46th Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan

During the Golden Horse Awards 2009 in Taiwan a film about Nanjing (again) won some prizes! Though it is a bit strange: Wasn't Florian Gallenberger (John Rabe) told that he couldn't make a movie about the massacre because there could only be one film about this subject? First we had 'City of Life and Death' and now 'The Message'. Believe me, there are more to follow!

Fan Bingbing wins the award for leading actress in 'The Message'.

Meinte's Daily Film Fact # 6: Old Boy

The anthem of Oh Dae Su's and Lee Woo-Jin's school is that of Choi Min Sik's (acctor) school!

It is also funny dat Mr. han only speaks one sentence throughout the entire film. The line on the painting of Dae Su's cell reads "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone." These are the first lines ofElla Wheel Wilcox's famous poem, "Solitude".

Finally: Steven Spielberg will NOT make a remake of this film, a good decision because it just can't be better....but Spielberg wanted to make it, he just couldn't get the rights of the manga's company....

Shinobi (Japan, 2005)

I didn't expect anything from this movie but it suprised me in a good way. Well, it is no masterpiece and the story has been told before but the execution is rather good. though the film is about figthing, it is i na stylish way. When no swords are drawn, the director pleases us with rather beautiful scenery. Just look at the poster...magnificent!

Fan Bingbing

Some new fashion photo's of Chinese actress Fan Bingbing came out this morning.

Design your Universe - Epica

The latest album of Epica 'Design your Universe' gives you what you want.

Almost 80 minutes of metal, close to perfection. Most of the songs are filled with grunts and guitars but also the heavenly 'Tides of Time' is brillint. It was already known that Simone Simons has a very strong and beautiful voice but on this album she is just amazing, her voice reaches all the corners of your soul. The epic 'Kindom of Heaven' last for 14 minutes and is forceful one, you have to listen tot it again and again before it will really grip you but it always keeps interesting.

Don't let this album slip away, it will give you what you are looking for!

Meinte's Daily Film Fact #6 - Orphan

Esther has been adopted from an orphanage which goes by the name: Saint Mariana's Home for Girls. In Catholic faith, Saint Mariana of Quito is the saint for those that have been rejected by religious orders.

Meinte's Daily Film Fact #5 - Memoirs of a Geisha

One of ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ most beautiful moments is of course the dance performed by Zhang Ziyi. But as you might know, this dance isn’t really described in the novel by Arthur Golden. The word ‘dance’ is mentioned but did the director create this scene using his own fantasy? The funny thing is that I just recently was reading Junichiro Tanizaki’s ‘The Makioka Sisters’ (Stille Sneeuwval). And what a coincidence it was, one of the characters in this novel, Taeko Makioka’ was dancing ‘snow’ completely with parasol (or sun umbrella)! It can be just a coincidence and maybe the director did some research about this ‘snow’ dance which is really an very old and popular dance, the resemblance between the film scene and the passage in the novel is intriguing.

H1N1 Fashion

In Beijing they do everything to stop the spread of the H1N1 virus. Luckily enough they found a way to combine this with fashion! The cute factor is extreme high!

Meinte's Daily Film Fact # 4 - Farewell My Concubine

Chen Kaige's 'Farewell My Concubine' (1993) was the first Chinese movie the win a palm d'or at the film festival of Cannes.
A rather funny fact is that Jackie Chan was offered the role of Duan Xiaolou (played by Fengyi Zhang) due to his own childhood experience of training in the Peking Opera. He turned the offer down because he was afraid the film would harm his image because it deals with themes of sexuality.

Tokyo Gore Police (Japan, 2006)

If you're looking for gore like 'Machine Girl', Tokyo Gore Police might be the perfect movie for you. Almost two hours of killing mutants (engineers), blood that cover the camera until it almost drowns and limbs that fly around your head all the time. Don't expect a great storyline, but in its genre it is a rather good film.

But there is also some beauty in this film, not only the intruiging beauty of actress Eihi Shiina. At one moment she holds up an umbrella to protect her face from the blood. So, gore can be beautiful as well.

Meinte's Daily Film Fact #4 - Eihi Shiina

Japanese actress Eihi shiina is famous for her rather 'special' choice of films to play in. Not only did she star in cult classic Audition (1999) as the girl who took acupuncture horror to a new level, she also starred in the absolute gore movies 'Tokyo Gore Police' and 'Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl'. It's one way to get known...... but she has something which makes her perfect for these kind of roles.

Meinte's Daily Film Fact #3

In John Carpenter's Halloween (1978) the kids watch the movie 'The Thing From Another World' (1951). John Carpenter made a remake of this film: The Thing (1982) which turned into a great classic.

Meinte's Daily Film Fact #2 (Nanking)

Chinese film ‘City of Life and Death’ won the award for best film at the filmfestival of San Sebastian. This will not the only film which tells about the massacre of Nanking this year. Florian Gallenberger’s ‘John Rabe’ deals about the good German of Nanking, though this movie almost wouldn’t have been made. The director was told by the Chinese Communist Party (mysterious phone call) he could not make a film about this (still) difficult/painful subject because there could only be one film about it. Gallenberger met an old Chinese man who lived for all his life in Nanking, talking to this man who expereinced the horror Gallenberger realized he had to make the movie.
Zhang Yimou also wants to make a movie about Nanking. ‘Thirteen Girls of Jinling City’ is about 13 prostitutes who sacrificed their lives to save a group of convent girls in Nanjing during the massacre of Nanjing in 1937. Rumor says he changed his mind and that because of the recession he wants to make a less dark production.

Meinte's Daily Film Fact #1

The Stockholm Syndrome (psychological response in abducted hostages in which the hostage shows signs of loyalty to the hostage taker) is often misused in movies as it would be the 'Helsinki Syndrome'. In 'Die Hard' it was probably misued for the first time and other movies have copied that. Latest example of this weird mistake is in the Japanese film 'Heaven's Door'.

Mulan (China, 2010)

Set for 2010, the live action film 'Mulan' will have its premiere. Mulan is famous for its Disney adaptation and is an epic story about a girl who figths to defend her father. But, it always be an old Chinese tale about brave and if I am not mistaken, in the '50's there already has been a Chinese film about the story.

For a long time there were rumours that Ziyi Zhang and Takeshi Kitato would star along eachother but reality seems different. Zhao Wei (A Time to Love, Red Cliff) will be Mulan, a very interesting idea.

Just have to wait for this adventurous and dramatic love story.