From: NO TOP TEN CENTRAL Newsgroups: alt.asian-movies,soc.culture.hongkong.entertainment Subject: [TAKE OVER] HKSAR Film No Top 10 Box Office (April 4 2013) Organization: Chaffing Heart Club (TM) The following publication contains material that might be objectionable to some readers. Parental guidance and reader discretion are advised. [FLUFF OF THE WEEK] Courtesy of Ming Pao, Sing Tao Daily, Apple Daily, Oriental Daily, and Ta Kung Pao 1. THIS TOP 10 IS DEDICATED TO A. Linda Chung Ka Yun who celebrates her birthday on the 9th B. Wilson Chin Kwok Wai who celebrates his birthday on the 9th C. Jackie Chan who celebrates his birthday on the 7th D. Andrew Lau Wai Keung who celebrates his birthday on the 4th 2. MISCELLANEOUS * (2013/04/10) This year's Hong Kong Film Award Best Supporting Actress nominees have a lot of variety. Nominees included DaDa Chan Jing, veteran actresses Susan Shaw Yam Yam and Elaine Jin (Kam Yin Ling), Mainland actress Jiang Yiyan and Taiwan singer Mavis Fan Hiu Huen, young middle and old all in one pot. The youngest, the 24 year old DaDa with the controversial film VULGARIA (DAI JOOK HEI KET) was nominated. In the film she played a starlet "Popping Candy" who was willing to provide "special service" to filmmakers in order to rise to stardom. Her performance broke the flower vase image. Last year she was nominated at the Taiwan Golden Horse Award and was also a Hong Kong Film Award favorite. DaDa stated that being able to participate in this film event for the first time was already a dream come true. "When I was little I really liked watching movies, I never thought I would be able to participate. I am truly very happy to be at the same place with so many elders. This time I am recognized in the place where I was born and raised, an even greater encouragement than last time (Golden Horse Award). It's like a dream!" Speaking of two time Best Supporting Actress Shaw Yam Yam also was nominated with VULGARIA. Was she confident about beating her elder? DaDa said, "Sister Yam yam told me not to fight with her for it, I of course don't dare to! However later she suggested winning it together, if so then that would be the best. If I said I don't want to win that would be untrue, but other nominees are very strong. I don't dare to think too much. Ultimately the more award the film gets the happier I am." DaDa said that her friends all encouraged her but also added to her pressure. How would she prepare? She said that losing weight was the first task. "I ate a lot during the Lunar New Year, when I was working on a movie many co-workers bought a lot of food to visit. Earlier I was sick and didn't have the energy to exercise. Lately I started to look for a fitness trainer to work out with me and I am slowly dieting. I can't stop eating all at once, I am someone who has to have food to be able to move." Best Supporting Actress Nominations Susan Shaw Yam Yam (VULGARIA) DaDa Chan Jing (VULGARIA) Jiang Yiyan (THE BULLET VANISHES) Elaine Jin (Kam Yin Ling, THE VIRAL FACTOR) Mavis Fan Hiu Huen (THE SILENT WAR) Among the Hong Kong Film Award Best Supporting Actress nominees are female stars from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Aside from Chan Jing and Shaw Yam Yam, the other three had their own strengths. Nominated with the Emperor Motion Picture THE VIRAL FACTOR, Kam Yin Ling has always been known as the "Supporting Role Heavenly Queen" as she has won three Golden Horse Award and Hong Kong Film Award for Best Supporting Actress. Of course she was the favorite. Mainland actress Jiang Yiyan and Taiwan representative Fan Hiu Heun both were nominated for the first time. Jiang Yiyan who graduated from the famous school Beijing Film Academy Performance Department had solid acting; Fan Hiu Huen started as a singer but her performance in THE SILENT WAR was solid and could be the award winning dark horse. Among the New Director award, the favorite had to be the NIGHTFALL (DAI JUI BO) nominee Roy Chow Hin Yeung. Earlier he with the film won the Hong Kong Federation of Filmmakers' 2012 Best New Director Award. Conceivably another victory would not be hard. However, Roy said that he never thought about being nominated. "Ultimately viewers decide the film's performance, the best answer is when viewers buy tickets and go in. Now the most important is to focus on making a new film good, work hard on a breakthrough. Then I can answer to the audience and to myself." Although Roy did not seem to care too much about awards, his enthusiasm for film indeed was worth the nomination and the award! In addition, Roy said that he rather appreciate the five Best Supporting Actress nominees' performance, but he said that veteran actresses Shaw Yam Yam and Kam Yin Ling were the favorites. New Director Nominations Roy Chow Hin Yeung (NIGHTFALL) Brian Tse Lap Man (MCDULL THE PORK OF MUSIC) Fung Chih-Chiang (THE BOUNTY) * (2013/04/10) Simon Yam Tat Wa and Donnie Yen Chi Tan worked together on the film THE ICEMAN COMETH 3D (3D BING FUNG HUP), which is heating up in production. Brother Wa and Chi Tan in the film had many action scenes. To make the fights look better, Brother Wa even worked out in order to be at his best against Chi Tan. Playing a cop in the film, Brother Wa in order to capture Chi Tan used every trick in the book. One of which was to don disguises like Chi Tan. Earlier the crew poured a mold on him at the set. Director Law Wing Cheong presented a birthday cake for a belated birthday to him. Yam Tat Wa revealed that he had a lot of stunts in the film, even chased Yen Chi Tan on a helicopter. He would also fight with Chi Tan. To challenge the Strongest in the Universe, Brother Wa got himself into shape. They would also battle wits in the film. Chi Tan in the film was an ancient hero who travel through time to the present. Brother Wa was modern cop who opposed Chi Tan. In order to capture Chi Tan he often had to battle wits and strength with him. Because Chi Tan in the film was a master of disguise, Brother Wa also donned disguise to capture him. Earlier Brother Wa on the set prepared for his disguise. He had to sit still for several hours for the crew to pour a mold on him. Brother Wa said that his first mold experience was a lot of fun. He said, "I felt very interesting, originally I was worried whether it would look different from me. Actually when the mold was done it was exactly like me." Of course, after post production, this mold will turn into another look and Brother Wa would use it to turn into someone else, sneak into places where Chi Tan frequented and wait for the chance to catch him. As for what Brother Wa turned into, he kept it secret. Everyone would know when they watch the movie. In addition, that day the team gave Brother Wa a surprise and presented a cake for his belated birthday. Brother Wa was touched. He said that he was already used to celebrating his birthday at work, but after having a family he would try to make time to be with his family. As for birthday wish, he said, "World peace, stable society, good health for everyone, in particular this time for THE ICEMAN COMETH 3D I even need to have a strong body!" Speaking of working with director Law Wing Cheong, Brother Wa said that he was very confident. Earlier when he worked for Johnnie To Kei Fung they have already worked together many times. Thus he and Law Wing Cheong were very familiar and had a great relationship. During the shot they were full of chemistry. * (2013/04/10) Yesterday North Korea warned foreigners in South Korea to leave immediately. Coincidentally Wai Ying Hung arrived in Seoul to prepare to work on the film WINTER IS HOPED (DONG LUEN MONG YUT). Siu Hung said that she was not worried at all. She said, "I received many friends' text messages, telling me that the situation was severe. I went 'wow!' and thought 'really?'. I went to ask the Korean workers. They all smiled and said that North Korea always says that and told me not to worry because foreigners have not left yet. North Korea every time used foreigners have not left yet as a reason and finally did not act." Did Siu Hung sense any tension in Seoul? She said, "Locals don't care at all, feeling that they don't have any problem." Siu Hung continued, "I don't feel people are stocking up on food. I am however stocking up on masks (facial masks). Last night I went to Dongdaemun and bought HK$14,000 worth of masks for myself and for friends. All the suitcases I brought are full. I even had 3 big bags. We were still at Dongdaemun around 9PM, it couldn't be busier. I didn't feel any tension at all. Today during lunch I took the chance bought more clothes." Siu Hung today will complete her Seoul scenes and shoot a few days in the country before returning to Hong Kong. Siu Hung was not worried about and did not want war as she wished for world peace. * (2013/04/10) The 32nd Hong Kong Film Award will take place at the Cultural Center Saturday. Nominated for Best Actress with THE SILENT WAR (TING FUNG JEH) and THE GREAT MAGICIAN (DAI MOR SHOOK SI), Zhou Xun will compete with LOVE IN THE BUFF (CHUN GIU YU JI MING)'s Miriam Yeung Chin Wa, ROMANCING IN THIN AIR (GO HOI BUT JI LUEN II)'s Sammi Cheng Sau Man and LOVE LIFTING (GO GUI OI)'s Elanne Kong Yeuk Lam. Originally the favorite with two nominations, Zhou Xun yesterday through her office announced online that due to work she will not be able to attend. In the announcement she even revealed, "I also sincerely hope to give more award winning opportunities to actresses of the younger generation." In terms of acting and experience, she, Cheng Sau Man and Yeung Chin Wa were on par, only the dark horse Kong Yeuk Lam was the youngest. Perhaps Zhou Xun already expected not to win? Zhou Xun's office yesterday announced, "Sorry due to inability to adjust her work schedule, Zhou Xun will not be able to attend this Hong Kong Film award. She said that the nomination was already the biggest recognition. Thank you Hong Kong Film Award and Hong Kong filmmakers for their support and love for her over the years, she will definitely continue to work hard. She also sincerely hopes to give even more award winning opportunities to actresses of the younger generation. The future is very long and she will firmly take every step. Thank you again to the 32nd Hong Kong Film Award." Zhou Xun's last minute announcement of absence due to work would absolutely not be a surprise, yet "she also sincerely hopes to give even more award winning opportunities to actresses of the younger generation" sounded off. Perhaps she already predicted who would win? Or because she thought she would not win due to her absence and the award would be a competition between the remaining three? Zhou Xun had two Best Actress nominations, everyone thought that her votes might be divided. Yet because she was a substance Best Actress she was still the favorite. Did Zhou Xun thnk that due to the vote split, her chance would not be high and used work as an excuse for her absence? Actually among the other nominees, Sammi and Chin Wa might not have won the Hong Kong Film Award before but they have worked in the film industry for 10 years. They were not new comers. Did she mean that she picked the dark horse Kong Yeuk Lam to win? * (2013/04/10) Elanne Kong Yeuk Lam was nominated for the Hong Kong Film Award Best Actress and had a chance for a surprise win. She said that recently she has been nervous about what she would wear, she often dreamed that the dress would get short or a different style. However she has chosen a white transparent dress. With a mysterious sexiness, she would not compete career line with DaDa Chan Jing and the transparent dress would not be like Gan Lulu's. It would be suitable for her age. Kong Yeuk Lam was at peace and thought that the nomination was already an award in itself. However she has thought about who she would thank if she won, like Chapman To Man Jat, Herman Yau Lai To and investor Daneil Lam Siu Ming. * (2013/04/10) Nicholas Tse Ting Fung yesterday returned to Hong Kong from Ningbo in preparation to attend tonight's Huading Awards. He was in great spirits and answered all questions. He even joked with the reporters. Yesterday around 1:30PM, with sunglasses on Ting Fung walked out alone in casual wear. he said that he just attended a friend's gathering in Ningbo and returned to Hong Kong. Speaking of Mainland's H7N9 pandemic has worsen, Ting Fung said that this news of course was not good, urged everyone to be careful and frequently wash their hands. Was he worried about his sons' health? Ting Fung nodded. Ting Fung this year with THE BULLET VANISHES (SIU SUT DIK JI DAN) would compete for the Huading Award Best Actor. Was he confident about winning an award? He lightly replied, "I will worry about it later. (You are leading in online voting?) Really, I didn't look." Speaking of his former wife Cecilia Cheung Pak Chi's participation in a Mainland diving television program, was he worried that she would be injured? Ting Fung said that he did not deliberately contact her. "She has to prepare before the contest, do you think their show is stupid?" * (2013/04/10) Two Best Actors Aaron Kwok Fu Sing and Nick Cheung Ka Fai, director Oxide Pang Shun, Jiang Yiyan, Terence Siufay worked together on the film CONSPIRATORS (TUNG MAU). Two nights ago a charity premiere was held. Sing Sing talked about going to the Mainland yesterday to test out a race car then coordinate with CONSPIRATORS' promotional tour for its Mainland release on the 27th. With the Mainland H7N9 pandemic, he avoided talking about whether girlfriend Lynn Xiong (Hung Doi Lam) was concerned for his safety. He admitted that he was worried but due to work he could do nothing about it. Kwok Fu Sing and Cheung Ka Fai both wore gray suit jackets and appeared as "brothers". They also traded compliments. Because Cheung Ka Fai announced that he would be busy with a movie he would not be able to coordinate with the film's Mainland promotional tour. Sing Sing said, "Leave the promotions to me!" Sing Sing admitted that he was worried about the Mainland H7N9 bird flu, but for work he could do nothing about it. Ka Fai asked Sing Sing to cancel the Mainland promotions, but Sing Sing asked, "That depends on you, you go I go; you don't go I don't go either!" Ka Fai joked, "That's not too good either. I have to make METAMORPHOSIS (SO DUK) and can't go. You have to be careful when you go by yourself!" Ka Fai was asked whether due to a child at home he was more alert with H7N9 prevention? He said, "No, everyone should be concerned with health." Sing Sing suddenly revealed, "I have a child at home too...but it's my older sister's!" Ka Fai immediately struck back and joked, "Your older sister took the fall for you, you hid for so long? Did the child have an adult identification card yet?" Sing Sing joked, "(The child) will soon get a senior card!" Sing Sing took over the promotion burden so he asked Ka Fai to make up for it with dinner. Ka Fai said, "I want to ride in your sports car and go on a joy ride with you!" Sing Sing was confident that H7N9 will not affect the film's box office performance because the government and the people both paid attention to health and hygiene. When he would promote in the Mainland he would ask fans to take the full preventive precaution. The Mainland actress Jiang Yiyan with the film THE BULLET VANISHES (SIU SUT DIK JI DAN) received a Hong Kong Film Award Best Supporting Actress nomination. She said that she was confident. Even if she lost she would still pick Zhou Xun to be Best Actress; however she would not be sexy. Her dress for the award show would be mainly cute and simple. * (2013/04/10) Currently in release in the Mainland, DRUG WAR (DUK JIN) was revealed to be the victim of box office theft at the hands of another film THE CHEF, THE ACTOR, THE SCOUNDREL. Earlier someone displayed online a ticket and claimed that he went to see DRUG WAR, yet the ticket was for THE CHEF, THE ACTOR, THE SCOUNDREL. Thus the ticket counted toward the latter's box office. Since the incident involved its reputation, THE CHEF's film company asked a reputable box office supervision company to investigate in detail and confirmed that the incident took place in a Sichuan cinema. On April 5 at the 21:20 show the illegal sale took place and used that day's 16:00 THE CHEF, THE ACTOR, THE SCOUNDREL's expired ticket to watch DRUG WAR. Through the use of the recycled ticket, the box office revenue was omitted from the box office system. According to the box office supervision company's statement, the move brought losses for DRUG WAR's film company and affected THE CHEF's film company reputation. Thus it suggested to stop further similar behavior and at the same time effective immediately films that the company represented would stop providing films to the cinema. In other words both films were victims. * (2013/04/09) The 32nd Hong Kong Film Award will take place on April 13. The Best Supporting Actor competition is no less than the Best Actor battle! Ronald Cheng Chung Kei (VULGARIA) is brutally funny, Gordon Lam Ka Tung (COLD WAR) has courage and schemes, Chapman To Man Jat (DIVA) steals the spotlight with his dirty ways, Liu Kai Chi (THE BULLET VANISHES) is evil and arrogant, Alex Man Chi Leung (THE BOUNTY) is exaggerated and crazy. Among the 5 nominees, aside from Cheng Chung Kei the other 4 have toiled on television for a long time. Winning Best Supporting Actor with CAGEMAN and THE BEAST STALKER, Liu Kai Chi has better odds. With 34 years in the business, even the Encyclopedia of Virtual Communities in Hong Kong uses his photo to represent "substance" actor. Uncle Chi admitted that acting was a consideration of reality. "I still have to eat! However actors have one advantage: they will always face different new challenges." When Uncle Chi won his second Best Supporting Actor award, he said that he would put the award next to the photo of his late younger son Lok Lok. Years later, his beloved son remained in Uncle Chi's heart. "In life you always have to face rises and falls. Learning to act in the end is learning to live, because acting is bringing everyday life in front of the camera." Lam Ka Tung 4 years ago received good reviews as the traitor in IP MAN but finally lost to Uncle Chi. This year with COLD WAR he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for the third time. He said that he was only 50% confident. "The award I definitely want to win, but my confidence is truly average. This movie shows everyone that still so many people want to put an effort into Hong Kong film, which is more important than money and award." Seemingly having worked with all the Best Actors, Lam Ka Tung joked that he was collecting stamps. As for the longing to play lead, he said, "For a moment I have thought about having to play the lead, but now I would work only if I feel it's suitable. Ultimately film has to meet financial benefits, if you can sell overseas naturally you are the lead." Best Supporting Actor Nominees Ronald Cheng Chung Kei (VULGARIA) Liu Kai Chi (THE BULLET VANISHES) Gordon Lam Ka Tung (COLD WAR) Chapman To Man Jat (DIVA) Alex Man Chi Leung (THE BOUNTY) * (2013/04/09) Starting from TVB artist training class, Sammy Sum Chun Hin last year stepped foot into the film industry. With LAN