Movie Box Review

courtesy of mingpao.com

courtesy of takungpao.com

Lee Lik Chi, Clement Cheng Si Kit and others yesterday were guest presenters at the 5th Hong Kong Mobile Film production contest. Lee Lik Chi said that young people nowadays love to shoot with mobile phones.  Like the earlier Taiwan film YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE that was a breath of fresh air to everyone's eyes and ears, everyone can try to work with more new comers.  Ultimately now it is the high definition era, everyone like to watch the younger generation in performance.  Lee Lik Chi also hoped that the future chief executive will be able to put more effort into Hong Kong domestic films.

As for his choice for Chief Executive, Lee Lik Chi joked, "Now the Chief Executive not only has to be smart, everyone are seemingly concerned with honesty.  Thus you are better off not making any mistake normally.  You don't know when you will run for the Chief Executive.  You don't know about all the bad things that you've done before."  Then he said that ultimately people should not make mistakes.  Speaking of
director James Yuen Sai Sun earlier having his screenplay hijacked by a Mainland company, Lee Lik Chi revealed that in the Mainland that was the norm.  Once he attended a production start ceremony as a guest, when the series was aired in Guangxi he suddenly became the series producer.  Actually everyone are only doing their jobs, he hoped to stop similar plots from occurring again.  Lee Lik Chi said, "I know in Hong Kong and the U.S. you can get copyright for a screenplay, but it's a little harder in the Mainland.  I often would give a photocopy to the other party.  Even email has certain risks.  Take care at every turn."  Lee Lik Chi said that he was not certain about Yuen Sai Sun's situation and asked reporters to ask him instead.

The Clement Cheng Si Kit directed MERRY GO ROUND (DUNG FUNG POR)'s leads Teddy Robin Kwan and Ella Koon Yun Na winning the Golden Koala International Chinese Film Festival Best Actor and Best Actress.  Cheng Si Kit looked forward to when everyone would have time to celebrate.  He was very happy as well as he praised the winners as great actors.  He hoped to have a chance to work with them again.

Derek Yee feels pure Hong Kong films cannot find financing

John Chong feels Stephen Chow's NEW CHINESE ODYSSEY will be able to break the Chinese film Hong Kong box office record

Daneil Lam is less than optimistic about Stephen Chow's new film box office courtesy of mingpao.com

Co-Productions Drag Hong Kong Films Down

The Giddens Ko directed, Michelle Chen, Ko Chen-Tung starred Taiwan film YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE broke Stephen Chow Sing Chi's KUNG FU HUSTLE HK$61.27 million highest grossing Chinese film Hong Kong box office record with a total box office of 61,801,081 and left "Eastern Hollywood" Hong Kong film industry in shame.  Will Hong Kong film be able to fend off the competition and regain the box office championship?  Let's keep our eyes open and see.

John Chong Sees Sing Yeh As Favorite To Break YOU Record

In 2012 Hong Kong film market will have many giant production releases, including the Chow Yun Fat, Aaron Kwok Fu Sing and Donnie Yen Chi Tan starred THE MONKEY KING (DAI LAU TIN GUNG), Jackie Chan's CHINESE ZODIAC (SUP YI SUN CHIU), Andy Lau Tak Wa and Lin Chiling's DWELLING IN THE FUCHUN MOUNTAINS, and Stephen Chow Sing Chi's NEW CHINESE ODYSSEY (SAI YAU GEI ji CHUI MOR OI JUEN).  Sing fans have been starved for four years so his new film will have hope to regain the glory of Hong Kong.  Media Asia vice chair John Chong Ching favors the idea, but Derek Yee Tung Sing and Universe Entertainment company boss Daneil Lam Siu Ming disagree.  They deeply feel that Hong Kong film will have difficulty with creating another miracle locally.  Looking north to China gives Hong Kong film professionals a new direction, but when they accommodate Mainland viewer tastes Hong Kong audience's "co-production" resistance becomes a burden.  Hong Kong film is dying, you know?

