Sharon Stone - the most hated woman in China

Oh Dear. Sharon Stone made a major faux pas. One thing she should learn is not to anger the most populous country in the world. Stupid, stupid woman. I understand the concept of what she said (karma causing the earthquake in Sichuan due to China's treatment of the Tibetans) but that is just plain stupid. For poor, innocent village people who have suffered so much loss already to hear such a dumb, lame comment as that is just cruel, cruel, cruel. Nobody deserves to die or lose family members, and their house, pets, belongings, neighbours, friends, their entire city regardless of what their government has done. Stupid.

Iris Germanica Polar Night fashion show

I'm going through a bit of a fashion phase. It all started last Friday night when I watched a historical fashion documentary series called "A Stitch in Time" on ICS at 9pm. It would be on every night for a week (?) at the same time. I watched almost every episode. It is not a serious documentary and very fascinating, light-hearted and comical.

Then, a few days ago I got around to watching my "The Notebook" DVD (cried my eyes out of course) but thinking back to the doco, I found myself noticing the gorgeous clothes/dresses that Rachel McAdams wore in the film. I have to say I really don't like any of the fashion from the 80s onwards. I don't like recent styles which have consisted of big sack baggy things. I HATE them. I also hate the incessant cleavage-showing low-cut v-neck 'things'. Ugh. I despise them. Give me the gorgeous 30s, 40s, 50s fashions any day! The fitted waist, the sleeves (when was the last time you saw a female wear sleeves to a formal function?!), the flared skirt, the structured cotton instead of floppy fabrics. Not saying I don't like the 'floppy' fabrics like silk, viscose, satin, etc. But usually they are just too sacky and baggy looking. Not to mention the freakin' empire line which is great if you are pregnant, and if you are not it'll surely make you look pregnant!

There are some of the types of dresses I hate from edressme.com

About two weeks ago hubby got an email from some Shanghai expat thing about a fashion show/parade. Strange, that he got one and I didn't (considering I'm on the internet the whole time, and I was the one who went to the Shanghai expat trade fair back in September!) His thought was that because I had a Chinese surname they just kinda ignored me as they thought I was a local. Who knows if there is any truth to that?!

Anyway, so he asked if I wanted to go and I said Yes. I was quite excited to be honest as I hadn't been to one for many years, and have always enjoyed them, even the free ones.

The brand is Iris Germanica and the ticket cost was 150 RMB per person (pre-sale, or 180 at the door). It was at the Paramount building (218 Yuyuan Lu) and started at 8pm.











We got there at 7:45pm and just stood around till they finally let everyone in (through a metal detector!) at 8pm. I haven't been to a nightclub for so long I'd forgotten what they looked like. Well this was black, with couches and bar stools and trippy laser lighting everywhere. It was pretty cool and I was excited and pumped to see this collection!

The ticket included 2 drinks per person and fruit. Since we got there pretty early we got one of the best seats in the house. I ended up sitting next to a nice middle-aged man from Amsterdam (who'd been here 3 years, and who knew the designer) and chatted to him a bit during the night (well, yelling into each other's ears more like it).

About half an hour later the bar upstairs was open and everyone started to get drinks. Hubby went to get mine for me and 'met' the guy next to me at the bar and apparently they had a little chat too.

After that it all went downhill. 8:30 turned to 9, 9 turned to 9:30. EVERYONE was getting really impatient. Blank looks on people's faces, people playing games on their mobile/cell phones... As the smoke levels rose inside my tolerance levels decreased. I would've fallen asleep from boredom if it weren't for the extremely loud music! I was getting rather impatient (can you blame me?) and went to ask them what time they planned on starting the show. The first guy said 10:30 and I was like "What??!!" and the second guy said 10. It was 9:40 when I asked and I just wandered about and took my time in the bathroom and eventually went back to my seat at 9:50 just when they were starting. Or so we thought.

Then, there was about 15 mins of 'introduction' which got more and more boring as you could barely hear them and they didn't seem like professional speakers. The girl kept dropping her papers all over the stage and she couldn't say 'dowry', she kept saying 'dowee' and the guy tried to crack jokes which noone laughed at. Hm..













OK, finally. The show. The clothes... By this time my excitement had dwindled down to almost nothing. I'm sure I wasn't the only one feeling like this either! Add to the fact that the damn smoke was getting to obscene levels and now itching my eyes as well as irritating my lungs. I reminded myself why I never go to these types of 'night' places.

