partner turned private detective, Bong (TAKESHI KANESHIRO).

On the surface, the murder smacks of a vendetta that has taken a lifetime to fulfill. But no sooner has Bong agreed to crack the case with Hei than he realizes nothing is what it appears to be. Undoubtedly, they are after a monster in a perfect crime: every detail was meticulously orchestrated, every motive conveniently justifiable, and every culprit and potential witness mysteriously eliminated.

But Bong has his own demon to fight. Ever since the suicide of his pregnant girlfriend, he has lost his joie de vivre, even though he still retains the finest instincts of a man hunter. As he digs deeper and deeper into the case, all evidence seems to point to Kim’s daughter and Hei’s hysterical wife, Susan. But then the killer ups the ante by murdering Susan as well. Bong starts grappling with the suspicion that the man they hunt is someone very close to them, someone on the verge of a total breakdown.

Like lost souls in a city of fallen angels, the cop, the private detective, and the killer are doing what they must. Every step of their journey takes them closer and closer to one another, until a shocking denouement in which no stone is left unturned and no one can escape unscathed.

DRAGON TIGER GATE International Posters (Sina.com.cn)

July 25, 2006

Sina.com.cn has released 12 international poster designs of Dragon Tiger Gate.

More about Dragon Tiger Gate

THRU THE MOEBIUS STRIP Design Gallery (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 24, 2006

Ships Robots

As the first Chinese-made full length 3D animation, Thru the Moebius Strip is scheduled to open on August 4.

Relate stories:

Official site

Tsui Hark Fires the First Shot of THE IRON TRIANGLE (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 23, 2006

Tsui hark's first one third of The Iron Triangle (working title) has been in production for at least three days. The cast and crew were spotted at the Hong Kong's business district of Central. The scene involves Simon Yam, Sun Honglei and Louis Koo being chased by a cop played by Gordon Lam. The initial plan was to shoot the movie at the end of this year, and the planned was changed due to the overwhelming positive response from a large number of European distributors. The production company would even make the story European related to make it more appealing to the market.

More photos: A B

Relate stories:

Bruce Lee to Be Remembered by his Family with a Biopic (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 22, 2006

Bruce Lee's four brothers and sisters have been talking to the press around the world that they would make a Bruce Lee biopic. It will be based on a new biography by his younger brother Robert and Beijing-based JA Media has been authorized to carry out the project. Stephen Chow and Keanu Reeves' names have been mentioned for playing the title role but the chance of anyone of them getting cast looks slim. There have been two Bruce Lee movie biographies, made separately by filmmakers of the US and Hong Kong. China's CCTV has also planned to make a 40 episode TV series title The Legend of Bruce Lee.

Related story:

Film bio of kung fu legend Bruce Lee in works, CBC

Chow Yun-Fat Might Visit Yuen Wo-Ping's THE GREAT WALL (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 21, 2006

Yue Wo-Ping	Jet Li	Chow Yun-Fat
(?, Beijing New Picture Film Co.)

According to several Chinese newspapers, director Yuen Wo-Ping has invited Chow Yun-Fat to guest star or cameo in his The Great Wall (literal  title). The original articles all state that Jet Li has officially joined the project as the lead. Some rumor says Jackie Chan might also land a role in the movie but of cause, it is just a rumor. Yuen Wo-Ping and screenwriter Zou Jingzhi is now working on the script, which is still just a rough storyline. The movie is talking about defending homeland and fighting the nomadic invaders, but according to producers of the movie, the real idea is about keeping peace.

Opening This Week: July 15 - 21 (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 21, 2006

Click here for detail

The Latest THE BANQUET Trailer (Sina.com.cn)

July 20, 2006

Sina.com.cn just released a new The Banquet trailer, with quite a lot of dialogues. Click here or better, here (updated)

Hong Kong's 11th Golden Bauhinia Awards Short List - Best Actor, 10 Ten Chinese / Foreign Language Films

(MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 20, 2006

Hong Kong Film Critics Association (HKFCA) just release the nominee list for the Best Actor award. Nominees for other categories, Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography, will be announced later. The lists for Top Ten Chinese Langue Films and Top Ten Foreign Language Films have already been released in March this year.