Daneil Lam Is Less Optimistic About Stephen Chow

Many, including Giddens Ko, hope Chow Sing Chi's new film NEW CHINESE ODYSSEY will break YOU's record.  Chong Ching feels it will have a chance.  "Sing Yeh is so talented, with all the starving Sing fans the box office will have certain motivation."

Derek Yee: Non Co-Production Has Financing Difficulties

Lam Siu Ming does not feel that Chow Sing Chi's CHINESE ODYSSEY will be able to break YOU's record.  "Sing Yeh's last film CJ7 (CHEUNG GONG CHUT HO) struggled to pass 50 million at the box office.  Actually this isn't Chow Sing Chi's problem, but the overall market's problem.  This is the general trend, everyone have to 'co-productions'.  Hong Kong viewers want to see Hong Kong films, but don't want to see any 'co-production'.  Yet now basically everything is 'co-production'.  Without co-production movies don't have funding.  Film ultimately is a merchandise, if you make a Hong Kong film with a 10 million budget you can't even hire actors.  Now actors are used to making 'Yun Jai' (RMB), how can they be willing to accept 2 million in salary?  If you don't approach them, plenty of directors in the Mainland would; you can't make movies that cost more than 50 million either, with only the Hong Kong market it is impossible.  You can't go back.  Ultimately no one is willing to invest in a purely Hong Kong film, this is a problem of the chicken and the egg!  Even Chow Sing Chi has to make 'co-productions'.  CJ7 was a co-production, Universe this year will make a few movies, all of which will be 'co-productions'."

Yee Tung Sing agrees with Lam Siu Ming, "co-production" is at fault for Hong Kong film market's fall.  "'Co-productions' have subject restrictions, many subjects can't be made and movies can't speak freely.  The results often lack power and become terrible to watch.  Helplessly non 'co-productions' have difficulties with financing.  If you spend 10 million on a purely Hong Kong film, it will be very hard to make and won't be attractive.  I want to make PROTEGE (MOON TOH) sequel and ONE NITE IN MONGKOK (WONG GOK HAK YEH) continuation, but when the subjects get to the Mainland market I don't want to accommodate the Mainland market and change the concept and certain plots."  He feels that the world goes round and round, Taiwan film has fallen for 20 years and now finally has shaken itself off.  Hong Kong films look north and accommodating the Mainland market has become an inevitable fact.  Because the Mainland population the box office return is strong.  Last year the box office reached 13 billion yuan RMB, naturally it has more investors as funding floods in; he believes after a few battles the film industry will look completely different.

Although Chow Sing Chi's NEW CHINESE ODYSSEY is a 'co-production', everyone still is waiting for Hong Kong film to return to glory.  The film costs over 100 million yuan and finally has completed production after more than three months.  Currently it is conducting massive post production special effect production in Korea.  It should be able to be released this year.

Media Asia Invades the Mainland

Chong Ching feels that YOU was a coincidence, only a movie that is suitable for young people.  He also believes that Giddens Ko will not deliberately make a movie to break a record.  "If he deliberately makes a movie to break YOU's box office, the movie may not be good.  Thus Media Asia's future big films first have to be good movies.  Future movies will still target the Mainland market, including the 100 million Johnnie To Kei Fung directed, Andy Lau Tak Wa and Sammi Cheng Sau Man starred BLIND DETECTIVE (MAN TAM), Lin Chiling and Lau Tak Wa starred DWELLING ON THE FUCHUN MOUNTAINS.  Both are 'co-productions' because minding only the Hong Kong market truly is very dangerous."

Film in order to accommodate the Mainland market, will Hong Kong film have difficulty recovering its lost ground?  Chong Ching says, "This is a return rate issue, Mainland return rate is high.  In 2011 top ten Hong Kong film box office, 3 movies THE LOST BLADESMAN (GUAN WON CHEUNG), MR. AND MRS. INCREDIBLE (SUN KEI HUP NUI) and LIFE WITHOUT PRINCIPLE (DUET MING GUM) only made 8 million.  With Hong Kong releases, anything less than 10 million at the box office is a failure."

