Father Geek here, just in from an early morning press screening of MAX. Here's Darius25 and crew with this week's edition of our regular column on the asian cinema scene, its a long one so dive right into the...

Asia-AICN Report...

Hey all, hope you’re enjoying the holidays. Well just before you slip to your usual holiday activities, we’re back to give you your weekly dose of super cool Asian news. This week we’ve got a review of the long-awaited “Kaante (Thorns)”, along with news on “Aan (Honour)” formerly titled as “Police Force”, “Khakee”, “Infernal Affairs”, “Hero”, and the latest buzz from the Maui and Cinema Paradise film festivals. We’ve also got a review of a very handy resource for budding filmmakers. Enjoy.

INDIA

- Actress Raveena Tandon has replaced Tabu for director Madhur Bhandarkar’s “Aan (Honour)”. The film was earlier titled “Police Force” and stars Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Jackie Shroff, and Shatrughan Sinha. It is scheduled to start shooting this coming winter and will be released next year.

- Aishwarya Rai and Atul Kulkarni (“Chandni Bar”) have joined the cast of “Khakee”, being directed by Rajkumar Santoshi. The movie is another police drama, but is supposedly is a very hard-hitting unlike the more commercial “Aan”. The film stars Akshay Kumar (also in “Aan”), Amitabh Bachchan (who was SUPPOSED to be in “Aan”), Ajay Devgan, Akshaye Khanna, and Jaya Pradha. The film will also be out late next year, competing head to head with the above project.

- As you may have heard before, director Gurinder Chadhdha (“Bend It Like Beckham”) is next planning a remake of Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” and is giving it a complete Bollywood makeover. And now she’s cast her first star – Aishwarya Rai – in one of the main leading roles. Others are surely to follow, including big names like Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan (we’re hoping), but Ash is definitely good enough for now.

- The talking segments of the film “Pinjar (The Cage)” are now completed. The very controversial love story follows a love affair between a rape victim and her offender, who eventually marry and face society with all sorts of problems. Oh and it’s a period story set during the Partition era. Lead actress Urmila Matondkar is said to have given an award-worthy performance (from preview buzz) and actor Manoj Bajpai is dependable as always (to say the least). Other members of the cast include both Priyanshu and Sandali Sinha (from “Tum Bin”), Sanjay Suri, Isha Kopikkar, and Seema Biswas. Only some songs need to be picturised before the film goes into post production. Expect it to release during the summer.

KAANTE

Yeah guys, you know you’ve been waiting for it LONG ENOUGH, and finally it has ARRIVED!!! So, is director Sanjay Gupta’s latest film really a hyper-violent remake of “Reservoir Dogs” and does it meet your expectations, or is it just a complete washout??? Well obviously, the answer to that is yes it’s a remake, and OH YEAH, it’ll meet your expectations allright!!!

So, what should I start with first? The cast? Well, you got Amitabh Bachchan as Major (nobody knows why he’s called that), Sanjay Dutt as Ajju (a psychopath and career criminal), director Mahesh Manjrekar as Baali (an even more vicious psychopath), Sunil Shetty as Marc, Lucky Ali as Mac (these two guys are calm and cool, but equally deadly), and finally you have Kumar Gaurav as Andy (the requisite computer geek who’s naturally a wimp). So these guys meet in a jail cell (in what has to be a ONE HELL OF AN OPENING SEQUENCE), plan a bank heist and then pull off the heist. The job goes awry but they return to their hideout only to discover that one of them is a police informer. They fight, argue and the film results to a really shocking ending (well, to those who haven’t seen “Reservoir Dogs” anyway). In the end, the story really doesn’t deviate from the original flick, but is still very doable for any heist-gone-wrong film and as such, we really can’t take points off for it ripping off RD.