Related stories:

Hong Kong's The 10th Golden Bauhinia Awards (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) March 6, 2005

Hong Kong's The 9th Golden Bauhinia Awards (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) March 28, 2004

The 8th Hong Kong Golden Bauhinia Awards (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) February 30, 2003

7th Golden Bauhinia Awards By Hong Kong Film Critics' Association (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) March 17, 2002

The First DRAGON TIGER GATE Review in English (movieXclusive.com)

July 20, 2006

Singapore-based movieXclusive.com has posted the first known Dragon Tiger Gate review written in English. The reviewer, Linus Tee said, "The West has X-men and Spider-man. The East has Dragon Tiger Gate. It’s time to release the oriental jewel once again!"

Check it out (Thanks to Ethan Teo.)
 

More DOG BITE DOG Stuff (...)

July 19, 2006

Second trailer

Two stills

Edison Chen's blog (Thanks to KFCCinema.com for discovering it first.)

Casting Choice for Ang Lee's LUST, CAUTION Announced (Focus Features)

July 18, 2006

Just a few hours ago, Focus Features has official announced the names of three major cast members of Ang Lee's Lust, Caution through a press release article. Not surprisingly, they are Tang Wei (last name: Tang), Tony Leung Chiu-Wai (last name: Leung) and Wang Lee-Hom (last name: Wang). Based on the same name short story by late woman writer Eileen Chang, the story of Lust, Caution is set in the Japanese occupied Shanghai in the 1940s (more precisely, sometime between 1941 and 1945). Leung will play Mr. Yee (Yi), a powerful political figure within the Japanese-controlled puppet government and Tang will play Wang Jiazhi,  a young woman assigned to approach Yee and to lead him into an assassination trap. Wang Lee-Hom will play Kuang Yu-Min, a young student involved with Wang Jiazhi.

More CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER Production Photos (Sina.com.cn)

July 18, 2006

Beijing New Picture Film Co. has released more pictures taken on the set of Curse of the Golden Flower. The first three pictures show director Zhang Yimou working with Chow Yun-Fat / Gong Li; and the last one shows Gong Li, as the queen, with two young princes (Liu Ye on the right and Qin Junjie). Still in post-production, this film will be put under a week-long screening in Shenyang city of the northeast China, to make it qualified for the Best Foreign Language Film category of next year's Oscar. Previously, Zhang Yimou has three films being nominated for the award but he has yet win once. According to producer Zhang Weiping, Sony Pictures Classics will release it in North America this December to make it qualified for other categories of the Oscar. Another period epic, The Banquet, is also eyeing at the coming Oscar, especially the award for the Best Foreign Language Film. Despite many promoting efforts, producers of The Banquet, Beijing-based H. Brothers and Hong Kong-based Media Asia, have yet secure a distributor in North America.

DRAGON TIGER GATE Posters - Pick Your Favorite (G-Film.com / Sina.com.cn / movieXclusive.com)

July 17, 2006

Ang Lee Is Seeing More Girls for LUST, CAUTION (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 16, 2006

Ang Lee auditioning Tang Wei.
(The Beijing News)

According to The Beijing News and a few other Chinese newspapers, Ang Lee was spotted auditioning more candidate actress last week at a hotel in Shanghai, including Tang Wei, Zhou Xiaoli and dancer Zhou Jie. The Chinese press reports Tang Wei is the top runner for playing the lead character of Wang Jiazhi. Same as Zhang Ziyi, 27 year old Tang Wei was born in Beijing and was graduated from China's Central Drama College (aka. Central Theater College). Her career as an actress is only limited to a few TV series and Che Guevara, a stage production. Reportedly, she has been put under an intense training program of how to walk, how to sit, how to stand, how to talk in Shanghai accent, how to play Pipa, a music instrument, how to sing and even how to play Mahjong. Ang Lee has been very quiet on the casting choice for Lust, Caution, which would go into production this fall.

More about Lust, Caution

Leung Ka-Fai Tells the Story of MY LIFE AS A TEACHER (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 15, 2006

Hong Kong star Leung Ka-Fai is making a new drama titled My Life as a Teacher (litteral) in Changyang County of China's central province of Hubei. Written and directed by Zheng Kehong, this film tells the story of a country elementary school teacher's passion for his work and courage for love, which last for four decades. Leung plays the school teacher and Qin Hailu, Zhang Ziyi's college classmate, plays her wife.

Production stills: 1 2 3 4 5 6  7 8 9 10 11 12 13

DOG BITE DOG Official Site (Sina.com.hk)

July 15, 2006

Sina.com.hk just launched the official website of thriller Dog Bite Dog, which will open in Hong Kong August 17. The tagline on the poster literally means "a life can only last with the price of another."