2012 ANTICIPATED FILM RELEASES
FilM: ROMANCING IN THIN AIR (GO HOI BUT JI LUEN II)
Cast: Louis Koo Tin Lok, Sammi Cheng Sau Man
Release Date: Mid February

Film: LOVE IN THE BUFF (CHUN GIU YU JI MING)
Cast: Miriam Yeung Chin Wa, Shawn Yue Man Lok
Release Date: March

Film: A SIMPLE LIFE (TOH JEH)
Cast: Andy Lau Tak Wa, Deanie Ip Tak Han
Release Date: Mid March

Film: FIRST TIME
Cast: Angelababy, Mark Chao (Chiu Yau Ting)
Release Date: March

Film: NIGHTFALL (DAI JUI BO)
Cast: Nick Cheung Ka Fai, Simon Yam Tat Wa, Kay Tse On Kay
Release Date: Mid March

Film: MOTORWAY (CHEH SAU)
Cast: Anthony Wong Chau Sun, Shawn Yue Man Lok
Release Date: Tentatively May

Film: DIVA
Cast: Joey Yung Cho Yi, Mag Lam Yun Tung, Chapman To Man Jat
Release Date: June

Film: THE LAST SUPPER
Cast: Daniel Wu (Ng Yin Cho), Liu Ye, Chang Chen
Release Date: Mid June

Film: THE GUILLOTINES (HUET DIK JI)
Cast: Huang Xiaoming, Ethan Juan (Yuen King Tin), Shawn Yue Man Lok
Release Date: Tentatively July

Film: VANISHING BULLET (SIU SUT DIK JI DAN)
Cast: Nicholas Tse Ting Fung, Lau Ching Wan, Mini Yang Mi
Release Date: Mid July

Film: CHINESE ZODIAC (SUP YI SUN CHIU)
Cast: Jackie Chan
Release Date: December 12

Film: NEW CHINESE ODYSSEY (SAI YAU GEI ji CHUI MOR OI JUEN)
Cast: Stephen Chow Sing Chi, Shu Qi, Wen Zhang
Release Date: Tentatively Year End

Film: THE MONKEY KING (DAI LAU TIN GUNG)
Cast: Chow Yun Fat, Aaron Kwok Fu Sing, Donnie Yen Chi Tan
Release Date: Tenatively Year End

Film: WINDSEEKER (TING FUNG JEH)
Cast: Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Zhou Xun, Wang Xueqi
Release Date: To Be Determined

Film: BAUHINIA WOMAN (JI GAING HUP)
Cast: Chrissie Chau Sau Na
Release Date: To Be Determined

Film: 3D THE ICEMAN COMETH (3D GUP DUNG KEI HUP)
Cast: Donnie Yen Chi Tan
Release Date: To Be Determined

Film: SAVING GENERAL YANG (JUNG LIT YEUNG GA JEUNG)
Cast: Dior Cheng Yi Kin, Wu Chun, Raymond Lam Fung
Release Date: To Be Determined

courtesy of takungpao.com

The 6th Asian Film Award will take place on March 19th.  Yesterday the nominations were announced.  The Tsui Hark directed FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE (LUNG MOON FEI GAP) received the most nominations with seven.  As for Best Actor and Best Actress, A SIMPLE LIFE (TOH JEH)'s multiple Best Actress award winner Deanie Ip Tak Han was the favorite.  After her Golden Horse Award, she and YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYES' new generation goddess Michelle Chen will battle for the crown.  Andy Lau Tak Wa also with A SIMPLE LIFE will face FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE's Chen Kun and Japan's Koji Yakusho for Best Actress.  Ko Chen-Tung only received a Best new Actor nomination.

