The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

Posted: 10 Oct 2012 04:35 AM PDT

Love Is ... Pajamas is a heady mix of romance, business and funny antics.

WHEN veteran comedians Raymond Wong and Teresa Mo come together to make a movie, one can be sure it will be chock-full of crazy antics that will tickle every funny bone.

Their latest collaboration is romantic comedy Love Is ... Pajamas (Cantonese title Nam Yan Yu Yi Fuk), and the two spoke about their filming experiences in separate phone interviews from China.

The 100-minute romantic comedy is helmed by scriptwriter-turned-director Vincent Kuk, whom both Wong and Mo have had many previous collaborations.

Producer-actor Wong, 66, shared: "I've done many films with Vincent and I was always the one who initiated every single project. But this time, he approached me with a very refreshing concept and a unique topic. Apart from offering some suggestions in casting and romantic pairings, I left everything to Vincent.

"I recommended Teresa as we have not worked together in 20 years. Even so, we had no problems as our synergy was great. I also discovered that Teresa's acting skills have improved a lot. She's got some very emotional scenes in the movie and I am sure the audience will be moved."

Mo, 55, also praised Kuk. "I've worked with Vincent many times, but he was always the scriptwriter. Now that he's the director, he prepares very complete scripts. The happiest thing for an actor is to receive the script before filming commences. This way we can prepare ourselves adequately, knowing what the story is about."

Love Is ... Pyjamas revolves around Spring (Mo) and her daughter Autumn (Karena Ng) who run a family business – a multinational enterprise dealing in men's undergarments – founded by Spring's brother Hugo (Wong).

In a bid to win back his ex-girlfriend Miao (Hai Qing), who is now an internationally acclaimed fashion designer, Hugo pretends that his business is going bankrupt and he needs her assistance.

Having to share most of her scenes with Ronald Cheng, who plays her daughter's suitor in the movie, Mo gushed: "Ronald is a very good comedy actor, in fact he is the best comedy actor of his generation in Hong Kong today. I'm very happy with our collaboration as we've got excellent synergy and our scenes together went very smoothly."

When asked to comment on her collaboration with teen actress Ng, Mo replied: "A grown-up daughter is just like a friend and we naturally talk about anything. Although we are more like mother and daughter due to our age gap, Karena and I always have lots to chat about and we get along great. We even share the same taste in men."

Prodded to comment on the rumoured romance between co-star Raymond Lam who plays an ex-model in the movie, and Ng, which has become a hot topic for Hong Kong tabloids and gossip websites, both Wong and Mo responded with amusement.

Denying that the rumoured romance was a publicity stunt to promote the movie, Wong said: "In the movie, we paired Raymond Lam with Lynn Xiong (who plays a super model) and Karena Ng with Ronald Cheng. In fact, Raymond and Karena don't really have many scenes together. So, what happened between them is definitely not our doing. Even I was surprised to hear about the rumours of them being together.

"Since both of them are single and unattached, they are free to date whoever they please. I never noticed anything when they were on the set. Well, I can tell you that Raymond loves to bring yummy treats to the set for the cast and crew, while Karena loves to eat delicious food. So, I guess the way to the girl's heart is through her stomach."

Playing the mother to Ng's character, Mo whole-heartedly gave her stamp of approval to the "alleged love-birds". "Raymond is such a handsome fellow, so, of course I'm happy for my dear girl Karena. However, what's most important is that she likes the guy. I've asked her and she says he makes a very good male friend. So, though I can't really tell if they are dating, I think they are in the process of observing and getting to know each other better."

More laughs are in store for the audience as Wong and Mo will be teaming up again for another film project. They will be filming a lunar new year comedy in Hangzhou, China. The movie will be set in a hotel, where people from all walks of life and from around the world converge.

Love Is ... Pajamas opens in cinemas tomorrow.

Going nuclear

Posted: 09 Oct 2012 04:29 PM PDT

Hop onto a complex submarine drama manned by an equally complicated captain.

There are a few actors who command presence immediately. One of them is Andre Braugher, who has done his share of playing formidable characters both on TV and films (Detective Frank Pembleton in Homicide: Life On The Street and Captain Bradford in Poseidon are two fine examples).

