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‘The Grandmasters’ set for December 2012 release

Ming Pao :

Directed by Wong Kar-wai and starring Tony Leung, the film “The Grandmasters” has been in the works for the past 13 years. Lead actress Zhang Ziyi had expressed her concerns on whether the film will ever be finished. However, the production company finally announced that the film is slated to be released on December 18 during the holiday period. After learning of the news, Zhang Ziyi expressed her relief that the film will finally wrap up and will no longer be ‘missing in action’.
With a star studded ensemble including Tony Leung, Zhang Ziyi, Korean actress Song Hye-kyo, Zhao Benshan, Chang Chen and Xiao Shenyang, “The Grandmasters” has garnered international attention. Wong Kar-wai started working on the script back in 1997. In 2002 it was confirmed that Tony Leung will take on the lead role. However the production was at a standstill for many years. It wasn’t until November of 2009 that filming began in Mainland China. As Tony had broken his arm in July of that year, he had to wait for his injury to heal before joining the production. “The Grandmasters” has been filming for the past two years and it is still incomplete. During the interim, Donnie Yen has led two successful installments of the film Ip Man in 2008 and 2010. He also has intentions to film a third movie. Donnie has expressed that he has been waiting a long time to see the completion of “The Grandmasters”.

After the production company announced the December 18 release of the film, they also uploaded a new photo showing Tony in his role of Yip Man alongside his disciples. In the photo he is wearing a black changshan while being surrounded by his disciples. The sign above the photo addresses that Yip Man has already begun his next chapter in life and has opened up his own school in Hong Kong. Last year a clip of the movie was released showing Yip Man fighting in the rain. This time the photo shows a more restrained side of him. Zhang Ziyi expressed her joy in seeing the film nearing completion. Many others in the industry also expressed their anticipation in seeing the finished product.
As part of the promotions for the film, its official Weibo (Asian Twitter) released a contest to win one of 1218 special design collector’s edition “Grandmasters Invitations”. This attracted great response from netizens. From the invitation photos, the design was very elegant.  The envelope had the words “Grandmasters Invitation” and stamps from the Republic era on the front and on the back was The Grandmasters limited edition commemorative stamp with postmarks from Kowloon Hong Kong, Foshan Guangdong, Peking, Fengtian and other locations. The “Grandmasters Invitation” notified everyone that the film will open on December 18 2012.
Many theaters in Mainland China are confident in the box office sales and hope it will break records. Beijing New Film Association president Liu Hongpeng expressed that he has high hopes for the film. Others have expressed that if there’s good buzz surrounding the movie, the box office numbers will not be a concern.
As the film will be released during the holiday period, it will have stiff competition at the box office. Jackie Chan’s “Chinese Zodaic”, is slated for release on December 20. As the writer, director and star of the film, he will be leading his cast including Korean actor Kwon Sang Woo and actor Liu Fan to compete alongside “The Grandmasters”.

Yuen Woo-Ping and Song Hye-Kyo

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Tony Leung to take a break from working with Wong Kar-wai

From DBW:

At a press conference for THE GREAT MAGICIAN (DAI MOR SHOOK SI), actor Tony Leung revealed that he was taking a break from working with director Wong Kar-wai. Leung has been working on Wong Kar-wai’s THE GRANDMASTERS (YUT DOI JUNG SI) for over two years. For the role he has given a lot and was even injured on the production. He admitted that he would not work with Wong Kar-wai again for awhile.
THE GREAT MAGICIAN director Derek Yee Tung Sing revealed that Tony Leung once said that he would make five more movies then retire, but Leung denied that.
“I hope that my entire life is in acting, to have work at every stage.” Leung said that he would like more chances to make comedies. As soon as he said that people in attendance assumed this meant that he did not want to work with Wong Kar-wai who rarely made comedy films.
He said, “I just finished Wong Kar-wai’s movie, both of us are very tired and need a long time to recover. Maybe it will be a long, long while before we work together again. No one should be too concerned about me working with him, for now we wouldn’t.”
THE GRANDMASTERS is scheduled to be released in theaters in Summer/Autumn 2012 in China.

http://entertainment.dbw.cn/system/2012/01/09/053628545.shtml

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In The Mood For Gloss

Wong Kar-wai with actress Sandrine Pinna

From Puretrend:

Acclaimed Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai is collaborating with Shu Uemura cosmetics for a Christmas collection of make-ups in red and blue pigments which repeat the aesthetic codes of his films.
For this occasion, Wong Kar Wai has directed a short film, called “Mask”, in which he reveals his unique perspective of femininity.
Puretrend interviewed the director:

How did you react to the announcement of a collaboration with Shu Uemura?
WKW: I was asked during the filming of ‘The Grandmasters’ martial arts film and I was therefore delighted to take a break to work on a contemporary project focused towards the concept of beauty.

