The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies
The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies |
| Posted: 24 Nov 2011 04:58 AM PST MALAYSIAN director Dain Said's Bunohan has picked up its first accolade. The movie, which has already made waves at film festivals abroad and been picked up by Universal Pictures for distribution, has just been granted the Netpac Award at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival. Producer Nandita Solomon confirmed the win on Thursday evening via text message. The Netpac (Network for the promotion of asian cinema) award is given to promote Asian cinema by spotlighting exceptional films and discovering new talents. Prior to this, Bunohan had played to full houses and earned promising reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival and Fantastic Film fest in Austin, Texas in the United States. Set in Kelantan, close to the Thai border, Bunohan is the story of three men - a tomoi fighter on the run, a hired killer and a shrewd businessman. It is also a story about estranged brothers and their ailing father, and the violence that men sow. The movie stars Zahiril Adzim, Faizal Hussein and Pekin Ibrahim. It is slated to be screeened in Malaysia next March. The Taipei Golden Horse Festival culminates November 26. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Posted: 24 Nov 2011 02:12 AM PST MBO opens its latest cinema in an eco-friendly mall in Shah Alam and you get to enjoy movies for free too. THE movie-going experience provided by MBO Cinemas brings the silver screen to rural and suburban Malaysia, and it promises to be wholesome fun for family and friends. Having already reached to the likes of Kluang, Batu Pahat and Skudai in Johor, Ayer Keroh in Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Kuching in Sarawak, Subang Jaya and more, MBO's latest cinema opens today at Space U8, an eco-friendly mall along Bukit Jelutong and Taman TTDI Jaya in Shah Alam, Selangor, and is a testament to its promise of taking the silver screen to rural and suburban Malaysia. The cinemas boast spacious ergonomically-designed stadium seats and Dolby Digital Surround EX system for great sound too. And it's not just blockbusters that make it onto MBO screens but international movies as well. The cinema chain also has a membership plan: if you sign up, it will cost you RM110 (administrative fees takes up RM10 for West Malaysia and RM20 for Sabah and Sarawak) for the membership plan, and you'll get a debit card to check out the latest offerings. In conjunction with the opening of its 14th outlet, MBO cinemas is giving away free tickets to four movies which are being re-run from today until Saturday (Nov 26) at the MBO cinema in Shah Alam's Space U8 mall (www.spaceu8.com.my). All you have to do is cut out this article and present it to the customer service counter. The movies that will be screened are Nasi Lemak 2.0, Johnny English Reborn, The Smurfs and KL Gangster (which recently picked up four awards at the 24th Malaysian Film Festival and is certified as the biggest box office film this year, so try not to miss it!). Only originals of this article will be accepted (no photocopies). Each article can be exchanged for two tickets, which will be given away on a first come, first served basis. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Posted: 24 Nov 2011 02:11 AM PST Hong Kong director Jeffrey Lau returns with East Meets West 2011, 18 years after The Eagle Shooting Heroes. IF you were one of those who grew up on a staple diet of Hong Kong comedies, you would surely remember Tony Leung Chiu Wai's swollen "sausage lips"in 1993's The Eagle Shooting Heroes. That look alone became a much-buzzed-about moment in Cantonese pop culture, along with many scenes in the Jeffrey Lau-helmed comedy, which parodied Louis Cha's classic martial arts novel The Legend Of The Condor Heroes and starred the biggest Hong Kong stars as oddball characters in a bizarre wuxia (martial arts) world. The movie was completed in 27 days, when filmmaker Wong Kar Wai failed to deliver his arthouse masterpiece Ashes Of Time on time within budget. Lau, who co-owned Jet Tone Films with Wong, was pressured by producers to rush out another film with a completely contrasting plot and tone, starring the same cast, including Leung, Leslie Cheung, Maggie Cheung, Brigitte Lin, Tony Leung Kar Fai, Carina Lau and Joey Wong. With its supreme star power and mo lei tau (nonsensical) humour at its best, The Eagle Shooting Heroes is a 100-minute laugh fest – a gem in its genre, unsurpassed even after so many years. Lau recalled learning about the impact it had on a generation of Chinese moviegoers, through a conversation he had with a reporter in Beijing two years ago. "She told me that whenever she's unhappy, she would watch The Eagle Shooting Heroes to cheer herself up. That got me thinking: why not come up with a new one for today's generation?" said Lau, 59, in a phone interview with Malaysian press recently. The result is East Meets West 2011, the director's laughter remedy for a world that's becoming colder and more cynical. "I think people nowadays are distant. Everyone seems to be in a rush. Hopefully, this movie can make you think: Do we need to be in such a rush all the time? Maybe the greatest happiness comes from the simplest things. I hope this new version can have a similar "healing effect"as the previous one. Then everyone can save on medication," he quipped. Lau's latest work has a contemporary setting, and stars singer Bee and singer-actors like Eason Chan, Ekin Cheng, Karen Mok, William So and Jaycee Chan, to play gods who are banished to our world as ordinary folks due to their incessant fighting. They can only regain their powers and return to heaven once they learn to get along with one another. Bee's character is a has-been musician who is separated from his vain and materialistic wife. If it sounds familiar, that's because it's based on none other than Bee himself, who rose to fame being part of 1970s pop band the Wynners and whose divorce from socialite Teresa Cheung was widely covered by the press back in 1999. While Bee does not have to look far for his role, Mok might need to stretch her imagination somewhat, playing a thirtysomething who claims that she doesn't "buy the idea of love and marriage" in the movie. Off-screen, the Hong Kong singer-actress found happiness and tied the knot with her German first love Johannes in Italy on Oct 1. The inspiration for her image was derived from a conversation he had with his teenage daughter. "I asked why girls her age tend to go for smoky eyes, black lips and weird hairdo. She replied: 'It's cool.' She explained that if a girl looks like that and a guy still courts her, that shows how much he likes her. I think it's a brilliant idea. For Mok's character, we are trying to portray the image of a thirtysomething unmarried woman who longs for love but acts as if she doesn't need it," he explained. While stars like Bee and Mok made drastic changes to their appearances, Ekin Cheng does not even have a line in the movie and communicates in sign language. "He had it tougher than the rest of the cast. Two months before filming, he had to take classes to learn sign language. "He had to rely solely on his eyes and body language to convey his emotions. He had never done that before. He pulled it off and I enjoyed his performance a lot. He also agreed that the role was a good training and challenge," said Lau. He roped in singer-actors for this movie because he sees "a carefree quality" in musicians' performances that's different from actors. "To me, their language of music is very interesting. I'm thrilled to have Jonathan. He was shy and uncomfortable on the first day, but slowly got used to it and turned in a convincing performance as a father," he said. Even Jackie Chan's son Jaycee surprises by playing a character that is not so likeable at first glance. "His character tends to betray or take advantage of those around him, but there's goodness in him, too. At the end of the day, he will not hesitate to lend a helping hand," said Lau. "This movie conveys a simple message. The characters represent people from all walks of life. It shows that when we unite, we can protect the earth," Lau concluded. East Meets West 2011 screens in cinemas nationwide starting today. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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