Sunday, May 30, 2010

Dennis Hopper (1936 - 2010)

Dennis Hopper, best remembered as the star and director of the unlikely hit "Easy Rider" passed away last night at the age of 74 in his home. Hopper began his Hollywood career in two James Dean films but soon developed a reputation for throwing tantrums and abusing alcohol and drugs.

His big break came when he collaborated with Peter Fonda on a script about two pot-smoking, drug-dealing hippies on a cross-country motorcycle trip. The film, "Easy Rider" was a hit at Cannes, netted a best-screenplay Oscar nomination for Hopper, Fonda and Terry Southern, and has since been listed on the American Film Institute's ranking of the top 100 American films.

With Hopper hailed as a brilliant filmmaker, Hopper was given $850,000 for his next project, "The Last Movie." But no thanks to his drug and drink addictions, it took Hopper nearly a year to edit the movie that eventually crashed and burned at the box office, forcing him to leave Hollywood to find work in Europe. He made a memorable comeback in Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 Vietnam War epic "Apocalpyse Now" and slowly worked his way around Hollywood once more with roles in the 1980s movies "Rumblefish", "The Osterman Weekend", "My Science Project" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2".

More recently, he was seen in the 1994 hit "Speed" as its maniacal villain and in Kevin Costner's box-office bomb "Waterworld". Fans of "24" will also recall his role as the Serbian mobster Victor Drazen in the TV series' second season. He also subsequently starred in "Hell Ride"- a Grindhouse-inspired film- and the critically-acclaimed "Elegy" better known for Ben Kingsley's powerful performance.

For his 50-plus odd years in Hollywood, Dennis Hopper was awarded a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame in 2010 and though he appeared to receive the award, he was already looking frail from his longstanding battle against prostrate cancer. Thanks to his erratic habits, Hopper will always be remembered as Hollywood's wild child, but let that not diminish his achievements that include roles in some of the best or most well-known films from each decade of the last half-century. 

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Gary Coleman (1968 - 2010)

Probably one of the most famous African-American sitcom actor in the eighties, Gary Coleman has passed away at the age of 42 following hospitalization for an intracranial hemorrhage. Coleman is best known for playing Arnold Jackson in the long-running sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes". Readers belonging to Generation Y and beyond might shrugged their shoulders but the rest of us will surely recall "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?". Rest in peace.

Friday, May 28, 2010

DVD...DVD...DVD...DVD...DVD...

This long weekend, check out your nearest video store or retail for the latest DVD releases including Alice In Wonderland where you tumble down the rabbit hole with Alice for a fantastical new adventure from Walt Disney Pictures and Tim Burton. In an indie attempt of being Kick-Ass, Woody Harrelson armed only with a childlike sense of wonder and his quirky arsenal of cheap, homemade gadgets, he becomes Defendor! For a little arthouse speciality, check out It's Not Me I Swear, an coming of age film from Canadian filmmaker Philippe Falardeau.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Lego Prince Of Persia Trailer



Narrated by Jake Gyllenhaal, this Lego version of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time trailer basically sums up the whole plot. Avoid this if you haven't seen the Prince in cinemas.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Japanese Commercials VIII

Nikon Coolpix camera anyone? Yes Takuya Kimura is everywhere.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Japanese Commercials VII

Here's Takuya Kimura touting Nissin cup noodles in the supermarket. Trust me, this guy is everywhere!

Friday, May 21, 2010

Japanese Commercials VI

Once you land at Narita International airport, there's a high chance that the first celebrity you 'encounter' will be Takuya Kimura (木村拓哉). The King of Japanese drama is a hot item with advertisers. Here he is a spokesman for TamaHome, a company dealing in construction and architectural design etc. Here's the link

Thursday, May 20, 2010

A Music Evolution for Sex and the City 2

The original soundtrack features 18 songs performed by several platinum-selling artists, including brand new music by Alicia Keys, Cee-Lo, Dido, a collaboration track by Jennifer Hudson and Leona Lewis, and more!

Michael Patrick King, Writer & Director of Sex and the City 2, says: "One of the main themes of the movie is the personal evolution of the four iconic female characters Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha.

The plot deals with who they were, who they are, and who they will become in the future. The evolution of music plays such a giant part in each of our own personal evolutions in life. Who we listened to then, who we listen to now and who we will be listening to next.

So, it’s no surprise that the musical selections on this soundtrack CD have an evolution to them as well - including music from the past, the present and exciting new music that will hopefully become part of your own personal music evolution."