The award ceremony press conference took place yesterday.  Attending guests included the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society chair Wong Ying Wai, Hong Kong Film Development Council chair Jack So Zak Kwong, vice chair Peter Lam Kin Ngok and jury chair Eric Khoo (Yau Kam Hoi).  FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE received seven nominations including Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actress, Art Direction, Visual Effects and Costume Designs.  Zhang Yimou's FLOWERS OF WAR and Wei Te-Sheng's WARRIORS OF THE RAINBOW: SEEDIQ BALE each received six nominations.  The Golden Globe Best Foreign Film Award winner A SEPARATION received five nominations.

As for Best Picture, the Golden Globe winner A SEPARATION naturally is the favorite, but competition FLOWERS OF WAR and SEEDIQ BALE both have substance.  Best Actress conceivably has to go to A SIMPLE LIFE Ip Tak Han, Michelle Chen could only play along.  Instead A SEPARATION's Leila Hatami was seen as the dark horse.  The Best Actor competition could be said as strong, FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE's Chen Kun and A SIMPLE LIFE's Lau Tak Wa both had substance.  Ko Chen-Tung blew up with YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE but did not receive a Best Actor nomination.  He only received the Best New Actor nomination and competed with FLOWERS OF WAR's Ni Ni.

Competing for Best Actress again, Ip Tak Han said, "To me being able to participate in a movie isn't easy, the movie receiving an invitation to compete is a bonus."  Fellow nominee Lau Tak Wa said, "I am very honored, I know the fellow nominees are very strong.  Chen Kun obviously is a good actor who I am more familiar with.  In addition, the Iranian actor has already won Best Actor at the Berlin Film Festival.  His film A SEPARATION also just won the Golden Globe Best Foreign Film.  His momentum is very strong.  I am already very happy about the nomination.  I have even more confidence in Best Actress nominee Sister Deanie winning, and Ann (Director Hui On Wa) will also receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.  A SIMPLE LIFE already has award winning representatives, hahaha....."

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress with FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE, Kwai Lun-Mei said that this was her first acting nomination so she would cherish it and be grateful for it.  She also thanked everyone.  Currently in Taiwan, SEEDIQ BALE director Wei Te-Sheng responded that he was very honored to receive the Asian Film Award jury recognition.  He has already shared this good news with all the nominees and will attend with them.

courtesy of on.cc

courtesy of singtao.com

courtesy of mingpao.com

courtesy of takungpao.com

Eric Tsang Chi Wai and Teresa Mo Shun Kwan gave their all for their Lunar New Year I LOVE HONG KONG 2012 (2012 NGOR OI HK HEI SEUNG GA HEI).  The former stuffed his pants while the latter performed an erotic dance and showed her career line.  Chi Wai's performance was cut to keep from being a bad influence on minors.  Sister Mo who has never sold being sexy stunned everyone with her swimwear like dance garment.  Because the scene was reasonable, she did not mind displaying her figure and dance routine.

The Tsang Chi Wai, Mo Shun Kwan, Bosco Wong Chung Chak, Stanley Fung Shui Fan, Susan Shaw Yam Yam, William So Wing Hong and Zhang Xinyu starred Shaw Lunar New Year film I LOVE HONG KONG 2012 will open Friday.  Although the film has many comedy masters, most of the attention remained with the pair of Chi Wai and Sister Mo.  Sister Mo who has not made a Lunar New Year film in years had a erotic dance scene in the film.  She felt fortunate the she has already started studying dance two years ago, thus even if the team arranged for a double for her she still could perform herself.  she said, "I was only afraid that I would faint from working all night because I am used to going to bed and getting up early, unlike Chi Wai who doesn't differentiate between night and day.  (Would the dance costume be very sexy?)  Like a swimsuit, although it's low cut it has a thin veil.  At my age if I don't cover up, people would think it's a horror film!"

Yet on the day of the shoot she was a little embarrassed because the dance had a lot of twists.  She said, "If I wasn't used to it when I learned it, I definitely would be extremely embarrassed.  Yet this scene was reasonable so I didn't mind doing that in front of the camera."  Because Sister Mo has always rarely made any provocative appearance, the crew including Chi Wai who has seen everything was stunned.  She joked, "No one has ever seen me wear so little."  Aside from Sister Mo making the sacrifice for the sake of art, her co-star Chi Wai also "stuff" his pants.  However to keep from being a bad influence on children, Chi Wai's performance was cut.  During the shoot though it brought laughter to everyone so it made certain contribution.

