News Archives

 
 

January 2007

 

     
   
     
     

 

Xu Jinglei to Shoot DAYS IN THE PALACE (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

 

 

January 31, 2007

 

(TungStar) 

Mainland Chinese actress director Xu Jinglei recently said the shooting of her historical drama Gong Li De Ri Zi (Days in the Palace) would begin this year.  Penned by Wang Shuo, it will tell the story of of China's only female monarch, Wu Zetian (624 - 705), will be played by Xu herself. Wu was selected as a lower-end concubine of emperor Li Shimin when she was only 14. Later she married the new emperor, Li Shimin's son Li Zhi and started her quest for power. Finally, after moved to the place for 52 years, 66 year old Wu Zetian took the throne from her own son and proclaimed herself as the emperor. Someone working for Xu has said the story would look a little bit like Godfather.

 

 

 

Related stories:

Xu Jinglei's DAYS WITHIN THE PALACE Gets Ready for Production (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) September 19, 2005

Woman Director Xu Jinglei Tells Tale of China's Only Female Emperor with DAYS WITHIN THE PALACE (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) May 26, 2005 

 
 

 

The 1st Asian Film Awards (AFA) Nominees Are... (HKIFF)

 

 

January 30, 2007

 

(HKIFF.Org.HK) 

Hong Kong International Film Festival Society has announced the nomination list for the first ever Asian Film Awards. Finally, someone is doing something to summarize what Asian filmmakers did in the past year. That's something to cheer about. Unfortunately, almost all nominated films were produced in the northeastern part of Asia. That's something not so cheerful.

 

Click here for detail.

 

 

 
 

 

Shots from TWINS MISSION (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)  

 

January 29, 2007  

(EMP)

In Twins Mission, Wu Jing is asked to fight with two villains, played by Bat Leung Gam and a former Chinese national female bodybuilding champion.

 

Click here for more.

 

 

 

 

 

Related Stories:

Trailer: LET'S STEAL TOGETHER (Southern Metropolitan Weekly / Sina.com) January 7, 2007

Let's Take a Look at LET'S STEAL TOGETHER (...) September 3, 2006

 
 

 

MORE TWINS MISSION (aka. LET'S STEAL TOGETHER) Trailers (Mov3.com)

 

 

January 28, 2007

 

(EMP)

Trailer 1   Trailer 2  Stills.

 

Official website.

 

Related Stories:

Trailer: LET'S STEAL TOGETHER (Southern Metropolitan Weekly / Sina.com) January 7, 2007

Let's Take a Look at LET'S STEAL TOGETHER (...) September 3, 2006

 
 

 

PROTÉGÉ Stills (G-Film.com)

 

 

January 27, 2007

 

(Applause Pictures)

Click here for more.

 

Official website.

 

Related Stories:

Jackie Chan Needs Protégés for his Ten Projects (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) December 28, 2006

PROTÉGÉ Stills - Daniel Wu as the Protégé (Sina.com) December 26, 2006

PROTÉGÉ Stills (Sina.com) December 22, 2006

PROTÉGÉ Stuffs (...) December 10, 2006

PROTÉGÉ Teaser Posters (Sina.com.cn) November 20, 2006

PROTÉGÉ Teaser Trailer (Film Unlimited) October 20, 2006

PROTÉGÉ Production Photos (Oriental Daily / The Hong Kong Sun) August 3, 2006

PROTÉGÉ Press Conference Photos from Hong Kong (Sina.com.cn / OriSun.com) August 4, 2006

PROTÉGÉ Plot Summary (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) August 30, 2006

Andy Lau as a Drug Lord in PROTÉGÉ (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) July 12, 2006

Andy Lau Gets PROTÉGÉ Heads to BOARDING GATE (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) June 18, 2006

Peter Chan Talks Future Projects - PROTÉGÉ BLOOD BROTHER Remake and More of THE EYE Series (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) April 13, 2006

 
 

 

Opening This Week:  January 20 - 26 (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

 

 

January 26, 2007

 

The Valiant Ones

The House of the Invisibles

(PolyBona, Global Picture) 

A group of Ming Dynasty fighters helping the Chinese officials to defeat Japanese pirates frequently invading the coast of China; and there are someone other than hum living inside a building scheduled for demolishing...

