Well, Father Geek here, just returned from Thanksgiving feasting over at Harry's sister's place (see intro to AICN-Downunder). I'm moving slow, but it hasn't knocked me out yet... Little Kubla Khan was practicing his best two fisted samurai eating style, something he picked up from watching his hero Daigoro in all those Lone Wolf & Cub (Baby Cart) flicks no doubt... Although he left the area looking alot like Itto Ogami had just finished off a group of the Shogun's assassins in quick order. Well, I must sink into the couch and let all this food settle... Here's Darius25 along with pigmon and AccSpy...

Asia-AICN

Happy Thanksgiving everybody, hope you’re enjoying the holidays. We have a packed column for you this week with lots of new info, including news on director E. Niwas’s next film, Vinod Khanna’s next film, “Haan… Maine Bhi Pyar Kiya (Yes, I Too Have Loved)”, “Bulletproof Monk”, “To Marry a Millionaire”, and “Colour of Pain”.

We also have some pics from “Abhay”, “Deewanapan (Madness)”, ““Tera Mera Saath Rahen (We Should Remain Together)”, “To Marry a Millionaire” and “Lan Yi”. Now here’s the latest from Asia.

INDIA

- Actress Bipasha Basu has been signed as the leading lady for one of Yashraj Films’ upcoming productions. The film, a remake of “My Best Friend’s Wedding” (!), will also star Uday Chopra and newcomer Tulip Sharma. The film is slated to release next fall.

- Director E. Niwas has been hired to direct a film for the Morani brothers and Bunty Soorma. Niwas is currently negotiating with Vivek Oberoi and Diya Mirza to star in the leading roles for the film.

- Actor Vinod Khanna, who made a comeback this week with the release of “Deewanapan (Madness)”, is planning to direct a film starring his sons, Akshaye and Rahul. The film, a romance drama (what else?), is still in planning stages right now and the script has yet to be completed.

- The shooting of director Dharmesh Darshan’s “Haan… Maine Bhi Pyar Kiya (Yes, I Too Have Loved)” is now complete and is now heading into post-production to meets its Spring 2002 release date. The drama stars Akshay Kumar as a middle-aged (!?!) actor who tries to break up a young couple’s engagement when he falls in love with the girl. It also marks the first time pairing of Karisma Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan, who are engaged in real life and are due to marry sometime next year. Here’s some stills from the wrap-up party.

Special guest Amitabh Bachchan and Akshay Kumar, celebrating the success of their previous film, “Ek Rishtaa – The Bond of Love”: Go Here To See It

Karisma Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan (ahem, no comments!!): Click Right Now

Another pic of Karisma, looking classy as ever: Just Click

Karisma and Abhishek with director Dharmesh Darshan: Click Again

- There were 4 big releases last week just in time for Deewali (the festival of Lights), with the most prominent one being actor Kamal Haasan’s latest film, “Abhay”. The creepy action thriller stars Haasan in a dual role, along with Raveena Tandon, and Manisha Koirala. The film is an over-the-top action fest with Haasan doing his best in dual roles (as the soldier hero and his psychotic twin, Abhay). The plot is the usual serial killer stuff, dealing with the relationship between the twins before Abhay brakes out of the mental asylum (where he was imprisoned since childhood). The brother hunts the killer down and some major action scenes follow. As usual you can also expect the obligatory flashback scene that reveals the true reasons behind Abhay’s psychotic behaviour. The action is pretty good for the most part (don’t expect realism) while the story is thrilling enough to hold the interest between the showdown scenes. Kamal Haasan is a reliable actor and he doesn’t disappoint in either of his roles. The hero role is pretty standard stuff, but his portrayal of Abhay deserves the most attention and creates the most interest. Raveena Tandon provides good support as the soldier’s wife (and the object of Abhay’s hatred) while Manisha Koirala goes a little overboard in her cameo. The film is pretty much on par with the Sunny Deol action films of late, just don’t expect “Mission Kashmir”.

