Hong Kong Entertainment News In Review (original) (raw)

What's new? updated Monday, August 29th 2:42 pm HKT

Weekend Box Office Report: French comedy takes top spot at HK box office
2005 Movies Page: MOMENTS OF LOVE, WAIT 'TIL YOU'RE OLDER (web listing)
Reader Poll: Aaron Kwok, Joey Yung, SEVEN SWORDS, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai
Interview: Tony Leung Chiu-Wai: "I feel like the President"
Review: 2046: It Doesn't Taste At All Like Chicken

NAVIGATION: Reports and Features | Weekend Box Office Report | 2005 Movies Page | Past Briefings | Performances at HKVP Radio

August 26th, 2005: An oddity in 2005, the 2005 Movies Page has been updated twice in seven days as producers have finally released HK films in consecutive weeks. Following on the heels of last week's DRINK, DRANK, DRUNK, the youth romance MOMENTS OF LOVE hit HK theatres yesterday. Starring an array of today's "newcomers" -- Ron Ng, Race Wong, Deep Ng, Don Li, Yan Ng, Macy Chan, Vivian Yeo, Wilred Lau, Hins Cheung and Steven Cheung from Boy'z -- the Billy Chung release focuses on love among the "young'uns". Given its limited appeal and the limited of number screens it has been given, don't expect the film to make too much of a splash.

An official website listing for the new Andy Lau film WAIT 'TIL YOU'RE OLDER has also been added. Directed by Teddy Chan Tak-Sum and co-starring Karen Mok Man-Wai, Felix Wong Yat-Wah, Cherrie Ying Choi-Yi and Gordon Lam Ka-Tong among others, the film's big drawing point is that it has Wah-Jai age into a senior citizen. Please hold the "but isn't Andy Lau already a senior citizen?" e-mails.

Thanks once again to Tim Youngs for his help with this week's Movies Page update.

Some release dates for upcoming Hong Kong films:

August 8th, 2005: Wong Kar-Wai's 2046 opened in North America this weekend on four screens in New York and Los Angeles. It took in US$113,000 for a per screen average of US$28,250. For comparison, when IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE opened in North America on the first weekend of February 2001, it earned US$113,280 from six screens (an average of US$18,000 per screen). By the way, earlier this year, KUNG FU HUSTLE opened with US$269,225 from seven screens in the same two markets. Its per screen average stood at a robust US$38,460.

There are unconfirmed reports that director Roger Spottiswoode (TOMORROW NEVER DIES) has cast Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh for his new film THE BITTER SEA. Written by Paul Haggis (CRASH, MILLION DOLLAR BABY), the drama stars Brendan Fraser and tells the story of a British journalist, George Hogg, who saved a group of orphans during the Sino-Japanese war. According to the reports, Chow will play an army commander who helps Hogg while Yeoh will play a villager. Shooting is slated to start in November on location in the Mainland.

June 30th, 2005: A news note today:

Cherrie Ying Choi-Yi was cleared of drug charges in HK court on Tuesday. Last November, Ying, 21, was arrested after it appeared she threw out a bag containing cocaine as a car she was in with three others approached a police roadblock. In dismissing the charges, Magistrate Abu Bakar bin Wahab found testimony from the supervising officer at the roadblock to be inconsistent and noted that drug tests that Ying took after her arrest were clear.

May 5th, 2005: While capitalism can rightly be blamed for many of society's ills, it does, undeniably, often spur progress. Case in point: YesAsia has posted a survey about TVB dramas. Do you want to see TVB dramas on DVD with English subtitles? Do you want the DVDs to be complete and uncut? Fill out the survey and make yourself heard. Money talks so once the powers-that-be realize there's money to be made, they will produce these DVDs faster than Wong Jing produced RAPED BY AN ANGEL films in the 1990s.

Past Briefing: Closing the show on the 2004 Movies Page

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WEEKEND BOX OFFICE REPORT

August 29th, 2005: The dog days of summer hit the HK box office as total sales dropped almost 50% Sunday compared to the week previous. With a take of HK$690,000 and a Cantonese-dubbed version featuring Eric Kot Man-Fai, the French comedy MEAN SPIRIT led the way. For the record, the movie tells the story of an obnoxious couple who get their comeuppance when their first-born son is imbued with the vindictive spirit of a man that was killed in a car accident. Last week's champion, DRINK DRANK DRUNK, was second with earnings of HK$660,000. After 11 days, Miriam Yeung Chin-Wah's latest is on the cusp of the HK$10 million mark with a total take of HK$9.19 million. Hollywood efforts CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY and RED EYE were third and fourth respectively while Tony Jaa's TOM YUM GOONG was fifth. The Thai action film broke the HK$10 million barrier last week and currently sits at HK$11.06 million. The numbers:

1. MEAN SPIRIT; HK$690,000; 24 screens; 4 days; HK$2.62 million total.

2. DRINK DRANK DRUNK; HK$660,000; 42 screens; 11 days; HK$9.19 million total.

3. CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY; HK$510,000; 38 screens; 18 days; HK$13.17 million total.

4. RED EYE; HK$490,000; 30 screens; 4 days; HK$1.91 million total.

1. TOM YUM GOONG; HK$240,000; 27 screens; 18 days; HK$11.06 million total.

Relegated to a handful of theatres, the youth-oriented romance MOMENTS OF LOVE failed to break into the top ten.

PERFORMANCES AT HKVP RADIO

| Here are the top five most voted artists of the week as selected by the listeners of HKVP Radio: | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | |

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January 3rd, 2005: Entries for four B-movies close out the 2004 Movies Page. They are:

• A DECISIVE MOVE (Kathy Chow Hoi-Mei, Ken Wong Hap-Hei) -- a SLIDING DOORS (Gynweth Paltrow) "what if ..." type drama.
• HARDROCK AFFAIRS (Chin Kar-Lok, Hui Siu-Hung, Kristy Yang) -- a comedy set in the diamond trade.
• THE MARKSMAN -- a drama about a target-shooting prodigy. Timmy Hung Tin-Ming and Jade Leung Jing star.
• TRANSFIGURATION OF LIFE -- a "meaning of life" drama starring Tats Lau Yi-Tat as the "Holy General" (a Chinese version of "Death"). Gordon Lam Ka-Tong and Anita Chan Wing-Yin co-star.

More Past Briefings ...

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TOP LINKS
Top News Links: Under its influence: Elizabeth Ng reviews DRINK DRANK DRUNK ALSO: Maggie Cheung, Venice Film Festival, Leslie Cheung, more More News Links Updated: Monday, August 29th; 2:40 pm HKT
Sites of Interest: SHE SHOOTS STRAIGHT, a 1990 action film starring Joyce Godenzi (Mrs. Sammo Hung), Carina Lau Ka-Ling and "ma da" Tang Pik-Wan is reviewed in the latest edition of Hong Kong Digital. More Sites of Interest