The outfits were interesting to say the least. I'm not sure what I was expecting but I think there would be few I'd actually wear, and none I'd actually buy. :( (sorry if anyone from the company is reading this!) At one stage one of the outfits was so bad (the yellow checked one with the black fluffy bra thing) I gave hubby a 'look' and then looked over to the girl sitting next to him, and we both just cracked up laughing instantaneously and simultaneously.

This little number here:



There was another funny moment right at the start when this guy from nowhere with his SLR camera came over and stood right in front of us, taking photos. I was like 'what the?' The guy sitting next to me went up to him and told him to please move. Then as he was walking away (very very slowly) the three girls sitting next to us (on hubby's side) also told him to move and one of them zipped the zip on the back of his pants. I'm not sure what was going on there but all I could do at that point was just laugh my head off.

anyway

At first I thought it was because of the models.. some of them were Chinese, the other half were Caucasian, some tall, some short, some old, some young, some thin, some 'curvy' - basically a mixed bag, a representation of 'real women' as they say. At first I found this offputting but then I realised it wasn't the models at all. It was the whole thing. There was singing in the background, the models had Venetian-masks type make-up (which was nice but strange) and the clothes, weren't awful, they were just very very... erm... avant garde?





During the night waiters/waitresses came around with platters of fruit. I don't know how much fruit I ate! But even so, afterwards when it finished (around 10:30) we were both starving and went to a nearby Chinese restaurant for dinner.

I had an OK night but I thought the ticket price was a little high for what we got. But if the inside was non-smoking and they hadn't made us wait 2 hours for the show I think I would've reviewed it more favorably!

PS - I now know why Europeans like living in Shanghai so much. They can smoke to their hearts content just like they do back home, and everything costs 1/10 the price of back home! (that is a bit 'tongue in cheek' but still...) I have to say again and again I HATE SMOKING!

TV - reality shows and Gossip Girl

I've been watching way too much tv lately.

Reality shows:
America's Next Top Model
Project Runway
The Bachelor
Runway Moms
Dirty Dancing
Last Comic Standing
American Idol
Make me a Super Model

Other shows:
Gossip Girl
Entourage

I think Leighton Meester (right) from Gossip Girl looks a lot like Rachel Bilson (left) from the OC, but is far prettier. What do you think?

Edison Chen scandal

It is over.... or is it?

I hadn't blogged about this at all but anyone who is anyone in Asia or considers themself Asian would've known about this by now so there is no need for me to repeat the news and be stupid by posting the pics up on my blog. All I can say is - leave the poor man alone! He wasn't the one who distributed the photos. He's apologised and is going to quit showbiz. I don't understand why people are always so obsessed with celebrities' lives and pounce on them the minute they aren't shown to be 'perfect' and 'flawless.'

ICS tv channel

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Last night I watched almost 2 hours of this channel in one hit!

At 6:30pm there was/is a cooking show hosted by what we think is an Australian woman, and a French chef and filmed at the Westin hotel (although there was a typo on screen and it said "Weatin hotel" hahaha!)

Then there was some craft making DIY activity shows - first making paper roses, then modelling clay sculptures.

Then there was a discussion with an expat who's lived here a number of years and what he thought about current affairs topics. One of the things they talked about was that Shanghai is planning on introducing the no plastic bags policy which many other countries have. Apparently this will start in June. Hubby said good luck to them enforcing it! Well, hopefully it'll take off. I hate the feeling of so much wastage. It's bad enough with billions of disposable chopsticks, toothpicks, plastic packaging and whatnot. I actually feel a bit sick thinking about this when I'm flying on a plane or staying in a hotel. But anyway...

I just want to say again that ICS is pretty good! :)

ICS tv channel

Related post

Well the channel seems to be pretty good. There is a good variety of programs and there are also subtitles in Chinese. Unfortunately our excitement about the Amazing Race was short-lived when we realised it was a really old season (the family edition)!

They just reviewed all the Pixar (Disney) films and am now showing a couple of music videos... Music videos.. how many years or decades has it been since I watched one of these?!

