Director Nao Hing and Hong Kong mega-star Andy Lau Tak-wah reunite after 18 years (when Lau produced Hing's “Crazy Stone”) to bring to life a rather funny Hong Kong (and not only) film industry satire, with “The Movie Emperor”. Inappropriately labelled as a Chinese New Year movie and following its triumphant premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in September and the Pingyao International Film Festival in October 2023, the film's theatrical release during Chinese New Year 2024 proved unexpectedly disappointing, grossing just 83 million yuan, probably obscured by more classical and joke-filled comedies, as expected in those festivities.
The Movie Emperor was screened at Udine Far East Film Festival
Dany Lau (Andy Lau) is a veteran megastar with a large fan base, who has been around long enough to start thinking he needs and/or deserves a lifetime achievement award, something like an Oscar. Shortlisted for the Best Actor prize at the Hong Kong Film Awards,...
The Movie Emperor was screened at Udine Far East Film Festival
Dany Lau (Andy Lau) is a veteran megastar with a large fan base, who has been around long enough to start thinking he needs and/or deserves a lifetime achievement award, something like an Oscar. Shortlisted for the Best Actor prize at the Hong Kong Film Awards,...
- 5/5/2024
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
‘The Movie Emperor’ Review: Andy Lau Plays Vain Version of Himself in Hong Kong Megastar Meta-Satire
In America, doing what Andy Lau does in Hong Kong film industry satire “The Movie Emperor” would likely net him an Oscar nomination. Or at least an MTV Movie Award. Or maybe just the admiration of his peers, considering how few stars are willing to poke fun at their own image, much less entertain the question of what might happen if their fans were to turn on them tomorrow.
Reteaming with “Crazy Stone” director Ning Hao for an ultra-polished, good-sport parody of A-list vanity, Lau plays Dany Lau — not quite himself, but a megastar of roughly his own stature. The movie is loaded with inside jokes, but like French series “Call My Agent,” it should have no trouble translating around the globe. Between Lau’s international standing — bolstered by roles in everything from “Infernal Affairs” to “A Simple Life,” plus a Cantopop singing career — and the script’s deft way...
Reteaming with “Crazy Stone” director Ning Hao for an ultra-polished, good-sport parody of A-list vanity, Lau plays Dany Lau — not quite himself, but a megastar of roughly his own stature. The movie is loaded with inside jokes, but like French series “Call My Agent,” it should have no trouble translating around the globe. Between Lau’s international standing — bolstered by roles in everything from “Infernal Affairs” to “A Simple Life,” plus a Cantopop singing career — and the script’s deft way...
- 10/21/2023
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda (“Shoplifters”) returned for a second evening at the Tokyo International Film festival’s Asia Lounge talk series, which features dialogues between leading Asian film directors and their Japanese peers.
On a video link from Taiwan, Kore-eda’s onscreen guest was award-winning filmmaker Huang Xi. Her debut feature, “Missing Johnny” won the Taipei Film Festival best screenplay award in 2017.
The two shared far-reaching connections with Taiwanese auteur Hou Hsiao-hsien,” with whom Huang had worked on such films as “Goodbye South Goodbye,” and “The Assassin.”
Kore-eda praised “Missing Johnny” for scenes including one with actress Rima Zeidan and a parrot, which the camera catches in the street, among greenery, and from a distance, rather than in close-up. “The area was good for portraying just how small human beings can be against the height of the trees,” said Huang.
“I had many long takes because I became interested in certain scenes,...
On a video link from Taiwan, Kore-eda’s onscreen guest was award-winning filmmaker Huang Xi. Her debut feature, “Missing Johnny” won the Taipei Film Festival best screenplay award in 2017.
The two shared far-reaching connections with Taiwanese auteur Hou Hsiao-hsien,” with whom Huang had worked on such films as “Goodbye South Goodbye,” and “The Assassin.”
Kore-eda praised “Missing Johnny” for scenes including one with actress Rima Zeidan and a parrot, which the camera catches in the street, among greenery, and from a distance, rather than in close-up. “The area was good for portraying just how small human beings can be against the height of the trees,” said Huang.
“I had many long takes because I became interested in certain scenes,...
- 11/3/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Hsu Zi-qi has just moved into a new apartment. She opts for a more simplistic life by dedicating herself to the pet parrots she raises, as well as losing herself in her job. These actions help her forget her past and, in particular, her romantic desires. After helping her rescue one of her birds, a handyman named Feng catches the woman’s interest. Hsu starts following the handyman while he completes his duties, and the two connect on a more personal level as they discuss their troubled pasts and current problems.
Missing Johnny is screening at the 17th New York Asian Film Festival
Underscoring the difficulties Hsu faces as a woman trying to find herself, “Finding Johnny” also explores the lives of the family that owns the building. With each member of the family dealing with their own daily pressures, they struggle to keep the family unit happy. By taking...
Missing Johnny is screening at the 17th New York Asian Film Festival
Underscoring the difficulties Hsu faces as a woman trying to find herself, “Finding Johnny” also explores the lives of the family that owns the building. With each member of the family dealing with their own daily pressures, they struggle to keep the family unit happy. By taking...
- 7/9/2018
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
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