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Posted: 07 Feb 2013 02:36 AM PST

BERLIN: The 63rd Berlin film festival opens Thursday with a gala screening of Chinese director Wong Kar Wai's martial arts epic about the mentor of kung fu superstar Bruce Lee.

Wong, who is also leading the Berlinale's jury this year, is using the event as a launch pad for the worldwide release of "The Grandmaster", which has opened in China to rave reviews and a box office bonanza.

The film, whose original two-hours-plus length has been chopped slightly for the world market, stars Hong Kong heart-throb Tony Leung, who became an international star in Wong's 2000 hit "In the Mood for Love", and Beijing-born star Zhang Ziyi ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon").

Wong "has added a new and exciting facet to his body of work, and created an artful, visually powerful genre film," festival director Dieter Kosslick said.

The film spans several decades of Chinese history to tell the story of legendary martial artist Yip Man, who went on to train Lee, and features dazzling battle scenes between rival fighters.

Wong, 54, told reporters in Beijing last month he was confident the movie, which is screening out of competition at the 11-day Berlinale, had global appeal.

"There is no such thing as a Western or Eastern audience... The elements of cinema are the same worldwide, although their expression is different," he said.

The film follows Leung as the Grandmaster through some of China's most tumultuous recent history including the Japanese invasion in the 1930s.

It spent nearly a decade in gestation, amid rumours of extensive re-shooting and injured actors.

Wong made his international breakthrough in 1994 with "Chungking Express" and was the first Chinese director to sit on the jury at Cannes.

He will head the panel handing out the Berlinale's Golden and Silver Bear top prizes among 19 contenders on February 16.

The first major European film festival of the year and traditionally its most politically minded, the Berlinale this year is showcasing pictures about the human impact of the West's economic crisis, two decades of upheaval in eastern Europe as well as a fresh releases from US independent directors.

Matt Damon teams up with US director Gus Van Sant for the first time since their 1997 Oscar winner "Good Will Hunting" in "Promised Land", as a fracking firm executive pressuring cash-strapped farmers to sell their property.

Steven Soderbergh will enter the running with "Side Effects", billed as his last movie before he heads into semi-retirement, featuring Jude Law and Catherine Zeta-Jones as psychiatrists handing out drugs to stressed-out Americans.

The grandes dames of French cinema Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert and Juliette Binoche will all be unveiling new work.

And Poland's Malgoska Szumowska, one of three women vying for the Golden Bear, will tackle the tale of a gay Roman Catholic priest with the keenly awaited "In the Name of".

Iran's Jafar Panahi, a director who has scooped up international prizes for socially critical movies that are banned at home, will present "Closed Curtain" about two fugitives hiding from the police.

Oscar-winning Bosnian film-maker Danis Tanovic ("No Man's Land") returns with "An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker", exposing the wretched conditions in a poor and isolated Roma community.

Last year the Golden Bear went to Italian veterans Paolo and Vittorio Taviani for the docudrama "Caesar Must Die" about prison inmates staging Shakespeare.

With more than 400 films due to screen at the festival, much of the buzz is expected to come from beyond the race for the key prizes.

"Dark Blood", the last film with River Phoenix, the US rising star who died of a drug overdose at 23 two decades ago, will show out of competition, as will Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy's final chapter in their slow-burn romantic trilogy, "Before Midnight" by Richard Linklater. - AFP

Show-stopper

Posted: 07 Feb 2013 01:32 AM PST

Taiwanese entertainer Show Lo spills the beans on his role in Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons.

THE next time Stephen Chow says he'll meet you for a drink, you'd better believe it. Taiwanese singer, dancer and actor extraordinaire Show Lo was told not to get his hopes up when he met the legendary actor at an event last year.

"I saw Stephen Chow and being a long-time fan, I called out to him! I just wanted to say hello. Then he said, 'You know what; next time we should sit down and have a chat over coffee'," said Lo during an exclusive interview at the Le Meridien hotel in Taipei, Taiwan recently. The 33-year-old entertainer, dubbed Asia's Dance King, also recalled his colleague telling him to pretty much forget about it.

