Movie Box Review

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The Hong Kong directors Jacob Cheung Chi Leung and Ching Siu Tung produced large scale costume action mystery TANG DYNASTY'S MYSTIC MAP (DAI TONG YUN GEI TOH) held its first national recruitment for "Tung Lady Leung Girl" in Shenzhen.

The release company revealed that this recruitment will be national as the company had three male and female characters to fulfill young men and women's dream of performing.  At the event Macau government honored athlete, the first wushu world champion and the release company CEO Li Fei even through the media sincerely invited excellent athletes to make contact.  She said that she had a lot of confidence in the future of "Tung Lady Leung Girl".  This time she came as a retired athlete in hopes of recruiting excellent athletes to participate.

Cheung Chi Leung said that for this film he turned down many offers.  "This movie is a mystery that begins in the Tang Dynasty historical background.  Aside from DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME (DIK YUN KIT ji TUNG TIN DAI GOK) in Hengidan, Tang Dynasty stories have not been often seen in the Mainland costume work.  I have confidence in making MYSTIC MAP great and display a Tang Dynasty of my understanding to the audience.  Hengdian Film and Television City is so rich with such grand yet detailed production locations and ample resources, I think it will be able to provide a very ideal foundation for us to make this movie great."

As for casting, the producer said that this film did not have any already determined casting issue.  As long as applicants are 18 or older they can download the application at the official site http://huiyan.dtxjt.com.  The recruitment judges will consist of the creators, famous film critics, experienced media personnel, well known entrepreneurs and many veteran sales experts.  The entire recruitment will be strict and the results will be announced to the public.

At the launch ceremony, the organizer set up many recruitment segments.  One of the coaches who participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony was one of the earliest applicants.

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Ching Siu Tung, Eva Huang, Jet Li, Charlene Choi, Yang Zi courtesy of takungpao.com

The Jet Li (Lee Nin Kit), Eva Huang Shengyi and Charlene Choi Cheuk Yin starred THE SORCERER AND THE WHITE SNAKE (BAK SEH CHUEN SHUEN) two nights ago held a premiere in Causeway Bay.

Lee Nin Kit did not accept any media interview only did a brief question and answer segment with the host.  Director Ching Siu Tung pointed out, THE SORCERER AND THE WHITE SNAKE was the most difficult
fight film for Lee Nin Kit in the past ten years.  Lee Nin Kit said that this time was not considered difficult.  He joked, "Attending promotions to me is even more difficult."  Ching Siu Tung also said that every actor
worked on this film until they got sick due to the dozen or so degree below zero Celsius climate.  he said, "We still used the wind machine to create the drifting feeling!"  Ah Sa also admitted that working in the water in the chilly winter without any protective clothing was very tough, luckily the director prepared ginger tea for them to keep warm.

Ah Sa revealed that when she went shoe shopping she ran into "Big Beauty" Brigitte Lin (Lam Ching Ha) and Ti Lung's wife Tao Man Ming.  She said, "I asked them for their opinions.  Mrs. Ti Lung thought the shoes were pretty."

Ah Sa joked that every time she went clothes shopping she ran into "guiding light".  Last time in Venice she saw Deanie Ip Tak Han.  This time she ran into Lam Ching Ha for the first time.  As for her impression, she said, "I feel she is very well maintained."

Huang Shengyi dressed provocatively two nights ago.  She admitted that she did not use any tape and took the chance to urge the media not to keep staring at her chest.  She revealed that next month she will again
come to Hong Kong for an action comedy.

Shengyi said, "For this movie I have already trained over two months in martial arts, thus with another action film I don't need to practice more."  Shengyi revealed that she also did not need to practice earlier for a martial art performance in a commercial.  Thus she got her return for all her hard work.  Shengyi also pointed out that SORCERER was the most difficult because thus she learned a lot of action techniques.  She hoped to have more chances to work on action films in the future.  She said, "Kung fu films sell better and have more overseas market."

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Raymond Lam Fung and Eva Huang Shengyi worked on the Ching Siu Tung directed THE SORCERER AND THE WHITE SNAKE (BAK SEH CHUEN SHUET).  Earlier they accepted a TVB interview and talked about their many passionate scenes.  The most memorable was the kiss in the water.  Because Shengyi did not know how to swim at all, she could only be in the water for a few seconds.  She could only open her eyes in the water and act at all.  Finally with everyone's encouragement and training she was able to complete this underwater kiss of a century with Lam Fung.