Hence, it's a no brainer to cast Braugher in the role of a submarine captain in the new TV drama series Last Resort. But here's the thing: in the pilot, Braugher's character, Captain Marcus Chaplin, who embodies duty, honour and ethics with every fibre of his being, decides to question an order to nuke another country. The failure to follow this command puts his submarine in jeopardy and everyone in it – whether they agree with the captain's decision or not – is deemed an enemy of the state. The captain then docks the USS Colorado on a tropical island to calculate his next move: declaring a nuclear stand-off with his own government.

Braugher, in a telephone interview, theorised: "Because the decision to fire a nuclear weapon is so important, when he (Marcus) receives an order which is incomplete, and in some ways, not done correctly, he feels that it is his duty to question the order. When he does question that order, they are attacked. So they take refuge on an island, in order to defend themselves. And so, I think of Marcus Chaplin as a veteran commander and patriot who has been betrayed by Washington, DC, and he's taking refuge in order to both clear his name and protect his crew."

Braugher was calling from Kualoa Ranch on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, where the cast and crew of Last Resort are in the midst of filming the first season. During this particular call last week, the cast was shooting the show's seventh episode. While Braugher, a Chicago, Illinois native, loves working on the paradise island, he doesn't enjoy the fact that he is so far away from the people he loves. Yet, a chance to work on a show that departs from procedurals, or the usual legal or medical problems, and travels on an unpredictable path, is something Braugher is very interested in.

Then, there is the fact that Last Resort was co-created by Shawn Ryan, who previously came up with other impactful series like The Shield, The Unit and The Chicago Code.

"A number of factors got me interested in Last Resort," he said. "The first factor being the reputation of Shawn Ryan and Karl Gajdusek, the executive producers; followed by my admiration and respect for Martin Campbell, the director. And I found the script to be a very interesting depiction of submarine culture and the potential for a sort of catastrophic nuclear accident. Then I was attracted to the integrity, the smarts and the courage of Marcus Chaplin."

In the course of preparing to play a rogue submarine captain, Braugher spoke with Ryan about Marcus' moral conviction and his history. But rather than being guided by Ryan, Braugher depended on the script to create the character. The 50-year-old actor then supplemented his research by visiting submarines and referring to written materials on the topic.

"I spoke to four different sub commanders, not only on the script, but on what they call commanding presence; you know, how submarine commanders conduct themselves and their relationship with the crew. Then I did a lot of research online and read pieces of fiction and non-fiction that illustrated or depicted the captains and crews under great pressure and great danger. And in essence, used those to get inside the mindset of a naval crew and a naval commander to get a better picture."

According to Braugher, the series is always attempting to recreate the excitement of the pilot (so many things happen in the first 20 minutes of the episode) with an equal cinematic feel in each episode. Undoubtedly, to do this is kind of challenging as the pilot usually has a different schedule and budget compared to the following episodes. Nonetheless, Braugher felt that the cinematic feel is sustained in the episodes he has watched.

The pilot also stands out as it takes place mostly on the submarine, which comes off as a very cramped and tight little place. Braugher noted that it's a little wider than a typical submarine as it has to house a camera crew as well. Different compartments and rooms inside the submarine were recreated on the soundstage.

When asked if the series ever goes back to the submarine at any point, Braugher answered: "Well, the submarine is there in the harbour. We are on an island, because we had to find a base that we can operate from. I believe the rationale is, if the sub was trying to hide in the ocean, it would eventually be detected, and the crew would then be captured or killed. So, landing on the island is our attempt to find a base for ourselves and to operate with some autonomy."

He said that having the show off the submarine keeps the series from becoming claustrophobic.

"By going to the island, we've taken the soldiers to another culture, another environment. There's also conflict with the islanders, conflict within the crew, conflict with the US Navy trying to recapture the sub, and continuing political intrigue – because we have the submarine, the enemy of our enemy are now our friends. There are new ways to tell our stories. So arriving on the island is giving us the base to continue the story telling."

Guess that answers the question of how the series will continue beyond the pilot.

New episodes of Last Resort are aired every Tuesday at 10pm on AXN (Astro Ch 701) and AXN HD (Astro B.yond Ch 721).

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Rabu, 10 Oktober 2012

The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

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