La la la la la la, Smurf the whole link long.

/Film a remake of Citizen Kane? This satiric trailer savages our cinema today.
popbytes Hugh Jackman trains giant robots to box in Real Steel. This sounds so terrible that I desperately want it to be a Bad Movie We Love.
USA Today first look at The Smurfs (speaking of bad movies waiting to happen)
Movie|Line alerts us to a new Chen Chang movie on DVD called Parking. We love Chen Chang.
Towleroad something for the prurient among you: Kellan Lutz costume fitting for The Immortals.

CHUD & The Flick Filosopher are worried about movie geek tastes becoming so dull and unadventurous. What's happened? It's simple. Everyone became a geek. And once something's mainstream...
Silly Hats Only hosted a White Elephant blog-a-thon yesterday. Participating blogs gifted each other with odd movies to write about. See the results.
Low Resolution "She Should Work More Vol XXVI: Amy Madigan" Well stated, Joe. She should. My guess is she's not "soft" enough for what Hollywood wants even in "hard" women.
Broadway Buzz under the 'life is unfair' umbrella add: I missed this Sutton Foster show. Why must I love artforms that are beyond my socioeconomic reach?
Tabloid Prodigy an oral history of Showgirls. Heh. You said 'oral'.
popbytes Taylor Lautner wants to model his career on Tom Cruise's huh. I have a number of problems with this and they are 1) Tom Cruise 2) a role model??? 3) Didn't Taylor want to be Matt Damon last year? Make up your mind!
The Fug Girls commemorate the most awkward moment (ScarJo + Liev Schreiber and Ryan Reynolds) we saw at the Tony Awards with their infallible lip reading skills.
Movie Addict a radio discussion of the funniest movie actresses of all time. The assembled panel is a wide mix of age ranges and the list they come up with stretches over the decades too all the way from Myrna Loy (who gets a ton of love) through Madeline Kahn and on to newbies like Tina Fey. Fey as an all time movie actress? Er... I love Fey but she's very TV. Not that there's anything wrong with that. If you ask me, though, a list without Carole Lombard in the upper rungs is insanity!

Finally if you choose to click on this link, a warning. "Now a warning?" That link will take you to the most horrifying thing you will have seen in weeks months. It's like Nathaniel's nightmare film world, visualized. Proceed at your own risk.
**

Hong Kong Film Awards: Bodyguards, Assassins, Bishonen

The Hong Kong Film Awards which honor film productions from, you guessed it, Hong Kong were held this week. I preface this post that way because there are other major Asian awards, most notably the Golden Horse which includes all Chinese language cinema rather than just Hong Kong productions. The Golden Horse nominations are announced in the fall I believe and we may see some of the same films honored. The big winner for HK was the action extravaganza Bodyguards and Assassins (Shi Yue Wei Chang) which took home eight prizes including Best Picture. It was nominated for 19 awards. Can you imagine?! I am a sucker for movie advertisements that introduce the cast of characters and both the posters and the trailer here label their characters. Is the movie worthy of this major a statue grab? Readers who've seen it, speak up! The film apparently has a Canadian/UK distributor but nothing here in the US.


Four of many character posters for the film. The trailer (at about the 1:30 mark) gives you the full rundown of characters



The other major prize winner was the 1960s era family film Echoes of the Rainbow (Sui Yuet San Tau) Both films were large box office successes at home.

• Picture: Bodyguards and Assassins
• Director: Teddy Chen, Bodyguards and Assassins
• Actor: Simon Yam, Echoes of the Rainbow
• <--- Actress: Kara Hui, At the End of the Rainbow
  This actress is also referred to in some reports as Wai Ying-Hung which makes things confusing. Hui plays the struggling mother of a young man accused of rape. This performance was a major comeback for the 50 year old actress, who first won the HK Film Award almost 30 years go. The performance has been a sweeper on the Asian awards circuit (this is her third major prize) so it's a pity that we don't get to see it here in the US.
  
