Hong Kong director Alan Mak has brought together award-winning actors Francis Ng (“Drifting”) and Aaron Kwok in new Hong Kong crime thriller “Insider,” 22-years after the two shared the big screen together.
Produced by Tenky Tin for Emperor Motion Picture, the film also stars Simon Yam and Niki Chow. A start of production ceremony took place on Monday, attended by Emp supremo Albert Yeung. Kwok also uploaded images to his Instagram account. International sales are yet to be announced.
Ng and Kwok last worked together in Gordon Chan-directed action thriller “2000 Ad” (2000).
In “Insider,” Ng plays a police officer, who rubs up against a lawyer played by Kwok. But the two later became friends and collaborators to fight against the antagonist. The filming will involve large amounts of action and gunfight scenes.
The announcement of the new production also marks what could be a sign of recovery of the local film industry,...
Produced by Tenky Tin for Emperor Motion Picture, the film also stars Simon Yam and Niki Chow. A start of production ceremony took place on Monday, attended by Emp supremo Albert Yeung. Kwok also uploaded images to his Instagram account. International sales are yet to be announced.
Ng and Kwok last worked together in Gordon Chan-directed action thriller “2000 Ad” (2000).
In “Insider,” Ng plays a police officer, who rubs up against a lawyer played by Kwok. But the two later became friends and collaborators to fight against the antagonist. The filming will involve large amounts of action and gunfight scenes.
The announcement of the new production also marks what could be a sign of recovery of the local film industry,...
- 6/8/2022
- by Vivienne Chow
- Variety Film + TV
Veteran Hong Kong director Herman Yau has assembled a top-notch cast for “War Customised,” a high-octane action thriller that is one of the highest-profile commercial productions to emerge from the territory in the past couple of years.
The cast is headed by Jacky Cheung and Nicholas Tse, along with Karena Lam and Francis Ng.
The supporting cast includes Liu Yase (“Limbo”), Michelle Wai, Angus Yeung (“Raging Fire”), Melvin Wong (“Above the Law”), Ben Yuen, Amanda Strang (“Final Romance”), and Brahim Chab as the villain of the piece.
Production, now underway, is by Emperor Motion Pictures, with principal Albert Yeung named as producer. Emperor is also handling international rights licensing.
The “War Customised” screenplay is by Erica Li. Plot details have been withheld.
In addition to playing the lead, Tse will also act as the film’s action choreographer.
Yau is a veteran of the action, martial arts and comedy genres...
The cast is headed by Jacky Cheung and Nicholas Tse, along with Karena Lam and Francis Ng.
The supporting cast includes Liu Yase (“Limbo”), Michelle Wai, Angus Yeung (“Raging Fire”), Melvin Wong (“Above the Law”), Ben Yuen, Amanda Strang (“Final Romance”), and Brahim Chab as the villain of the piece.
Production, now underway, is by Emperor Motion Pictures, with principal Albert Yeung named as producer. Emperor is also handling international rights licensing.
The “War Customised” screenplay is by Erica Li. Plot details have been withheld.
In addition to playing the lead, Tse will also act as the film’s action choreographer.
Yau is a veteran of the action, martial arts and comedy genres...
- 4/7/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Hong Kong’s film industry moved ahead on several fronts over the weekend after coronavirus-mandated lockdowns were reduced. But the return to business is likely to be uneven.
Cinemas reopened on Thursday, after being ordered shut since Dec. 2, 2020. A local producer-distributor Golden Scene pulled back the curtains on its expansion into exhibition. And Emperor Motion Picture unveiled plans for a big-budget movie, firmly centered in the territory’s crime drama tradition, and reuniting two of its most bankable stars Andy Lau and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, last seen together in the iconic “Infernal Affairs” trilogy.
Box office over the weekend totaled $2.2 million (Hk$17.1 million) over the four days between Thursday and Sunday, according to data from the Hong Kong Box Office Limited, a joint venture of the Motion Picture Industry Association and the Hong Kong Theater Association.
While the organization declined to provide running totals for each film, it said that...
Cinemas reopened on Thursday, after being ordered shut since Dec. 2, 2020. A local producer-distributor Golden Scene pulled back the curtains on its expansion into exhibition. And Emperor Motion Picture unveiled plans for a big-budget movie, firmly centered in the territory’s crime drama tradition, and reuniting two of its most bankable stars Andy Lau and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, last seen together in the iconic “Infernal Affairs” trilogy.
Box office over the weekend totaled $2.2 million (Hk$17.1 million) over the four days between Thursday and Sunday, according to data from the Hong Kong Box Office Limited, a joint venture of the Motion Picture Industry Association and the Hong Kong Theater Association.
While the organization declined to provide running totals for each film, it said that...
- 2/22/2021
- by Vivienne Chow
- Variety Film + TV
The Hong Kong film industry will be given greater access to the $9 billion mainland Chinese movie market following a relaxation of rules that had kept Hong Kong films and film makers on a separate footing.
The territory which returned to China in 1997 after 150 years of British colonial rule, saw its film industry flourish in the 1970s-1990s when China largely closed itself off from the world. Since 2003, the Hong Kong film industry has had privileged access to China as part of the wider Closer Economic Partnership Agreement. But there were still restrictions and requirements — such as one that said mainland Chinese performers must account for at least a third of the cast in co-productions.
The Hong Kong government announced on Tuesday that mainland authorities had agreed to five changes.
