By Anne Lee
Venetian splendor meets Asian invasion, Hong Kong soap classic revisited, Bae Yong Joon bigger in Japan than Spielberg and Cruise combined, Southern All Stars are back, and much more in this edition of News From Abroad.
Venice gets a taste of Asian
The 62nd Venice Film Festival opened Aug. 29 with Tsui Hark's Seven Swords, one of many Asian films to be screened. As the title indicates, it is a martial arts epic, reviving the Hong Kong "wuxia" genre. The out-of-competition film is a homage to Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. Also shown out of competition was Nomura Tetsuya's Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, which goes on sale in Japan on September 14. Other Asian films include Stanley Kwan's Everlasting Regret, featuring Sammi Cheng -- the only Asian film in competition -- and Peter Ho-sun Chan's Perhaps Love, which will close the festival on Sept. 10. Perhaps Love is the first musical to be produced in China in 40 years. Taiwanese pop sensation Jay Chou's debut film, Initial D, has already screened and received positive feedback. But it doesn't end there -- Chinese classics from the 1940s, restored by a specialist, will also be screened at the festival, and Hayao Miyazaki, renowned Japanese animator, is set to receive a lifetime achievement award.
Hong Kong drama from the 70's to be remade
Hong Kong soap classic Under the Lion's Rock has been confirmed for a remake. The star-studded cast will include Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung, Eason Chan, Joey Yung and Kelly Chan. Derek Yee and Benny Chan will lead the shooting, to begin by the end of the year. In remembrance of the late Roman Tam, the original theme song he sang, Lion Rock, will be used, but rearranged and edited with Yung's vocals and other musical elements. The soap's story line revolves around a group of people who built Hong Kong, with the "lion rock" referring to their fight for freedom and prosperity.
Johnny Depp visits Japan
Johnny Depp arrived in Tokyo's Narita airport on Saturday to promote his collaboration with Tim Burton, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Sporting a cowboy hat and brown suede jacket, Depp seemed taken aback by the 2,000 fans waiting for him outside customs. This is Depp's second visit to Japan, the first in 1995 for Dead Man. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory premiered in Japan on Sept. 5th.
Southern All Stars to release new album
The legendary Japanese band, Southern All Stars, will release their first original album in seven years on Oct. 5. In the past seven years, the band has remained active through touring and released an abundance of singles. The record is predicted to sell well, maybe even break some records -- seeing as they re-released 44 singles at once in June and almost took over the chart's Top 50 slots. The new commercial for their album, which went on air Sept. 4, features a teary-eyed press conference where the band begs for forgiveness and apologizes to fans for the long wait.
Bae Yong Joon woos Japanese fans
Korean star Bae Yong Joon's Japan visit came to a close on Sept. 4. Bae was in Japan to promote his latest movie April Snow ("Shigatsu no Yuki"). He made an appearance at the Saitama Super Arena on Aug. 30 for the film, packing the venue to full capacity of 25,000 -- most of them middle-aged women. And that's not including the 3,000 ticketless fans wandering about outside the arena buying merchandise, in hopes of getting a glimpse of the star. Bae has certainly created quite a stir in Japan, with his pre-departure press conference on the 3rd having a turnout of 1,100 journalists and 90 TV cameras -- more media than at the War of the Worlds press conference with Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise. The movie opens in Japan on Sept. 17.
British acknowledge Bollywood
Tony Blair is set to sign a deal this week that will ease cooperation between British and Indian productions -- meaning Indian films shot in the United Kingdom will be eligible for substantial tax breaks and have British technology and facilities at their disposal. But this was not out of the blue: interest in Indian films has spiked recently in the UK, potentially a
result of the large Indian population there. Not only have Bollywood films been successful, but British Indian productions have also been a hit, such as the British-Indian-directed Bend It Like Beckham. Indian flicks are just the first to get a break, as word has it that there's a list of countries to receive co-production contracts, including Italy, Austrailia, China, and even Morocco.
Ayumi surprises fans
At the Sept. 5 premiere of Shinobi, Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki made a surprise guest appearance on the stage of the Marunouchi Piccadilly movie theater in Yurakucho, making the crowd go wild -- possibly also a result of her tiny mini skirt. Hamasaki sings the film's theme song, "Heaven". It will be released as a single Sept. 14. Shinobi, which stars the currently very popular Nakama Yukie, opens Sept. 17.
The next big Chinese hit?
Feng Xiaogan's Night Banquet begins shooting this month on location in Arxan of Inner Mongolia. Inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet, the film takes place in the war era of China's Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. The film revolves around the characters' quest for power. Zhang Ziyi plays the empress who plots to take the throne for the crown prince, played by Daniel Wu -- which is a disguise to ultimately obtain the power for herself. Ge You stars as the emperor. Zhou Xun plays the princess, and she also sings the theme song with famed Mongolian Chinese singer Tenger. The drama and conspiracy ultimately unfold in a night banquet.
The film also enlisted the help of many from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, including art director Tim Yip and martial arts choreographer Yuan Wo-ping. In addition, the score is composed by Tan Dun. After approximately two weeks of shooting in Arxan, the crew will move to north of Beijing to shoot the remainder of the film indoors. The film is expected to release September 2006. With a $20 million budget, it is estimated to be already $5 million over budget.
Published: Thursday, September 8, 2005
