Thursday, October 31, 2013

真愛100天 - 100 Days - Upcoming



真愛100天 (100 Days) is being released in Taipei this weekend. The story of a successful country bumpkin that goes back to his hometown after his mother passes. When a childhood friend takes him around the area around, sparks fly. Why not?! It's a rom-com Taiwan style.

Looking forward to this. Will make it a point to watch this with my wife.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Zhong Guo Box Office - October 27, 2013 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: October 27, 2013


Weekend of October 27, 2013
Rank Film Title
1 The Wolverine (金刚狼2)
2 特殊身份 (Special ID)
3 The Last Stand (背水一战)
4 Now You See Me (惊天魔盗团)
5 Fly Me To The Moon (私奔B计划)
6 我想和你好好的 (Love Will Tear Us Apart)
7 狄仁杰之神都龙王 (Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon)
8 大明劫 (Fall Of Ming)
9 非常幸运 (My Lucky Star)
10 逃出生天3D (Inferno 3D/Out of Inferno)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved October 29, 2013

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters - 女巫獵人



Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (女巫獵人) is an 2013 film. The movie stars Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton, and Famke Janssen. The movie is based on the adult lives of the fairy tale, Hänsel and Gretel.

Hansel and Gretel are taken to the forest by their dad and with a glance, say goodbye to their mother. In the forest, they get lost and stumble on a candy cottage and fight the candy witch to the death. The find out that witch magic doesn't work on them and eventually vanquish the witch by burning her. When they get back to their home, its been burned down. Fast forward 20+ years and the two siblings are witch hunter rock stars. They land in Ansburg as the town sheriff is about to burn a witch. They stop him letting them know that witches have rotting skin and teeth. The mayor has hired them to recover 10 kids that have recently been kidnapped. Let the witch hunt begin.

This movie is a guilty pleasure type film. Witch hunting with shotguns and pistols? Falling form the sky and surviving? Witches that move super fast once in awhile? It was more comic book than real life. Almost like a Xena or Hercules episode. Kick butt, no blood, and win. However, at the end, it does get a little bloody and we see some real deaths.

With a sequel on the way, I wouldn't mind getting on for another ride.



Monday, October 28, 2013

Taiwan Box Office - October 27, 2013 - 台灣票房榜


Weekend of October 27, 2013
Rank Film Title Weeks
1 Escape Plan (鋼鐵墳墓) 2
2 Insidious: Chapter 2 (陰兒房第2章:陰魂守舍) 1
3 Gravity (地心引力) 4
4 Closed Circuit (全面鎖定) 1
5 Lovelace (A片女神 深喉嚨) 1
6 加油! 男孩 (Good Luck! Boy) 1
7 About Time (真愛每一天) 6
8 我的意外爸爸 (Like Father Like Son) 1
9 一首搖滾上月球 (Rock Me To The Moon) 4
10 現場-戰場-夢工場 (LIVE IN LIVE) 1
11 5月天諾亞方舟3D電影 (MayDay Nowhere 3D) 6
12 特殊身份 (Special ID) 2
13 縱行囝仔 (Trekking The Way Home) 3
14 風起 (The Wind Rises) 6
15 Runner, Runner (逆轉王牌) 3
16 總舖師 (Zone Pro Site) 11
17 Diana (黛安娜) 2
18 狄仁傑之神都龍王 (Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon) 4
19 Battle of the Year (BOTY世界Battle) 3
20 林書豪旋瘋 (Linsanity) 3

Source: Yahoo! Movies Taiwan - retrieved October 28, 2013

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Love You You - 夏日樂悠悠



Love You You (夏日樂悠悠) is an 2011 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Eddie Peng and Angelababy. The movie was released in Zhong Guo and Hong Kong. Without a theatrical release, it was broadcast on television in Taiwan.