 

Click here for detail

 

 
 

 

Remake of King Hu's THE VALIANT ONES - Trailer, Poster, Stills (Sina.com)  

 

January 25, 2007  

(PolyBona) 

This is a remake of master martial-art film director King Hu's The Valiant Ones. The original film, released in 1975, won the Outstanding Contribution Award at Chicago Film Festival of that year. The story is about a group of fighters helping the Chinese officials to defeat Japanese pirates frequently invading the coast of China. The remake is directed by Liu Yin and choreographed by Yuen Wah and Yuen Bo. The cast includes Nicky Wu, Huang Yi, Yuen Wah, Yang Zi and Terence Yin. I have no idea why the poster shows the English title as "The Vallant Ones New II" Not only it does not sound English but also "Valiant" is misspelled as "Vallant".
 

Trailer   Stills: A B C D E F G H

 

 

Related Stories:

Remaking of King Hu's Classic THE VALIANT ONES Begins (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) March 30, 2006

 
 

 

Hong Kong Film Critics Society Announced Its Best List for 2006 (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)  

 

January 24, 2007  
(HKFCS)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Best Film - Election 2: Harmony Is a Virtue

      Other Nominees: The Heavenly Kings, Exiled, Confession of Pain.

 

Best Director - Johnnie To (Exiled)

      Other Nominees: Daniel Wu (The Heavenly Kings), Johnnie To (Election 2: Harmony Is a Virtue), Patrick Tam (After This Our Exile),

                                       Lau Wai-Keung and Mak Siu-Fai (Confession of Pain).
 

Best Screenwriters - Wong Jing and Tang Tui-Hei (Wo Hu)

      Other Nominees: Yau Nai-Hoi and Yip Tin-Shing (Election 2: Harmony Is a Virtue), Daniel Wu (The Heavenly Kings), Lau Wai-

                                      Keung and Mak Siu-Fai (Confession of Pain), Herman Yau (On the Edge).

 

Best Actor - Jet Li (Fearless)

      Other Nominees: Francis Ng (Wo Hu), Chow Yun-Fat (Curse of the Golden Flower), Leung Chiu-Wai (Confession of Pain), Nick

                                       Cheung (On the Edge), Anthony Wong (Exile).

 
Best Actress - Gong Li (Curse of the Golden Flower)

      Other Nominees: Zhou Xun (The Banquet), Teresa Mo (Men Suddenly in Black 2), Qi Hailu (After This Our Exile), Shu Qi (Confession

                                       of Pain).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

GETTING HOME Going to Berlin Too (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)  

 

January 24, 2007  

(SunWah Media)

 

Chinese director Zhang Yang's latest black comedy Going Home will be shown at the coming Berlin Film Festival as an out-of-competition film.  Inspired by a real story, it is about a farmer who tries to bring home the body of his friend, who died far from his village. Without a penny in his pocket, he cannot afford to ship his friend home in the normal way. He meets many interesting people along road. On a bus, he tries to protect  everyone from being robbed. He wins the robbers' respect but is kicked off the bus because bus passengers discover there is a dead man on bus. Some steals his money and he dresses his dead friend as a homeless to beg for money. He attends someone's funeral to get a free meal. A hooker is asked by him to give his decomposing dead friend a makeover. A landslide blocks his way and he did his best to help the villagers and becomes a local hero. When he finally reach the end his the journey, he finds out his dead friend's village has already been flooded to make a reservoir.

 

Related Stories:

GETTING HOME Is Coming (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) December 30, 2006

Trailer: Zhang Yang's Black Comedy AIR (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) November 11, 2006

 
 

 

The Oscar Nomination (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)  

 

January 23, 2007  

(Beijing New Picture Film Co, Li Li Er.)

Curse of Golden Flowers is nominated for Best Costume Design. Congratulations to Yee Chung-Man (Ci Ma, Perhaps Love, Comrades: Almost  a Love Story, A Terracotta Warrior). The film is not in Best Foreign Language list, as as Volver.