KWAI FONG 2 (HEI OI YEH PO 2)'s Lan Kwai Fong USB he was nominated for the Hong Kong Film Award Best New Actor. When asked about his chances, he said that he has always lacked the luck of the draw. The nomination was already a victory for him. Currently working on a series in the Mainland he already took time off to attend the award show. Experiencing on the red carpet walk was already very gratifying for him. Sammy's road to the nomination was full of obstacles. At first he was nominated as an alternate, later he was accused of guest starring in other movies and was in danger of being stripped. He said, "No matter what I would respect the event. I never hide the fact that I have played many small roles, but this time is the first time I applied for an nomination and finally I have a character. I can say I meet the qualification." Best Actor nominees have varying backgrounds. Playing a theft team member in Jackie Chan's film CZ12, Mainland actress Zhang Lanxin looks refreshing and was a 2004 Tae Kwon do national champion. When the film opened she used her high heels to hook a set of keys to display her flexibility. Later in the film the romantic scene showed her range. Obviously she was capable of both action and drama. TAI CHI's Yuan Xiaochao is even stronger. The 2008 Beijing Olympics Changquan gold medal winner, he immediately lands the lead in his big screen debut but reveals his acting shortcoming. Mainland actress Feng Wenjuan graduated from central Drama Academy Performance Department, her performance in THE LAST TYCOON (DAI SEUNG HOI) is a pleasant surprise; COLD WAR's Tsui Ka Kit is much older than his competition. His acting is steady but lacks surprise. Best New Actor Nominations Zhang Lanxin (CZ12) Feng Wenjuan (THE LAST TYCOON) Yuan Xiaochao (TAI CHI 0) Tsui Ka Kit (COLD WAR) Sammy Sum Chun Hin (LAN KWAI FONG 2) * (2013/04/09) The Oxide Pang Shun directed new film CONSPIRATORS (TUNG MAU) invited two Best Actors Aaron Kwok Fu Sing and Nick Cheung Ka Fai to work together. Actually CONSPIRATORS is THE DETECTIVE (C+ JING TAM) and THE DETECTIVE II (B+ JING TAM)'s final chapter. In the film they both played detectives. During their investigation action scenes were inevitable. They both said that their action scenes were on par. Sing Sing was not spared due to having been in two films already. Kwok Fu Sing and Cheung Ka Fai worked together for the first time. Ka Fai in the film even appeared in a wig. He pointed out that the wig could actually keep evil spirits away and joked that it was already the best choice among the choices. Ka Fai in recent years had many films with mostly very heavy characters. Earlier in NIGHTFALL (DAI JUI BO) he was even mute. Thus when Pang Shun asked him to play this Cheng Fung Hei he immediately agreed. He said, "This time the character was lighter, earlier I made too many heavy character scenes. Being able to relax a little of course would be the best." However the film was shot in Thailand. Ka Fai said that the location had the most rats and cockroaches, which he was the most afraid of. Luckily Sing Sing made a path for him and scared away those little animals, which he was very appreciative of. Ka Fai in the film not only had an outstanding wig, his "Malaysian Wing Chun" even received high praises from Sing Sing. Sing Sing joked, "Ka Fai in the film knew Wing Chun, even better than (Donnie) Yen Chi Tan. His performance method was very funny. Everyone had a lot of spark." When they had time they would even talk about sports cars. Sing Sing joked that he told Ka Fai not to drive fast. Sing Sing revealed that this time had the most action scenes. Speaking of the film's most dangerous scene, he had to jump from the elevated track three stories above onto street food stalls. The stall's eating utensils had to be handled with care. Before hand they paid a lot of attentions to sharp objects. He said, "Because I jumped into a food stall, where a lot of knives and forks would be. The team wrapped them up in plastic wrap but actually they still hurt if they stabbed you. Thus all the safety precautions must be taken before hand." In the end Sing Sing got the scene in one take, but the director wanted him to try it one more time. He could not help but joke, "Who knows if the director wants me dead." Although this time is the final chapter of THE DETECTIVE series, Sing Sing did not feel down and at the same time would like to be able to work with Ka Fai again. Would he keep making more? He said that would depend on the audience reaction. When asked if he was confident that CONSPIRATORS will receive a Hong Kong Film Award nomination next time? Sing Sing pointed out that he never made a movie for an award, but he said that an award was a type of encouragement to an actor. Being nominated was even a type of recognition. Thus if he was encouraged and recognized he definitely would be the happiest. * (2013/04/09) Miriam Yeung Chin Wa earlier secretly went to the hospital for a surgery. Since only her family and close friends knew, a lot of speculation ensued. Chin Wa who was released from the hospital and recovering yesterday stressed online that her operation was successful but did not mention what procedure she had. Reportedly, Chin Wa during an examination discovered an uterine fibroid and already had the operation to remove it. She should be able to continue to have children. She will even attend this Saturday's Hong Kong Film Award as scheduled and compete for Best Actress with Sammi Cheng Sau Man, Zhou Xun, and Elanne Kong Yeuk Lam. Chin Wa was also rumored that after giving birth Chin Wa did not maintain herself and rushed to work. She even often went to perform in the Mainland and thus fell ill from exhaustion. However Chin Wa before and after giving birth stopped working for over half a year. She just returned to work recently. Not yet 40, she still was full of interest in work, did not feel tired or unable to handle it. Chin Wa this year with LOVE IN THE BUFF (CHUN GIU YU JI MING) was nominated for the Hong Kong Film Award Best Actress. Because she is one of the favorites and surgery she already had enough rest, she will as usual attend and compete for Best Actor. * (2013/04/09) Elanne Kong Yeuk Lam with LOVE LIFTING (GO GUI OI) receives a Hong Kong Film Award Best Actress nomination. Earlier she received a bottle of commemorative Moet et Chandon champagne that was tailored for her and a nomination certificate. Kong Yeuk Lam could not be happier. She also revealed that she blew bubbles to relieve stress. "I just keep inflating bubbles, like I am putting all the stress from inside into them. When it pops all the stress is released. All the tension and unpleasantness are swept away. It's very delightful." She was at peace with the award show, but she had a headache over what to wear. She hoped to make the first shot and win Best Dressed. This year's Hong Kong Film Award program theme was "a salute to film". The event invited the nominees to write about their feeling of "film". Kong Yeuk Lam wrote, "When I was little I would wait for the moment the film developed to discuss and laugh. Now digital production is very casual, deleting it is also very casual." When she posed for the program, because she was posing with Alex Man Chi Leung and Liu Kai Chi she was very nervous. * (2013/04/09) In 2003 Heavenly King Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing and Heavenly Queen Anita Mui Yim Fong both passed away. This year is the 10th anniversary of their passing. At the 32nd Hong Kong Film Award on Saturday, these two superstars of a generation will be remembered in a segment as Anthony Wong Yiu Ming will perform their many classic film songs to remember this great pair of onscreen couple. Aside from remembering Gor Gor, the award show will also have the in memoriam segment, with the orchestra playing film songs to salute the 28 artists and filmmakers who have passed away this year. They included Jacqueline Law Wai Guen, Austin Wai Tin Chi and Kong Ngai. The 32nd Hong Kong Film Award program also had a chapter on Cheung Kwok Wing and Mui Yim Fong. Their friend Stanley Kwam Kam Peng wrote in memory and appreciation of them, as he recalled that back then although Gor Gor and Sister Mui belonged to different film companies, Sister Mui was willing to work with the other company in exchange for Gor Gor to play "Sap Yi Siu" and enabled the perfect pair in ROUGE (YIN JI KAU). * (2013/04/09) After working for years in the Mainland, Alec Su (So Yau Peng) recently worked with Ariel Lin (Lam Yi Sun) on the new Taiwan film SWEET ALIBIS (TIM MUK SAT GEI). The production team shot on location in Kaohsiung. In the film So Yau Peng and Lam Yi Sun played cops for the first time. With many action scenes, they accepted special Taiwan police training that included basic gun holding and firing and arrest techniques. They felt quite refreshed as they even attentively observed how the local police spoke during their investigations, which made their training coach praise them and joked that if they were not actors they could try the police force. So Yau Peng has not returned to work in Taiwan for a long time so he was particularly excited. He visited Kaohsiung landmarks and tried local snacks on his free time. Easygoing, he often went to swim in the indoor swimming pool and greeted fellow swimmers. He said, "This time since I am working in Taiwan, family and friends finally don't have to buy plane tickets to visit me on the set. They can directly come to Kaohsiung." * (2013/04/09) The Johnnie To Kei Fung directed DRUG WAR (DUK JIN) reached 80 million yuan in the Mainland after 5 days. Earlier someone online revealed that he originally bought a ticket to watch DRUG WAR, but the ticket said THE CHEF, THE ACTOR, THE SCOUNDREL. "Box office theft" was suspected. To Kei Fung yesterday promoted DRUG WAR in Shanghai. He said that the "box office theft" made him very sad. "This is very indecent and shameful behavior. Everyone bought tickets to support us but strangely got someone else's tickets. I hope viewers would stand up and reveal this when they run into it." Louis Koo Tin Lok added, "If I see that, I would hit the person who is stealing box office." To Kei Fung revealed that originally Koo Tin Lok's character was even worse, the complete version was over 3 hours long. Due to film length it was cut, but to Mainland viewers this film was the greatest scale police film in recent years. Special forces surrounded the crooks and they still escaped. To Kei Fung's violence aesthetics were reduced due to Mainland standards. He said, "The changes now are already very rare, the film production can't possibly change into as free as Hong Kong overnight. It needs to start. This already has given viewers even more choices." Koo Tin Lok, Huang Yi and Sun Honglei yesterday promoted. Goo Jai revealed that To Kei Fung and Wai Ka Fai's original idea had the drug lord Koo Tin Lok successfully escaping after killing all of the police and the brethren. 8 years later he had another deal in Yunnan and ran into the promoted drug enforcement captain Huang Yi with a team to arrest him. Goo Jai immediately jumped from the bridge, broke one leg and limped off. Later due to funding issue and the Mainland inspection environment, the antagonist was prohibited from getting away scot-free to set up for a sequel. Huang Yi revealed that the film has already shot an unreleased alternate ending. Actually after the gun fight, her character survived. Goo Jai during the execution was still selling out his companions to avoid death. * (2013/04/08) The 32nd Hong Kong Film Award will take place soon. Earlier Best Supporting Actor and Actress nominees like Gordon Lam Ka Tung, Alex Man Chi Leung, Liu Kai Chi, Chapman To Man Jat, Elaine Jin (Kam Yin Ling), Jiang Yiyan and others worked on the program shoot and received famous Swiss watch and jewelry brand Piaget's sponsorship. On the day of the shoot, Best Supporting Actor nominee Ronald Cheng Chung Kei humbly said that the competition was too strong and thought that Man Chi Leung and Lam Ka Tung had better chances. Nominated as a new comer, Chan DaDa is nominated for Best Supporting Actress with her VULGARIA (DAI JOOK HEI KET) co-star Susan Shaw Yam Yam. Mavis Fan Hiu Heun is very grateful for her THE SILENT WAR (TING FUNG JEH) nomination. She said, "I am very lucky to be working with a great Best Actor Tony Leung Chiu Wai and a great Best Actress Zhou Xun in the film. At first I truly felt a lot of pressure, luckily because Xiao Xun and I were too familiar I became relaxed. During breaks either we chatted, sang, danced or told jokes. It was an absolutely pleasant experience." * (2013/04/08) The 32nd Hong Kong Film Award will take place on the 13th at the Hong Kong Cultural Center. The Best Supporting Actor competition has been very fierce as all five nominees are acting heavyweights. A successful film not only has to have thorough performances from its lead actor and actress but also the support of supporting players. The supporting actor position of course cannot be ignored. This year all five Best Supporting Actor nominees are all good actors, they include VULGARIA (DAI JOOK HEI KET)'s Ronald Cheng Chung Kei, THE BULLET VANISHES (SIU SUT DIK JI DAN)'s Liu Kai Chi, COLD WAR (HONG JING)'s Gordon Lam Ka Tung, DIVA's Chapman To Man Jat and THE BOUNTY (YUEN HUNG)'s Alex Man Chi Leung. Always excels in comedy films, Cheng Chung Kei in VULGARIA played a Mainland country accented nouveau riche T-Rex. His Guangxi deluxe banquet and insistence on inviting his childhood idol Susan Shaw Yam Yam to make a comeback in I WANT MORE...AGAIN (GUOON YUN NGOR YAU YUI) already have people applauding. With his 49th Golden Horse Best Supporting Actor award earlier, his acting has already been recognized and naturally he is seen as the favorite. Previous Best Supporting Actor award winner Liu Kai Chi in THE BULLET VANISHES as the villain arsenal boss although does not have a lot of emotional scenes, his sharp eyes are full of acting and he can be seen as a dark horse. As for COLD WAR, everyone focuses on the rivalry between Aaron Kwok Fu Sing and Tony Leung Ka Fai. Their argument scenes are full of explosiveness. Yet as the high ranking police officer Kwong Chi Lap, Lam Ka Tung cannot be overlooked either. In the film his even tempered performance successfully brings to live an anti-hero police character. He even goes with the flow, gauges the situations, and is very able to bring out the power struggle political culture in reality. The To Man Jat produced and starred DIVA has him playing a music industry super manager who in order to improve his singer Yim Ching Yi's career is willing to use dirty tricks. To Man Jat's powerful and smart lines are spirited. He not only has received many nominations with this film but also earlier at the 19th Hong Kong Film Critic Society Award won Best Actor. He can be seen as a big threat to Cheng Chung Kei. Man Chi Leung who has not participated in Hong Kong film in a long time plays father and daughter with Fiona Sit Hoi Kei in THE BOUNTY and cooks up a series of funny scenes. Despite his usual tough guy image he actually has comedic explosiveness. 5 nominees each has his own acting potential, but as a nominee Cheng Chung Kei says that it is hard for him to pick a favorite. However out of friendship he of course picks To Man Jat. He says, "If I am a little biased, I definitely choose To Man Jat. Yet as a friend I of course pick Lam Ka Tung, Man Chi Leung is also very outstanding, nothing more needs to be said of course about Liu Kai Chi!" However To Man Jat also supports his VULGARIA co-star Cheng Chung Kei. He says, "His performance is great, he is in full control and can be the lead actor. He is is a over 100 million box office actor. This time his performance in VULGARIA can be said as condescended." With years in the film industry, Eric Tsang Chi Wai also praises the Cheng Chung Kei played T-Rex as a very outstanding performance. He says, "His performance in VULGARIA truly is very crass." With only a few days away from the 32nd Hong Kong Film Award, Best Actor Simon Yam Tat, this year's Best Director nominee Pang Ho Cheung and film industry newcomer Angelababy reveal their picks for Best Supporting Actress. This year's Hong Kong Film Award Best Supporting Actress is neck and neck. This year's Best Supporting Actress nominees include VULGARIA's Susan Shaw Yam Yam and DaDa Chan Jing, THE VIRAL FACTOR (YIK JIN)'s Elaine Jin (Kam Yin Ling), THE SILENT WAR (TING FUNG JEH)'s Mavis Fan Hiu Huen and THE BULLET VANISHES' Jiang Yiyan. VULGARIA's Shaw Yam Yam and THE VIRAL FACTOR's Kam Yin Ling both have won Best Supporting Actress twice so their substance is beyond any doubt. Fellow VULGARIA nominee Chan Jing successfully transitions from pseudo model to actress. Her "Popping Candy" character is just as outstanding as Josie Ho Chiu Yi's oral erotic queen "Chiu Long Long" in NAKED AMBITION (HO CHING), which also won Ho Chiu Yi the 23rd Hong Kong Film Award Best Supporting Actress. Who knows if Chan Jing will be able to make a killing at the Hong Kong Film Award with her outstanding and daring character. Taiwan singer Fan Hiu Huen does not make many movies, but her acting has received praises from everywhere. She in THE SILENT WAR works with great actors Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Zhou Xun. She even plays Wai Jai's wife, performing to this mild mannered and quietly supportive of Wai Jai wife just right, reserved but with drama. As for the Mainland's Jiang Yiyan she is nominated with THE BULLET VANISHES. She in the film plays a brutal husband killer with layers. Her light romance with Lau Ching Wan is also full of regret. Yet among the strong competition her chance as a dark horse is rather difficult. Best Actor Yam Tat Wa takes one look at the nominations and immediately says that he picks VULGARIA's Shaw Yam Yam. He said that her acting is very outstanding, light yet very funny. VULGARIA director Pang Ho Cheung also picks Shaw Yam Yam, but he says, "Sister Yam Yam has won before, why not give it to Chan Jing. She puts a lot of effort in her performance in the film. Film industry newcomer Angelababy feels that Fan Hiu Huen's acting improves more and more in THE SILENT WAR. She says, "Fan Hiu Huen used to give people a very strong feeling, but this time in THE SILENT WAR she plays a mild mannered girl with an aura. Her performance is very natural, without any awkward feeling at all. She makes people feel that she herself is a good girl like this." * (2013/04/08) Mainland nude model Gan Lulu rose to fame after shooting half naked bathroom personal video with her mother. Two nights ago she appeared in Lan Kwai Fong. Many pedestrians looked on. she even embraced male fans and signed autographs. Mama Gan revealed that her daughter met with 3D SEX AND ZEN (3D YUK PO TUEN) boss Stephen Shiu Jr. and director Christopher Sun Lap Kei to discuss performing in 4D SEX AND ZEN. Gan Lulu said, "The discussion was very pleasant, the details will be announced later." When asked whether she had no bottom line and would bare all, Gan Lulu did not deny anything. "Shu Qi gradually came out for people to accept her. Shu Qi and (Loletta) Lee Lai Chun were all teachers and elders, I hope everyone