A little girl is lifted out of the water after a crash but her parents are no where to be found. Sad, we fast forward to her adult life and she's trying to keep her job. But a chance encounter with a client, she demonstrates she can read lips. With her job back, she's sent to Malaysia to spy on a resort owner. When she gets there, they meet and immediately start to bump heads. Angelababy gets a job at the resorts and start to document Eddie Peng's business practices. However, as she stays there, she finds nothing out of the ordinary with Peng, but a hard worker. A couple that has booked their whole resort lands. They however break up and the two of them must get them together. With the two of them make it to love?



This was a fun watch. Silly story. Cheezy set ups. Extreme over the top acting. But it doesn't hide, doesn't apologize for it. It is, therefore I loved it. I think I am just a Eddie fan. Every good guy movie he's in, I like him. He's like my favorite actor these days. Use to be Takeshi Kaneshiro and Tony Leung. But both of them slowed down. Eddie is these days. Angelababy is my favorite actress these days, but I don't go out of my way to watch her films. I do for Eddie.



This is pre buff Eddie as he made this prior to Jump Ashin! Eddie is extremely tan and Angelababy is super pale in comparison. The two of them together make a very nice looking couple on screen.



Saturday, October 26, 2013

The Internship - 實習大叔



The Internship (實習大叔) is an 2013 film. The movie stars Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson. The supporting cast include Rose Byrne, Aasif Mandvi, Josh Brener, Tiya Sircar, Dylan O'Brien, and Tobit Raphael. Will Ferrell makes a cameo and uncredited appearance in the film.

Vince and Owen play a tag team sales troupe for a watch company. When they are about to close on a long standing client, the client tells them that their company has recently shut down. When confronted with little skills outside of selling things, they stumble onto a Google Internship. When they get to Google headquarters, they immediately are alienated due their advance age and lack of computer savvy. However, their positive attitude, outside the box thinking, and dare I say hard work, they start to come around and change not only themselves, but those in their internship.

This movie was so silly. Really, silly. Two sales guys trying to cut it as technical interns. Having been in the internet tech field since the 1990s, the story was a bit far fetched. Although there are no positions on the tech side, the other half of the company is business and it needs lots of sales folks. In reality, sales people don't convert to technical people, they leverage them to close sales. Not that I got that off my chest.



I liked the film. It was a silly coming of age story for both the middle age stars and their post-adolescent interns that they help transfer from socially inept and awkward to confident and ready for the world attitude. A feel good story set in probably one of the best internet tech companies to work for, Google. You'll also see Sergey Brin in a couple of scenes. As some of the things they do are totally on the ball and others are highly imaginary, it hit a cord with me. It's my industry and was familiar ground.



Friday, October 25, 2013

Hong Kong Box Office - October 20, 2013 - 香港票房榜

Hong Kong Box Office - Week Ending: October 20, 2013


Weekend of October 20, 2013
Rank Film Title
1 Gravity (引力邊緣)
2 特殊身份 (Dak Siu San Fan/Special ID)
3 溝女不離3兄弟 (The Best Plan Is No Plan)
4 逃出生天 (3D 逃出生天/Inferno 3D/Out Of Inferno)
5 Make Your Move (鼓舞激情)
6 About Time (回到最愛的一天)
7 Diana (戴安娜)
8 Blue Jasmine (情迷藍茉莉)
9 Rush (一級雙雄)
10 童咒 (Kuroyuri Danchi/The Complex)
... ...
11 被偷走的那五年 (The Stolen Years)
... ...
13 5月天諾亞方舟 (Mayday Nowhere 3D)
... ...
16 爛滾夫鬥爛滾妻 (Mr. And Mrs. Player)
... ...
23 狂舞派 (The Way We Dance)
... ...
25 小時代 2:青木時代 (Tiny Times 2)
... ...
27 激戰 (Unbeatable/Ji Zhan)
... ...
30 非常幸運 (My Lucky Star/Hung Wun Chiu Yun)

Source: Box Office Mojo and WMOOV - retrieved October 23, 2013

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Snitch - 毒火線 - 限時翻供



Snitch (限時翻供/毒火線) is an 2013 film. The movie stars The Rock, Dwayne Johnson. The supporting cast include Barry Pepper, Susan Sarandon, Benjamin Bratt, Jon Bernthal, Melina Kanakaredes, and Nadine Velazquez. The film is inspired by a true story.



