In honor of Top 10 Films’ 1st anniversary~~~
1. First Film: Enter the Dragon
I figured it must be one of my dad’s favorites, since he’s the one who got the tapes and did the recordings on the Betamax from tv broadcasts…
Archives For Chinese
You guys~~~ your music makes me really silly-grin happy
Anyone know where I can buy their albums? I know you can buy their debut over at the Modern Sky website, but buying through it is a hassle because they don’t have other payment method than wire transfer… which sucks, but understandble since there’s no Paypal~
Ahh, Halloween — everyone’s doing lists about their fave scary movies… their fave scary moments, and the reviews of many scary movies. Now, horror isn’t exactly my favorite genre, so I’m not well-versed. xD This is why I’m just ranking the scary films that I own… based on scale of how scared I got. LOL
First bonus first!
The Others
Thought that it was scary, but IMDb is not marking it as horror. However, it is one of my favorite Kidman films/performances — and that old lady in the closet! BAM!
Never have followed the Asian Pacific nominations… mainly because it’s hard to, you know~~~ watch films from that part of the world for me. However, distribution is getting better – dvds are being launched so much faster, and many of them come with subtitles in English (when needed), and there’s a lot more people willing to fansub when needed.
And YAY! Aftershocks has landed 6 nominations – including Best Film, Best Directing, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay PLUS! Best Actor and Best Actress. Now, I’m trying not to be biased, I don’t think actor Chen Daoming was THAT good in Aftershocks, but actress Xu Fan completely deserves it.
The other big nominee of the night is South Korea’s Poetry (Shi) – crap! I’m really that good at film recommendations for distributors, someone hire me ASAP! – which received 4 nominations for Best Film, Best Directing, Best Screenplay and Best Actress. While Taiwan’s Monga – see, I’m good – was nominated for 3 awards for Best Film, Best Directing and Best Cinematography.
The APSA(wards) will be handed out December 2nd on a live webcast at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards site.
All nominations below the break~
According to this Aiya They Didn’t post, Elva Hsiao’s latest single Rang Ai Fei Qi Lai (Let Love Fly) music video was deemed PG-12 in Taiwan, and banned in Singapore — understandable being a Muslim state and all — due to it’s gay “themes”.
The video comes in two versions, the Ice Version and the Rainbow Version – but no! The Rainbow Version is not the one deemed… er, inappropriate. It’s the Ice Version. Because it’s got the “gays” people holding hands! Eek! No, seriously guys… ironically, the gayest suggestive Rainbow version with tons of guys semi-nakedness frolicking in a pool filled with peen- er, I mean foam and some straight couple kissing just got passed Muslim censors.
If I were a censor, I would have gone with the hand-holding and avoid the gay pool with foam. But to each his own – that’s just me and my mind is in the gutter.
As for the song, and the actual Ice Version. I… don’t really like the song, but it’s so damn catchy – actually listened to it more than 5 times already. Plus, I guess it’s got a good message of love for everyone! And the video is kinda classy for a gay/lesbian pop music video.
I already pimped this to AfterEllen and AfterElton – I hope they pick up xD
Film Business Asia is reporting that China Lion Film Distribution has made a deal with AMC to release Chinese films in the cities with most Chinese demographics in the United States and Canada the same day as the films open in China.
Now, that’s how you do distribution.
Sure, Hollywood’s kinda getting good in World Premiere business, but only the big-studio stuff. We actually have to wait a ton for a theater release, or the release of the DVD to catch a film that’s not mainstream. The Chinese film industry lacks distribution — only films that get distributed in the US, get distributed in Latin America. The last Chinese film I saw at the cinema was Curse of the Golden Flower~~~
So with this deal, China expands that ever-expanding Chinese film market with hopefully more than just Martial Arts Films and/or Arthouse Films. And HOPEFULLY, this will mean more Chinese films down here as well.
So guys! Get ready for Aftershocks (aka. After Shock) kicking off this new deal on October 29th in the cities of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Houston, Boston, Seattle, Toronto and Ottawa.
Hello to YAM012.
Goodbye (sorta) to YAM PDF.
Hello to yam-mag.com~
Head over, for the last time, to my portfolio to download the latest and last issue.
I can feel it in the air. Award season is approaching. I think Indie Spirit Awards are also done with submissions, and their nominations should arrive come early December.
In the meantime, the Academy Awards has released the list of the 65 countries (or not-countries… Greenland?) that will be competing for 5 spots as “Best Foreign” nominees, as well as their 8 short documentaries.
Here are some of the reviews of the ones I’ve seen.
- Argentina – Carancho [tambien en Espanol]
- China – Aftershocks
- Colombia – Crab Trap [tambien en Espanol]
- Peru – Undertow [tambien en Espanol]
- Nicaragua – La Yuma [tambien en Espanol]
Let’s talk wild guess predictions in here. Which countries will be the 5 chosen ones?
Mexico’s Biutiful seems like an easy assumption.
China’s Aftershocks seems to be a good candidate for several reasons besides “film”. Whatever your thoughts on melodrama are, I mean… you really need to be a sour grape not to feel something for the family in that film. Either that, or you’ve never been in a natural disaster. Having said that, it is because it’s a melodrama that it’s perfect for Oscar. Moving family drama that deals with catastrophe with a really powerful and magnificently handled Earthquake scene that was a box office hit in China. It’s just good business.
Also, China being nominated is controversial. Anything to do with China since 2008 is controversial. Controversial always brings ratings. Also nominating China is just plain good business. If China gets nominated – I dunno, what are the chances of some state channel broadcasting the Oscar? Just imaging 2/3 of China’s internet population watches the Oscar that night. That’s 200 million viewers. Anything in China is big.
If there’s no China, it must be another cheese movie… like South Korea’s A Barefoot Dream. An underdog story of a kiddie football team and a coach. It shall make you feel happy xD
Canada’s Incendies?
and… I dunno what else. Peru’s chances? From what I have seen, and what I’ve heard. It could very well get into the nine before they select the final five. I’ll have a better grasp once the 9 are out xD
Oh, Faye Wong – you look the same in all the photos, but you still look so cool xD
My friend Ada who was in town told me she was missing Faye Wong’s concerts by a hair, and then she said “but good for me. You would have killed me if I were going” – I almost died with jealousy.
You know, before there was Gaga – there was also Faye Wong. I mean, she did wear a shoe on her head during her Faye Live Tour Concert DVD. She wore A SHOE ON HER HEAD. O_o
More photos via Aiya They Didn’t.
Ahh… Peruvians and Chinese, Peru and China – countries so far away, but with so many links. Almost a year ago I read a book called 1434 by some guy Menzies. He also wrote 1421 where he says China arrived to America first. It’s an interesting thought considering how similar our cultures can be.
I mean, sure – Peru has the biggest Chinese colony in Latin America. Many of us may not speak Mandarin or Cantonese, but it sure has caught on everyday life. I mean, not only do we have a dish called Lomo Saltado (Sautee Sirloin?) that’s made with soy sauce, and that’s now a landmark dish.
Obviously, we don’t call soy sauce “soy sauce,” Peruvians call it “sillao” [si yau in Cantonese]. Everyone in Latin America doesn’t — just saw some Colombian “chef” doing some ceviche with lime and “soy sauce” and “ginger”. As well as an Argentinean doing “Chinese noodles” with “soy sauce”.
