|
NEWS ITEMS December 2007 Dec 31: "Curse of the Golden Flower", released in the UK earlier this year, is included on the DVD times.co.uk Top Ten Films list: "The only non-English language film to make the list is Zhang Yimou's historical epic, a visually sumptuous film with commanding lead performances by Gong Li and Chow Yun-Fat." Dec 30 (U.S., 8:01am) / Dec 31 (China, 12:01am): Wishing Gong Li peace, good health and abundance...
Dec 29: According to Shanghai Hotline, "My Blueberry Nights" has had good box office results during its first week of limited release in China, taking in $1.4 million. Additional prints have been ordered and the number of screenings increased. Box office results are predicted to remain "steady" throughout the New Year holiday. In addition to the draw of director Wong Kar-Wai and the Hollywood stars of the film, "top Chinese movie actress Gong Li, Jiang Wen, Xu Jinglei, Zhao Wei, Zhang Zhen, Dong Jie... dubbing interpretation attracts bigger audiences." Dec 24: Thanks to Muzi for the link to video from the December 21 premiere of "My Blueberry Nights" in Beijing. Gong Li did not attend the event; director Wong Kar-Wai said that she was busy with other activities. Included in the video report are small clips from the dubbed version of the film. "My Blueberry Nights" is competing for a portion of the year-end box office where two Chinese blockbusters are dominating the marketplace. One theatre manager told a reporter, "Wong Kar-Wai's film still has appeal, it has Hollywood stars, it has Gong Li dubbing, so cannot be overlooked." ->Video A reporter asked Wong Kar-Wai about Gong Li's interest in dubbing the Rachel Weisz role. He answered: "At this year's Cannes Film Festival, she watched the film and told me she liked this role and envied Rachel Weisz. So, I told her at that time the Chinese dubbed version must be done by her. Later, this idea of Gong Li dubbing the Chinese version matured... I also told Rachel Weisz that Gong Li would be dubbing her role. She immediately said that she was honored to have Gong Li dub her role." Dec 23: While the reviews of "My Blueberry Nights" have been "mixed" in China, and there is criticism of some of the voice-over work, there has been consistent praise for Gong Li's work. From the Xi'an News Network: "Although not all the dubbing stars' work is exciting... people feel Gong Li's dubbing is absolutely brilliant." From the Evening News: "The most outstanding performance is from Gong Li." NewPath had the opportunity to see the film in Beijing on Saturday, and feels Gong Li's voice-over work is fantastic. Dec 20: During an interview to promote the release of "My Blueberry Nights" in China on Saturday, Wong Kar-Wai mentioned Gong Li's dubbing work. He said that after watching her work he told her, "You should shoot a Tennessee Williams story with Jiang Wen" [her co-star in "Red Sorghum"; he did the dubbing for her character's husband in "My Blueberry Nights"]. Wong noted that while Gong Li and Jiang Wen did not do their dubbing work at the same time, the end result was pleasingly "shocking". Apparently, the director did not previously believe he could get good results in voice-over work. Dec 19: A preview screening of "My Blueberry Nights" was held yesterday in China, and many members of the media attended. From an Evening News review: "After viewing the entire piece, Gong Li's voice-over most reflected her character. When the film premiered in Cannes, everyone agreed that the supporting roles were more complex than the main characters. In the dubbed version this is equally so, Gong Li and Zhao Wei far exceeded the performances of Chang Chen and Dong Jie... Gong Li's vocal work pleasantly surprised. Her breathing and crying sounds all match just right." Another reporter wrote: "Several of the voice-over actresses are quite good, especially Zhao Wei and Gong Li dubbing the interpretation of Natalie Portman and Rachel Weisz, they were accurate with their expressions and rhythm." Dec 17: Chinese actress Dong Jie was interviewed today about the dubbing sessions for "My Blueberry Nights". She said she was pleased to have the opportunity to chat with Gong Li and watch her work. Dong said, "I like her very much," and complimented her on her vocal work and temperament. Dec 16: Pop superstar Jay Chou, who played Gong Li's son in "Curse of the Golden Flower", spoke about her again yesterday during a press conference to promote a concert. A reporter asked him which female artist is the most important to him. He said: "Gong Li. She is my 'Queen Mother', I very much respect her. She is the light of the Chinese, in my mind she is just like a goddess... I think Gong Li is the good example of a Chinese star that people should study." Thanks to Cocoa for this info: John "Cusack mentioned a little bit about 'Shanghai' on a TV program this morning. He said 'the script was fantastic' and he is glad to work with Hafstrom again. That's about it." Dec 15: During a movie exhibition in Nanning, the Chilean Ambassador spoke about meeting Gong Li earlier this year at