They include: the removal of a restriction on the number of Hong Kong people participating in mainland film productions; and the...
The territory which returned to China in 1997 after 150 years of British colonial rule, saw its film industry flourish in the 1970s-1990s when China largely closed itself off from the world. Since 2003, the Hong Kong film industry has had privileged access to China as part of the wider Closer Economic Partnership Agreement. But there were still restrictions and requirements — such as one that said mainland Chinese performers must account for at least a third of the cast in co-productions.
The Hong Kong government announced on Tuesday that mainland authorities had agreed to five changes.
They include: the removal of a restriction on the number of Hong Kong people participating in mainland film productions; and the...
- 4/16/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The director will return to Hong Kong for one of his new projects following mainland success with Operation Red Sea.
Operation Red Sea director Dante Lam made a surprise appearance at the end of Emperor Motion Pictures (Emp)’s media launch at Filmart today (Mar 19) to give a plug for two 2019 projects.
Standing on stage with his regular producer Candy Leung and the company’s group chairman Albert Yeung, Lam said his next project will be set on the sea again. It will be a mega-budget production co-produced by Emp and China’s state-run China Central Television (CCTV).
After having...
Operation Red Sea director Dante Lam made a surprise appearance at the end of Emperor Motion Pictures (Emp)’s media launch at Filmart today (Mar 19) to give a plug for two 2019 projects.
Standing on stage with his regular producer Candy Leung and the company’s group chairman Albert Yeung, Lam said his next project will be set on the sea again. It will be a mega-budget production co-produced by Emp and China’s state-run China Central Television (CCTV).
After having...
- 3/19/2018
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
Action star Donnie Yen, director Teddy Chen and actress Michelle Bai to attend London Film Festival premiere.
The 58th BFI London Film Festival (Oct 8-19) is to host the world premiere of Kung Fu Jungle (Yi Ge Ren de Wu Lin), attended by director Teddy Chen, action super star Donnie Yen (Ip Man) and actress Michelle Bai.
The film has been added to the festival’s Thrill selection and will screen premiere on Oct 12 at the Empire Leicester Square Cinema.
Yen plays Hahou, a former martial arts instructor, imprisoned after accidentally slaying an opponent. But when a vicious killer (Wang Baoqiang) starts targeting martial arts masters, the instructor offers to help a police inspector (Charlie Young) in return for his freedom. Bai plays the woman loved by Hahou who is threatened by the killer.
Lff director Clare Stewart described the film as “a breathtaking thrill-ride” and said she was “honoured” that the festival had been chosen by [link...
The 58th BFI London Film Festival (Oct 8-19) is to host the world premiere of Kung Fu Jungle (Yi Ge Ren de Wu Lin), attended by director Teddy Chen, action super star Donnie Yen (Ip Man) and actress Michelle Bai.
The film has been added to the festival’s Thrill selection and will screen premiere on Oct 12 at the Empire Leicester Square Cinema.
Yen plays Hahou, a former martial arts instructor, imprisoned after accidentally slaying an opponent. But when a vicious killer (Wang Baoqiang) starts targeting martial arts masters, the instructor offers to help a police inspector (Charlie Young) in return for his freedom. Bai plays the woman loved by Hahou who is threatened by the killer.
Lff director Clare Stewart described the film as “a breathtaking thrill-ride” and said she was “honoured” that the festival had been chosen by [link...
- 9/16/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Cast: Jackie Chan, Kwon Sang Woo
Director : Jackie Chan
Producer : Jackie Chan, Stanley Tong Gwai Lai, Albert Yeung Sau Sing
Action Director : Jackie Chan, Sing Ga Ban
Writer : Jackie Chan
Chinese Zodiac (Chinese: 十二生肖), also known as Armour of God III: Chinese Zodiac is an upcoming Hong Kong action film produced, written, directed by and starring Jackie Chan. It is the sequel to the 1991 film Armour of God II: Operation Condor, in which Jackie will reprise his role as Asian Hawk. The movie tells about Asian Hawk bringing back the bronze head statues of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, which were sacked by the French and British armies from the imperial Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860.
A major fight scene of the action movie cost 70 million yuan, or more than 10 million U.S. dollars.
There was lots of talk that this was going to be the final Jackie Chan movie,...
Director : Jackie Chan
Producer : Jackie Chan, Stanley Tong Gwai Lai, Albert Yeung Sau Sing
Action Director : Jackie Chan, Sing Ga Ban
Writer : Jackie Chan
Chinese Zodiac (Chinese: 十二生肖), also known as Armour of God III: Chinese Zodiac is an upcoming Hong Kong action film produced, written, directed by and starring Jackie Chan. It is the sequel to the 1991 film Armour of God II: Operation Condor, in which Jackie will reprise his role as Asian Hawk. The movie tells about Asian Hawk bringing back the bronze head statues of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, which were sacked by the French and British armies from the imperial Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860.
A major fight scene of the action movie cost 70 million yuan, or more than 10 million U.S. dollars.
There was lots of talk that this was going to be the final Jackie Chan movie,...
- 7/25/2012
- by kingofkungfu
- AsianMoviePulse
Bran Nue Dae and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole have been nominated for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in the Best Children’s Film and Best Animated Film categories respectively.
New Zealand’s Boy was also nominated for Best Children’s Film, and Australian actor Tony Barry has been recognised for his performance in that country’s feature Home by Christmas.