The Rock owns a shipping business and is doing well. He has a McMansion in the suburbs of Missouri. His son from his ex-wife accepts a drug shipment and is busted by the DEA. Sent to jail, The Rock tries to get him free. The Rock decides to snitch on a big player in the drug cartel to get his son released from jail sooner. The workers in his yard have criminal history and he get a connection in. From that point on, it's the cat and mouse chase of getting his son of jail without getting himself and his family killed.



The Rock is a presence and I like his movies. I still refer to him as The Rock. The women in the film were nice eye candy, but it was a thriller with bits of action thrown in. A layman going in to set up a drug deal is crazy in itself. To do it for boy in jail and to basically upturn families for the rest of your life. That just seems crazy.

Watch it. The Rock is in it.



Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Zhong Guo Box Office - October 20, 2013 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: October 20, 2013


Weekend of October 20, 2013
Rank Film Title
1 The Wolverine (金刚狼2)
2 特殊身份 (Special ID)
3 Now You See Me (惊天魔盗团)
4 我想和你好好的 (Love Will Tear Us Apart)
5 狄仁杰之神都龙王 (Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon)
6 逃出生天3D (Inferno 3D)
7 The Lone Ranger (独行侠)
8 神奇 (Amazing)
9 非常幸运 (My Lucky Star)
10 禁忌游戏之迷藏 (The Game Of Hide And Seek)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved October 22, 2013

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

New Wong Fei Hung is Eddie Peng



Wong Fei Hung (黃飛鴻) is getting a new film series. Called "Rise Of The Legend (黃飛鴻之英雄有夢)" and stars Eddie Peng (彭于晏). Jing Boran and Wang Luodan round out the cast. Angelababy was originally attached to star as the female lead but is no longer attached to the project. I was just thinking that the Eddie and Angelababy pairing has happened too often. As has Angelbaby and Mark Chao. Don't get me wrong, given the choice between Angelababy and Luodan, I'd pick Angelababy. But the movie isn't even out and Luodan gets a chance to blow us away.



I for one am very glad Eddie Peng got the role for such an iconic character. Eddie's been a favorite of mine since the mid-2000s. We'll see if he can convert his career into a long one.

Some photos from the presser for the movie back in September: article link.


Monday, October 21, 2013

Taiwan Box Office - October 20, 2013 - 台灣票房榜


Weekend of October 20, 2013
Rank Film Title Weeks
1 Escape Plan (鋼鐵墳墓) 1
2 Gravity (地心引力) 3
3 特殊身份 (Special ID) 1
4 About Time (真愛每一天) 5
5 Runner, Runner (逆轉王牌) 2
6 風起 (The Wind Rises) 5
7 Battle of the Year (BOTY世界Battle) 2
8 狄仁傑之神都龍王 (Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon) 3
9 Diana (黛安娜) 1
10 Prisoners (私法爭鋒) 3
11 5月天諾亞方舟3D電影 (MayDay Nowhere 3D) 5
12 總舖師 (Zone Pro Site) 10
13 林書豪旋瘋 (Linsanity) 2
14 謝罪大王 (The Apology King) 1
15 聽見下雨的聲音 (Rhythm of The Rain/Hear Rain) 3
16 Jobs (賈伯斯) 4
17 一首搖滾上月球 (Rock Me To The Moon) 3
18 逃出生天3D (Inferno 3D) 1
19 Rush (決戰終點線) 6
20 被偷走的那五年 (The Stolen Years) 6

Source: Yahoo! Movies Taiwan - retrieved October 21, 2013

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Cold War - 寒戰



Cold War (寒戰) is an 2012 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung. The supporting cast include Charlie Young, Gordon Lam, Chin Kar-lok, Aarif Rahman, Eddie Peng, Andy On, Terence Yin, Grace Huang, J.J. Jia, Byron Mann, and Michael Wong. Andy Lau makes a brief cameo appearance. The movie was will received both domestically and internationally.



