March 22nd, 2007 by dd
Cannes best actor winner Tony Leung Chiu-wai has worked with some of the top directors in ethnic Chinese cinema, and he says Taiwan’s Ang Lee is the toughest.
Leung worked with mainland Chinese director Zhang Yimou on “Hero,” fellow Hong Konger Wong Kar-wai on several movies, and just finished shooting Lee’s spy thriller “Lust, Caution.”
Asked to compare the three directors, Leung said, “director Ang Lee’s demands are the strictest.”
“He has high expectations for himself, so he has very high demands for actors. He hopes you can deliver 200 percent. It’s tougher for the actors when they shoot and prepare for their roles. Ang Lee asks you to do things that are impossible,” Leung said. “But when you accomplish something that resembles what he asked for, you feel that it’s a very big achievement.” [IHT]
Posted in Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Film, Zhang Yimou, Tony Leung, Ang Lee, Wong Kar Wai | 
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March 13th, 2007 by dd
Rainie Yang and Isabella Leong
You know you love to watch. And apparently the Taiwanese love to provide. Spiderlilies is a Taiwan film starring Rainie Yang and Isabella Leong. DD could make more of an effort to find out what the film is about but apparently they just kiss a lot which is what’s really important. Ang Lee, Academy Award winning director of Brokeback Mountain who knows a thing or two about same sex smooches, is also from the tiny ‘renegade state’.
But I digress. What’s important here is that you focus on the images at hand. To that end, may I recommend another great film, Saving Face, about a lesbian daughter and her pregnant mother, played by Joan Chen. Shout out to Lynn Chen, the love interest, who went to the Dumpling’s alma mater… wonder if DD ever drunk dialled her.
Michelle Krusiek and Lynn Chen in Sucking Saving Face
Photo Source: StarEastAsia
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Taiwan, Asian American, Ang Lee, Rainie Yang, Isabella Leong, Joan Chen, Lynn Chen | No Comments »
March 7th, 2007 by dd
Peek-a-boo, right behind you…
Fans of Hong Kong actor Tony Leung won’t be able to see him in the upcoming Battle of Red Cliffs or Chi Bi as the star has decided to step back from the lead in the film.
Chinese web portal Sina.com says the film’s director John Woo confirmed the Cannes Best Actor winner gave up playing Zhu-Ge Liang, a legendary military strategist in the ancient Three Kingdoms period, in the film.
Tony Leung has reportedly said the plot was attractive, but the six-month-long shoot was longer than he expected.
Rumors say the star may take the break to concentrate on his relationship with fellow actress Carina Lau. Some suspect he wants to take a rest after finishing shooting Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution.
No comments were available from Tony Leung’s agent.
In the wake of the star’s withdrawal, heartthrob Takeshi Kaneshiro has been confirmed to take on the role and join the star-heavy cast, including Chow Yun-Fat, Taiwan supermodel Chiling Lin, and mainland actress Vicki Zhao. Battle of Red Cliffs will begin shooting later this month, and is slated to premiere next year. [Cri]
Posted in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Film, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Chow Yun Fat, Tony Leung, Ang Lee, Carina Lau, Lin Chiling, John Woo, Vicki Zhao | No Comments »
March 1st, 2007 by dd
Marky Mark was afraid he’d come off as ‘gay’
Actor Mark Wahlberg feels contented at the very thought the filmmaker Ang Lee did not cast him in Brokeback Mountain, for the idea of playing a gay cowboy did not sit well with him.
The Departed star revealed that movie bosses had first considered him and Joaquin Phoenix for Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist’s portrayal, but both of them were uncomfortable about sex scenes in a tent.
“I met with Ang Lee on that movie, I read 15 pages of the script and got a little creeped out. It was very graphic, descriptive - the spitting on the hand, getting ready to do the thing,” Contactmusic quoted Wahlberg as saying.
“I told Ang Lee, ‘I like you, you’re a talented guy, if you want to talk about it more…’ Thankfully, he didn’t,” he added.
Although the roles eventually went to Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain still figures on Wahlberg’s must see movie list.
He, however, said that he had not seen the movie as yet.
“I didn’t rush to see Brokeback, it’s just not my deal… Obviously, it was done in taste - look how it was received,” he said. [MalaysiaSun]
Posted in Taiwan, Film, Ang Lee | No Comments »
February 15th, 2007 by dd
Gay cowboys, middle class families whose lives spiral out of control, old British society, a Civil War epic, a WWII espionage thriller…
Oscar-winning director Ang Lee is clearly the best choice to direct his first romantic comedy after he finishes Lust, Caution.
Cameron Diaz and Jim Carey will star in A Little Game, a big-screen adaptation of the French play, A Little Game of Consequence. It tells the story of a couple who pretend to call off their marriage so they can discover what their friends really think of their relationship.
Can’t wait to pee in my pants laughing over Ang’s version. He should include a suicidal best friend, an abusive father, an alcohol mother, a bisexual sister, and a family dog with bladder control problems…. for added comic relief, of course.
Posted in Taiwan, Film, Ang Lee | No Comments »
November 23rd, 2006 by dd
No, it’s not the release date for ‘Curse of the Golden Flower’. It’s more likely the night this movie will be going home with Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Epic, Shakespearean undertones, China, Gong Li, Chow Yun Fat, Zhang Yimou, visually spectacular… it’s got all the elements. Check out the final trailers on Sony Pictures Classics:
Quicktime Trailer
Windows Media Trailer
Also looking forward to a slate of other great films including ‘Confessions of Pain’ with Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro, ‘Protege’ with Andy Lau, Ang Lee’s ‘Lust, Caution’, and Stephen Chow’s ‘Long River 7′… can’t wait!!!
Posted in Film, Andy Lau, Gong Li, Zhang Yimou, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Chow Yun Fat, Tony Leung, Ang Lee, Stephen Chow | 2 Comments »
