News

Exclusive: Here’s first-footage of Paris-set chef drama Grande Maison Paris, the standalone feature spinoff from the world of Japanese hit series La Grande Maison: Tokyo.

Set in the high stakes world of Parisian culinary excellence, the film is led by Japanese star Takuya Kimura (Blade of the Immortal) reprising his lead role from the series, and popular Korean actor and rapper from band2PM Ok Taec-yeon (Hansan: Rising Dragon).

Three Michelin star Japanese chef Kei Kobayashi (of Paris restaurant Kei) created the film’s cuisine. Pic gets its world premiere at the upcoming San Sebastián Film Festival.

Toho will release in Japan. Sony Pictures International Productions will release in France, with London and Paris-based finance, production and sales company Film Constellation handling international sales.

The official synopsis reads: “Famous Japanese chef Obana (Takuya Kimura) opens a new restaurant in Paris in the quest for his elusive third Michelin star.

Stars: Cynthia Rothrock, Caitlin Dechelle, Sofia O’Brien, Jose Manuel, Jeff Fahey | Written by Bruce Del Castillo, Stephen Carolan | Directed by Bruce Del Castillo

The good news is that Cynthia Rothrock has a new film, Lady Scorpions. The bad news is that it’s from Tiger Style Media, the same production company that gave us the underwhelming Art of Eight Limbs and The Lockdown. The good news for you is that I’m willing to risk taking a bullet, or a kick to the head, to tell you if the third time is a charm for them.

On her way to her car, Lacy gets jumped by a pair of attackers whom she makes quick work of. Not that she was in any danger, it was a demonstration for her self-defence class. She’s less successful at getting her mother Alena (Cynthia Rothrock) to pick up the phone when she calls...

New Delhi, Aug 4 (Ians) Filmmaker Vipul Amrutlal Shah has roped in martial art legend Jacky Chan’s stunt choreographer Andy Long, from Germany, for his upcoming Ott series ‘Commando’.

The action sequences are choreographed by Andy, who has earlier choreographed Jacky Chan in the film ‘Chinese Zodiac’. He has also worked for Inception (2010), In Bruges (2008) and The Constant Gardener (2005) amongst many more.

The ‘Commando’ franchise started in 2013 with ‘Commando: A One Man Army’ which starred Vidyut Jammwal in the titular role. Over the years, the franchise has become a favourite of the enthusiasts of the action genre.

In order to make web-series ‘Commando’ a visual spectacle, Vipul had asked his team to shoot it as a film with all equipment used for a movie.

Known for his remarkable talent scouting prowess in film industry, Vipul is set to launch the promising and talented newcomer Prem Parrijaa in ‘Commando’ series. The...

Essex Indie production company Tis Films (I Scream on the Beach!, Video Shop Tales of Terror) have launched a new Indiegogo campaign for the horror-comedy film Pie-Thon, which will be included as part of the horror anthology feature HorrorScopes Volume 2: Chinese Zodiac.

What is Pie-thon?

Pie-thon is a satirical horror from Tis Films – it revolves around a pie eating contest that goes wrong when the pies are spiked with snakes – hilarity and horror ensues. It will be part of the horror anthology feature film HorrorScopes Vol. 2.

We are looking to make Pie-thon really colourful and fun.

HorrorScopes Vol.2

Pie-thon will feature as the “Snake” segment for Mycho’s HorrorScopes Volume 2: Chinese Zodiac.

We produced the “Leo” segment for the first HorrorScopes film and Pie-thon acts as a de facto sequel to that segment.

Tony Mardon in Leo What the hell is Tis Films?

We are a small production...

Chinese cinemas will open next week in regions at low risk for Covid-19 with a boost from a slew of Hollywood titles, including “The Pursuit of Happyness,” “Dolittle,” “Bloodshot,” and “Coco.”

China’s theaters have been closed for longer than any other country’s, having stayed dark — despite a brief attempt to reopen in March — since the lunar new year holiday in late January.

As of early Saturday morning in China, 22 films are set to hit theaters on Monday, the first day of reopenings, including U.S. films “Pursuit of Happyness,” “Coco,” and “A Dog’s Purpose.”

The others are all Chinese re-run titles, except for one new one: “A First Farewell,” a well-received arthouse title set in China’s Xinjiang region that screened as part of last year’s Generation Kplus selection at Berlin.

The opening day offerings include: blockbusters “Wolf Warrior 2,” “Monster Hunt,” “Wolf Totem,” “American Dreams in China,...

The collaboration of director Stanley Tong and Jackie Chan has given us six films so far, including the Chan directed and Ton produced “Chinese Zodiac”. The last time they collaborated was on “Kung Fu Yoga” which was a very forgettable fare. Their seventh collaboration “Vanguard” is almost upon us and we have the full trailer for the film right here.

