Contemporary Chinese Cinema is a column devoted to exploring contemporary Chinese-language cinema primarily as it is revealed to us at North American multiplexes.Over the last few years it has become increasingly easy to see mainstream Asian films in North America at the same time they are released in their home countries. Thanks to partnerships with small, international distributors, the major multiplex chains (AMC, Cinemark, Regal) have devoted a handful of screens in major markets to showing new releases from India, Korea, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Most of these titles fall under the radar of both critics and audiences outside the diasporic communities to which they are targeted. They play for a week or two and then disappear, outside of a handful of breakout titles. Last year Stephen Chow’s The Mermaid made headlines for its high per-screen averages in North America as it shattered domestic box office records in China.
- 12/4/2017
- MUBI
Local comedy Never Say Die dominated China's Golden Week autumn holiday period this year.
The body-swapping comedy from Mahua Funage, a Beijing theater troupe turned box-office powerhouse, earned $65.3 million in its second weekend, taking its nine-day total to a massive $220 million. The blockbuster pulled in around $25 or more every day of the weeklong holiday, nearly tripling the individual totals of the various local titles that trailed it.
The film will easily surpass Goodbye Mr. Loser, Mahua's debut release, which wildly surpassed expectations by earning $226 million in 2015.
Jackie Chan's gritty English-language thriller The Foreigner slipped to third...
The body-swapping comedy from Mahua Funage, a Beijing theater troupe turned box-office powerhouse, earned $65.3 million in its second weekend, taking its nine-day total to a massive $220 million. The blockbuster pulled in around $25 or more every day of the weeklong holiday, nearly tripling the individual totals of the various local titles that trailed it.
The film will easily surpass Goodbye Mr. Loser, Mahua's debut release, which wildly surpassed expectations by earning $226 million in 2015.
Jackie Chan's gritty English-language thriller The Foreigner slipped to third...
- 10/9/2017
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sneak Peek Jackie Chan in the upcoming science fiction thriller "Bleeding Steel", written and directed by Leo Zhang, starring Chan, Tess Haubrich and Callan Mulvey, opening in China (only) December 22, 2017:
"...a hardened special forces agent (Chan) fights to protect a young woman from a sinister organization.
"At the same time he feels a special connection to the young woman, as if they met in a previous life..."
"Bleeding Steel" was produced by Village Roadshow Pictures Asia and Heyi Pictures, filming in Sydney, Australia, Taipei and Beijing.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Bleeding Steel"...
"...a hardened special forces agent (Chan) fights to protect a young woman from a sinister organization.
"At the same time he feels a special connection to the young woman, as if they met in a previous life..."
"Bleeding Steel" was produced by Village Roadshow Pictures Asia and Heyi Pictures, filming in Sydney, Australia, Taipei and Beijing.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Bleeding Steel"...
- 9/23/2017
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Martial arts superstar and wildlife champion Jackie Chan is calling for an end to consuming pangolin products in a new public service announcement for WildAid and The Nature Conservancy.
Jackie Chan Fights To Save Pangolins
The 47 second video spot was released last week to support a ban on all international trade in pangolins that was approved last year under the Un Cites treaty. The video, entitled “Kung Fu Pangolin,” and accompanying billboards will be distributed widely in China and Vietnam, which are the main pangolin consuming nations. It features Chan training the scaly anteaters to protect themselves from poachers using kung fu, but he finds that curling up is the only thing they are able to do. Behind Chan’s back the pangolins develop ninja-like skills to defend against a would-be poacher.
Video: Jackie Chan - Kung Fu Pangolin
While many people may have never heard of pangolins, they are...
Jackie Chan Fights To Save Pangolins
The 47 second video spot was released last week to support a ban on all international trade in pangolins that was approved last year under the Un Cites treaty. The video, entitled “Kung Fu Pangolin,” and accompanying billboards will be distributed widely in China and Vietnam, which are the main pangolin consuming nations. It features Chan training the scaly anteaters to protect themselves from poachers using kung fu, but he finds that curling up is the only thing they are able to do. Behind Chan’s back the pangolins develop ninja-like skills to defend against a would-be poacher.
Video: Jackie Chan - Kung Fu Pangolin
While many people may have never heard of pangolins, they are...
- 8/29/2017
- Look to the Stars
Written by Lollie Hancock
Adding to a long list of charity work, Jackie Chan recently launched an operation in conjunction with the Beijing Tongren Ophthalmology Department to help Tibetan people have life-changing procedures to bring back their vision.
A 2003 study found that ‘around 75% of blindness in Tibet can be either prevented of treated’, something that Chan is helping change, with a generous donation of Rmb$2 million (just under $300,000 Usd) to the Beijing Tongren Ophthalmology Charitable Foundation, where 55 operations were successfully carried out recently. At the event, Jackie also helped first-hand by removing gauze dressings from some patients’ eyes.
This is not the first time Chan has helped the visually impaired – in 2007 he opened a children’s eye centre in China.
From: http://www.looktothestars.org/news/16999-jackie-chan-makes-a-difference-for-tibets-blind
Related past articles Jackie Chan Fights For Pangolin ConservationLilly Singh Named As Unicef Goodwill AmbassadorStars Help amfAR Raise Over $3.5 Million At Hong Kong...
Adding to a long list of charity work, Jackie Chan recently launched an operation in conjunction with the Beijing Tongren Ophthalmology Department to help Tibetan people have life-changing procedures to bring back their vision.
A 2003 study found that ‘around 75% of blindness in Tibet can be either prevented of treated’, something that Chan is helping change, with a generous donation of Rmb$2 million (just under $300,000 Usd) to the Beijing Tongren Ophthalmology Charitable Foundation, where 55 operations were successfully carried out recently. At the event, Jackie also helped first-hand by removing gauze dressings from some patients’ eyes.
This is not the first time Chan has helped the visually impaired – in 2007 he opened a children’s eye centre in China.
From: http://www.looktothestars.org/news/16999-jackie-chan-makes-a-difference-for-tibets-blind
Related past articles Jackie Chan Fights For Pangolin ConservationLilly Singh Named As Unicef Goodwill AmbassadorStars Help amfAR Raise Over $3.5 Million At Hong Kong...
- 8/23/2017
- Look to the Stars
Perfect Village to produce range of content including features and online TV.
Beijing-based Perfect World Pictures, Village Roadshow Entertainment Group (Vreg) and Wme Img China are joining forces on a new China-based production venture.
With offices in Beijing and Hong Kong, the new company, Perfect Village, will produce film, animation and premium online TV content for China and international markets.
Perfect World and Vreg will contribute their IP and production and distribution capabilities, while Wme Img China will provide access to its brand relationships, as well as global packaging, sales and distribution infrastructure.
Ellen Eliasoph, currently head of Vreg’s Asia operations,...
Beijing-based Perfect World Pictures, Village Roadshow Entertainment Group (Vreg) and Wme Img China are joining forces on a new China-based production venture.
With offices in Beijing and Hong Kong, the new company, Perfect Village, will produce film, animation and premium online TV content for China and international markets.
Perfect World and Vreg will contribute their IP and production and distribution capabilities, while Wme Img China will provide access to its brand relationships, as well as global packaging, sales and distribution infrastructure.
Ellen Eliasoph, currently head of Vreg’s Asia operations,...
- 6/20/2017
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Perfect Village to produce range of content including features and online TV.
Beijing-based Perfect World Pictures, Village Roadshow Entertainment Group (Vreg) and Wme Img China are joining forces on a new China-based production venture.
With offices in Beijing and Hong Kong, the new company, Perfect Village, will produce film, animation and premium online TV content for China and international markets.
Perfect World and Vreg will contribute their IP and production and distribution capabilities, while Wme Img China will provide access to its brand relationships, as well as global packaging, sales and distribution infrastructure.
Ellen Eliasoph, currently head of Vreg’s Asia operations, will serve as president and CEO of the new company, based at the Perfect World headquarters in Beijing.