Ok, HANDS DOWN, the best thing about the film is the incredible cast. Amitabh Bachchan is supercool as the calm yet deadly and authoritative leader. He’s not the plan maker, but assumes command (due to his experience) and keeps all the hood in check. He’s bossy yes, but he aint an ass and treats everyone with the respect that they deserve. This is completely opposite from his AWESOME role in “Aankhen (Eyes)”, in which he also planned a bank heist. The big B isn’t a psycho in this one and he deserves every bit of the sympathy his character requires. A very good job! Next up Sanjay Dutt as the completely vicious yet equally likeable Ajju. He’s the plan maker, is very ruthless, but equally friendly and comes across as very very cool person. Sanjay’s no stranger to thugs and thieves and pulls off the role very easily. He’s also quite funny with some of the best dialogues in the film. Poor Sunil Shetty has given a very cool role, but apparently has no lines. He looks cool, acts the part yet isn’t given much else to do. In any other movie he would have a bigger role, but here ends up fighting for screentime against Dutt, Bachchan, and (surprisingly) Manjrekar. Kumar Gaurav and Lucky Ali are wasted in their parts, but do perform them decently. I don’t care for the actors in the first place so I wasn’t disappointed that they weren’t given much to do. Now, seriously speaking Mahesh Manjrekar is given the best scenes in the film, the best dialogues in the film (he’s playing the Mr. Pink role perfected by Steve Buscemi), and I’m glad that he’s also given the most screentime in the film (equal to Bachchan and Dutt). The guy is a very natural actor and makes the audience laugh every single time. He was just a pleasure to watch on the screen and deserves every single applause. I was quite skeptic of his character prior to viewing the film, but I’m glad he’s in the movie and very very happy that he has one of the meatiest roles!

Next, another plus about the movie is the amazing techno-savvy direction and cinematography. The film is superbly staged with no unnecessary scenes, tightly packed editing, and some really snazzy visuals. Technically, this is the most advanced Bollywood film yet (atleast very comparable to “Devdas”, “Lagaan”, and “Dil Chahta Hai”) and looks ON PAR with A-grade Hollywood productions. Seriously just compare “Kaante” to “Swordfish” or even that mighty “Heat” and you’ll notice that they look the same!! (I’m only speaking on a technical level and not comparing Micheal Mann’s masterpiece to the average Travolta thriller). Also, the action is superbly choreographed with some mind-numbing visual effects. You’ll get all the slo-mo, fast-mo, jump cuts, tricky shots you want along with all kinds of superb gunfights! Basically while the action scenes are limited, they feature plenty of variety to spice them up and keep you on your seat. And a word about the songs – there’s only ONE full song, combined with snippets of club music, background music and little bits of pieces here and there. No happy happy joy joy mushy stuff here!! And the songs (consisting of mainly techno music) are pretty good too!

And yes you might have noticed that I said the film contains very limited amount of action. Yes it’s true that it only contains one FULL-BLOWN action sequence (lasting almost 30 minutes), with a little bits of action until the final scene (which is shown in over-the-top slo-mo). Still, the action is cool enough to supplement the coolness of this gang of crooks. This is the ultimate guy flick and would have been cool even if all they did was talk all day!!

Ultimately “Kaante” is a superb action film worthy of all the hype it got prior to its release. It’s different from any Bollywood production you’ve ever seen and has a POWERHOUSE cast combined of some of the coolest actors you’ll ever see in one film! Great action, great cast, and very hip direction. This is definitely one of the best Bollywood productions of the year. Don’t miss a chance to see this on the big screen, especially in a THX-equipped theatre!

The gang storms out of the bank in one of the best action scenes ever filmed in Bollywood: All The Action's Is Right Here

From left, Kumar Gaurav, Sanjay Dutt, and Sunil Shetty do the posing thing: See Them Here

Planning the heist: They're Here

AB and Sunil sit quietly while Mahesh Manjrekar clowns around: Click

Cool stuff blowing up: Check It Out Now

And here’s a GREAT example of the film’s cinematography – notice the bleached out colours yet the very vibrant explosion: The Action's Here

CHINA / HK

Here’s the latest report from AccSpy:

- Exceeding even the most optimistic expection, Andy Lau and Tony Leung Chiu-wai's "Infernal Affairs" fried up $13.5 mil for the opening weekend and broke five HK box office records, including the highest single weekday grossing ever. Critics were all lining up to give the film a positive review and compared it to the classics of the same genre like "Hard-boiled" and "Running out of Time". Anthony Wong's performance is singled out as the best of the bunch, while most of them agree that Andy Lau's the real surprise here, handling well with most complicated character in his acting career. This weekend, Zhang Yimou's "Hero" and "Harry Potter: The Chamber of Secrets" will enter the competition, and have a harder time to upstage "Infernal Affairs" to debut at no.1.

