In the mood for Maggie
http://living.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=340072007
The Awesome Kung Fu of Shek Kin
From Jean Lukitsh' excellent Electric Shadows blog
http://www.kungfucinema.com/blog/electr ... 302-114332
Thai prince's trilogy looks to make history
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/con ... 5e8b7f7b03
Movie Rx: good script
Master filmmaker Sang Hu captured a "realistic" China from the 1930s to early 1950s - worlds away from today's martial arts blockbusters. Sang said a good script was gold, and his movies were understandable, touching, entertaining - and box office hits, writes Xu Wei.
Stereotyped Chinese blockbusters are gradually losing fans who seek more interesting fare. A retrospective of the very different, realistic and comic films by the late director Sang Hu is a reminder of the rich tradition of Chinese cinema, now desperately in need of diversity and new ideas.
To commemorate the 90th anniversary of Sang's birth, the Shanghai Film Corp recently presented a symposium on his artistic achievements and China's filmmaking tradition.
The exhibition screened seven of Sang's films, such as China's first Yueju Opera color feature romance, "The Butterfly Lovers" (1954), and "Midnight" (1981), a family drama adapted from Mao Dun's novel of the same name.
Xu Pengle, vice president of Shanghai Film Corp, praised Sang as a versatile artist throughout his 42-year film career in Shanghai, the setting of many of his movies.
"All of his movies are firmly rooted in reality, showcasing the director's humor, sincerity and artistic innovation," Xu says. "These cherished elements are hard to see in many recent mega-productions."
Sang, whose real name was Li Peilin, is a major figure in Chinese cinema. Born in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, he began his career in Shanghai and thrived in the city that was the center of China's cinema. He died in 2004.
Unlike classics "Street Angel" by Yuan Muzhi (1937) and "The Goddess" by Wu Yonggang (1934) about people at the bottom of society, Sang Hu's films mostly revolve around the lives of middle-class citizens.
"His sarcastic screwball comedies like 'Fake Phoenix' shed light on the unknown side of the city," says Professor Lu Shaoyang from Peking University. "It vividly portrays the flashy but flimsy 1930-40s Shanghai, an ambitious and extravagant vanity fair."
A dear friend of novelist Eileen Chang, in 1947, Sang also collaborated with Chang for the making of "Long Live the Mistress." The comic family melodrama written by Chang depicts young wife Chen Sizhen who must rise above her unfaithful and weak-willed husband and struggle to turn the patriarchal family system to her advantage.
Further, director Sang, after studying popular Hollywood comedies, adds "nostalgic modernity" to the picture, from the exquisite qipaos to a West-meets-East original score.
"The power of my movies lies in their honesty," Sang once said. "I hope my works can be both thoughtful and invigorating, and foster people's confidence in the future."
As early as the 1920s, Hollywood productions began to penetrate the Chinese film industry. They captured 75 percent of the Chinese market during the 1930s and 40s. However, Sang's small-budget movies survived the fierce rivalry to become box office hits.
In his memoir, Sang attributes his hard-won success not to his directing or his star-studded cast, but to his scripts.
"A strong script is always the basis of a great film," he said. "It's unnecessary to play up the role of the director and actors. A good film should be understandable, touching and entertaining."
This may seem obvious, but many veteran Chinese filmmakers blindly embark on superficial martial arts blockbusters for huge profits. These big-budget films are replete with extravagant costumes, magnificent sets, and well-known casts, but the scripts and storylines are poor and boring.
Many have departed from the basics and are not understandable, touching and entertaining.
"Chinese martial arts film did have a golden age, but now we're becoming tired of meaningless combat and imaginary royal intrigue in ancient times," says movie buff Qian Kanyan.
Professor Gu Xiaoming from Fudan University said Sang's movies, which show deep concerns about ordinary life and people, can inspire filmmakers to return to the "realistic" tradition.
"A trend is that real-life plot-driven stories with a small budget are appreciated by both the Academy and movie fans," he says.
"Crash," a somewhat disturbing look at race relations, surprisingly won last year's Oscars for Best Film.
Shot on a US$6.5 million budget, "Crash" became a box-office success, grossing US$55 million in North America. Nominees for this year's Oscar also included the small-budget artfully made films "Babel," "Little Miss Sunshine" and "The Queen."
"A good movie is inspirational as well as entertaining," Professor Gu adds. "Sang was among the first Chinese artists who set this tradition in filmmaking. Now it is time for local successors to take over his work and put the city's unique people and life on the screen."
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article ... 307160.htm
Video: An open letter to all the rosie o'donnells
Beau Sia’s Poem-Letter Appeal to Rosie
Poet Beau Sia, best known for his time with Def Poetry Jam on HBO, and his parody of singer-songwriter Jewel’s poetry book, A Knight in Shining Armor II: The Revenge, has issued a video open letter via Youtube to Rosie O’Donnell specifically, but also "Open Letter to All the Rosie O'Donnells" The poem is a specific reference to O’Donnell’s gaff on The View, where she offended Asian American groups. The poem is a thoughtful look at her transgression, and he urged her to apologize and to further educate herself on why her words hurt so many people. Without attacking her, Sia stayed positive and focused on explaining why Asians were offended. After its release, Rosie O’Donnell viewed the video, and responded on her online blog, effectively apologizing for her bit on The View.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJCkHu3trKc
Rosie O'Donnells apology - her response to Beau
(mute audio, her response is the text from her blog)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1BrehJQGzs
http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/070302/art ... ntID=64898
Historical TV Drama Adds to Anti-corruption Drive
http://english.cri.cn/3086/2007/03/04/60@201732.htm