How did this project with a brand of cosmetics compare with your other collaborations? Did you observe any significant differences, encountered difficulties, or experienced enjoyment?
WKW: I enjoyed working with individuals and brands who know how to appreciate art and perfection. Shu Uemura is one of them.

Your film is inspired by the poem by Charles Bukowski “Burning in water, drowning in flames”, embodied by the red and blue theme. How did this idea come to you?
WKW: This poem by Charles Bukowski is a paradox. My film explores this contradiction of passion. I thought that the contrast of red and blue, which reflects the opposition between the hot and cold, was ideal.
 
What did you wish to express in this short film?
WKW: I wanted to get across a message celebrating life, and carrying positive energy.

How did the filming occur?
WKW: It took place on two very intense days. I was assisted by my usual team, composed of very talented people and a very natural gaiety.

In your opinion, how does a red and blue state of mind correspond with the heat of passion and bathing in a sea of serenity?
WKW: It is a very fleeting state but which makes all the salt of life, one to which we all aspire.
 
The mask and the palletes seem to be key elements in this film, what do they symbolize? What role do they play in the short and what is their relationship with the red and blue?
WKW: The mask symbolizes the universe of possibility: it releases us from the image we have of ourselves and allow us to free our imagination.

What type of female beauty did you wish to express in this film?
WKW: Mysterious, passionate, victorious, following the example team of the soccer team Nadeshiko.

How did the casting take place? What type of woman did you imagine for the part?
WKW: Sandrine (Pinna) is a young actress whose is already an award-winning talent. When the Shu Uemura project was born, I immediately knew that this role was for her, whose beauty expressed the duality and the exuberance of youth.

What do you think of a Shu Uemura collection dedicated to the end of the year?
WKW: I always have lots of fun to see a concept become reality, especially when it relies on colors of such splendour.

What have you thought of your collaboration with Mr. Uchiide, the artistic director of the make-up?
WKW: I love people driven by passion like Mr. Uchiide. We both loved playing and experimenting with our ideas. It formed innovative concepts, such as the word “LOVE”, which he designed on the lips of Sandrine.

What is your image of Christmas?
WKW: The celebration. A few years ago I spent Christmas in Buenos Aires during filming. In South America, the month of December is in the middle of the summer. The inhabitants cut snowflakes in the white paper, which they threw from their Windows to celebrate the whiteness of Christmas.

Where do you draw the inspiration for your films? What do you find the most exciting?
WKW: I find my inspiration in the creation, and I look at the journey.

http://www.puretrend.com/rubrique/beaute_r22/rencontre-avec-wong-kar-wai-in-the-mood-for-gloss_a57845/1

The collection is available to buy now.

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WKW For Shu Uemura commercial

Wong Kar-wai’s short film/commercial “Mask” has been released to promote his new cosmetics line “WKW for Shu Uemura”.
The commercial stars Sandrine Pinna and is inspired by Charles Bukowski’s poem “Burning in water, drowning in flames.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ8eb0rasxU]

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Korean star Song searching for seriousness

From AFP:

Song Hye-kyo, one of Asia’s biggest female stars thanks to a wildly popular television series, on Saturday said she is determined to match her success in romantic comedies with more serious roles.
“I want the roles I now play to be very different. I am trying to find very different and unique roles to play,” said Song, speaking on the sidelines of the 16th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).
The 28-year-old South Korean, whose face is plastered on billboards across the region, said the parts she was now choosing were designed to be more challenging.
That’s certainly the case with Song’s latest film role.
In the Lee Jeong-hyang directed drama “A Reason to Live” — making its world premiere at BIFF — Song plays a young woman forced through tragedy to question the rights and wrong of capital punishment.
It is a step change from the bright and breezy romantic comedies that made her name.

The actress is also currently helping acclaimed Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai piece together his long-awaited martial arts epic “The Grandmasters“, a biopic of Ip Man, the man who taught Bruce Lee how to fight.
Both films had presented unique challenges, the actress said.
“In person I am a very calm character and in Wong Kar Wai’s film, I have to be very active,” said Song.
“I have to use my body and I am still learning how to be more physical. In director Lee’s film I have to express my feelings more than I normally do. I have to use my facial expressions.”
The actress said she had found that though the two directors were known for very different styles of films — Wong is an arthouse darling while Lee favours more gritty material — she had found they had a common touch.
“They are both very delicate when it comes to actors in that they give very detailed directions,” she said.

Song began her career on Korean television and soon became a household favourite across Asia thanks to series such as “Full House”, where she played opposite the Korean singing and acting sensation Rain.
Big screen success has been harder to come by but that hasn’t stopped the actress picking up a string of lucrative commercial endorsements.
And while film fans have been kept in the dark about when Wong’s film might be released — it has now been almost a decade in the making — Song said they would not have to wait for too much longer.
“We are still shooting because Wong Kar Wai is not usually a fast director,” she said. “But I think the film will be released in the next year.”

