Stephen Fung was on top of the world in 2005. The popular actor had made a successful transition to directing with both his debut feature, Enter The Phoenix, and sophomore effort, House Of Fury, embraced by fans and critics alike. Fung appeared poised to be one of the leaders of a new wave of Hong Kong directors, popular figures who embraced and engaged the young audience in a way that the old guard no longer could.And then Edison Chen happened. In the midst of production on Fung's third feature, Jump, his leading man was caught up in the midst of the biggest sex scandal in Hong Kong entertainment history. Through no fault of his own, Fung's third effort was a catastrophe and the talented young...
- 9/22/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Above: Ernie Gehr's Auto-Collider Xv.
The vast bulk of Tiff's 2012 has been announced and listed here, below. We'll be updating the lineup with the previous films announced, as well as updating links to specific films for more information on them in the coming days. Of particular note is that the Wavelengths and Visions programs have been combined to create what is undoubtedly the most interesting section of the festival. Stay tuned, too, for our own on the ground coverage of Tiff.
Galas
A Royal Affair (Nikolai Arcel, Demark/Sweden/Czech Republic/Germany)
Argo (Ben Affleck, USA)
The Company You Keep (Robert Redford, USA)
Dangerous Liaisons (Hur Jin-ho, China)
Emperor (Peter Webber, Japan/USA)
English Vinglish (Gauri Shinde, India)
Free Angela & All Political Prisoners (Shola Lynch)
Great Expectations (Mike Newell, UK)
Hyde Park on Hudson (Roger Michell, UK)
Inescapable (Ruba Nadda, Canada)
Jayne Mansfield's Car (Billy Bob Thorton, USA/Russia)
Looper (Rian Johnson,...
The vast bulk of Tiff's 2012 has been announced and listed here, below. We'll be updating the lineup with the previous films announced, as well as updating links to specific films for more information on them in the coming days. Of particular note is that the Wavelengths and Visions programs have been combined to create what is undoubtedly the most interesting section of the festival. Stay tuned, too, for our own on the ground coverage of Tiff.
Galas
A Royal Affair (Nikolai Arcel, Demark/Sweden/Czech Republic/Germany)
Argo (Ben Affleck, USA)
The Company You Keep (Robert Redford, USA)
Dangerous Liaisons (Hur Jin-ho, China)
Emperor (Peter Webber, Japan/USA)
English Vinglish (Gauri Shinde, India)
Free Angela & All Political Prisoners (Shola Lynch)
Great Expectations (Mike Newell, UK)
Hyde Park on Hudson (Roger Michell, UK)
Inescapable (Ruba Nadda, Canada)
Jayne Mansfield's Car (Billy Bob Thorton, USA/Russia)
Looper (Rian Johnson,...
- 8/22/2012
- MUBI
[Updated with higher quality version.]Director Stephen Fung won a lot of love for his 2005 effort House Of Fury, a highly entertaining effort that seemed to cement the Hong Kong actor-turned-director's career shift. Things were looking up for Fung on the directing front. And then he became collateral damage in the Edison Chen sex scandal.Chen was cast as the male lead in Fung's House Of Fury follow up, Jump, when the scandal hit. The reaction to explicit sex photos leaked from Chen's personal computer was so severe that Fung had no choice but to shut down production, recast Chen's part and start all over again. That Jump was finished at all is a minor miracle but the issue meant a four year gap between...
- 4/6/2012
- Screen Anarchy
James Fox and Mick Jagger on the set of Performance
"This year, I was on the London Film Critics' Circle awards committee to determine who would receive the group's annual Dilys Powell Award for contribution to British cinema, which wasn't the most simple of tasks," writes Guy Lodge. "Many worthy names were bandied about, but the final choice is one no one could take issue with: venerable London-born director and former cinematographer Nicolas Roeg. It's hard to think of someone more deserving of career recognition: in addition to helming such offbeat classics as Performance, Don't Look Now and The Man Who Fell to Earth, Roeg brought equal formal vigor to his lensing of Far From the Madding Crowd and Petulia, among others. The choice strikes a chord with me personally, given that The Witches was something of a formative film for my seven year-old self. Indeed, Roeg's was the first...