Synopsis

Covert security company Vanguard is the last hope of survival for an accountant and his daughter after he is targeted by the world’s deadliest mercenary organization.

The trailer for the globe-trotting film promises exciting action scenes. The film also stars Yang Yang, Ai Lin, Zhu Zhengting, Jackson Lou and Mia. It releases in Mainland China on January 25th, 2020, with an international release expected to follow soon after.

Musician and actor Jay Chou is joining Vin Diesel in the fourth “xXx” movie, with D.J. Caruso directing for the H Collective.

Diesel is reprising his role as Xander Cage — an extreme sports enthusiast and reluctant spy for the National Security Agency. Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum will produce with Diesel, Samantha Vincent for One Race Films, and the H Collective. Chinese actress Zoe Zhang (“Chinese Zodiac”), a frequent collaborator with Jackie Chan, also joined the cast.

The H Collective said Tuesday that it will finance “xXx 4” alongside several investment partners, including Sparkle Roll Media, iQiyi Pictures, Dadi Huarui, Star League Media, and Fulcrum Management Co. Production is slated to begin in 2019.

The “xXx” franchise, which includes 2002’s “xXx,” 2005’s “xXx: State of the Union,” and 2017’s “xXx: Return of Xander Cage,” has collectively grossed nearly $1 billion at the worldwide box office. In 2017, “xXx: Return of Xander Cage” generated $168 million in China.

New Riga Meetings platform welcomes projects including two projects by Finnish film-maker Aku Louhimies.

Janis Nords’ second feature Mother I Love You and Juris Kursietis’ debut Modris were the big winners at the ¨Great Christopher¨ (¨Lielais Kristaps¨) National Film Competition held during the first edition of the Riga International Film Festival (December 2-12).

Nords, who graduated in film directing from the UK’s Nfts, received the top honour of best film as well as the trophy for best feature film director and best actress (for Vita Varpina’s performance as the single mother trying to make ends meet).

On presenting the direction prize to Nords, the competition jury’s chairman, veteran film director Janis Streics, said that he saw “a bright future ahead for Latvian cinema” on the strength of the line-up for this edition of the national film awards.

Mother I Love You, which is handled internationally by New Europe Film Sales, premiered at the...

Golden Horse Awards 2013 winners: ‘Ilo Ilo,’ Singapore’s Best Foreign Language Film Oscar submission, wins Best Picture (photo: Angeli Bayani and Koh Jia Ler in ‘Ilo Ilo’) Surprisingly, the 2013 Golden Horse Award for Best Picture was given to 29-year-old Singaporean director Anthony Chen’s feature film debut Ilo Ilo at a ceremony held Saturday night, November 23, in Taipei. Four rounds of voting were needed for jury members to reach their decision. (Golden Horse Awards 2013 winners and nominees.) "Singapore is a very little country and we made this film with a small budget," said the London-based Chen in his acceptance speech, "so we never dreamed of winning a Best Picture prize. The other nominees are the masters I learned from when I was in film school, so I’m very honored and thankful to them too." The directors of Ilo Ilo‘s fellow Best Picture contenders — and Anthony Chen’s "masters" — were Johnnie To,...

Universal Pictures International Entertainment has bought the international blockbuster Chinese Zodiac, also known as CZ12, and will distribute the film in North America, Australia, and the United Kingdom (among other locations) in the upcoming year. This is no doubt great news to Jackie Chan fans in these countries as he both directed and starred in this action film that has already earned $180 million in the Asian box-office. Some will note that this film has already had a limited release through AMC Theatres this last October, however this film will now reach an even greater number of eyes through Universal.

The plot of this films circles around the loss of twelve bronze figures of the Chinese zodiac, whose retrieval Jackie Chan’s character Jc has been tasked with completing. While fulfilling this mission Jc finds himself not only caught up in international intrigue dating as far back as the Second Opium War,...

The Grandmaster wins six awards in Taipei.Scroll down for full list of winners

Celebrating the 50th Taipei Golden Horse Awards, the Chinese-speaking film industry was out in full force Saturday night (Nov 23) at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei.

Anthony Chen’s debut film Ilo Ilo took Best Feature with a cash prize of $16,900 (Nt$500,000).

“Singapore is a very little country and we did this on a very little budget and never had we thought of winning Best Feature Film,” said Chen, who thanked jury president Ang Lee and the other nominees in the category, whose works he said he had all studied in film school.

About a Singaporean family and their newly arrived Filipino maid around the time of the Asian Financial Crisis, Ilo Ilo also won Best Original Screenplay, Best New Director, and Best Supporting Actress for Yeo Yann-Yann.