- You know a sequel is coming after this kind of explosive success. In this case, it's a prequel. Media Asia is planning a prequel to "Infernal Affairs" which will further extend(and explain) the younger era of the two main characters (played by Edison Chen and Shawn Yu before they turn into Andy and Tony), about the 10 years missing in between two stages in the original

- For people who have to wait for the DVD release, here's the trailer of "Infernal Affairs".

(MOV format): Its Right Here

(Window Media format): Or Try Here

- A movie website with age restriction pages all over? Chack out Sandra Ng's colorful "Golden Chicken" official site and its innovating trailer here. http://goldenchickenmovie.com/

- Richard Corliss from Time magazine called "Hero" a masterpiece. See the review here: Just Click

- Direction team Johnnie To and Wai Kar-fai will next helm the adaptation of popular Taiwanese comics "Turn Left, Turn Right", starring Takeshi Kaneshiro and Gigi Leung. This is Takeshi's first HK film since "Lavander" three years ago. For more info see this piece of article: http://www.screendaily.com/story.asp?storyid=10579

MS. MOON YUN CHOI'S CORNER

Here’s the latest film news from the great Ms. Choi:

Maui Film Festival 2003 Call for Entries!

Hawaii’s premiere film festival, The Maui Film Festival at Wailea, is now accepting film submissions for its annual film festival to be held from June 11 - June 15, 2003.

To submit your film for the festival, click to the link below: http://www.mauifilmfestival.com/mff-wailea2003/submissions2003.htm

Called a “Telluride of the Pacific” where major and mini-major studio releases co-exist with independently-produced and distributed films that are all in search of critical acclaim, Maui Film Festival has a longstanding reputation for being able to provide a good buzz.

The Maui Film Festival prides itself on its quality over quantity programming philosophy and the unique state-of-the-art under-the-stars venues at which many of the festival's films are presented.

These open-air venues include the 2,500+ seat, 50' wide screen, Dolby Digital equipped Celestial Cinema; the toes-in-the-sand oceanside late-night SandDance Theater; and the (new this year) up-on-the-roof "Maui Digital SkyDome".

The festival also presents accepted work at Maui's "Movie Palace", the 1,200 seat Castle Theater at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center, as well as the 250+ seat McCoy Theater (also at the MACC).

The yearly Silversword Lifetime Achievement Award(s) honor a film artist's creativity and imagination. Clint Eastwood received the award in 2002. The festivities include Filmmakers Panels; the Taste of Wailea (food and wine-tasting); and special social and networking events including Opening & Closing Night Parties and by invitation only Filmmaker, VIP and Press receptions.

For more on the festival, visit the web site at www.mauifilmfestival.com.

Cinema Paradise Film Festival

Celebrate the closing night party of the Cinema Paradise Film Festival 2002 – Independent Media That Matters with the photos taken at the W Hotel Wonderlounge in Honolulu, Hawaii on Dec. 12.

Sergio Goes, Director of the first ever Paradise festival, says: “Cinema Paradise is a window into the world’s cultures and arguably the most powerful contemporary art form, often challenging our perceptions or misconceptions. We are committed to creating an international forum for independent film, giving voice to the many untold stories, which today more than ever need to be heard.”

The Festival was held from Dec. 6 to 12 to sell out theatres and enthusiastic crowds. Click here to see the photos

Moon Yun Choi

And now please welcome our new journalist, Mr. Albert Lanier as he tells us all about the latest film news from Hawaii.

NEW FEST BRINGS INDIE FILMS TO HAWAII by Albert Lanier

HONOLULU, HAWAII-The Hawaiian Islands finally got an independent film festival of its own when Cinema Paradise sprung into operation from Friday, December 6th to Thursday December 12 in Honolulu on the Island of Oahu.