International Channel Shanghai (ICS)

I was going to blog about this earlier but forgot. Now I don't watch much tv, hardly any at all (the only shows I watch are "Amazing Race" and "Amazing Race Asia") but I am surprised to discover that Shanghai now has its very own English Channel called ICS. Woohoo! I gave up on free-to-air CCTV channels a long, long time ago after we got satellite tv but now there may be a reason to watch it again :)

Zhang Ziyi's lip synching

Oh dear.. I did see her on tv but not long enough for me to judge if lip synching was involved or not! I did not watch the program as I generally find these Chinese 'variety shows' kinda boring ;)

BEIJING, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Hollywood actress Zhang Ziyi was accused of lip-synching during the annual Spring Festival evening gala broadcast live on Wednesday night.

Zhang, 29, an internationally recognized Chinese actress, lit up the stage with a pink outfit that drew envious gasps from ordinary girls.

She sang "Fairy Scattering Flowers," which was specially composed for her by leading musician Ji Zhongping. Zhang was alone on stage during the performance.

Comments at Sina.com, a major Chinese news portal, were not too kind. Posters said that her performance was just ordinary and she had no real singing skill; it was just her fame that got her audience attention. The complaints about the program started to appear almost as soon as the show signed off at about 1:00 a.m.

An article in the Modern Express, a newspaper based in Nanjing, capital of eastern Jiangsu Province, said that lip-synching was common during the annual CCTV gala due to "hardware problems".

"Lip-synching at the gala is a tradition," it said, adding Zhang came in for public criticism because "she was an amateur singer who was not well-prepared and even forgot words". The article attributed her poor performance to "a lack of experience".

But Zhang thought she did well. "Fairy Scattering Flowers symbolizes happiness and auspiciousness. 2008 is especially important for Beijing and China and each of us. I wish spring would come earlier so that the snow in disaster areas would melt soon," she told reporters.

Zhang made her name with the martial arts blockbuster "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and with "Memoirs of a Geisha", among others. She was once director Zhang Yimou's favored actress. They collaborated on "The Road Home", "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers".

Every year, CCTV holds a special on Lunar New Year's Eve, featuring dances, songs and short comedies. This year, the gala had another theme: unity and the courage of the people to cope with the snow disaster.

A survey on Sina.com showed that among the performances at this year's gala, "Blue and White Porcelain" by Taiwan singer Jay Chou ranked top among the viewers, with the second and third places taken by girl pop group S.H.E. and Fei Yu-ching, both from Taiwan.

Heath Ledger's death accidental

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Heath Ledger's death an accident
From correspondents in New York
February 07, 2008 02:43am

Heath Ledger's abuse of a powerful mix of prescription drugs led to a fatal "accidental overdose", the official investigation into his death has concluded.

Tests on the 28-year-old Australian actor's blood detected six different drugs, including narcotic painkillers, anti-anxiety pills and sleep medication.

The New York Medical Examiner ruled out suicide.

"We have concluded that the manner of death is accident, resulting from the abuse of prescription medications," said Ellen Borakove, director of public affairs at the New York Chief Medical Examiner's Office.

The drugs the Oscar nominee consumed before his body was found in the bedroom of his Manhattan apartment on January 22 included the painkiller OxyContin, the anti-anxiety drugs Valium and Xanax and the sleeping pills Restoril and Unisom.

"Heath Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine," Ms Borakove said.

Ledger's US-based publicist, Mara Buxbaum, immediately released a statement from Ledger's father, Kim, requesting the media to stop speculating about what killed his son.

"Today's results put an end to speculation, but our son's beautiful spirit and enduring memory will forever remain in our hearts," Kim Ledger wrote.

"While no medications were taken in excess, we learned today the combination of doctor-prescribed drugs proved lethal for our boy.

"Heath's accidental death serves as a caution to the hidden dangers of combining prescription medication, even at low dosage."

Ledger, the star of 2006 best picture Oscar nominee Brokeback Mountain and this year's Batman sequel, The Dark Knight, went public with his trouble with sleeping in an interview with the New York Times late last year.

He complained he could only sleep two hours a night and his "body was exhausted".

Ledger told the newspaper two Ambien sleeping pills would give him just one hour of sleep.

Ms Borakove decline to say how many pills Ledger had taken to cause his death, or the concentrations of each drug found in his blood.

Ledger's father's reference to "low dosage", however, and the ruling Ledger died from an accidental overdose rather than suicide indicates large quantities of any one drug were not found in his bloodstream.

