Showing posts with label zhang yimou. Show all posts
Showing posts with label zhang yimou. Show all posts

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Little Big Soldier

Two really interesting and thought provoking comments on 'Little Big Soldier'...
When Jackie Chan has passed to know fate of the years, he and the audience are facing a real problem: Jackie Chan no longer suitable for hard of; Jackie Chan is restructuring, to find a suitable way of drama into line with the audience's expectations.

The audience is not a heartless things, but for Jackie Chan's comic titles that year difficult deep-rooted impression of movement, so "Shinjuku Incident" to give up acting Dark Humor founding the movement to abandon the transformation was not successful. But the new as "Private Game" play way to go is very successful, as Jackie Chan return to their own traditions: Peking Opera. A child he was training under the tutelage of Peking opera, with Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Corey Yuen Shi brothers undergo rigorous training in traditional opera stage, he and Lee Hom This is the "Private Game" is like a play in the old opera-wu ugly and Xiaosheng, two relations are deep-seated antagonists, action, and also worked closely with Jackie Chan has been maintained since the vaudeville features, flying stone lever folding Daojian used a variety of interesting props, and gestures are still flexible, action scenes, filmed in Hollywood definitely more than many of those good-looking, and Wang Lee Hom "fair duel" a blend of the United States is more silent, Japanese samurai films and opera stage, clowns physical skills, is enough to recall the golden age of Jackie Chan style. Multi-site full of chase scenes, the game is still fun, a sense of tension and even a fall off a cliff of death-defying camera - indeed, this is we are familiar with Jackie Chan, himself as a move designed to force a play to keep the inherent level of the relative.

"Private Game" is known as "costume Road movie", all the way encountered the pursuing soldiers, bandits, savage, sage, song Kabuki mixed crowd, of course, numerous adventure, but the convoluted, in fact, the pattern can also be changed to do the stage, two-step 1000 Shan Wan Shui, Wu Liubu mighty force. The story simple, the main line capable, clear-cut theme. Jackie Chan played either accustomed to ordinary people, but this "soldier" They are different, is not only a battlefield Lao Youtiao, but both peasant-style simplicity, cunning, and persistence, captured the enemy's general state long and difficult journey back home, only a few acres of fertile farmland for Ling Shang , along the way how you offer all kinds of temptation worth of hard, can not stop me the way home, but if the country broken home gone? Jackie Chan played live this "soldier" is also implemented in recent years has been committed to "edutainment" approach, in order to repeatedly emphasized that "as long as alive, unlucky Ye Hao, injury Ye Hao, all came good" and immediate return home-grown crops and the singing of the lines, colors to convey a strong anti-war universal outlook on life.

Video final outcome is very subtle, as one Zhiqiu stable "fritters GIs" Jackie Chan choose "what country seen their homes destroyed," Chi has swallowed the world's "belligerent teenager," Wang Lee Hom as the Queen was "not a fight", the two options seemingly Different Ways, but in reality Tonggui Kabuki for the song piece of wooden hanging in the trees of God: peace. Only peace, people can live in peace, as to what is for peace, it can be their own choice. From this point of view, "Private Game" in fact the theme of the concept of Zhang Yimou's "Hero" is very similar even to the last closed-captioning has Bacheng similar to Jackie Chan has always hoped to work with Zhang, and now it seems the most appropriate film .

Objectively speaking, "Private Game" both entertaining and educational, is a concentrated distillation of Jackie Chan-style, although some dialogue, singing, props repeatedly emphasized the somewhat intentionally, but nonetheless commendable sincerity. And let me feel very sorry that the "Private Game" on a number of actors some "overkill", "master" in the glory and the "saints" Niu Ben appearance that is disappearing, "Messenger" Baoqiang this "what circumstances" the strongest funny If a few more games such as drama, comedy part of the film can be more than "three shots", and pity.