would gradually accept me." Gan Lulu said that she had a date with Nicholas Tse Ting Fung out of the blue and felt that they had a chance to develop. However everything had to be kept confidential. How did she meet Ting Fung? She said, "I have a surprise for everyone, I met with several artist friends. Tse Ting Fung is already married and free again, I feel he is excellent." * (2013/04/07) Sammy Sum Chun Hin attended his first fan club meeting. Speaking of this year's Hong Kong Film Award Best New Actor nomination, he said that because he has been in many movies his qualification was question. He clarified. "If that's the case then many people wouldn't qualify. Because I came from the TVB training class, the company asked me to play many small roles. However LAN KWAI FONG 2 was my first official character. (Are you confident about winning?) I will do my best, I hope to be more handsome that night. I want to win 'Best Dressed'!" * (2013/04/07) After 7 years, Ronny Yu Yun Tai's latest film SAVING GENERAL YANG (JUNG LIT YEUNG GA JEUNG) has finally been released. The film gathered hunks from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan: Adam Cheng Siu Chau, Dior Cheng Yi Kin, Yu Bo, Vic Chou Yu Man, Raymond Lam Fung, Wu Chun and others. With this group of hunks who looked good and could fight, they were transformed in the Yang Clan Generals of history to bring tou the gradually vanishing spirit of "loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, honor" in today's society. Speaking of working with Raymond Wong Pak Ming on SAVING GENERAL YANG, Yu Yun Tai joked that 3 years ago when Wong Pak Ming suggested the collaboration, he immediately thought of this Yang Clan story and felt that "loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and honor" were worthy of discussion. However the Yang Clan Generals had many historical stories. Thus this time the "sons rescue father" story was purely fictional. He hoped that the simple story would make everyone understand. He said, "The movie wants to say, what is loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and honor? I feel the world now is missing some icons, unlike before when we would worship Bruce Lee. We would have a hero who we could learn from and imitate, so I hoped that this film would enable young people to find targets to learn from, to make them know that a hero had a sense of duty and responsibility." Thus Yu Yun Tai found 7 different types of hunks to play the 7 brothers. First they would draw viewers in, who would then learn from the story. Speaking of the 7 hunks in the film, each was a superstar. To evenly distribute the roles was not easy, Yu Yun Tai however was able to. The most amazing part was he was able to make them all perform in person, without any double they completed a variety of horse riding and battle scenes. He said, "People are selfish, but I would from the start be clear with them, telling them why I would make this movie. This movie wasn't made for just one actor, but for respecting the Yang Clan self sacrificing spirit. They agreed. In addition they were able to accept before they worked together, this was always how I worked -- everything was in the clear, simple and direct. Then our collaboration would be successful." He admitted that he used to want to work with a certain actor, but he turned it down due to the size of the role. He did not blame him, instead he felt it was for the best. It was better than minding this and that after accepting it. He even praised the 7 brothers in the film had great relationships on and off the screen. He even praised Chou Yu Man by name. He said, "Jai Jai truly opened my eyes. He only had 4 lines in the entire film. He was a very cool person. Because he was the sharpshooter, he would always remain behind to protect his family. Jai Jai truly performed very well, completely expressing the silent yet sharp look and never complaining about the lack of lines." Because everyone truly worked together too pleasantly, Yu Yun Tai revealed plans to make a modern version with the same team. The hunks will go from battling on horses to chasing in hot cars. Conceivably the audience would scream! * (2013/04/07) Fashion designer and ballerina Flora Cheung Tin Oi and her second former manger Michael Ying Lee Yuen's only daughter Ying Ka Sin was passionate about cultivating children and decided to create Bebegarten children education center with her friends. Yesterday an opening ceremony took place. Ying Ka Sin had the support of her grandfather Cheung Yau Hing, mother Flora and step mother Brigitte Lin (Lam Ching Ha, Ying Lee Yuen's current wife). Good friends privately, Flora and Ching Ha embraced and exchanged a kiss as both were proud of their daughter's business; Ching Ha who always treated Ka Sin as one of her own was even more excited than Flora. "When Ka Sin was little she and I would chat in bed. At the time she already had a dream of opening a kindergarten, which put parents the most at ease. Thus I encouraged her very much. I didn't give her any suggestion, I just listened to her talk to relieve the work stress. Seeing in person that everything looks in place, I felt very surprised. She is as smart as Papa, she definitely would do something that she wants to do." Ching Ha admitted that Ka Sin was "closer than her own". Yet when asked that Ka Sin seemed to be closer to her than her own mother Cheung Tin Oi, she did not directly respond and told reporters not to say that. As for her comeback plan, Ching Ha said, "No more! Now I am busy with writing, writing my own columns for different publications. Sometimes I would have no idea what to write. Although Ka Sin's Chinese is limited, she would give me an idea. Then I would have an inspiration. For her bushiness, her two little sisters didn't come but are very supportive!" * (2013/04/07) The 32nd Hong Kong Film Awards will take place on April 13th at the Hong Kong Cultural Center. This year the theme will be a salute to film. The program will not only have the nominee's photos but also the Best Picture's film copy. Earlier Best Actor and Best Actress nominees posed for the program. Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress nominees' turns came recently. They dressed elegantly and accessorized with jewelry to display their style. Best Supporting Actress nominees were VULGARIA (DAI JOOK HEI KET)'s Susan Shaw Yam Yam and DaDa Chen Jing, THE BULLET VANISHES (SIU SUT DIK JI DAN)'s Jiang Yiyan, THE VIRAL FACTOR (YIK JIN)'s Elaine Jin (Kam Yin Ling) and THE SILENT WAR (TING FUNG JEH)'s Mavis Fan Hiu Huen. Best Supporting Actor nominees were VULGARIA's Ronald Cheng Chung Kei, THE BULLET VANISHES' Liu Kai Chi, COLD WAR (HONG JING)'s Gordon Lam Ka Tung, DIVA's Chapman To Man Jat and THE BOUNTY (YUEN HUNG)'s Alex Man Chi Leung. The line up had both veteran actors and film industry new comers, the competition would be fierce. VULGARIA's Cheng Chung Kei was the Best Supporting Actor favorite while THE VIRAL FACTOR's Kam Yin Ying was the Best Supporting Actress favorite. * (2013/04/07) Adam Cheng Siu Chau and hunks Wu Chun, Dior Cheng Yi Kin, Raymond Lam Fung starred SAVING GENERAL YANG (JUNG LIT YEUNG GA JEUNG)'s release ran into the Heng Sang index dive. "Ting Hai effect" thus became a topic. In the film, Yang Clan Generals Cheng Yi Kin, Lam Fung, Wu Chun and Vic Chou Yu Man were no match for Chau Guoon. Indeed the older the ginger the spicier it gets. The "Ting Hai effect" began in 1992 with THE GREED OF MAN (DAI SI DOI). After 21 years, Chau Guoon yesterday responded humorously to the "Ting Hai effect" return. He said, "When stock speculators go and watch SAVING GENERAL YANG they would get it!" He promoted the film with "Ting Hai effect", what an effort. * (2013/04/07) Two nights ago Anthony Wong Yiu Ming attended the Hong Kong International Film Festival Cine Fan opening ceremony. At the event Brother Ming received a giant sponsor member card. He joked, "From secondary school to now, I have bought tickets and gone to the movies for over 30 years. Finally I get a VIP card, I am really very happy." * (2013/04/06) Ronald Cheng Chung Kei recently has focused on his film development. Reportedly at the end of last month his Golden Typhoon contract officially came to an end as he finally shook off the "boss' son" title. Ronald planned to direct and establish his own office. In July he will direct another movie, CHEUNG BO JAI with Gordon Chan Ka Seung. * (2013/04/06) The Adam Cheng Siu Chau starred film SAVING GENERAL YANG (JUNG LIT YEUNG GA JEUNG) two days ago was released, did the "Ting Hai effect" appear again? After the Ching Ming Festival holidays, Hong Kong stock market yesterday opened and the Heng Sang Index dropped 610 points to close at 21,726 points. According to analysis, it was purely coincidental. The market was concern that the Mainland bird flu pandemic would spread and the North Korean tension would continue to escalate. Cheng Siu Chau's "Ting Hai effect" has been talked about for 21 years. Since he played Ting Hai in the 1992 TVB series THE GREED OF MAN (DAI SI DOI), whenever he had a series the stock market would decline supposedly due to the "Ting Hai effect". In recent years the "Ting Hai effect" has already gradually subsided, only coincidentally when the series was released it would run into market turbulence. However some still believed in Chau Guoon's power and joked that he should become a fund manager to predict the stock market trends. Cheng Siu Chau in SAVING GENERAL YANG played the father of many hunks like Dior Cheng Yi Kin, Wu Chun, Raymond Lam Fung and Vic Chou Yu Man. The film opened two days ago in Hong Kong. Its single day and advanced box office made about HK$1.3 million. Earlier when Chau Guoon was asked about the "Ting Hai effect", he said that for years he had no idea what people were talking about. Although everyone brought out the numbers, he remained suspicious. He of course said, "If I believe it, I would have been rich!" Photos of Cheng Yi Kin, Chou Yu Man, Yu Bo and others went around the internet. People online joked that the trio died just as brilliantly as the stock owners. Film boss Raymond Wong Pak Ming held an optimistic attitude. "The stock market has rises and falls, later it will rise back again!" The "Ting Hai effect" did not stop the cast from promoting the film. Chou Yu Man, Wu Chun, Yu bo and others promoted nonstop in many places in the Mainland. Jai Jai even gave up attending a friend's wedding banquet to promote and could only congratulate his friend online. Playing the second son, Yu Bo promoted with Jai Jai and they were especially close. In Shenyang, a fan asked Jai Jai if the film box office would exceed 1 billion would he consider wearing swimwear. Yu Bo joked, "It doesn't have to pass 1 billion, after 500 million Jai Jai will distribute his swimwear post!" Wu Chun and Fu Xinbo promoted in Xian. Fu Xinbo remembered being topless with Wu Chun. Wu Chun's fully muscular chest made quite a contrast with his thin figure, thus he could only do push ups on the set. However they did not have much effect. Female lead Ady An Yi Hin did not have to promote but went to see the movie with her family two nights ago in support. Later she posted online. "Tonight I brought my family to watch SAVING GENERAL YANG. As soon as the film started Mama whispered into my ear, 'Daughter you have a role', later the group of ladies often wiped their tears. I silently distributed tissues and saved some for myself. After watching the conclusions were 'great', 'Mother's heart ached after watching', 'the seven sons are too handsome', and 'This princess of yours would be fine if she didn't fall in love with the sixth son'. Mommy, they didn't want to, what are you blaming me for!" Director Wong Jing also praised the film. "I watched SAVING GENERAL YANG. Actually it already used the most pleasing way to tell the story, the film is also very beautifully s hot. (Ronny) Yu Yun Tai again improves. However this type of costume films that with a known ending and zero suspense is at too much of a disadvantage in this climate. However it is worth respecting, I hope it will be a hit." * (2013/04/06) Lo Fun yesterday attended a cable cooking event. When she went to shop in the Yuen Long market, the stall owners all called her "Yuen Long (Maggie) Cheung Man Yuk". Lo Fun said, "They were only showing respect. actually they can call me Lo Fun or Old Cake." Actually she was a cooking expert. In the 80s she worked as a head chef in a Kyoto restaurant. Lo Fun has already completed two films and later might work on the Eric Tsang Chi produced TVB series. In the summer she will work on a movie in Beijing. Lo Fun said, "I want to make a TVB series, hopefully producers would approach more hidden treasures like us to perform." * (2013/04/06) Known as the "Golden Scissors", famous editor Chow Cheung Kan last month due to cancer passed away, at the age of 62. Yesterday his funeral took place with a Christian ceremony. Chow Cheung Kan with films like AH YING (BOON YIN YUN), LOVE IN A FALLEN CITY (KING SING JUI LUEN) and FULL MOON IN NEW YORK (YUN JOI NAU YEUK) won Hong Kong Film Awards and many International Film Festival awards. In 2002 he became a Christian and joined the Creation TV Life Angel production. Ting Yu represented the Performing Artist Guild and bid farewell to an old friend. "I have known Chow Cheung Kan for 40 years. He was pragmatic, didn't speak much but was very willing to help colleagues. When I switched to behind the scene he also gave me some advice." Ting Yu regretted Chow Cheung Kan's passing and could not help but broke down. * (2013/04/06) Charlie Yeung Choi Nei earlier was busy promoting her first film as a director, CHRISTMAS ROSE (SING DAN MUI GWAI). She was very happy to receive help from many friends. When the film about to be released, she was not too tense. Two days ago she met with photography Wing Shya (Ha Wing Hong) for a meal and chatted for 4 hours. When they left they were surprised to see reporters but still gave friendly smiles and waved. * (2013/04/06) 10 years ago Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing left us. 10 years later the Miss You Much Leslie exhibition continued everyone's love for everyone. At the exhibition Gor Gor's past awards, black vinyl records and classic stage costumes were on display. Unveiling Gor Gor's giant bust was his beloved Daffy Tong Hok Tak. Fans folded over 1 million origami cranes for the Guinness World Record to remember this superstar of a generation. * (2013/04/05) Known as "devil chest", singer Rainky Wai recently has been busy with the film WHAT'S UP GIRL (MEI GAU SIU NUI). Earlier she worked on a kidnapping scene, took a beating from Wong Cho Nam's brother Wong Yik Nam and was "truly injured". Her left shoulder had a huge bruise. For several days in a row she could not move too much. Two days ago Rainky took the time to see a a Chinese Medicine Practitioner. Despite her injury she still remembered to toss out her trademark "Devil Chest". Yet when the Die Da Master pressed on her wound she immediately screamed from the pain. She said, "That day Yik Nam pushed me to the wall and I was injured. I immediately cried from the pain. Later when people tapped me on the shoulder it would hurt a lot. I was afraid of a lingering injury so I wanted to see a doctor to treat the source. I am just worried about arthritis the most." * (2013/04/05) Director Johnnie To Kei Fung, Wai Ka Fai and Yau Nai Hoi two days ago promoted the film DRUG WAR (DUK JIN) at the Shenzhen University and discussed his 25 years of police film experience. To Sir even praised his official lead actor in recent years, Louis Koo Tin Lok, as a very nice guy. He also said that among Hong Kong young actors the most useful was Goo Jai. He said, "He is fine with however you mess with him." However To Sir regretted that Goo Jai has not won a Best Actor award yet. He even blamed himself. "Wai Ka Fai and I have the responsibility to write the script well to turn a nice guy into a good actor." In addition, To Sir also praised Anthony Wong Chau Sun as the Best Actor in Hong Kong. He described Simon Yam Tat Wa as the "all purpose match". "He can do whatever you want him to, shooting someone with a gun, a mobster, a gigolo is still no problem." As for Lau Ching Wan, To Sir said, "He has a lot of acting abilities, very orderly and respects film. He has done very well." * (2013/04/05) Aaron Kwok Fu Sing and Nick Cheung Ka Fai worked on their first film together, CONSPIRATORS (TUNG MAU). Sing Sing said that Ka Fai was a great actor who was also interesting. On and off camera his every move was hilarious. He also pointed out that Ka Fa in the film played a Malaysia detective who specialized in alternative Wing Chun. Sing Sing joked, "Ka Fai challenged (Anthony) Wong Chau Sun and (Tony) Leung Chiu Wai and practiced Malaysia Wing Chun. Even (Donnie) Yen Chi tan would be terrified if he saw it, hahahaha!" Ka Fai praised Sing Sing as a professional who took great care of his co-stars. While on location he helped with driving away rats and cockroaches, which he was the most afraid of. Thus he looked forward to a chance to work together again. Cheung Ka Fai said, "If we have to mess around then we should mess around with dancing, challenging Sing Sing's strong suit with a musical!" Reportedly Sing Sing was director Oxide Pang Shun's favorite. Thus he received special treatment on the set and a trailer with a private bathroom. Sing Sing pointed out that the rumor was not true. He said, "If you watch the special again you would know, I only used the trailer for a day. That time because we were shooting on a busy bridge, there was no bathroom anywhere. Thus the team rented a a trailer for me and Ka Fai to share. However we didn't stay inside the trailer. We didn't want to be baked inside. When we had time we would rather communicate with the director." Sing Sing recalled the Malaysia locations shoots to be especially hot, at noon the temperature reached 40 degrees Celsius. The top of the vehicle could almost fry an egg. Thus when they shot the highway car chase, the team had to take breaks. He felt bad for Ka Fai who had to wear a wig for his performance. He saw for his chase scene he ran until his face was white. They almost had to call ambulance for him. Ka Fai also joked that his wig look could keep evil spirits away! * (2013/04/05) Mavis Fan Hiu Huen, Kimi Hsia Yu-Chiao, Stephen Wong Ka Lok, May Day member Stone starred in the Taiwan film WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME TOMORROW, which will open soon in Hong Kong. Fan Hiu Huen in the film had an unhappy marriage. She said, "I thought about marriage before, in the end I still didn't. I wasn't interested in marriage, not because I was afraid with being with someone else but because I disliked certain limitations. As long as our hearts are connected and we are together then it's fine." Fan Hiu Huen said that her romantic life has always gone her way. She believed in marriage, only she would not choose it. As for having children, Fan Hiu Huen said, "I don't want to, I don't want to be tied down. Aside from singing and acting, I still want to travel the world. I don't want to have too many worries." Stone is already a father but