Perfect Village’s initial slate includes cyber-hacker thriller Reborn and two projects co-produced by Vreg Asia – sci-fi action title Bleeding Steel, starring Jackie Chan, and Zhang Yimou’s Shadow (pictured).
Reborn stars Chinese actors Han Geng...
Beijing-based Perfect World Pictures, Village Roadshow Entertainment Group (Vreg) and Wme Img China are joining forces on a new China-based production venture.
With offices in Beijing and Hong Kong, the new company, Perfect Village, will produce film, animation and premium online TV content for China and international markets.
Perfect World and Vreg will contribute their IP and production and distribution capabilities, while Wme Img China will provide access to its brand relationships, as well as global packaging, sales and distribution infrastructure.
Ellen Eliasoph, currently head of Vreg’s Asia operations, will serve as president and CEO of the new company, based at the Perfect World headquarters in Beijing.
Perfect Village’s initial slate includes cyber-hacker thriller Reborn and two projects co-produced by Vreg Asia – sci-fi action title Bleeding Steel, starring Jackie Chan, and Zhang Yimou’s Shadow (pictured).
Reborn stars Chinese actors Han Geng...
- 6/20/2017
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Stars: Matt Damon, Willem Dafoe, Pedro Pascal, Tian Jing, Andy Lau, Hanyu Zhang, Han Lu, Kenny Lin, Eddie Peng, Xuan Huang, Ryan Zheng | Written by Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro, Tony Gilroy | Directed by Yimou Zhang
Magnificent, breath-taking spectacle. A glorious, gorgeous testament to mankind’s creativity. Looks really good in 3D. All of this and more can be used to describe The Great Wall of China. The Great Wall of filmmaker Zhang Yimou, however, is another thing entirely.
Following the intense furore surrounding the creation and marketing of The Great Wall, the film itself is here for all to see and judge. Erasure? White saviour trope: the movie? The Great Wall of China with a coat of whitewashing? As it turns out, not quite, but that’s not to say the movie is without its problems.
The great face of The Great Wall’s controversies is Matt Damon, cast as brooding mercenary William Garin.
Magnificent, breath-taking spectacle. A glorious, gorgeous testament to mankind’s creativity. Looks really good in 3D. All of this and more can be used to describe The Great Wall of China. The Great Wall of filmmaker Zhang Yimou, however, is another thing entirely.
Following the intense furore surrounding the creation and marketing of The Great Wall, the film itself is here for all to see and judge. Erasure? White saviour trope: the movie? The Great Wall of China with a coat of whitewashing? As it turns out, not quite, but that’s not to say the movie is without its problems.
The great face of The Great Wall’s controversies is Matt Damon, cast as brooding mercenary William Garin.
- 6/16/2017
- by Joel Harley
- Nerdly
No reason has been given for the change in opening film.
Danish director Bille August’s The Chinese Widow will open this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival (Siff, June 17-26), replacing Ann Hui’s Our Time Will Come, which was previously announced as the opening film.
However, Our Time Will Come will still play in the Golden Goblet competition at Siff. No reason was given for the change by either the festival or the film’s producer Bona Film Group.
Both films are set in China during the Second World War. Starring Emile Hirsch and Yu Nan, The Chinese Widow tells the story of an American pilot who is shot down and saved by Chinese villagers. It remains unclear if the film has been made under the recently signed Danish-Chinese co-production treaty. August recently served as jury president at the Beijing International Film Festival.
Our Time Will Come, which stars Zhou Xun and Eddie Peng, revolves...
Danish director Bille August’s The Chinese Widow will open this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival (Siff, June 17-26), replacing Ann Hui’s Our Time Will Come, which was previously announced as the opening film.
However, Our Time Will Come will still play in the Golden Goblet competition at Siff. No reason was given for the change by either the festival or the film’s producer Bona Film Group.
Both films are set in China during the Second World War. Starring Emile Hirsch and Yu Nan, The Chinese Widow tells the story of an American pilot who is shot down and saved by Chinese villagers. It remains unclear if the film has been made under the recently signed Danish-Chinese co-production treaty. August recently served as jury president at the Beijing International Film Festival.
Our Time Will Come, which stars Zhou Xun and Eddie Peng, revolves...
- 6/12/2017
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Sparkle Roll Media, the newly launched sales arm of Jackie Chan's global film and TV company, has secured distribution deals in South Korea (Kidarient Corp) and Singapore (Clover Film) for A Better Tomorrow 4, the remake of the John Woo’s classic of the same title.
Directed by Ding Sheng (Railroad Tigers, Saving Mr. Wu, Little Big Soldier), A Better Tomorrow 4 co-stars Wang Kai (Railroad Tigers), Ray Ma (Ice Fantasy) and Talu Wang (Railroad Tigers, Our Times). The film is produced by Beijing Jingxi Culture & Tourism Co.
A Better Tomorrow 4 follows the journey of a former smuggler attempting...
Directed by Ding Sheng (Railroad Tigers, Saving Mr. Wu, Little Big Soldier), A Better Tomorrow 4 co-stars Wang Kai (Railroad Tigers), Ray Ma (Ice Fantasy) and Talu Wang (Railroad Tigers, Our Times). The film is produced by Beijing Jingxi Culture & Tourism Co.
A Better Tomorrow 4 follows the journey of a former smuggler attempting...
- 5/19/2017
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Wang Kai-starring feature sells to South Korea, Singapore.
Jackie Chan’s new international sales outfit, Sparkle Roll Media, has clinched two early pre-sales on Ding Sheng’s A Better Tomorrow 4, selling the film to Kidarient Corp for South Korea and Clover Films for Singapore.
The reboot of John Woo’s iconic heroic bloodshed series stars Wang Kai (Railroad Tigers), Ray Ma (Ice Fantasy) and Talu Wang (Railroad Tigers, Our Times). It traces the journey of a former smuggler attempting to start his life anew and repair his relationship with his estranged brother after his release from prison.
Produced by Beijing Jingxi Culture & Tourism Co, the film is currently in post-production for a year-end release. Sparkle Roll is showing a new promo and artwork here in Cannes.
Sparkle Roll’s Cannes slate also includes documentary Jackie Chan: Down To Earth, which traces five decades of Chan’s career and features filmmakers and stars such as...
Jackie Chan’s new international sales outfit, Sparkle Roll Media, has clinched two early pre-sales on Ding Sheng’s A Better Tomorrow 4, selling the film to Kidarient Corp for South Korea and Clover Films for Singapore.
The reboot of John Woo’s iconic heroic bloodshed series stars Wang Kai (Railroad Tigers), Ray Ma (Ice Fantasy) and Talu Wang (Railroad Tigers, Our Times). It traces the journey of a former smuggler attempting to start his life anew and repair his relationship with his estranged brother after his release from prison.
Produced by Beijing Jingxi Culture & Tourism Co, the film is currently in post-production for a year-end release. Sparkle Roll is showing a new promo and artwork here in Cannes.
Sparkle Roll’s Cannes slate also includes documentary Jackie Chan: Down To Earth, which traces five decades of Chan’s career and features filmmakers and stars such as...
- 5/19/2017
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Australia-China co-pro 'Guardians of the Tomb' (formerly 'Nest') stars Chinese mega-star Li Bingbing..
The official co-production treaty between China and Australia entered into force in 2008. Since then, despite growing interest in working with the burgeoning film power, only a handful of official co-productions have been made. They include The Dragon Pearl, 33 Postcards.and The Children of the Silk Road (made under a Mou prior to the signing of the treaty)..
However in the past 18 months, things have started to shift. The biggest co-pro to date, Kimble Rendall.s Guardians of the Tomb (formerly Nest), shot on the Gold Coast early last year, and gangster film Dog Fight shot in Victoria last September. Both films are now in post..
Two other projects, Pauline Chan.s My Extraordinary Wedding and Nadia Tass and David Parker.s Tying the Knot,.have been issued provisional approval but are yet to enter production.