• Supporting Actor: Nicholas Tse, Bodyguards and Assassins
  He plays "The Rickshaw Man"
• Supporting Actress. Michelle Ye, Accident
  
  
• New Director: Cheung King-wai, KJ
• New Performer: Aarif Lee, Echoes of the Rainbow
  (Pictured right, the new "it" boy I'm told. He also sings the film's winning theme song)
  
• Asian Film: Departures
  (This award honors Asian cinema produced outside of Hong Kong. Last year's Japanese Foreign Film Oscar winner took the prize)
• Screenplay: Alex Law, Echoes of the Rainbow
• Cinematography: Bodyguards and Assassins
• Editing: Overheard
• Costume Design: Bodyguards and Assassins
• Art Direction: Bodyguards and Assassins
• Action Choreography: Bodyguards and Assassins
• Visual Effects: The Storm Warriors
• Sound Effects: Red Cliff 2
• Original Song: Echoes of the Rainbow
• Original Score: Bodyguards and Assassins

Celebrity!
Awards shows, whether they take place in the Kodak Theater or all the way around the world, are often just as much about the red carpet and the celebrities walking them as whatever is being celebrating inside. I watched a bit of news coverage that I didn't understand and they were very excited about these two (pictured below). I approve.

Shu Qi and Chang Chen... sometimes referred to as Qi Shu and Zhang Chen

We don't get enough Asian films in the States but we have seen Chang Chen (Crouching Tiger, Happy Together, Red Cliff) and Qi Shu (So Close, The Transporter, New York I Love You) several times and I've even written about their onscreen partnership before. Their combined presence definitely sucks up the most coverage time from the entertainment news report I watched. I didn't realize they were a couple offscreen but if you've ever seen Hsiao-Hsien Hou's Three Times, you will most heartily approve.

It wasn't up for awards but as I was watching that same news bit online I couldn't help noticing that the young stars of Monga, Ethan Ruan and Mark Chao (who are very popular at the moment) were quite affectionate on the red carpet. Monga is another in a long long line of movies from all over the world in which young men form deep brotherly and eventually bloody bonds as they enter the gangster life. I'm not sure if there's a gay subplot but there's something going on between Ruan and Chao's characters. A bit of web searching led me to this unfortunate headline.

clockwise from top: Ruan and Chao at the HK Film Awards, on a talk
show promoting the film and onscreen in the drama Monga (2010)

Talk shows where male stars are asked to make out with each other? Nobody asked Heath and Jake to do this back in the day!

Here's the trailer to Monga which TFE reader Tony tells me I should look out for at the Golden Horse Awards this fall...



Have you seen any of these pictures? If not, what's the last Asian film you saw?

A-OK

Chen Chang thinks you're all right!
*

Hump Day Hotties: Qi Shu & Chen Chang

The upcoming fantastical time-travelling epic The Fountain is not the only movie of 2006 with a triptych love story starring two beautiful actors. Earlier this year Hou Hsiao-hsien's Three Times premiered to great acclaim. It arrived on DVD last month so I thought it was a good time to gaze at its stars. Taiwanese sex symbol Qi Shu is the female lead and this film marks her second tour of movie star duty for the acclaimed director. The first was Millenium Mambo, 2001. She and her screen lover, Chen Chang each play three roles in different time frames, though this is no futuristic epic but a meditation on Taiwan's history.

Neither star has what could be considered international name recognition. They haven't reached the remarkable levels of a Ziyi Zhang or a Tony Leung. But they have the first part of the stardom equation covered: familiar faces.

In addition to the serene presence Chen Chang lent Three Times you've seen him in pivotal second tier roles in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (as Ziyi Zhang's desert lover), Happy Together (as Tony Leung's post-heartbreak friend), and in a bit role in 2046.


Tony Leung or Jackie Chan fans will recognize Qi Shu as their romantic sparring partner from the comedies Love Me, Love My Money and Gorgeous respectively. Gorgeous is an apt description, yes? She was also part of the girl power martial arts flick So Close and the object of transport in the Jason Statham action flick The Transporter. A little known fact about Qi Shu: She does not sleep, nor eat, nor even exist outside the movie set. Or if she does any of those things she does them on her lunch breaks since she's found the time to make 54 (you heard me) movies in the past 10 years. And to think I bitched about Cate Blanchett's excessive filming schedule! Qi Shu recently won the Best Actress Golden Horse for her work in Three Times. Though if you ask me, Chen Chang is the MVP, believeable in all three time periods when Shu seemed too modern and inexpressive in the middle story.