Related story:

DOG BITE DOG Trailer (Kaiju Shakedown) June 23, 2006

Opening This Week: July 8 - 14 (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 14, 2006

Click here for detail

July 13, 2006

Tsui Hark	Ringo Lam	Johnnie To
(?)

Shooting of the Johnny To, Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark project, working-titled The Iron Triangle (literal), will begin in Hong Kong by the end of this month, Yu Dong, president of Beijing-based Polybona Films, told newspaper The Beijing News. Tsui Hark will begin to shoot the first one third of the movie first. According to Yu, the story begins like this: a few guys with little money and a lot to worry about gather together to chat about how to get rich. Then a mysterious man sitting in the same room approaches them with a treasure map. However, to get their hand on the treasure, the map is only the first of a series puzzles they have to solve. This is only the beginning of Tsui Hark's part, Ringo Lam has to look at the development of the story, and Johnnie To has to complete it. Three directors are solely responsible for their own parts, but Yu has assured that, when three parts are pieced together, the final film will be presented with one unified style, because three directors have known each other for many years. Currently the cast includes Simon Yam, Louis Koo, Kelly Lin and Sun Honglei.

Small Update on Yuen Wo-Ping's THE GREAT WALL (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

A few days ago, a group of The Great Wall researchers and historians were invited to a forum to contribute their ideas on the upcoming historical epic The Great Wall (Chinese literal title). Screenwriter Zou Jingzhi (The Battle of Red Cliff, Wu Qingyuan, Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles), actress Fan Bingbing (Battle of Wits, A Chinese Tall Story, Cell Phone) and composer Liu Huan participated in the discussion. We still do not know what the movie will tell, except it will be set in the Qin Dynasty (221 - 206 B.C.) and / or Han Dynasty (206 B.C. - 220 A.D.) and it will be related to The Great Wall. Also, Jet Li has yet agreed to join the project but Yuen Wo-Ping maintains his confidence that Li will say yes. Zou Jingzhi will finish the script by October and shooting of this US$38 million project will begin by the first half of 2007.

July 12, 2006

Andy Lau with his "family." (OriSun.com)

Hong Kong's sister newspapers Oriental Daily and The Sun have captured the first shots of Andy Lau playing a drug lord in Protégé (another report claims he plays a cop associated with the drug gang). Directed by Yee Tung-Shing and produced by Peter Chan, Protégé covers the entire life-cycle of drugs with multiple storylines running in parallel. The cast also includes Daniel Wu (an undercover cop), Louis Koo (role unknown), Zhang Jingchu (a drug-addicted nightclub girl having an affair with Daniel Wu) and Anita Yuen (Lau's wife).

Please do not confuse Protégé with Confession of Pain (Chinese literal title: The Wounded City), another good cop / bad cop thriller currently being shot in Hong Kong. Directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, Confession of Pain stars Leung Chiu-Wai (a bad cop), Takeshi Kaneshiro (a private detective / ex-cop), Xu Jinglei (Leung's new wife), Shu Qi (a woman having an unusual relationship with Kaneshiro) and Chapman To (possibly another cop).

More photos: A B

July 11, 2006

(?, Wherestherum.com)

Two shots, one from an unidentified Hong Kong newspaper and the other one from Wherestherum.com. (Thanks to Mighty Ganesha and ChowYunFat.info.)

 

In a related news, the second Pirates of the Caribbean just run into a stone wall in China. Reportedly, it just failed to pass the censorship review, which is a vital step for any movie to be released in Chinese theaters. The authority has concluded that the supernatural element and Capitan Davy Jones' octopus beard are not suitable for the underaged. Disney may now have to make some cut of the movie and resubmit it for a second review. Since there is no movie rating system currently exists in China, movies to be released in Chinese theaters are required to be suitable for all. However, the standard is very ambiguous and arbitrary, and often, tougher on foreign films. Just recently, Mission: Impossible 3 was greenlighted for a theatrical release in China after several shots with hanging laundry, Mahjong playing and Tom Cruise being tortured were removed. Many Chinese are very upset by the result. Someone has called on the net to boycott the re-cut version and to buy bootlegged DVD instead.

Update: according to Chinese newspaper Nanfang Metropolis Daily, the second  Pirates of the Caribbean has not been submitted for censorship.