The official co-production treaty between China and Australia entered into force in 2008. Since then, despite growing interest in working with the burgeoning film power, only a handful of official co-productions have been made. They include The Dragon Pearl, 33 Postcards.and The Children of the Silk Road (made under a Mou prior to the signing of the treaty)..
However in the past 18 months, things have started to shift. The biggest co-pro to date, Kimble Rendall.s Guardians of the Tomb (formerly Nest), shot on the Gold Coast early last year, and gangster film Dog Fight shot in Victoria last September. Both films are now in post..
Two other projects, Pauline Chan.s My Extraordinary Wedding and Nadia Tass and David Parker.s Tying the Knot,.have been issued provisional approval but are yet to enter production.
- 4/21/2017
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Back in the year 2000, Jackie Chan starred in an American animated television series called Jackie Chan Adventures that aired on Kids WB. It featured Jackie Chan and his extended family fighting criminals who were trying to get a hold of magical talismans. The show lasted 5 seasons through 2005 and had 95 episodes.
Now it looks like Jackie Chan is headed back to the small screen. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Jackie Chan will appear in a 3D animated television show titled J-Team: All New Jackie Chan Adventures. It will feature a child version of Jackie Chan and a group of kids who will defend a magical dreamland against monsters. It will be aimed at kids ages 3 to 10 years old and will contain stories that highlight good habits and traditional Chinese virtues. Also at the end of each episode Jackie Chan will appear in live form to recap the lessons of the...
Now it looks like Jackie Chan is headed back to the small screen. As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Jackie Chan will appear in a 3D animated television show titled J-Team: All New Jackie Chan Adventures. It will feature a child version of Jackie Chan and a group of kids who will defend a magical dreamland against monsters. It will be aimed at kids ages 3 to 10 years old and will contain stories that highlight good habits and traditional Chinese virtues. Also at the end of each episode Jackie Chan will appear in live form to recap the lessons of the...
- 4/20/2017
- by Emmanuel Gomez
- LRMonline.com
Michael Fassbender and Carmen Ejogo in 'Alien: Covenant', shot in Sydney.
In the 2015-16 year, foreign location spending in Australia was recorded at $273 million. Foreign Post, Digital and Visual effects (Pdv) spend in Australia reached a record-high of $105 million..
Australian director James Wan (Saw, Furious 7) has returned home to direct Aquaman. Rob Cowan, producer of San Andreas, which shot in Queensland in 2015, will return to the Gold Coast to produce..
In the last 12 months Australia has hosted Thor: Ragnarok, Alien: Covenant and Pacific Rim: Maelstrom, while Aussie vendors have completed post work on the likes of xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, Dr Strange, Game of Thrones and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2..
Ausfilm, Australia.s marketing and representative body abroad for the Australian production industry, continues to advocate for a permanent increase to the Location Offset. They.re not alone — Animal Logic CEO Zareh Nalbandian,...
In the 2015-16 year, foreign location spending in Australia was recorded at $273 million. Foreign Post, Digital and Visual effects (Pdv) spend in Australia reached a record-high of $105 million..
Australian director James Wan (Saw, Furious 7) has returned home to direct Aquaman. Rob Cowan, producer of San Andreas, which shot in Queensland in 2015, will return to the Gold Coast to produce..
In the last 12 months Australia has hosted Thor: Ragnarok, Alien: Covenant and Pacific Rim: Maelstrom, while Aussie vendors have completed post work on the likes of xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, Dr Strange, Game of Thrones and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2..
Ausfilm, Australia.s marketing and representative body abroad for the Australian production industry, continues to advocate for a permanent increase to the Location Offset. They.re not alone — Animal Logic CEO Zareh Nalbandian,...
- 3/30/2017
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
$2.5m production underway in Adelaide and surrounding area.
The first ever Chinese TV drama to shoot in Australia has begun filming in Adelaide.
15 episodes of Speed, a 32-part Chinese TV and online series, are scheduled to shoot in South Australia over three weeks.
The $2.5m shoot will employ around 50 local crew, alongside 120 cast and crew from China.
From Beijing-based Chinese broadcaster Ciwen Media, Speed follows the journey of an underground street racer who goes on to race professionally.
The production will be serviced by 57 Films, which faced competition from producers in Canada, Italy and the USA to secure the production.
57 Films founder Paul Ryan will be Australian Producer on the series, with Julie Byrne from Triptych Pictures hired as Line Producer.
Ryan said Speed will be one of the largest international TV series to be shot in South Australia.
“Speed will further strengthen relationships between China and South Australia, inject millions...
The first ever Chinese TV drama to shoot in Australia has begun filming in Adelaide.
15 episodes of Speed, a 32-part Chinese TV and online series, are scheduled to shoot in South Australia over three weeks.
The $2.5m shoot will employ around 50 local crew, alongside 120 cast and crew from China.
From Beijing-based Chinese broadcaster Ciwen Media, Speed follows the journey of an underground street racer who goes on to race professionally.
The production will be serviced by 57 Films, which faced competition from producers in Canada, Italy and the USA to secure the production.
57 Films founder Paul Ryan will be Australian Producer on the series, with Julie Byrne from Triptych Pictures hired as Line Producer.
Ryan said Speed will be one of the largest international TV series to be shot in South Australia.
“Speed will further strengthen relationships between China and South Australia, inject millions...
- 3/28/2017
- by orlando.parfitt@screendaily.com (Orlando Parfitt)
- ScreenDaily
There is a thrilling selection of Chinese-language titles at Filmart this year. Liz Shackleton picks out some of the most promising.
With very few Hong Kong or mainland Chinese sellers making the journey to this year’s European Film Market in Berlin, Filmart offers a chance for buyers to catch up with the Chinese-language titles that will be rolled out in the region for the rest of the year.
After serving up the biggest film of the Chinese New Year holiday — Kung Fu Yoga, starring Jackie Chan and directed by Stanley Tong — China’s Sparkle Roll Media has launched a Hong Kong-based sales arm that is selling Ding Sheng’s reboot of the A Better Tomorrow series.
Other high-profile action titles new to market include Distribution Workshop’s Extraordinary Mission, from the creative teams behind the Infernal Affairs and Overheard series, and Huayi Brothers’ crime drama Explosion, starring Duan Yihong.
Previously announced...
With very few Hong Kong or mainland Chinese sellers making the journey to this year’s European Film Market in Berlin, Filmart offers a chance for buyers to catch up with the Chinese-language titles that will be rolled out in the region for the rest of the year.
After serving up the biggest film of the Chinese New Year holiday — Kung Fu Yoga, starring Jackie Chan and directed by Stanley Tong — China’s Sparkle Roll Media has launched a Hong Kong-based sales arm that is selling Ding Sheng’s reboot of the A Better Tomorrow series.
Other high-profile action titles new to market include Distribution Workshop’s Extraordinary Mission, from the creative teams behind the Infernal Affairs and Overheard series, and Huayi Brothers’ crime drama Explosion, starring Duan Yihong.
Previously announced...
- 3/13/2017
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Hong Kong-based company launches with Feng Xiaogang’s Bloom Of Youth.
Jackie Chan’s Sparkle Roll Media has launched a Hong Kong-based international sales arm, which is selling Feng Xiaogang’s drama Bloom Of Youth (Fang Hua) and Ding Sheng’s reboot of the A Better Tomorrow series.
Produced by Feng’s Zhejiang Dongyang Mayla Media, Bloom Of Youth revolves around a Military Cultural Troupe in China in the 1970s. The cast includes Huang Xuan (The Great Wall), Miao Miao, Zhong Chuxi and Yang Caiyu.
Ding’s A Better Tomorrow 4 resurrects the classic ‘heroic bloodshed’ series, directed by John Woo in the 1980s. Starring Wang Kai, Ray Ma and Talu Wang, the film follows the conflict between two brothers on opposite sides of the law. The film is produced by Beijing Jingxi Culture & Tourism Co.
