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James Cameron's Planet Pandora
Is in Southern China
(MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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December 31, 2009 |
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This piece
of rock is called "The Column of Southern Sky". |
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Images: 20th Century Fox, ? |
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It looks like planet Pandora in Avatar is not completely out of
James Cameron's dream. According to the source probably from
Cameron's team, those floating Hallelujah Mountains were inspired by
Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) in
eastern China. In fact, those mountains were created based on real
video footage and still photos taken in
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in
Hunan Province of southern China. Jim's team only chopped off the
bottom of these rocks and made them float with digital magic.
Huangshan and Zhangjiajie are at least 700 kilometers (over 400
miles) in distance and they are not in the same mountain range.
More photos of Zhangjiajie.
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MONKEY KING To Be Animated by Weta Digital
(MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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December
30, 2009 |
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Uproar in Heaven produced in 1964. |
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Image: Shanghai Animation Film Studio. |
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Hong Kong's Filmko Pictures has just announced a US$30 million
project called
Da Nao Tiao Gong
(Uproar in Heaven), with the English title as
Monkey King. It will be
based on 16th century Chinese fantasy novel
Journey to the West. The new
live-action movie will only tell the story of the Monkey King
pillaging the heaven, from chapter 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the 100-chapter
book.
The script will be penned by
Edmond Wong (Dragon Tiger Gate,
Ip Man,
Ip Man 2). The cast and
crew list is unkonwn.
Peter Jackson's Weta Digital
has been contracted to handle the CG effects. Scenes described in
the novel, like Monkey King's The Mountain of Flowers and Fruits and
Water Curtain Cave, will be shot in real locations.
Filmko has sent four scouting teams to
different locations in China.
Other scenes, including Heavenly Court of the Jade Emperor and the
Mountain of Flame will be shot with built set with CG enhancement.
In September, a team from Weta made a trip to China to begin working
on the sets for these scenes.
Filmko is also negotiating
with a well-known Hollywood studio for possible partnership
establishment.
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An Enhanced Trailer for Donnie Yen's 14 BLADES
(MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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December
27, 2009 |
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L to R: Director Yee Tung-Shing, Chapman To, Louis
Koo, Daniel Wu and Charlene Choi. |
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Image: Sina.com. |
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Here is another chance to watch Donnie Yen and Sammo Hung battling
on the big screen.
The original Chinese title, Jin Yi Wei, was the name of "Bocade-Clad
Guards", the secret service of the emperors of China's Ming Dynasty
(1368 - 1644).
Donnie Yen plays Qing Long, a senior Brocade-Clad Guard, framed for
high treason while on a secret assignment. He teams up with a young
women to uncover the truth while being hunted by his own colleagues
and a female Mongol killer.
Director Daniel Lee and Donnie Yen designed ten fight sequences to
showcase the amazing skills of Donnie Yen. In the movie, Donnie
Yen's character possesses a box containing 14 blades, 8 for
interrogation, 5 for killing his enemy, and 1 for ending his own
life in case he falls his mission.
Click here for the trailer.
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THE LEGEND OF CHENZHEN Open House Day Photos
(MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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December
27, 2009 |
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Donnie Yen with Shu Qi |
L to R: Huo Siyan, Anthony Wong, Shu Qi, Donnie Yen. |
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Image: Sina.com. |
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The name of Chen Zhen is attached to Bruce Lee in Fist of Fury and
Jet Li in Fist of Legend. The latest Donnie Yen' version of Chen
Zhen has a brand new story. The official plot description has yet to
be released, but we do know some fact that the story is set in
Shanghai during the Japanese occupation (1937 - 1945). Chen Zhen is
a patriotic figure or a resistant fighter, who is protecting
Shanghai from total destruction, or something like that.
For the first time ever, Donnie Yen gets a chance to prove he is
also good at playing piano. Shu Qi plays a singer, working at
Paramount Ballroom, the top gathering place for the high class of
Shanghai in the 1930s and 1940s. Anthony Wong plays the owner of
Paramount Ballroom, who offers Chen Zhen protection. Mainland
Chinese actor Huang Bo plays a detective.
Principal shooting has last for a month in Shanghai. Theatrical
release in China, including Hong Kong, is aimed at October 2010.
The action thriller is directed by Andrew Lau with a screenplay
written by Gordon Chan and Cheung Chi-Sing.
More shots from the set.
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Opening This
Week:
December 19 - 25, 2009
(MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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December 27, 2009 |
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Midnight Taxi |
Da You Cun Bright Future |
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Image: AGE Films, Ji Xian Shi Ji
Entertainment Production Co., Ltd., Biao Qi Entertainment Production
Co., Ltd. Sheng Shi Tu Hua Film and TV Co., Ltd. |
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Midnight Taxi ,
a horror flick tells a cab driver beginning to dig out whatever
behind a series of spooky incidents. However, the hidden at the
bottom of the truth is something unexpected.
