'My Wedding and Other Secrets' - a NZBC movie

This makes me smile. A long time ago, over three years ago in fact, I published a post on this blog called 'Banana in a Nutshell' - Can Chinese parents still love you if they do things that upset you? .

It was inspired by a short documentary film I saw that told the story of a young new Zealand Chinese girl who wanted her parents to accept her Caucasian boyfriend.

It was a touching, well-made little film with a humourous side that I was happy to publicize to bbc blog readers.

Well, three years later it turns out that the girl who made that documentary has turned it into an actual full length movie that has just gone on release in New Zealand.

I have to say many Western-based Asian drama films can seem a bit fake and stilted but this one looks quite different and genuinely entertaining. Well done to all involved! Hopefully we'll get a chance to see it here in the UK.

Check out the trailer below.

Related: Official Movie Website

Gemma Chan, rising b.b.c actress

I must have seen the advert below a dozen times yet never realised the actress is a b.b.c.




The lady in question is 28 year-old Gemma Chan. She first came to public attention by reaching the final 3 in the UK version of modelling reality show Project Runway and now it seems her profile is on the rise.

As well as that Bing commercial, Chan has had roles in Dr Who, The IT Crowd, Sherlock and Secret Diary of a Call Girl. She has also had movie roles in such films as Exam and Shanghai (starring John Cusack and Gong Li).

She may be about to hit the showbiz pages again as she stars in a new independent British film called Submarine, directed by Richard Ayoade (best known as Moss from The IT crowd) which has premiered at the Sundance film festival and is getting some positive reviews.

We could be looking at another b.b.c rising star!

Link: Gemma Chan official website

Link: Gemma Chan, Wikipedia

Related: Maye Choo joins the growing list of British Asians in the media

New HK movie 'Dream Home'

This looks interesting and kind of different to the usual Hong Kong movie. Stars Josie Ho and Eason Chan:

Did you know the next Pixar film stars an Asian character?

Photo: Parkerblogs

You may have already seen the trailers for 'Up', the latest wonderful-looking film from the makers of Finding Nemo and Toy Story.

What I hadn't realised until now was that 'Russell', the funny little kid who stars in the film (alongside the grumpy old man) is actually an Asian American boy.

As reported by Slashfilm, the character of the boy was based on by an Asian animator who works for Pixar but his ethnicity has not been made a big deal of. He's just a cute, funny little kid who happens to be Asian.

I often post about depictions of East Asian people in the media but do think it's an important issue (in particular for younger generations). I know that were I a 10-year-old boy going to see Up, knowing that the main character was Asian would simply have made my day.

Bruce Lee vs Iron Man

This is a really well made bit of animation. I love how they have even captured Lee's trademark hand flick. Enjoy!



via Slashfilm

Clint Eastwood caught up in Asian gang violence

in the movie 'Gran Torino'.

I would the love the climax of the film to be a high speed car chase with Clint in a modded Nissan Skyline GT-R but that probably isn't going to happen.

Eau de Karen Mok

If you've always wanted to wear a perfume inspired by a diminutive female Hong Kong action star, now's your chance!

Karen Mok has become the first Asian celebrity to launch their own fragrance, following in the footsteps of many western celebrities (and even quite a few non-celebrities).

It's not an obvious choice for a celebrity endorsement but no doubt her fanbase will be rushing out to try out her products. I wonder if the commercials will be anything like her movies, though?:



via Asian Music World

Ping Pong Playa trailer

Could actually be quite funny...

HK movie 'The Detective' starring Aaron Kwok

Just heard about this movie and thought I'd mention it. I haven't seen the film yet but it looks interesting. The DVD is currently available on Yesasia.com

Aaron Kwok stars as a lowly private detective asked to track down a mysterious woman called Sum. But the assignment turns out to be a lot more dangerous than he first thought. 'The Detective' is directed by Danny and Oxide Pang, who also made 'The Eye'.



Related: Lovehkfilm.com review

Sanney Leung of HK Entertainment Review is back!

Sometime ago there used to be a very popular English-language site called hkentreview.com that discussed the latest news from the Hong Kong entertainment industry. At the time it was pretty unique and was one of my regular bookmarked sites.

Then, as I posted on the bbc blog, the site was suddenly taken over by a holding company an the author Saney Leung seemd to disappear from cyberspace. Later it emerged that Sanney was battling cancer.