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Eva Huang Shengyi and Raymond Lam Fung earlier promoted their film THE SORCERER AND THE WHITE SNAKE (BAK SEH CHUEN SHUET), which will be released simultaneously in Hong Kong and the Mainland.  Lam Fung played Hui Sin but different from the previously cowardly Hui Sin.  This time he would give for White Snake.  Lam Fung said, "Honestly I didn't used to think Hui Sin was a man, but this time he finally gave and made this romance a little more equal."  He directly said that at first he worried that viewers would make comparisons to previous work and did not understand why director Ching Siu Tung would cast him as Hui Sin.  When he learned that the new version would be sunnier and the entire romance would be more balanced, he believed that the life and death scenes would be even more touching.  He joked, "Female viewers absolutely can bring tissues to the movie!"

Ching Siu Tung was a famous action director, but Lam Fung in the film was the only one without any fight scene.  He honestly said that was regrettable.  He said, "The director is known for making martial art very pretty, I too want to learn from him.  Yet at the most I just did wire work and rock climbing."  During the shoot, he said that the most difficult was being in the water.  Actually originally he did not need to get wet but accidentally fell into the lake.  The director thought the visual was decent and finally wanted him to soak in the lake and romance White Snake.  He was all wet for three days.  Lam Fung hoped to work with the director on his next action film because he too wanted to become an action star.  He said, "Romance is more direct with the result, but fight action after editing would be different and may even make myself look better in fights.  (Yet romance is more relaxing?)  Who says?  The last time I injured my neck from a romantic scene."

As White Snake Huang Shengyi said that many action scenes in the film relied on special effect assistance, but she made many preparations as well to avoid too many bad takes.  She also honestly said that working
with Ching Siu Tung was stressful but also very exciting.  She hoped to be able to fight more.  Was she not afraid of injury?  She said that she scratched her finger but a prop bruised her face, but she did not regret making action scenes.  Instead she thought it was very fun because she was able to learn a lot.  She would not succeed just from doing.  In the film she also had many wire scene, in one of which she had to turn in mid air then fly out.  However she turned 20 to 30 times and she was dizzy.  The toughest however was diving head first from ten floors up.  She recalled, "At the time I was very scared but after struggling for several minutes I jumped.  I finally jumped seven or eight times.  Aside from the first time, I wasn't so scared anymore.  That was just psychological."  Speaking of her wardrobe malfunction at the Venice Film Festival, she helplessly said, "I am more careless, the director often asked me why I constantly had accidents."  She joked that Charlene Choi Cheuk Yin taught her some wardrobe malfunction prevention techniques.  I believed soon I would have to ask her for more advice."

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The Ching Siu Tung directed THE SORCERER AND THE WHITE SNAKE (BAK SEH CHUEN SHUET) will open on September 29th in Hong Kong and the Mainland for the National Day slot.  Eva Huang Shengyi and Charlene Choi Cheuk Yin in the film played White Snake and Green Snake.  As Green Snake, Ah Sa would display Green Snake's lively side.  In the film she even played matchmaker to Huang Shengyi and Raymond Lam Fung.  The film added many computer generated special effects.  In THE SORCERER AND THE WHITE SNAKE a human shape that was covered in snake scales from shoulder to waist and below waist was all snake.  In order to realistically display such human snake hybrid, Huang Shengyi and Ah Sa were wrapped in blue cloth from their chest down and relied on post production on the special effect created snake scales.  Their figures left nothing to the imagination.  To create White Snake and Green Snake's "snake skin", Huang Shengyi and Ah Sa also needed to be completely naked in the resin mold.  To Huang Shengyi and Ah Sa, the film THE SORCERER AND THE WHITE SNAKE made them give the biggest leeway in their careers.

Huang Shengyi said the molding process was a little hot.  At first she was not used to it.  Luckily her skin did not have any reaction.  She said that this special effect scene was already much more comfortable than fighting Jet Li (Lee Nin Kit)'s Fahai and being hung up high for a sword fight.  She said that after days of fighting, the molding was like rest for her.  Speaking of working with Ah Sa, Huang Shengyi said that she was a very cute little sister.  This half human, half snake look once gave Director Ching Siu Tung quite a headache as he repeatedly asked the Korean company to make adjustments to achieve Green and White Snake's half human, half snake image.  In addition, the film also had other demons, like Miriam Yeung Chin Wa's rabbit demon, Jiang Wu's turtle demon, Chapman To Man Jat's toad demon, Lam Suet's rooster demon and a particularly cute mouse.  They were all friends of White Snake and Green Snake.

Jet Li, Eva Huang, Charlene Choi, Ching Siu Tung courtesy of takungpao.com

THE SORCERER AND THE WHITE SNAKE (BAK SEH CHUEN SHUET) earlier held an official press conference and global premiere in Venice.  Executive producer Yang Zi, director Ching Siu Tung, actors Jet Li (Lee Nin Kit), Eva Huang Sheng Yi, Charlene Choi Cheuk Yin and others appeared.