Source: CULTURAL DISCUSSION FORUM or TRANSLATED
Pure Jackie Chan movie not see the big screen in the Mainland has been a long time. "Baby Plan" is from now the latest one, that is what happened in 2006.
Jackie Chan in three years out of film speed is not slow, but for some reason either of these films is difficult admission line, or the inclusion of some "smelly" and similar goods, impure, "Rush Hour 3" is always the cook to do the Hollywood Western , "The Forbidden Kingdom" is out of thin air making a "double J" fan's expectations, "Shinjuku Incident" surprisingly good grass-roots people break in the world, it is regrettable, "the whole group of Heroes die out" really dark, so that the wind is blowing Harmony mainland cinemas too much. Now the "Private Game", clowns and heroes strange combination of pride and once again a surge of Rujiabaohuan Chan breath blowing.
Beginning in 2003, Jackie Chan has been working to seek a breakthrough: "The Medallion" was killed inside a round trip, breaking the myth of immortality; "New Police Story," where large Biao tears, breaking the hero the legend of bloody without tears; "myth" where great generals wear the costume into a powerful, breaking the only law of the fashion action movie. Is Now, "Private Game" is no longer the action-comedy, while Jackie Chan's frolic-style fighting is still, people have heart of breathtaking shots, but its density and intensity have been greatly dampened. This time, Jackie Chan's theme is "hard to leave their homeland." "Private" Jackie Chan Born on the chaotic, war-torn every day to live a life today, not tomorrow, but he found time to sing "a road leads to my house, and five mu farmland rape" and has repeatedly stressed the pastoral idyll and the right The sense of family in without some nostalgia.
This is already very close to the values advocated by mainstream society, and became a warm contemporary movie directors work hand in hand the idea: "wheat" in the Rui Qin Shi HUANG Jue-1 to the season is necessary to "escape from home income of wheat," "I Don Chao brothers "inside the robber JIANG Wu thousand from farm work to" mind the extra light and spacious. " Always deeply emotionally attached to the land of the farmers driven to the battlefield, always so that they cherished home wheat and rape, but also always allow them to be difficult after the Ru Yuan Xuerouhengfei the athletic field. After reading "Private Game", you seem to feel a community of Hong Kong people have grown up traces of film, but rather is an unbreakable bond with the land with the express feelings of mainland directors.
However, the stripping of these innovative ideas to get rid of the elements, that are familiar with Jackie Chan has not disappeared, and his classic appeal that also flows in the movie where the blood and bone marrow. "Private Game" name is evidence of soldiers of course, the bulk of soldiers means teenager's age did not, but here there is another layer of meaning: in order to soldiers as the big and small will be. In the Jackie Chan films grow in all future years, sat, pious personalities who must be exposed to suit the following "small", but fear to avoid a knife sword, greedy for wealth and lecherous little people came to a critical juncture of life and death is a major sense of light, raising the Invisible Target.
In the "Private Game", the "General" Lee Hom again and again contemptuously called "Private" Jackie Chan "little man", but to a life and death every time little people to save him escape. VIPs are always engaged in simple things complicated, two brothers in the "no hair of children with" the instigation of killing each other, little people have brains firm, he served as a MM, bandits, savage highway, that is, refused to stop to go home with these creatures. Upon completion of teenager's probation after the soldiers contented way onto the steps of his home, waiting for his body was Luanjian wear. The sudden death of the noble little people, films also take this completed complaint of war. Incidentally, in the recent "Shinjuku Incident" and "Private Game", the former "The Immortal hero" Jackie Chan mortality rate 100%, which is also Jackie Chan's films rarely resort to metaphysical speculative movements to simplify the work .
In recent years, like the vast majority of costume dramas such as "Private Game" art style of the "disgraced" as the keynote, all the figures in an environment of extreme hardship struggling and strife. In the "Heroes" and "Heaven and Earth Hero" era, a large costume to fresh clothing angry horses and beautiful country of Aspect. To "Seven Swords" beginning of a change in the Rough seven strange sword and desolation of the world Xingxiazhangyi. To "The Warlords," where, from the governor down to the Caomin everybody unkempt, as beggars. By 2009, the "polluter clothing faction" costume piece is an exam in droves into the city. Jackson is a romantic realist martial arts martial arts films have been replaced by Chinese silk clothing and tattered clothes were also covered.
In the late nineties of the last century, the Spring Festival Queen's time to file is Jackie Chan's "Rumble in the Bronx" "Thunderbolt" "a good man" "Who am I," have set off depression in the film warm waves. The first years of this century, Jackie Chan movie to change time slots in the "National Day", "New Police Story" "myth" have in the recovery of the shadow city act as a pioneer. The past three years, and the audience to see the activities of public interest and which serves more than Jackie Chan, Jackie Chan in the big screen to see when the little minds growing suspicion. Today, the "Private Game" Hui Chinese New Year stall, sounded the first foray by packing the old rivers and mountains.

Source: 90RING.COM or TRANSLATED

I am really eagerly looking forward to this movie with great anticipation!