The Jury is headed by producer Lord David Puttnam, and winners will be announced on the Gold Coast on December 2.
The nominees are:
Best Feature Film
Tangshan dadizheng (Aftershock)
People’s Republic of China (Mainland China / Hong Kong)
Produced by Guo Yanhong, Han Sanping, Wang Zhonjun, Peter Lam Kin Ngok, Wang Tonguan and Albert Yeung.
Bal (Honey)
Turkey / Germany
Produced by Semih Kaplanoðlu.
Co-Produced by Johannes Rexin, Bettina Brokemper.
Mengjia (Monga)
Taiwan
Produced by Lee Lieh and Doze Niu Chen-zer.
Paju
Republic of Korea
Produced...
New Zealand’s Boy was also nominated for Best Children’s Film, and Australian actor Tony Barry has been recognised for his performance in that country’s feature Home by Christmas.
The Jury is headed by producer Lord David Puttnam, and winners will be announced on the Gold Coast on December 2.
The nominees are:
Best Feature Film
Tangshan dadizheng (Aftershock)
People’s Republic of China (Mainland China / Hong Kong)
Produced by Guo Yanhong, Han Sanping, Wang Zhonjun, Peter Lam Kin Ngok, Wang Tonguan and Albert Yeung.
Bal (Honey)
Turkey / Germany
Produced by Semih Kaplanoðlu.
Co-Produced by Johannes Rexin, Bettina Brokemper.
Mengjia (Monga)
Taiwan
Produced by Lee Lieh and Doze Niu Chen-zer.
Paju
Republic of Korea
Produced...
- 10/18/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
Well, well. After waging a very public PR battle around his Jackie Chan starring drama The Shinjuku Incident - a battle he lost with the film being banned in mainland China and released in a cut version in Hong Kong despite his protestations - veteran director has gone the exact opposite route with new gunplay action thriller Triple Tap. Despite an incredibly high profile cast including Louis Koo, Daniel Wu, Cahrlene Choi and Chapman To, Yee managed to keep this one entirely out of the public eye until it was entirely finished with principal photography, keeping his actors hard at work on an entirely closed set. What's it about?
After a close battle, the more experienced Kwan Yau-fu (Louis Koo) finally triumphs over first-time contestant, policeman Chong Chi-wai (Daniel Wu) but both strikes up a friendship. But when Kwan foils an armed robbery and becomes a public hero despite killing a cop,...
After a close battle, the more experienced Kwan Yau-fu (Louis Koo) finally triumphs over first-time contestant, policeman Chong Chi-wai (Daniel Wu) but both strikes up a friendship. But when Kwan foils an armed robbery and becomes a public hero despite killing a cop,...
- 11/23/2009
- Screen Anarchy
HONG KONG -- Emperor Motion Pictures is joining U.S.-based QED International and U.K.-based Aramid Capital Partners in financing Oliver Stone's $30 million President Bush biopic "W."
The deal marks the first time that Hong Kong-based Emperor will back a major U.S. production.
Hong Kong socialite-turned-actress/producer Teresa Cheung and Emperor Entertainment Group chairman Albert Yeung join the picture as executive producers alongside Jon Kilik, QED co-founders Elliot Ferwerda and Paul Hanson, and Eric Kopeloff.
QED founder Bill Block and Moritz Borman and Stone will produce the film.
Cheung brought Emperor into the mix after first meeting Block in January. The pair also are working together on another QED project.
The deal marks the first time that Hong Kong-based Emperor will back a major U.S. production.
Hong Kong socialite-turned-actress/producer Teresa Cheung and Emperor Entertainment Group chairman Albert Yeung join the picture as executive producers alongside Jon Kilik, QED co-founders Elliot Ferwerda and Paul Hanson, and Eric Kopeloff.
QED founder Bill Block and Moritz Borman and Stone will produce the film.
Cheung brought Emperor into the mix after first meeting Block in January. The pair also are working together on another QED project.
- 4/29/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
HONG KONG -- Taiwanese director Kevin Chu Yen-ping, who churned out 40 commercial films in 30 years, has made a B-movie with an A-list cast and crew on a $10 million budget in "Kung Fu Dunk". With Asia's hottest Chinese pop star Jay Chou starring and singing his own wacky hip hop songs, dynamic stunts by "House of Flying Daggers" action choreographer Ching Siu Tung, CGI by the Beijing effects team that worked on "Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter" and sets designed by Yee Chung Man ("Curse of the Golden Flower"), you'd expect slick action and streamlined storytelling. Instead, Chu cheapens the package by throwing in tired plot formulas, in-your-face product placements and a cameo lineup of one-time comedians whose antics are more misses than hits. But then, Chu's brazen disregard for tastefulness is itself a style statement.
"Kung Fu Dunk's" concept of melding sports with kung fu invites associations with "Shaolin Soccer", but it is really a one-man variety show by Jay Chou. He is the film's cash cow to attract its target youth market. Overseas the film may have greater impact in DVD.
Jay (Jay Chou) is an orphan raised in a martial arts academy after his guru turned into an icicle while trying out a kung fu move that can "freeze time." As Jay tires of being a human punch bag, he succumbs to agent-wannabe Wang (Eric Tsang)'s hoop dreams of exploiting his sharpshooting and chopsocky skills for slam dunks. Li enrolls Jay into a top university varsity team to groom him into a basketball star.