Chi Wai admitted that the idea came from YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE.  He said, "With such a rare hit, if I don't use it I deserve to die."  As for YOU being Hong Kong's highest grossing Chinese language film, Chi Wai boasted that he must make a movie to break its record.  This time the film used some classic songs, including the Beatles and Alan Tam Wing Lun, because the Beatles' ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE was very close to the movie's theme.  However the royalty reached US$200,000.  Chi Wai said, "I always thought it was HK$200,000, but it was in American currency.  It really rained on my parade.  Thus the most expensive part of this film was the song royalty.  Because of those royalties the box office would have to make another 6 million more."  Was Sister Mo the highest paid in the cast?  Chi Wai said, "If not why would she dance the erotic dance?  She is showing her career line for the first time, her dance costume is charged by the inch!"

In addition, this film's directors were Chung Shu Kai and Wilson Chin Kwok Wai.  They knew each other long ago during their TVB days, so they had even more chemistry when they worked together.  Chung Shu Kai also revealed that in the film aside from Sister Mo's erotic dance also had several funny moments, including Denise Ho Wan Si and Wong Chung Chak's cemetery wedding photo session and the kiss between Fung Shui Fan and Shaw Yam Yam as "Shen Chia-Yi".  Did the kiss scene have any bad time?  He joked, "Brother Gun said no bad take no matter what!"  This time the doomsday element was added, as property hegemony used doomsday to make even money.  Would people still buy homes on doomsday?  He joked, "The Ark has room for sale.  When we came up the idea we even discovered that if the property hegemony banned you, you couldn't live."

courtesy of singtao.com

courtesy of mingpao.com

Taiwan film YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE producer Angie Chai, writer and director Giddens Ko, lead actor and actress Ko Chen-Tung and Michelle Chen yesterday officially announced that the film after 73 days in release with a box office of HK$61,295,651 (as of December 31 2011) the film successfully broke the $61,278,897 box office record that Stephen Chow Sing Chi's KUNG FU HUSTLE set 7 years ago to be the highest grossing Chinese film in Hong Kong history.

Reportedly the team would make a romantic mystery.  Ko Chen-Tung and Michelle Chen both had no idea.  Giddens Ko also said that the report was made up; Angie Chai said that Giddens Ko did not understand the reporters' Cantonese questions, which led to the trouble.  Giddens Ko said, "The romantic mystery report was made up, actually my plans have been very confidential even with reporters asked.  Now so far I haven't planned to make another film with the same team."  What ideas did he have lately?  He said, "I won't say them, only my girlfriend would know.  Even Sister Chai doesn't know."    Producer Angie Chai revealed that YOU will compete a film festival in Italy in April.  She thought it was wonderful because earlier Michelle Chen said that she would go to Italy to celebrate the box office success, now her wish came true.

Giddens Ko hoped that YOU's record would only be temporary.  "Because I like Sing Yeh too much, too too too too too much.  I like him so much that I think anyone would like to see Sing Yeh's comeback with a new movie.  YOU's box office record looks forward to Sing Yeh's new film breaking it."

Samantha Ko

Sire Ma, Christine Kuo, Lin Xiawei courtesy of on.cc

courtesy of singtao.com

courtesy of mingpao.com

courtesy of takungpao.com

Eric Tsang Chi Wai, Margie Tsang Wa Sin, Christine Kuo, Samantha Ko Hoi Ning and Sire Ma Choi yesterday taped a TVB program.  Chi Wai said that he just finished the Lunar New Year film I LOVE HONG KONG 2012 (2012 NGOR OI HEUNG GONG ji HEI SEUNG GA HEI).  He said that 2012 would be another war of words between him and Raymond Wong Pak Ming.  He said that he knew the other cast was very strong and he hoped that everyone would be a hit at the box office.  Speaking of Taiwan film YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE breaking Stephen Chow Sing Chi's KUNG FU HUSTLE box office record to be Hong Kong's top Chinese film.  Chi Wai said, "I too hope Hong Kong will be able to catch up.  The success of YOU had many different elements.  This was a dark horse that no one would have guessed.  In 2012 the Mainland would have LOVE IS NOT BLIND, which made 300 to 400 million RMB at the box office.  The production cost only 6 million, which proved that super large investment was not required to be successful."

