News Links - 5/25/07

[dleedlee]

Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution" to Open Venice Film Festival
http://english.cri.cn/3086/2007/05/25/63@231472.htm

Wong Kar-wai: Exploring displaced people and foreign lands
http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/24/ ... nnes25.php
Ashes of Time:
"I know I'll be tempted to add things," he said, "but I wouldn't completely redo it. It was a film that had big technical problems - something is wrong with the sound."


Chow Yun-Fat loses hair for 'Pirates'
http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/cl-e ... =cl-movies
The Hong Kong press said he was acting like a prima donna. Now, Chow has verbally committed to appear in the film in a cameo.

Chow is reluctant to talk about the controversy but noted, "When I make an appearance with John Woo in Beijing, it will be another story. When you see Chow Yun-Fat and John Woo walk together in Beijing, then it will be a true story."



Review: "Pleasure Factory"
http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/1447/1/
Review: "Funuke"
http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/1446/1/

ROUGH SAILING FOR OCEAN'S 13 ON CHINA SEA
http://www.movieweb.com/news/07/20007.php

a Hong Kong television reporter objected to the character portrayed by Shaobo Qin, a member of the famed Peking acrobatic team. "Why did you choose to portray Chinese [people] that way?" she demanded.

China and Argentina talk of groundbreaking pact
http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/1444/1/
Crash of "Korean Wave" continues as Cannes sales slump
http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/1439/1/


Bun Scrambling Competition in HK
http://english.cri.cn/3100/2007/05/25/176@231338.htm

[Brian Thibodeau]

ROUGH SAILING FOR OCEAN'S 13 ON CHINA SEA
http://www.movieweb.com/news/07/20007.php

a Hong Kong television reporter objected to the character portrayed by Shaobo Qin, a member of the famed Peking acrobatic team. "Why did you choose to portray Chinese [people] that way?" she demanded.

This has got to be one of the more insipid things I've read all day! What does she mean "choose to portray Chinese people that way?" I know television reporters are not always the brightest bulbs, but is she really afraid the world will think all Chinese people are high-stakes thieves? Or acrobats?

[dleedlee]

ROUGH SAILING FOR OCEAN'S 13 ON CHINA SEA
http://www.movieweb.com/news/07/20007.php

a Hong Kong television reporter objected to the character portrayed by Shaobo Qin, a member of the famed Peking acrobatic team. "Why did you choose to portray Chinese [people] that way?" she demanded.

This has got to be one of the more insipid things I've read all day! What does she mean "choose to portray Chinese people that way?" I know television reporters are not always the brightest bulbs, but is she really afraid the world will think all Chinese people are high-stakes thieves? Or acrobats?

Must admit that I haven't seen any of the Ocean's films, but apparently the character has been recurring? So, why now, this is the first I've heard ever about it.

[Brian Thibodeau]

Must admit that I haven't seen any of the Ocean's films, but apparently the character has been recurring? So, why now, this is the first I've heard ever about it.

This is probably the first you've heard of it because it was a total non-issue until that TV reporter tried to invent a "challenging" question. Shaobo Qin's character is absolutely priceless in these movies. He almost always speaks Mandarin, but nearly everyone else on the team, particularly Brad Pitt, understands him without missing a beat. And from the looks of the stunts he performs in the first two films, I'm guessing he was an acrobat in real life at some point. I though the second film faltered—and apparently so did some of the people who made it—but I'm really stoked to see this third installment!

[Brian Thibodeau]

DVD Talk reviews the 42 minute silent version of ROMANCE OF THE WEST CHAMBER (1927) from Epoch.

http://www.dvdtalk.com/silentdvd/romanc ... %20Mauritz


and Yasuzo Masumura's BLACK TEST CAR (1962), which sounds like a nice companion piece to his GIANTS & TOYS.

http://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s2301test.html

[dleedlee]

Ooooh, Black Test Car looks interesting (as does Giants and Toys) !

[Brian Thibodeau]

GIANTS & TOYS is an earlier film that's been available from Fantoma for a few years now, but it's in gorgeous colour (compared with B&W for BLACK TEST CAR), and a lot of the themes about marketing within it are still relevant today. Visually, very much the Japanese equivalent of a Frank Tashlin movie, but operating on a much more subversive level. I doubt you'd be disappointed.