"This year, I was on the London Film Critics' Circle awards committee to determine who would receive the group's annual Dilys Powell Award for contribution to British cinema, which wasn't the most simple of tasks," writes Guy Lodge. "Many worthy names were bandied about, but the final choice is one no one could take issue with: venerable London-born director and former cinematographer Nicolas Roeg. It's hard to think of someone more deserving of career recognition: in addition to helming such offbeat classics as Performance, Don't Look Now and The Man Who Fell to Earth, Roeg brought equal formal vigor to his lensing of Far From the Madding Crowd and Petulia, among others. The choice strikes a chord with me personally, given that The Witches was something of a formative film for my seven year-old self. Indeed, Roeg's was the first...
- 12/3/2011
- MUBI
Given that the original Korean romantic comedy “My Sassy Girl” was such a phenomenal and influential hit back in 2001, the idea of a sequel probably shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. However, “My Sassy Girl 2” has come a little from leftfield, arriving nearly a decade later and shifting the action from Korea to China, with a Hong Kong director in Joe Ma (“The Lion Roars”) and an all new cast headed by Lynn Xiong (“Ip Man”), Singaporean idol Leon Jay Williams (recently in the Stephen Chow produced “Jump”), Mainland TV show host He Jiong, gorgeous Taiwanese actress Abby Fung, and popular Hong Kong Tvb actor Bosco Wong (“I Love Hong Kong”). Although the film has no real links to its predecessor, it does see the return of writers Choi Seok Min and Kim Ho Sik, who ensure that it sticks to similar themes and delivers the same brand of aggressive,...
- 5/3/2011
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
Law Chi Leung, once thought of as one of Hong Kong’s most promising directors after the likes of “Inner Senses”, “Koma” and “Kidnap”, returns for his first film since 2007 with “Curse of the Deserted”. The film itself is somewhat noteworthy for being a rare Mainland Chinese excursion into the horror genre, based upon a novel by Cai Jun, whose “The Deserted Inn” and “Naraka 19” have previously been adapted for the screen, albeit with varying results. The film stars the incredibly hard working Shawn Yue (“Love in a Puff”), marking his sixth big screen appearance in 2010, with support from the gorgeous Kitty Zhang (“Jump”) as the female lead. Without wishing to give too much away since the film is a vaguely twisty affair, Yue plays a novelist called Guo Jing in Beijing, who has recently published a popular romantic ghost story called ‘The Village’. The yarn proves popular, and a...
- 11/10/2010
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
Act as cannon fodder for the next Jackie Chan, or take the Star Ferry to Kowloon for some neon glamour and play spot-the-film-location
If you've watched a lot of Hong Kong films but haven't visited the territory, you may be disappointed to find that there aren't gangs of nunchuck-wielding triads on every corner. Or cops bouncing up walls. Or goalies in yellow tracksuits flying 50ft up into the air to save goals.
But it is an undeniably filmic experience. Jump in a cab on the streets of Mong Kok, squint a bit and you could be in one of Wong Kar-wai's blurry arthouse puzzles. Hop on the open-top 15C bus as it bombs down the narrow, winding road from the Peak to Central and it's easy to imagine you're in one of Jackie Chan's inventive chases. Take the Star Ferry to Kowloon and relive the romance of The World of Suzie Wong.
If you've watched a lot of Hong Kong films but haven't visited the territory, you may be disappointed to find that there aren't gangs of nunchuck-wielding triads on every corner. Or cops bouncing up walls. Or goalies in yellow tracksuits flying 50ft up into the air to save goals.
