Father Geek here with Darius25 and AccSpy, and their current edition of our long running regular late work-week Asian Film News Report...
Asia-AICN
Hey all, welcome to the latest edition of your weekly Asian column. This week we have news on “Line of Control”, “Karz (The Burden of Truth)”, “Kajal”, the 39th Golden Horse Awards, “When the Mouse Loves the Cat”, and “Evelyn”.
INDIA
Hey all, welcome to the latest edition of your weekly Asian column. This week we have news on “Line of Control”, “Karz (The Burden of Truth)”, “Kajal”, the 39th Golden Horse Awards, “When the Mouse Loves the Cat”, and “Evelyn”.
INDIA
- Actress Preeti Jhangiani has joined the cast of director J.P. Dutta’s epic war film “Line of Control”. Preeti will be seen in brief role opposite Akshaye Khanna. The film is due to release in June.
- In a really odd move, actress Manisha Koirala has been to signed to play Indira Gandhi (!) in an upcoming bio-pic based on the life of the famous Prime Minister who was assassinated by her own bodyguards 18 years ago. N. Chandra has been signed to direct the drama, which will feature other famous Bollywood actors (currently under negotiations) in key roles.
- Actress Kareena Kapoor has signed on to take the main female lead in director Dharmesh Darshan’s next film, “Kajal”. The film will also star Darshan-regular Akshay Kumar and will be produced by Boney Kapoor. Production is set to begin sometime next year.
- Some new stills were released from director Harry Baweja’s drama “Karz (The Burden of Truth)”. The romantic drama stars Sunny Deol, Sunil Shetty and Shilpa Shetty in lead roles and is due out December 6. Here’s the pics.
Even though this is not really an action movie, Sunny STILL has to do the two-gun thing: Woooooooo!!!
Shilpa goodness #1: Just Click to See
Shilpa goodness #2 (with Sunil in background): Its Right Here
And I guess this would make Shilpa goodness #3 (with Sunny in background): Click Now
And just one more pic, this time with Sunny threatening Sunil: Check The Action Here
- Some new stills were also released from the next Aishwarya Rai film titled “Dil Ka Rishta (Relationships of the Heart)”. This new romance pairs Ash up with Arjun Rampal, and also stars Lisa Ray, Paresh Rawal and Rakhee Gulzar. The film is due out in early January.
Here’s a pic of the fabulous Ms. Rai: A Great Shot
Another great pic of Ash: She Looks Wonderful Right Here
And here’s Arjun Rampal with another hot girl (neither Ash nor the equally stunning Lisa Ray): Check Them Out Here
CHINA / HK
Here’s the latest report from AccSpy:
- The first two official stills of the Andy Lau-Tony Leung starrer "Infernal Affairs" have finally appeared in HK newspapers. Take a look.
Andy playing golf: Just Click Here
Tony Leung Chiu-wai in his leather suit, apparently it's his one and ONLY costume in the film: Click Right Here Now
- The 39th Annual Golden Horse Awards were announced in Taiwan last weekend. Taiwanese film "The Best of Times" took home the top prize of the night while HK films dominated most of the other categories. The results are:
- So what’s next for the winners? Well, best director Fruit Chan will have a foray into mainstream comedy, producing a legal comedy, starring none other then Best Actress Angelina Lee as an over-achieving young lawyer. Louis Koo is in talks to co-star.
- Best Actor Leon Lai will star opposite Sammi Cheng and Carina Lau in Stanley Kwan's new project.
- Best Supporting Actor Anthony Wong is working on the set of "When the Mouse Loves the Cat" in China now. Wong plays Justice Pao in this romanticized version of the classic story which stars Andy Lau and Cecilia Cheung.
- Double-winner Karena Lam is shooting "8 Individuals and a Home", playing a hair-stylist and roommate to Candy Lo's psychic character. The film is being directed by acclaimed documentary director Barbara Wong.