Yeo, who played a beleaguered working mother, thanked the director...

The Grandmaster wins six awards in Taipei.

Celebrating the 50th Taipei Golden Horse Awards, the Chinese-speaking film industry was out in full force Saturday night (Nov 23) at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei.

Anthony Chen’s debut film Ilo Ilo took Best Feature with a cash prize of $16,900 (Nt$500,000).

“Singapore is a very little country and we did this on a very little budget and never had we thought of winning Best Feature Film,” said Chen, who thanked jury president Ang Lee and the other nominees in the category, whose works he said he had all studied in film school.

About a Singaporean family and their newly arrived Filipino maid around the time of the Asian Financial Crisis, Ilo Ilo also won Best Original Screenplay, Best New Director, and Best Supporting Actress for Yeo Yann-Yann.

Yeo, who played a beleaguered working mother, thanked the director who is said to have altered the story to reflect her actual...

The Golden Horse Awards , this year celebrating its 50th anniversary is one of Asians most precious movie awards ceremonies. This year saw some of the biggest names in Asian Cinema attend ; including Ang Lee, Jonnnie To and Peter Chan.

This year saw Jackie Chan win his third Golden Horse Award (previous wins included back to back best actor wins for Crime Story and Police Story 3) for Action Choreography in Chinese Zodiac

Jackie Chan Wins at the Golden Horse Awards

Here’s a clip from the Chinese Zodiac

Other big winners on the night

In a major surprise, Singapore’s Ilo Ilo won Best Film, beating favourites (The GrandMaster and Johnnie Tos ‘Drug War‘), this was only the second time a debut director as taken the award.

The Grandmaster despite missing out on the big prize still walked away with 5 awards in total including Best Actress for star ‘ Zhang Ziyi...

Exclusive: Jackie & Jj International has sold Jackie Chan’s action adventure Chinese Zodiac to Universal Pictures International Entertainment (Upie) for territories including North America, UK and Eastern Europe.

Upie has also acquired the film (aka CZ12) for Australasia, Africa, France, Portugal, Italy and Spain.

The deal was negotiated by Ramy Choi on behalf of Jackie & Jj and Jasper van Hecke on behalf of Upie.

Chan directed and stars in the film, which was released in China in December 2012 and has so far earned more than $180m worldwide.

Filmed on location across five continents and seven countries, Chinese Zodiac follows a treasure-hunter (Chan) searching the world in search of ancient relics.

Chan broke Guinness World Records for ‘Most Stunts Performed by a Living Actor’ and ‘Most Credits in One Movie’ whilst making the film.

Chan’s next project, Police Story 2013, will be released this December. Ding Sheng is directing the film, which stars Chan...

This month saw the release of CZ12, a new action thriller from Jackie Chan, but that film has been released overseas for much longer. But later this year, international audiences will see Police Story 2013, a new film Chan's well known series of action films. However, unlike the previous installments, this sequel has no connection to Chan's earlier films as he plays a mainland Chinese Interpol officer investigating a kidnapping case. Now we have a trailer offering a peek at the wild stunts, fight sequences and more, but this film looks much more gritty and dark than anything we've seen Chan do before. It's a shame he didn't do this before. There's no English subtitles, but the action is the dominant force in the trailer anyway. Watch! Here's the international trailer for Sheng Ding's Police Story 2013, from Twitch: Sheng Ding (Little Big Soldier) directs Police Story 2013, the...

Call me crazy, but I find nothing more exhilarating than watching a character who is really quite unlikeable copping a highly stylized fly kick to the face. Yes, I am a martial arts fanatic and I believe that there is an inherent and palpable satisfaction associated with witnessing a hand to hand exchange and flying feet delivered with precise technique.

The Kung Fu Revolution began around the early 70s, long before I was born, and the genre has certainly developed and evolved greatly over the course of the last four decades. Following the release of the unparalleled Bruce Lee classic Enter The Dragon in 1973, a legion of kung fu flicks soon after flooded the market to keep up with the new craze that had swept over the movie going public. The likes of veteran superstars with incredible talent such as Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Donnie Yen, Sammo Hung, Jean-Claude Van Damme,...

Jackie Chan has been performing stunts most of his career, starting off doubling for other actors in movies such as Fist Of Fury, 40+ years later, he is now 59 and still performing dangerous stunts and he says he still wants to perform them.

“I almost died so many times,” Chan says. “Each day, my body tells me I’m very, very lucky.

“I have scars on my legs and arms. So many broken bones. I fractured my scalp making a movie.”