Ruby Yang and Thomas Lonnon's The Blood of Yingzhou District is nominated for "Documentary Short". It follows the story of a little boy named Gao Jun, from Yingzhou, Anhui Province of eastern China. He is one of 75,000 so-called AIDS Orphans now living in China. His parents died after being infected with HIV through blood seller. After he was rejected by his relatives, he was sent to live with two foster parents, who were also HIV positive. A year after, his HIV symptom appeared and he had to take medication made for adults because medication for children was hard to find in China. His foster parents could not afford his medical expense and he had to move to a another foster family.

 

The nomination list.

 
 

 

APPLE Is up to the Berlin Bear Too (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)  

 

January 23, 2007  
(Sina.com). 

Chinese woman director Li Yu's new drama Ping Guo (Apple) has been listed to compete for the grand prize of this year's Berlin Film Festival. Apple is a black comedy about a young country couple (played by Fan Bingbaing and Tong Dawei), traveling to Beijing for better works, and meet a wealthy city couple (played by Leung Ka-Fei and Elaine Jin). Their life is unexpectedly stirred by an unspeakable incident. In 2000, Li Yu made her directorial début, Fish and Elephant, about a love story between two girls and four years later, she shot her second film, Dam Street, about a young single woman's struggling life after having a baby when she was still in school.

 

Berlin Film Festival official website.

 
 

 

Video: CHILDREN OF HUANGSHI Press Conference Plus a Behind-the-Scene Clip (CCTV / Sina.com)  

 

January 23, 2007  
(Cheerland Entertainment Organization)

Click here.

Related Stories:

CHILDREN OF HUANG SHI Production Update (...) December 17, 2006

More Pictures from THE CHILDREN OF HUANG SHI (Sina.com.cn / TungStar) November 29, 2006

A Few Singapore Kids for THE BITTER SEA (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) August 1, 2005

Brendan Fraser to Rescue CHILDREN OF GUANGXI in the War-Torn China

(MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) June 19, 2005

 
 

 

Andy Lau as Drug Cartel in PROTÉGÉ (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)  

 

January 23, 2007  
(Sina.com)
 

Related Stories:

PROTÉGÉ Stills - Daniel Wu as the Protégé (Sina.com) December 26, 2006

PROTÉGÉ Stills (Sina.com) December 22, 2006

PROTÉGÉ Stuffs (...) December 10, 2006

PROTÉGÉ Teaser Posters (Sina.com.cn) November 20, 2006

PROTÉGÉ Teaser Trailer (Film Unlimited) October 20, 2006

PROTÉGÉ Production Photos (Oriental Daily / The Hong Kong Sun) August 3, 2006

PROTÉGÉ Press Conference Photos from Hong Kong (Sina.com.cn / OriSun.com) August 4, 2006

PROTÉGÉ Plot Summary (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) August 30, 2006

Andy Lau as a Drug Lord in PROTÉGÉ (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) July 12, 2006

Andy Lau Gets PROTÉGÉ Heads to BOARDING GATE (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) June 18, 2006

Peter Chan Talks Future Projects - PROTÉGÉ BLOOD BROTHER Remake and More of THE EYE Series (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) April 13, 2006 

 
 

 

Ang Lee's LUST, CAUTION Meets the Press (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)  

 

January 22, 2007  

(L to R): Wang Lee-Hom, Tang Wei, Ang Lee and Leung Chiu-Wai.

(Sina.com)
 

Ang Lee and three leads of Lust, Caution faced the press people for the first time yesterday at the newly constructed set inside Shanghai Film Studios. The set is a replica of Shanghai's Nanjing Rd. W. during the 1940s. Based on Eileen Chang's same name story, which was inspired by a real event, Lust, Caution tells about a young woman assigned to seduce and assassinate an intelligence officer working for the Japanese puppet government in Shanghai. After realizing she had fallen in love with the man, she did something she was not suppose to do. Little known mainland Chinese actress Tang Wei plays the young woman, Hong Kong veteran Leung Chiu-Wai plays the intelligence officer and New York-born pop singer Wang Lee-Hom plays a comrade of the young woman. During the early days of shooting, Lee was worried about whether Tang and Wang would be able to get their performance right. Now he is more worried about whether the newly built set would be authentic enough to recreate the old Shanghai. Principle shooting will end earlier next month and the theatrical release will come by August.