Sparkle Roll is also selling Sun Lin’s feature-length documentary, Jackie Chan: Down To Earth, which it produced...
Jackie Chan’s Sparkle Roll Media has launched a Hong Kong-based international sales arm, which is selling Feng Xiaogang’s drama Bloom Of Youth (Fang Hua) and Ding Sheng’s reboot of the A Better Tomorrow series.
Produced by Feng’s Zhejiang Dongyang Mayla Media, Bloom Of Youth revolves around a Military Cultural Troupe in China in the 1970s. The cast includes Huang Xuan (The Great Wall), Miao Miao, Zhong Chuxi and Yang Caiyu.
Ding’s A Better Tomorrow 4 resurrects the classic ‘heroic bloodshed’ series, directed by John Woo in the 1980s. Starring Wang Kai, Ray Ma and Talu Wang, the film follows the conflict between two brothers on opposite sides of the law. The film is produced by Beijing Jingxi Culture & Tourism Co.
Sparkle Roll is also selling Sun Lin’s feature-length documentary, Jackie Chan: Down To Earth, which it produced...
- 3/12/2017
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Hong Kong-based company launches with Feng Xiaogang’s Bloom Of Youth.
Jackie Chan’s Sparkle Roll Media has launched a Hong Kong-based international sales arm, which is selling Feng Xiaogang’s drama Bloom Of Youth (Fang Hua) and Ding Sheng’s reboot of the A Better Tomorrow series.
Produced by Feng’s Zhejiang Dongyang Mayla Media, Bloom Of Youth revolves around a Military Cultural Troupe in China in the 1970s. The cast includes Huang Xuan (The Great Wall), Miao Miao, Zhong Chuxi and Yang Caiyu.
Ding’s A Better Tomorrow 4 resurrects the classic ‘heroic bloodshed’ series, directed by John Woo in the 1980s. Starring Wang Kai, Ray Ma and Talu Wang, the film follows the conflict between two brothers on opposite sides of the law. The film is produced by Beijing Jingxi Culture & Tourism Co.
Sparkle Roll is also selling Sun Lin’s feature-length documentary, Jackie Chan: Down To Earth, which it produced...
Jackie Chan’s Sparkle Roll Media has launched a Hong Kong-based international sales arm, which is selling Feng Xiaogang’s drama Bloom Of Youth (Fang Hua) and Ding Sheng’s reboot of the A Better Tomorrow series.
Produced by Feng’s Zhejiang Dongyang Mayla Media, Bloom Of Youth revolves around a Military Cultural Troupe in China in the 1970s. The cast includes Huang Xuan (The Great Wall), Miao Miao, Zhong Chuxi and Yang Caiyu.
Ding’s A Better Tomorrow 4 resurrects the classic ‘heroic bloodshed’ series, directed by John Woo in the 1980s. Starring Wang Kai, Ray Ma and Talu Wang, the film follows the conflict between two brothers on opposite sides of the law. The film is produced by Beijing Jingxi Culture & Tourism Co.
Sparkle Roll is also selling Sun Lin’s feature-length documentary, Jackie Chan: Down To Earth, which it produced...
- 3/12/2017
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
East will meet West in movie theaters this weekend as Legendary and Universal Pictures open The Great Wall nationwide this Friday.
This will be the first major Hollywood movie directed by China’s top director, Zhang Yimou, whose Opening Ceremonies for the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008 helped make him a lot more known to Western audiences. Of course, fans of world cinema have probably already seen Jet Li’s Hero and some of director Zhang’s previous films, many of which China had put up as their Oscar selections.
The collaboration between China and Hollywood allowed Zhang to cast a lot of Chinese actors including the up and coming Chinese star Jing Tian, who plays Commander Lin Mae, the leader of the Chinese Army’s “Crane Corps,” who are stationed at the Great Wall of China to fight off demons, known as Tao Tei. (The Crane Corps use long cables...
This will be the first major Hollywood movie directed by China’s top director, Zhang Yimou, whose Opening Ceremonies for the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008 helped make him a lot more known to Western audiences. Of course, fans of world cinema have probably already seen Jet Li’s Hero and some of director Zhang’s previous films, many of which China had put up as their Oscar selections.
The collaboration between China and Hollywood allowed Zhang to cast a lot of Chinese actors including the up and coming Chinese star Jing Tian, who plays Commander Lin Mae, the leader of the Chinese Army’s “Crane Corps,” who are stationed at the Great Wall of China to fight off demons, known as Tao Tei. (The Crane Corps use long cables...
- 2/16/2017
- by Edward Douglas
- LRMonline.com
Chongqing.
The extraordinary growth of the Chinese film industry has seen it emerge as a global player. The Chinese industry is looking abroad to futher its filmmaking expertise and help bring its films to an international audience. In If's first China Report, Jackie Keast examines what this means for Australia. As Hollywood and film industries across the world enthusiastically court the Chinese market, can we compete?
The film industry in China is booming. Within just a few years, China has become the world.s second largest market, predicted to eclipse the Us in less than five years..
By 2015, annual ticket sales had reached 44 billion yuan, or $USD6.78 billion — a growth of 48.7 per cent from 2014..
While 2016 saw a slowdown, annual receipts nevertheless tallied 45.7 billion yuan by year.s end.
In 2016, 27 new screens opened across China each day, bringing the country.s total close to 40,000..
Chinese real estate and entertainment conglomerate Wanda...
The extraordinary growth of the Chinese film industry has seen it emerge as a global player. The Chinese industry is looking abroad to futher its filmmaking expertise and help bring its films to an international audience. In If's first China Report, Jackie Keast examines what this means for Australia. As Hollywood and film industries across the world enthusiastically court the Chinese market, can we compete?
The film industry in China is booming. Within just a few years, China has become the world.s second largest market, predicted to eclipse the Us in less than five years..
By 2015, annual ticket sales had reached 44 billion yuan, or $USD6.78 billion — a growth of 48.7 per cent from 2014..
While 2016 saw a slowdown, annual receipts nevertheless tallied 45.7 billion yuan by year.s end.
In 2016, 27 new screens opened across China each day, bringing the country.s total close to 40,000..
Chinese real estate and entertainment conglomerate Wanda...
- 1/30/2017
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
A couple of months ago, we noted how it’s been a seriously underwhelming year for Chinese-language cinema – an assessment that stands despite the recent release of Berlinale-winner Crosscurrent. Well, turns out the Middle Kingdom might have a year-end surprise or two up its sleeve after all. Having scored a Fipresci prize at Toronto and the prestigious Golden Seashell at San Sebastián, I Am Not Madame Bovary is a healthy return to form for veteran director Xiaogang Feng that, while not exactly hitting the ball out of the park, delivers a genuinely funny, slyly observant diagnosis of contemporary China complete with lush, absurdist flair.
The many cultural references that give a societal satire like this its texture but inevitably get lost in translation begin with the title. Instead of Flaubert’s world-known creation, it’s actually Pan Jinlian that our heroine Li Xuelian (played by Bingbing Fan) denies of being.
The many cultural references that give a societal satire like this its texture but inevitably get lost in translation begin with the title. Instead of Flaubert’s world-known creation, it’s actually Pan Jinlian that our heroine Li Xuelian (played by Bingbing Fan) denies of being.
- 11/16/2016
- by Zhuo-Ning Su
- The Film Stage
The film marks the second collaboration of director Feng Xiaogang, writer Zhenyun Liu (who actually adapts his own novel) and actress Fan Bingbing. The first one was “Cell Phone”, the latter’s debut, 12 years before.
In a story that reminded me much of Zhang Yimou’s “The Story of Qiu Zu,” the script revolves around Lian, a woman determined to face the whole judicial system, in order to find justice. The film starts with the story of Pan Jinlian, the Chinese version of Madame Bovary, a woman whose infidelity led to murder. The connection, however, is revealed later.
In the beginning of the story, Lian pleads to a judge, who is a distant relative, in order to revoke her divorce. She explains that the divorce was fake, as she and her ex-husband took it in order to to get a better apartment. However, her husband swindled her and actually married another woman,...