Da You Cun, Bright Future
is comedy about how a business man making his first movie at a
village, which has never been benefited during the economic boom.
Other new movies opened
this week:
China:
Poker King
(Hong Kong)
Hong Kong:
A Simple Noodle Story
(China)
Alvin and the Chipmunks:
The Squeakquel
(USA)
Sherlock Holmes
(UK / Australia / USA)
Taiwan:
Bodyguards and Assassins
(Hong Kong / China)
Ex
(Italy / France)
Gokusen: The Movie
(Japan)
New York, I Love You
(France / USA)
Sherlock Holmes
(UK / Australia / USA)
Click here for more |
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Wong Kar-Wai's THE GRAND MASTER Casting Update
(MonkeyPeaches
Exclusive) |
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December 21, 2009 |
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Image: The Bund. |
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Korean actress
Song Hye-kyo has been cast for
playing an unknown role. She was recently spotted receiving physical
training at the filming studio. (click
here).
Click
here for a few spy photos of
Zhang Ziyi receiving physical training for the film.
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Opening This
Week:
December 12 - 18, 2009
(MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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December 20, 2009 |
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Bodyguards and Assassins |
Diago |
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Images: China Film Group, Cinema Popular, Shanghai
Media & Entertainment Group, Xinjie Culture and Communication Co., Ltd.
(Guangzhou), Hao Long (Macao) Film and TV co., Ltd. |
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Story of
Bodyguards and Assassins
is set in 1905's Hong Kong. When the future funding father of the
Chinese republic is making a short visit to Hong Kong, a group of
underdog bodyguards are hired to protect him from waves of assassins
sent by the Chinese imperial government.
¡¡
A half-Chinese and
half-Portuguese man cannot decide where he will live, after
Portuguese Macao, his home city, is returned to China.
Other new movies opened
this week:
China:
Bodyguards and Assassins
(Hong Kong / China)
Hong Kong:
Avatar
(USA)
The Twilight Saga: New
Moon
(USA)
Taiwan:
Avatar
(USA)
Bancs Publics (Versailles
Rive Droite)
/
Park Benches
(France)
Bombay Summer
(USA)
Thirst
(South Korea)
Click here for more |
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Opening This
Week:
December 5 - 11, 2009
(MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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December 11, 2009 |
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A Simple Noodle Story |
The Storm Warriors |
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Images: New Picture Film Co.,
EDKO Management and Consulting Co., Ltd., Orange Sky Entertainment
Group, Golden Harvest, Universe Entertainment. |
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Zhang Yimou remakes Coen
brother's
Blood Simple
to
A Simple Noodle Story,
about a waiter at a Silk Road noodle shop has an affair with the
shop owner's wife, and both of them are hunted by a killer hired by
the greedy and abusive shop owner.
The Storm Warriors,
directed by Thailand born Pang brothers, is the second live action
movie adaptation of Ma Wing-Shing's comic series Wind, Cloud.
This time, two warriors, Wind and Cloud are facing the same enemy,
Lord Godless who is invading from the east.
Other new movies opened
this week:
China:
The Storm Warriors
(Hong Kong / China)
The Treasure Hunter
(Taiwan / China)
Hong Kong:
Él¨¬¨¬ve Libre
/
Private Lessons
(Belgium / France)
Ne Te Retourne Pas
/
Don't Look Back
(France / Italy / Luxembourg / Belgium)
Taiwan:
Jump
(Hong Kong / China)
The Storm Warriors
(Hong Kong / China)
Demain D¨¬¨¬s L'aube
/
Tomorrow at Dawn
(France)
Law Abiding Citizen
(USA)
The Other Man
(USA / UK)
Paranormal Activity
(USA)
Click here for more |
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Zhang Yimou's THIRTEEN GIRLS OF JINLING Now in
Pre-Production
(MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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December 8, 2009 |
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Image: New Picture Film Co. |
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Jin Ling Shi San Chai
(literal: Thirteen Girls of Jinling) will be based on woman writer
Yan Geling's same title novel. Story of the novel is set in December
1937, when Japanese troops broke into the city of Nanjing/Nanking
(nicknamed "Jinling", i.e. "Tomb of Gold"). A church run by several
foreign priests provides protection for 6 wounded Chinese soldiers
and many school girls, both were hunted by the ruthless Japanese.
There are 13 prostitutes, who were also hiding under the same roof,
for protecting the life of the school girls and soldiers,
volunteered to join Japanese Christmas party as "comfort women". In
fact, they are going for a revenge.