But it is an undeniably filmic experience. Jump in a cab on the streets of Mong Kok, squint a bit and you could be in one of Wong Kar-wai's blurry arthouse puzzles. Hop on the open-top 15C bus as it bombs down the narrow, winding road from the Peak to Central and it's easy to imagine you're in one of Jackie Chan's inventive chases. Take the Star Ferry to Kowloon and relive the romance of The World of Suzie Wong.
- 10/8/2010
- by Richard Vine
- The Guardian - Film News
Chie Jen-Hao's Gangster Rock is a lovable mess, though more mess than lovable. It's essentially about people realising fame and fortune isn't everything as long as they're alive and have options, and while there are plenty of ways to film this sort of thing - from the stunning low-key fantasy drama of Studio 4C's Princess Arete to the laid-back coming-of-age vignettes that pepper Hong Kong and Taiwanese cinema - you generally need a compelling cast of characters and at least a modicum of professionalism to pull it off. Gangster Rock has neither.
There are two stories here. One plotline follows Hau (Leon Jay Williams, Jump), a small-time gangster not long out of prison after a shakedown gone horribly wrong led to the death of his then girlfriend. The other stars (collectively) Gangster, a group of musicians working the underbelly of Taipei's club scene, where industry sharks insist the two lead...
There are two stories here. One plotline follows Hau (Leon Jay Williams, Jump), a small-time gangster not long out of prison after a shakedown gone horribly wrong led to the death of his then girlfriend. The other stars (collectively) Gangster, a group of musicians working the underbelly of Taipei's club scene, where industry sharks insist the two lead...
- 10/2/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Hong Kong -- Foreign-language Oscar winner "Departures" is a perfect example of how Asian cinema quickly is becoming more local and more successful at the same time.
The region's film institutions still fret about overseas perception of their industries and hold endless think-tanks about how to break into the U.S. market. But in many ways, the film world is turning to Asia anyway, as those economies have emerged from recession faster than the West and Hollywood studios and indies from the rest of the world have scrambled to join in.
With a few days left of 2009 and final numbers still to crystallize, boxoffice in East Asia looks strong. China in particular appears to have delivered a growth number -- 25% to 30% -- typical of a developing economy, but on a scale that now puts it in the global top 10 territories. South Korea...
The region's film institutions still fret about overseas perception of their industries and hold endless think-tanks about how to break into the U.S. market. But in many ways, the film world is turning to Asia anyway, as those economies have emerged from recession faster than the West and Hollywood studios and indies from the rest of the world have scrambled to join in.
With a few days left of 2009 and final numbers still to crystallize, boxoffice in East Asia looks strong. China in particular appears to have delivered a growth number -- 25% to 30% -- typical of a developing economy, but on a scale that now puts it in the global top 10 territories. South Korea...
- 12/22/2009
- by By Patrick Frater
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
With exactly a week left to go before Stephen Chow-produced/Stephen Fung-directed dance flick Jump hits the theaters all across Asia, Sony Pictures has release a total of eight clips to give us a little taste on whats instore. The comedy film marks Kitty Zhang first leading role and I thinks she really shines through in these clips playing the underdog that eventually realized her full potential. I especially got a kick (no pun intended) out of seeing the clips in "She Shines" and "Dinner with Dad" with Yuen Cheung-Yan for the Kung-Fu action because well, we all know adding Kung-Fu to just about anything will most likely increase the level of awesomeness everytime.
Jump is a film about courage and passion. Full of humor and exciting dance sequences the film features a young village girl from a sheltered background named Phoenix who loves dancing. Brought up by her father,...
Jump is a film about courage and passion. Full of humor and exciting dance sequences the film features a young village girl from a sheltered background named Phoenix who loves dancing. Brought up by her father,...