"It was the cumulative effects of these medications together," Ms Borakove said.

Today's release of Ledger's official cause of death in the US comes as the actor's family, two-year-old daughter Matilda and former fiancee, Michelle Williams prepared for his funeral in Perth.

The funeral, expected within days, will be private.

Ledger's family and Williams have made repeated pleas for privacy and for the media to let them grieve.

In today's statement from Kim Ledger, he again asked for privacy and also opened up about the pain his family was suffering.

"We remain humble as parents and a family, among millions of people worldwide who may have suffered the tragic loss of a child," Kim Ledger wrote.

"Few can understand the hollow, wrenching, and enduring agony parents silently suffer when a child predeceases them."

Kim Ledger also thanked the support his family had received the past fortnight.

"We treasure our beautiful granddaughter Matilda (to our dear Michelle) as well as an unbelievably wonderful network of close friends, forever, around the world," he wrote.

"Families rarely experience the uplifting, warm and massive outpouring of grief and support as have we, from every corner of the planet.

"This has deeply and profoundly touched our hearts and lives.

"We are eternally grateful."

"This was not a deliberate attempt to kill himself. This was an accident," said Lawrence Kobilinsky, head of forensic science at John Jay College in New York. He had no role in the investigation. "He just took too many drugs having similar effects on the central nervous system."
Experts said the combination of sedatives and the other medicines likely combined to suppress his brain function and his breathing. They said that Ledger probably had been prescribed the medicine by a number of different doctors, because several of them were from the same class of drugs and used to treat similar symptoms.
"It doesn't make sense" that one doctor would prescribe all those, said Dr. William Lee, an internal medicine specialist at the University of Texas-Southwestern in Dallas. "It's more likely that he got them from different prescribers."
Jane Prosser, a medical toxicologist from New York University School of Medicine, said patients can often end up with similar medications prescribed by different doctors, who are unaware of what they're already taking.
Three of the six prescription drugs found in Ledger's apartment had been filled in Europe, where the actor was recently filming, police said.
"If you see one doctor for one thing and you see another doctor for another thing, neither the physician nor the patient may realize they're getting two similar medications," Prosser said.
"Patients should be aware that this happens on a regular basis and it doesn't just happen to celebrities."

Well I'm glad they have some 'answers' and he can be laid to rest... that ought to shut up all those people who thought it was suicide! Let that be a warning to you kids. Taking too many drugs simultaneously can be lethal :(

Heath Ledger dead / Insomnia hell

A search for art supply shops lead me to the Shida (Taiwan National Normal University) area and I also found myself in a desperate need to use a toilet in an area where they were very hard to find. So I just went into a cafe that I wanted to eat at (luckily it was lunch time anyway) and then did my business and ordered and ate my lunch (lasagne). Just before I left I decided to take a look at the Taipei Times newspaper. I was shocked to read on the front cover that Heath Ledger had died.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2008/01/25/2003398703

Here is the exact article I read. Sure the news was 2-3 days late but anyway, I'm out of touch with the news anyway being on vacation...

I was shocked and stunned to read this talented 28-year-old had had his life taken away. accidently or intentionally they are still trying to find the cause from the toxicology tests.

"Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night," Ledger told the New York Times. "I couldn't stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going."

Having had chronic insomnia myself I know that the way to describe it is like 'hell on earth' and i can understand he would be desperate if he was taking that many Ambien/Stilnox tablets... A few months ago I was going through a bout of insomnia where I slept about 2-3 hours a night. It'd take at least two hours to fall asleep then every little thing would wake me up and I'd be awake for the rest of the night till morning. It has a compounding effect whereby every day gets harder and harder to get through. You still do the things you have to get up like eat, go out, shop, walk... but really, you are running on empty and it becomes near impossible to function. Yet at the same time if you close your eyes you don't just magically fall asleep. On the contrary. Your mind still keeps you awake. And it's something that noone can possibly understand unless they have been there. Comments like "Just stop thinking so much", "take a warm bath before bed," "have a glass of milk," "do more exercise" (I like to see how much exercise you can do when walking just 100m feels like pain)... I got so damn sick of the 'helpful' advice which wasn't helpful at all.

