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GONG
LI
NEWS JULY - DECEMBER 2010
Dec
31: HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Gong Li! I emailed fans' greetings to her manager.
Dec
14: Georg Szalai interviewed Gong Li for the Hollywood Reporter recently in NYC.
Excerpt: "At the moment I am looking at near future plans. I have two
Chinese scripts and will probably pick one of them. So, my next film will
probably be a Chinese film. And after that, the two other scripts I am
considering are Hollywood films; I'll probably choose one of those as the
film after that." ->Interview
 Dec
9: After the NASDAQ opening bell ceremony, "What Women Want" director
Chen Daming and Gong Li met with reporters. An interview with Chen was published
in the Hollywood Reporter. "I worked with the two biggest stars in Asia...
It was a fantastic experience. We became very close. Being an actor myself, I
think I understand actors better than most Chinese directors. You know how
sensitive actors can be. For Gong Li, this is a completely different role. She
never played a business woman before. When we worked on the script, I realized
she is a real woman and sensitive, polite and has a sense of humor. She is not
what you see in other movies. I wanted to see her in this role - the real Gong
Li."
->Read
Article ->Photos
->Video
Interview of Gong Li and Chen Daming
 Gong Li and Dong Yu, Bona Film Group Limited CEO, rang the NASDAQ opening
bell this morning to celebrate the company's initial public offering.
->Photos
->Arrival
video1 ->Video2
->Video3 ->InterviewVid
Dec
5: Thanks to Gong Li's manager for sending me news of an upcoming appearance:
the kick-off event on December 9 in NYC for a Chinese film distribution company that
will be the first to be listed on NASDAQ. He pointed out that the event is very
meaningful for Chinese. Related news from CriEnglish.com: "Bona Film Group
Limited (BONA), China's leading privately owned film distributor, is scheduled
to go public on December 9th on the Nasdaq Global Market of the United States...
The company plans to sell up to an estimated $80 million of American depositary
shares in its initial public offering."
 Nov
18: Photos from the "What Women Want" media conference in Beijing
today... GO!
Link: ->Movie
Trailer
Nov
17: A media conference for "What Women Want" will be held on the 18th
at 2:30pm. Gong Li and Andy Lau will
attend, and the first trailer will be screened. The conference will be broadcast
live on Sina.com.
Oct
31: According to two bloggers' reports, Gong Li will film a L'Oreal commercial
tomorrow.
Oct
30: Gong Li made an appearance at a Midea company event to celebrate their
recent sales success.
->Link
to photos on Sohu.com
Oct
26: Variety reports that "Shanghai" will be screened at the Stockholm
Film Festival, which runs November 17-28.
 Oct
24: Gong Li attended the opening show of China International Fashion Week today,
wearing Aimer.
->Gallery
->Video:
Interview ->Video:
Arrival/Show
 Oct
23: Gong Li attended a Tiffany & Co. event tonight in Beijing.
->Gallery
->Video1
->Video2
Oct
22: Steven Zeitchik writes in the Los Angeles Times about "Hollywood's
little secret: movie purgatory" and mentions "Shanghai":
"Mike Medavoy, a longtime producer and studio executive who was instrumental in
such hits as Annie Hall and Terminator 2, has watched as
his passion producing project, Shanghai
has remained on the shelf at the Weinstein Co. for nearly three years. 'I
try not to get upset because it's something I can't control,' said Medavoy. 'But every once in a while I do say to myself:
I wonder if that movie will
ever come out?' Directed by the Swedish filmmaker Mikael Hafstrom, Shanghai stars
Cusack and an all-star international cast... The World War II mystery-noir is built on an appealing premise: a man arrives in
Japanese-occupied Shanghai to investigate the unexplained death of a friend. But
the movie has languished amid reports within the industry of creative
disagreements, corporate financial difficulties and a perceived diminished
audience for large-scale period dramas. (Contacted by The Times, a Weinstein Co. executive said that a contractual
obligation that the movie comes out in China first is the primary source of the
delay. With the film released there last summer, he said, the company is making
plans to bring out Shanghai in the United States in early 2011.)"
Oct
20: "Shanghai" will be released on Region 3 DVD November 4! If
you have an all region player, the DVD can be pre-ordered at YesAsia...
->Region
3 Disc Details ->Blu-ray
Details
Korean actress Kong Hyo-jin,
who recently starred in the hit Korean TV series "Pasta", mentioned Gong Li during an interview.
"There are
many excellent Chinese directors and actors, but I am more profoundly impressed
by actresses. I especially like Gong Li and Maggie Cheung. As a child, I
frequently saw Gong Li in outstanding works... it seems her temperament cannot
be replaced by other actors. As an actor, I really want to be like Gong Li. If I
can work with Gong Li... that thought is so exciting."
Oct
6: The director and producer of "What Women Want" spoke with Louisa
Lim of NPR. Producer Dede Nickerson: "A lot of my successful Chinese [male]
friends are businessmen, playboys who like to party down, and many of my
girlfriends are very hard-working, successful career women... The film has a
different kind of depth than the original has because of what is going on right
now [in China]. They didn't have these issues 10, even 20 years ago. There
wasn't this thriving, commercial go-getter mentality that's really so pervasive
in society today." Director Chen Daming commented: "What I want
is to do is make the female character stronger than in the original film.
China's a little bit different, because being a Chinese woman living in China is
harder than in the States because you have to fight for everything."