Producer told the Chinese press they had been in contact with
several Hollywood stars, including Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise and Brad
Pitt, for taking a lead role, possibly a priest. Zhang will cast
unknown young actress, rather than A-list stars, to play the 13
girls.
The project will be pointedly produced by Zhang Yimou and Zhang
Weiping's Beijing-based New Picture Film Co. and Hong Kong producer
Bill Kong's EDKO Films. New Picture and EDKO produced all films by
Zhang Yimou since
Hero,
released in 2002. Sony Pictures Classics, has released many Zhang's
films, will very likely handle the international sales.
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Wong Kar-Wai's THE GRAND MASTER Casting Update
(MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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December 8, 2009 |
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Image: The Bund. |
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Gong Li - now confirmed on the cast list. She will play the head of
a martial-art clan.
Zhang Ziyi - will play the wife of Ip Man, the character portrayed
by Leung Chiu-Wai.
Brigitte Lin - looks like Wong is still in talk with her. The odds
of her joining the movie are unknown.
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Hi-Res Stills from Yuen Wo-Ping's SU Qi-ER, aka.
TRUE LEGEND
(Sina.com) |
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December 4, 2009 |
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Images: EDKO Film, Shanghai Film Group, Focus
Features. |
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Set at the turn of 19th and 20th century, the story of begins
with Su Can, a wealthy man who loses all his fortune and
reputation as a result of a conspiracy against him. After being
forced out onto the streets, he dedicates his life to martial
arts and reemerges as a patriotic hero as he challenges foreign
fighters at a boxing ring. The story is loosely based on the
life of Su Can, nicknamed Su Qi Er (Su the Bagger), who
developed his own fighting style, known as "drunken fist".
This is Yuen Wo-Ping's first directorial work since 1996 and may
also give a major boost to the career of 37 year old China's
born martial-art star Zhao Wenzhuo.
Click here for 26 hi-res stills.
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JI XIAN FENG, a New Film with Donnie Yen, Tony Jaa,
Wentworth Miller, Song Hye-Kyo...?
(MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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December 4, 2009 |
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A new movie starring Donnie Yen, Thai on-screen boxer star Tony
Jaa, Prison Break star Wentworth Miller and Korean actress Song
Hye-Kyo? The movie will be called
Ji Xian Feng
(roughly means: bold vanguard), according to Mr. Yang, the
director of Imaginary Starlight, a not so well known studio
based in the city of Shenzhen, boarding Hong Kong in South
China.
However, Mr. Yang has announced the project will cost about 100
million yuans (US$ 15 million) and the shooting will begin in
April 2010.
The cast list is appealing, but it is way to early to get
excited about. We don't know who will write it, who will direct
it, who will choreograph it and what the story really is. We
don't even know the casting is a done deal or just the studio
director's wishful thinking.
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Opening This
Week:
November 28 - December 4, 2009
(MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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December 4, 2009 |
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Jump |
Miss Kicki |
The Wingless Swallow & Fururi |
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Images: Columbia Pictures Film Production
Asia, J.A. Media Ltd., Star Overseas, Migma Film AB, Svenska
Filminstitutet (SFI), Sveriges Television (SVT), Film i Väst, Ocean Deep
Films, Migma West HB, STAAA Entertainments. |
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Jump
is a Stephen Chow produced comedy telling the story of a country
girl starts her pass to a hip-hop star from a janitor job at a dance
school...
Miss Kicki,
jointly produced by Sweden and Taiwan, begins with a Swedish man
visiting Taiwan with his mother Kicki. He secretly hopes to meet the
father he has never seen while his mother's heart is completely
elsewhere. Conflicts arise between them, as Viktor gets closer with
his Taiwanese friend
The Wingless Swallow &
Fururi
is a two-part feature shot in Japan and Taiwan. In
Fururi, a young working
girl who is bored of her daily routine, meets a mysterious young man
who offers to make any of her wish come true; and in
The Wingless Swallow, a
young picture book writer makes a visit to a little library, where
someone is reading the story from a picture book.
Other new movies opened
this week:
China:
Jump
(Hong Kong / China)
Hong Kong:
Cow
(China)
Mulan
(China)
9
(USA)
Case 39
(USA / Canada)
Evangelion: 2.0 You Can
(Not) Advance
(Japan)
Synecdoche, New York
(USA)
Taiwan:
Poker King
(Hong Kong)
Ander
(Spain)
DeUsynlige
/
Troubled Water
(Norway / Sweden / Germany)
I Come with the Rain
/
Je Viens Avec la Pluie
(France)
Pride
(Japan)
Rahtree Reborn
(Thailand)
The Twilight Saga: New
Moon
(USA)
Transsiberian
(UK / Germany / Spain / Lithuania)
Villa Amalia
(France / Switzerland)
SEAL Team VI
(USA)
Click here for more |
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Official Site Alert: Zhang Yimou's A SIMPLE NOODLE
STORY
(MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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December 3,
2009 |
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Image: The Bund. |
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It is in Chinese only, but got some movie stills and some clips
(trailer, theme song, behind the scene).