July 10, 2006

An updated and confusing plot description of Confession of Pain (literal title: The Wounded City) was revealed during a press conference held yesterday in Hong Kong. In the US$10 million thriller, Leung Chiu-Wai plays a senior police officer Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro plays an alcoholic private detective Yau, who was once a cop working under Lau's supervision. Have been maintaining a mentor / protégé relationship for many years, Lau and Yau are both involved in the investigation of a murder of an entire family, which is somehow connected to the past of Lau and Yau. Xu Jinglei plays Lau's new wife, who is unwillingly used by her husband for some plot and Shu Qi plays a woman having some unusual relationship with Yau. Confession of Pain is created by the writing/directing team behind the Infernal Affairs trilogy.

Title photo: (L to R) Screenwriter Felix Chong, Chapman To, Xu Jinglei, Leung Chiu-Wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Shu Qi, director Andrew Lau and director Alan Mak.

Photos taken during the press conference: A B

MEN SUDDENLY IN BLACK Sequel - Its the Girls' Term (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 9, 2006

A sequel to the successful comedy Men Suddenly in Black is currently being made in Hong Kong. In the original movie came out three years ago, four married men send their wives to a vacation in Thailand in order to do something unfaithful. Their plan goes very smoothly until they suddenly discover their wives are secretly following them. In the sequel, four wives set their husbands free and the girls can do something unfaithful on their own. Most members of the original cast return for the sequel but director Edmond Pang does not.

Title photo: cast members showed up for an open-house day. They are (L to R) Marsha Yuen, Jordan Chan, Teresa Mo, Eric Tsang, Josie Ho, Cheung Tat-Ming, Gia Lam and Wong You-Nam.

Li Shaohong Wrapped up THE DOOR (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 8, 2006

Mainland Chinese woman director Li Shaohong just wrapped up the production of her first psychological thriller Men (The Door) last Wednesday in southwestern Chinese city Chongqing. Based on short story The Three-Way Fork (literal), The Door tells how a man's paranoia destroys his love one and himself. Since the late 1980s, Li Shaohong has directed nine films, including two TV films, and three TV series. Her latest work, Stolen Life, was picked as the Best Narrative Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival last year. Unlike in the rest of Asia, like Japan, South Korea and Hong Kong, horror is a underdeveloped genre in the mainland China, much due to the state censorship. The standard for approving screen-suitable movies are too ambiguous and arbitrary to follow, and filmmakers, who want to make horror movies, have to keep the balance between pleasing the censors and appealing the audiences. However, no horror movie has ever been highly successful at the box-office of the country. Foreign made horror movies are largely not released in China legally but are available through pirate DVDs.

Related story:

Li Shaohong to Build a Thrilling GATE or DOOR (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) March 4, 2006

Opening This Week: July 1 - 7 (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

July 7, 2006

Click here for detail

Regarding the Latest LUST, CAUTION Casting Rumor (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

(AFP)

An Associated Press article reports mainland Chinese actress Liu Yifei will likely become the female lead in Ang Lee's Lust, Caution, according to Chinese-based Sina.com. (Thanks to Dana Owens.) But according to Shanghai newspaper Oriental Morning Post, Ang Lee met Liu Yifei three times but Liu felt she did not have the caliber to handle the role and she would not do it. Again, no name has been officially announced and Ang Lee has never openly said he was seriously considering anyone.

THE CURSE OF GOLDEN FLOWER - The Imperial Family Shot (Sina.com)

One More LUST, CAUTION Casting Rumor (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

(AFP)

A few Hong Kong newspapers claim mainland Chinese TV soap actress Huo Siyan has been cast as the second female lead in Ang Lee's Lust, Caution. According to the same rumor, Huo and another actress, only identified as her last name Li, will soon go to the US for some kind of training. As for the female lead, Zhang Ziyi, Zhou Xun (The Banquet, Perhaps Love, Suzhou River), Gao Yuanyuan (Rob-B-Hood, Shanghai Dreams, Beijing Bicycle), Barbie Hsu (Silk) and Shu Qi are the most speculated names. However, no cast name has been officially announced and Ang Lee has never openly said he was seriously considering anyone.

DOA: DEAD OR ALIVE's German Official Site (doa.film.de)

Takeshi Kaneshiro in THE WOUNDED CITY / CONFESSION OF PAIN (...)

THE WOUNDED CITY Becomes CONFESSION OF PAIN in English (MovieXclusive.com)

THE WOUNDED CITY Is BEHIND THE SIN (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

What's Going on with up THE BANQUET Overseas Trailer (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

More shots from THE CURSE OF GOLDEN FLOWER Location (Nanfang Metropolis Daily)