 

More photos: A B C D E F

 

Videos: A B C D (New)   

 

More about Lust, Caution. 

 
 

 

TUYA'S MARRIAGE and to Be Premičred At Berlin Fest (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)  

 

January 21, 2007  

Tuya's Marriage

Spider Lilies

(?)

Chinese director Wang Quanan's fourth feature film, Tuya's Marriage, has been chosen to compete for the Golden Bear of this year's Berlin Film Festival. Set in China's Inner Mongolia, this low-budget drama is about Tuya, a nomadic woman looking for a husband who would agree to take the responsibility of taking care of her paralyzed ex-husband. Taiwan director Zero Chou's Spider Lilies (Chinese literal title: Tattoo), about a story of two lesbian girls, is included in Panorama.

 

 
 

 

More Photos from Feng Xiaogang's THE ASSEMBLY (...)  

 

January 20, 2007  
(Sina.com)
 

Work Made for Fire (working title), now in production in

Here are more production photos of Feng Xiaogang''s war movie The Assembly:

 

Left: Korea War - director Feng Xiaogang took a picture with actors playing Chinese soldiers in South Korean uniforms.

 

Right: Chinese Civil War - Ren Quan (as a communist soldier) and his stunt double.

 

More photos: A B C

 

Related stories:

More Videos from Feng Xiaogang's THE ASSEMBLY (CCTV / Sina.com) January 13, 2007

More Videos from Feng Xiaogang's THE ASSEMBLY (CCTV / Sina.com) January 8, 2007

Feng Xiaogang's THE ASSEMBLY Opened for the Press (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) January 4, 2007

THE ASSEMBLY Location Video (Sina.com.cn) November 28, 2006

Props Burnt Before Feng Xiaogang Launches His War for THE ASSEMBLY (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

November 27, 2006

Pictures from a Muddy Location of Feng Xiaogang's THE ASSEMBLY (Sina.com.cn) November 20, 2006

Spy Photos from the Set of Feng Xiaogang's THE ASSEMBLY (...) October 31, 2006

More Detail on Feng Xiaogang's THE ASSEMBLY CALL (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) September 26, 2006

Feng Xiaogang to Blow an ASSEMBLY CALL for a WWII Epic (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) August 10, 2006

 
 

 

Opening This Week:  January 6 - 12 (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

 

 

January 19, 2007

 

Getting Home

The Door

Happy Birthday

Kung Fu Mahjong 3:

The Final Duel

(SunWah Media, Rosat Films, Mei Ah, MVP)

a migrant worker traveling thousands of miles to send the corpse of his dead friend home; a book editor is paranoid about his wife being violated by one of his best friends; a man and a woman are neither friends nor lovers; and a master Mahjong player finds out his new stepmother is greedy at his family fortune...

 

Click here for detail

 

 
 

 

The Lee Brothers Launch 'Project Pushing Hand' to Rescue Taiwan Film Industry (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)  

 

January 18, 2007  
Ang Lee (R) and Lee Kang (R).
(Sohu.com)

Director Ang Lee and his younger brother Lee Kang will launch "Project Pushing Han", named after Ang Lee's first movie, later this year to provide financial support to projects pushed by young Taiwanese directors. Lee Kang said they would make ten projects in the next three years and they had assessed three scripts on hands already. They would not pressure funding receiver to pay back the money right away. To stimulate movie making, distributing and screening is what they intend to achieve. He also said in the future, the project would be expanded to the mainland China and Hong Kong.

 
 

 

Donnie Yen Is Wanted for... (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)  

 

January 17, 2007  

(Mandarin Films)

Donnie Yen has been contacted with six projects, according to his manager:

 

-

A Bruce Lee biopic pushed by Lee's family. Both Lee and Yen grew up in America, learned martial-art since childhood and became movie stars in Hong Kong.

 

 

-

Chen Zhen by Gordon Chan (The Medallion, 2000 AD, Fist of Legend, The Bodyguard from Beijing). The fictional character is played by Bruce Lee in First of Fury, by Jet Li in Fist of Legend and by Donnie Yen in the TV version of Fist of Fury.