This came has his latest movie “Chinese Zodiac” hits American cinemas this weekend, the movie has had some good and bad reviews, to me, the movie wasn’t the best but the fights and stunts were a great watch. Can you name anyone else at nearly the age of 60, who can still perform at the level of Jackie Chan? i very much doubt it.

“All the time, I say to myself,...

Jackie Chan has been performing stunts most of his career, starting off doubling for other actors in movies such as Fist Of Fury, 40+ years later, he is now 59 and still performing dangerous stunts and he says he still wants to perform them.

“I almost died so many times,” Chan says. “Each day, my body tells me I’m very, very lucky.

“I have scars on my legs and arms. So many broken bones. I fractured my scalp making a movie.”

This came has his latest movie “Chinese Zodiac” hits American cinemas this weekend, the movie has had some good and bad reviews, to me, the movie wasn’t the best but the fights and stunts were a great watch. Can you name anyone else at nearly the age of 60, who can still perform at the level of Jackie Chan? i very much doubt it.

“All the time, I say to myself,...

Jackie Chan’s spectacular new adventure takes him all the way from the chateau and vineyards of France and the hidden dangers of a jungle on a South Seas island to the terrors of a fight in free-fall above an active volcano. The story is sprung on a quest to track down six bronze sculptures, originally part of a set of twelve representing the animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Jackie plays a soldier of fortune, not a high minded patriot. He’s in it for the money. But as events take unexpected turns and strange alliances take shape, motives begin to change.

Why did you want to go back to directing?

Jackie Chan: When I direct my own film I write my own script I like to hear from the audience that they liked it. I never stopped directing all the movies that I’ve made I was a half director.

The characters of this week’s releases are at the end of their ropes. That might even be literal for Robert Redford’s character in All Is Lost unless sailors have a different word for “rope.” And they probably do. Some of the film figures of the week are covered in blood, some have been kidnapped into slavery, some have been falsely imprisoned, some are fighting the system, and some are losing the battle against it. Desperation seems like a common theme. Of course, it’s October, so “ghosts” are another big one. And who’s more desperate than they are? There’s also a lot more going on in a week with a massive amount of movies. Here’s your trailer-ized guide to what’s coming out: The Major Names 12 Years A Slave Read Our Review And our interview with Sarah Paulson Carrie Escape Plan The Fifth Estate Read our review All Is Lost Read our...

CZ12 / Chinese Zodiac Trailer 2. Jackie Chan‘s CZ12 / Chinese Zodiac (2012) movie trailer 2 stars Jackie Chan, Oliver Platt, Caitlin Dechelle, Steven Dasz, Kenny G, and Andrew Dasz. Chinese Zodiac‘s plot synopsis: “Asian Hawk (Jackie Chan) leads a mercenary team to recover several lost artifacts from the Old Summer [...]

Continue reading: CZ12 / Chinese Zodiac (2012) Movie Trailer 2: Jackie Chan in Action...

The Jackie Chan we all knew and loved is back in this awesome, action-packed new trailer for his new film CZ12, a.k.a. Armour of God III: Chinese Zodiac. I almost forgot what it was I liked about watching Chan until I saw this trailer and was reminded by his awesomeness. I was like, "Oh yeah! He used to do awesome stunts like that!" It's really cool to see him doing some fun and inventive martial arts work again. It's been awhile. The movie is a sequel to the 1991 film Operation Condor and features Chan reprising his role as Asian Hawk. Here's the synopsis:

Asian Hawk (Jackie Chan) leads a mercenary team to recover several lost artifacts from the Old Summer Palace, the bronze heads of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals which were looted by foreigners in the 1800s. Assisted by a Chinese student and a Parisian lady, Hawk...

Last year, Jackie Chan announced that he will no longer make action films, in order to focus on projects that require more acting abilities. But before he leaves the world of action, he made one last film, called "CZ12" (aka "Chinese Zodiac"). And today we have a new trailer for it. Watch that trailer below. Chan wrote, directed, produced and starred in "Chinese Zodiac." He has been preparing for the film for seven years and shooting it for over a year in over ten cities in five countries. The actor called the movie "one of the most important films" of his career. The globe-trotting adventure has Chan's character searching for the 12 bronze heads of the Chinese zodiac. The film was released in China last year and will now hit theaters in the Us on October 18th. Trailer:...

We've got an interesting collection of films in today's MPAA ratings bulletin beginning with AFI Festival Gala participant Out of the Furnace starring Christian Bale, Zoe Saldana and Casey Affleck among many others. The film is directed by Crazy Heart helmer Scott Cooper and is pegged to be an Oscar possibility, but no one has seen it yet so it's a big question mark for right now. Next we have a couple of young actresses in new films including Vanessa Hudgens as a pregnant teen runaway in Gimme Shelter and Saoirse Ronan in Kevin Macdonald's How I Live Now and both have received an R-rating. Finally, to no surprise Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa scored an R as Johnny Knoxville puts on some makeup and attempts to annoy average citizens. Should be funny. Check out the complete bulletin directly below. 50 To 1 Rated PG-13 For some suggestive material and a bar brawl.