Well the good news is that Sanney is doing well and is back blogging! He is now a regular contributor over at LoveHKFilm.com. Check out his blog right here.

Entertainment icon Lydia Sum passes away

Lydia 'Fei Fei' Shum Din Ha has passed away after a two year battle with liver cancer.

Numerous fellow entertainers and friends have paid tribute to the entertainment icon, who I remember vividly even though I only saw a few of her shows as a child either on my parents' rented videos or during occasional trips to Hong Kong.

In an entertainment industry that favours 'cookie cutter' presenters that tick all the standard boxes, Lydia Sum stood out as a unique and highly likeable character, loved by many.



Story: Batgwa.com

Story: The Standard

Why 'Lust, Caution' can't win a Best Foreign Film Oscar

I thought Lust, Caution was a really good film and probably stood a chance of winning an Oscar for Best Foreign Film, but it hasn't even been nominated.

It turns out that there was a problem with the film being submitted to the Oscar panel as a Taiwanese production. They felt the film was not strictly speaking a Taiwanese film because so much of it was done in China and featured non-Taiwanese personnel.

Source: Xinhuanet

However the film was eligible for other Oscar such as costumes, music and didn't get nominated for anything. It's been totally overlooked!

My 'Lust, Caution' review

Judging by the audience seeing 'Lust, Caution' at the weekend, I think quite a few bbcs are going to see this movie so I thought I'd write a short review.

The film's pedigree could hardly be better; It is directed by Oscar-winner Ang Lee, stars reknowned Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu Wai (already known to Western audiences for his role in 'In the Mood for Love') and is based on an original story by one of Asia's most popular and respected authors, Eileen Chang.

'Lust, Caution' grabs your attention from the start, cleverly using a game of mah jong to symbolise the battle of minds between a group of well-to-do women living in Japanese occupied Shanghai in 1942. What Yee Tai Tai (Joan Chen) doesn't know is that her fellow mah jong player, Mak Tai Tai, is actually a resistance spy who is conducting an affair with her husband, a high ranking official in the collaborationist Chinese government.

From here the film jumps back in time and shows how a group of idealistic, young drama students evolves into a resistance cell that plots to assassinate a member of the regime they feel has betrayed their people.

It falls on the shy but brilliant actress Wong Chia Chi (Wei Tang) to assume the role of a 'honeypot' spy who's mission is to seduce and ensnare Tony Leung's character, Mr Yee.

Wei Tang's performance is intense and quite amazing. Her character transforms from a shy, innocent student to a passionate mistress, whilst becoming a master spy along the way. She is totally believable every step of the way. Tony Leung Chiu Wai as the sinister official Yee is excellent too but some moviegoers may feel that he is simply reprising his now trademark restrained, smouldering performance.

There has been a lot of hype about the sex scenes and all I can say is I can't imagine how they could be faked, such is the realism. For me, seeing the couple make love so explicitly is justified as it makes what happens in the film all the more intense and believable.

The film convincingly recreates Shanghai and Hong Kong in the 1940s (although the story is quite claustrophobic and we are not shown the outside world that much) and overall it has a very evocative period look to it.

'Lust, Caution' is an intense, passionate, beautiful film and I'd give it top marks. If you've seen it, let me know what you thought!

Related: Two new Eileen Chang collections published

Related: Tong Leung launches website

CJ7: Stephen Chow's new film

A teaser trailer for Stephen Chow's next movie CJ7 has just been released.

Looks pretty funny. Mixing Chow's trademark Cantonese humour with sci-fi should produce a film as enjoyable as 'Shaolin Soccer'. Let's hope they pack the film with as many jokes as special effects, though ('Kung Fu Hustle', anyone?)

'Banana in a Nutshell' - Can Chinese parents still love you if they do things that upset you?

I've been meaning to post about this for a while. Banana in a Nutshell is a short film that I saw on a plane (in fact, I think it was a flight to HK) and I thought it was a really interesting short film that quite a few bbcs can relate to.

It's a documentary about a young New Zealand Chinese (NZBC?) girl called Roseanne and her relationship with a white boy. The film shows the anxious build up to the boyfriend meeting Roseanne's father, and Roseanne's stress concerning her parents' reaction. The film's official website is here: http://www.banana-film.com/index.html.