 

 

Yuen Chun Hap by Tsui Hark. This one could be based on the same title Hong Kong sci-fi TV series.

 

 

Genghis Khan, a China-Mongolia joint product.

 

 

A period martial-art feature directed by Wilson Yip. Yen has worked with Yip in Sha Po Lang, Dragon Tiger Gate and City without Mercy

 

 

Another unspecified martial-art movie. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

RIP – Cho Tat-Wah (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

 

 

January 16, 2007  
(Wen Wei Po)

Veteran Hong Kong actor Cho Tat-Wah (Walter / Tso Tat-Wah / Cao Dahua) passed away last Saturday at a hospital in Britain. The cause of his death is reportedly uncontrollable stomach bleeding. Cho Tat-Wah was born in 1915 in Taishan County of Guangdong Province and later moved to Hong Kong where he grew up. In 1931, when he was only 15, he starred his first movie in Shanghai, a silent black and white martial-art feature. He returned to Hong Kong in 1936 and played a leading role for the first time in three years later. In 1953 he built a theatre of his own, The Place Theatre and in 1969 he established his own studio, Wah Tat Studio. His last movie is How to Meet the Lucky Stars, released in 1996. Throughout his life, number movies he starred in is unbelievably over 700 and almost all of them are Cantonese tough movies made in Hong Kong. He was probably the most well-known Hong Kong martial-art actor in the 1960s. People most often remember him as the chief detective in dozens of movies. In 2001, he was honored with the Life-Time Achievement award by Hong Kong’s Golden Bauhinia Awards.

 
 

 

Leung Siu-Lung, Leung Kar-Wai and Xie Miao Join THE ARMY OF QI (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)  

 

January 14, 2007  

Leung

Siu-Lung

Liu

Chia-Hui

Xie

Miao

(Sohu.com)

Qi Jia Jun (The Army of Qi) is based on the real story of Ming Dynasty General Qi Jiguang (1528 - 1587) recruiting thousands of local residents of Yiwu (Zhejiag Province) to defeat Japanese pirates. The cast includes Leung Siu-Lung (The Beast in Kung Fu Hustle), Leung Kar-Wai (dozens Shaw Bros. movies and Kill Bill), Xie Miao (played Jet Li's son in Hung Hei-Koon: Shaolin's Five Founders and Letter to Daddy), Moses Chan and Jia Lili. Shooting is now underway at Hengdian World Studio near Yiwu.

 

More pictures.

 

 
 

 

More Videos from Feng Xiaogang's THE ASSEMBLY (CCTV / Sina.com)  

 

January 13, 2007  
(Beijing H. Brothers)
 

Videos:

A B C D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related stories:

THE ASSEMBLY Location Video (Sina.com.cn) November 28, 2006

Props Burnt Before Feng Xiaogang Launches His War for THE ASSEMBLY (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) November 27, 2006

Pictures from a Muddy Location of Feng Xiaogang's THE ASSEMBLY (Sina.com.cn) November 20, 2006

Spy Photos from the Set of Feng Xiaogang's THE ASSEMBLY (...) October 31, 2006

More Detail on Feng Xiaogang's THE ASSEMBLY CALL (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) September 26, 2006

Feng Xiaogang to Blow an ASSEMBLY CALL for a WWII Epic (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) August 10, 2006

 
 

 

Opening This Week:  January 6 - 12 (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

 

 

January 12, 2007

 

(PKU Star)

A love story of a deaf kindergarten teacher and a traffic cop; and another love story of a interpreter and a Japanese movie star.

 

Click here for detail

 

 
 

 

More Spy Photos about Ang Lee's LUST, CAUTION (Southern Metropolitan Daily / Sina.com)  

 

January 11, 2007  

Ang Lee and Leung Chiu-Wai.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leung Chiu-Wai

Tang Wei

(Southern Metropolitan Daily, Sina.com)

 

 

More about Lust, Caution.

 

 

 
 

 

Visiting Shanghai Locations of Ang Lee's LUST, CAUTION (CCTV / Sina.com)  

 

January 10, 2007  

(Jiefang Daily)

Click here.