A HK PTU team is kidnapped and the asking ransom is 1/3 of the calculations of the police group budget. When the money is taken from the national vault, only 1/3 is taken to the drop off point, the other 2/3 is shipped back. But because the police were in the middle of a sting, the 2/3 movie shipment back was not well guarded and hijacked. The police now have to deal with a kidnapped PTU team where a team member was killed to make an example. Now, they have to figure out who stole the money. With so much at stake, the internal actions of the police are highly scrutinized and subject to internal review. The movie resolves around the power struggle within the force and those that carried out the kidnapping and hijacking.



The movie was a well made machine. Great cast, complex story, engaging internal struggle, and a wild twist at the end. The movie is one for the ages. This is the type of film you want to introduce HK films to your friends, especially if they do not like Wuxia. Although the main cast is from the old school, the ensemble cast includes a lot of whom may be among the next generation of HK stars.






Saturday, October 19, 2013

Who's the PHOB? - Chloe Bennet



Who's the PHOB? Chloe Bennet of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..

Chloe Bennet plays Skye in the new ABC television series Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. But before she gained national attention, she traveled the great yonder to her (paternal) ancestral home of Zhong Guo to try her hand at pop stardom. As she gains more national attention, her pop past is bound to reveal itself again. Will Chloe embrace her Wang surname again? Up until reading her wiki page, I had no idea she had any Asian blood. Born in Chi-town, she's currently an Angelo looking for fame and stardom. I think Chloe's succeeded. Best of luck to a burgeoning career. Agents will only be a launching pad for her.

Yes, yes. I haven't highlighted a PHOB in over ~1.5 years. No one popped out to me during that time. I wanted to do it as a weekly series, than it's taken a long hiatus. However, I think this PHOB is worthy.

<< The last PHOB, Kate Shin...



Friday, October 18, 2013

Hong Kong Box Office - October 13, 2013 - 香港票房榜

Hong Kong Box Office - Week Ending: October 13, 2013


Weekend of October 13, 2013
Rank Film Title
1 Gravity (引力邊緣)
2 逃出生天 (3D 逃出生天/Inferno 3D/Out Of Inferno)
3 About Time (回到最愛的一天)
4 Rush (一級雙雄)
5 爛滾夫鬥爛滾妻 (Mr. And Mrs. Player)
6 被偷走的那五年 (The Stolen Years)
7 Elysium (極樂帝國2154)
8 5月天諾亞方舟 (Mayday Nowhere 3D)
9 Don Jon (性人君子)
10 Lovelace (深喉女神
... ...
11 小時代 2:青木時代 (Tiny Times 2)
... ...
17 狂舞派 (The Way We Dance)
... ...
18 狄仁傑之神都龍王 (Di Renjie Zhi Shen Du Long Wang/Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon)
... ...
19 天眼跟蹤 (Cold Eyes/Gam Si Ja Deul)
... ...
20 激戰 (Unbeatable/Ji Zhan)
... ...
22 非常幸運 (My Lucky Star)
... ...
23 第一次不是你 (The Secret Between Us)

Source: Box Office Mojo and WMOOV - retrieved October 15, 2013

Thursday, October 17, 2013

21 And Over - 21玩過界 - 21成人鳥



21 and Over (21玩過界/21成人鳥) is an 2013 film. The movie stars Justin Chon, Miles Teller, Skylar Astin, and Sarah Wright. The movie was a box success as it almost tripled the budget cost to make the movie.