In a story that reminded me much of Zhang Yimou’s “The Story of Qiu Zu,” the script revolves around Lian, a woman determined to face the whole judicial system, in order to find justice. The film starts with the story of Pan Jinlian, the Chinese version of Madame Bovary, a woman whose infidelity led to murder. The connection, however, is revealed later.
In the beginning of the story, Lian pleads to a judge, who is a distant relative, in order to revoke her divorce. She explains that the divorce was fake, as she and her ex-husband took it in order to to get a better apartment. However, her husband swindled her and actually married another woman,...
- 11/15/2016
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Renny Harlin, director of such 1990s hits as Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger, is walking his dog Rascal through Beijing's downtown Sanlitun district. After 25 years in Hollywood, Harlin, 57 and originally from Finland, now calls this colorful Chinese neighborhood home.
Harlin came to the Middle Kingdom in 2014 to direct the Jackie Chan action-comedy Skiptrace, co-starring Fan Bingbing and Johnny Knoxville. Upon its release this summer, the film earned $134 million, giving Harlin his first big box office hit in over a decade.
Instead of returning to Los Angles, as he originally intended, Harlin got an apartment, adopted Rascal...
Harlin came to the Middle Kingdom in 2014 to direct the Jackie Chan action-comedy Skiptrace, co-starring Fan Bingbing and Johnny Knoxville. Upon its release this summer, the film earned $134 million, giving Harlin his first big box office hit in over a decade.
Instead of returning to Los Angles, as he originally intended, Harlin got an apartment, adopted Rascal...
- 11/10/2016
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As its title proclaims, Feng Xiaogang’s bureaucratic satire I Am Not Madame Bovary has no direct connection to Flaubert’s adulterous heroine. Madame Bovary does, however, share some common traits with Pan Jinlian, the fictional 17th century character from Chinese literature name-checked in the film’s original title, who cuckolded then conspired to murder her husband. Adapted by frequent Feng collaborator Liu Zhenyun from his own 2012 novel, the film follows the increasingly desperate efforts of Li Xuelian (played by Fan Bingbing) to get her divorce to Qin Yuhe (Li Zonghan) reversed. Over a period of 10 years, Lian claws her way through China’s multi-tiered civil service, from provincial judges to county chiefs, to mayors and ultimately the Chairman of the National People’s Congress in Beijing....
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 11/1/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Golden Network Asia has picked up international rights to Tokyo competition title Shed Skin Papa.
Hong Kong-based Golden Network Asia has picked up international rights to Roy Sezto’s Shed Skin Papa, which is screening in competition the Tokyo International Film Festival (Oct 25-Nov 3).
Adapted from a stageplay written by Japan’s Norihiko Tsukuda, the film stars Francis Ng and Louis Koo. The story follows a washed-up film director, facing a mid-life crisis, who is forced to care for his elderly father. However, his father starts shedding a layer of skin every day, each time becoming 10 years younger.
Produced by Beijing-based Magilm Pictures and Dadi Century, the fantasy comedy also stars Jessie Li, Jacky Cai and Kristal Tin.
Golden Network’s slate also includes two films starring Jackie Chan – Stanley Tong’s Kungfu Yoga and Ding Sheng’s Railroad Tigers – along with China-Korea collaboration Reset, produced by Jackie Chan and directed by Korean filmmaker Chang.
Hong Kong-based Golden Network Asia has picked up international rights to Roy Sezto’s Shed Skin Papa, which is screening in competition the Tokyo International Film Festival (Oct 25-Nov 3).
Adapted from a stageplay written by Japan’s Norihiko Tsukuda, the film stars Francis Ng and Louis Koo. The story follows a washed-up film director, facing a mid-life crisis, who is forced to care for his elderly father. However, his father starts shedding a layer of skin every day, each time becoming 10 years younger.
Produced by Beijing-based Magilm Pictures and Dadi Century, the fantasy comedy also stars Jessie Li, Jacky Cai and Kristal Tin.
Golden Network’s slate also includes two films starring Jackie Chan – Stanley Tong’s Kungfu Yoga and Ding Sheng’s Railroad Tigers – along with China-Korea collaboration Reset, produced by Jackie Chan and directed by Korean filmmaker Chang.
- 10/25/2016
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Ajit Thakur, CEO of Eros production banner Trinity Pictures, talks about developing stories for the two biggest audiences in the world.
Despite sharing a border, China and India have always been two separate universes when it comes to the film business, each with their own production industries, star systems and distribution networks, and precious little collaboration in between.
Executives on both sides of the Himalayas are aware that co-productions that work in both territories could potentially reach an audience of 2.5 billion people. And that official Chinese co-productions are exempt from the country’s quota system. But for many years, nobody could figure out how to make this happen. Chinese censorship, different working practices and the difficulties of matching star power from each side have thwarted previous attempts.
Then in 2014, the Chinese and Indian governments signed a co-production treaty, which prompted several new China-India collaborations – including Stanley Tong’s Kungfu Yoga, starring [link=nm...
Despite sharing a border, China and India have always been two separate universes when it comes to the film business, each with their own production industries, star systems and distribution networks, and precious little collaboration in between.
Executives on both sides of the Himalayas are aware that co-productions that work in both territories could potentially reach an audience of 2.5 billion people. And that official Chinese co-productions are exempt from the country’s quota system. But for many years, nobody could figure out how to make this happen. Chinese censorship, different working practices and the difficulties of matching star power from each side have thwarted previous attempts.
Then in 2014, the Chinese and Indian governments signed a co-production treaty, which prompted several new China-India collaborations – including Stanley Tong’s Kungfu Yoga, starring [link=nm...
- 10/3/2016
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
We were sold on I Am Not Madame Bovary based on its teaser trailer, which largely features beautiful paintings before moving into even more gorgeous imagery with a peculiar circular aspect ratio. Stunning cinematography aside, the plot itself has us intrigued, following a café proprietor who is attempting to get retribution in a decade-long fight for divorce. While we didn’t get a chance to see it at Tiff, Well Go USA will release the film this fall and they’ve now unveiled the full trailer.
The latest film from Feng Xiaogang (Aftershock, Back to 1942, If You Are the One) actually picked up the Prize of the International Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci) for Special Presentations at Tiff this year. The jury said exclaimed the award was deserved “for its ambitious rendering of a woman’s Kafkaesque struggle as she takes on the Chinese legal system, and sophisticated play of both form and content,...
The latest film from Feng Xiaogang (Aftershock, Back to 1942, If You Are the One) actually picked up the Prize of the International Federation of Film Critics (Fipresci) for Special Presentations at Tiff this year. The jury said exclaimed the award was deserved “for its ambitious rendering of a woman’s Kafkaesque struggle as she takes on the Chinese legal system, and sophisticated play of both form and content,...
- 9/29/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our special edition of Tiff-only buys, just as the annual fall festival is wrapping up in the Far North.
– IFC Films has announced that the company has acquired U.S. rights to Philippe Falardeau’s “The Bleeder.” The film, directed by Falardeau and written by Jeff Feurzeig and Jerry Stahl, stars Liev Schreiber, Elisabeth Moss and Naomi Watts. The feature had its world premiere at the 2016 Venice Film Festival followed by its North American premiere in Toronto this week.
It is “is the true story of Chuck Wepner, the man who inspired the billion-dollar film series Rocky—a liquor salesman from New Jersey who went 15 rounds with the greatest boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali. In his ten years in the ring, Wepner endured two knockouts, eight broken noses, and 313 stitches. But his toughest fights were outside...
– IFC Films has announced that the company has acquired U.S. rights to Philippe Falardeau’s “The Bleeder.” The film, directed by Falardeau and written by Jeff Feurzeig and Jerry Stahl, stars Liev Schreiber, Elisabeth Moss and Naomi Watts. The feature had its world premiere at the 2016 Venice Film Festival followed by its North American premiere in Toronto this week.