 

More about Lust, Caution.

 

 

 
 

 

After CROUCHING TIGERS, There Will Be a CHASING DRAGON (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)  

 

January 9, 2007  

(Tianjin Film Studios)

Hong Kong producer / director Wong Jing has announced the second project will mainland Chinese director Wang Guangli - Zhui Long (Chasing Dragon), with a story based on some declassified Hong Kong Police case file. Their first project, Wo Hu (Crouching Tigers), released last October, is about the HKPD sending 1000 undercover cops to take down a powerful gang. Major cast member from Wo Hu, Eric Tsang, Anthony Wong, Francis Ng, Michael Miu, Cheung Chi-Lam, Jordan Chan and Shawn Yue, will return to this "sequel". Wong has also promised Anthony Wong would also join the project.

 
 

 

More Videos from Feng Xiaogang's THE ASSEMBLY (CCTV / Sina.com)  

 

January 8, 2007  
(Beijing H. Brothers)
 

Videos:

A B C

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related stories:

THE ASSEMBLY Location Video (Sina.com.cn) November 28, 2006

Props Burnt Before Feng Xiaogang Launches His War for THE ASSEMBLY (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) November 27, 2006

Pictures from a Muddy Location of Feng Xiaogang's THE ASSEMBLY (Sina.com.cn) November 20, 2006

Spy Photos from the Set of Feng Xiaogang's THE ASSEMBLY (...) October 31, 2006

More Detail on Feng Xiaogang's THE ASSEMBLY CALL (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) September 26, 2006

Feng Xiaogang to Blow an ASSEMBLY CALL for a WWII Epic (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) August 10, 2006

 
 

 

Trailer: LET'S STEAL TOGETHER (Southern Metropolitan Weekly / Sina.com)  

 

January 7, 2007  
(EMP)
 

This one is not related to The Twins Effect and its non-sequel sequel, The Hua Du Chronicle. Starring "The Twins" (Charlene Choi and Gillian Chung), Wu Jing and Sammo Hung, Let's Steal Together is about two sisters (The Twins), recruited from a circus troupe, helping a lama (Sammo Hung) and his adopted son (Wu Jing) to recover a precious pearl.

 

Click here for the trailer.

 

Related story:

Let's Take a Look at LET'S STEAL TOGETHER (...) September 3, 2006

 
 

 

Spy Report from Peter Chan's CI MA Set (Southern Metropolitan Weekly / Sina.com)  

 

January 6, 2007  
Jet Li Xu Jinglei Government soldiers
(Southern Metropolitan Weekly / Sina.com.)
 

Peter Chan's Ci Ma remake is now being made in a remote abandoned mountain village about 90 kilometers west of Beijing City. According to the spy report, the scene is about army officer Ma Xinyi (Jet Li) chasing Mi Lan (Xu Jinglei), wife of Cao Erhu (Andy Lau), a local bandit. Ma later became a sworn brother of Cao and another bandit Zhang Wenxiang (Takeshi Kaneshiro). Together they participated in the government effort of cracking down the Taiping Rebellion in the southern part China. After Ma murdered Cao to live with his wife, Zhang swears to kill Ma, who has already been promoted to a governor. Inspired by a real assassination incident in the late 19th Century, the story of Ci Ma (The Assassination of Ma) has been featured in many novels, Chinese operas, TV series and movies, include the classic Shaw Bros. production of Ci Ma, by late director Chang Cheh. 

 

Spy photos: A B C D

Spy videos: A B

(Thanks to Jet Liang and Robin Lřvli.)