The fest screened more than 50 indpendent short films, documentaries and features over its seven day span in addition to a few Hip-Hop oriented parties, two of which were held at the W Hotel on the fringes of Waikiki, and a couple of special events which included a Youth Media Workshop on December 8 in which a group of budding school-age young filmmakers got a chance to shoot and put together a 4 minute doc that was shown on the closing night of the festival.

Cinema Paradise was housed largely at the Wallace Art House Theater Complex located near the Downtown area of the city, Honolulu's sole multiplex catering to specialty films-American Indpendent, Foreign and Special Re-releases and Reissues. The festival occupied two of the complex's nine theaters.

The other venue was the Movie Museum located several miles from Downtown in the neighborhood of Kaimuki. The Movie Museum-a combination video store and small movie theater containing 19 recliner seats screened a number of shorts and a feature film-A CHRONICLE OF CORPSES for two days, Tuesday Dec. 10 and Wednesday, Dec.11.

Don Brown, who serves as General Manager of the Art House Theaters, was able to accomodate the Festival largely because one of the theaters has been outfitted with Video and DVD players and equipment donated by Sony.

Thus, the vast majority of films (which were on video) at the festival could be projected in such a venue. Cinema Paradise was the brainchild of filmmakers Chris Kahunahana and Sergio Goes. Formerly the organizers of the now defunct Honolulu Underground Film Festival in mid to late 90's, both Kahunahana and Goes dropped the festival and left Hawaii to pursue their own career paths: Kahunahana in concert organizing and by starting up his own Art Gallery in San Francisco and Goes in working on documentaries in New York City.

Goes opted to return to Honolulu 10 months ago along with his wife. He told me that he recieved a lot of feedback from locals who wanted another festival to emerge in town. Deciding that the Underground Film Festival should remain dead, Goes looked to create an independent film festival along with Kahunahana not only to show films that wouldn't see the light of day in Hawaii but as a place where he could show his work as a director.

Kahunahana also wanted an set up an alternative cinematic niche in the state which would serve to incite him to get cracking on directing films (he noted that he is currently working on a couple of projects).

The pair along with director Kathy Xian and local college instructor Violet Murakami programmed the festival which was organized in a span of only three months.

Despite this haste, the festival turned out to be a sleeper hit with a couple of major coups- namely the U.S. Premiere of 11 09 01 and the closing night feature CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES which has recently garnered two Independent Spirit Award nominations-to offer to local audiences.

Cinema Paradise was divided into 8 programs including a traveling Hip-Hop Festival composed mostly of documentaries.Festival screening times began at 2 p.m. and ended at 10 p.m.

Cinema Paradise appeared to attact a younger, college-age crowd to many of its films. In fact, screenings of rap docs like FREESTYLE had packed audiences. So packed in fact, that festivalgoers sat on the floors of theaters because all the seats were taken at some showings (I had to almost walk over people on my way from the middle of one screening to another one night).

11 09 01 and the Cuban musical hall doc LA TROPICAL were also among the films playing that had sold-out screenings.

In fact, 11 09 01 was among Cinema Paradise's best films. The feature composed of short films from 11 different directors focussing on the September 11th attack each in their own creative and individual way. Contributors included Oscar-winner Denis Tanovic, Claude Lelouch, Amos Gitai, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Mira Nair, Sean Penn, Ken Loach and Shohei Imamura. Loach and Imamura's work in particular was excellent.

Also outstanding was Lourdes Portillo's powerful doc SENORITA EXTRAVIADA, a tough but evocative investigation of the murders and disappearance of over 200 teenage girls and women in Juarez, Mexico (over the 18 months it took to make the doc, more than 50 women or girls were killed).

On the lighter side, Jordan Susman's THE ANARCHIST COOKBOOK served the role as cinematic comic relief for the festival. Set in Dallas, Texas, the feature centers on a college-age member of a decrepit Anarchist compound who's life is turned upside down when a stranger named Johnny Black shows up one day and joins the compound. It turn out that Johnny has some ideas of his own including utilizing ideas from the well-known book from which the film derives its title. A good film towatch late at night.

