Category — Film

Director/writer/producer Johnnie To, Hong Kong’s prime mover in the crime genre, returns with frequent creative collaborator Wai Ka Fai for a thrilling, complex and psychologically fascinating action-drama.

The idea of an outcast detective who uses unconventional and violent methods to crack cases may feel familiar, but To and Wai give it a fresh and exciting spin: their anti-hero Bun has the power to actually see the personal demons of those he meets.

Given one last chance to prove himself, Bun embarks on a case that requires him to use all of his very special methods.

Mad Detective
Director:  Johnnie To, Wai Ka Fai
Hong Kong/China 2007
89 mins, Cert 15, subtitles

At the ICA, London, 18 - 31 Jul 2008

Technorati Tags: crime genre, film, Hong Kong, ICA, Johnnie To, Mad Detective, Wai Ka Fai, United Kingdom

On July 8th, 2008, Jackie Chan attended a ceremony held to inaugurate the construction of the Jackie Chan Film Art Museum in Shanghai.

Jackie Chan’s legendary career will be archived in the new museum with Chan handpicking the location for it. The museum, which will be named after him, will be in the Changfeng Ecology Commercial District in Shanghai’s Putuo District and will largely be renovated from old factory buildings. When completed on October 1 next year, it will take up about 3,100 square meters.

Visitors will be able to retrace Chan’s footsteps from Hong Kong to Hollywood, and navigate through detailed showpieces of Chan from being a Chinese icon, a kung-fu megastar to a charity devotee.

Also on display will be some of Chan’s film awards, as well as costumes and props he has used.

From ChinaDaily

Technorati Tags: China, culture, film, Jackie Chan, Jackie Chan Film Art Museum, martial arts, Shanghai

Here are a couple of trailers for a new film called “Wushu” due to be released in China this month. It’s produced by Jackie Chan and stars Sammo Hung among a young cast of unknown, but highly skilled real life martial artists.

Any fans of Wushu - particularly the competitive, modern variety, will recognise some routines from these trailers. But as a sport that focuses on the athlete’s visual technique, this might appeal to alot of people to watch.

From TwitchFilm.net:

Jackie Chan is on board as a producer for the picture, Sammo Hung starring in a key role, and both are no doubt perfectly aware that they are no longer young and that, with a couple of key exceptions, there simply is no younger generation ready to step in to the sorts of martial arts roles that the pair of them built their legendary careers on.  And so they are making Wushu, a film that celebrates actual martial arts while using their very famous names to leverage some attention for a young generation of very skilled fighters.

Shot in an actual martial arts school in mainland China using authentic fighters the film is a drama about a skilled fighter switching disciplines in hopes of catching the attention of a girl.  There’s no real flash here, no over the top brutality, instead the film is designed to showcase actual training techniques and actual fighting skills.  And no doubt about it, these guys are good.

TwitchFilm.net

Technorati Tags: China, film, Jackie Chan, martial arts, Sammo Hung, Wushu, wushu

London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is showing a series of manga matiness between the 12th to 27th July 2008.

A summer season of Manga Matinees including the daft family favourite Ping Pong; two animated Hellboy adventures in advance of the eagerly awaited live action sequel release; the futuristic Vexille and the ecologically themed Origin: Spirits of the Past.

Vexille, shown above looks and sounds quite good as an animated sci-fi flick, as well as Ping Pong - An exhilarating and endearing tale of childhood friends who both become ping-pong champions, with some of the most exciting, imaginative sporting sequences ever filmed.

Manga Matinees at the ICA

Technorati Tags: Institute of Contemporary Arts, film, ICA, London, manga, Ping Pong, United Kingdom, Vexille

Imagi Animation Studios announced a couple of days ago that Nicolas Cage, Donald Sutherland, Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy and Eugene Levy would be joining Freddie Highmore for the 2009 feature adaptation of Astro Boy, being directed by David Bowers (Flushed Away).

Astro Boy was created by the “god of manga”, Japan’s Osamu Tezuka, in the early 1950s. The iconic character has since found wide popularity around the world as the hero of three acclaimed animated television series spanning the past four decades, besides being one of the top licensed properties for merchandising.

Set in futuristic Metro City, Imagi Studios’ Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist to replace the son he has lost.

Unable to fulfill the grieving father’s expectations, our hero embarks on a journey in search of acceptance, experiencing betrayal and a netherworld of robot gladiators, before he returns to save Metro City and reconcile with the man who had rejected him.

From Animated News

Via IO9.com

Technorati Tags: animation, anime, Astro Boy, Bill Nighy, Donald Sutherland, Eugene Levy, film, Freddie Highmore, god of manga, Japan, Metro City,, Nathan Lane, Nicolas Cage, Osamu Tezuka, puppy

My China Now tells the story of China today through a programme of short films by documentary makers, animators, artists and film-makers all of whom are defining contemporary culture in modern China.

Featuring short films by Cao Fei, Wang Bo and Liu Hao, My China Now features 33 films including 12 new commissions that premiere at Southbank Centre.

My China Now is part of China Now, the UK’s largest ever festival of Chinese culture.

Outside The Hayward and Concrete Day Cafe Night Bar.

Tuesday 3rd June 2008 - Wednesday 30th July 2008 , Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 9 - 11pm, Fridays, 10pm - 1am.
Please note: screenings will not take place on Tuesday 17 June and Wednesday 9 July.

More on the Southbank Centre website

Technorati Tags: Cao Fei, My China Now, Liu Hao, short film, Southbank Centre, United Kingdom, Wang Bo

Here’s a trailer for John Woo’s next project, Red Cliff, mentioned in the previous post, due out in Summer 08. Its an epic film set during the Three Kingdoms period in Ancient China.

Technorati Tags: Ancient China, China, film, John Woo, Red Cliff, Three Kingdoms

Red Cliff, alternatively known as The Battle of Red Cliff, is a two-episode Chinese epic film based on the Battle of Red Cliffs and events during the Three Kingdoms period in Ancient China. The first episode is expected to be released in 2008.

The film is directed by John Woo and stars Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhang Fengyi, Chang Chen, Hu Jun, Lin Chi-ling and Zhao Wei.

With an estimated budget of US$80 million, The Battle of Red Cliff is the most expensive Asian-financed film to date.

According to Han Sanping, veteran producer and the CEO of China Film Group, one of the chief investors in the film, The Battle of Red Cliff currently has too much material to include in a single feature. It will therefore be divided into two episodes, with the first to be released before the 2008 Summer Olympics, and the second only at the end of 2008.

More film posters below…

Technorati Tags: Chang Chen, China, film, Hu Jun, John Woo, Lin Chi-ling, China Film Group, Red Cliff, Takeshi Kaneshiro, The Battle of Red Cliff, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Zhang Fengyi, Zhao Wei

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