Anyway, I came across someone who had some spare prescription sleeping tablets (Stilnox) and he offered them to me. Desperate, I took them home but then never ended up taking them. I did a little bit of reading online (as I am very very cautious about any kind of prescription drug) and asked my GP friend about them too. Apparently some of the side effects (if you get any) can be pretty horrific.. So I ended up putting up with the torture that is insomnia hell.

I'm so glad I didn't take them though, and I really hope that Heath's apparent overdose was accidental. But it doesn't matter if it was or not, the point is he is gone. Now I wasn't a huge fan of his or anything but 28 is just way too young to die. So sad... :( As for me - I hate to admit this, but I actually had to kick my husband out of our bed and it was only then that I gradually got more and more sleep and 2 hours to fall asleep became 1 and then became 1/2 hour... etc... Sleeping problems suck big time. I've had them ever since I was a kid. Although I don't claim to know anything about Heath's circumstances I can really understand his thinking if he is in that frame of mind where he is thinking too much, has too much anxiety (anxiety drugs were also found in his apartment) and getting only 2 hours sleep a night how he could have easily taken way too many sleeping pills to take the pain of insomnia (and other things) away...

RIP Heath Ledger. :( April 4, 1979 - January 23, 2008

PS I am now going to make sure I watch "Brokeback Mountain" as soon as I get back home. I am a bit disappointed with myself now that we've had the DVD for ages and never watched it! Given that Ang Lee is one of my favourite directors, and now with the unfortunate passing of Heath I'm definitely gonna have to watch it now.

P.S. I love you (Cecilia Ahern) and hot guys

A few days ago I finished reading Cecilia Ahern's novel "PS, I love you". (Cecilia is Ireland's prime minister's daughter btw and only 22!) I picked it up that day I went to Carrefour with my dad and went through it pretty quickly. I heard the movie was coming out in December and wanted to finish it before it came out. It was pretty easy to finish given I was sick and had nothing much else to do!

Cecelia Ahern's debut novel, PS, I Love You, follows the engaging, witty, and occasionally sappy reawakening of Holly, a young Irish widow who must put her life back together after she loses her husband Gerry to a brain tumor. Ahern has discovered a clever and original twist to the Moving On After Death concept made famous by novelists and screenwriters alike--Gerry has left Holly a series of letters designed to help her face the year ahead and carry on with her life. As the novel takes readers through the seasons (and through Gerry's monthly directives), we watch as Holly finds a new job, takes a holiday to Spain with her girlfriends, and sorts through her beloved husband's belongings. Accompanying Holly throughout the healing process is a cast of friends and family members who add as much to the novel's success as Holly's own tale of survival. In fact, it is these supporting character's mini-dramas that make PS, I Love You more than just another superficial tearjerker with the obligatory episode at a karaoke bar.

I really enjoyed it and had not read a novel since the "The Da Vinci Code" years ago. (actually I also read a spoof called "The Da Vinci Cod" but maybe that's not worth mentioning).

I went onto YouTube and looked at the trailer for the upcoming film and was quite disappointed.

1. The book is set in Dublin and somewhere in the storyline they go to Spain for a holiday. The movie is set in Manhattan, New York city and they go to Ireland for a holiday.

2. I could not imagine Hilary Swank playing the lead role of "Holly". I would've liked to see Jennifer Garner or maybe one of the many cute blonde actresses (I can't remember if the book mentioned if she was a blonde or brunette).

3. From the trailer I get a feeling the film leaves out the characters of Holly's siblings, which are one of the things that make the book interesting.

4. Her spouse leaves her letters, in the movie it's tape recordings!

etc etc. But the very spunky Gerard Butler plays "Gerry", the male lead and he is hot! So that's all I have to say about that.



(of course I prefer him without the beard. Ugh. I hate mustaches and beards).

For some reason I have been noticing a lot of hot guys recently. (Yes yes my husband knows, we just joke about it). On Friday when I went to Carrefour and then went back to my apartment, and got out of the taxi, a guy was standing there waiting for my taxi. I had never seen him before but he was totally hot! I was racking my brains trying to figure out which celebrity he really looked like. Then I figured out he looked like Ryan Reynolds from that sitcom "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place".




Thirdly, from The Amazing Race Asia season 2, Marc from the team Marc and Rovilson. He does not look fully Asian, he looks half or maybe that's 'cause he's Filipino (I think? I don't want to read anything about the show in case I find out too much) and I think he is totally and utterly hot! (speaking of which, the host of that show is pretty hot too!)