 

Related stories:

More about Peter Chan's CI MA (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) December 6, 2006

From the Press Conference for Peter Chan's CI MA (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) December 4, 2006

Jet Li, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro for Peter Chan's Ci Ma Remake (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) September 28, 2006

Peter Chan Talks Future Projects - PROTÉGÉ, BLOOD BROTHER Remake and More of THE EYE Series (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) April 13, 2006

 
 

 

Opening This Week:  December 30 - January 5 (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

 

 

January 5, 2007

 

Opening

This Week

Click here for detail

 

 
 

 

Feng Xiaogang's THE ASSEMBLY Opened for the Press (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)  

 

January 4, 2007  
(Beijing H. Brothers)
 

Director Feng Xiaogang and Beijing H. Brothers invited a few people from the press to visit the set of The Assembly (Chinese literal title: The Assembly Call). Based on a true story during the bloody Chinese Civil War (1946 - 1949), it tells a company of soldiers (from the communist-led Liberation Army) were asked to defend a town and they were told they would be able to retreat once they heard the assembly call. But the call never came and everyone died except the company leader. The official report claimed they were missing but the company leader decided to find out why the call never came and prove his men all die like real heroes. Shooting is currently taking place at a remote locate in the northeastern China. The temperature is now way below zero and without real snow, truck load of fertilizer is purchased to make fake snow. Soldiers stationed locally were not allowed to participate in the production because the authority feared any troop mobilization might be mistaken as an action against North Korea, which just conduced its first nuclear test. South Korean studio MK Pictures, which made Korea War epic Taegukgi Hwinalrimyeo (aka. Tae Gi: The Brotherhood of War) is handling the prop making and the especial effects. Feng attempted to make The Assembly looking more shocking than Saving Private Ryan but he soon realized making a war movie was much harder than making a comedy, something he was good at. Feng wants to show the war scenes as real as possible, which is different from those of many other government made war movies.

 

Related stories:

THE ASSEMBLY Location Video (Sina.com.cn) November 28, 2006

Props Burnt Before Feng Xiaogang Launches His War for THE ASSEMBLY (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) November 27, 2006

Pictures from a Muddy Location of Feng Xiaogang's THE ASSEMBLY (Sina.com.cn) November 20, 2006

Spy Photos from the Set of Feng Xiaogang's THE ASSEMBLY (...) October 31, 2006

More Detail on Feng Xiaogang's THE ASSEMBLY CALL (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) September 26, 2006

Feng Xiaogang to Blow an ASSEMBLY CALL for a WWII Epic (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) August 10, 2006

 
 

 

Sammo Hung to Direct THE WHISTLE ARROW (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)  

 

January 3, 2007  
 

Sammo Hung is set to direct, choreograph and star in Xiang Jian (literal: The Whistle Arrow), a martial-art project backed by Beijing H. Brothers and Hong Kong based Sundream Motion Pictures. The story will be set in the 19t Century and the movie will shot in the uninhabited desert in the northwestern China. Wu Jing (Sha Po Lang, Drunken Monkey) will play the lead and Aaron Kowk will play a bandit leader. Zhou Xun or Charlie Yeung is up to play a girl warrior and Ruby Lin or Li Bingbing will portray a princess. Shooting will start by February.

 
 

 

The First AIR RAID ON JAPAN to Be Told on Screen (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)  

 

January 2, 2007  

Martin B-10B bomber. (1000AirCraftPhotos.com)

Beijing based studio Red Century has announced a project to retell the true story of the first air raid on Japan during WWII. In 1938, when hundreds of Japanese planes were dropping bombs on China, two Chinese Air Force Martin B-10B bombers made a daring raid on Japan. The bombs returned to China safely after dropping leaflets rather than bombs over Japan. (Click here for detail.) Red Century has planned to spent US6.5 million on the project, which will be directed by Zheng Kehong (My Life as a Teacher, Silent Mountains, Encounter in Jungle).

 

 
 

 

What to See in 2007? (MonkeyPeaches Exclusive)

 

 

January 1, 2007  

Best of 2006

The Age of Tattoo (literal) – Jia Zhangke’s project about a group of teenage gangsters in the 1970s China.

 

Air / Going Home – A farmer promises to bring the body his dead friend home. But, the home is thousands miles away and he gets no penny in his pocket. From Zhang Yang (Sunflower, Shower)

 

The Assembly – Feng Xiaogang’s drama set in the bloody Chinese civil war (1946 – 1949), his answer to Saving Private Ryan.

 

The Battle of Red Cliff – The battle will begin this year! Finally! According to John Woo and Chow Yun-Fat…


Blood Brothers – Peter Chan’s remake of Chang Cheh’s Ci Ma with Jet Li, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaeshiro.