I couldn't find much English language material about either actor once I got curious about them. They both spell their names in several different ways which makes it even more difficult to get acquainted with them. For instance. Chang Chen also goes by Zhang Zhen but Zhang Zhen happens to be a professor who wrote an 'amorous history of the silver screen.' Not the same person --though the amorous history discovery is pretty funny considering the amorous feelings Chen can stir in his obsessive fans and tearful Taiwanese actresses. Hee. As for Qi Shu, it's easier to find info on her. There's plenty for salivating fans at this expansive fansite.

Previous HDH Entries:
Jamie Dornan & Asia Argento burning up Versailles * James McAvoy randy king of Scotland * Naomie Harris pretty chameleon * Hot on TV from "Agent Dale Cooper" to "Faith" * Channing Tatum steppin' up and out * Hugh Jackman dancer, fighter, lover, mutant, god * Uma Thurman 18 years of hotness. * Cheyenne Jackson from Broadway to Hollywood * Season One of HDH Gyllenhaal, Gong Li, Bernal, and more...

Tags:
Chen Chang, movies, Qi Shu, film, foreignfilm, Taiwan, Three Times, cinema

Hump Day Hotties: Qi Shu & Chen Chang

The upcoming fantastical time-travelling epic The Fountain is not the only movie of 2006 with a triptych love story starring two beautiful actors. Earlier this year Hou Hsiao-hsien's Three Times premiered to great acclaim. It arrived on DVD last month so I thought it was a good time to gaze at its stars. Taiwanese sex symbol Qi Shu is the female lead and this film marks her second tour of movie star duty for the acclaimed director. The first was Millenium Mambo, 2001. She and her screen lover, Chen Chang each play three roles in different time frames, though this is no futuristic epic but a meditation on Taiwan's history.

Neither star has what could be considered international name recognition. They haven't reached the remarkable levels of a Ziyi Zhang or a Tony Leung. But they have the first part of the stardom equation covered: familiar faces.

In addition to the serene presence Chen Chang lent Three Times you've seen him in pivotal second tier roles in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (as Ziyi Zhang's desert lover), Happy Together (as Tony Leung's post-heartbreak friend), and in a bit role in 2046.


Tony Leung or Jackie Chan fans will recognize Qi Shu as their romantic sparring partner from the comedies Love Me, Love My Money and Gorgeous respectively. Gorgeous is an apt description, yes? She was also part of the girl power martial arts flick So Close and the object of transport in the Jason Statham action flick The Transporter. A little known fact about Qi Shu: She does not sleep, nor eat, nor even exist outside the movie set. Or if she does any of those things she does them on her lunch breaks since she's found the time to make 54 (you heard me) movies in the past 10 years. And to think I bitched about Cate Blanchett's excessive filming schedule! Qi Shu recently won the Best Actress Golden Horse for her work in Three Times. Though if you ask me, Chen Chang is the MVP, believeable in all three time periods when Shu seemed too modern and inexpressive in the middle story.


I couldn't find much English language material about either actor once I got curious about them. They both spell their names in several different ways which makes it even more difficult to get acquainted with them. For instance. Chang Chen also goes by Zhang Zhen but Zhang Zhen happens to be a professor who wrote an 'amorous history of the silver screen.' Not the same person --though the amorous history discovery is pretty funny considering the amorous feelings Chen can stir in his obsessive fans and tearful Taiwanese actresses. Hee. As for Qi Shu, it's easier to find info on her. There's plenty for salivating fans at this expansive fansite.

Previous HDH Entries:
Jamie Dornan & Asia Argento burning up Versailles * James McAvoy randy king of Scotland * Naomie Harris pretty chameleon * Hot on TV from "Agent Dale Cooper" to "Faith" * Channing Tatum steppin' up and out * Hugh Jackman dancer, fighter, lover, mutant, god * Uma Thurman 18 years of hotness. * Cheyenne Jackson from Broadway to Hollywood * Season One of HDH Gyllenhaal, Gong Li, Bernal, and more...