PS I love you trailer

Ang Lee's Lust, Caution (Se, Jie) 色，戒

I remember seeing posters up for this a couple of months ago and commented to hubby that I wanted to see this. I had no idea what it was about but since it was directed by Ang Lee I wanted to see it.

I'm a big fan of his work having seen most of his prior films. It's funny because my father is so boring and doesns't appreciate anything to do with arts and entertainment by loves Ang Lee films (because he is Taiwanese and he supports anyone Taiwanese!) He took my sister and I to see "Eat Drink Man Woman" in Sydney many many years ago and ever since then I've been following his work. "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" (wo hu cang long) 臥虎藏龍/卧虎藏龙 was and still is one of my all-time favourite movies and I almost cried when I heard it won best foreign language film in 2001 at the Oscars. I also loved loved loved Tan Dun's musical talents in the film and saw him perform at the Sydney Opera House. (Coincidently, while I was there with hubby (then boyfriend) I bumped into my stepmum and we each had no idea we were both going to see it on exactly the same night. And knowing how many people the Opera House seats, it would've been a slim chance we bumped into each other too...)

Anyway back to "Lust Caution" I still haven't seen it yet, even though my local DVD store already sells it. The store owner told me the uncut version (from Hong Kong or the US) is not currently available but will be out later. The reason I haven't seen it yet is because my father told me that in China they cut out a part of the film. My first reaction was that they cut it because of political tensions/historical issues between China and Taiwan (I have no idea about the storyline remember?) but no, he said it was cut because it was too 'sexy'. Uh huh. OK. Great...

So I went searching on Google just now about some info on this...

http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/4896/

China does not have a classification system and predictably enough, "Lust, Caution" has prompted a major row over what is suitable viewing and how to control access to movies with adult content.

And this - a bizarre, weird, news story about a Beijing PhD student suing and seeking apologies for the trauma caused by watching the film without the censored part. Haha!

...Dong Yanbin, a Ph.D student at the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing, had filed a suit against the nation's film censor, the State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT), for infringing upon his "consumer rights," the Beijing Times said.

"I felt greatly disappointed after seeing the movie," the paper quoted Dong as saying.

"Compared to Eileen Chang's original, the incomplete structure of 'Lust, Caution' and fragmented portrayal of the female lead's psyche makes it hard for the audience to appreciate the movie's art," Dong said.

Dong was seeking apologies and 500 yuan ($67) in "psychological damages" from both SARFT and UME, the cinema chain showing the movie, the paper said.

The court had yet to accept the case, it added.

UME had violated the audience's "fair trade rights," while SARFT had infringed upon "society's public interest" by failing to implement a rating system that would allow adults to see the film, it quoted Dong as saying.

"Lust, Caution" is open to children and adults alike in China, where academics and film-goers have been calling on authorities to implement a rating system for several years.

Despite the cuts, the movie has proved popular in China, reaping 90 million yuan ($12 million) in its first two weeks and being tipped by some to be the year's biggest box office success.

But some filmgoers in the southern province of Guangdong have opted to cross the border into Hong Kong to watch the full, uncut version, local media have reported.

Still, he has a point. China really has a hide censoring the internet as it is, and film as well. ARGH - it cheeses me off!



"Lust Caution" just won 7 awards in the 44th annual Golden Horse film awards in Taiwan.

The list of winners at the 44th Golden Horse Awards was announced Saturday in Taipei.

"Lust, Caution" won the Best Film award, as well as Best director, Best Actor and four other awards. Following is the list of the awards:

Best film: "Lust, Caution"

Best director: Ang Lee, "Lust, Caution"

Best actor: Tony Leung Chiu-wai, "Lust, Caution"

Best screenplay adaptation: James Schamus, Wang Hui-ling, "Lust, Caution"

Best film score: Alexandre Desplat, "Lust, Caution"

Best makeup and costume design: Pan Lai, Olympic Lau, "Lust, Caution"

Outstanding filmmaker of the year in Taiwan: Ang Lee

Best new performer: Tang Wei, "Lust, Caution"


Yay for Ang Lee! I can't wait to see the film in its entirety Thanks! :)

PS just found this on imdb. I generally try to avoid reading too much about tv shows or movies (that I haven't seen yet) on the 'net because I always inadvertently find spoilers...but... Woah that sux. I didn't know that every single person working on the film had to be 'foreign'? What is foreign anyway? (Would I be considered foreign?) That's kinda crap...