Click here
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Official Site Alert: Chow Yun-Fat's CONFUCIUS
(MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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December 3,
2009 |
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Image: Dadi Film, China Film Group Corp. |
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In Chinese only. Scroll to the right, you will find out how wide
the front page really is.
Click here
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Casting Update on Wong Kar-Wai / Leung Chiu-Wai's
THE GRAND MASTER
(MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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December 2,
2009 |
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Image: The Bund. |
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A Chinese newspaper called Times Business just run a
story on Wong Kar-Wai's work-in-progress film
The Grand Master.
The paper says Wong just cast well-known Chinese skit and sitcom
actor
Zhao Benshan for the
movie.
The story of
The Grand Master
will focus on the life of martial art master Yip Man's (Leung
Chiu-Wai) life in Hong Kong, where members of many clans taking
refuge in. Zhao will play the head of one of the clans. Three of
Zhao's disciples have also been cast for portraying disciples of
Zhao's character and the roles of three other disciples has yet
to be cast, who will also be Zhao's disciples.
Wong is also exploring the possibility of shooting part of the
movie in the cities of
Shenyang (including
Guandong Studio) and
Changchun, all in the
northeast China.
According to someone involved in the casting, Wong said had
never done any action film (so
Ashes of Time
doesn't count?). He said
The Grand Master
was not a pure action flick, but a large portion of it would
involved actions. The style of the film was different from that
of Wong's previous works and he was feeling the heat.
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Jackie Chan's LITTLE BIG SOLDIER Is Ready to
Rumble
(MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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December 1,
2009 |
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Image: Bona Entertainment, JCE Movies. |
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Among three Jackie Chan's movies coming out next year, this one
is on my must-see list. The other two,
The Spy Next Door
and
Kung Fu Kids
are made for kids.
The story is set in China's Warring State Periods (453 - 221
BC), when the country was still a collective of many
independents states. A bloody battle ended with only two
survivors, an old soldier from the state of Liang (Jackie Chan)
and a young general from the state of Wei (Wang Lee-Hom). The
soldier kidnapped the badly wounded enemy general and planned to
bring him back to Liang, in exchange for a reward and a
retirement from war. In the soldier's eyes, the general
ruthlessly brought thousands of men to death, and the general
also dislike the soldier who actually survived by faking death.
However the journey is not easy and the mutual distrust is in
fact the least problem they are facing.
Jackie Chan said the idea of a soldier kidnapping an enemy
general came from a dream he had about 20 years ago. He told the
dream of many people and only rookie director Ding Sheng made it
to a script and showed it to Jackie Chan. The original cast was
Jackie Chan's son Jaycee Chan as the soldier and Jiang Wen as
the general. The cast has been changed but the director has
always been Ding Sheng.
The cast also includes Yee Seung-jun, Du Yuming, Lin Peng, Xu
Dongmei, Jin Song, Lu Huiguang, Yu Rongguang, Wang Baoqiang and
Wu Yue.
Official site
(spoiler alert)
Teaser
Stills (spoiler alert)
Stills
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Poster and Still Alert: h Stared ONCE UPON A
CHINESE CLASSIC
(MonkeyPeaches Exclusive) |
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December 1,
2009 |
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Images: Zhujiang Film Studio, Galloping Horse
Film & TV Production, Poly-Bona Film Publishing Company. |
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Once Upon a Chinese Classic is a new slapstick comedy from Hong
Kong director Jeffery Lau, who has made a long list of
slapsticks - such as
The Eagle Shooting Heroes,
A Chinese Odyssey
dilogy,
A Chinese Odyssey 2002,
A Chinese Tall Story
and
Metallic Attraction: Kungfu Cyborg.
The story doesn't make much sense, therefore I am not going to
tell you. Except, the major characters, played by a 58-star
cast, are from Lau's
A Chinese Odyssey
and John Woo's
Red Cliff. It is also making fun of
The Eagle Shooting Heroes, Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle,
The Pained Skin, The Matrix,
Kungfu Panda,
House of Flying Daggers,
and
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
One thing worth to mention - Jeffery Lau reprises his role of
The Grapes from
A Chinese Odyssey.
The outtake trailer
Snapshots from the set |
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