As the highlight of the film, the matches are shot with gravity defying abandon. The wicked stunt choreography flip, scoop and fling the players around on high wires, making them look so cool it just about outweighs the exaggerated camera work and manic editing.
Chou has demonstrated in "Initial D" and "Secret" that he enjoys greater chemistry with father figures than with love interests. The savvy Eric Tsang is a well cast surrogate father for Chow to hone his trademark daft-prodigy image in an entertaining combo that borrows from "Rain Man" and "Jerry McGuire".
The casting of other Taiwanese idols, Chen Bo-lin and Baron Chen, offer potential for an all-star vehicle that also raises dramatic stakes as either rivals or comrades of the hero. Sadly, there are no bonding scenes -- a serious defect in any sports story where camaraderie is the indispensible gelling agent. And how come the players spend more time boozing than training? Is this a sporty version of "Drunken Fists"?
KUNG FU DUNK
Emperor Motion Picture (International Ltd)/Chang Hong Channel Film & Video Co. Ltd/Shanghai Film Group Corporation presentation
Sales Agent: Emperor Motion Picture (International Ltd)
Credits:
Director: Kevin Chu
Writers: Kevin Chu, Lam Chiu Wing, Ann Wang
Producers: Alber Lee, Xu Pengle, Fargo Pi
Executive producers: Albert Yeung, Wu Tun, Ren Zhonglun
Action director: Tony Ching Siu-tung
Director of photography: Zhao Xiaoding
Production designer: Yee Chung Man
Music: Ko Ishikawa
Costume designer: Shirley Chan
Editor: Chen Po-wen
Cast:
Jay: Jay Chou
Wang: Eric Tsang
Lily: Charlene Choi
Ding-Wei: Chen Bo-lin
Xiao Lan: Baron Chen
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating...
"Kung Fu Dunk's" concept of melding sports with kung fu invites associations with "Shaolin Soccer", but it is really a one-man variety show by Jay Chou. He is the film's cash cow to attract its target youth market. Overseas the film may have greater impact in DVD.
Jay (Jay Chou) is an orphan raised in a martial arts academy after his guru turned into an icicle while trying out a kung fu move that can "freeze time." As Jay tires of being a human punch bag, he succumbs to agent-wannabe Wang (Eric Tsang)'s hoop dreams of exploiting his sharpshooting and chopsocky skills for slam dunks. Li enrolls Jay into a top university varsity team to groom him into a basketball star.
As the highlight of the film, the matches are shot with gravity defying abandon. The wicked stunt choreography flip, scoop and fling the players around on high wires, making them look so cool it just about outweighs the exaggerated camera work and manic editing.
Chou has demonstrated in "Initial D" and "Secret" that he enjoys greater chemistry with father figures than with love interests. The savvy Eric Tsang is a well cast surrogate father for Chow to hone his trademark daft-prodigy image in an entertaining combo that borrows from "Rain Man" and "Jerry McGuire".
The casting of other Taiwanese idols, Chen Bo-lin and Baron Chen, offer potential for an all-star vehicle that also raises dramatic stakes as either rivals or comrades of the hero. Sadly, there are no bonding scenes -- a serious defect in any sports story where camaraderie is the indispensible gelling agent. And how come the players spend more time boozing than training? Is this a sporty version of "Drunken Fists"?
KUNG FU DUNK
Emperor Motion Picture (International Ltd)/Chang Hong Channel Film & Video Co. Ltd/Shanghai Film Group Corporation presentation
Sales Agent: Emperor Motion Picture (International Ltd)
Credits:
Director: Kevin Chu
Writers: Kevin Chu, Lam Chiu Wing, Ann Wang
Producers: Alber Lee, Xu Pengle, Fargo Pi
Executive producers: Albert Yeung, Wu Tun, Ren Zhonglun
Action director: Tony Ching Siu-tung
Director of photography: Zhao Xiaoding
Production designer: Yee Chung Man
Music: Ko Ishikawa
Costume designer: Shirley Chan
Editor: Chen Po-wen
Cast:
Jay: Jay Chou
Wang: Eric Tsang
Lily: Charlene Choi
Ding-Wei: Chen Bo-lin
Xiao Lan: Baron Chen
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Sundance Film Festival
PARK CITY -- Jaycee Chan, the son of Jackie Chan, might turn out to be a chip off the old block. In The Drummer, he doesn't try to imitate his father's martial arts moves but demonstrates plenty of movie star charisma in his own right.
It's fitting that the film is in part a story about a rebellious young man trying to carve out his own identity in the shadow of an overbearing father. This Sundance premiere, competing in the world cinema dramatic section, might not have the art film cachet of other movies in the category, but it's a most entertaining ride with audience appeal well beyond the festival circuit.
Sid (Chan) is the hedonistic playboy son of Kwan (veteran actor Tony Leung Ka Fai), a Hong Kong crime boss. With cheeky insolence, Sid seduces the mistress of his father's gangland rival, Stephen Ma (Kenneth Tsang). Stephen is furious and demands that the boy be punished. To get him out of harm's way, Kwan ships Sid to a remote mountainous region of Taiwan. There, Sid encounters a group of Zen drummers and decides to join their troupe. He undergoes a spiritual and romantic awakening (courtesy of a fellow drummer, played by the fetching Lee Sinje), though of course he eventually will have to return to Hong Kong and settle scores with the criminals.