the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. At that time, he delivered to her a formal invitation to visit Chile issued by the Chilean president. This week, he commented that he has gotten to know her and understand China while watching her movies. He also said, "I am pleased to recognize the outstanding actress Gong Li. I was very pleased with our talk, and we even talked about environmental issues. Gong Li asked me when I could bring Chilean movies to China. Now, I am pleased to say I have brought Chilean films to Nanning." Dec 14: According to reports in the Chinese media today, director Francis Lawrence mentioned a few big name Chinese movie stars during a press conference to promote the release of "I am Legend". He spoke about his upcoming project, "Snow and the Seven", rumored to star Jet Li, and reportedly stated that he hopes he can also enlist Chow Yun-Fat, Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi for roles in the film. Hopefully, this is just another case of a director's wish list - similar to Brett Ratner's for "Rush Hour 3" - and nothing comes of it. The synopsis of "Snow and the Seven", according to imdb.com: "A retelling of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' set in British colonial China, where Shaolin monks take in a refuge girl." Dec 13: Additional photos that were taken during the "My Blueberry Nights" dubbing session were posted online today, along with a larger version of one previously posted. One reporter describes Gong Li's participation as "fate" because she attended the film's premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and expressed to director Wong Kar-Wai that she was especially moved by Rachel Weisz's performance. The Chinese actors who have provided the Mandarin dialog are: Gong Li (Weisz's character), Jiang Wen (David Strathairn), Chang Chen (Jude Law), Dong Jie (Norah Jones), Zhao Wei (Natalie Portman).
A Chinese entertainment site includes an article about the top celebrities who are from Jinan. Gong Li ranks No. 1, Jackie Chan No. 2. The article includes mentions of several of Gong Li's achievements (Golden Roosters awards, Hundred Flowers awards, Venice Film Festival award, France's Arts & Letters medal, UNESCO's Artist For Peace, FAO Food Ambassador, first Chinese to preside over a Western film festival jury). The article concludes: "We all thought that Gong Li lives abroad during much of the year. In fact, Gong Li spends much of her time in Jinan at her Jinan home in order to accompany her mother. Gong Li is not only the pride of Jinan, she is the pride of China. According to Chinese, she is the most influential international actress!" Dec 11: The folks at FemaleFirst.co.uk are counting down their Ten Best Films of 2007, one each day. "Curse of the Golden Flower", released in the UK in April, comes in at No. 10: "With a $45 million production budget the film once again highlights the popularity of Eastern cinema as these movies continue the march into the mainstream. An impressive cast, which includes Chow Yun Fat and Gong Li, have been assembled to tell the story of the royal family of AD928... With Curse of the Golden Flower the major conflicts are intellectual and emotional, as opposed to physical, as this dysfunctional family tears itself apart." Dec 4: There is another article on sina.com today about the "My Blueberry Nights" dubbing session. It includes a mention of Gong Li's current schedule, info reportedly provided by her spokesperson, Li Yan-yan: After completing the voice-over work in Beijing, Gong Li was to travel to Hong Kong to do some filming of advertisements, and then continue preparatory work on her next movie, "Shanghai". Dec 3: Gong Li completed the dubbing work for "My Blueberry Nights" during a twelve hour session this weekend. She did the Mandarin voice-over work for the character Rachel Weisz plays in the film, as a favor to director Wong Kar-Wai. Wong was very pleased with the results, saying: "She is not just a very good actor, but also a very good voice-over actor. She understands her characters very thoroughly, very deeply." The film will be released in China later this month.
During an interview published on moviesonline.ca, John Cusack mentioned "Shanghai". When asked if he has any projects lined up prior to a possible Screen Actors Guild strike next year, he answered: "Yeah, actually I have two. One is called 'The Factory' and the other one is 'Shanghai', a film set in China. I'm not sure what I'm going to do but hopefully that'll work out." Dec 1: An interview with Gong Li is published today on Beijing This Month. She spoke about her role as an Olympics Ambassador: "When I attend movie festivals or other events, most questions that reporters ask me are about the Beijing Olympic Games. I always answer with confidence, especially when some reporters do not know China and have misunderstandings about China, on topics such as air quality, food safety and others. I hope that the 2008 Olympic Games will help the world learn more about China, and that the Chinese people can learn more about the world." >Read Article
|