he agreed that marriage was very hard to maintain. He had to find a balance between work and family. "I can't be with the band all night, after I get home I have to give all my time to my family. At 7AM I have to take the child to school. Although it is very tired, I rather enjoy it." Stone worked on his first film, which he said was easier than playing the guitar. "When you play a guitar you can't talk or sing, you have to rely on musical notes to express emotions. Acting has expressions, action and lines. I like acting because I can live another type of life." Stone said that he was just as romantic on and off camera and would make a list before going grocery shopping. "I am afraid that I would forget to get something, my wife would be mad." Hsiao Yu-Chiao in real life did not like boyfriends who would only say I love you, give cars and homes. "If we are together, saying it is not enough. You have to implement it." Wong Ka Lok and Richie Jen (Yam Yin Chai) in the film had a kiss scene. He joked, "It's my first time kissing a guy. Siu Chai's lips are very soft, pretty close to a girl's." He admitted that at first he resisted against playing a homosexual as he was afraid of harming his image. Wong Ka Lok's Putonghua was called rotten. Fan Hiu Huen kept nodding, "It's very rotten 'Cantonese Mandarin'." * (2013/04/05) Andrew Lau Wai Keung yesterday celebrated his 53rd birthday at Club House. Friends Stephen Fung Tak Lun, Nick Cheung Ka Fai, Jacky Cheung Hok Yau, Wong Jing and others attended. Joey Man Yi Man and her husband Chan Sap Sam held hands lovingly and appeared one after another with old flame Donnie Yen Chi Tan. Cheung Tat Ming attended with his children. Recovering from cancer he looked good. He even joked, "Today is Children's Day, so I brought the children to the party." Leon Lai Ming perhaps was afraid of being asked about his former wife Gaile Lok's remarrying rumor and did not appear. His manager Chan Sin Chi said that Lai Ming would not attend. Lau Wai Keung's birthday wish was, aside from good health and making more good movies, to cultivate more on and off camera successors. He even said that he would never resign and would make movies until age 70. Lau Wai Keung later will head to New York for a foreign film, which he hoped to represent Hong Kong with at the Oscars. Lau Wai Keung's wife, second son, third song and youngest daughter attended. His oldest son was studying overseas. Mrs. Lau said that the children at midnight on April 3 already jumped on their father with celebratory kisses. Lau Wai Keung picked Cheung Ka Fai to win Hong Kong Film Award Best Actor with NIGHTFALL (DAI JUI BO). Cheung Ka Fai said, "For my first nomination, he already talked like that. Finally unfortunately he didn't get it right. I already told him not to say it." Lau Wai Keung personally welcomed Cheung Hok Yau. Hok Yau presented liquor as a gift. He joked that he would not make the birthday boy chug and he would not be drunk before he went home. Hok Yau joked, "I won't sing to celebrate because I have no music." Fung Tak Lun brought a bottle of wine and attended alone. He denied that Shu Qi chipped in. Did he attend on behalf of Shu Qi? He smiled but did not say. * (2013/04/05) Yesterday was Ching Ming Festival. Fans from the Mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong went to Tseung Kwan O Chinese Permanent Cemetery to pay their respect to their idol Wong Ka Kui. They brought Ka Ku's favorite cola, fresh flowers, cigarettes and other offerings. Mainland fan Mr. Gan was very thoughtful. Not only did not take care of his idol's tombstone and offered incense sticks, he also brought a paper smart product set. He said, "Ka Kui's era didn't have this, I think he would like it." Today he would pay his respect again with 20 fans from Guangzhou. Speaking of Wong Ka Keung and Yip Sai Wing saying that they would not reunite Beyond as the fan dream of a Beyond 30th anniversary concert went up in smoke, Mr. Gan said, "I didn't see the report, but I wouldn't be upset. Would I take any action to change their mind? I am not familiar with Hong Kong, I don't know where to express my feeling. I wouldn't even know where to send a letter. Even if they perform in the Mainland, getting in contact would be very hard. I can only rely on messages online." Ms. Luo from Taiwan would pay her respect to Ka Kui every time in Hong Kong. She was very disappointed to learn that the Beyond memorial concert would not take place, but she respected the members' wishes. Hong Kong fan Ms. Ng would like very much for Beyond to perform a concert for its 30th anniversary this year. Yesterday a female fan cleaned her idol Danny Chan Pak Keung's grave and was very thoughtful. The late superstar Anita Mui Yim Fong has passed for ten years but still receives deep love from her family, friends and fans. Yesterday was Ching Ming Festival, Ah Mui and her sister Anna Mui Oi Fong's spirit tablets at Shang Sin Chun Tong had signs of family, friends and fans paying their respect. Not only did they place incense sticks but also a bottle of wealth bamboo with a photo of Ah Mui as well as other fresh flowers and offerings. However they were not considered numerous. * (2013/04/04) Earlier planning to release a photo book to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing's passing, famous photographer Wing Shya Wing Hong over a book titled Miss You Much's global exclusive copyright was sued by the company owned by Lynn Xiong's manager Ki for contract violation. The publishing company yesterday received court approval to list Chan Suk Fun's Fun Entertainment as its second defendant. The court tomorrow will handle the injunction request that the plaintiff requested. The plaintiff revealed that on Wednesday the court has already issued a temporary injunction. Ha Wing Hong earlier revealed that he would release a photo book to commemorate Cheung Kwok Wing and received Cheung Kwok Wing's beloved Daffy Tong Hok Tak to provide their never behind seen photos. Yesterday Lynn Xiong's manager Kim said, "No comment, the lawyers are handling it. The legal process has begun." Chan Suk Fun also did not respond before the article deadline. * (2013/04/04) Two time Golden Horse Best Actor Aaron Kwok Fu Sing runs into the "seven time Best Actor" Nick Cheung Ka Fai in Oxide Pang Shun's new film CONSPIRATORS (TUNG MAU) for the first time and added more color to the film. Sing Sing's character has a "cherry picking" personality in the film, but in the film he had many dangerous action scenes including a building jump and explosions. He put a lot of effort into his performance. In one scene he fell from a train bridge onto a street food stall. As soon as the director called he fell onto the jam packed tables that were filled with people. Pang Shun was very pleased and immediately accepted the take. Only later did he realized that his hand was bleeding. the crew immediately treated him. Pang Shun played how outstanding his two dangerous scenes were and how professional he was. Sing Sing and Cheung Ka Fai earlier also admitted in an interview that knives, forks and corners of tables hid many opportunities for people to get hurt. Was he anticipating an award to repay each of his tough performance? Sing Sing admitted, "I wouldn't deliberately think, when you have expectation you have disappointment. Putting awards in front of making movies would only hinder the performance." Earlier his film COLD WAR (HONG JIN) lost his Hong Kong Film Award Best Actor opportunity. He said, "I too hope to receive encouragement, but on the other hand the voters don't feel that it meet their standards. I have asked myself if I performed so poorly that I wasn't even nominated? I have put a lot of effort into the performance. Now I only hoped that directors, viewers, and investors would see my hard work and ask me to make more movies, so I would have a chance to be nominated next time." Cheung Ka Fai admitted that he has never truly performed in a detective film, in addition this time he had the chance to work with Sing Sing and Pang Shun. He thought the team was rather fresh. The film was a continuation of Sing Sing's THE DETECTIVE (C+ JING TAM). Was he worried that his late addition would be compared? Ka Fai said, "A film series of course would have different characters. I wouldn't mind such a situation." * (2013/04/04) The 10th anniversary of Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing's memorial events have come to an end but troubles just started for Gor Gor's manager Chaun Suk Fun. A magazine claimed that her two memorial concerts and the television, radio and online broadcast right fees, and souvenir sales made HK$20 million. The article even pointed out that attending singers each only received HK$10,000 and had to pay for their own make up and hair costs. Chan Suk Fun yesterday said, "I feel I don't need to respond to such targeted rumors, earlier in order for everyone to understand the memorial event contents more, I accepted the interview. Now the memorial events have come to perfect ends, no one should come out and say more. Otherwise it would become a personal promotion." Speaking of the symbolic salaries that the singers who performed that night received, Chan Suk Fun said, "Everyone gave their hearts and love to give a 10th anniversary gift to Gor Gor. If they wanted money, all the money in the world might not be able to get them all. Don't use money to measure each singer and behind the scene worker's respect for Gor Gor." As for the rumored over HK$10 million left from the concert broadcast fee, Chan Suk Fun asked, "Is that possible? I strictly selected specific media for the broadcast mainly because we had to ask the videos or content owner to loan them for editing. Thus I had to protect other people's copyrights." One of the guest performers Vivian Chow Wai Man said through her manager, after the performance that night she immediately sent a text message to Chan Suk Fun to thank her for giving her an opportunity to salute Gor Gor. She was very satisfied and pleased with the event arrangements. * (2013/04/04) Anthony Wong Chau Sun yesterday attended the Hong Kong Society for the Blind organized IP MAN THE FINAL FIGHT (IP MAN JUNG GIK YUT JIN) descriptive narrative service film appreciation event. The film's box office already exceeded HK$5 million, he said that he was very satisfied with the word of mouth. "Viewers say that Master Ip Man was very well played. Some say that I am the coolest Ip Man? Thank you very much!" Chau Sun would not be compared with Tony Leung Chiu Wai. He said, "Who is cooler between me and Wai Jai? What are you dumb? Of course it's Wai Jai! In the entire world who would dare to have a cool contest with Wai Jai?" Chau Sun said that IP MAN THE FINAL FIGHT would not make a sequel. Instead he and Herman Yau Lai To planned to make movies about Kwan Tak Hing as Wong Fei Hung. He said, "(Eric) Tsang Chi Wai said that aside from me, no one could play him, maybe because I am old, aside from wrinkles I can still move." Chau Sun suddenly got upset as he said about his older son questioning him about using a double. "I asked my two sons, did my fighting look good. The older son said pretty good, but the leg wasn't me. It was a double's. He told his mother that normally at home I wasn't so agile because at home I was 'one with the bed'. I was mad and immediately challenged my son, only then did he believe me." Chau Sun was rather confident about playing Wong Fei Hung because he was familiar with Kwan Tak Hing and Wong Fei Hung. He also knew a little Hung Kuen, but he would have to lose weight first. He joked, "I now am a Tai Chi master, a fat guy." [ BLAH OF THE WEEK ] Columns, Reviews, Interviews 1. APPLE DAILY, APRIL 8 2013, BIG PLANNING ALCHEMIST RAYMOND CHOW MAN WAI "Dong, dong, dong, dong" four red bricks gradually changed gold as the words Golden Harvest appeared on the silver screen to remind viewers that they were about to 120 minutes of joy. That was the golden age of Hong Kong film, when everyone buys tickets to go to the movies. The Golden Harvest film company symbolized Hong Kong film development and made countless big stars. Leading Golden Harvest was Raymond Chow Man Wai, who was like an alchemist who turned red bricks gold. He has written an important milestone in Hong Kong film history. - YEUNG KIT MAN Golden Harvest chief Chow Man Wai has retired for five years. This year he is already 86. Earlier he was a guest at the Hong Kong Film Archive organized "Golden Harvest: A Landmark in Hong Kong Cinema" exhibition and accepted an interview. About the Golden Harvest reign, Chow Man Wai who was known as the Hong Kong film godfather humbly said, "I did my best, I myself am very satisfied. The real review is left for outsiders. I am too subjective!" He made a analogy that was simple to understand to sum up his history with Golden Harvest. "Perhaps it's not a very appropriate analogy, when I have something to eat I eat, when I like what I am eating I eat more. What is the most delicious, when to get the most delicious, I don't think about so much." Everything started from the heart for the Godfather. The Godfather in his 80s was still sharp in his thinking and straight to the point. Speaking of past gains and losses, he was humble and gracious. After more than half a lifetime, he only talked about gains and not losses. He said, "Over so many years I have produced many films, the biggest gain is making many great, great friends. Now often on the streets, at the cinemas I would run into many colleagues and we can chat intimately, talk about the past. I feel this is what I am the most satisfied with." Deep Impression of Bruce Lee Looking back at his work, conflicts and frictions in other people's eyes have already become the Godfather's beautiful memories. He said, "Frictions were definite, you could say that they happened often. Everyone knew that they were because of work, for the same common goal, so they were very normal. The best was that everyone could openly talk, telling everyone the different perspectives. Finally everyone could reach a mutual understanding and accept everyone's different opinions." The Godfather's success at the helm was because he long ago already experienced the "harmony" that WHEN HEAVENS BURN's Charmaine Sheh Si Man talked about. He was able to accept different voices and thus have mutual respect. Golden Harvest was a platform for countless performing art stars to radiate. Chow Man Wai's credit should not be overlooked, but he humbly said, "Don't say that I made stars, I don't dare to say that. Everyone collaborated very well. When an actor made a name for himself, becoming a star internationally had a lot of coinciding opportunities. he has to have his own talent and hard work." Among them, Bruce Lee left a deep impression with the Godfather. He said, "Bruce Lee is more special. He returned from the U.S. to Hong Kong to officially begin his film life, then he became an overnight success. Later he achieved brilliantly. I coincidentally had the chance tow work with him, even to the end we were good friends." Chow Man Wai loved film. He used to toil for film, after retirement he still tightly would follow film trends. Every week he would go to the movies to watch two or three of his favorite films, some Oscar contenders, small budget foreign films and even Hong Kong films. He said, "Because it's my hobby and I am an American film union member, every year I would vote for the Oscars. I would watch almost all the Oscar films. So I watch a lot of movies." However, when asked which movie was the Godfather's favorite, his answer was even more careful than a newcomer's. He said, "For decades many people have asked me, often it's not suitable for me to say. If you ask me, I would first ask you which are your favorite five movies, but several movies I have watched many, many times. I personally like CASABLANCA." Sitting next to him, his daughter Chow Chung Hung could not help but make fun of her father. She said, "Infinitely many times, he even watches it on the iPad!" Hong Kong Film Needs To Lower Its Head Although the Godfather was retired, he still paid attention to the Hong Kong film future and development. He felt that Hong Kong had to make co-production films and expand the Mainland or international markets. He said, "The Hong Kong market itself, as everyone knows, is beyond small. When Hong Kong produced films it relied on the Southeast Asian market before, markets like Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand also relied on Hong Kong products to satisfy their viewers. Hong Kong products often performed better than ones from the U.S. and other countries. The environment often changed the situation. As the Mainland China market opened, the market was very, very large, several times larger than the Hong Kong traditional market. When you make a movie and want more poeple to watch it, you have to accommodate a new market. It's a trend. Thus I hear a lot of people say, the movies now are different from before. Some even say that I like to watch the movies from before. This is the environment accommodating the market needs. Now a film can easily make many more times more than before. Thus it can also increase its production costs. The production will be much, much better." As Hong Kong film declines, a group of filmmakers who insist on making domestic films has been called vulgar. The Godfather did not directly respond. He felt that Hong Kong film would not lose its direction but inevitably had to lower its head to reality. "Firm footing financially is not the only way, but the best way is to adapt to the Mainland market. This is the definite idea, if not, you can choose to explore the international market and make Hollywood films." Thus, Hong Kongers should accept reality! Retiring to Return to the Embrace of the Bridge Game For film, Chow Man Wai gave up his interest. After retirement, he returned to the embrace of the bridge game. Before establishing Golden Harvest, he was a Hong Kong representative in International Bridge. Now every week he would play with friends and enjoy the game. His daughter Chow Chung Hung said, "Before he wanted to but didn't have time. Now that he can again, he plays bridge twice and competes once every week, soemtimes he would even win. He also likes to play go. His iPad has a go game. He would even play golf, practice and play in tournaments, so he is very busy!" Let You Know: Golden Harvest Chronology Chow Man Wai, Leonard Ho Koon Cheung and Leung Fung founded the Golden Harvest film company in the 70s. It has made over 600 films and countless stars, cultivated a variety of professional talent, the most important was through film spreading the Hong Kong culture around the world. 1970: Chow Man Wai, Ho Koon Cheung and Leung Fung left Shaw to form Golden Harvest 1971: Hiring Bruce Lee with a major offer, his first film THE BIG BOSS broke HK$3.19 million at the box office and the Hong Kong record. 1972: Bruce Lee's FIST OF FURY again broke Hong Kong box office record with HK$4.43 million. 1973: Bruce Lee passed away at age 32. 1974: Michael Hui Koon Man joined Golden Harvest. GAMES GAMBLERS PLAY (GWAI MA SEUNG SING) broke the box office record again with HK$6.25 milion. "Hui Brothers" movies became an unprecedented success. 