The film is an odd hybrid of violent action picture and earnest spiritual odyssey, but somehow it all works. This is partly because of the skill of writer-director Kenneth Bi, who brings ferocious energy to the action scenes and sensitivity to the interactions of the drummers, played by U Theatre, a well-known group of Taiwan artists. Scenes in which the Zen masters discipline the headstrong Sid have considerable charm. The script has enough twists and turns to keep us engaged, and the casting is superb.
It's hard to imagine the film without Chan in the lead. A bundle of energy and youthful impudence, he has a face that the camera loves, and he manages to be equally convincing in his gangster and tranquil Zen modes. Leung brings the right sense of danger to his role, and there are strong supporting turns by Sinje, Josie Ho as Sid's feisty sister and Roy Cheung as a solicitous bodyguard who is not quite what he appears to be.
Besides the great cast, the film boasts first-rate technical credits. Sam Koa's photography of the Taiwanese countryside is spectacular, and the urban scenes are sharply edited by Bi and Isabel Meier. The musical interludes also register effectively. You don't have to take the movie's spiritual message seriously to enjoy Drummer. This is a true guilty pleasure that will tickle audiences all over the world.
THE DRUMMER
Emperor Motion Pictures (Hong Kong)
Kenbiroli Films, Twenty Twenty Vision Filmproduktion
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Kenneth Bi
Producers: Rosa Li, Peggy Chiao, Thanassis Karathanos
Executive producers: Albert Yeung, William Fu
Director of photography: Sam Koa
Production designer: Alex Mok Siu Chung
Music: Andre Matthias
Co-producer: Albert Lee
Costume designer: Cindy Cheung
Editors: Isabel Meier, Kenneth Bi
Cast:
Sid: Jaycee Chan
Kwan: Tony Leung Ka Fai
Hong Dou: Lee Sinje
Ah Chiu: Roy Cheung
Sina: Josie Ho
Stephen Ma: Kenneth Tsang
Lan Jie: Liu Ruo-Yu
Running time -- 116 minutes
No MPAA rating...
PARK CITY -- Jaycee Chan, the son of Jackie Chan, might turn out to be a chip off the old block. In The Drummer, he doesn't try to imitate his father's martial arts moves but demonstrates plenty of movie star charisma in his own right.
It's fitting that the film is in part a story about a rebellious young man trying to carve out his own identity in the shadow of an overbearing father. This Sundance premiere, competing in the world cinema dramatic section, might not have the art film cachet of other movies in the category, but it's a most entertaining ride with audience appeal well beyond the festival circuit.
Sid (Chan) is the hedonistic playboy son of Kwan (veteran actor Tony Leung Ka Fai), a Hong Kong crime boss. With cheeky insolence, Sid seduces the mistress of his father's gangland rival, Stephen Ma (Kenneth Tsang). Stephen is furious and demands that the boy be punished. To get him out of harm's way, Kwan ships Sid to a remote mountainous region of Taiwan. There, Sid encounters a group of Zen drummers and decides to join their troupe. He undergoes a spiritual and romantic awakening (courtesy of a fellow drummer, played by the fetching Lee Sinje), though of course he eventually will have to return to Hong Kong and settle scores with the criminals.
The film is an odd hybrid of violent action picture and earnest spiritual odyssey, but somehow it all works. This is partly because of the skill of writer-director Kenneth Bi, who brings ferocious energy to the action scenes and sensitivity to the interactions of the drummers, played by U Theatre, a well-known group of Taiwan artists. Scenes in which the Zen masters discipline the headstrong Sid have considerable charm. The script has enough twists and turns to keep us engaged, and the casting is superb.
It's hard to imagine the film without Chan in the lead. A bundle of energy and youthful impudence, he has a face that the camera loves, and he manages to be equally convincing in his gangster and tranquil Zen modes. Leung brings the right sense of danger to his role, and there are strong supporting turns by Sinje, Josie Ho as Sid's feisty sister and Roy Cheung as a solicitous bodyguard who is not quite what he appears to be.
Besides the great cast, the film boasts first-rate technical credits. Sam Koa's photography of the Taiwanese countryside is spectacular, and the urban scenes are sharply edited by Bi and Isabel Meier. The musical interludes also register effectively. You don't have to take the movie's spiritual message seriously to enjoy Drummer. This is a true guilty pleasure that will tickle audiences all over the world.
THE DRUMMER
Emperor Motion Pictures (Hong Kong)
Kenbiroli Films, Twenty Twenty Vision Filmproduktion
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Kenneth Bi
Producers: Rosa Li, Peggy Chiao, Thanassis Karathanos
Executive producers: Albert Yeung, William Fu
Director of photography: Sam Koa
Production designer: Alex Mok Siu Chung
Music: Andre Matthias
Co-producer: Albert Lee
Costume designer: Cindy Cheung
Editors: Isabel Meier, Kenneth Bi
Cast:
Sid: Jaycee Chan
Kwan: Tony Leung Ka Fai
Hong Dou: Lee Sinje
Ah Chiu: Roy Cheung
Sina: Josie Ho
Stephen Ma: Kenneth Tsang
Lan Jie: Liu Ruo-Yu
Running time -- 116 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 1/22/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Venice International Film Festival
VENICE, Italy -- Fluid motion and glorious colors provide a visual treat in Jiang Wen's sumptuous romantic fantasy The Sun Also Rises, which screened in competition at the Venice International Film Festival.