HAWAII INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Here’s the latest report from Ms. Moon Yung Choi, who reviews the next Pierce Brosnan Film which won rave reviews at the festival and also at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
EVELYN
U.S.A. - 2002 – 94 min. – Director: Bruce Beresford – Executive Producers: Simon Bosanquet, Kieran Corrigan, Ebehard Kayser, Mario Ohoven – Producers: Pierce Brosnan, Michael Ohoven and Beau St. Clair – Screenwriter: Paul Pender II – Cinematographer: Andre Fleuren
Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Julianna Margulies, Aidan Quinn, Stephen Rea, Alan Bates, John Lynch and Sophie Vavasseur
During the Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF), EVELYN was the “closing” night film. The Executive Director of HIFF, Chuck Boller, said why it’s called a “closing night film” when there are two more days of the festival, he doesn’t know. It must have come out of habit to honor a highly lauded film that HIFF was lucky to acquire, he told the audience.
This softer, genteel Pierce Brosnan film was screened not too long before the big premiere of the James Bond series DIE ANOTHER DAY. So I’d like to go out of order in my review of the HIFF films to get this out in time for the opening day of the Bond flick.
Compared to the suave and sophisticated, man-of-the-world character Brosnan plays as James Bond in the 007 super spy series, his character in EVELYN is working class, rough around the edges, poor and unemployed. But he loves his children very much. Desmond Doyle, the character Pierce plays in EVELYN, has a problem with drinking, money and his wife. She deserts him and their three children the day after Christmas. He drinks away his sorrows at the local Irish pubs where he’s gotten so inebriated one time he took a swing at a Priest who came to the pub to collect donations. The Priest immediately knocked Doyle out because the Priest had once been a formidable boxer.
It was kind of funny how Brosnan’s looks was downplayed for this dramatic role. Even through his ill-fitting, shabby clothes, receding hair lines, absence of soft lighting to smooth out the lines on his face and facial stubbles, you could still tell this is a good looking man.
EVELYN is not about some Irish loser. He stands for the every man who wants to keep and protect his family and gain justice in a world that overlooks people like him – poor, unemployed, and working class with seemingly little prospects for the future. He represents the people who are supposed to just accept an archaic political/social and religious structure that separates their children from the family. And because of his flaws he was the unlikely hero who stirred the country and changed the laws that allowed children who were unjustly held in orphanages to reunite with their families.
EVELYN is based on a true story of a man who goes up against the Irish system to get his children back. After his wife leaves him, the Catholic Church and the Irish Courts take away his three children, Evelyn, Noel and Brendan, and force them to live in Church-run orphanages. A sympathetic judge assures Desmond that once he secures employment and gains financial stability he will be able to get his children back but money is hard to come by. During that time, Evelyn gets smacked around by a mean nun and thus infuriating Doyle. He storms into the orphanage and threatens the nun that if he ever touches her again he’d tear her limb by limb. While Desmond was struggling to secure finances, he meets a pretty barmaid, Bernadette, who’s working at the pub part-time while she’s studying to be a chemist (or pharmacist in the U.S.). Bernadette, played by Julianna Margulies, introduces her to lawyers who, after a rousing speech by Desmond, agree to go up against the Irish Courts in a David against Goliath fight.
But it’s not the lawyers’ presentation that convinces the courts, it is Evelyn’s testimonies that out wits even the opposing lawyers and at the same time wins the heart of the town’s people. Although you can pretty much determine how the story will end, EVELYN can still leave you a little misty eye.
In a family trial, it’s hard to watch a father who is devastated over the loss of his custody battle and who is unable to stop authorities from tearing his frightened children away from him. And it’s uplifting to see the town come together to raise funds to help Doyle through the difficult situation and the media giving him favorable publicity. You end up rooting for Desmond because he’s so determined and committed to getting his children back that he cuts back on boozing, acquires a job and impresses a smart American-Irish lawyer to fight for his cause.
I’m sure Irish born Brosnan and his film partners felt it was really important to do a movie about this brave, resilient man so they can show off a proud part of the Irish to the world.