1980: Jackie Chan signed with Golden Harvest and participated in the film THE CANNONBALL RUN. The film was also the first Hong Kong film company solely funded Hollywood film. 1985: The Jackie Chan starred POLICE STORY (GAING CHAT GOO SI) was released, since then a series of movies was made. 1990: Purchasing the live action film right to TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, which reached US$130 million at the North American box office. 1992: Maggie Cheung Man Yuk with CENTER STAGE (YUEN LING YUK) won the Berlin Film Festival Best Actress, the first Hong Konger to win the honor. 1995: The Jackie Chan starred RUMBLE IN THE BRONX was the Hong Kong film to break 100 million RMB at the Mainland box office. 2003: The Vincent Kok Tak Siu directed MY LUCKY STAR (HUNG WON CHIU YUN) was the final Golden Harvest produced film. 2005: Golden Harvest opened its first flagship Golden Harvest cinema city in the Mainland in Shenzhen. 2008: Orange Sky Entertainment purchased Golden Harvest. Chow Man Wai officially retired 2010: The group received the 3D football match all Asia exclusive broadcast distribution rights and broadcast the World Cup live in 3D at the Grand Ocean. 2011: The Golden Harvest Citywalk imported the Canada D-Box motion seating system that would move according to the story and the picture. 20 Events That Influenced Hong Kongers Golden Harvest movies dared to innovate, for over 30 years it led the trends and at the same time left many collective memories for Hong Kongers. 1 Yellow Track Suit Burce Lee in GAME OF DEATH (1973) wore a yellow track suit to battle through the five level tower, a classic look for him. Bruce Lee fans around the world definitely had one. Uma Thurman in the KILL BILL nightclub fight, Stephen Chow Sing Chi in FIST OF FURY 1991 (MAN WA WAI LUNG) punched Yuen Wah to the sky all in this suit. 2. Sick Men of East Asia Who in the world could be more convincing than Bruce Lee when he said, "Chinese people are not sick men"? In FIST OF FURY (1972) as Chen Zhen he took down all the goons at the Japanese dojo, returned the "Sick Men of East Asia" plaque to the Japanese and avenge half a century of greviance for the Chinese. Unfortunately after Bruce Lee passed, sigh... 3 Nunchaku Since Bruce Lee made nunchaku famous, housing estate brats had a new toy as they swung home made nunchaku left and right. Countless ended up with busted heads (do not say it never happend to you). According to the Laws of Hong Kong chapter 217 Weapons Ordinance, nunchaku has been classified as illegal weapon. If you want to impersonate Bruce Lee you have to go to the Mainland, where for several dozen yuan RMB you can buy one pair. 4 Stunt Coordinator Stunt coordinator absolutely is a profession that Hong Kongers can be proud of. They led the action film fever and their names should be in the world film history. The little thugs that Bruce Lee battered and bruised after years of abuses finally succeeded. Who would still remember that Bruce Lee knocked out Jackie Chan in ENTER THE DRAGON (1973)? 5 Wing Chun Undoubtedly, more people knew about Wing Chun because of Bruce Lee. Many young people who were itching for a fight longed to have a wooden stump at home (some truly made their own) so they could practice at any time. Who would have imagined that after 30 years, Bruce Lee's master Ip Man would become a star with movies after movies made about him? The Anthony Wong Chau Sun version IP MAN THE FINAL FIGHT is now in release. 6. Grass Root The Hui Brothers' GAMES GAMBLERS PLAY (1974), PRIVATE EYE BLUES (1976) and SECURITY UNLIMITED (1981) all had grass root level leads. They took vans, stuff onto buses, worked at factories, in the laughter they thoroughly poked fun at the ills of the times. However this group of small potatoes would succeed one day no matter how tragic they were, ultimately it is livelier than today. 7 Police Jackie Chan death defying performance in POLICE STORY (1985) thoroughly elevated the Royal Hong Kong Police's image. In the film he played police officer Chan Ka Kui who would take incredible risks against the villains. The most classic was sliding down from several stories above down a pole full of light bulbs. People who were eating peanuts at the Wing On Plaza must have been stunned. 8 POLICE MAGAZINE "Life as a wager, leaving a heroic story." After POLICE MAGAZINE took the POLICE STORY theme song TOUGH GUY by force, many hot blooded youth because of the impassioned lyrics heeded the call and joined the police force. Of course, whenever some heard the song began would immediately grab the remote control in preparation for changing the station. 9 Fragrance Film Sound and sight seemingly were no longer able to satisfy the audience demand. Thus the first fragrance film LAVENDAR (FUN YI CHO, 2000) was born. As insulting as this sounds, Takeshi Kaneshiro (Gum Sing Mo) and Kelly Chen Wai Lam had a hard time with their acting, but that sudden lavender fragrance was indeed refreshing. Back then it also started an aroma trend, as aroma businesses filled the streets. 10 Nine Cuts "Rin, Kyo, Toh, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen" the nine symbolic cuts, almost every post 70s and post 80s knew the chants and the hand gestures completely because of a Japanese manga PEACOCK KING based film PEACOCK PRINCE (HUNG JEUK WONG JI, 1988). Playing Asura, Gloria Yip Wan Yi was so peerlessly cute that she killed Japanese otaku by the second. 11 Try to Remember Leon Lai Ming and Shu Qi's bitter romance in CITY OF GLASS (1998) could only be a memory. The film played the Brothers Four version of TRY TO REMEMBER, which also became from the drinking song for the heartbroken at the time. The past could only be savored. Just as Lai Ming said, "We are the best", today it is only a self boasting way for spiritual victory. 12 Canton Road Tsim Sha Tsui's Canton Raod is a cultural symbol, once upon a time it was heavy in colonial color. In the Peter Chan Ho Sun film COMRADES ALMOST A LOVE STORY (TIM MUK MUK, 1996) Lai Ming rode a bicycle to take Maggie Cheung Man Yuk home. They lightly hummed Teresa Tang Lai Kwan's SWEET as they flew by a few pedestrians and busy stores. Who would imagine that today it has almost become an Individual Visit Scheme Special District? 13 Playing Dumb To Cop A Feel Golden Harvest cooked up the LUCKY STARS film series to fill the otaku souls. The idea was formulaic as several dirty leads would play dumb to cop a feel as soon as they saw pretty girls. The most classic of course was TWINKLE TWINKLE LUCKY STARS (HA YUT FOK SING, 1985). Rosamund Kwan Chi Lam was fooled into getting into the bath tub. Her clothes were wet and obviously transparent. Without the film rating system at the time, even little kids could catch a glimpse. 14 Vampires Strange film MR. VAMPIRE (1985) began a vampire film trend that even swept across the entire Asia. Even Taiwan film YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE added a scene as a salute. Chinese vampires seemed scarier than foreign vampires and zombies, in particular their Qing Dynasty costumes and all white face. They hopped away but could not be killed. They were the stuff that children's nightmares were made of. Even so, "Vampire driving" and vampire playing were games that must be played during recess. 15 Sex and Zen The dirty boys should snicker. If not for the mercy of the older brothers and sisters at the cinemas, the underage you would not have been able to sneak into SEX AND ZEN (1991) to witness Tsui Kam Kong and Amy Yip Chi Mei's big tub scene. The film also might not have made HK$18 million at the box office and started a category III film trend. 20 years later the 3D version was even more shocking, but could the lead get a break? 16 Ninja Turtles It is very hard to imagine four radioactive humanoid turtles who resemble the Litter Bug (no flame from fans please) would be so popular. At the time the Golden Harvest produced TEENAGE MUTATE NINJA TURTLES (1990) was a global hit, with countless merchandise like games, stationery, stickers, and figures. The director even used the smartest product placement and pushed Pizza Hut's popularity to its peak. 17 Money Crazy By the end of the 70s the economy took off, it was an era of shark fin soup with rice. More and more "kiss ups" would bury their dignity for a buck. Ricky Hui Koon Ying in MONEY CRAZY (FAT CHIN HONG, 1977) played the typical "kiss up" but he stumbled more than he ate. Ultimately he had to pair up with Richard Ng Yiu Hong as swindlers to make a living. The John Woo (Ng Yu Sum) directed comedy was full of humor just the same. 18 Wong Fei Hung Whether it was Master Kwan Tak Hing or Jet Li (Lee Nin Kit), Hong Kong always needed Wong Fei Hung to remedy people's hearts. Tsui Hark's ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA (WONG FEI HUNG, 1991) no only made Lee Nin Kit into an international superstar, but also made the herbal tea shop Bo Chi Lam into a franchise. Of course it also had the James Wong Jim written lyrics to the impassioned MEN SHOULD BE SELF SUFFICIENT! 19 Good Times West of the Quarry Anita Mui Yim Fong and Leslie Cheung Kwok Wing's romance in ROUGE (YIN JI KAU, 1988) never bared fruit, they made a suicide pact but only one ended up dead. The process was memorable and recalled the memory of "Good Times West of the Quarry" among the older generations. In the 30s Shek Tong Tsui was known for several hundred brothels. At the time the ladies of the night had education and aura, and money was not everything. 20 Feng Shui Golden Harvest's final film, the Vincent Kok Tak Siu directed MY LUCKY STAR (HUNG WON CHIU YUN, 2003) brought Feng Shui to film and also changed people's view of Feng Shui masters as more young people studied Feng Shui to make a living. 2. APPLE DAILY, APRIL 7 2013, HONG KONG FILM AWARD SPECIAL TOPIC SOI CHEANG: AWARD VIRGIN Dreams have always been hard to fulfilled. Starting as a "red trouser" Soi Cheang Pou-Soi early in his career was in a cold war with a mother who has always loved him over film; he also has been so poor that his account would only have single digit deposit. At the lowest point he finally received his mother's understand and support, he swore that he had to make a good movie! After 20 years in the business Cheang Pou-Soi this year will finally compete for the Hong Kong Film Award Best Director with the film MOTORWAY (CHEH SAU). He admitted that over the years luckily he had his mother and wife who gave him endless support and understanding , so he was able to persist. He described this year's Best Director nominees as a New Generation and even joked that this time he was in the driver's seat, "I have a chance"! - MAN KWOK CHUNG When interviewing Cheang Pou-Soi the writer more or less had some selfish motivation. His films HORROR HOTLINE - BIG HEAD MONSTER (HUNG BO YIT SIN ji DAI TAU GWAI YING) and NEW BLOOD (YING HUET CHING NIN) left deep impressions with him. The latter was even described as one of the most horrifying Hong Kong films in the millennium; to MOTORWAY this time, although he did not know how to race at all its box office and results were better than expected. He admitted that he had to thank Chin Kar Lok, Hoi Tong and other special effect drivers for risking their lives to be able to make such a realistic car chase film. Thanking Johnnie To Cheang Pou-Shoi said that during the shoot he never thought that the film could go so far, he almost made a rotten film. He said, "When I made this film I had no pressure at all because we never thought about box office or award at all. Because we were lacking resources, at first producer (Johnnie) To Kei Fung and I both thought that 7 million would be it. I still remember at the time I had to work on another film in the Mainland, so I made a rough cut to see. I didn't expect the result to be worse than bad, I immediately called the company to ask if To Kei Fung saw it yet and did he leave any message. Luckily he was still willing to give me a chance to reshoot certain scenes. I thank him very much for trusting me so much. Another producer might have already released it and the movie would have been done for." Earlier Cheang Pou-Soi won Best Picture and Best Director at the Film Directors' Guild and the Film Critic Society awards. Was he more confident about competing for the Hong Kong Film Award on the 13th? He said, "Indeed my confidence is greater, actually this year is a special year because the Best Director nominees are all of our generation. Coincidentally many elders at this time didn't have any film release to create this situation. I feel I have a chance!" Cheang Pou-Soi's movies often were based on the "human nature is bad" belief, but five years ago the birth of his daughter changed him. At least the sharp edges that he projected into his movies were slightly duller. He said, "Seeing the birth of a life is very wonderful. Although I still believe human nature is bad, but now I would be brighter in my movies. For example (Shawn) Yue Man Lok in MOTORWAY lost all of his will to fight and thought about driving into the sea, but finally he remembered what (Anthony) Wong Chau Sun said, turned the steering wheel at the final moment and saved his own life." Speaking of how he got into the business, Cheang Pou-Soi said that he truly liked film when he was 19 and applied for a production assistant job to be on the set all day. However he like most filmmakers experienced precarious days. He joked, "I always say our productions are part time job, our full time job is looking for work and being unemployed. Once my account had less than ten bucks, I didn't have much sense of security. Yet this was a motivation. Because every bet was all in, every movie had to be made its best. I actually rather enjoy this type of pressure." Owing His Mother Cheang Pou-Soi continued to say that joining the film industry was quite a lonely road. When he first started he and his mother did not speak for two years. He said, "In the first two years because I didn't have a lot of work and I didn't have money to go out, I spent half a year at home. Basically my Mommy would get mad as soon as she saw him at home without a job. However one day she didn't say anything, she just went into her room and gave me a five dollar bill. At the time I was so touched that I only knew to apologize to her. My tears kept coming. She said that it wasn't important, telling me that since I chose the road I had to put an effort into it. This didn't make me give up. Instead I promised myself that I had to grind my teeth and keep going." The 32nd Hong Kong Film Award Best Director Nominations Soi Cheang Pou-Soi (MOTORWAY) Pang Ho Cheung (LOVE IN THE BUFF) Law Chi Leung (THE BULLET VANISHES) Sunny Luk Kim Ching, Longman Leung Lok Man (COLD WAR) Dante Lam Chiu Yin (THE VIRAL FACTOR) Conversing With Lok Jai in Foul Language According to city rumors, when Cheang Pou-Soi made a movie he was the best at torturing actors. For example when he made DOG BITE DOG he forced Sam Lee Chan Sam to hide himself in a trash heap, which made cockroach fly into his mouth; in SHAMO (GWUN GAI) he forced Yue Man Lok to fight a K-1 fighter for real, knocking out Lok Jai for awhile; he did not spare actresses either. When he made HOME SWEET HOME (GWAI MUK) he forced Karena Lam Ka Yun and Shu Qi to the edge of nervous breakdown......the writer asked Cheang Pou-Soi to confirm during the interview and he awkwardly laughed. He did not deny anything. "Actually making my movies is tough, first the characters in my movies are mostly very extreme. Secondly because of how advanced technology is now, every frame of film you have made and shot had a copy, and no one knew whether there would be a next one. I always say that this may be the final film, so I have to use all my strength to make it the best and the most realistic. However every time I would coax the actors into performing! Ha Ha!" Cheang Pou-Soi said that once he argued with an actor on the set. He said, "At the time I forced Yue Man Lok to fight with a real fighter, and even fight for several hours. He asked me with profanity if I was X crazy. I said I was X crazy, hurry the X up and fight! Because I felt a real fight was a real fight, you could completely tell under the camera and couldn't fool anyone. In MOTORWAY too, I would keep pushing them to go as far as they could. You could say I was wagering their lives. Everyone knew that it was for the good of the movie, so after the shoot they were fine." 3. MING PAO DAILY, APRIL 7 2013, FILM WORDS SAVING GENERAL YANG IS TRAGIC, RONNY YU IS OUTSTANDING SAVING GENERAL YANG (JUNG LIT YEUNG GA JEUNG) is director Ronny Yu Yun Tai's most outstanding film in recent years and one of the great Chinese film industry produced costume war film in history. In recent years this type of giant production has been numerous, including John Wo (Ng Yu Sum)'s RED CLIFF (CHET BIK) I and II. Truly they had tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, both land and sea battles were in unprecedented grand scale. There have also been big productions about Zhao Zilong, Guan Yunchang, the Hong Gate Feast, Hua Mulan and the Legendary Amazons (Yeung Moon Nui Jeung). Even the strange stories film PAINTED SKIN (WAT PEI) had ancient battlefield, THE GUILLOTINES (HUET DIK JI) also had a lot of soldiers and cannons. As Chinese costume film's "battle strength" increased, unfortunately few were truly quality work. Often they put the historical subjects or classic literatures through complete transformations, exaggerated and inconsistent with the facts. Some were even parodies and beyond fictional, laughable and upsetting. SAVING GENERAL YANG Achieves Tragic Drama SAVING GENERAL YANG depicts the Northern Song Yang Clan Generals' bloodbath against the Liao Dynasty. The scale was not considered especially large and even lacked any flying or tunneling kung fu wonders. yet in similar Chinese films its performance was excellent. Its biggest advantage was that it was not a parody, made up or into a fantasy. It was able to focus on actual might, stressed loyalty and honor and achieved tragic drama. The story of the Yang Clan Generals have been passed down for generations, long ago it already was a mix of history and legends. Yang Ye and his sons were actual people, but the legends of Mu Guiying and the Legendary Amazons that most modern people were familiar with were purely mythical. The film rarely centered Yang Ye and sons on the silver screen, capturing the Yang Ye led expedition being trapped due to chief commander Pan Mei's abuse of power for revenge. Seven sons headed to save their father and confirmed the "Seven sons left, sixth son returned" tragic prediction -- only the sixth son alone returned! This was the tragic hero paradigm, displaying the tragedy of the loyal often dying at the hands of blind rulers and treacherous officials, and the heroics of faithful officers and filial sons during tough times. In the film the city under siege, the offensive and defensive bloodbath, and the escape in the wild were all very realistic. Adam Cheng Siu Chau played Yang Ye, Xu Fan played his wife Grand Dame She both gave great performances. The seven handsome male stars played seven sons inevitably were hard to differentiate, luckily