CZ12, Jackie Chan‘s latest attempt to prove (a la The Expendables) that men in their late fifties should still be getting punched in the face on-camera, was already released last year in Asia. But on October 18, the film will be heading into theaters stateside, and to celebrate, a brand-new English language trailer has just been released. Although calling it an “English language” trailer is a bit of a stretch when most of the dialogue is still in Mandarin. But the title cards are in English, and more importantly, there’s a scene where Chan spells out the word “scumbag,” proving once and for all that CZ12 will feature words composed from the English alphabet. At first, it seems like the rest of the trailer will be made up entirely of Chan spelling out (in perfect timing with the music, of course) all sorts of words that might be tangentially related to the film. But...

The latest film from Jackie Chan, once called Chinese Zodiac, has been teased for over a year now, and the film is finally coming to theaters later this month. Chan writes, directs and stars in CZ12 which is actually a sequel to his 1991 film Operation Condor, one of the earlier films that got him noticed in the United States. Asian Hawk is back in action to recover several lost artifacts from the Old Summer Palace, the bronze heads of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals which were looted by foreigners in the 1800s. This first Us trailer looks like the old school action we've been missing in blockbusters, and it could be fun. Watch! Here's the first official Us trailer for CZ12 (formerly Chinese Zodiac), originally from Apple: Jackie Chan writes, directs and stars in CZ12 (aka Chinese Zodiac or Armour of God III: Chinese Zodiac), a sequel to the 1991 film...

Jackie Chan is back on the big screen this year with CZ12 , an action adventure project that he's written, directed, produced and stars in. Check out the film's new trailer in the player below, courtesy of iTunes Movie Trailers . Also known as Armour of God III: Chinese Zodiac , CZ12 is the sequel to the 1991 film Operation Condor and features Chan reprising his role as Asian Hawk. The movie follows Hawk as he attempts to bring back the bronze head statues of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, which were sacked by the French and British armies from the imperial Summer Palace in Beijing in 1860. CZ12 hits theaters October 18.

2014 is shaping up to be the Year of Kevin Hart. The actor’s steady rise to fame has landed him major roles in four films next year - Grudge Match, Ride Along, About Last Night, and Think Like a Man Too. Now all he needs to do is lay low after 2014, pop back up twelve years later for another Year of Kevin Hart, and he might finally become part of the Chinese zodiac. But twelve years is a long time to wait, so entertain yourselves with the newest trailer for About Last Night: From the trailer, this looks to be your run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. But About Last Night has a few things going for it (and a few going against it). In the “for” column is Hart and that the film is based off a David Mamet play entitled Sexual Perversity in Chicago (which was already adapted once, way back in 1986), so it’s definitely got...

Hard to believe it’s taken this long to see the light of day there in hi-def, but its good news for Jackie fans, because his 90s classic Operation Condor: Armour Of God II (aka Armour of God II: Operation Condor) is to be released on DVD and first time on Blu-ray in UK. Release date: 14 October. Directed by Jackie Chain himself, who performed all his own stunts, it was regarded as one of the most expensive films at the time. The third instalment of the Armour of God adventures, Chinese Zodiac CZ12 is due for UK release later in the year. Synopsis: Jackie Chan in Operation Condor:Armour Of God II (1991) Global adventurer Asian Hawk (Jackie Chan) comes to Europe in search of the ‘Armour of God’, a magical relic from the Crusades. He hopes he can use it to bargain for the freedom of his girlfriend from a deadly cult.

Mediumrare Entertainment continue their trend of releasing some of the weirdest cult films and TV shows with four films that are making their UK DVD debuts – and two are also getting the Blu-ray treatment too! Check out all the details below. I know I’ll be snapping these up, will you?

Operation Condor: Armour Of God II (1991)

Global adventurer Asian Hawk (Jackie Chan) comes to Europe in search of the ‘Armour of God’, a magical relic from the Crusades. He hopes he can use it to bargain for the freedom of his girlfriend from a deadly cult. With his trusty companion (Andy Tam) by his side, his quest takes him from one perilous adventure to another. Directed by Jackie Chain himself, who performed all his own stunts, it was regarded as one of the most expensive films at the time. The third instalment of the Armour of God adventures,...