‘Lust, Caution’ was submitted as Taiwan's entry to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008), but it was rejected on 17 October 2007 by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences because many of the film's personnel were not Taiwanese. Taiwan substituted ‘Lust, Caution’ with Huai-en Chen's Lian xi qu (2006).

"Shanghai Kiss"

Ahhh maybe there is a good side to being sick afterall ;) I get to lie on the couch like a sloth and watch DVDs and have my husband make me breakfast, lunch and dinner. Enjoy it while it lasts I say!!

Despite our ever growing collection of bootleg DVDs we actually don't watch them that often. Anyway, we just finished watching "Shanghai Kiss" and was pleasantly surprised. From the cover I thought it was a cheesy teen movie something akin to Hilary Duff's "Lizzie Maguire".



On the cover was Hayden Panettiere who most people know as the beautiful young blonde girl in "Heroes." I didn't even know who the other actors were in it. I didn't read the blurb on the back of the cover either so I had no preconceived idea of what the heck the film was about.

Without giving too much away I was quite surprised. First of all, the majority of it takes place in L.A., not Shanghai. There is a part that takes place in Shanghai where the protagonist (Ken Leung) is looking out the window and seeing all the dazzling neon lights. I've had a few experiences like that myself. I've found myself looking out the window of a taxi and being amazed and wowed at the beauty that Shanghai has to offer, and imaging myself in a film. There is a similar kind of scene in "Lizzie Maguire" too and many other films. Of course they only portray the beauty of the city and not the ugly side to it. They even managed to make poverty look 'nice' in this film.

I found the first scene particularly comical and easy to relate to. I guess I can say what it's about since it's literally the first scene of the film. The main character, "Liam" is auditioning for a part in a tv commercial. As any Asian actor/ess will tell you, it is particularly hard to get any kind of role when you are in a Western country. I think that the States is actually pretty good and Australia is about 20 years behind, heck probably 50. When was the last time you heard of a famous Australian actor/ess who was Asian? Let's see - there is Nicole Kidman (born in the USA), Naomi Watts (born in England), Mel Gibson (born in USA), Russell Crowe (born in New Zealand). All caucasian and all funnily enough not even "Australian"! ... However there are lots of American Asian actor/esses..

On imdb the director, David Ren, says this:

Shanghai Kiss is an autobiographical story and a film that is very personal to me. Some of you have commented on the lack of Asian male leads in American films that are not in the action/martial arts genre. This is especially true for love stories. This is because Hollywood doesn't think America is ready to accept an Asian male as a romantic lead.

There isn't a great deal I can say about the movie without giving too much of the plot away (I really hate people who have to give away spoilers - knowingly or unknowingly - so I won't do it either). However I will say that it explores what it's like to an Asian/Chinese person growing up in a Western country, finding your roots, facing judgements and criticism about 'who' you are, parents/family, love, life, relationships...

Some on imdb have likened it to "Lost in Translation" which I liked but funnily can't remember much of. I think I preferred this film better though. Especially knowing what a small budget they had.

One thing I didn't like about the film was casting Kelly Hu in one of the lead roles. For one thing she's not even Chinese!! She is mixed-race and I doubt she can even speak Mandarin with a convincing accent (which is why she doesn't speak it in the movie except maybe a word or two here or there). I admit I didn't know who she was but knew that she wasn't fully Chinese and that she was reasonably famous. I didn't even think her acting was that good so she was a big disappointment for me.

I thought that Ken and Hayden were both wonderful and played their parts very believably and had a weird chemistry too. I can't believe Ken is 37 and played a 28 year old in the film.

I particularly enjoyed the Shanghai scenes because I was like "I know where that is!" for most of them. I even recognised the Jinjiang amusement park even though I've never been there (but read about it and seen pics of it). I've not felt that excited since the movie "Looking for Alibrandi" came out. That's one of my favourite films and set in Sydney. I think I could pick just about every location used in that film. Someone on imdb commented on why in "Shanghai Kiss" does he go from Pudong, to Puxi and then back to Pudong and of course we all know that geographical realism does not exist in films!!