later the oldest son Dior Cheng Yin and the sixth son Wu Chun both held their own in their performances. The others were also outstanding. The one who met his fate while calling for backup was the most passionate, the other who used reed as arrows was the most exciting. The death of Yang Ye was very touching. In the end the battle between the sixth son and the Liao Dynasty strong man was the most thrilling. Veteran Hong Kong director Yu Yun Tai this time made a representative film with great spirit and good visuals, he was well worth the compliments. Strictly speaking, this film also had parts that needed improvement, like the seven sons' rescue of their father was almost blind filial piety with heavy casualties; or like Cheng Yi Kin battling the enemy alone was also unrealistic, the scene lacked credibility. Overall, this film was very righteous and had many good points. Its performance was decent, only some parts were not designed to be fully logical. (Four out of five stars) TOUCH OF THE LIGHT Focuses On Life Realism This week's other Chinese film was the Wong Kar Wai produced, Taiwan newcomer Chang Rong-Ji directed modern film TOUCH OF THE LIGHT. The lead actor was the blind youth Huang Yi-Siang. He practiced his piano playing hard and developed a relationship with the tea shop delivery girl who loved to dance, Sandrina Pinna (Cheung Yun Yung). This youth inspiration film fortunately was fast on its feet, focusing on life realism and a touching mother and son relationship. The male lead was simple and reserved, the female lead was very cute. Both were able to win over the audience. With their piano playing and dancing, the film were rather entertaining. This film undoubtedly had melodramatic elements, the latter part was especially manufactured. This was not too suitable for my taste. Yet the actors were worth supporting, including good performances from the mother and the dormitory guy. The blind male lead was the realistic. The mixed heritage female lead had a lot of star power, the problem was she was too pretty. She should have many more employment opportunities, why would she work as a low wage delivery girl for such a long time? Ultimately, Chinese films big and small still had frequently seen logic flaws in comparison to foreign films. Even brand name Wong Kar Wai was no exception. Who knows when they could be generally more convincing. (Three out of five stars) - SHEK KEI 3. APPLE DAILY, APRIL 6 2013, ELECTRIC FILM ROAD JOHNNIE TO, WAI KA FAI SOAK HONG KONG FLAVOR INTO THE DRUG GAP Who says the old is definitely bad. Wai Ka Fai and Johnnie To Kei Fung's new film DRUG WAR (DUK JIN) collected many previous films' success and made the co-production film different. It bled Hong Kong film appeal and displayed the powerful motivation when their creativity was at its peak. It had the surprise from THE MAD DETECTIVE (SUN TAM) and EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED (FEI SEUNG DUT YIN), as well as THE MISSION (CHEUNG FOR)'s sensory stimulations. Thanks to former Chongqing Community Party secretary Bo Xilai's "war on crime" concept, DRUG director To Kei Fung and screen writer Wai Ka Fai got the idea to make a film about Mainland drug trafficking. The end of the film even displays the Mainland drug deal's lethal injection execution. - NAM MAN HO Movies about sex, gambling and drugs in the Mainland always have to be "politically correct". Wai Ka Fai and To Kei Fung's new film DRUG WAR redefined co-productions with a more realistic style. DRUG's director To Kei Fung and writer Wai Ka Fai earlier collected enough information for two movies. Screen writer Wai Ka Fai said, "For several days in a row we met with ten police officers, we had casual chats with some and made official visits with others." To Kei Fung joked, "Maybe my impression of the Mainland police is iffy in general, but after meeting them, I discovered in their hearts they knew their vocation." Amending Mainland Actor's Acting Ability The story shot from Southern to Northern China, hoping through Louis Koo Tin Lok's cunning it would be filled with even more twists and turns. Two years ago it started production in Tianjin on Christmas Eve. To Kei Fung said, "We went to Tianjin originally because we wanted to shot a snow scene, we didn't expect not to get one. The most important was that we wanted the regionality from the South to the North in such a vast place like the Mainland and the taste of how the police chased a drug lord from province to province." Even so, the production did not get easier. Wai Ka Fai added, "Tianjin is a harbor, trafficking is very convenient. Yet it is also a very cold place. Every morning the sun doesn't come out until 8AM but by 4PM it began to get dark. Thus the production took a lot of time." With background information and locations, casting also gave the director a headache. To Kei Fung said, "Mainland actors' acting was too detailed, they made the movie like an action contest. We were used to the more natural way, but after some minor amendments they were fine. We didn't study any Mainland police film or series, but we worked really well with Sun Honglei who always played a cop. They were used to getting the entire script first. He was also famous for liking to add his own stuff. Yet we weren't that way. Once on the set we couldn't change. At first he wanted to add, but later he was used to it very quickly. Working with him was really a lot of fun." Although they had Sun Honglei as the drug police, the Louis Koo Tin Lok played Hong Kong drug lord who still kept trying to break free after his arrest seemed to have even more potential. Wai Ka Fai said, "As soon as I saw Sun Honglei I felt the chemical reactions from meeting the police before; as for Go Jai because he was captured he didn't drag others down with him. In my impression, usually drug dealers had to be very smart. So he always had to give Sun Honglei the feeling that he still had an ace up his sleeve, so he didn't have to die." DRUG WAR Release Date: April 18 THE MAD DETECTIVE Seven Ghosts Reappear The writer and the director worked together on DRUG WAR, but at the end they realized that they were missing their old films' flavor and lost their specialty. Thus Wai Ka Fai in the end added several old films' stories so people could tell it was their film right away. Wai Ka Fai said, "By the end of the shoot we seemed to be missing something, so we added some back." To Kei Fung followed, "We felt that we had to have our own specialty, so seven people appeared. The feeling was like THE MAD DETECTIVE's seven ghosts. The final scene ultimately was a big fight. This type of gunplay scene was very rare in Mainland films, it had a lot of THE MISSION flavor and shades of the EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED surprise ending. You could say it was a big mix. The Mainland didn't approve these scenes before, this time since they were approved we had to thoroughly develop them." Although the Mainland tried its best to assist with the police and old case files, ultimately it had certain distance from the modern society. To Kei Fung said, "Before Mainlanders were crooks and Hong Kongers were cops, now it's the other way around. Actually you could say that we were satirizing ourselves." Finally in the story of course evil could not triumph over good, it had to have some political correctness. Screen writer Wai Ka Fai said, "If it has to be sent for inspection that's the way it is. Due to morality he has to die, but in the sotry originally the drug lord Goo Jai escaped. Several years later a group of police captured him again." To Kei Fung followed, "How many actually never get caught? You can't arrest so many, but morally it has to be written this way. The Mainland rarely approves this subject, because of inspection the story has to be this way." Lethal Injection Stumps Goo Jai Koo Tin Lok earlier in the film PROTEGE (MOON TOH) played a disowned drug addict. This time in DRUG WAR he played a drug lord. In order to live he not only sold out his god father and friends but also his wife. To avoid the death penalty that the Mainland imposed on drug lords, he kept trying to get freed by selling tips to the police officer Sun Honglei. Goo Jai revealed that the production asked to be at a drug arrest and was rejected. He also said that during the lethal injection scene he felt like he truly was facing death. The Character Is Like A Cockroach Goo Jai earlier said, "The PROTEGE character had some humanity. Although he took drugs, he was a victim. Actually drug dealing did the most harm, if I didn't make this movie I wouldn't know how far reaching drug was. The police provided a lot of information like the drug trafficking details, drug dealer lingos and gestures, all of which appeared in the film." He continued, "We wanted to follow them on the case, which of course was impossible in the end. In addition the drug taking process had to be shot with a light touch, because ultimately it was not a positive message." Aside from scene details, Goo Jai's performance was more in depth than before. He said, "This person did whatever it took to survive, like a cockroach. Luckily it wasn't shot in Hong Kong. If as we worked I was in contact with my family, I might go crazy." He pointed out that the character was dark so he could thoroughly perform. Yet the final scene actually had a feeling of facing death. He said, "The final lethal injection scene truly made me feel like death was impending. Very few people truly has shot lethal injection scenes. The team arranged for it to be shot on the last day, so the entire film's visuals were in my mind. I felt that this character in the moment of his death never had any regret." Synopsis: A Game of Cop and Drug Dealer The film DRUG WAR is about a drug war captain Zhang Lei who arrested a group of drug dealers including Choi Tim Ming who was injured in a car accident. At the same time the Pearl River drug police followed a drug raw material transporting truck. Lei learned that the drug raw material was from the big drug lord Lai Chun Biu and the recipient was Choi Tim Ming. In order to stay alive, Choi Tim Ming agrees to help the police with arresting Lai Chun Biu. The Zhang Lei led Jinhai and Pearl River joint police force pretended to be buyers and began a game with Lai Chun Biu's drug organization. At the same time they had to prevent Choi Tim Ming's escape. During the exchange with Lai Chun Biu, Zhang Lei discovers a shocking secret behind Lai. Seven Hong Kongers of unknown identities are controlling a drug network..... [ In Production Now/Soon ] d. Raymond Yip Wai Man Oscar Leung Lit Wai, Aarif Rahman (Lee Chi Ting), Janice Man Wing Shan, Bob Lam Sing Bun WHAT'S UP GIRL AKA : LONELY FIFTEEN 2013 Can : Lan Mui Jai 2013 ji Mei Gau Siu Nui d. Philip Yung Tsz Kwong Irene Wan Bik Ha, Mak Tak Ho, Dominic Ho Ho Man, Kabby Hui Nga Ting, Heidi Lee Jing Yi, Rainky Wai Yu Yui Can : But Oi But San Lit : No Love No Break Up Stephy Tang Lai Yan, William So Wing Hong, He Jiong, Luo Xinyue, Zhao Rong HARDCORE COMEDY Can : Chong Hau Mei Lit : Heavy Flavor d. Wong Chi Hung, Law Yiu Fai, Chong siu Wing Oscar Leung Lit Wai, Christine Kuo, C Kwan William Chan Wai Ting, Dada Chan Jing, Kelvin Kwan Chor Yiu, Paulyn Sun Kai Kwan, Michelle Wai Si Nga, Terence Siufay THAT DEMON WITHIN Can : Mor Gaing Lit : Demon Cop d. Dante Lam Chiu Yin Nick Cheung Ka Fai, Daniel Wu (Ng Yin Cho), Andy Tien (On Chi Kit), Lam Ka Wa, Liu Kai Chi, Au Kam Tong, Lee Kwok Lun, Ken Wong Hap Hei, Deep Ng Ho Hong, Xie Jieting, Shatina Chen SDU: SEX DUTIES UNIT Can : Fei Fu Jing Ying: Toh Piu Chook Jing Lit : Flying Tiger Elite: Package Expedition d. Luk Yee Sum, Gary Mak Wing Lun Chapman To Man Jat, Shawn Yue Man Lok, Matthew Chow Hoi Kwong, Derek Tsang Kwok Cheung, JJ Jia (Ga Hiu Sun), Hui Siu Hung, Joe Cheng King Kei, DaDa Chan Jing, Celia Kwok Choi Yi [ YAHOO! MOVIES HONG KONG ] Four Special Duties Unit members who face difficulties with love, family and work cross the border for a crazy weekend in Macau...... Can : Dai Yut Chi But Si Nei Lit : First Time Was Not You d. Patrick Kong (Yip Lim Sum) Angel Chiang Ka Man, Edward Ma Chi Wai, Jerry Kong Ming Wa, Lo Hoi Pang, Kiki Sheung Tin Ngor, Elena Kong Mei Yi, Sharon chan Man Chi, Luisa Maria Leitao (Lai Chi San), Shiga Lin Si Nga, Bob Lam Sing Bun DOOMSDAY.PARTY Can : Moot Yut Pai Dui Lit : Doomsday Party d. Ho Hong Paul Wong Koon Chung, Kay Tse On Kay, Wilfred Lau Ho Lung, Kelvin Kwan Chor Yiu, Teddy Robin Kwan METAMORPHOSIS AKA : THE CARTEL WAR Can : So Duk Lit : Drug Sweep AKA : Bin Yik Lit : Changing Battle d. Benny Chan Muk Sing Lau Ching Wan, Nick Cheung Ka Fai, Louis Koo Tin Lok, Yolanda Yuan Quan, Lo Hoi Pang, Berg Ng Ting Yip [ THE FILM CATALOGUE ] A desperate former narcotic detective leads his team to investigate a murderer case but reveal a serious drug dealing controlled by a secret guy who is suspected to be an ex-comrade of the team... BLACK COMEDY Can : Hak Sik Hei Ket d. Wilson Chin Kwok Wai Chapman To Man Jat, Wong Cho Nam, Jacqueline Chong, Tong Fei, Jim Chim Shui Man, Jerry Koo Ming Wa, Alvina Kong Yan Yin, Barbie Liu (Ha Wai Yu), Connie Man Hoi Ling THE ICEMAN COMETH 3D Can : Bing Fung Hup Lit : Frozen Hero d. Law Wing Cheong Donnie Yen Chi Tan, Eva Huang Shengyi, Wang Baoqiang, THE CONSTABLE Can : Gaing Jeung Lit : Police Captain d. Dennis Law Sau Yiu Simon Yam Tat Wa, Lam Suet, Sam Lee Chan Sam Ken Low Wai Kwong, Maggie Shiu Mei Kei, Nick Zy Yi, Niu Mengmeng, Maggie Lee Man Kwan, Li Jinjiang, Rebecca Wang Sueya AS THE LIGHT GOES OUT Can : Dut Jung Gau Woon Ying Hung Lit : Special Rescue Heroes AKA : Special Rescue Squad d. Derek Kwok Chi Kin Nicholas Tse Ting Fung, Shawn Yue Man Lok, Simon Yam Tat Wa, Hu Jun, Andy Tien (On Chi Kit), William Chan Wai Ting, Deep Ng Ho Hong, Liu Kai Chi, Patrick Tam Yiu Man, Bai Bing, Michelle Wai (Si Nga), Bonnie Xian (Sin Sik Lai), Opening 2013 FIRESTORM Can : Fung Bo Lit : Storm d. Alan Yuen Kam Lun Andy Lau Tak Wa, Hu Jun, Yao Chen, Gordon Lam Ka Tung, Ray Lui Leung Wai, Chin Kar Lok, Michael Tong Man Lun, Kenny Wong Tak Bun, Vinz Sze Cho Nam [ THE FILM CATALOGUE ] A hardboiled police inspector, hot on the trails of a notorious criminal crew, determines to put an end to this madness, even if it means crossing his moral line. MMA Can : Gik Jin Lit : Extreme War d. Dante Lam Chiu Yin Nick Cheung Ka Fai, Andy Tien (On Chi Kit), Eddie Peng Yu-Yen, [ YAHOO! MOVIES HONG KONG ] Over the hill Hong Kong boxer Wong Ching Fai becomes a lost middle age man who is ridden in gambling debt. Rich kid Doi Si Chai loses everything due to his father's business failure. Two lost souls who were once at their prime, one to avoid debt collectors and the other to find his father, run into each other in Macau and become master and disciple. Fai in order to regain his life dignity and Chai in order to encourage his missing father not to give up step into the MMA ring and challenge strong opponents without any fear. THE MIDAS TOUCH Can : Chiu Cup Gaing Lei Yun Lit : Super Manager d. Fung Chih-Chiang Chapman To Man Jat, Charlene Choi Cheuk Yin, Gao Yunxiang, Jenny Lau Wai Huen INFERNO Can : Toh Chook Sun Tin Lit : Escape To Living Daylight d. Oxide Pang Shun, Danny Pang Fat Lau Ching Wan, Louis Koo Tin Lok, Angelica Lee Sinjie Opening October 2013 [ THE FILM CATALOGUE ] On the hottest day in 50 years, a serious fire incident happened to a busy commercial tower, a gaggle of firefighters with an indestructible enthusiasm are going to save lives... TALES FROM THE DARK Can : Mai Lei Yeh Kei Wan Yeh Lit : Eerie Night Fantasy Night d. Fruit Chan Gor, Lee Chi Ngai, Lawrence Ah Mon (Lau Ka Cheung) Tony Leung Ka Fai, Kelly Chen Wai Lam [ THE FILM CATALOGUE ] 6 twisted tales, 6 acclaimed directors, 6 horrifying ways to mess with your fear. YOUNG DETECTIVE DEE: RISE OF THE SEA DRAGON AKA : DETECTIVE DEE THE PREQUEL Can : Dik Yun Kit Chin Juen d. Tsui Hark Carina Lau Ka Ling, AngelaBaby, Feng Shaofeng, Mark Chao (Chiu Yau Ting), Lin Gengxin, Kim Beom [ THE FILM CATALOGUE ] The young Dee Renjie arrives in the Imperial Capital, intent to become an officer of the law. Empress Wu, who is at the start of her reign, has sent the fiery-haired Detective Yuchi to investigate a sea monster that stalks the city at night. By chance, both Dee and Yuchi fight off the creature when it attacks a ceremonial procession carrying the beautiful courtesan Yin to be sacrificed at a temple to appease the Gods. Suspicious of the stranger, Yuchi has Dee imprisoned. Dee escapes with the help of visiting doctor Shatuo and together they discover that the upper reaches of society, including the Emperor himself, are addicted to a poisonous tea produced by Yuan's famous teahouse. Yuan, who was romantically attached to Yin, has been missing for months. Dee shadows the courtesan, who is under Yuchun's protection, until the sea monster reappears. Just as the two men are about to kill it, Yin reveals that the monster is her lover, Yuan. Yuan has been poisoned by a foreign Prince whose kingdom was overthrown by the Emperor. As the Prince's army readies itself on a nearby island to attack the capital, a real sea dragon rises from the deep. RIGOR MORTIS Can : Geung Si Lit : Zombie d. Juno Mak Chun Lung Chin Siu Ho, Kara Hui (Wai Ying Hung), Nina Paw Hee Ching, Anthony Chan Yau, Lo Hoi Pang, Richard Ng Yiu Hong, Chung Fat, Billy Lau Official Site : http://www.kudos-films.com/RigorMortis [ YAHOO! MOVIES HONG KONG ] Famous 80s action film star Siu Ho once was famous for playing a vampire hunter in MR. VAMPIRE, but as he grows older he is on the decline. His personal life is messy and damaged, so he helplessly moves into a public housing estate unit 2442 and decides to end his life inside the haunted unit. However he runs into people who change his fate, like the last exorcist recluse Ah Yau, crazy Yeung Fung with severe damage to the soul, estate housewife Aunt Mui who is glad to help others but hides a coffin in her home. A vampire killing spree erupts, Siu HO and Ah Yau again face vicious vampire attacks and must unite to conquer this blood thirty immortal...... Can : Oi Ching Dat Yun Anita Yuen Wing Yi, Nelson Cheung Hok Yun, Edward Chui Woai Dong, Qiu Xinzhi, Naomi Can : Dut Shu Sun Fun Lit : Special Identity d. Clarence Ford (Fok Yiu Leung) Donnie Yen Chi Tan, Jing Tian, Zhang Hanyu, Andy Tien (On Chi Kit), Paw Ching Hee THE MONKEY KING Can : Dai Lau Tin Gung Lit : Havoc In Heavenly Palace d. Soi Cheang Po Shui Donnie Yen Chi Tan, Chow Yun Fat, Aaron Kwok Fu Sing, Peter Ho Yun Tung, Joe Chen Qian-En, Monica Mok Siu Kei, Wang Yuanyuan, Kelly Chen Wai Lam, Cecilia Cheung Pak Chi, Gigi Leung Wing Kei, Xia Zitong, Eddie Cheung Siu Fai, Calvin Cheng Ka Sing, Louis Fan Siu Wong Opening 2013 --- [ NOW SHOWING ] CONSPIRATORS Can : Tung Mau AKA : A+ Jing Tam Lit : A+ Detective d. Oxide Pang Shun Aaron Kwok Fu Sing, Nick Cheung Ka Fai, Jiang Yiyan Rating : IIB Length : 103 mins. Opening April 11 2013 [ CINEMA ONLINE MALAYSIA ] Chen Tan, a private detective in Thailand, travelled to Malaysia following the clues in a photo in order to reveal the truth behind the murder of his parents 30 years ago. There he finds a man called Chai, who directs him to Zheng, a Malaysian detective born in China. The two eventually stumble upon