"My colleague said, usually when someone says, 'next time'; it means there won't be a next time," he said with a laugh. To Lo's surprise, he received a phone call from Chow and the two met over coffee to discuss a possible film role.

"To be honest, I was still trying to get over the fact that Stephen Chow actually called and said he wanted to meet me. During our first meeting, I wasn't really listening to anything he said because I was starstruck!

"When Lo made this admission, 50-year old Chow was sitting just right next to him, smiling at how earnest he was about their first proper meeting. "I just kept staring at the way Chow spoke because he talks exactly like how he does in his movies! And then he said something about appearing in his next movie project, and I immediately agreed, without even carefully listening to what he said."

Lo can be seen in Chow's upcoming Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons. The action-comedy flick, written, produced and directed by Chow, revolves around the adventures of an amateur demon hunter in a time when ancient China is plagued by supernatural beings. The film is, of course, an adaptation of one of the most popular classical novels in Chinese literature.

There is much anticipation surrounding Chow's first directorial effort in five years (CJ7 in 2008 being the last time Chow directed and appeared on-screen). The film also stars Chinese actor Wen Zhang, Hong Kong screen siren Shu Qi and award-winning Taiwanese actor Huang Bo.

For Lo, who plays Prince Important; being in a movie with other big names in Asian cinema was a humbling experience.

"My role was very small compared to the role these guys played." In his trademark comedic dead-pan, Chow quickly added; "You were involved in a big fight scene at the end! And you had the opportunity to act with four 'pretty' ladies. You should feel privileged, and everyone was jealous, okay."

Chow's remark got Lo laughing. For those who have yet to watch the movie, let's just say 'pretty' doesn't even begin to describe what the ladies really looked like.

The chemistry between Chow and Lo was obvious. Despite this being their first collaboration, they played off each other like how old friends would.

Jokes aside, Lo said there was a lot of pressure for him to avoid playing his character the way Chow would. He also hasn't had a feature film role since 2001's Expect A Miracle.

"I had to tell myself to not 'act' like Stephen Chow or imitate his style. I didn't want to end up being a poor imitation of him, so much so, I stopped myself from watching his movies for awhile."

The character Lo plays is an expert demon hunter who is also vain and can't seem to get a break with the ladies, a far cry from Lo's public persona as the smooth talker with killer dance moves. Chow was full of praise for the way Lo played his role.

"I think Lo is a good actor. In each take, he portrays his character in different styles."

Then Lo said; "Most of the time, whatever Stephen Chow asked me to do, I tried to do something else. As the director, Chow gave us a lot of space and freedom to improvise from the script."

What Lo didn't know was that Chow had intended to play the character himself.

"There is a certain trait about Prince Important that I can relate to. Then I met Lo, and he just seemed like a better person to play that role."

Chow also mentioned that he wanted to focus more on directing, instead. For long-time fans who feel they've missed out on another opportunity to catch Chow on the big screen, he assures fans that Lo fits the role perfectly.

"You want to know what makes me laugh? There (pointing at Lo), he makes me laugh."

> Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons opens nationwide today. Look out for more stories in Saturday's Star2.

'Hitman' to return to cinemas with Paul Walker

Posted: 07 Feb 2013 01:28 AM PST

Deadline.com has revealed that Fast And Furious star Paul Walker will replace Timothy Olymphant as the professional assassin who is the star of the Hitman video games.

Five years after the first adaptation by Xavier Gens, agent 47 is getting ready to return to the big screen.

This time, Fox studios have chosen Paul Walker to play the bald assassin who is the product of genetic experiments. The character was seen on a PC for the first time in 2000.

Filming on the movie, which will be called Agent 47, should begin next June. Ad director Aleksander Bach will direct the movie which will be set in Berlin and Singapore.

Paul Walker will join the rest of the production team at the end of the summer once he has finished the international promotion of The Fast And Furious 6.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Khamis, 7 Februari 2013

The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

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