Blood, Brothers – A remake of John Woo’s Bullet in the Head.


Bruce Lee Biopic – not sure it will be good and not sure it will happen this year.

 

The Children of Huang Shi – a real story inspired drama about a British journalist saving 60 children in the war torn China.


City without Mercy (aka. Po Jun) – Donnie Yen and Wilson Yip work together for the third time.


Dark Matter – Liu Ye plays a talent Chinese student reacts violently to American campus politics.


The Door – horror movies from the mainland China usually suck. But this one is from Li Shaohong, the director of Stolen Life, grand winner of Tribecca 2005.


Dragon Tiger Gate 2 – people have started talking about it. Just talking.


Eye in the Sky – Directorial début by Yau Nai-Hoi, who wrote many Johnnie To movies.

 

The First Day of Spring (literal) – Gu Changwei’s project following up Peacock, about several ordinary people’s stories in the 1980s, the first decade during which China made its transform to a capitalist society.


Five Deadly Venoms / Flying Guillotine – Two Shaw Bros. classics will be remade.

 

The Great Wall – Yuen Wo-Ping directed historical drama starring Jet Li. Will it happen?


Hannibal Rising: Gong Li teaches Hannibal how to eat people!


Horsemen: Zhang Ziyi leads in the psychological thriller.


The Jackie Chan / Jet Li project – Two best screen fighters work together for the first time, in a Hollywood made kid movie.


Kung Fu Hustle 2 – Will Stephen Chow decide to make it in 2007? Wait! Will Stephen Chow decide to write it in 2007?


The Iron Triangle /
Triangle – Three master director, Johnnie To, Tsui Hark and Ringo Lam, to tell a story in rally. Interesting! (The title is "Triangle" according to Variety. Thanks to "Mary".)


The Lady from Shanghai – script known, story unknown, production date unknown… We only know it is a Wong Kar-Wai / Nichole Kidman project. Worth to wait? Yes.


Left Right – Wang Xiaoshuai’s story of a divorced to have a baby together just to save of life of their daughter.


Long River 7 – Stephen Chow’s latest! This one is really! It has wrapped up!


Lust, Caution – Ang Lee’s tells a story of twisted love between a young school trained as an agent and a married man working for the Japanese aggressors…


My Blueberry Night – Wong Kar-Wai’s English language debut, starring Norah Jones, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Rachel Weisz, Tim Roth, Ed Harris…


My Life as a Teacher (literal) – Leung Ka-Fai plays a teacher spent his whole life in a mountain school.
Nie Yin Niang – Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s first martial-art film. Really?!


Orsay – Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s first project outside Asia, about the adventure of a boy, his babysitter and a red balloon.


Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End – Chow Yun-Fat as a pirate. Ha! Ha! Ha! Just wait for the jokes.


The Postmodern Life of My Aunt – Retired aunt picks up some romance with Chow Yun-Fat.


Protégé – Yee Tung-Shing and Peter Chan tell the entire life cycle of heroin.


PTU 2 – If you like PTU, Johnnie To prepares more for you. (Note: this one might be a mini series. Thanks to "Mary".)


Rape of Nanking / Nanjing! Nanjing! / The Dairy – The ambitious projects to retell the Nanjing Massacre.


Rogue – Jet Li plays a cold-blooded killer! Again? The initial reaction is very promising…


Rush Hour 3 – The first one is good, the second one is so so, and the third one is… Jackie Chan is not really exited about it but it is still a Jackie Chan movie.


Seven Swords 2 – Will Tsui Hark continue the story of the seven swords men, who said they would go to Beijing to get the emperor?


Sha Po Lang 2 – Sammo Hung will do the sequel personally.


Slam Dunk – Jay Chou will play a talented basketball player.


The Sun Also Rises – A four act road movie, by talented Jiang Wen and starring Anthony Wong, Jaycee Chan and Jiang Wen himself.


Sunshine / True North – Michelle Yeoh is in both.

Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon – Andy Lau plays a handsome general in the period drama.

 

Wu Qingyuan / The Go Master – Tian Zhuangzhuang’s biopic of Wu Qingyuan, a master player of Wei Qi / Go.