Tags:
Chen Chang, movies, Qi Shu, film, foreignfilm, Taiwan, Three Times, cinema

2006 (So Far): Best Actor

On Friday The Black Dahlia opens, ushering in --we assume we hope we dream-- an onslaught of quality pics for the cooler months. So we're quickly touring what the year has brought us up until now...

But what exactly has the year brought us in regards to leading actors? Not too damn much. Nevertheless, if the FB Awards (my own) were held today, the shortlist would read:

Chen Chang in Three Times He's serenely watchable. His name doesn't have the marquee value of a Tony Leung or a Takeshi Kaneshiro, but maybe it will someday. You've seen him before even if you don't recognize his name. He played Zhang Ziyi's lover in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Tony Leung's coworker/friend in Happy Together among other quality imports.

Aaron Eckhard as "Nicky Naylor" in Thank You For Smoking He's been typecast to an extent as an amoral devil but can you blame Hollywood? He does it so well and with real bite. Bonus points: We went to the same college at the same time. So I've always felt a little proprietary.

Colin Farrell as "James 'Sonny' Crockett" in Miami Vice I belong to the small minority that thinks that Farrell is good in everything. Even when his performances don't quite work I can usually see him reaching for something (more than can be said for many stars). One day he'll give a great performance.

Ryan Gosling as "Dan Dunne" in Half Nelson This performance makes a great twin set with Gyllenhaal's in Sherrybaby: both shoot for naturalism but they also contain the unmistakable whiff of theatrical ego. Given that their characters are selfish and self-destructive the approach feels right.

Denzel Washington as "Detective Frazier" in Inside Man Denzel has such star magnetism that he could've phoned this one in and most people would be none the wiser. He didn't. This is the liveliest he's been onscreen for quite some time. The fun is infectious.

Still... As much as I like all five of these performances I would be shocked to see any last until my actual awards are handed out.

WHAT OF THE OSCAR RACE?
That contest is the slowest to get started this year, isn't it? There's not one real contender yet. Despite the sluggishness in theaters, the festival reports are telling us that the war for the actual statue is already narrowed down to two men: Forrest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) and Peter O'Toole (Venus). JJ sums it up nicely in this article.

Tags: Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Oscars, films, Academy Awards, movies

2006 (So Far): Best Actor

On Friday The Black Dahlia opens, ushering in --we assume we hope we dream-- an onslaught of quality pics for the cooler months. So we're quickly touring what the year has brought us up until now...

But what exactly has the year brought us in regards to leading actors? Not too damn much. Nevertheless, if the FB Awards (my own) were held today, the shortlist would read:

Chen Chang in Three Times He's serenely watchable. His name doesn't have the marquee value of a Tony Leung or a Takeshi Kaneshiro, but maybe it will someday. You've seen him before even if you don't recognize his name. He played Zhang Ziyi's lover in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Tony Leung's coworker/friend in Happy Together among other quality imports.

Aaron Eckhard as "Nicky Naylor" in Thank You For Smoking He's been typecast to an extent as an amoral devil but can you blame Hollywood? He does it so well and with real bite. Bonus points: We went to the same college at the same time. So I've always felt a little proprietary.

Colin Farrell as "James 'Sonny' Crockett" in Miami Vice I belong to the small minority that thinks that Farrell is good in everything. Even when his performances don't quite work I can usually see him reaching for something (more than can be said for many stars). One day he'll give a great performance.

Ryan Gosling as "Dan Dunne" in Half Nelson This performance makes a great twin set with Gyllenhaal's in Sherrybaby: both shoot for naturalism but they also contain the unmistakable whiff of theatrical ego. Given that their characters are selfish and self-destructive the approach feels right.

Denzel Washington as "Detective Frazier" in Inside Man Denzel has such star magnetism that he could've phoned this one in and most people would be none the wiser. He didn't. This is the liveliest he's been onscreen for quite some time. The fun is infectious.

Still... As much as I like all five of these performances I would be shocked to see any last until my actual awards are handed out.

WHAT OF THE OSCAR RACE?
That contest is the slowest to get started this year, isn't it? There's not one real contender yet. Despite the sluggishness in theaters, the festival reports are telling us that the war for the actual statue is already narrowed down to two men: Forrest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) and Peter O'Toole (Venus). JJ sums it up nicely in this article.

Tags: Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Oscars, films, Academy Awards, movies