News Links - 3/14/07

[dleedlee]

Asian Film Awards to honor Josephine Siao and David Bordwell
http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/941/1/

Director Yim Ho's Nanjing Massacre Story Approved
http://english.cri.cn/3086/2007/03/14/1261@205350.htm

Wong Kar Wai warms to lesbian love and "Ashes of Time -- Redux"
http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/936/1/

Political Advisor: Chinese Movies Only for Oscar Are Pathetic
http://english.cri.cn/3086/2007/03/13/198@205147.htm

Director gets flak for ‘Flock’ - Andrew Lau fired
http://www.star-ecentral.com/news/story ... sec=movies
INFERNAL Affairs director Andrew Lau’s Hollywood debut is not going well.

The Los Angeles Times (LAT) said the Hong Kong film-maker was fired by the fledgling Bauer Martinez Studios after he wrapped up his first English-language movie, The Flock.

The sexual predator drama, which stars Richard Gere, Claire Danes and Avril Lavigne, will open in the United States in May, according to website IMDb.

The report said French-born producer Philippe Martinez, who is also new to Hollywood, was unhappy with Lau’s version of The Flock, and took the film away from the director.

Martinez reportedly tried re-shooting and re-cutting The Flock himself. Then, at Gere’s urging, director Niels Mueller (The Assassination of Richard Nixon) came on board to rework the movie once more.

It is unclear which version of The Flock will be released.

Lau told Apple Daily: “As far as I know, actor Richard Gere saw my version and was satisfied with it. But the boss had different views. Can’t be helped.”

He said that though he does not have first-cut rights, he will still be shown the finished film before its release.

As for Martinez, he is in debt after developing movies from The Flock to I Could Never Be Your Woman, starring Michelle Pfeiffer.

He said some Hollywood talent agents took advantage of him.

Although he did not name names, the LAT said, for example, that Gere was paid US$10mil (RM35.2mil) to star in The Flock – which some film executives said was more than double his asking price. – The Straits Times, Singapore / Asia News Network


Toho towers over global film sector
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/con ... d818a737aa
Toho through the years
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/con ... 006dd71075
2007 slate
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/con ... d079c26d17

Chinese movie biz sees room for modernization
http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/935/

"Death Note" aims for Japanese home entertainment record
http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/946/1/

Japan: The Slit-Mouthed Woman
http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/940/1/

Karena Lam Poses for Eye Cream Ads
http://english.cri.cn/3086/2007/03/13/60@205115.htm

KFC Fried Food Safe to Eat
http://english.cri.cn/2946/2007/03/14/176@205232.htm

[Brian Thibodeau]

Asian Film Awards to honor Josephine Siao and David Bordwell
http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/941/1/

I've long bitched that David Bordwell—not to mention a boatload of other, ACTUAL scholars of Hong Kong cinema—should be doing commentary tracks for DVD releases and reissues of the films. His book "Planet Hong Kong" is an absolute must-read, and his knowledge runs deep. I've taken a teensy bit of flak on occasion for harping on the fact that U.S. distribs rely on the service of one or two semi-knowledgeable but frustratingly repetitive guys (well, one, mostly) for DVD commentaries which, despite contributing to the overall appearance of better "packagings" for the films, will further cheapen their importance over time.

I know some folks will counter that we should be happy that we get any kind of commentary at all on these films (old and new)—particularly in light of the disposable nature of the films on their home turf, then as now—but it's still just laziness. Perhaps Bordwell (and Stephen Teo and many others) simply don't do commentaries, but dammit, these films are worthy of better, and with such a large literary pool to draw from, I have a very hard time believing U.S. companies couldn't find alternate voices to the ones they regular use right now. Besides, the ones they use right now aren't likely to receive awards for scholarship excellence any time soon...

[dleedlee]

Lucy Liu Stars "Cashmere Mafia" in New York
http://english.cri.cn/3086/2007/03/14/60@205404.htm

Golden Horse Film Awards Welcomes Chinese Movies from the Whole World
http://english.cri.cn/3086/2007/03/14/60@205536.htm

Kung Fu Diva Law Yim-hing
http://www.kungfucinema.com/blog/electr ... 313-160144