The opening night film EVER SINCE THE WORLD ENDED proved to be worthwhile viewing. The film takes place in San Francisco in a time when a plague has wiped out millions of people and the survivors have carved out lives for themselves. Shot in a pseudo-documentary style that is appropriate for this Kafka themed material, the film features fine performances from an unknown cast of actors.

The closing night film CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES was also effective. Pic centers on an auto mechanic who is attracted to his next-door neighbor (who often engages in loud lovemaking with her boyfriend) but who winds up becoming interested in a young woman named Darcy he has met at a club. The film's story and direction by newcomer Eric Byler create a relaxed, slightly contemplative mood aided strongly by fine perfromances from actors Michael Idemoto, Eugenia Yuan and Jacqueline Kim (who is excellent as Darcy).

The doc CINEMANIA centering on 5 fanatic film watchers proved to be a comic gem and was a especially apt choice for a film festival like Cinema Paradise. Other fine films included the docs LA TROPICAL, PLEASURE AND PAIN, FORBIDDEN WEDDING, 7 DAYS IN SEPTEMBER and STRAIGHT OUT OF HUNTER'S POINT.

The shorts OREGON and DELUSIONS IN MODERN PRIMITIVISM kept audiences in stiches.Local films were also featured at Cinema Paradise including the tongue-in-cheek Samurai swordflick parody and homage BLOOD OF THE SAMURAI made by Hawaii filmmaker Aaron Yamasato.

The sold-out screenings and healthy sizes of filmgoers at other films shown during the festival certainly proved that a number of locals were receptive to an Independent film festival in Hawaii. Goes stated that the festival was already a big success as far as he was concerned.Dwight Damon, the owner and operator of the Movie Museum who was a major sponsor of the fest (other sponsors included the Hawaii Film Office, W Hotel, the Meritage restaurant and the Aquaria salon) stated that he was also pleased with the event and felt he had been well-treated by organizers as a sponsor.

REVIEW: 11 09 01 A THOUGHTFUL IMPORTANT FILM by Albert Lanier

The swift and deadly attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and Washington D.C. on September 11, 2001 make for compelling material for a feature film.

The question is What kind of feature? The French-produced 11 09 01, which had its United States premiere at the Cinema Paradise film festival in Honolulu, Hawaii on Saturday, December 7, provides one kind of feature.

Actually, 11 09 01 is a collection of films helmed by 11 directors: Shohei Imamura, Sean Penn, Ken Loach, Mira Nair, Amos Gitai, Samira Makhmalbaf, Claude Lelouch, Youssef Chahine, Denis Tanovic, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Drissa Quedraogo.

All of these films take their own creative stance on the tragedy. At least a couple deal directly with politics and the U.S. role in global affairs, one film is essentially light hearted and amusing while another film mixes humor with contemplation, one film deals with a couple who communicate with sign language and thus sparingly uses sound while another film primarily uses sound to make it point only occassionally cutting to images and then only very briefly.

I could go on and on but 11 09 01 is collectively a powerful experience. It was described in the festival guide as an "omnibus film" but I would like to think that it is omnidirectional in its grief, its sadness, its sense of loss. Being that this is a review, those reading this will probably wonder in a programmatic way-Did you like this movie?

I will have to say Yes, I did like this movie. Very much. Actually, to be cinematically correct, I will have to say that I liked most of the films. It then follows that people will then want to know the specifics-Which films did I like and why? What films didn't you care for?

Well, I disliked Egyptian Director Youssef Chahine's contribution in which the director talks to the ghost of a U.S. solider killed in Lebanon in 1983. I found the story too clumsy narratively and its message blunted by the often jarring pace of the film.

I liked French filmmaker Claude Lelouch's film about a deaf woman and her boyfriend who talk via sign language and who's relationship seems to be on the verge of foundering. Of course, 9/11 intervenes. I found this film deeply touching in an intimate way, an individual way. I thought Bosnian Director Denis Tanovic crafted a tremendously moving tale about a widow who has lost her family to war and decides to carry on her protest even on Septemer 11th. The sense of tragedy and pain and yet perseverence is overpowering in this often quiet short effort.

