The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews
The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews |
| Posted: Penelope Cruz directs short film for Agent Provocateur. PENELOPE Cruz has directed a short film to promote the new range of underwear for Agent Provocateur. Working with her sister Monica Cruz, the Oscar-winning actress, has created a new range for the London-based lingerie brand. 'L'Agent' hit stores including Bloomingdales, Harrods, and Printempslast Thursday, and will also be available on a special L'Agent website. In celebration of the collection, the actress chose to direct her debut film, which was shot in Madrid. In fact, the whole project is something of a family affair. Alongside the aforementioned Monica, Cruz's husband (and fellow Academy Award winner) Javier Bardem also makes an appearance, while the film's soundtrack was composed by younger brother Eduardo Cruz. Filling out the cast, the actress picked Russian model Irina Shayk. "I chose Irina, as she is such a vivacious woman, and with all the beautiful women in the campaign, I really needed someone who would keep the audience's attention," Cruz said. In fact, as Cruz told WWD, the experience was extremely personal. "They gave me all the freedom, and I was able to tell the story I wanted to tell. I used women of all shapes and ages, as it was important for me to let women know that this brand is for everyone," she shared. The film can be viewed on the brand's website. Cheaper than the main Agent Provocateur lingerie sets, the L'Agent collection will sell at an average price of US$61.50 (RM200), but won't be available in the brand's own stores. – AFP Relaxnews |
| Posted: Unbeatable may have taken a while to make, but director Dante Lam is happy with the result. Dante Lam's Unbeatable first came across our radar when its leads bagged top acting honours at the recent 16th Shanghai International Film Festival, with Nick Cheung winning the best actor award and Crystal Lee winning best actress. Filmed in Macau and Hong Kong, Unbeatable is an action movie that features mixed martial arts. Lam was excited to work with a multi-national cast: Cheung is from Hong Kong, Eddie Peng is Taiwanese-Canadian, Andy On is Chinese-American and of course, Lee is from Malaysia. "I enjoy making each and every one of my films, but this one even more so. When filming action blockbusters, there tends to be many sources of stress. For example, when filming on a street, various issues could crop up which would require some quick-thinking to solve the problem. "In comparison, Unbeatable was quite different as I was able to enjoy the shooting process, and conduct detailed discussions with the actors about their roles, which created a more enjoyable atmosphere," shared Lam, 48, in an e-mail interview.  According to the director, Peng was the perfect choice to play Li Si Qi because they are alike in some ways. Though Unbeatable was conceptualised five years ago, Lam had problems getting actors for the film, so he had to put the movie on hold. In the meantime, though, Lam focused on working on – and releasing – The Viral Factor (2012), The Stool Pigeon (2010), Fire Of Conscience (2010), Sniper (2009) and Beast Stalker (2008). "Naturally, Nick Cheung was my first choice and I was surprised at how much he pushed himself to great effect. Our previous two collaborations (Beast Stalker and The Stool Pigeon) were already tough to do, but Unbeatable exerted a whole different level of physical challenge. Nonetheless, we both share the same ideology: The film industry is a tough one, but the audience can see the effort you put in and the sacrifices you make for the film," said Lam. In Unbeatable, Cheung portrays debt-ridden former boxing champ Chin Fai, who is forced to flee Hong Kong to Macau to avoid further harassment from loan sharks. There, he befriends his neighbour's bossy daughter Dani (Lee) and meets a young boxer named Li Si Qi (Peng). Seeing how Li is determined to win a boxing match, Fai becomes the young man's mentor, and eventually rediscovers his own passion to fight. Having to buff up for the role of a lean and mean mixed martial arts fighter may be a tall order for some actors, but Cheung spared nothing to acquire the physique of a boxer. He went on a strict diet and hit the gym daily. Famed for his dedication to his craft, Cheung had previously spent six months working out for the role of a convict in the Roy Chow-helmed Nightfall. He had lost so much weight then that he was only 53kg by the time filming began for Nightfall. At a press conference in Kuala Lumpur in June with Cheung and Lee, the former recalled an embarrassing moment. "I was changing out of my clothes for the next scene and had just removed my shirt when I noticed that everybody in the room, whether they were male or female, were just staring at me. It was terribly embarrassing," said the 45-year-old actor, who stopped going to the gym after he was done with Unbeatable as he had "absolutely no interest in body-building and only did it for the movie". Cheung had some tough times while filming the movie. "My pinky finger was broken in so many places (a stuntman had accidentally kicked him), it was shaped like the letter 'Z'. It was so bad that I didn't even dare look at it while I was waiting in the emergency room. But my only concern then was that it would affect the movie. At that time, we hadn't even started filming the action sequences yet and my scenes included punching sandbags, fighting with opponents in the boxing ring and getting beaten up," said Cheung. As for the character of young boxer Li Si Qi, director Lam thought he wouldn't be able to find the perfect actor until he met 31-year-old Peng, whose commitment to his role as a gymnast in the coming-of-age flick Jump Ashin! (2011) was impressive. "This film tells the tale of two different men from different age groups, with each having his own challenges and problems. Finding someone youthful with such a strong fighting spirit – and one who could meet our shooting schedule – was a big problem. "Then one day, someone suggested Eddie Peng. They also told me that he trained for a year to play his part in Jump! Ashin, but I was still a sceptic. After all, where would such an actor exist today? However, during my first meeting with him, I was immediately taken in by how much he is like the character Li Si Qi. The rest is history," said Lam. Unbeatable opens in cinemas nationwide on Aug 15. |
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