Monday, November 30, 2009

At least it's still a possibility

At the press conference yesterday Jackie mentioned briefly that sadly the movie collaboration with Zhang Yimou would have to be postponed to 2011 which is sad news but on the other hand at least it is still a possibility. I personally think that a great movie could come out of a collaboration between Jackie and Zhang Yimou. They have different movie making styles but I think very complimentary. Jackie thinks physically, Zhang Yimou thinks in terms of colour and multi-layered complex story telling and they both think in terms of music underscoring the story. I truly cannot wait to see the result.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival


A Golden Rooster trophy. (CFP Photo)


The 18th China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival (Jinji Baihua) opened last night with a star-studded gala event attended by some of China's most well-known actors and filmmakers. This year's festival is expected to be grander than ever before, hoping to gain ground on dwindling industry and audience appeal.

The festival is being held in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province and as it is the 60th anniversary of both the People's Republic of China and the China Film Association, which founded the Golden Rooster Film Awards in 1981, this year's four-day festival is expected to be the best yet.

Regarded as China's first and most official film festival, the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival combines two major film awards but has been losing support in recent years. According to a survey by China Youth Daily about last year's Hundred Flowers Awards, decided by popular vote, 97.4 percent of those surveyed had not voted at all, while 77 percent were not interested and 68.3 percent thought that nowadays the awards did not accurately represent the audience.

The Golden Rooster Awards are decided by experts and are often criticized for their neglect of the box office and audience feedback. To rectify the situation and restore the festival's past glory, this week's event includes many of the blockbusters from early this year and 2008, including The Assembly, Forever Enthralled and Painted Skin. International stars Jackie Chan (Police Story), Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs) and Zhou Xun (The Equation of Love and Death) are expected to increase the festival's profile and draw attention to a comprehensive lineup of events.

Considered China's most successful commercial director, Feng Xiaogang (If You Are the One) has benefitted from this year's sway toward blockbusters. Feng's Cell Phone was turned down by the organizing committee in 2003 as "pulp" and he has never been nominated for a Golden Roster. This year Feng and The Assembly have garnered nine nominations including Best Feature, Best Director and Best Leading Actor.

Busy with his latest work The Tangshan Earthquake, Feng expressed his gratitude by confirming his participation in the festival, even though he will probably not be able to attend until the last day. "We have to support the film festival of our own country," he said.

Director Chen Kaige and his Forever Enthralled will be Feng's largest obstacle on his potential path to glory, as Chen's film has earned eight nominations.

In the category of Best Leading Actor, Zhang Hanyu is vying for his sixth award with his role in The Assembly. He has been nominated alongside Wu Gang in Iron Man and Fan Wei in Lucky Dog.

The competition for Best Leading Actress is even more fierce, with four of China's best actresses nominated: Zhang Ziyi for her role in Forever Enthralled, Zhou Xun for The Equation of Love and Death, Zhao Wei for Painted Skin and Jiang Wenli for And the Spring Comes. Aside from the glamorous opening, awards and closing ceremonies, this year's Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival also includes various themed events and film promotions. The international film exhibition will present the latest films from the US, Japan, South Korea and Poland including Cassandra's Dream and The Stranger.

The Hong Kong and Taiwan film exhibition will focus on Taiwanese nostalgic films by renowned directors such as Hsing Lee (The Wheel of Life) and Hsiao-hsien Hou (Three Times), as well as classic works by kung fu star Jackie Chan including Snake in the Eagle's Shadow and Project A.

Two themed sections will also make their premiere at this year's festival. A group of New Year celebration films (films to be released around the New Year) including Zhang Yimou's Amazing Tales: Three Guns and Peter Chan's Waiting, will hold promotional events and press conferences as part of the event. This section is by far the most anticipated by much of the Chinese media.

Another new section will take mainstream films to educational campuses in Nanchang. Works including Nanchang Uprising and The Founding of a Republic will be shown during the screenings, with filmmakers meeting with college students afterwards.

The awards and closing ceremonies will be held on Saturday night, with a production team drawn from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games and CCTV's Spring Festival gala. "We will try to deliver a film festival ceremony with Nanchang characteristics," explained chief director Cheng Qingsong.

Chinese film awards

The Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival is a traditional festival for Chinese filmmakers, organized by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and China Film Association. The annual festival is held in one of Chinas large or medium-sized cities each year and usually lasts for five days.

The film festival originates from the Hundred Flowers Awards that were initiated in 1962 by Popular Cinema, Chinas most distributed film magazine and the Golden Rooster Awards that began in 1981. These two awards are of the longest history and largest scale and influence in Chinas film industry. They were combined into The Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival in 1992. Since 2005, the awards are each presented every alternate year, the Golden Rooster Awards in odd-numbered years and the Hundred Flowers Award in even-numbered years.