It is “is the true story of Chuck Wepner, the man who inspired the billion-dollar film series Rocky—a liquor salesman from New Jersey who went 15 rounds with the greatest boxer of all time, Muhammad Ali. In his ten years in the ring, Wepner endured two knockouts, eight broken noses, and 313 stitches. But his toughest fights were outside...
- 9/16/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Well Go USA Entertainment has acquired North American rights to Feng Xiaogang’s satire and has set an October 7 release.
Fan Bingbing, Guo Tao and Da Peng star in the film about a village woman accused of being an adulterer who embarks on an annual ‘journey of petition’ to Beijing to prove that her divorce was a sham and redeem her reputation.
The film is based on Liu Zhenyun’s 2012 novel I Did Not Kill My Husband and received its world premiere in Special Presentations last Thursday (Sept 8). It next screens to the public on Friday and will open wide in China on September 30.
Sparkle Roll Media Corporation presents the I Am Not Madame Bovary alongside Huayi Brothers Media Corporation, Beijing Skywheel Entertainment, Huayi Brothers Pictures and Zhejiang Dongyang Mayla Media, with Qi Jianhong, Wang Zhongjun, Song Ge, Wang Zhonglei and Feng Xiaogang.
Zhang Dajun produced I Am Not Madame Bovary and Wang Zhonglei, Zhou Maofei, [link...
Fan Bingbing, Guo Tao and Da Peng star in the film about a village woman accused of being an adulterer who embarks on an annual ‘journey of petition’ to Beijing to prove that her divorce was a sham and redeem her reputation.
The film is based on Liu Zhenyun’s 2012 novel I Did Not Kill My Husband and received its world premiere in Special Presentations last Thursday (Sept 8). It next screens to the public on Friday and will open wide in China on September 30.
Sparkle Roll Media Corporation presents the I Am Not Madame Bovary alongside Huayi Brothers Media Corporation, Beijing Skywheel Entertainment, Huayi Brothers Pictures and Zhejiang Dongyang Mayla Media, with Qi Jianhong, Wang Zhongjun, Song Ge, Wang Zhonglei and Feng Xiaogang.
Zhang Dajun produced I Am Not Madame Bovary and Wang Zhonglei, Zhou Maofei, [link...
- 9/11/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
It seems reasonable to expect that a movie called “The Great Wall,” billed as the biggest production in China’s filmmaking history, would feature Chinese actors. Instead, when Universal and Legendary released the trailer for Zhang Yimou’s film, the first face viewers saw was that of the decidedly white Matt Damon, fighting monsters atop the Middle Kingdom’s most famous monument.
In America, it was a call to arms in the battle against whitewashing, that curious tendency to insert Caucasian faces where history tells us there were none. “We have to stop perpetuating the racist myth that only a white man can save the world,” wrote comedian and “Fresh Off the Boat” star Constance Wu in a lengthy, impassioned statement posted to Twitter. “Our heroes don’t look like Matt Damon.”
China had another take. There, the prevailing sentiment over the trespass on their national identity might best be described as a Whatevs.
In America, it was a call to arms in the battle against whitewashing, that curious tendency to insert Caucasian faces where history tells us there were none. “We have to stop perpetuating the racist myth that only a white man can save the world,” wrote comedian and “Fresh Off the Boat” star Constance Wu in a lengthy, impassioned statement posted to Twitter. “Our heroes don’t look like Matt Damon.”
China had another take. There, the prevailing sentiment over the trespass on their national identity might best be described as a Whatevs.
- 8/30/2016
- by Aaron Fox-Lerner
- Indiewire
Olympic history was made in more ways than one when Singapore's Joseph Schooling beat his childhood hero Michael Phelps in the 100-meter butterfly on Friday. "I'm just ecstatic. I don't think it has set in yet. It's just crazy," a befuddled Schooling told reporters after the race. Phelps was widely anticipated to win his 23rd Olympic gold medal in the race, adding to what had already been a victorious run in Rio. However, 21-year-old Schooling led the entire race, finishing with a time of 50.39 seconds while Phelps came in second with a time of 51.14. A testament to just how close this race was,...
- 8/13/2016
- by Tiare Dunlap, @tiaredunlap
- PEOPLE.com
Olympic history was made in more ways than one when Singapore's Joseph Schooling beat his childhood hero Michael Phelps in the 100-meter butterfly on Friday. "I'm just ecstatic. I don't think it has set in yet. It's just crazy," a befuddled Schooling told reporters after the race. Phelps was widely anticipated to win his 23rd Olympic gold medal in the race, adding to what had already been a victorious run in Rio. However, 21-year-old Schooling led the entire race, finishing with a time of 50.39 seconds while Phelps came in second with a time of 51.14. A testament to just how close this race was,...
- 8/13/2016
- by Tiare Dunlap, @tiaredunlap
- PEOPLE.com
Michael Phelps is officially the most decorated Olympian of all time. After capturing his 22nd gold medal (and 26th overall) in the 200-meter individual medley on Thursday, Phelps collected his 13th individual event win, becoming the athlete with most individual event wins since 152 B.C. The previous titleholder was Leonidas of Rhodes, who won 12 individual events over four Olympics. Leonidas garnered his last three golds in the stadion (a 200-meter sprint), the diaulos (a 400-meter run) and the hoplite race (a run performed while wearing armor). In addition, Thursday's 200-meter individual medley victory was Phelps' fourth consecutive win in that discipline.
- 8/12/2016
- by Karen Mizoguchi
- PEOPLE.com
They may both represent Team USA and be friends in real life, but all bets are off when Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte are competing in separate lanes. For four straight Summer Olympic Games, the swimming phenomenons have been going head-to-head in one of the best rivalries in sports, including Thursday night when the pair face-off in the 200-meter individual medley final after Phelps narrowly beat Lochte in the semifinals Wednesday night. Phelps, 31, is the most decorated athlete in Olympic history. He has 25 medals to his credit - 21 gold, two silver and two bronze. But Lochte, 32, is no slouch in the medals department.
- 8/11/2016
- by Stephanie Petit, @stephpetit_
- PEOPLE.com
Michael Phelps has broken plenty of records in his swimming career, but only one was 2,168 years in the making. When the 31-year-old phenomenon earned his 12th individual gold medal (20th overall) in the men's 200-meter butterfly, he also tied record for most individual wins in Olympics history, set in 152 BC by Leonidas of Rhodes, according to Olympic historian Bill Mallon. An esteemed runner, Leonidas won three events - the stadion (a sprint), the diaulos (a longer run) and the hoplite race (a run performed while wearing armor) - in four straight Olympiads. Mallon, a former professional golfer and leading authority...
- 8/10/2016
- by Stephanie Petit, @stephpetit_
- PEOPLE.com
Michael Phelps is already racking up gold medals in Rio with the men's 4x100m relay. He still has three events left to dominate - including the 200m fly tonight. Back in 2008, People profiled the then 23-year-old athlete about winning eight gold medals in Beijing (and his mother's new discovery - text messaging.) Read on for the original story.Michael Phelps pulled off something amazing, impossible, mind-boggling - he taught his mother, Debbie, how to text. "She just started, I got her into it," explains Phelps, who tutored his mom, a 57-year-old middle school principal in Baltimore, in the basics of text messaging.
- 8/9/2016
- by Cynthia Wang Alex Tresniowski and Melody Simmons
- PEOPLE.com
Hard to believe, but it’s been four years since Daniel Craig, the Spice Girls, J.K. Rowling, Kenneth Branagh, Mr. Bean, Queen Elizabeth II herself and a couple of camera-ready corgis kicked off the Summer Olympics in London.
Those opening ceremonies set a rather high bar — what with 007 and the freaking queen (!) skydiving (!!) in to get things started* — so 2016’s Brazil-set games were going to have to work overtime to match the grandeur of London’s big opening number. (Don’t even get us started on Beijing in 2008.)
RelatedBrazilian Soccer Legend Pele to Skip 2016 Olympics Opening Ceremony
As Friday’s...