Chon plays Jeff Chang, a pre-med student about to turn 21. On the day of his birthday, his best friends from high school show up at his doorsteps to celebrate his 21st birthday. Chang's father is there and scares his friends with his fury presence. The father reminds Chang that he has an important medical school interview the next morning. After the father leaves, Chang's friends convince him to go out for 1 drink. Yeah right, 1 drink. As it goes the night gets crazy, Jeff Chang gets wasted, and the night is a cat and mouse chase of stupid on stupid. As the interview time approaches, will Jeff Chang make it?

Chon is a YouTube celeb, but came to fame as one of the Bella's High School friends in the Twilight movies. But Chon is in his 30s now and he looks it when trying to pull off a 21 year old. But it is show biz and younger humans play teenagers all the time. The movie did play to some of the stereotypes that non-Asians have of Asians. Asians are good at school and go on to be doctors and lawyers. The movie tries to flip that around by showing that Jeff Chang can get crazy and messed up like an non-Asian. Imagine that. It also shows that Asians are not perfect and that the stress of expectations can cause them to crack and break. Which to a lesser extend is also a recent stereotype formed from non-positive incidents.

As a whole, I am not a big fan of Alcoholic binge movies. That's a part of American culture I will never fully embrace. In Europe, Alcohol is part of regular consumption and if you get drunk, its shameful. In American culture, that's expected to happen if you want to have a good time. Unfortunately, it's also a cultural expectation in the CJK countries as well.

I like that the producers took a chance with an Asian lead and tried to flip some stereotypes of Asians. What I would have preferred is that Jeff Chang being Asian wouldn't be a selling point and that he's normal, things like academic stress and career ambiguity are part of college life. They did try to throw that same logic onto Jeff Chang's two best friends from college. Unlike Jeff Chang, it was normal and part of being non-Asian.



Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Zhong Guo Box Office - October 13, 2013 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: October 13, 2013


Weekend of October 13, 2013
Rank Film Title
1 狄仁杰之神都龙王 (Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon)
2 Now You See Me (惊天魔盗团)
3 The Lone Ranger (独行侠)
4 我想和你好好的 (Love Will Tear Us Apart)
5 逃出生天3D (Inferno 3D)
6 神奇 (Amazing)
7 Turbo (极速蜗牛)
8 非常幸运 (My Lucky Star)
9 白狐 (The Fox Lover)
10 全民目击 (Silent Witness)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved October 15, 2013

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

林書豪旋瘋 - Linsanity



Linsanity (林書豪旋瘋)is an 2013 film. The movie is a documentary about Jeremy Lin, a NBA basketball player of Taiwanese and Chinese decent. I caught this in Monterey Park on October 6 with my whole family.

Jeremy Lin is a top prep player in the Palo Alto, Northern California area. As a junior high school, he helps lead his team to the state playoffs. But an injury sidelines him and his team. Coming back for an even stronger senior year, Jeremy Lin helps his team when the championship for his region. At the end of that season, Jeremy Lin is name the top Northern California prep player. However, no division I college offered him a scholarship. Instead, he was offered walk on possibilities. After a very successful college career, he went undrafted. But an invite to the summer league with the Dallas Mavericks and a classic showdown with John Wall got NBA teams interested in him. The NBA story didn't go cinderella for awhile. In his first year at Golden State, Jeremy Lin saw little action and was cut the following season. Picked up by the Houston Rockets, he was cut Christmas day and picked up by the Knicks a few days earlier. The Knicks were in a terrible place and the head coach was in danger of being fired. On a fateful night on February 2, 2013, the fortunes of both the Knicks and Jeremy Lin changed forever. The Knicks make the playoffs and Jeremy Lin goes on to world icon status.



The movie was really well made and super inspirational. I have followed Jeremy Lin pretty closely since his senior year at Harvard and the majority of the movie wasn't much of a surprise for me. However, for my wife and older daughter, a lot of the movie was a surprise for them. And they liked the inspirational story of how Jeremy Lin worked hard to achieve his goals. But Jeremy Lin's goals were not his own, but he had a certain priority.