The Golden Rooster Awards focus on expertise while the Hundred Flowers Awards are decided by popular vote.

In 1962, 117,000 votes were received for the Hundred Flower Awards, the number increased to 180,000 in the following year.

No awards were presented between 1964 and 1979, but when the third Hundred Flowers Awards were held in 1980, 700,000 votes were received. The awards are also known as the "peoples choice awards."
In comparison, the Golden Rooster Awards are the most prestige professional awards in Chinas film industry. The jury is made up of film scholars and experts and the awards are also known as the "experts awards."

Source: Global Times


PEOPLE'S DAILY ONLINE

Monday, September 28, 2009

Final List of Items sold


Ostrich leather handbags treasures(Aston Martin cars Kwok Shing 400,000)


Kiss of the Dragon Can Jewelry Necklace (Huayi President Wang Zhong-Jun 680,000)


Ceramic Sculpture handbags (Ms. A 800,000)


Classic Business Briefcase (A man 400,000)


Armani evening dress multicolor (China and the United States Star Liu Yifei 350,000)


Black Box High Crocodile Pilar pole (A man 900,000)


Lindy Handbag (Artist nursery 600,000)


Lucky The Number 88 Limited Edition fountain pen (Artist Vivian Hsu 1 million)


Tiffany Tesoro clock gem (Kwok Shing 400,000 Aston Martin car looks 450,000)


Women's wrist watch and a butterfly style brooch (A man 700,000 )


"Myth" Private Collection props armor (Jackie Chan fans 2.18 million the WONG)


Fiber jade carving "the State" (3.99 million Chinese Association)


Sandalwood Officer Hall building models Home Delivery (Jaycee Chan 3.88 million)


Zhang Yimou Signature Collection List (Jackie Chan 1 million)


"The garden of the sisters" (Shi Yuzhu 7.8 million)


Jackie Chan Jacket (A men's 4.87 million)


Jackie Chan Shirt (Bazaar Group 1 million)


Total Turnover 31,000,000


SINA.COM: FULL RECORD OF THE AUCTION

As you can see Jackie only purchased one item - Zhang Yimou's Olympic commemorative set. Jackie said that it had great meaning to him because of his own involvement with the Olympics starting from the very first bid and that he had worked very closely with Zhang Yimou through the entire time.

More on the Auction




Jackie and Jaycee admire Zhang Yimou's Signature Collection

SINA.COM


Bidding on an item

SINA.COM


Zhang Yimou's Signature Collection (bought by Jackie)

Monday, September 7, 2009

Sunday, September 6, 2009

More on Jackie's Support of Zhang Yimou Yesterday

At 4:00 p.m. on September 6 around the Bird's Nest, directed by Zhang Yimou version of "Turandot" in Beijing held a press conference before the opening Zhang and Jackie Chan, Song Zuying appearance together, the three staff in hand to enter the venue. Attracted a large number of the media flocked to the scene at once chaotic, after the security only under open-circuit successfully entered the venue.

Conference, Jackie Chan, director Zhang Yimou was invited to film the scene would like to have a chance to co-operation, but Zhang said that more than a dozen years ago Jackie Chan has already expressed his wish to have the opportunity to co-operation has been called, Chang I. "script, the script" ! However, this requirement had not been able to meet Jackie Chan, which Zhang said that "I am sorry Jackie Chan"! This is the Jackie Chan of "Turandot" in support of the director Zhang Yimou are very grateful, and said there must be opportunities for co-operation.


ENT.TOM.COM (Lots of photos on this link as well)

More Photos from the event: ENT.QQ.COM



PHOTO: ENT.TOM.COM

Jackie supports Zhang Yimou - Turandot












Jackie attended a press conference for Zhang Yimou's production of Turandot today.

SINA.COM

Friday, August 21, 2009

Jackie Chan and Zhang Yimou create Beijing Olympic Bid Video

In 2000 Zhang Yimou directed a short video featuring Jackie performing Tai Chi. Jackie has not studied Taijiquan and made this comment "I usually do all the hard work, particularly fast hand movements, tai chi is a very slow thing."

Despite this, with some coaching Jackie completed the 56 sec clip in a morning.