The boyfriend situation is the main event depicted in the film but it actually covers Roseanne's entire relationship with her parents and siblings and the East vs. West conflicts that come with being 2nd generation Chinese.

The film is very heartfelt, especially one scene in which Roseanne tearfully tries to understand why her parents never show her any outward signs of affection. Does this mean they don't love her, she wonders? Yet why would they have worked so hard to provide for her, if not out of love? This is something I think many young bbcs will have thought about at some point in their lives.

If you get a chance to see it, I highly recommend 'Banana in a Nutshell'.

As for my own thoughts on this, I think there will always be a big difference between how we, as a westernised generation, expect parents to behave and how our parents have been brought up to behave. We have different ideas about what is 'right.'

It is a lot to ask of the older generation to totally chance their demeanor and personalities just to fit what we, as 2nd generation, have come to regard as 'good parenting' - a view that has been shaped by a totally different upbringing.

Differences exist between the generations, but I think the key is to acknowledge that and learn to accept it, rather than isolating one side or demanding that one side changes to match the other.


UPDATE: 'My Wedding and Other Secrets' - a NZBC movie

Halloween Special: Top 5 Scary Chinese People!

Today is the day that spooks, ghosts and ghouls come out to play so I thought I'd put together a suitably spooky list for the bbc blog.

A word of advice, if you meet any fair Chinese maidens playing a Chinese harp on your way home tonight... be careful!

#5 The ghosts and ghouls of 'Chinese Ghost Story'



A silly yet highly watchable HK film from 1987. 'Chinese Ghost Story' has production values that would put many modern HK movies to shame. It comes from an era when productions seemed to be a lot more lavish and more effort seemed to go into staging spectacular movies.


#4 Mr. Vampire



Another 80s classic, this is thought to be the movie that launched the whole 'hopping vampire' trend in films and TV. The original Chinese vampire myth is much older, though, and is believed to have originated from times when deceased people were transported back to their home village by attaching them to bamboo poles. When the pole flexed, it gave the impression that the cadavers were bouncing up and down.


#3 Fleur (Anita Mui) in 'Rouge'



Playing the ghost of a woman from the year 1900 who roams the streets of modern Hong Kong looking for her long lost lover, Anita Mui sent shivers down the spines of moviegoers. An iconic, unforgettable performance.


#2 Bus Uncle



He's pretty tame compared to the weirdos we have on the London Underground, but Mr. Bus Uncle is nevertheless plenty scary, in that losing-it-under-pressure kind of way.

Related: Bus Uncle - The Aftermath


#1 Inspector Lau (Andy Lau Tak Wah) in 'Infernal Affairs'


Yes indeed. Andy Lau's corrupt cop is as menacing as they come. Not only evil but cunning too, and one of the best movie baddies ever. I'd rather tackle a hopping Vampire any day.

Happy Halloween!

Finishing The Game: The Search for a New Bruce Lee

With a main character whose name is 'Breeze Loo', you can probably guess this is a comedy!

The director Justin Lin also made 'Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift' and 'Better Luck Tomorrow'.

John Woo/Chow Yun Fat computer game: The inspiration

With ads for the new game 'Stranglehold' blitzing our tv screens at the moment, it seems appropriate to reminds ourselves of the original two-handed, guns-blazing, slow-motion movie carnage that inspired it, courtesy of Youtuber jax633:






And there's an interesting behind-the-scenes video here about how the game was made.

'My Father' - A new Asian-American film

Thought I'd share this trailer for 'My Father' I saw on Asianpopcorn.com. The movie stars Asian-American model-turned-actor Daniel Henny and is about a Korean child adopted by an American family who returns to Korea to find his natural father, only to discover that he is in jail for murder. Looks pretty good.



Source: AsianPopcorn.

New China movies to screen at Edinburgh International Film Festival

There's a chance to catch a couple of new movies from mainland China at the Edinburgh International Film Festival this month.

'Western Trunk Line' (Xi Gan Dao) is screening on Aug 20th and 23rd and is described as a 'striking, melancholic study of family displacement and coming-of-age.'

Pictured above, 'Blind Mountain' (Mang Shan) screened at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and is a 'Riveting, unpredictable psychological drama from the director of the brilliant 'Blind Shaft''. You can catch it on Aug 22nd and 25th.

Source: The Scotland-China Association website.