Lee Nin Kit said that he and director Ching Siu Tung have worked together for over 20 years.  He said, "I trust him very much, whatever he lets me do I do."

A reporters asked whether merging so many special effects with martial art action was difficult.  Ching Siu Tung confidently said, "I have over 20 years of professional experience and created many kung fu films, I too hope to make a movie that has both special effects and action."  At the same time, he never worried that the Western viewers would not understand it.  "The most special part of the East is kung fu, the most special part of the West is special effect.  With my global film language, Western viewers shouldn't have any problem."

Speaking of THE SORCERER AND THE WHITE SNAKE's Jinshan flood feeling like the foreign film 2012, Ching Siu Tung said that several million U.S. dollar worth of special effect production was already an enormous investment, yet in comparison to the tens of millions that Hollywood spent a gap would be certain.  He said, "So I treated movies like 2012 and LORD OF THE RINGS as imaginary enemies.  We gave our best effort, at least overseas we won't embarrass ourselves."

Deanie Ip made an appearance in support and Ah Sa was touched

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Jet Li, Eva Huang, Charlene Choi, Ching Siu Tung

THE SORCERER AND THE WHITE SNAKE (BAK SHEH CHUEN SHUET) held its global premiere on September 3 at the Venice Film Festival.  Executive producer Yang Zi, director Ching Siu Tung, stars Jet Li (Lee Nin Kit), Eva Huang Shengyi and Charlene Choi Cheuk Yin attended.  With his first appearance at an international film festival, Lee Nin Kit attracted many overseas fans.  After the press conference, many foreign media lined up for this kung fu emperor's autograph.

Director Ching Siu Tung honestly said that the audience of the entire world would be able to understand THE SORCERER AND THE WHITE SNAKE.  "This is a Chinese folk story that also has a lot of special effects and action."  With his years of action film experience, "overseas sickness" would not appear overseas.  He even revealed that the international version was half a hour shorter so the story could focus more on the White Snake, Hui Sin, Green Snake, Nung Yung, and Fahai.  In the September 29 Asian release, Hui Sin's marriage proposal would be added and some existing animal characters would become human in the form of guest stars like Jiang Wu, Miriam Yeung Chin Wa, Chapman To Man Jat, Sonija Kwok Sin Nei and others to add to the story's entertainment value.  Ching Siu Tung participated in his first Venice Film Festival and did not only enjoy the Water city's scenery and the Mediterranean cuisine, but also more direct understanding of European film festivals.  He thought that the Venice Film Festival paid a lot of attention to the film genre during its film selection.

Walking on the Venice red carpet for the first time, Huang Shengyi repeatedly said it felt great and hoped that everyone would be able to experience the Chinese culture through her fashion.  Huang Shengyi even
introduced the Dzi Bead that she wore.  "Dzi Bead like diamond and other gems is a treasure with collectible value."  Playing Fahai, Lee Nin Kit has worked with Ching Siu Tung for years.  He trusted the director very
much.  "Whatever he lets me do, I do."  Reporters also asked him about his One Foundation and whether he would unify it with martial arts, which Lee Nin Kit honestly said that would be very hard.  "Martial art is a
profession, the One Foundation is my non profit organization.  Although it has made some strides, we still need to keep working hard."  Playing Green Snake, Choi Cheuk Yin said that the director guided her on the set through mimicking the snake's movement.  However when she saw a man made such gestures she could not help but laugh.  Yang Zi revealed that the film's current overseas advanced sales have been very ideal and already set the best sales performance of a Chinese films overseas in recent years.  It has always broken even.  With the distribution's guaranteed minimum accounting and online copyright, the film has already made its cost back.

Charlene Choi looks cool with swords, but it is another matter with heights

The Ching Siu Tung directed THE SORCERER AND THE WHITE SNAKE receives good reviews from international buyers

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Louis Koo Tin Lok and Larisa Angela (Shui Sa)

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The TREASURE HUNTER (CHI LING) production team earlier moved to Wuxi to shoot the ancient tomb adventure scenes and the key "tomb of fate"wrap scene. Jay Chou (Chow Kit Lun) had no fear of aggravating his old injury again and personally performed every stunt without a double.

Chow Kit Lun in the film struggles with the villain over the ancient city treasure. Action director Ching Siu Tung designed this scene. The villain during the fight would turn white bandages on his body into weapons. With film technology animation this weapon displays shocking visual effects. In addition Eric Tsang Chi Wai plays a treasure hunter who dreams of finding treasure, Chen Daoming plays his buddy, a treasure hunting expert. Chi Wai is full of humor while Chen Daoming is quiet. Although the friends have drastically different personalities, on and off the set they are able to become good friends.

In the film Lin Chiling also makes a huge change. Actually she has quite a sense of humor so she is very suitable to play this lovable silly girl.