Jackie Chan’s “Police Story 2013″ is on its way to theaters in China this December. Judging from the latest poster for the flick, it looks as though the action star is taking the series in a darker direction. The “Police Story” movie, while enjoyable, are definitely not to be taken seriously. However, director Sheng Ding seems to be moving away from the goofier adventures for the next installment of the long-running franchise. Depending on what you want from Jackie Chan, this is either a good or a bad thing. I didn’t care much for Chan’s 2009 thriller “Shinjuku Incident” or his 2012 actioner “Chinese Zodiac,” albeit for different reasons. Here’s hoping “Police Story 2013″ finds a balance between dark drama and intense action. I’d love to see a well-balanced Jackie Chan movie right about now. Scratch that — I need it. “Police Story 2013″ stars Jackie Chan, Liu Ye,...

"We're getting old," Jackie Chan tells me after a press conference last week. He doesn't say this lightly, and his slack, serious face betrays how hard he's worked since arriving in New York two days earlier. The night before, Chan screened his new movie, Chinese Zodiac, at a sold-out Lincoln Center theater. He also received special Lifetime Achievement Award from the New York Asian Film Festival (Nyaff), which will kick off this year's celebrations with a 14-film Jackie Chan retrospective on June 23. On a bad day, Chan could make James Brown look lazy. Now 59 years old, he graciously signs autographs for everyone from fans on the street to personal assistants. "Come, show me," he says to an aide who shyly asks for a photograph.

Chan must use that line regularly. In C...

Jackie Chan has said that he would like to work in an Indian film.

The action star is currently in Delhi to attend the China Film Festival and is said to be 'looking for a good script'.

Speaking to Ndtv, Chan quipped: "We are here for collaborations. Give me a role for my acting and not for my action. I am a pretty good actor."

The 59-year-old said that he is eager for an Indo-Chinese collaboration, explaining: "We need good Indian writers to write about China and Chinese writers to write about India. We need a good producer to make a good Indo-Chinese film."

He added: "I so want to use Indian choreography, but sadly I can't dance."

The star said that his favourite Bollywood film is Aamir Khan's 3 Idiots but was upset that "India just doesn't promote its films".

Chan, who stars in and has directed the movie Chinese Zodiac,...

The fine folks at Subway Cinema and the New York Asian Film Festival scored a major coup last week when they brought action film maestro Jackie Chan to NYC for a two-day visit on June 10 and 11 in advance of his upcoming retrospective at the Film Society of Lincoln Center from June 23-27. On June 10, Chan was presented with the Star Asia Lifetime Achievement Award and sat for a conversation with Grady Hendrix prior to a screening of his latest film Chinese Zodiac at Lincoln Center. On the morning of June 11, a press conference with Jackie Chan was held at the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Hketo). Below is my report on Chan's comments at that press conference.Chan began his remarks...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Shanghai –Jackie Chan’s successful collaboration with Chinese studio Huayi Brothers will continue later this year with the production of two more films – with one set in New York and the other in the vast deserts of rural China. Hot on the heels of the success of CZ12, the action comedy which generated $138 million at the mainland Chinese box office earlier this year, Chan will be producing and starring in the tentatively-titled Manhattan, a film which sees the Hong Kong star playing “a dark hero” who “converses with love and hate,” according to a statement released at

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After a whirlwind trip through the U.S., Asian action star Jackie Chan is set to visit India later this month to attend the China Film Festival in New Delhi. Chan’s latest film, Chinese Zodiac, in which he stars and directs, will open the six-day festival running June 18-23. The actor-director-stuntman will lead a delegation of 20 figures from the Chinese film industry in attending the festival, according to the Indo China Economic and Cultural Council (Icec). Additional names of attendees have not yet been announced. Photos: China Box Office: 10 Highest-Grossing Movies of All

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Alongside my film passions, expressed on WhatCulture! and on my own blog, my other big creative passion is radio. I’ve been involved in radio in one form or another since 2007, and currently broadcast three times a fortnight on Exeter’s Phonic FM.

But rather than sit here blowing my own trumpet, I’d like to take a few minutes of your time to promote the passion project of one of my favourite online reviewers – anime critic Hope Chapman, a.k.a. JesuOtaku (Jo for short). If you’re into anime you probably watch her reviews on That Guy With The Glasses, but what you may not know about is her on-going magnum opus – the Fruits Basket Radio Drama.

Fruits Basket Radio Drama is an adaptation of the manga series Fruits Basket, written and illustrated by Natsuki Takaya. It tells the story of young orphan Tohru Honda, who moves in...

Jackie Chan has indicated that he will star in The Expendables 3 if he can make his schedule work. In an interview with Getty Images Entertainment at the Cannes Film Festival, the martial arts legend confirmed that Sylvester Stallone’s tweets about his possible involvement in the threequel are not far off the mark.