Chai's daughter, Zhi Wei and realise that she may hold the key to the mystery... [ THE FILM CATALOGUE ] Private detective Tam follows the hints to restart the investigation of a drug trafficking in Malaysia with the help of an undercover agent, hoping to find out the truth behind the murder of his parents thirty years ago... WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME TOMORROW Can : Ming Tin Gei Dut Oi Seung Ngor d. Arvin Chen Richie Jen (Yam Yin Chai), Mavis Fan Hiu Huen, Stone, Kimi Hsia Yu-Chiao, Lawrence Ko Yu Lun, Stephen Wong Ka Lok, Pei-Zhen, Lan Jun-Tian, Shaohua Zhang Rating : IIA Length : 105 mins. Opening March 26 2013 at the Hong Kong International Film Festival Opening April 11 2013 Site: http://www.hkiff.org.hk/eng/film/detail/37182.html [ HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ] Like the perennial favorite tune by the Shirelles, WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME TOMORROW? has plenty of old-fashioned charm. But the film's easygoing humor, which includes references to classics such as MARY POPPINS, turns more serious with a secret that protagonist Weichung has hidden for years. Meanwhile, his wife Feng is also experiencing marital anxiety as she struggles to find fulfillment in her life. AU REVOIR TAIPEI director's sophomore work retains its effervescent sweetness despite the topic of marital breakdown. LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE Can : Tung Gaing Chook Jo Siu Nui Lit : Tokyo Rental Girl Abbas Kiarostami Ryo Kase, Rin Takanashi, Tadashi Okuno Rating : I Length : 109 mins. Opening April 11 2013 [ YAHOO! MOVIES HONG ] University student Akiko goes to school during the day and takes on clients at night. Tonight she is lying again to avoid her jealous and ill tempered boyfriend, as she is called to a suburban home. Calling her is actually a white haired professor. He wants to chat but not romance, but Akiko on this night just falls asleep in his lap. The next morning, the old professor politely takes Akiko to school but runs into Akiko's boyfriend on the way. Her boyfriends mistakes the old professor for Akiko's grandfather but no one clears up his identity. This mistaken identity continues and gets out of hand. THE WAY WE DANCE Can : Kong Mo Pai Lit : Mad Dance Style d. Adam Wong Sau Ping Cherry Ngan Cheuk Ling, Babyjohn, Lokman, Tommy Guns, Paul Wong Koon Chung Length : 110 mins. Opening March 31 2013 at the Hong Kong International Film Festival Site : http://www.hkiff.org.hk/eng/film/detail/37177.html [ HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ] Fa, with a zeal to dance, finally gets to leave her sordid life at her parents' tofu shop when she enters university and joins a hip-hop club. She stumbles into the world of dance competition between rival groups and a love complication between the group leader, his ex-lover, an aspiring tai-chi master and herself. But in the end, the show must go on! An unprecedented on-screen performance from the best B-boys in Hong Kong and beyond. A COMPLICATED STORY Can : Yut Gor Fuk Jap Goo Si d. Kiwi Chow Koon Wai Jacky Cheung Hok Yau, Jacqueline Chu Chih-Ying, Stephanie Che Yuen Yuen, Lo Hoi Pang, Deanie Ip Tak Han, Elaine Jin (Kam Yin LIng), Cherrie Ying Choi Yi, John Shum Kin Fun, Tina Lau Tin Lan Length : 108 mins. Opening March 26 2013 at the Hong Kong International Film Festival Site : http://www.hkiff.org.hk/eng/film/detail/4/37218-a-complicated-story.html [ THE FILM CATALOGUE ] College student Liu receives a sizable sum to become a surrogate mother of a rich couple, but when the wife cancels the deal 2 months into pregnancy, Liu wants to keep the baby and goes into hiding. To complicate things, she is pursued by the husband, her ex-boyfriend and the lawyer who arranged the deal. IRON MEN Can : Teet Yun d. Yin Li Wu Gang, Liu Ye, Huang Bo, Wu Ming Rating : I Opening March 21 2013 [ YAHOO! MOVIES HONG KONG ] Young oil field worker Liu Sicheng is strange in everyone's eyes. Quiet, aside from working like mad he collects everything of Iron Man Wang like a star chasing fan. Even his only friend Zhao Yilin does not understand Liu Sicheng's ascetic lifestyle and thinks he suffers from desert claustrophobia. With the help of a beautiful psychologist Wu Mengxia, Liu Sicheng starts to open up. Actually Liu Sicheng's father Liu Wenrui worked shoulder to shoulder with Iron Man Wang. A Iron Man junior identity brings Liu Sicheng endless honor as well as adding to his growing disturbance. He becomes the idiot in the eyes of those around him. He worries that he would disappoint his father, and he is lost from the difference with his father's view on life. SAY YES Can : 101 Ji Kau Fun Lit : 101st Proposal d. Leste Chen Lin Chiling, Godfrey Gao, Amanda Qin Hailu Rating : I Length : 103 mins. Opening March 21 2013 [ BROADWAY CIRCUIT HONG KONG ] Contractor Huang Da is an average looking middle-aged guy with a job that goes nowhere. For many years he has wanted to get married and have kids. Despite having been set up for 99 times, he has failed every single time. His miserable experiences are often the laugh stock for his friends, but his simple and honest personality still keeps him trying hard to go after marriage. Ye Xun, a beautiful cello player who lost her fiancé to an accident on her wedding day three years ago, has not been able to move on from the grievance since. She puts her heart and mind into improving and playing the cello, hence avoiding love. However, it’s frustrating that she can’t perform as well as she’d like, because the obscurity deep down is affecting her actions. BAYSIDE SHAKEDOWN 4: THE FINAL Can : Diu Yeuk Dai Sau Cha Ji Jui Jung Jeung d. Katsuyuki Motohiro Yuji Oda, Toshiro Yanagiba, Eri Fukatsu, Yusuke Santamaria, Yuki Uchida, Atsushi Ito, Miki Mizuno, Shun Oguri Rating : IIA Length : 126 mins. Opening March 21 2013 [ YAHOO! MOVIES HONG KONG ] In the final chapter Shunsaku Aoshima faces the strongest enemy who is from inside the police department. On the eve of a global energy summit, a man is kidnapped in Tokyo bayside and is later shot. The gun is confirmed to have come from the police station evidence room. An emergency investigation team is established at the Bayside police station, with Seiichi Torikai from the headquarter in the lead. Yet the headquarter hides the gun related information. At the same time, a second murder takes place, Bayside police station chief's daughter is kidnapped. The series of events is linked to a kidnapping case years ago, Aoshima feels the culprit is a member of the police department.... MYSTERY (SPECIAL SCREENING) Can : Fau Sing Mai Si Lit : Floating City Mystery d. Lou Ye Hao Lei, Qin Hao, Qi Xi Rating : IIB Length : 98 mins. Opening March 17 2013 [ BROADWAY CIRCUIT ] Lu Jie has no idea her husband Yongzhao is leading a double life, until the day she sees him entering a hotel with a young woman. Her world crumbles - and it’s just the beginning. A few hours later, the young woman dies beneath the wheels of a car. The police officer in charge of the case refuses to believe her death was accidental... Based on a popular tweet on the internet, Lou Ye’s latest film, MYSTERY, reviews the complicated relationships in modern day China. The film has been selected for Un Certain Regard at the 65th Cannes Film Festival. RHINO SEASON Can : Sai Ngau Dik Gwai Jik d. Bahman Ghobadi Behrouz Vossoughi, Monica Bellucci, Yilmaz Erdogan Rating : IIB Length : 92 mins. Opening March 16 2013 [ ASIAN FILM AWARDS ] Kurdish-Iranian poet Sahel has just been released from a 30-year prison sentence in Iran. Now the one thing keeping him going is the thought of finding his wife, who thinks him is dead for over 20 years. SHIP OF THESEUS Can : Ling Won Sam Juen Sun Lit : Soul Three Reincarnations d. Anand Gandhi Aida El-Kashef, Sohum Shah, Neeraj Kabi Rating : IIA Length : 139 mins. Opening March 12 2013 [ ASIAN FILM AWARDS ] Exploring questions of identity, justice, beauty, meaning and death through an experimental photographer, an ailing monk and a young stockbroker. [ COMING SOON ] HEROIC DETECTIVE Can : Sun Tam Lei Oh Lit : Godly Detective Leo d. Jay Chou (Chow Kit Lun) Jay Chou (Chow Kit Lun) Jerry Yan (Yin Sing Yuk), Shawn Yue Man Lok, Jessie Chiang (Gong Yu Sun), Tang Yan, Wilber Pan (Poon Wai Pak), Eric Tsang Chi Wai Site : http://www.timespl.com/en/production/item/197-heroic-detective [ TIMES PRODUCTION LTD ] In the City of Brightness in a new world in the year 2030, the evil power has spread throughout the City. And actually, the City is not bright at all. 'Brilliant Detective' Leo comes to know that the most wicked 'Crazy Gangster Group' are secretly making research into a brain-control device to control the humans. Whilst gathering the criminal evidence to sue the Group, the Group send killers from its subordinate the 'Horrific Tiger Gang' to stop Leo's investigation. In a plenty of fight against the Gang, Leo was framed and put into jail at the critical moment! Finally, with Leo's strong will and determination, Leo has eventually defeated the evil power and conquered the 'Horrific Tiger Gang' to safeguard the peace of the City. Moreover, Leo has also succeeded in ruining the invention plan of the 'Crazy Gangster Group' displaying poetic justice and chivalry to the full extent. BUDDY COPS Can : Sun Sau Ba Da Lit : Holy Beast "Brother" AKA : Sun Sau Ying Gaing Lit : Holy Beast Cops d. Peter Chik Ka Kei Michael Tse Tin Wa, Bosco Wong Chung Chak, King Kong, Alice Chan Wai, Kate Tsui Tsz Shan, Vincent Lam Wai, Lisa Cheng Lai Sa, Chin Kar Lok MR. AND MRS. PLAYER Can : LAN GWUN FU YU LAN GWUN CHAI Lit : Screwing Husband And Screwing Wife d. Wong Jing Chapman To Man Jat, Chrissie Chau Sau Na [ CINEMA ONLINE MALAYSIA ] Chapman To and Chrissie Chau play two individuals of the opposite sex who are notorious players who are unable to maintain a relationship with one specific person for a long time. When the two cross paths, they end up falling for each other, but considering their disreputable past, they decide to live together to practice being "exclusive" to each other to prove their true love. DRUG WAR Can : Duk Jin d. Johnnie To Kei Fung Louis Koo Tin Lok, Sun Honglei, Crystal Huang Yi, Michelle Ye (Yip Shuen), Lam Suet, Wallace Chung Hong leung, Gao Yunxiang Length : 105 mins. Opening March 19 2013 at the Hong Kong International Film Festival Opening April 18 2013 [ THE HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ] Gangster-style Johnnie goes Mainland, and the result is one hell of an entry. Louis Koo is Timmy, a Hong Kong drug trafficker, while Mainland police captain Zhang, played by Sun Honglei, is out there to get him. Zhang at times succeeds in capturing Timmy, and at times Timmy slips from Zhang's grasp (or does he?). Cop and robber caught in a classical, ghostly dance; their loyalties are different but their psychologies are the same. Single-minded, brutal and almost cold-blooded, the two men will stop at nothing to destroy each other. The final bloodbath at a primary school sets a new standard for violence. Harrowing, chilling stuff from a master craftsman. DREAMS FOR SALE Can : But Doh Dut Dik Fu Chai Lit : Indecent Couple d. Miwa Nishikawa Takako Matsu, Sadao Abe, Rena Tanaka, Tsurube Shofukutei Opening April 18 2013 [ YAHOO! MOVIES HONG KONG ] Mr. and Mrs. Ichizawa operate a tavern in tokyo. A fire wipes out their long running tavern. In order to pay back their debts and open a new tavern, the couple comes up with a "marriage fraud" to swindle money. The wife sets up the plan as the husband offers himself to disillusioned women. Even though they know what they do is indecent, they focus on their goal and even plan to pay back the money that they "borrow" from their female victims. Unfortunately as lies flood in, the wife is jealous of her husband's unfaithful ways and their state of mind begins to change... TOKYO FAMILY Can : Tung Gaing Ga Jook d. Yoji Yamada Isao Hashizume, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Yu Aoi, Masahiko Nishimura, Yui Natsukawa, Tomoko Nakajima Rating : I Length : 146 mins. Opening April 18 2013 [ YAHOO! MOVIES HONG KONG ] Yoji Yamada remakes the Yasujiro Ozu classic TOKYO STORY, which even becomes the 50th anniversary film of his director life. The new version adds the post earthquake fears and depicts modern Japan in details. It is more than a salute to its predecessor with a style of its own. After an earthquake, Mr. and Mrs. Hirayama who have lived on an island come to Tokyo to visit their three children. Eldest son Koichi runs a hospital, middle daughter Shigeko runs a beauty salon and the youngest son Shuji works in stage art designs. Although the children hope to take care of them the best they can, everyday their jobs inevitably make them neglect their parents. They thus arrange for the elderly parents to live in a luxury hotel, but the elders of course would like to be surrounded in their children's warmth. Luckily Shuji's fiance Noriko appears, her thoughtful and attentive care comforts the elders and finally relaxes them from worrying about their youngest son. At this beautiful moment, the aging mother suddenly collapses...... WE WERE THERE: FIRST LOVE Can : Seung Oi Dik Yeuk Ding Chin Pin Lit : DATE OF MUTUAL LOVE Part I d. Takahiro Miki Toma Ikuta, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Sousuke Takaoka, Yuika Motokariya Rating : IIA Length : 117 mins. Opening April 25 2013 [ YAHOO! MOVIES HONG KONG ] For a wedding, a reunion, a school that is full of memories, Nanami Takahashi returns to Hokkaido. Standing at the starting point of memories, the past floods in and sends her back to the second year of high school...... On a sunny morning, on the school roof, a boy who is napping and a girl who stumbles in, Nanami Takahashi and Motoharu Yano meet in the summer of high school year two. At first, Takahashi somewhat despises the popular Yano but gradually she becomes attracted to his gentle yet sad eyes......one day, Takahashi by change learns the truth that Yano cannot escape the pain from the passing of his former girlfriend. She can no longer suppress her feelings for him, finally musters the courage to tell him and starts a romance that she cannot forget for the rest of her life. Yet, with the appearance of classmate Yamamoto, school in Tokyo, can their long distance love continue? SWITCH Can : Tin Gei ji Fu Chun San Gui Toh Lit : Heavenly Opportunity: Dwelling In the Fuchun Mountains AKA : Gok Ga Yum Mo ji Fu Chun San Gui Toh Lit : National Mission: Dwelling In the Fuchun Mountains d. Jay Sun Andy Lau Tak Wa, Zhang Jingchu, Lin Chiling, Tong Dawei Opening May 2 2013 in Malaysia Official Site : http://www.mediaasia.com [ CINEMA ONLINE MALAYSIA ] SWITCH revolves around the famous Chinese landscape painting "Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains" by Huang Gongwang, which was split into two 300 years ago and exhibited separately in China and Taiwan. The film envisages that the painting is finally going to be put back together again, where a gang of thieves are scrambling to steal it. Special agent Xiao Jinhan and insurance company employee Lin Yuyan are on a mission to protect the world-famous drawing "Fu Chun Shan Ju Tu", which is the target of a Japanese gangster. PLATINUM DATA Can : DNA Bak Gum So Gui Lit : DNA Platinum Data d. Keishi Ohtomo Kazunari Ninomiya, Etsushi Toyokawa, Honami Suzuki, Kiko Mizuhara Length : 134 mins. Opening May 2 2013 [ YAHOO! MOVIES HONG KONG ] Based on Keigo Higashino's popular novel. To prevent crime, the police brings in a DNA investigation system. Genius scientist Ryuhei Kagura of the police science investigation until "special analysis institute" finds the identity of criminals through the DNA investigation system. The data is known as Platinum Data. Since the police starts using DNA platinum data to conduct criminal investigations, Japan becomes a society with 100% conviction and 0% false conviction rate. Top police detective Reiji Asama asks Kagura to analyze the DNA for a murder case, but the DNA analysis result is "Not Found". Is the culprit's DNA not in the system or is the system malfunctioning? This case is called "NF13". Soon after the Platinum Data investors are murdered, the last person they saw was Ryuhei Kagura. The murder weapon is the same gun used in the "NF13" case. The police with Platinum Data finds information on the culprit and 99.9% of the information indicates the murderer to be Ryuhei Kagura! Detective Asama thus begins to investigate the suspect... WE WERE THERE: TRUE LOVE Can : Seung Oi Dik Yeuk Ding Hau Pin Lit : Date of Mutual Love Part II d. Takahiro Miki Toma Ikuta, Yuriko Yoshitaka Rating : IIA Length : 117 mins. Opening May 3 2013 [ BROADWAY CIRCUIT ] Kushiro, Hokkaido, hometown of Nanami Takahashi. She returns to the birth place and attends the wedding of classmate. Finally, she finds herself standing alone on the roof of her high school and closes her eyes. Brilliant memories rushed into her mind. It was the place where she first met Motoharu Yano, the boy every girl wanted to date. The deep and helpless sadness in his eyes drew Nanami’s attention and learn more from Yano’s closest friend, Takeuchi. Yano had lost his former girlfriend, Nana in an accident. Knowing the sad story behind Yano, Nanami could not stop her feelings towards him, and eventually confessed to him. Yano gradually opened his hardened heart to her, but the existing of Yuri, sister of Nana, soon became the obstacle between them. After they overcome the difficulties in their relationship, Nanami heard the news that Yano would move to Tokyo. Will the distance become the barrier for the love? CHRISTMAS ROSE Can : Sing Dan Mui Gwai d. Charlie Yeung Choi Nei Aaron Kwok Fu Sing, Kwai Lun-Mei, Xia Yu, Chang Chen, Liu Kai Chi, Qin Hailu, Regina Wan Qian Opening May 16 2013 [ CINEMA ONLINE MALAYSIA ] Tim is a defense attorney with a heart of gold and quits his well-paid job to become a prosecutor at the Justice Department. Tim met one of the most challenging cases he ever handles when a handicapped piano teacher Jing, urges him desperately to help her on a sexual harassment case against her doctor, the renowned surgeon Zhou. BLIND DETECTIVE Can : Man Tam d. Johnnie To Kei Fung Andy Lau Tak Wa, Sammi Cheng Sau Man Opening June 13 2013 in Malaysia Official Site : http://www.mediaasia.com [ CINEMA ONLINE MALYASIA ] a former detective, forced to leave the service after turning blind, tries to make a living solving cold cases for the police. [ THE FILM CATALOGUE ] Forced to leave service after turning blind, a former detective ekes out his living by solving cold cases for police rewards. When an attractive hit team inspector enlists his help in a personal case, he decides to take a stab. MIRACLE IN CELL NO. 7 Can : Ngong Ba Dik Lai Muk Lit : The Gift Of A Dumb Pa d. Lee Hwan-Kyung Park Shin-Hye, Kal So-Won, Ryoo Seung-Ryong, Lenght : 127 mins. Opening June 13 2013 [ YAHOO! MOVIES HONG KONG ] With the intelligence of a six year, Yong-Goo lives with his 7 year old daughter Ye-Seung. Father and daughter are close and live happily together. Yet Yong-Goo suddenly goes to prison for an accident and misses his baby girl very much. Thus the "bad guys" use every trick they know to sneak Ye-Seung into the prison, reunite father and daughter