Those opening ceremonies set a rather high bar — what with 007 and the freaking queen (!) skydiving (!!) in to get things started* — so 2016’s Brazil-set games were going to have to work overtime to match the grandeur of London’s big opening number. (Don’t even get us started on Beijing in 2008.)
RelatedBrazilian Soccer Legend Pele to Skip 2016 Olympics Opening Ceremony
As Friday’s...
- 8/6/2016
- TVLine.com
There's nothing like an over-the-top spectacle to get the world in the Olympic spirit. The 2016 Rio Games will kick off with the Opening Ceremonies, which begin on Friday at 7 p.m. Est at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (NBC will start airing the ceremony an hour later - at 8 p.m. Est - so they can "curate" the broadcast.) There are reports that the ceremony, produced in part by Brazilian film director Fernando Meirelles, will cost just 10 percent of the massive budget spent on the London Opening Ceremonies in 2012, which cost $41.5 million. "We are in a financial crisis,...
- 8/5/2016
- by Maria Yagoda
- PEOPLE.com
There's nothing like an over-the-top spectacle to get the world in the Olympic spirit. The 2016 Rio Games will kick off with the Opening Ceremonies, which begin on Friday at 7 p.m. Est at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (NBC will start airing the ceremony an hour later - at 8 p.m. Est - so they can "curate" the broadcast.) There are reports that the ceremony, produced in part by Brazilian film director Fernando Meirelles, will cost just 10 percent of the massive budget spent on the London Opening Ceremonies in 2012, which cost $41.5 million. "We are in a financial crisis,...
- 8/5/2016
- by Maria Yagoda
- PEOPLE.com
The Olympics aren't just about winning gold medals - they also give athletes a chance to get their names in the record books. And while it's highly unlikely anyone is going to walk away from Rio with more medals than Michael Phelps, everyone sure can try. Here, eight interesting Olympic records all athletes can aspire to break: 1. The longest long jump.This will be one to beat in Rio. Why? Because no one has managed to do so since the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, when Bob Beamon made an 8.9-meter jump. While the world record has been broken, (in 1991, by...
- 8/3/2016
- by Diana Pearl, @dianapearl_
- PEOPLE.com
The Olympics aren't just about winning gold medals - they also give athletes a chance to get their names in the record books. And while it's highly unlikely anyone is going to walk away from Rio with more medals than Michael Phelps, everyone sure can try. Here, eight interesting Olympic records all athletes can aspire to break: 1. The longest long jump.This will be one to beat in Rio. Why? Because no one has managed to do so since the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, when Bob Beamon made an 8.9-meter jump. While the world record has been broken, (in 1991, by...
- 8/3/2016
- by Diana Pearl, @dianapearl_
- PEOPLE.com
Nathan Adrian faces many pressures as an Olympic swimmer. But among the training and competitive strains lies a little-talked-about struggle: dating. "Dating as an Olympic athlete is extremely hard," the 27-year-old told People shortly before he qualified for the Rio Olympics, his third Summer Games, late last month. "There are a lot of things that people don't understand unless they were in the same kind of position you were in. The levels of empathy have to be high in a partner if you are able to have a relationship." Adrian, who says he just came out of a relationship, also...
- 7/30/2016
- by Dave Quinn, @NineDaves
- PEOPLE.com
Jackie Chan and the Bleeding Steel team.
Heyi Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures Asia announced the beginning of principal photography of the Jackie Chan sci-fi actioner.Bleeding Steel yesterday.
Written and directed by Leo Zhang, Bleeding Steel was unveiled at a press conference at the Sydney Opera House, the slopes of which would no doubt be suitable for one of Chan's trademark stunts.
The film is the biggest budget Chinese production ever to shoot in Australia, and the Canberra-raised Chan.s first to be shot primarily in Australia since Mr. Nice Guy shot in Melbourne in 1996.
The president of Heyi Pictures, Kailuo Liu, described Chan as .a gift to the film industry., and said he was "confident that with Heyi Pictures. powerful internet resources in the Chinese film industry and Jackie.s international influence, coupled with our first-class production team and an extraordinary sci-fi story, we will be able to...
Heyi Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures Asia announced the beginning of principal photography of the Jackie Chan sci-fi actioner.Bleeding Steel yesterday.
Written and directed by Leo Zhang, Bleeding Steel was unveiled at a press conference at the Sydney Opera House, the slopes of which would no doubt be suitable for one of Chan's trademark stunts.
The film is the biggest budget Chinese production ever to shoot in Australia, and the Canberra-raised Chan.s first to be shot primarily in Australia since Mr. Nice Guy shot in Melbourne in 1996.
The president of Heyi Pictures, Kailuo Liu, described Chan as .a gift to the film industry., and said he was "confident that with Heyi Pictures. powerful internet resources in the Chinese film industry and Jackie.s international influence, coupled with our first-class production team and an extraordinary sci-fi story, we will be able to...
- 7/29/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Most athletes never make it to even a single Olympic Games, let alone three. Later this month at the Olympic trials in Omaha, Nebraska, swimmer Matt Grevers - a six-time Olympic medalist and four-time world champion - will try to make his third trip to the Games, this time in Rio. He wants to relive the indescribable joy of representing his nation - and winning. "It's the best feeling in the world," he tells People. Grevers' Olympic career started with disaster. In 2004, after training only indoors as a youth in suburban Chicago and at Northwestern University, Grevers was faced with...
- 6/26/2016
- by Brad Poole
- PEOPLE.com
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Die Hard 2 director Renny Harlin's taking on a movie adaptation of the Chinese Mmo, Legend Of The Ancient Sword...
If the curse of the videogame movie adaptation has lifted anywhere, it's in the Far East. Over the past few days, Duncan Jones' Warcraft movie has risen to $156m in China - a stark contrast to the Us, where it struggled to crack the $30m mark on its opening weekend. The reason? Because World Of Warcraft (the videogame) is absolutely huge in that part of the world, and its loyal fans have turned up in the significant numbers to support the film in its opening week. If Universal eventually commits to making a sequel to Warcraft, the draw of the Chinese box office will be the reason why.
All of this will be music to the ears of the Chinese company Alibaba, which is branching into the movie business with a videogame adaptation of its own. Legend Of The Ancient Sword doesn't have quite the same global recognition as Warcraft, but its following in China is large enough that Alibaba is committing a "significant" sum of money into adapting it into a movie.
Legend Of The Ancient Sword will be directed by Renny Harlin, best known for such 90s successes as Die Hard 2: Die Harder, Cliffhanger and The Long Kiss Goodnight. His previous project was Skiptrace - an action caper starring Jackie Chan and Johnny Knoxville - which is due out this summer in China. Indeed, Harlin clearly has plans to make the Far East a permanent base of operations for his filmmaking, as Variety reports that the Finnish director has set up a branch of his production company, Midnight Sun, in Beijing.
As for Legend Of The Ancient Sword, Alibaba have big plans for it, including two further movies and a spin-off TV series.
“This is a big, epic fantasy adventure,” Harlin tells Variety. “My ambition is to integrate this Chinese property with Hollywood story telling and visual effects and to introduce new fighting techniques.”
In case you were wondering what the game looks like, here's a handy video:
More news on this as we get it.
Variety
See related The lessons we’ve learned from Renny Harlin’s Cliffhanger Renny Harlin interview: 5 Days Of War, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and directing low-budget war films Renny Harlin interview: 12 Rounds, Die Hard, and the Alien 3 that never was Movies News Games Ryan Lambie Renny Harlin 14 Jun 2016 - 09:18 Legend Of The Ancient Sword Renny Harlin Die Hard 2 movies...
google+
Die Hard 2 director Renny Harlin's taking on a movie adaptation of the Chinese Mmo, Legend Of The Ancient Sword...