Flowers in bloom, intricately embroidered slippers, billowing curtains and a belly as soft as velvet are among the sensuous elements in a quartet of interrelated stories about characters who are variously addled, lecherous, vengeful and yearning in the four quadrants of China in the mid-1970s.
Lavishly produced and imaginatively shot, the film will delight audiences who enjoy extravagantly gorgeous imagery without the violence that usually accompanies it. Boxoffice potential looks good in art houses worldwide.
The first sequence is all about madness and mischief as a single mother (Zhuo Yun) drives her devoted son (Jaycee Chan) to distraction with her daredevil antics in pursuit of tranquility. The agile mom climbs tall trees and stands perilously astride a small earthen raft on the river. She treasures a beautiful pair of slippers that she is forever losing, and the son fears that, one day, the footwear will remain while his mother disappears.
Then, on a college campus, two old friends find their friendship tested by rivalry over a woman. Doctor Lin (Joan Chen) is the mistress of Old Tang (director Jiang), but she finds herself drawn to teacher Liang (Anthony Wong), who is catnip to beautiful women. When Liang is accused of groping women at a campus gathering, Lin offers her rear end behind a curtain to determine whose was the guilty hand.
Old Tang, who is a hunter, has a young wife (Kong Wei) who begins a relationship with the madwoman's son. One day, Tang overhears their noises of passion and his wife whispering that her husband says her belly is like velvet. He determines to shoot the young man but is given pause when the boy asks him, "What is velvet?"
The final episode involves all the characters in a dreamlike sequence that brings their lives full circle. Three cinematographers -- Zhao Fei, Mark Ping-bin Lee and Yang Tao -- worked on the project, and they make the most of some gorgeous scenery, the lush production design of Cao Jiuping and Zhang Jianqun and Xu Jianshu's lovely costumes.
Besides being wonderful to look at, The Sun Also Rises is great fun, with sure-handed performances and an especially spry one by Zhuo as the addled mother. Joe Hisaishi's variegated score adds to the entertainment.
THE SUN ALSO RISES
Beijing Buyilehu Films
Credits:
Director: Jiang Wen
Screenwriters: Shu Ping, Jiang Wen, Guo Shixing
Based on the novel Velvet di by: Ye Mi
Producers: Albert Lee, Jiang Wen
Executive producers: Albert Yeung, Wang Wei, Jiang Wen
Directors of photography: Zhao Fei, Mark Ping-bin Lee, Yang Tao
Production designers: Cao Jiuping, Zhang Jianqun
Music: Joe Hisaishi
Costume designer: Xu Jianshu
Editors: Zhang Yifan, Jiang Wen
Cast:
Old Tang: Jiang Wen
Doctor Lin: Joan Chen
Mad Mother: Zhuo Yun
The Son: Jaycee Chan
Teacher Liang: Anthony Wong
Tang's Wife: Kong Wei
Running time -- 116 minutes
No MPAA rating...
VENICE, Italy -- Fluid motion and glorious colors provide a visual treat in Jiang Wen's sumptuous romantic fantasy The Sun Also Rises, which screened in competition at the Venice International Film Festival.
Flowers in bloom, intricately embroidered slippers, billowing curtains and a belly as soft as velvet are among the sensuous elements in a quartet of interrelated stories about characters who are variously addled, lecherous, vengeful and yearning in the four quadrants of China in the mid-1970s.
Lavishly produced and imaginatively shot, the film will delight audiences who enjoy extravagantly gorgeous imagery without the violence that usually accompanies it. Boxoffice potential looks good in art houses worldwide.
The first sequence is all about madness and mischief as a single mother (Zhuo Yun) drives her devoted son (Jaycee Chan) to distraction with her daredevil antics in pursuit of tranquility. The agile mom climbs tall trees and stands perilously astride a small earthen raft on the river. She treasures a beautiful pair of slippers that she is forever losing, and the son fears that, one day, the footwear will remain while his mother disappears.
Then, on a college campus, two old friends find their friendship tested by rivalry over a woman. Doctor Lin (Joan Chen) is the mistress of Old Tang (director Jiang), but she finds herself drawn to teacher Liang (Anthony Wong), who is catnip to beautiful women. When Liang is accused of groping women at a campus gathering, Lin offers her rear end behind a curtain to determine whose was the guilty hand.
Old Tang, who is a hunter, has a young wife (Kong Wei) who begins a relationship with the madwoman's son. One day, Tang overhears their noises of passion and his wife whispering that her husband says her belly is like velvet. He determines to shoot the young man but is given pause when the boy asks him, "What is velvet?"
The final episode involves all the characters in a dreamlike sequence that brings their lives full circle. Three cinematographers -- Zhao Fei, Mark Ping-bin Lee and Yang Tao -- worked on the project, and they make the most of some gorgeous scenery, the lush production design of Cao Jiuping and Zhang Jianqun and Xu Jianshu's lovely costumes.
Besides being wonderful to look at, The Sun Also Rises is great fun, with sure-handed performances and an especially spry one by Zhuo as the addled mother. Joe Hisaishi's variegated score adds to the entertainment.