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WKW for Shu Uemura holiday collection

For the 2011 holiday season, Japanese cosmetics brand Shu Uemura is teaming up with renowned film director Wong Kar Wai.

In an exceptional collaboration, the celebrated film director Wong Kar-wai has created an exclusive short film “Mask” for Shu Uemura that showcases his unique vision of femininity, all captured in his dreamily nostalgic and coolly hip style.
Wong’s lush visual poem “Mask” depicts a dramatic story expressed with “rouge et bleu” – the colors red and blue.

Inspired by a poem written by Charles Bukowski “Burning in water, drowning in flame”, Wong’s emotional masterpiece is a portrait of the liberating passion deep within our hearts, which reinvents ourself with sparks of red passion that slowly burn….until like ice, drowning in fire.

A fantasia rich with emotions, “Mask” is a dance between the extreme heat of passion and a sea of calm, climaxing in a glittering shower of healing beauty. Every face is a celebration of life and nothing can stop the flow of your passion this holiday season. Will be out in store 11 Nov 2011.

The collection includes two eye & cheek palettes, a mascara, a lusciously glittery premium false eyelash, partial false eyelash, a lustrous glowy face powder, lipsticks, two mini nail polish sets, cosmetic pouch, mini brush set and a cleansing oil (450ml) in limited edition packaging.

Award-winning actress Sandrine Pinna

Special package

Eye and cheek pallette

Lustrous glow powder – pleasure rose

Mini nail duo

False eyelash

Trailer for the short film:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ-i3Zga3vY&]

http://www.youtube.com/user/shuuemuracosmetics
http://www.shuuemura.jp/brand/2011xms/
http://www.shu-uemura.com.hk/

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New Trailer Primes The Grandmasters

From China Daily:

Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai’s latest film, The Grandmasters, recently released a second trailer – 18 months after filming started and 10 years after the director conceived the movie.

The one-minute trailer, set on a street, on a dark, rainy night, depicts a battle between lead actor Tony Leung and about 20 kungfu artists.

In a black gown and white hat, Leung transforms his signature gentlemanly manners to kick and punch like a street fighter. The scene is a nod to Keanu Reeves in The Matrix and Christian Bale in The Dark Knight.

The film’s first trailer, released in December 2010, is just a play of light, shadow and Chinese calligraphy, without any actors.

Leung plays the late kungfu master Ip Man, known for his wing chun style, a form of Chinese martial arts.

Leung, the Lust, Caution and In the Mood for Love star, practiced wing chun for about two years. A disciple of Ip trained him and even adjusted his diet.

Ip has been a favored topic of the Chinese film industry in recent years. There have been at least three films about the legendary martial artist, whose students included Bruce Lee. The most popular incarnation of the martial arts legend is by Donnie Yen, star of Iron Monkey and The New Dragon Gate Inn. In two Ip biopics, Yen portrays the kungfu master as a loving husband and passionate patriot.

Wong’s film will not focus just on Ip, but a group of kungfu masters of his time. He has put together a stellar cast, including Zhang Ziyi, South Korean star Song Hye-kyo, comedian Zhao Benshan and his protg Xiao Shenyang.

Though kungfu fans have been looking forward to the release of the film for some time, Wong has prolonged shooting, as he often does. Leung even took a break to take the lead in another movie, The Great Magician, which will be released in December.

Sil-Metropole Organization, the film’s production company, says filming has been completed and the director is working on post-production. But a release date has still not been given.

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The Grandmasters Trailer Profiled

From ChineseFilms:

Director Wong Kar Wai’s upcoming Kung Fu blockbuster, “The Grandmasters,” recently released its first promotional trailer.

Tony Leung Chiu Wai portrays Yip Man, master of the Wing Chun martial art, and is seen in the trailer fighting against a gang of street thugs. It’s the first time for Tony Leung to play the role of a Kung Fu master but his performance has received much acclaim following the release of the preview. Audiences commented that, “Leung is very cool in the movie.”

The real Kung Fu master, Wang Man also said he was surprised after seeing the trailer: “I never thought Leung could be that good. The power of his movement shows that this is a person who can manage real Kung Fu.”

Director Wong Kar Wai arrived in Beijing to arrange the preview of the trailer. Xue Liming, spokesman for the movie, unveiled the reason behind showing the trailer prior to the screening of “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”, saying that cinemas will upgrade their equipment for increased sound and screen light performance. “We want the audience to experience the best visual and sound effects possible during the preview.”

Xue also mentioned that the movie is set against the backdrop of the Kung Fu world during the Republican Period. There will be other Kung Fu masters and schools making appearances in the movie.

“The Grandmasters” also features South Korean actress Song Hye Kyo and Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi. It has been slated for a December release.

Xue promises that “The Grandmasters” will set a new standard for Chinese film.