Kamal Haasan vs. himself: Go Here

Manisha Koirala in a catsuit (yummy!!): Check It Out Here

Raveena Tandon isn’t too shabby herself (with Kamal): Click Now

- The second film was producer Vashu Bhagnani’s “Deewanapan (Madness)”, directed by Ashu Trikha and starring Arjun Rampal, Diya Mirza, Vinod Khanna, and Om Puri. Another one of Bhagnani’s bubblegum romances, the film provides plenty of entertainment as long as you don’t get bogged down by the several clichés jammed down your throats. The story is as follows (stop me if you’ve heard it before) – Suraj (Arjun Rampal) is a new student in the city and he falls for the hottest girl in school, (Diya Mirza). The girl moves to another city and Arjun eventually ends up there as well. As soon as the couple hook up again, a new obstacle comes in their way, Pooja’s wealthy father (Vinod Khanna). The businessman tries several different ways to break the couple apart, some action scenes follow, and the couple reunite at the end. Oh and there’s a song after every 15 minutes!! Again, like “Abhay”, I wasn’t looking for originality when I saw this film. Simply put, Diya Mirza is HOT!! and Arjun Rampal is a cool-enough actor (with some serious action-hero potential). Both leads don’t disappoint in their respective roles and the songs aren’t bad either. The direction is adequate with some slickly-paced scenes and not-too emotional drama scenes. The songs aren’t too bad either. All in all, this is probably the most commercial (and enjoyable) films out of the major releases and you won’t be disappointed.

Arjun Rampal and Diya Mirza: See Them Here

Another pic of Diya (surrounded by some nasty girls!): Click Here

- The third film was director Mahesh Manjrekar’s hard-hitting drama, “Tera Mera Saath Rahen (We Should Remain Together)”, starring Ajay Devgan, Sonali Bendre, Namrata Shirodkar, and Shivaji Satham. This film is another one of Manjrekar’s attempts to blend his art-house style of directing with more commercial fare and ends up disappointing both markets. The plot is of the tearjerker variety – Raj (Ajay Devgan) is a middle-class man raising his mentally-challenged kid brother (Dushyant Wagh) all by himself. The brothers have a very close bond and are equally dependent on each other. A rich girl, Madhuri (Sonali Bendre), comes into their lives and manages to charm both of them. She eventually persuades Raj into sending his brother to special home, where his needs will be better served. The brothers separate but they cannot bear to live without each other, and eventually everything sorts itself out. Because this is directed by Manjrekar, one can expect several emotional scenes, all of which are portrayed with class. But too many commercial aspects are included to bring down the overall level of quality. For example isn’t the story dramatic enough for a second love interest (Namrata Shirodkar) to exist? I mean Raj has enough problems dealing with his brother and girlfriend, the guy doesn’t need any more hassles. Also, the idea of comic relief in a heavy drama is just baffling and severally screws up the mood of the film. Finally, there are too many songs which consistently disrupts the pacing and flow of the script. However, like all Manjrekar films, the acting by the cast is pretty good. Ajay Devgan rules in dramas and is practically perfect in his role while newcomer Dushyant Wagh is really good and doesn’t end up being annoying like several other child actors in the industry (or even Hollywood, hint hint). Sonali Bendre performs decently (while looking really good) in her restrained role while Namrata Shirodkar is wasted. The direction is fine enough for a drama but the additional of commercial aspects ruins much of the merits of the film. I would personally avoid this in the theatres and just wait for the DVD.

Ajay Devgan and Sonali Bendre: Just Click Right Here

Namrata Shirodkar: Click Here

- Finally, the last release was director Tanuja Chandra’s latest girl-power film, “Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar (Travels of Life)”, starring Amisha Patel, Jimmy Shergill, Nafisa Ali, and Gulshan Grover. Much like the director’s last three films, this one again tells the story of a young woman embarking on an important journey of self-discovery…. (blah!) This time, our protagonist, Sareena (supercute Amisha Patel), is a rising pop-star who discovers that she was adopted at birth. With the help of a slacker journalist (Jimmy Shergill), Sareena decides to find her real mother and the reasons behind her abandonment. Naturally she’ll experience some obstacles in her way but she overcomes them all. The story is familiar and is well-acted for the most part but I didn’t have any interest in the subject matter, it’s more like a TV-movie then anything else. Acting wise, Amisha is superb as always and performs really well (while looking adorable all the time) while Jimmy Shergill provides some much-needed comic relief. In fact, I’ll go on to say that the occasional humorous bursts were really helpful in this film and eased the boredom somewhat. The humour here is handled in a much more subtle manner than in “Tera Mera Saath Rahen” so Tanuja Chandra should atleast get some credit for that. The film is handled well, technically, and there’s nothing really wrong for it other than the bland subject matter. If you like slow-paced, girl-power dramas such as “Dushman (Enemy)” or “Tamanna” then you’ll probably like this movie very much. Just don’t go expecting a commercial film.