 Sept
19: Paris Match includes a short interview with Gong Li, along with a photo
taken the day of the antique dealers fair. She was asked what she likes about
French culture, and replied that she feels integrated into society, which mixes
all sorts of cultures. She was also asked, "In which films will we soon see
you?" She responded: "In the thriller 'Shanghai' with John Cusack at
the end of the year, then in a Hollywood blockbuster in which I play the wife of
the emperor Genghis Khan." - >Link
Sept
18: "Shanghai" is in release in India, and the reviews are mostly
positive:
From
the Mizoram Express: "Overall, Shanghai is a brilliant nexus of East and
West experiment. The film, besides boasting an excellent cast, is also strong in
its graphic display of shared emotions... a must see."
DNAIndia:
"'Shanghai' is simply captivating... high value production... strong
emotional core... terrific cinematography... The performances from the entire
cast are quiet masterly and compelling enough to make this film a must-see
experience."
Mumbai
Mirror: "'Shanghai' is a well-crafted spy drama that should satisfy those
who have been craving for some classic film noir... Cusack... is dependably
solid. Watanabe and Yun-Fat turn in sparkling performances, while Chinese
superstar Gong Li is perfect as the femme fatale (and might we add, mighty
stunning, especially in that silver dress)."
Times
of India: "This drama might not engage you with its heavy political
overtones, its outdated tenor and its overriding seriousness. But the star cast
definitely will. Boasting some of the best talent of Oriental cinema, Shanghai
draws you into its period intrigue due to some stellar performances and a
seeped-in-history ambience, unfolding as it does as a languid wartime spy
thriller."
The
Hindustan Times critic finds fault with the "cliche-clogged script"
and "pallid direction", but notes the "lush production
values" and "A-list international cast".
The
Hindu: "The international star cast captivates in this handsomely produced
period piece."
Express
India: "Anna, played by Gong Li, who is luminous in her beauty and
mysterious in her aura, tinged at the same time by a hint of inexplicable
sadness. Even as she is falling in love with Soames, the strength of her
feelings for her husband is never under any doubt. In comparison, the rest of
the cast is a mere foil... Enjoy Shanghai for the atmospherics and for Gong
Li."
Sept
14: Gong Li attended a gala dinner last night in Paris prior to the opening of
the 25th Biennial Antique Dealers' Fair at the Grand Palais (Sept. 15-22).
She was escorted by Louis Vuitton Chariman and CEO Yves Carcelle.
->Photos
Sept
2: Edmund Lee interviewed Gong Li for Time Out Hong Kong. (Thanks to Cocoa for
the link.) "Actually, when I'm not in a shoot, not at a film festival, or
not doing interviews, I don't feel that I'm an actress. My profession is in
acting - it's not like I'm doing anything else. But when I see the many
films that I've done� I recognise my responsibility. I know I have many
audiences, and they have high expectations on me. I don't want to disappoint
them, being the best Chinese actress in their opinion. This is my sense of
responsibility. But outside of the time at work, I see myself as an ordinary
person. I won't give myself extra pressure." ->Read
the Interview
 August
14: As reported on our forum earlier this month, Gong Li graces the cover of the
September issue of L'Officiel magazine China. The cover image is online, and
scans of the article and photos should be available after the issue hits the
newsstands in the next few days.
Update
Aug 17: I added more photos from the magazine shoot. ->GO
 July
29: Publicity photos from the set of "What Women Want" have been
released. Gong Li stars with Andy Lau in the project that is currently filming
in Beijing. ->View
Photos
July
28: There is still no new U.S. release date for "Shanghai", although a
source told Alex Ben Block of The Hollywood Reporter that it "will get a
domestic release". From a report about the current Weinstein Co. release
schedule: "'Shanghai,' a co-production with a Chinese company, was pulled
from the release schedule when money woes hit this year. It will get a domestic
release, said the source, though how wide is not clear. It opened last month in
China, a requirement under its original contract."
 July
24: Gong Li was spotted Thursday in Beijing filming a scene with Russell Wong
for "What Women Want". From ScreeningChina.blogspot.com: "China's queen
of the screen Gong Li was filming outside the cinema on Thursday afternoon in
the futuristic surrounds of the MOMA [cinema] complex. The shoot took place just outside
Kubrick cafe, located opposite the cinema. According to BC MOMA's Head
Programmer Wu Jing, it was part of the star actress' new feature Shui zhi nu
ren xin, which roughly translates as 'Who Knows a Woman's
Heart?'"
->Video1
->Video2
July
14: Gong Li and Andy Lau attended a media conference to discuss their project
that is currently filming in Beijing, "What Women Want".
->Video1
(30min.) ->Video2
(2:42min) ->Photos
->Slideshow
 July
8: Gong Li attended the opening ceremony for the Aimer store at the Marina Bay
Sands, Singapore. Nanyangpost.com has a brief video from the media
conference:
->Video
->Photos1
->Photos2
->Slideshow
July
7: Bjorn Teo reviewed "Shanghai" for TheUrbanWire.com; excerpts:
"Director Mikael Hafstrom is subtle yet effective in setting the tone for
the movie early on. You get a sense of tension, betrayal and distrust amongst
everyone. It's in the way people look at each other, in the fake niceties
exchanged at parties, and the flashy smiles that hide a sinister and greater
truth behind it. The quality of Shanghai is enhanced by the impeccable acting
skills of veterans Gong Li and Chow Yun-Fat. Their facial expressions and verbal
intensity added life to the show that Cusack himself failed to... The movie is a
good one overall, with a well thought out plot with few loopholes. John Cusack's performance leaves more to be desired, but Gong Li and Chow
Yun-Fat
more than made up for it with their unmatched versatility and experience in
acting. It's a difficult show to understand and follow, but it shows us a
unique side of World War II not many people know much about: Shanghai."
-->
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