and triggers a prison miracle... BABY BLUES Can : Ngai Ngan Lit : Ghost Eyes d. Leong Poh Chi Karena Ng Chin Yu, Raymond Lam Fung, Kate Tsui Tsz Shan, Lo Hoi Pang, Janelle Sing Kwan Opening June 27 2013 in Malaysia [ CINEMA ONLINE MALAYSIA ] When a young couple moves into a home, they find a mysterious doll that changes their lives forever. IP MAN 3 d. Wilson Yip Wai Shun Donnie Yen Chi Tan Opening December 26 2013 in Malaysia --- [ Entertainment URL ] MEDIA ASIA http://www.mediaasia.com EMPEROR MOTION PICTURES http://www.emp.hk PEGASUS MOTION PICTURES http://www.pegasusmovie.com WE PICTURES http://www.wepictures.com CINEMA POPULAR http://www.cinemapopular.com MEI AH http://www.meiah.com NEW ASIA ENTERTAINMENT GROUP http://www.aeghk.com GOLDEN SCENE http://www.goldenscene.com Commercial Radio http://www.crhk.com.hk Television Broadcast Limited http://www.tvb.com.hk --- [ NORTH AMERICA AREA CONCERTS ] Courtesy of our neighbors at : High Level Entertainment's Concert & Event News Center http://www.levelhigh.com http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/1721/hlecaen.htm * ADAM CHENG AND LIZA WANG DATE AND TIME : October 19 2013 VENUE LOCATION: Southern Jubilee 1415 14 Ave. NW, Calgary AB T2N 1M4 Canada TICKET PRICES: CA$180, 90, 65, 40 TICKET OUTLET LOCATIONS: WORLD VISION: 403-889-2200 ONLINE: http://www.cantonproductions.com/ * ADAM CHENG AND LIZA WANG DATE AND TIME : October 14 2013 VENUE LOCATION: Northern Jubilee 11455 87 Ave. NW, Edmonton AB T6G 2T2 Canada TICKET PRICES: CA$180, 125, 90, 65, 40 TICKET OUTLET LOCATIONS: WORLD VISION: 780-761-3883 ONLINE: http://www.cantonproductions.com/ * ADAM CHENG AND LIZA WANG DATE AND TIME : October 11 2013 VENUE LOCATION: Sony Centre 1 Front St. E. Toronto ON M5E 1B2 Canada TICKET PRICES: CA$250, 180, 125, 95, 70, 50 TICKET OUTLET LOCATIONS: WORLD VISION: 905-696-2217 ONLINE: http://www.cantonproductions.com/ * ADAM CHENG AND LIZA WANG DATE AND TIME : October 5 2013 VENUE LOCATION: Queen Elizabeth Theatre 630 Hamilton Street Vancouver TICKET PRICES: CA$250, 180, 125, 95, 70, 50 TICKET OUTLET LOCATIONS: WORLD VISION: 604-295-4800 ONLINE: http://www.cantonproductions.com/ * KENNETH CHOI WORLD CONCERT TOUR 2013 DATE AND TIME: Friday, June 21 2013 @ 8PM VENUE LOCATION: Jack Singer Concert Hall Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts 205 8 Ave SE Calgary AB T2G 0K9 Canada TICKET PRICES: CA$ 168, 88, 68, 48 plus service charges TICKET OUTLET LOCATIONS: Online: http://www.cantonproductions.com/canton/entertainment/ken_choi2013.html Ticket Hotline: 1 888-984-4498 Wah Lung Chinese Herbs 9650 Harvest Hills Blvd. NE Calgary AB Wah Pek Chinese Herbs Company Ltd. 308A Centre Street SE Calgary AB Wah Hing Herbs & Ginseng Unit 800G 999 36th St. NE Calgary AB T2A 7X6 * KENNETH CHOI WORLD CONCERT TOUR 2013 DATE AND TIME: Sunday, June 16 2013 @ 8PM VENUE LOCATION: River Rock Casino Resort 8811 River Road Richmond BC V6X 3P8 Canada TICKET PRICES: CA$ 168, 88, 68, 48 plus service charges TICKET OUTLET LOCATIONS: Online: http://www.cantonproductions.com/canton/entertainment/ken_choi2013.html Ticket Master Canada http://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/11004A74EC01199D 604-331-4488 River Rock Ticket Office 8811 River Road Richmond BC MAL Audio Ltd 1033-8300 Capstan Way Richmond BC V6X 4B7 * DAO LANG DATE AND TIME: Sunday, June 9 2013 7PM Monday, June 10 2013 8:30PM VENUE LOCATION: Avalon Theatre Theatre Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort 6380 Fallsview Boulevard, Niagara ON L2G 7X5 Canada TICKET PRICES: CA $162.95, 140.35, 112.10 TICKET OUTLET LOCATION: TICKET MASTER CANADA http://www.ticketmaster.ca/Dao-Lang-tickets/artist/1842185 * DAO LANG Special Guest: Yun Duo DATE AND TIME: Wednesday, June 5 2013 @ 8PM VENUE LOCATION: Queen Elizabeth Theatre 630 Hamilton Street at Georgia Vancouver BC V6B 2P1 Canada TICKET PRICES: CA$ 368, 138, 108, 88, 68 TICKET OUTLET LOCATIONS: Online: http://www.cantonproductions.com/canton/entertainment/dao_lang2013.html PHONE: 604-331-4488 MAL Audio Ltd 1033-8300 Capstan Way Richmond BC V6X 4B7 * SANDRA LANG (SIN TO LAI) LIVE IN VANCOUVER DATE AND TIME: Sunday, June 2 2013 @ 8PM VENUE LOCATION: River Rock Casino Resort 8811 River Rd., Richmond BC V6X 3P8 Canada TICKET PRICES: VIP CA$128, 108, 78, 48 (plus service charges) TICKET OUTLET LOCATIONS: TICKET MASTER http://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/11004A7CEDA576F2 Christine Jewellers 4380 No.3 Road, Unit 1245 Parker Place Mall Richmond BC Canada V6X 3V7 * TALK SHOW BY MICHAEL HUI KOON MAN DATE AND TIME: Sunday, May 26 2013 @ 8PM VENUE LOCATION: Casino Rama 5899 Rama Road Rama ON L0k 1T0 Canada TICKET OUTLET LOCATIONS: TICKET MASTER CANADA: http://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/10004A4CD3936AB3 * DONALD CHEUNG DATE AND TIME: Sunday, May 19 2013 @ 8PM VENUE LOCATION: River Rock Casino Resort 8811 River Rd., Richmond BC V6X 3P8 Canada TICKET OUTLET LOCATIONS: TICKET MASTER http://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/11004A7CC8D35D96 * F.I.R. LIGHT UP THE WAY Tour Atlantic City DATE AND TIME: Saturday night/Sunday morning, May 19 2013 1AM VENUE LOCATION: Circus Maximus Theater Caesar Atlantic City Hotel and Casino 2100 Pacific Ave. Atlantic City NJ 08401 TICKET PRICES: VIP $138, 98, 68 TICKET OUTLET LOCATION: ONLINE: http://www.iemshowplace.com TICKET HOTLINE: 718-888-3113 International Entertainment Marketing 135-05 40 Road 2/F Flushing NY 11354 718.888.3113 5609 8th Ave. Brooklyn NY 11220 718.437.7717 Bowery Pharmacy Inc. 95 Bowery St. New York NY 212.219.0449 Sampan Travel Service 170 Canal St #201 212.431.3557 Global Travel International Corp. 1681 RT. 27 Suite 3 Edison NJ 732.819.6883 Yang Tze Trading Inc. 933 Arch Street L/L Philadelphia PA 197107 215.922.8700 * CHINESE GOLDEN MELODIES CONCERT DATE AND TIME: Saturday, May 18 2013 @ 7:30PM VENUE LOCATION: River Rock Casino Resort 8811 River Rd., Richmond BC V6X 3P8 Canada TICKET OUTLET LOCATIONS: TICKET MASTER http://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/11004A7CC348597B * F.I.R. LIGHT UP THE WAY Tour DATE AND TIME: Tuesday, May 14 2013 @ 6:30PM VENUE LOCATION: River Rock Casino Resort 8811 River Rd., Richmond BC V6X 3P8 Canada TICKET OUTLET LOCATIONS: TICKET MASTER http://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/11004A7CE4B0714C * CACHE CREEK MOTHER'S DAY CONCERT With Mimi Choo and Wen Zheng DATE AND TIME: Sunday, May 5 2013 @ 2PM, 5PM VENUE LOCATION: Club 88 Cache Creek Casino 14455 State Highway 16, Brook CA 95606 TICKET PRICES: $108, 78, 58 TICKET OUTLET LOCATION: Jade Entertainment http://www.jadeentertain.com/blog/?p=187 * LEO KU AMAZING WORLD TOUR Live in Atlantic City DATE AND TIME: Saturday night/Sunday morning, April 28 2013 1AM VENUE LOCATION: Borgota Hotel Casino & Spa Event Center Borgota Hotel Casino & Spa 1 Borgata Way Atlantic City NJ 08401 TICKET PRICES: VIP $138, 88, 68 TICKET OUTLET LOCATION: ONLINE: http://www.iemshowplace.com TICKET HOTLINE: 718-888-3113 International Entertainment Marketing 135-05 40 Road 2/F Flushing NY 11354 718.888.3113 5609 8th Ave. Brooklyn NY 11220 718.437.7717 Bowery Pharmacy Inc. 95 Bowery St. New York NY 212.219.0449 Sampan Travel Service 170 Canal St #201 212.431.3557 Global Travel International Corp. 1681 RT. 27 Suite 3 Edison NJ 732.819.6883 Yang Tze Trading Inc. 933 Arch Street L/L Philadelphia PA 197107 215.922.8700 * AMY WU MEI YI LIVE IN VANCOUVER Special Guests: William Ho Wood Kuen, Raymond Shum On Lun DATE AND TIME: Sunday, April 28 2013 @ 8PM VENUE LOCATION: River Rock Casino Resort 8811 River Rd., Richmond BC V6X 3P8 Canada TICKET PRICES: VIP CA$138, 88, 68, 48 (plus service charges) TICKET OUTLET LOCATIONS: TICKET MASTER http://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/11004A3EDF6492DD MAL Music Union Square 1033-8300 Capstan Way at Hazelbridge Way Richmond BC Canada V6X 4B& INFORMATION: (604) 276-2831 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Box office info : What Box Office Info? The usual suspects : Internet Movie Database, Yahoo! Hong Kong Erors : ye olde chaffing editor For Thursday, April 8 2013 10 TOUCH OF THE LIGHT Can : Yik Guong Fei Cheung Lit : Against the Light Flight d. Chang Rong-ji Huang Yi-Siang, Sandrine Pinna (Cheung Yung Yung) 9 BULLET TO THE HEAD d. Walter Hill Sylvester Stallone, Sung Kang, Sarah Shahi Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Christian Slater, Jason Momoa, 8 OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN d. Antoine Fuqua Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, 7 LESSON OF THE EVIL Can : Ngok Ji Gau Din d. Takashi Miike Hideaki Ito, Takayuki Yamada, 6 JURASSIC PARK 3D d. Steven Spielberg Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum 5 SAVING GENERAL YANG Can : Jung Lit Yeung Ga Jeung Lit : Valiant Yang Clan Generals d. Ronny Yu Yun Tai Adam Cheng Siu Chau, Xu Fan, Raymond Lam Fung, Dior Cheng Yi Kin, Wu Chun, Vic Chou Yu Man, Li Chen, Yu Bo, Fu Xinbo, Shao Bing 4 FINDING MR. RIGHT Can : But Gaing Yu Seung Sai Nga Toh Lit : Beijing Meets Seattle d. Xue Xiaolu Tang Wei, Wu Xiubo, Elaine Jin (Kam Yin Ling) 3 IP MAN THE FINAL FIGHT Can : Ip Man Jung Gik Yut Jin d. Herman Yau Lai To Anthony Wong Chau Sun, Anita Yuen Wing Yi, Eric Tsang Chi Wai, Jordan Chan Siu Chun, Gillian Chung Yun Tung, Chow Ting Yu, Jonathan Wong Chee Hynn, Timmy Hung Tin Ming 2 THE CROODS d. Chris Sanders DreamWorks Animation English Voices: Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, 1 G.I. JOE: RETALIATION d. Jon M. Chu Channing Tatum, Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Adrianne Palicki ------ Summaries for some of the films above. Some contain SPOILERS SAVING GENERAL YANG Rating : IIB Length : 101 mins. Opening March 28 2013 at the Hong Kong International Film Festival Opening April 4 2013 Site : http://37.hkiff.org.hk/eng/film/detail/37142-saving-general-yang.html [ HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ] The Yang family during the Song Dynasty was the Chinese Empire's greatest military clan. The patriarch is loyal to the emperor. His loving wife has given him seven sons who all love their mother very much. When the patriarch falls prey to the scheme of a villain and is subsequently trapped by the northern barbarians, the six sons set out for the rescue. With battles scenes and single combats galore, and the seven sons played by Chinese-language cinema's hottest males (with their pretty faces and buff bodies), this is almost like The Iliad -- but with special Chinese characteristics. [ THE FILM CATALOGUE ] This is an epical tale about the renowned Song Dynasty’s military defense by the clan of Yang’s against the nomadic Northern nation the Liao, sometimes also known as the Khitans in ancient Chinese history account. Headed by a charismatic old veteran general named YangYe, the Yang Clan has been the major military force protecting the Song Empire and its people against their ever invasive neighbor. From YangYe and his wife Madame She, we witness the coming of age of their seven sons namely Ping, Ding, Ang, Hui, De, Zhao and Si throughout the various battlefields in the story. The seven young men possess different temperament and characters united under a single banner and a heart of lion. IP MAN THE FINAL FIGHT Rating : IIB Length : 100 mins. Opening March 17 2013 at the Hong Kong International Film Festival Opening March 28 2013 Site : http://37.hkiff.org.hk/eng/film/detail/37216-ip-man-the-final-fight.html Site : http://www.emp.hk/title.php?film_id=133 [ THE HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ] The industry of inventing and re-inventing the legend of Master Ip Man lives on....This one by Hong Kong's best-loved populist director Herman Yau has both feet firmly on the ground in the fighting sequences, the drama, the story-telling, and sympathies. Anthony Wong plays the Master arriving in Hong Kong in 1950. Penniless and no longer young, he teaches martial arts to working class people for a living and enters into a life-long romantic (or platonic) relationship with a songstress across a canvass of social turmoil, labor strikes, police corruption and high-handed colonial rule. A model of restraint, the Master only shows his true colours when he takes on the tyrant of the Walled City in the final fight. [ THE FILM CATALOGUE ] In postwar Hong Kong, legendary Wing Chun grandmaster Ip Man is reluctantly called into action once more, when what begin as simple challenges from rival kung fu styles soon draw him into the dark and dangerous underworld of the Triads. Now, to defend life and honor, he has no choice but to fight one last time... FINDING MR. RIGHT Rating : I Length : 121 mins. Opening March 28 2013 [ THE FILM CATALOGUE ] A spoiled city girl travels from Beijing to Seattle to give birth to her rich, married boyfriend’s, only happens to fall for her driver, who’s the opposite of everything she wanted in a man. LESSON OF THE EVIL Rating : III Length : 126 mins. Opening April 4 2013 [ YAHOO! MOVIES HONG KONG ] Newly arrived high school English teacher Seiji Hasumi is popular with students and has the trust of the school and parents. Full of ideals and energy he has been making the perfect class. Hasumi faces a variety of severe problems like problem students, bullying, compensated dating and even teacher sexually harassing students, all of which expands his dark side. He also learns that someone is also about to discover his mysterious past... TOUCH OF THE LIGHT Rating : I Length : 110 mins. Opening April 4 2013 [ YAHOO! MOVIES HONG KONG ] The blind Yi-Siang leaves home for the first time to study up north. Although he plays piano well, he insists against participating in any contest. Because he does not want any sympathy, he only wants to live the life of an ordinary person. At the time, he runs into Siao-Jie, a girl who loves to dance. She is forced to drop out of dance school but has a boyfriend who radiates when he street dances. Warm like sunlight Yu-Sian gradually enters her world and melts Siao-Jie's icy heart. Yu-Sian's courage deeply guides Siao-Jaie; Siao Jei brings Yu-Sian to experience adventures that he has never had before. They make up for strength that the other has lost and together they head toward a dream that is far beyond reach..... ------ GLOBAL CHINESE SONG CHART For Saturday, April 6 2013 15 SO IN LOVE Ella Koon Yun Na http://youtu.be/XWa9mFzDWao 14 DEFINITION OF LOVE Can : Guan Yu Oi Dik Ding Yi Khalil Fong http://youtu.be/-1LqgvBMAhQ 13 IN THE END PERHAPS I AM CRAZY Can : Toh Tau Loi Fung Dik Lan Doh Si Ngor io http://youtu.be/70Fu6ObRgFo 12 OLDER BROTHER SONG Can : Gor Gor Ivana Wong Yuen Chi http://youtu.be/VDU1bMWi8xs 11 DEAF Can : Lung Ji Chris Lee Yuchun http://youtu.be/p2Nma6WrQG4 10 THE FACE THAT LAUNCHED A THOUSAND SHIPS Can : King Gok King Sing Karen Mok Man Wai http://youtu.be/xQfHdJn81hQ 9 COMPLETELY BECAUSE OF YOU Can : Chuen Yun Yun Nei Hins Cheung King Hin http://youtu.be/Uq-PLO0Ifsg 8 CERAMIC DOLL Can : Toh Chi Wa Wa Robynn & Kendy http://youtu.be/M5O8gVitNJ0 7 PRACTICE LOVE Can : Sau Nin Oi Ching JJ Lin (Lam Chun Kit) http://youtu.be/LWV-f6dMN3Q 6 MARKSMAN Can : Seh Sau Magic Power http://youtu.be/0QTV0RAfHho 5 THE WEIGHT OF SWEAT Can : Hong Shui Dik Chung Leung Anthony Neely (Ngai On Tung) http://youtu.be/_CLDMTpJHj8 4 ACTUALLY NO Can : Kei Sut Toh Moot Yau Aska Yang (Yeung Chung Wai) http://youtu.be/JWIOULj0fxE 3 THE SCIENCE OF CRYING Can : Ngan Lui Gau Ngor Dik Si Denise Ho Wan Si http://youtu.be/-by6z33qc_M 2 STEADY BLISS Can : Won Won Dik Hung Fuk Eason Chan Yik Shun http://youtu.be/pUepiT2sJQI 1 WHAT MAKES YOU RUN INTO THIS YOU Can : Si Sup Mor Yeung Ngor Yu Gein Jeh Yeung Dik Nei Ann Bai An http://youtu.be/aVmZpcrQBU4 ------ [ Yakety Yak ] The views and opinions expressed here are purely those of the writer and in no way reflect those of Hong Kong Film Top 10 Box Office, its contributors and affiliated web sites. Top Ten Central pleas with all its readers for disaster relief support for victims of Hurricane Sandy. For more information please visit the American Red Cross site : http://www.redcross.org/ Jer Jer Stinks, Your Chaffing Editor Top Ten Central ======== KOREAN MOVIE NIGHT courtesy of the Korean Cultural Service http://www.koreanculture.org/index.php Every other Tuesday @ 7pm Tribeca Cinemas (54 Varick Street, on the corner of Canal Street, one block from the A, C, E and 1 train Canal Street stops) Price? Free. All seating is first-come, first served. Doors open at 6:30pm. UPCOMING MOVIES Korean Movie Night 2013 Series Two: Micro-Budget Genre Invasion! The Korean Cultural Service has previously offered up plenty of micro-budget cinema and the best in Korea’s genre offerings, but this spring, we’re combining the two – and delivering New York four of the country’s most exciting micro-budgeted action, science fiction, and horror films! It is easier for larger studios to be forced to break away from the directors’ original visions to create projects that focus on mass appeal. But these micro-budget films, financed by brave individuals rather than companies, offer creative, strange, and boundary-pushing movies that no studio in their right mind would create! We’re talking about the wildest, weirdest genre films you can imagine – from Korea’s undisputed kings of micro-budgets! Get ready for an invasion, New York City… because you’re about to go up against crazed criminals, lovelorn time travelers, brain-hungry zombies, and a pair of extraterrestrial beachwear! It doesn’t get much stranger than this! Tuesday, April 30, 2013 @ 7pm THE NEIGHBOR ZOMBIE (2009, U.S. Premiere) Why should Americans have all the fun when it comes to zombie outbreaks? In this tongue-in-cheek 2009 thriller, Seoul is overrun with the walking dead – and the government says it’s time to wipe them out! A six-part comedy/horror anthology from four cutting-edge indie directors, The Neighbor Zombie follows an unbelievable zombie outbreak as it spreads throughout Korea, examining the numerous people it affects in bizarre, wild ways. With an amazing $18,000 budget, it embodies the pinnacle of what a talented group of filmmakers can accomplish if they put their delicious, juicy brains together! Tuesday, April 16, 2013 @ 7pm INVASION OF THE ALIEN BIKINI (2011) Young Gun (Hong Young-Geun) is a virgin vigilante, determined to do the right thing as he wanders through the city streets at night. A self-proclaimed protector of the people (who occasionally picks up a wayward scrap of trash), he risks his life for the good of his oblivious metropolis. One night, after saving a lovely young woman and bringing her back to his apartment, Young Gun’s chastity becomes threatened: it turns out the lovely young woman is not of this Earth, and her one and only mission on this planet is to procreate and save her species! A riotous mix of comedy and science fiction, this raunchy romp from director Oh Young-Doo was shot with an unbelievable budget of $4,500 – employing the assistance of family, friends, and anyone he could find to help bring his hilarious vision to life! Join us for the New York Premiere of this critically acclaimed indie gem, but leave the kids at home – this one’s a bit racy! ---------------------- HK Top Ten Central hktopten@hotmail.com http://hktopten.orgfree.com | http://hktopten.blogspot.com