CHINA / HK

Here is the weekly report from “AccSpy”:

- After a year of vacation, Chow Yun-fat will go back to USA this December for the shooting of "Bulletproof Monk", a comic book adaptation about a Tibetan monk who takes a young western protegee, played by Sean William Scott, under his wing. The film is being co-produced by John Woo, who will be expected to direct Chow in period drama "The Line".

- Donnie Yen, in the fame of "Iron Monkey", will play not one but two villain characters in two upcoming big budget films. Yen just recently joined the already superb cast of Zhang Yimou's "Hero", in which he’ll play the Emperor's bodyguard who fights the assassin, played by Jet Li, in the big finale. Yen is only required to shoot one big sequence for the film in December but if you've seen "Once upon a Time in China 2", you’ll know that one scene is more than enough. He is also in talks to play the villain in "Shanghai Kinghts", the sequel to "Shanghai Noon". Yen is also preparing to direct a Charlie Angels-ish Japanese action film. But next, Yen will be seen as Snowman in "Blade 2".

- "Fulltime Killer" is the official entry for next year's Oscar Best Foreign film. What? Not Shaolin Soccer?

- A shooting ceremony was held for the Chinese New Year's comedy "To Marry a Millionaire (working title)" last week. The cast includes Sammi Cheng, Richie Yen and Candy Lo. The Golden Harvest presented film will also partially take place in Paris. Here's a glimpse of the day.

Sammi Cheng: Click Now

Richie Yen: Go Here

The cast, including Wu Fung, Sammi, Rachie and Candy, with director Vincent Kuk: Click To See

- Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards have announced the nominations for this year. Acclaimed director Stanley Kwan's homosexual drama "Lan Yi" scored 11 nominations, while "Shaolin Soccer" just grabbed three nominations in technical catagories. Andy Lau from "Love on a Diet" and Ekin Cheng from "Goodbye Mr. Cool" are nominated for the first time in Best Actor category. Shu Qi from "Millennium Mambo", Anita Mui from "Mignight Fly" are among the four nominees for Best Actress.

Here's a pic from "Lan Yi": Just Click

- Kelly Chen’s Japanese film "Calmi Cuori Appassionati" has finally unseated the multi-weeks champion "Spirited Away" at the box office in Japan. But in HK the film only debuted at no.2 with $1.5 million HK. "Dummy Mummy without a Baby" stayed at no.1 with $6.3 million in 9 days. Jet Li's "The One" slipped to no.3, while "The Others" and "Amelie" were at no.4 and no.5, respectively.

JAPAN

Here’s the latest report from “Pigmon”:

- I saw last the latest collaboration between HK and Japan, “Colour of Pain”, directed by Sam Leon. The film follows a supercool hit man named Ryuya (Kenya Sawada), who due to a string of events, becomes the leader of a gang of bank robbers. Ryuya befriends a new member, Joe (Raymond Wong), and begins to trust him as the gang embarks on a bunch of robberies. But Joe has a secret which could bring the whole gang down. Despite its clichéd plot (think of a famous Chow Yun Fat film), the film ended up being entertaining and the action scenes were superbly executed. It opens in Tokyo next week.

- Toho has announced that a sequel to “Onmyoji” (the second most successful film in Japan this year) is underway. It is heading into principal photography as we speak and will be released next spring.

- Director Masahiro Shinoda’s next film will be “Spy Zorge”, based on the life of a well-known German spy during WW2. The filming will start in April (in such exotic locations as Beijing, Moscow, Berlin and throughout Japan), but the VFX scenes are already in production.

- This is the one of the best year for Toho, box-office wise. The studio has held the number one spot since end of July with the help of “Spirited Away”, “Tomb Raider”, “Onmyoji”, and “Reisei To Jiyonetsu No Aidani”. The latter film is the latest Toho production to open at No. 1 spot, while the Miyazaki film is at the second place. The rest of the movies in the box-office chart is as follows: “Swordfish”, “Sweet November”, “Onmyoji”, “Evolution”, “Kachan”, “Bridget Jones’s Diary”, “Cats and Dogs”, and “Go”. This lineup is sure to change when “Harry Potter” opens here next week.

- The Studio Ghibli museum is the hottest ticket in town!! It opened to packed reception just a month ago, but the crowd still hasn’t stopped coming. Tickets (which retail for $8) are already sold out for the rest of the year, and are being auctioned off at ridiculous prices (over $50 each from Yahoo auction)!!

We have now reached the end of this week's column. Remember, if you have information regarding any film industry in Asia, please contact our Asia-AICN offices at our NEW E-mail address atshrivas@rogers.com. See you all next week.

Darius25