Isnin, 5 Ogos 2013

The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz


Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info
Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz


Old-time favourite

Posted:

James Hong is the go-to guy for Asian roles in Hollywood.

YOU'VE seen him before in many movies and television shows, even though he's rarely the star of any. However, as the go-to guy for many Asian characters (mostly Chinese, of course), James Hong is a familiar face in American productions.

He also has a familiar voice, distinguishable mainly for his Chinese-American accent – it's not a put-on accent, he really does speak like that – and his high-pitched tone.

Born on Feb 22, 1929 in Minnesota, United States, Hong began his showbusiness career in the 1950s as a voice actor, dubbing Asian films into English. He also started taking on small acting roles, until hitting it big with the popular TV series The New Adventures Of Charlie Chan. From then on, Hong has never looked back.

The 84-year-old actor has appeared alongside many of Hollywood's top stars including Jack Nicholson, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Bacon, Faye Dunaway and Danny Glover. Hong has so far appeared more than 500 times in TV shows and movies, making him one of the most hardworking actors around. This year alone, Hong's film projects include Blunt Movie, The Lost Medallion: The Adventures Of Billy Stone and R.I.P.D, which is currently showing in Malaysian cinemas.

Here are some of the more memorable films that feature Hong.

Big Trouble In Little China (1986)

Character: Lo Pan

What it is: This John Carpenter-directed movie stars Kurt Russell and sees Hong as Lo Pan, the bada** immortal sorcerer living in San Francisco. Big Trouble In Little China is a favourite among lovers of cheesy films and those who admire Carpenter's work.

James Hong moment: When "dark magic" comes out of his eyes.

Blade Runner (1982)

James Hong as Chew, the eye maker in

Hong as Chew, the eye maker in Blade Runner.

Character: Chew, the eye guy

What it is: A cult favourite among sci-fi lovers, Blade Runner is perhaps director Ridley Scott's most talked-about movie. Well, after Alien, that is. Set in the distant future (although 2019 doesn't seem so distant now), the movie stars Harrison Ford as a former "blade runner" – special agents trained to capture and destroy human-like robots banned from Earth – who returns to the force to hunt down a group of escaped robots. Hong plays the guy who manufactures the robots' eyes.

JH moment: When Chew meets Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer) and checks out his eyes ... before getting scared of his own creations.

Wayne's World 2 (1993)

Character: Jeff Wong

What it is: The sequel to Wayne's World, this film sees Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey) trying to organise a rock festival. At the same time, Wayne also has to prove his worth to Jeff Wong, the father of his girlfriend Cassandra (Tia Carrere). Yes, Hong played Carrere's father in the movie.

JH moment: When Jeff meets Wayne and he challenges him to a good ol' fashioned kungfu battle. He also walks down some steps ... on his hands. A stuntman probably did it, but the whole scene is hilarious!

Airplane! (1980)

Character: Japanese General

What it is: The crew and some of the passengers of a commercial airplane gets seriously ill during a flight and there is only one person around who can land the plane. However, he has problems of his own. This over-the-top, silly movie is very funny, but you do need to watch it with an open mind and without any expectations.

JH moment: Hong's scene in this movie lasts all of three seconds, but he kills it.

James Hong plays the voice of Mr Ping in the Kung Fu Panda movies.

Kung Fu Panda (2008) and Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)

Character: Mr Ping the noodle-selling goose

What it is: In this sequel, Po the "Dragon Warrior" starts to get flashbacks of his long-forgotten childhood. At the same time, he has to ward off a narcissistic peacock from taking over the land and getting rid of all the warriors.

JH moment: Hong reprises his role as the voice of Mr Ping, the father of Po the panda. The scene where Ping is forced to tell the story of how he found Po is quite touching. Hong's voice turns into a softer tone, which fits the scene perfectly.

More penguins coming our way

Posted:

Benedict Cumberbatch and John Malkovich in new animated movie.

In a casting coup, DreamWorks Animation has set Benedict Cumberbatch and John Malkovich to voice new characters in its spin-off The Penguins Of Madagascar, TheWrap has learned.

The animated movie, which features the penguins from DreamWork's Madagascar franchise, is scheduled for release on March 27, 2015. An individual familiar with the project tells TheWrap that Malkovich will voice the film's charming villain, while Cumberbatch will voice a high-ranking animal CIA agent hot on his trail. (Cumberbatch has often been jokingly described as "looking like an otter" so perhaps he will play one in the movie?)

Simon J. Smith (Bee Movie) is directing from a script by Michael Colton and John Aboud. Lara Breay (Megamind) is producing, while executive producers include Mireille Soria, Tom McGrath and Eric Darnell, all of whom are responsible for the original Madagascar trilogy.

The Penguins Of Madagascar has already spawned a successful Nickelodeon TV show, a straight-to-DVD movie and a comic book written by David Server and Jackson Lanzing. — Reuters

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

0 ulasan:

Catat Ulasan

 

The Star Online

Copyright 2010 All Rights Reserved