ARTICLE: SINA.COM

ANOTHER ARTICLE: SINA.COM



Jackie and Zhang Yimou in Olympic Video (SINA.COM)

Monday, August 17, 2009

Shinjuku Incident - my thoughts

What a fascinating film. Too much to absorb in one viewing really so I will be watching it again a few times I am sure. I haven't watched any of Derek Yee's other movies. I must confess that overly realistic gangster films are not my cup of tea. And while there is certainly some very gritty realism in this movie with certain scenes they are however not only essential to the plot (I can see why they had trouble trying to edit the violence down for the Chinese market) but essential to the character and nature of the environment and characters.


While it is clear that this is not your usual light 'Jackie Chan' movie, I don't see that he is playing that far out of character. Steelhead is not a bad man. He is a man who does bad things because of circumstances. It is not even that he believes the end justifies the means. He is simply a man motivated by love, honour and a sense of brotherhood who will literally do anything for the people he loves and cares about - even kill. He comes to Japan to find the girl he loves. He tries to help Daniel Wu's character Jie out of love and brotherhood. He grows to love the other people who are in the same boat (pardon the pun) as he is and is motivated to help them - again out of a sense of brotherhood. This is so clearly brought home when he has won the territory for them, his sense of brotherhood with the other Chinese immigrants makes him put Jie in charge of collecting funds to help them. He tries to stop the illegal activities. He says that they must all work together to help each other. These are all the principles of love, honour and brotherhood that are inherent to his character. His ambition is simple - all he wants is to help his friends.

But what truly makes this movie interesting are all the different stories being told. The attitudes that are on display, the interactions between characters, between cultures, between moral codes. Steelhead is the pivotal character around whom all the action occurs. He is the catalyst, the connecting force, the driving force that carries the movie forward and it is so good to see Jackie in leading role of this kind. While he is the lead character in most of his movies he tends when scripting himself to - hmm - how can I put it because I haven't thought of it in quite this way before I saw this movie. Jackie's characters tend to have somewhat of a self-effacing quality. Although he is the lead, his characters tend to be reactive, and not the driving force. In other words he is central to the story but it is the decisions and actions of the other characters that drive the story forward and he just reacts to those. In this film Steelhead's decisions drive the story forward. He is not just reacting to circumstance but making circumstances happen. His decision to help Eguchi, for example, is one of those decisions that have far reaching consequences for everyone. Likewise his decision to help the policeman is also a factor that drives certain consequences as well.

Although over the years I have read a fair number of novels about Japan, Japanese fiction, and about Japanese culture I cannot in anyway regard myself as an expert and I think that in order to understand some of the subtext between the Japanese Yakuza as to their motivations and actions one would need to understand a bit more about that particular aspect of Japanese culture. 

However one doesn't need to understand the culture to understand the race issues that are expressed in various ways throughout the film as well as the shifting dynamics of power. 

In a way Steelhead is an innocent. He doesn't fully realise the complexities of the sub-culture in which he finds himself and he abandons his Chinese brothers to navigate some very deep waters that he took them into - believing in his innocence that he has done what he needs to do to help them. The end consequences of the film are inevitable given the circumstances. 

Jackie has expressed a great deal of concern that fans will accept him in this kind of role. I want to say - Jackie! Please! MORE of this level of complexity of character and subtlety of acting. I don't want to say necessarily this type of film unless we understand by 'this type' movies that have good scripts, good character development, good directing, good cinematography, good acting, good .... everything.

I know that Jackie commented during the promotions for Shinjuku that is was hard for him to take the step back and "just" be an actor in this, but I think that if Jackie can find more directors whom he can trust to direct him well, and in finding roles that require more from him as an actor, he can then concentrate all his considerable ability on acting - we will certainly see some great movies in the future. If this movie is a foretaste of what Jackie can do - then I for one am very eager to see what else he can achieve.

Now I have to mention my 'wish list' I wish the Jackie/Zhang Yimou collaberation would happen. If there is one director whom I think could get an Oscar winning performance from Jackie it would have to be Zhang Yimou. While his recent movies have been incredible I think the very best movie of his that I have seen is a movie called Shanghai Triad. There are scenes in that movie that are unrivalled for poignant subtle emotion where every aspect of the onscreen image from sound, to colour, to light, to dialogue (or lack thereof), to the positioning of the characters, to the environment that tell a story. I long to see Jackie in a movie like that, no matter what the story is. 

In my opinion Shinjuku was another step in the right direction for Jackie. I thoroughly enjoyed watched this movie, and while some of the scenes may be a bit much for some viewers they were not gratuitous. In actual fact the amount of blood that should have been present was underplayed considerably which also helps to lessen the impact some what. I have no hesitation in recommending this film with only one proviso - adult viewers only. This is not a children's film - simply because of the issues it deals with it is very much an adult movie.