I would love to work with Stallone. I’m going to meet him and see what happens. I am supposed to be in The Expendables 3 but at the time I am meant to be doing Chinese Zodiac. I cannot promise you anything but let’s see what happens. I would love to do it. I love Stallone.

When asked about the on-off action sequel Rush Hour 4, Jackie said that rather than reuniting with Chris Tucker to revive the franchise, they are looking at starting a whole new one.

He explained,

I think maybe not a Rush Hour 4.

News Simon Brew 20 May 2013 - 12:14

Jackie Chan confirms he's set to meet Sylvester Stallone about The Expendables 3, but seems less keen on Rush Hour 4...

In the midst of the Cannes Film Festival, Jackie Chan has been doing one or two interviews, and he's been chatting to Getty Images Entertainment. Talk turned to a pair of sequels he's been linked with, and it turns out that all the talk about The Expendables 3 has something to it, but that Rush Hour 4 is looking a longer shot.

Dealing with the latter first, Chan told Getty that "I think maybe not a Rush Hour 4. I think that maybe Chris Tucker and I will start another movie". He did add that "If the people still want Rush Hour 4 then okay, we'll do Rush Hour 4, but I think Chris and me start another series of films".

Truthfully, we...

Hey, New York! Jackie Chan will shoot you in the face if you fail to attend the massive retrospective of his films headed your way this summer! No, really, he will. Well, probably not, but he could if he wanted to because he's going to be there in person along with the film series ...New York, NY, May 13, 2013-The Film Society of Lincoln Center and New York Asian Film Festival announced the details today for a rare series of appearances by international film icon, Jackie Chan on June 10 and 11, followed by the largest retrospective of his films ever held in North America (June 23-27).On the occasion of the release of Chan's 101st film, Chinese Zodiac (2012), the Film Society of Lincoln Center...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Following the baffling success of CZ12 (aka Chinese Zodiac) at the Chinese box office, Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan has clearly found the confidence to take on Hollywood once again. His new project, Skiptrace, is being touted as a buddy action comedy in the vein of his previous hits Rush Hour and Shanghai Noon, and will see him again team up with a mis-matched Western star - a role that has yet to be cast.Exclusive Media has come on board to produce and co-finance the film, which will be an official Chinese co-production with CZ12 production house Talent International. Chan is credited as star and producer, with Academy Award-nominated Sam Fell (Paranorman, Flushed Away) named as director, in what will be his first live action film.The official...

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She’s been building an international presence by signing on to X-Men: Days Of Future Past (and making a brief appearance in the extra footage added to Iron Man 3 for Chinese audiences), but Fan Bingbing needs no such boost at home, where she’s already a huge star. The actress is now set to appear opposite Jackie Chan in action comedy Skiptrace.Chan cooked up the idea, and will play Hong Kong detective who joins forces with a gambler (yet to be cast) to take down the area’s most notorious criminal. Joe Longino wrote the English-language script alongside Sitter men Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka.There’s no word on a director (there’s always a chance Chan could take the job himself) or the role that Bingbing will play in the movie, but she and Chan will be on hand in Cannes to help promote the film to international distributors.

Us-Chinese co-productions don't appear to be hitting the spot, as Chinese film-makers are catering for domestic audiences with growing success

There's all sorts of meta-cinematic devilry going on in one of the strangest blockbusters of the decade – Iron Man 3. In one scene Ben Kingsley's nemesis, the Mandarin, halts for a lecture on the authenticity, or otherwise, of the "Chinese" fortune cookie – right before laying waste to Grauman's Chinese theatre in Hollywood: "Another cheap American knock-off." You can't help but wonder whether this particular tirade is Iron Man 3 writers Shane Black and Drew Pearce comment on the process of trying to adapt the film for Chinese audiences, and the bigger, east-facing game the whole of Hollywood is playing.

With an eye, like everyone else, on a fistful of yuan, Iron Man franchise-holders Disney and Marvel partnered with Shanghai-based media agency Dmg, who also helped produce Looper last year,...

Hong Kong — Jackie Chan has received a lot of awards during a career that's spanned 50 years, but a best director award is rare on his trophy shelves.

The action star took home one for his 100th film, "Chinese Zodiac." He was among entertainers honored at the Huading Awards in Hong Kong on Wednesday night.

Chan was all smiles backstage because he says this award didn't come easy. He says directors like Stanley Kwan and Tsui Hark "move the camera and have fun with it." But he says the tempo is faster in an action film, and it's harder to win directing awards.

He added: "I think I also got lucky."

Chan said last year he thought "Chinese Zodiac" would be his last action movie and he'll focus on other genres.