THE SUN ALSO RISES
Beijing Buyilehu Films
Credits:
Director: Jiang Wen
Screenwriters: Shu Ping, Jiang Wen, Guo Shixing
Based on the novel Velvet di by: Ye Mi
Producers: Albert Lee, Jiang Wen
Executive producers: Albert Yeung, Wang Wei, Jiang Wen
Directors of photography: Zhao Fei, Mark Ping-bin Lee, Yang Tao
Production designers: Cao Jiuping, Zhang Jianqun
Music: Joe Hisaishi
Costume designer: Xu Jianshu
Editors: Zhang Yifan, Jiang Wen
Cast:
Old Tang: Jiang Wen
Doctor Lin: Joan Chen
Mad Mother: Zhuo Yun
The Son: Jaycee Chan
Teacher Liang: Anthony Wong
Tang's Wife: Kong Wei
Running time -- 116 minutes
No MPAA rating...
BEIJING -- Another Hollywood remake of a Hong Kong hit was announced Monday as Jackie Chan's JCE Movies Ltd. sold the rights to action-comedy Enter the Phoenix to Flashpoint Entertainment, producers of The Bourne Ultimatum.
Andrew Tennenbaum will produce the remake of the 2004 original, according to a statement from L.A.-based Flashpoint.
"This is my first Asian film remake and I couldn't be more excited," Tennenbaum said.
Last year, The Departed, a remake of Hong Kong boxoffice winner Infernal Affairs, won four Oscars, including best picture and best director for helmer Martin Scorsese.
Financial details of the Phoenix deal, brokered with help from the Shanghai office of the William Morris Agency, were not disclosed.
The original Phoenix, produced by Chan, Albert Yeung and Willie Chan and sold internationally by Emperor Motion Pictures (Chan's joint venture partner in JCE), was directed and co-written by its star, Stephen Fung.
"Stephen tells a great story and has a terrific sense of humor," Tennenbaum said. "This movie should be remade for a bigger, broader audience."
The Cantonese-language original was Fung's directorial debut.
Andrew Tennenbaum will produce the remake of the 2004 original, according to a statement from L.A.-based Flashpoint.
"This is my first Asian film remake and I couldn't be more excited," Tennenbaum said.
Last year, The Departed, a remake of Hong Kong boxoffice winner Infernal Affairs, won four Oscars, including best picture and best director for helmer Martin Scorsese.
Financial details of the Phoenix deal, brokered with help from the Shanghai office of the William Morris Agency, were not disclosed.
The original Phoenix, produced by Chan, Albert Yeung and Willie Chan and sold internationally by Emperor Motion Pictures (Chan's joint venture partner in JCE), was directed and co-written by its star, Stephen Fung.
"Stephen tells a great story and has a terrific sense of humor," Tennenbaum said. "This movie should be remade for a bigger, broader audience."
The Cantonese-language original was Fung's directorial debut.
- 5/29/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Screened
Hong Kong International Film Festival
HONG KONG -- If "The Incredibles" was a superhero family adventure, then "House of Fury" is a domestic comedy with martial arts. With Hong Kong heartthrob-turned-director Stephen Fung's sophomore effort, premiering as the opening-night gala at this year's Hong Kong International Film Festival, the "fury" of kung-fu action enters a dysfunctional family home.
The name is, obviously, a reference to an old Bruce Lee classic, but this is not just another homage to kung-fu cinema of the past. Sure, some of the lighting and interior design nostalgically recall a '70s Hong Kong polyvinyl look. But everything else about this funky commercial fight flick is new and slick.
Martial arts fans should enjoy some of the punch-ups, and Hong Kong teens are making this a boxoffice hit. For everyone else, "House of Fury" might move fast, but it's not that furious.
The always delightful Anthony Wong ("Infernal Affairs") is a crabby Chinese medicine practitioner named Yue Siu-bo, who runs a traditional herbal shop. His outrageous tall tales about being a former international spy and kung-fu master constantly irritate his embarrassed son and daughter. Then one day, dad is kidnapped and the siblings discover the truth.
The cast is full of hip, young Hong Kong idols and starlets, Yuen Wo-ping helped create the fights, Hong Kong's biggest youth entertainment group is using its clout to market this lightweight confection and director Fung is genuinely interested in his craft.
But as impressive as the action in "House of Fury" is, its punches fail to make a real impact. The domestic angle is interesting, but the overall story is nonsensical. Family scenes with Wong, Fung (as the dolphin-trainer son, Nicky) and pop star Gillian Chung (as daughter Natalie) resemble a low-rent, single-parent sitcom. The only moments of interest -- and they are the most enjoyable moments in the film -- are the sibling fights. The two use Shaolin fists to argue about the TV remote and have a discreet feet fight under the table during a dinner with guests.
Given that this is only Fung's second film -- his debut was a Triad satire with another Bruce Lee-alluding title, "Enter the Phoenix" -- it's no surprise he lets Yeun's lighting-paced choreography dominate even though it is to the movie's own detriment.
When pops is captured and the junior set is called to arms, the movie seriously derails. Cronyism casting doesn't help. There are minor roles designed for Hong Kong stars that contribute nothing to the story. Worse is a badly drawn villain rendered even more wooden by a monotone actor.
House OF FURY
JCE Movies Limited presents a Homfaith Limited Production
Credits:
Director: Stephen Fung
Screenwriters: Stephen Fung, Lo Yiu-fai
Producers: Willie Chan, Solon So
Executive producers: Jackie Chan, Albert Yeung, Willie Chan
Director of photography: Poon Hang-sang
Martial arts advisor: Yuen Wo-ping
Production designer: Mak Kwok-keung
Costume designer: Au Yeung Ha
Martial arts directors: Sunny Yuen, Shun-yee, Ku Huen-chiu
Music: Peter Kam
Editor: Cheung Ka-fai
Cast:
Yue Siu-bo: Anthony Wong
Nicky: Stephen Fung
Natalie: Gillian Chung
Jason: Daniel Wu
May: Charlene Choi
Rocco: Michael Wong
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 101 minutes...