If the curse of the videogame movie adaptation has lifted anywhere, it's in the Far East. Over the past few days, Duncan Jones' Warcraft movie has risen to $156m in China - a stark contrast to the Us, where it struggled to crack the $30m mark on its opening weekend. The reason? Because World Of Warcraft (the videogame) is absolutely huge in that part of the world, and its loyal fans have turned up in the significant numbers to support the film in its opening week. If Universal eventually commits to making a sequel to Warcraft, the draw of the Chinese box office will be the reason why.
All of this will be music to the ears of the Chinese company Alibaba, which is branching into the movie business with a videogame adaptation of its own. Legend Of The Ancient Sword doesn't have quite the same global recognition as Warcraft, but its following in China is large enough that Alibaba is committing a "significant" sum of money into adapting it into a movie.
Legend Of The Ancient Sword will be directed by Renny Harlin, best known for such 90s successes as Die Hard 2: Die Harder, Cliffhanger and The Long Kiss Goodnight. His previous project was Skiptrace - an action caper starring Jackie Chan and Johnny Knoxville - which is due out this summer in China. Indeed, Harlin clearly has plans to make the Far East a permanent base of operations for his filmmaking, as Variety reports that the Finnish director has set up a branch of his production company, Midnight Sun, in Beijing.
As for Legend Of The Ancient Sword, Alibaba have big plans for it, including two further movies and a spin-off TV series.
“This is a big, epic fantasy adventure,” Harlin tells Variety. “My ambition is to integrate this Chinese property with Hollywood story telling and visual effects and to introduce new fighting techniques.”
In case you were wondering what the game looks like, here's a handy video:
More news on this as we get it.
Variety
See related The lessons we’ve learned from Renny Harlin’s Cliffhanger Renny Harlin interview: 5 Days Of War, The Long Kiss Goodnight, and directing low-budget war films Renny Harlin interview: 12 Rounds, Die Hard, and the Alien 3 that never was Movies News Games Ryan Lambie Renny Harlin 14 Jun 2016 - 09:18 Legend Of The Ancient Sword Renny Harlin Die Hard 2 movies...
- 6/13/2016
- Den of Geek
Amyra Dastur wrapped up the shoot of her first international project. Before leaving for Mumbai, the four actors packed up and sat down for a very small dinner at Jackie Chan’s office in Beijing and said their goodbyes until they meet again.
The post Amyra Dastur, Sonu Sood, Disha Patni Have Dinner With Jackie Chan appeared first on BollySpice.com.
The post Amyra Dastur, Sonu Sood, Disha Patni Have Dinner With Jackie Chan appeared first on BollySpice.com.
- 5/17/2016
- by Press Releases
- Bollyspice
Experts on a “local to global” panel today at Filmart said the next step for the growing Chinese film industry would be to co-produce with Hollywood and start exploiting possible online distribution platforms.
While Us studios have been making inroads into local language ventures, Chinese producers are now looking to the potential of English-language co-productions.
“Both need an intermediate stage, and go through co-productions to learn from each other,” said Tin Mok, CEO, Apac, at Beijing-based LeEco.
“Mainland China at present is a rapidly developing market with box office that will exceed the Us in two years, so it’s a good opportunity,” said Wong Jing, CEO of Mega-Vision Project Workshop Limited.
Mok said: “If we want to reach out – we should work with overseas studios to try to come up with new ways of thinking and not based solely on the Chinese market for development. We must work with mainstream culture in other countries.”
At...
While Us studios have been making inroads into local language ventures, Chinese producers are now looking to the potential of English-language co-productions.
“Both need an intermediate stage, and go through co-productions to learn from each other,” said Tin Mok, CEO, Apac, at Beijing-based LeEco.
“Mainland China at present is a rapidly developing market with box office that will exceed the Us in two years, so it’s a good opportunity,” said Wong Jing, CEO of Mega-Vision Project Workshop Limited.
Mok said: “If we want to reach out – we should work with overseas studios to try to come up with new ways of thinking and not based solely on the Chinese market for development. We must work with mainstream culture in other countries.”
At...
- 3/14/2016
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Beijing-based Le Vision Pictures is to unveil Daniel Lee’s action suspense title The Lost Tomb and Guo Jingming’s fantasy epic L.O.R.D. at Hong Kong’s Filmart.
Based on a popular web novel, The Lost Tomb stars Jing Boran (Monster Hunt), Lu Han, Ma Sichun and Wang Jingchun in a story about an uncle and nephew exploring ancient tombs. The feature is in post-production.
Guo’s L.O.R.D. (Legend Of Ravaging Dynasties) stars Fan Bingbing, Wu Yifan, William Chan and several actors from Guo’s best-selling Tiny Times franchise, including Yang Mi, Cheney Chen and Amber Kuo. The CGI-driven fantasy is based on Guo’s novel about the wars between four nations with different magical powers.
Ronan Wong, general manager of investment at Le Vision, is attending Filmart to introduce the new titles.
The company’s slate also includes Zhang Qi’s Who Sleeps My Bro, a feature...
Based on a popular web novel, The Lost Tomb stars Jing Boran (Monster Hunt), Lu Han, Ma Sichun and Wang Jingchun in a story about an uncle and nephew exploring ancient tombs. The feature is in post-production.
Guo’s L.O.R.D. (Legend Of Ravaging Dynasties) stars Fan Bingbing, Wu Yifan, William Chan and several actors from Guo’s best-selling Tiny Times franchise, including Yang Mi, Cheney Chen and Amber Kuo. The CGI-driven fantasy is based on Guo’s novel about the wars between four nations with different magical powers.
Ronan Wong, general manager of investment at Le Vision, is attending Filmart to introduce the new titles.
The company’s slate also includes Zhang Qi’s Who Sleeps My Bro, a feature...
- 3/13/2016
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Harvey Weinstein, director? The Weinstein Company co-chairman indeed directed this video, as the concert pianist Lang Lang performed the music from Ennio Morricone’s Oscar-nominated music for The Hateful Eight. Weinstein directed footage of Lang Lang at the Rosewood Hotel in Beijing as both were there for the Chinese premiere of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny. The video is interspersed with clips from the film, which were directed by some other…...
- 2/26/2016
- Deadline
Li Bingbing stars in Nest.
.
Filming has wrapped on the largest ever Chinese-Australian co-production at Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast.
The 3-D Movie, Nest, stars Chinese megastar Li Bingbing, Kellan Lutz (The Twilight Saga, Expendables 3), Kelsey Grammer (Transformers), Stef Dawson (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay), Chinese popstar and actor Wu Chun and Shane Jacobson (The Dressmaker, Oddball, Kenny).
Li Bingbing.s most recent film, Zhongkui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal, on which Arclight Films holds the worldwide sales rights, earned $80 million in China last year.
She is best known internatiionally for her work in Transformers: Age of Extinction, Resident Evil: Retribution and Detective Dee: Mystery of the Phantom Flame.
Nest is the largest Chinese-Australian co-production to date, with investment funding from Screen Australia and Screen Queensland, and features an award-winning team both in front of and behind the camera..
Visual FX will be created by Cutting Edge and the world renowned,...
.
Filming has wrapped on the largest ever Chinese-Australian co-production at Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast.
The 3-D Movie, Nest, stars Chinese megastar Li Bingbing, Kellan Lutz (The Twilight Saga, Expendables 3), Kelsey Grammer (Transformers), Stef Dawson (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay), Chinese popstar and actor Wu Chun and Shane Jacobson (The Dressmaker, Oddball, Kenny).
Li Bingbing.s most recent film, Zhongkui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal, on which Arclight Films holds the worldwide sales rights, earned $80 million in China last year.
She is best known internatiionally for her work in Transformers: Age of Extinction, Resident Evil: Retribution and Detective Dee: Mystery of the Phantom Flame.
Nest is the largest Chinese-Australian co-production to date, with investment funding from Screen Australia and Screen Queensland, and features an award-winning team both in front of and behind the camera..
Visual FX will be created by Cutting Edge and the world renowned,...
- 2/12/2016
- by Brian Karlovsky
- IF.com.au
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