In other awards, Fan Bing Bing won best actress for "Double Exposure." She's an A-lister in her native China, but...

Jackie Chan, perhaps best known these days for his outspoken Chinese nationalism rather the stunt-filled action films in which he made his name, returns with “CZ12” (“Chinese Zodiac”), his latest outing as writer, director, action choreographer and star. The highly anticipated film has been cause for great excitement for fans, being a sequel of sorts to his much-loved “Armour of God” series, promising a big budget, globe-spanning treasure hunt of epic proportions. Helping Chan to try and recapture his former glories is a suitably international cast that includes Liao Fan (“Let the Bullets Fly”), Yao Xingtong (“Amor”), and Zhang Lanxin from China, Kwon Sang Woo (“Into the Fire”) from Korea, the European Laura Weissbecker (“Arena”), and Hollywood character actor Oliver Platt (“Lake Placid”), with various big name stars such as Shu Qi and Daniel Wu making cameo appearances. The film is only somewhat vaguely connected to its predecessors, Chan now known as Jc,...

Tokyo – Jackie Chan's Chinese Zodiac(CZ12) and Taiwan’s The Happy Life of Debbieby Tien-Yu Futook joint top honors at the fifth edition of the Okinawa International Movie Festival (Oimf), which closed Saturday after attracting record attendance. Video: Jackie Chan on Making 'Chinese Zodiac' "Wow! It's indeed good news and a pre-birthday gift to me. Thank you so much for this award, which is very encouraging. I'm so happy that you love Chinese Zodiac, which I spent six years preparing and one year filming,” said Chan in a statement. Both films were awarded cash prizes of $10,600

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Hong Kong — The director of China's biggest box-office hit says "Lost in Thailand" succeeded by showing a rarely seen subject: modern Chinese life.

The historical epic, fantasy, action and thriller genres have long filled China's domestic movie screens. But "Lost in Thailand" was a low-budget and light-hearted road-trip tale about an ambitious executive who goes to Thailand to get his boss's approval for a business deal. Along the way he's pursued by a rival co-worker and encounters a wacky tourist who helps him rethink his priorities.

"There is hunger from the audience for movies that talk about the real-life situation in China. That's why the movie rocked," said Xu Zheng, the film's director, writer and star.

"There is a lack of films that talk about things that are related to the life of ordinary people" in China, he added.

Unusually for a Chinese release, the movie was a moral comedy whose characters reflect stressed-out,...

0:00 - Intro 3:15 - Review: Chinese Zodiac 27:50 - Other Stuff We Watched: Stoker, Mr. Nobody, Gone with the Wind, Speed 2: Cruise Control, Assault on Precinct 13 (2005), Skyfall, Klute, Executive Decision, Wanderlust, The Man with Two Brains, Argo, Nothing But Trouble, Life of Pi, No, Marathon Man 1:35:50 - Headlines: Academy Member Reveals the Voting Process 1:42:00 - Junk Mail: The Imposter Amazon Reviews, Oscar Categories We'd Like to See Added or Removed, Views on Piracy, Retrofitting Dramas into 3D, Film Junk Special Guests 2:06:20 - Chatroom Q&A 2:23:35 - This Week on DVD and Blu-ray 2:25:10 - Outro

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Hey guys, just a reminder that Film Junk's live pre-Oscar podcast will start today at approximately 5 pm Est and will be going until just before the Oscars officially start. We'll be reviewing the latest Jackie Chan flick Chinese Zodiac (which is not nominated for an Oscar... go figure) and then talking about some of the nominees before taking questions from the chat room. The embed you see above should automatically switch over once we go live, but I believe you will have to click through to our Ustream channel if you want to participate in the chat (which will remain active during the Oscars). Also, if you'd like to participate in the Film Junk Oscar Pool, I've set up a group over at Fun Office Pools. It's free to join, so be sure to get your picks in before the show starts so that you can talk smack in the chat room.

Seoul, South Korea — Jackie Chan wants his latest film to spread the message about how China's national artifacts are being looted and sold.

"Chinese Zodiac" or "CZ12" is about a man who finds and recovers 12 bronze zodiac animal heads historically depicted as being looted from China's Summer Palace by colonialists.

The blockbuster's director, writer, producer and star, Chan said he was upset after seeing three of the bronzes being auctioned while he lived in Hong Kong.

"I wanted to give you and people around the world a message through a movie" about the looting, he told reporters Monday in South Korea.

Hailed as an action-comedy superstar with Asian and Hollywood success, Chan repeated past remarks that his future films may not be in the action genre.

"I have thought about retiring and in the case of action movies, I think `Chinese Zodiac' may be my last blockbuster-scale action movie," he said.