Sean Penn's film featuring Ernest Borgnine as an elderly apartment dweller who's wilted flowers unexpectedly grow was charming and a little touching but ultimately underwhelming. Mira Nair's effort focussing on the true story of a American Muslim in New York was a fine film. A young man who was intially considered a suspect in the WTC attack but who actually was a hero who helped save several lives at the Wordl Trade Center before being killed in the collapse of the towers served a much needed cautionary tale about unfair and unjust suspicion of "possible terrorists."

British Director Ken Loach turned in perhaps one of the more controversial films in the collection-a brief look back at the U.S. approvedd Coup that removed left-wing President Salvador Allende from his office ( and led to his execution) and installed Right-Wing Dictator Augusto Pinochet in 1973. Loach cuts between Chilean news and film footage and the film's on-screen subject-A Chilean dissident writing a letter to Americans affected by 9/11. White House Official Henry Kissinger is especially singled out for his remarks and his support of the coup and the ascendance of Pinochet. This segment of 11 09 01 will not please everyone, it will make some Americans angry (that is if this film gets screened in the United States) and defensive but this is strong medicine and it is excellent regardless of its politics. Japanese Director Shohei Imamura's film was also first-rate and he also journeyed back in time, in this case-the 1940's. A former Imperial Army officer is sadly reduced to behaving like a snake (he slithers and hisses) due to the psychologically damaging effect that his wartime service has had on him. The words THERE ARE NO HOLY WARS flash on the screen at the end of his film and by this time we can understand why.

I don't believe that there are films for everyone. A film is as specific as its audience is or as a filmgoer might be. 11 09 01, if it is released in the U.S., will not be for everyone and that is as it should be. This not a film that can embrace one, narrow point of view but contains as Walt Whitman might have put it "multitudes" of views, feeling and emotions. As I said,this is but one type of film dealing with September 11. Maybe there will be others. We will have to wait and see. I have heard it said that some individuals mourn the loss of a loved one in their own way. Well, here are 11 directors, each mourning in their own way and the result is not just sad or touching but a wonderful affirmation of the power of cinema to heal in its own way.

CYBER FILM SCHOOL

And finally, just before closing off, I’m back to give you a review provided of a very important online resource for budding filmmakers, and wannabees like myself. The software is specifically called “Cyber Film School” and is conveniently available for purchase at www.cyberfilmschool.com. Now the software package is billed as “the complete film school in a box”, and while it may not be the equivalent to attending NYU or UCLA, it does manage to get teach introductory (and also relatively in-depth) concepts for anyone with a general interest in films.

The actual user-interface is quite consumer friendly with helpful icons and buttons to guide you in any direction. You can either choose to go through the program step-by-step, or just explore by any one of the various subjects such as: Film History, Screenwriting, Film Theory, Equipment, and Editing. The actual content is very useful to newbies, especially those who prefer to read with the use of fancy desktop graphical implementation instead of boring black-and-white textbooks. You’re practically given a little bit of info on all aspects of filmmaking, which includes a helpful glossary of all the terms and definitions used in the ‘biz. And also there are many written tests provided to quiz you on your knowledge once you go through the concepts.

Supplementing the educational content is a handful of video multimedia segments, consisting of actual set visits, editing demonstrations on Adobe Premiere, setting up shots and lighting, and interviews with various film personalities such as directors Norman Jewison and John Sayles, producer Lawrence Bender, and actors Kevin Spacey and Nick Nolte. The multimedia content also includes 3 editing assignments which provides a hands-on approach to digital editing.

All in all, I found the Cyber Film School CD-Rom to be a quite helpful guide in expanding my knowledge of filmmaking. While it is impossible to cover everything you need to know about the subject on one CD, this program is a good beginner’s guide to some of the concepts involved in this extremely interesting area.

Also, Canadian readers might be interested to know that the Cyber Film School is hosting a weekly behind-the scenes show on the Independent Film Channel, starting this winter.

For more information on the program and the show, you can visit the Cyber Film School’s website at www.cyberfilmschool.com.

Well, that’s it for this week’s column. Remember, if you have information regarding any film industry in Asia, please contact our Asia-AICN offices at atshrivas@rogers.com. See you next week. Have a very merry Christmas!

Darius25