In one of my husband and I's family films "Before Sunrise"/"Before Sunset" we actually found where the filming locations were and went to seek them out when we went to Vienna/Paris. It's hilarious when you think about how the heck they could've gotten from A to B to C to D... in such a short space of time and why they kept backtracking and criss-crossing all over the city!

Lastly, there was the issue of a large age gap in a relationship. I have to admit I try to keep an open mind for others but 1)I could never do it myself and 2)When it's over 10 years I start to feel it's getting a bit weird and when it's 20 years different well that's just freaky because it's a whole new 'generation'. However, this movie gave me insight on what it's actually like to feel love for someone who is so much younger/older than you are...

Anyway this is not a movie review as such other to say I really enjoyed the film. Go and see if it you can! (after reading the spiel by the director I kinda feel guilty about having an 'illegal' copy now :( ) There were some particularly comical parts and some weird parts which we both found very amusing. I just wanted to get out a mish mash of thoughts which probably don't make sense to anyone other than myself! Well my excuse is that I feel exhausted, my chest is congested, my head is dizzy and stuffy, I'm constantly hungry, I'm cold, I'm hot.. argh!

P.S. This scene which takes place in a laundromat is one of my faves. If you watch it it doesn't really give away too much either. (basically what you read in the 'blurb' anyway).

http://youtube.com/watch?v=TIL2IpFpEYs

and here is the trailer

http://youtube.com/watch?v=7fFS6u5Om3s

Zhang Yimou 张艺谋 One of the world's greatest directors

Mike and I both love films by Zhang Yimou. They are so beautiful, inspiring, and show the undeterminable strength of the human character.

My mother introduced us to his films a few years ago. She said, "I borrowed this video tape from the Chinese video store. Here take a look. I bet you'll like this movie." I watched it, and I was hooked. I bawled my eyes out. The film was The Road Home the film that launched Zhang Ziyi's film career.

(NB: In English their names should be Yimou Zhang and Ziyi Zhang but I feel so weird saying that because I'm used to calling them by their Chinese name which puts the surname first).

No matter how many times I watch that film I am reduced to tears. When Mike and I were in Kuala Lumpur (just before we arrived in Shanghai), it came on television and I was already bawling my eyes out because I knew what was going to happen.

I thought that movie was 'bad' for making one cry.. that was until I saw To Live, starring Gong Li.

I bought the DVD For Mike as a Christmas present. I got some 40% off DVD vouchers at Borders and figured it was a good idea to use them for Christmas presents. I also bought my sister a DVD from there for Christmas. Anyway, since I know Mike loves foreign films I went to that section and ummed and erred for HOURS about which ones to get. I ended up getting him To Live and Pushing Hands by Ang Lee.

We finally got around to watching To Live only in April (due to all our wedding planning, wedding and honeymoon in Jan-March).. and OMG it was the most beautiful, sad, gut-wrenching, amazingly emotional film I have ever seen! If you have seen the trailers you get a vague idea of what it's about. Apart from the story lines involving family relationships there is the backdrop of the historical changes throughout China in the turbulent times of the 40s, 50s ,60s and 70s.










In terms of pulling at one's heartstrings it is along the lines of the wonderful Life is Beautiful (La Vita è bella) by the wonderful Roberto Benigni. I also find those two films similar because the backdrop is based on real events through time and history. I love how you get a sense of what it must've felt like to be in that situation. Just amazing.

Another one I should mention is Not one less. A low budget film, it reportedly stars no actors. All of the people in the film are just normal people that Yimou found. It is such a simple story, but so sweet, and lovely. It is one of my sister's favourite films.

Of course then there are the recent blockbusters Hero and House of Flying Daggers. It's so easy to compare the two, as they were released so close together and both star Zhang Ziyi. I'm not sure which one I liked better but I absolutely loved the way that colours were used in the landscape scenes in House of Flying Daggers. The way it was filmed and done with the frozen water and everything, it was breathtaking.

If you have never watched a Zhang Yimou film, you should. You won't regret it! :)

NB: The beautiful film To Live, which won a prestigious award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1994, is banned in China which is ironic given it was made here and starred Chinese actors/actresses. But if you have seen the film you can understand why. There is the sensitive issue with the cultural revolution and that tumultuous era.

PS: Under no circumstances should you go and look it up on imdb. Unless you want to know pretty much everything that happens!