I whole hearted recommend this movie. If you're a basketball fan or not, you don't need to know it to follow this story. I did and I am kicking myself for not contributing to the Kick Starter package. I could have had my name show up in the credits.



Monday, October 14, 2013

Taiwan Box Office - October 13, 2013 - 台灣票房榜


Weekend of October 13, 2013
Rank Film Title Weeks
1 Gravity (地心引力) 2
2 Runner, Runner (逆轉王牌) 1
3 狄仁傑之神都龍王 (Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon) 2
4 Battle of the Year (BOTY世界Battle) 1
5 Prisoners (私法爭鋒) 2
6 About Time (真愛每一天) 4
7 風起 (The Wind Rises) 4
8 Jobs (賈伯斯) 3
9 總舖師 (Zone Pro Site) 9
10 林書豪旋瘋 (Linsanity) 1
11 Rush (決戰終點線) 5
12 聽見下雨的聲音 (Rhythm of The Rain/Hear Rain) 2
13 被偷走的那五年 (The Stolen Years) 5
14 一首搖滾上月球 (Rock Me To The Moon) 2
15 5月天諾亞方舟3D電影 (MayDay Nowhere 3D) 4
16 靈異視 (The Second Sight) 1
17 The Family (黑幫追殺令) 2
18 Hannah Arendt (漢娜鄂蘭:真理無) 2
19 Don Jon (超急情聖) 3
20 Emperor (日落真相) 1

Source: Yahoo! Movies Taiwan - retrieved October 14, 2013

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Jeremy Lin In Taipei for NBA Game

Jeremy Lin lands in Taipei with his current team, The Houston Rockets. The Rockets are set to face the Indiana Pacers. Both played an game a couple of days earlier in Manila. They will head back the United States after this game and prepare for the regular 2013-2014 season. Check out the news coverage. Linsanity also opened in Taipei theaters this weekend. It's all about the Lin this weekend in Taipei.






Saturday, October 12, 2013

Pacific Rim - 環太平洋



Pacific Rim (環太平洋) is an 2013 film. The movie stars Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, and Rinko Kikuchi. The supporting cast include Charlie Day, Robert Kazinsky, and Ron Perlman. The movie is set slightly in the future with most of it taking place around the year 2025.



In the near future, alien creatures have come to earth from the bottom of the ocean and attacked the lands. When the attack first happened, the world joined together to create huge man helmed robots called the Jaeger. The nickname given to the alien creatures was Kaiju. Most of this was explained via newscast style. Fast forward a few years and the Jaeger program has matured and helmed by two people that can access one side of the brain to pilot the Jaegers. The pilots have to slip into dream state that allows them to access each others memories. Once connected, they can pilot the robots. However, the Kaijus grew stronger and attacks more frequent. Jaegar casualties started to increase and the world order decided to build a wall to keep out the Kaijus. Which only 4 Kaiju's left, they were retired to a base near Hong Kong. All the while, a pair of scientist decided to research the Kaijus and found out a way to destroy them. Well the pilots in fighting and the world order prevent the Jaegers from saving the world?



This movie was non-stop action. From the start to the finish. Sprinkled with some human angst storyline, you get the sense that this dog and pony show was only going to win on luck. Luckily, lady luck was on their side. The story was straight foward and sorta a glorified Power Rangers storyline. Big monsters attack land cities, marital arts big robots come to the rescue.



I enjoyed it enjoy to give a watch one recommendation. I would probably leave it on if came on regular tv. Background fodder approved for sure.