Hong Kong International Film Festival
HONG KONG -- If "The Incredibles" was a superhero family adventure, then "House of Fury" is a domestic comedy with martial arts. With Hong Kong heartthrob-turned-director Stephen Fung's sophomore effort, premiering as the opening-night gala at this year's Hong Kong International Film Festival, the "fury" of kung-fu action enters a dysfunctional family home.
The name is, obviously, a reference to an old Bruce Lee classic, but this is not just another homage to kung-fu cinema of the past. Sure, some of the lighting and interior design nostalgically recall a '70s Hong Kong polyvinyl look. But everything else about this funky commercial fight flick is new and slick.
Martial arts fans should enjoy some of the punch-ups, and Hong Kong teens are making this a boxoffice hit. For everyone else, "House of Fury" might move fast, but it's not that furious.
The always delightful Anthony Wong ("Infernal Affairs") is a crabby Chinese medicine practitioner named Yue Siu-bo, who runs a traditional herbal shop. His outrageous tall tales about being a former international spy and kung-fu master constantly irritate his embarrassed son and daughter. Then one day, dad is kidnapped and the siblings discover the truth.
The cast is full of hip, young Hong Kong idols and starlets, Yuen Wo-ping helped create the fights, Hong Kong's biggest youth entertainment group is using its clout to market this lightweight confection and director Fung is genuinely interested in his craft.
But as impressive as the action in "House of Fury" is, its punches fail to make a real impact. The domestic angle is interesting, but the overall story is nonsensical. Family scenes with Wong, Fung (as the dolphin-trainer son, Nicky) and pop star Gillian Chung (as daughter Natalie) resemble a low-rent, single-parent sitcom. The only moments of interest -- and they are the most enjoyable moments in the film -- are the sibling fights. The two use Shaolin fists to argue about the TV remote and have a discreet feet fight under the table during a dinner with guests.
Given that this is only Fung's second film -- his debut was a Triad satire with another Bruce Lee-alluding title, "Enter the Phoenix" -- it's no surprise he lets Yeun's lighting-paced choreography dominate even though it is to the movie's own detriment.
When pops is captured and the junior set is called to arms, the movie seriously derails. Cronyism casting doesn't help. There are minor roles designed for Hong Kong stars that contribute nothing to the story. Worse is a badly drawn villain rendered even more wooden by a monotone actor.
House OF FURY
JCE Movies Limited presents a Homfaith Limited Production
Credits:
Director: Stephen Fung
Screenwriters: Stephen Fung, Lo Yiu-fai
Producers: Willie Chan, Solon So
Executive producers: Jackie Chan, Albert Yeung, Willie Chan
Director of photography: Poon Hang-sang
Martial arts advisor: Yuen Wo-ping
Production designer: Mak Kwok-keung
Costume designer: Au Yeung Ha
Martial arts directors: Sunny Yuen, Shun-yee, Ku Huen-chiu
Music: Peter Kam
Editor: Cheung Ka-fai
Cast:
Yue Siu-bo: Anthony Wong
Nicky: Stephen Fung
Natalie: Gillian Chung
Jason: Daniel Wu
May: Charlene Choi
Rocco: Michael Wong
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 101 minutes...
- 4/18/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jackie Chan is one of the world's most enduring action stars. With a career that started when his parents sent him as a young boy to train with an opera troupe in Hong Kong, Chan has risen to become one of the world's top international celebrities. Despite a busy Hollywood career these days, Hong Kong's "Big Brother", as he is known, remains committed to his home roots through new films and business investments, including interests in various production companies, restaurants and jewelry and fashion lines. Last month he formed JCE Movies, a joint venture between Chan and Hong Kong entertainment group Emperor Multimedia principal Albert Yeung, in a bid to nurture new local talent, kicking off with two movies to be directed by first-time feature film directors Stephen Fung and Kenneth Bi. Winnie Chung for The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Chan on the set of his upcoming Hong Kong movie "New Police Story", directed by Benny Chan ("Gen-X Cops"), to talk about his efforts to unite Hong Kong's film industry, which has been bruised and battered in recent years due to piracy, poor audience reception, a blowout in budgets and a general economic downturn, in addition to suffering repercussions of the SARS outbreak....
- 11/10/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
HONG KONG -- JCE Movies, a company formed last month by Jackie Chan and Emperor Multimedia Group principal Albert Yeung, is embarking on aggressive strategy of nurturing new local talent with two movies to be helmed by first-time feature film directors Stephen Fung and Kenneth Bi. Fung's $2 million Enter the Phoenix is slated to start shooting at the end of the month, while Bi's $1 million comedy Hainan Chicken Rice (working title) is expected to start shooting in Singapore in mid-November. "The vision of JCE is to work on films of different genres and to nurture new actors and directors, and Jackie wanted to achieve that not only locally but around the world as well," said Solon So, senior vp at Chan's JC Group, who oversees JCE with Chan Hong's Kong manager, Willie Chan. "We're looking for projects and talents with potential and not just projects to make money."...
- 10/21/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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