Chi Wai said that after YOU and LOVE IS NOT BLIND, the third successful film should be a Hong Kong film.  Speaking of Chi Wai's son Derek Tsang Kwok Cheung's earlier production LOVER'S DISCOURSE only had an average box office performance, Chi Wai said that he would let his son start slowly.  He said in 2012 he would encourage new directors to make movies.  He also planned to invest on creative new directors.

courtesy of singtao.com

courtesy of mingpao.com

courtesy of takungpao.com

With his rising popularity due to YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE, Giddens Ko yesterday attended a Christmas book fair in Hong Kong and held a forum.  Giddens Ko pointed out that this time he came from Beijing to spend his second Christmas in Hong Kong.  Originally he wanted to hold another event to promote the film box office, but the team wanted to celebrate Christmas Eve and he did not want to bother them.

The APPLE box office has already broken 60 million and would likely become the Chinese film box office champion of all time.  Giddens Ko said that the film was still 500,000 away from this mark, but he thanked Hong Kong cinemas for their support and still continuing the run.  Yet he revealed that he will not make another film in the next two or three years as his profession was writing novels.  He would not starve to death if he did not make movies.  In the future he will continue to write books.

This Christmas Giddens Ko was in Hong Kong and did not have time to be with his girlfriend.  On New Year's Eve he had to translate a friend's wedding.  He joked that this friend had problems to wed on this day as everyone would have to count down with him.  He would make time to be with his girlfriend though.  He also joked that his friend was getting married due to pregnancy.  Would he follow his friend's footstep?  He said that he would not because he has always been very safe.  Reporters joked if he has taken safety measures?  He joked, "What kind of rotten question is that?  We are a normal couple!"

courtesy of on.cc

courtesy of singtao.com

courtesy of mingpao.com

The Giddens Ko directed film YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE after 57 days in release in Hong Kong (as of December 15) accumulated HK$ 60.41 million at the box office to become this year's highest grossing Chinese film and only 870,000 from breaking the highest grossing Chinese film in Hong Kong, KUNG FU HUSTLE (61.28 million).  In order to break Stephen Chow Sing Chi's KUNG FU HUSTLE record, YOU's goddess Michelle Chen yesterday came to Hong Kong for two days to promote the film.

Michelle Chen was very happy about YOU being such a hit in Hong Kong and said that she grew up on Hong Kong films.  She truly never imagined that her movie would be so popular with the Hong Kong audience.  Her box office guess was less than half of the current amount.  She admitted that at first she worried whether Hong Kong viewers would be able to accept the Taiwan storm.

Was she confident about breaking Sing Yeh's KUNG FU HUSTLE record?  She said, "I like to watch Chow Sing Chi's movies very much.  He is my idol.  He has already reached god status.  To be so close to god is quite a honor.  Whether the KUNG FU HUSTLE record can be broken the audience will determine that.  With YOU's current performance I am already very touched."

Caught with Joseph Cheng Yuen Cheung and Tony Yang (Yeung Yau Ning), Michelle Chen admitted meeting them but denied dating either one.  She pointed out that they were only good friends.  She often went for hot pot casserole with a big group of friends.  Was Ko Chen-Tung the real deal?  She said no, currently she was single.  Because work has been too busy she did not have time to be with a boyfriend.  Would they have any chance to develop into a couple?  She said that life was full of infinite possibilities and admitted that they were all her type.  If she did not like their type she would not be friends with them.