Friday, October 11, 2013

Hong Kong Box Office - October 6, 2013 - 香港票房榜

Hong Kong Box Office - Week Ending: October 6, 2013





Weekend of October 6, 2013
Rank Film Title
1 Gravity (引力邊緣)
2 逃出生天 (3D 逃出生天/Inferno 3D/Out Of Inferno)
3 About Time (回到最愛的一天)
4 被偷走的那五年 (The Stolen Years)
5 Elysium (極樂帝國2154)
6 爛滾夫鬥爛滾妻 (Mr. And Mrs. Player)
7 ???
8 狄仁傑之神都龍王 (Di Renjie Zhi Shen Du Long Wang/Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon)
9 Don Jon (性人君子)
10 天眼跟蹤 (Cold Eyes/Gam Si Ja Deul)
... ...
15 狂舞派 (The Way We Dance)
... ...
17 激戰 (Unbeatable/Ji Zhan)/td>
... ...
18 第一次不是你 (The Secret Between Us)

Source: Box Office Mojo and WMOOV - retrieved October 10, 2013

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Now You See Me - 出神入化



Now You See Me (出神入化) is an 2013 film. The movies stars Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg, Mélanie Laurent, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman. This movie was truly an ensemble cast as it included all the characters equally.



A group of magicians is gathered together to pull off a bank heist half a world away. The people are out to get them. Another magician who outs magician for a living are also after them. The group plan more elaborate heist. The cops try to gather as much evidence. The outing magician tries to decipher their tricks. The cat and mouse chase goes from Las Vegas, to Paris, to NOLA, and to the big apple. Who's gonna when?



This movie was well made, had a great cast, a pretty good twist, and a new take on the heist genre. I was at the edge of my seat for a lot of the film. However, towards the end, it started to drag a little. But it picked up again when they got to the twist. The cast of really good looking people also made this a really easy and enjoyable watch. A sequel is on the way and I am looking for to a new franchise.





Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Zhong Guo Box Office - October 6, 2013 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: October 6, 2013


Weekend of October 6, 2013
Rank Film Title
1 狄仁杰之神都龙王 (Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon)
2 逃出生天3D (Inferno 3D)
3 Turbo (极速蜗牛)
4 The Lone Ranger (独行侠)
5 神奇 (Amazing)
6 白狐 (The Fox Lover)
7 81号农场之保卫麦咭 (Farm House 81)
8 全民目击 (Silent Witness)
9 The Smurfs 2 (蓝精灵2)
10 一路顺疯 (Bump In The Road)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved October 9, 2013

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

2013 October Offbeat Movie Guide

October's Blockbusters may get all the attention, but there also are those that dare to walk the path less traveled. You might be one of them. Here's a few "offbeat" movies for you to chew on. This list is based on USA release dates.

A Touch of Sin (天注定)



A.C.O.D.



All Is Bright



Grace Unplugged



Parkland (關鍵目擊)



Vikingdom



All The Boys Love Mandy Lane



I Will Follow You Into the Dark (Into The Dark)



Romeo and Juliet



All Is Lost



12 Years a Slave (自由之心)

Monday, October 7, 2013

Taiwan Box Office - October 6, 2013 - 台灣票房榜


Weekend of October 6, 2013
Rank Film Title Weeks
1 Gravity (地心引力) 1
2 狄仁傑之神都龍王 (Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon) 1
3 Prisoners (私法爭鋒) 1
4 風起 (The Wind Rises) 3
5 Jobs (賈伯斯) 2
6 About Time (真愛每一天) 3
7 被偷走的那五年 (The Stolen Years) 4
8 一首搖滾上月球 (Rock Me To The Moon) 1
9 聽見下雨的聲音 (Rhythm of The Rain/Hear Rain) 1
10 總舖師 (Zone Pro Site) 8
11 5月天諾亞方舟3D電影 (MayDay Nowhere 3D) 3
12 The Family (黑幫追殺令) 1
13 Rush (決戰終點線) 4
14 Don Jon (超急情聖) 2
15 Paranoia (決勝機密) 2
16 我是隻小小鳥 (A Little Bird) 1
17 Redemption (夜刑者) 2
18 拔一條河 (Bridge Over Troubled Water) 5
19 激戰:勇者不敗 (Unbeatable) 3
20 Hannah Arendt (漢娜鄂蘭:真理無) 1