- 11/26/2009
- Screen Anarchy
Life lesson #1: Never trust DVD menus. They are programmed by humans, and humans lie. Therefore, DVD menus lie. If you buy one and the menu looks wrong, do not show fear. Just stand firm and call your player a filthy liar. Life lesson #2: Don't teach your newborn a fictional alien language instead of English. That is cruel. What's the matter with you? Life lesson #3: Don't take life lessons from a man on the internet. Wait, what's going on? Oh, right, movie updates. Here they are.
The Good
• The other two posters for Alice in Wonderland were released on Facebook last week, completing the set of three. Your sharp eyes do not deceive you: the three posters can indeed be combined to form this image:
• I'm going out on a huge limb here by giving this movie the benefit of the doubt. This trailer for Jump doesn't exactly...
The Good
• The other two posters for Alice in Wonderland were released on Facebook last week, completing the set of three. Your sharp eyes do not deceive you: the three posters can indeed be combined to form this image:
• I'm going out on a huge limb here by giving this movie the benefit of the doubt. This trailer for Jump doesn't exactly...
- 11/23/2009
- by Arya Ponto
- JustPressPlay.net
mmh, if you only watch the first minute of the trailer for Stephen Fung’s Jump you could really believe that this was written by the one and only Stephen Chow. But the rest just smells of the kind of dance flicks Hollywood has been stuffing down our throats for the last few years. The film tells the story of a young girl (Kitty Zhang) from a small Chinese village that get the chance to start a career as a professional dance in the big city, how original and unpredictable…
[via Filmsmash]...
[via Filmsmash]...
- 11/9/2009
- by Ulrik
- Affenheimtheater
Stephen Chow's role in The Green Hornet has been slowly disintegrating over the past year. First, Chow was to direct and co-star, then just co-star, and now Chow is entirely removed from the project due to "scheduling conflicts."
Columbia pictures called Chow's exit "a mutual and amicable decision by both sides to move on," with the studio already "out to cast a new Kato." Director Michel Gondry and star Seth Rogen won't be left entirely stranded, though, as Cameron Diaz is in negotiations to join the movie, possibly as Rogen's love interest.
Production on The Green Hornet begins in September. Rogen and Evan Goldberg wrote the script, which is an adaptation loosely based on the advntures of the masked hero from radio, a 60's TV show, and comic books.
Next Showing: The Green Hornet opens July 9, 2010.
Link | Posted 7/15/2009 by Ryan
Michel Gondry | Seth Rogen | Stephen Chow | The Green Hornet...
Columbia pictures called Chow's exit "a mutual and amicable decision by both sides to move on," with the studio already "out to cast a new Kato." Director Michel Gondry and star Seth Rogen won't be left entirely stranded, though, as Cameron Diaz is in negotiations to join the movie, possibly as Rogen's love interest.
Production on The Green Hornet begins in September. Rogen and Evan Goldberg wrote the script, which is an adaptation loosely based on the advntures of the masked hero from radio, a 60's TV show, and comic books.
Next Showing: The Green Hornet opens July 9, 2010.
Link | Posted 7/15/2009 by Ryan
Michel Gondry | Seth Rogen | Stephen Chow | The Green Hornet...
- 7/15/2009
- by Ryan Gowland
- Reelzchannel.com
A full-length for 20th Century Fox’s “Dragonball”, opening April 10th 2009 is online, according to DBthemovie.com. You can check it out at this link here. Directed and written by James Wong and produced by Stephen Chow, the live-action adaptation of the popular classic Japanese anime stars Justin Chatwin as Goku, Chow Yun-Fat as Master Roshi, James Marsters as Lord Piccolo, Jamie Chung as Chi Chi, Emmy Rossum as Bulma, Eriko Tamura as Mai, Joon Park as Yamcha, Randall Duk Kim as Grandpa Gohan, and Ernie Hudson as Master Mutaito. The “Dragonball” franchise, which initially began as a manga series in 1984 in the manga compilation Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine in Japan. The series has expanded to a long-running anime [...]...
- 10/4/2008
- by Costa Koutsoutis
- ShockYa
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