Source: Yahoo! Movies Taiwan - retrieved October 7, 2013

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Zhong Guo Box Office - September 29, 2013 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: September 29, 2013


Weekend of September 29, 2013
Rank Film Title
1 狄仁杰之神都龙王 (Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon)
2 全民目击 (Silent Witness)
3 非常幸运 (My Lucky Star)
4 Turbo (极速蜗牛)
5 金刚王:死亡救赎 (The Wrath of Vajra)
6 白狐 (The Fox Lover)
7 The Smurfs 2 (蓝精灵2)
8 Elysium (极乐空间)
9 Jobs (乔布斯)
10 5月天诺亚方舟 (Mayday Nowhere 3D)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved October 4, 2013

Saturday, October 5, 2013

聽見下雨的聲音 - Rhythm Of The Rain - Upcoming



聽見下雨的聲音 (Rhythm Of The Rain) is being released in Taipei this weekend. The movie is translated as the sound of the falling rain. A ensemble cast of different stories based around rain and love. The cast looks to include mostly pop stars from Taiwan and Zhong Guo. New and old. The cast looks to be led by Alan Kuo, Vivian Hsu, Ginnie, Ashton Chen, Josie Xu, and Zhou Mi. The locations seem to cover Taiwan, Singapore, and Thailand.



Friday, October 4, 2013

Hong Kong Box Office - September 29, 2013 - 香港票房榜

Hong Kong Box Office - Week Ending: September 29, 2013


Weekend of September 29, 2013
Rank Film Title
1 Elysium (極樂帝國2154)
2 被偷走的那五年 (The Stolen Years)
3 爛滾夫鬥爛滾妻 (Mr. And Mrs. Player)
4 Runner Runner (逆轉賭王)
5 狄仁傑之神都龍王 (Di Renjie Zhi Shen Du Long Wang/Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon)
6 We're the Millers (名瞞戅族)
7 Don Jon (性人君子)
8 About Time (回到最愛的一天)
9 激戰 (Unbeatable/Ji Zhan)
10 5月天諾亞方舟 (Mayday Nowhere 3D)
... ...
11 狂舞派 (The Way We Dance)
... ...
15 第一次不是你 (The Secret Between Us)
... ...
19 超級經理人 (Midas Touch)

Source: Box Office Mojo and WMOOV - retrieved October 2, 2013

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Linsanity - 林書豪旋瘋 - Upcoming



Linsanity (林書豪旋瘋) is being released this weekend around the US and in Taipei. Linsanity is the term that got the most play during Jeremy Lin's breakout month in February 2012. A phenomenal start by Jeremy Lin catapulted him into the national limelight. Specifically two covers of Sports Illustrated and on Time magazine. Jeremy took a New York Knicks team that was 7 games below .500 and whom many believed would miss the playoffs to 6 games above .500 and the 7th seed of the Eastern Conference. Due to injury, Jeremy Lin missed the 2012 NBA playoffs. For the 2012-2013 season, Jeremy Lin signed a 3 year deal with the Houston Rockets and looks to start alongside James Harden, Chandler Parsons, and Dwight Howard in his second year at Houston.

The movie Linsanity will cover how he went undrafted out of college, picked up by the Golden State Warriors, being cut twice in December 2011, and to starting as point guard for the New Knicks in February 2012. I for one have followed Jeremy Lin since his senior year at Harvard. To date, my 2009 post about Jeremy Lin as an Harvard Guard is my most view blog post. The second most viewed post would have to quadruple its view count to catch up.

During the "Linsanity" run with the Knicks, I posted about every game. You can search my blog for proof, but I was Lin-crazy and bought too many Knicks Jerseys.

With the re-cap of Linsanity in this upcoming film, it'll be good to go back and reminisce, hoping for a stellar 2013-2014 season for Jeremy Lin, Rocket or not.