Now, we wait with bated breath till 27 May (the release date of this soundtrack album) to see what kind of music evolution it has in store for us. So watch out for our review!

Meanwhile, check out the review for the first Sex and the City soundtrack album here.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

"I Will Always Have the Utmost Respect for Wing Chun," says Donnie Yen

The resounding success of Ip Man 2 across Asia in recent weeks has been marred by reports alleging lead star Donnie Yen's apparent arrogance towards Wing Chun. For those who haven't heard, Donnie was quoted at a promotional event for the movie in China for saying: "I feel Ip Man's success had nothing to do with Wing Chun. If I had fought in Hung Kuen, Hung Kuen would be popular. Summer, autumn or winter (joking about the 'Chun' in Wing Chun's Chinese name, which literally means spring), the result would have been the same."

Subsequent reports had Grandmaster Ip Chun, eldest son of Ip Man, lambasting Donnie's arrogance: "To say the movies had nothing to do with Wing Chun, please compare them with his other movies and if they were successful. I don't wish to judge, the public can see for themselves." And of course, as Ip Chun himself descended on our sunny island to promote the upcoming Ip Man prequel, The Legend is Born, the press took the opportunity to hear from the Grandmaster himself.

"There was a magazine that published a photo of me scolding Donnie for what he said. What the magazine didn't say was that the picture was taken a long time ago. In fact, I don't even know there was such a photo," Ip Chun said. "Why would I want to scold Donnie? At my age, it'll only be at the expense of my health!"

"Actually Donnie called me the night when the news broke, and he said that he has always and will always have the utmost respect for Wing Chun," said Ip Chun. "And I think Wing Chun practitioners out there should be heartened to hear that." So there, for all the apparent hoo-ha over the rift between Ip Chun and Donnie Yen, it seems that Donnie has done his due diligence to clarify matters.

For more exciting coverage of the The Legend is Born: Ip Man press conference, watch for our stories come 17 June (sorry, that's press embargo for you).

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Robin Hood's Beautiful Girls


During a press junket for Robin Hood, Russell Crowe aka Robin Hood and his merry men sing their own rendition of Sean Kingston’s smash song, Beautiful Girls. Hilarious stuff.

Japanese Commercials V

We mentioned about Masahiro Motoki's rising star in our yesterday post. And it seems he is really in demand these days. Check out another series of cool ads which he did for ANA Business Class under TVCM.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Japanese Commercials IV

That's Masahiro Motoki (本木雅弘), star of the Academy-award winning Departures touting the latest Sharp LED Aquos. The TV actor has finally make it's mark with his acclaimed performance in the movie and caught the attention of the major corporations. Check out the ad right here.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Japanese Commericals III

What's JAVA TEA? Coffee + Tea? We aren't exactly sure what's java tea but with Takeshi Kaneshiro's face plastered on the vending machine, fans of Kaneshiro will embrace the drinks like hot cakes. The Japanese are so fortunate.

Friday, May 14, 2010

Japanese Commercials II

Everyone loves to ogle at pretty stuff. In this Panasonic Viera ad, Japanese actress/model Koyuki 小雪 (Blood: The Last Vampire) can be seen standing alongside a black stallion. Simple, classy yet brought the message across. Check out the ads here.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

IP MAN: The Legend is Born

Master IP Chun (eldest son of Master IP Man) and the leading cast of IP MAN: The Legend is Born, Dennis To Yu Hang, Fan Siu-wong and Rose Chan are coming to town on the 19th May for a day trip to promote this upcoming summer action blockbuster. The movie stars IP Chun, the eldest son of Master IP Man, as Leung Pik, IP Man’s second Wing Chun master, Dennis To Yu Hang, the youngest World Kung Fu Champion of Hong Kong who plays the young IP Man and FAN Siu-wong, who also performed in the IP Man series. Not only will the movie showcase some of the rarely seen Wing Chun techniques, e.g. Eight Slashing Knives, Six and a Half Point Pole, pitting against Brazilian Jiu-jitsu, and Karate, audiences can look forward to more impressive heart pounding actions in the sparring between two Wing Chun masters! During the 1-day stopover, the cast will be attending a Press Conference at Dian Xiao Er at Tampines ONE and making a mall appearance at City Square Mall at 6:30PM. Fans can expect some action with sparring and demonstration by Master IP Chun and the cast together with Singapore Wing Chun group.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Hollywood Stars In Japan V

Don't be surprised to know that Tommy Lee Jones's scraggy face is a front for BOSS coffee in Japan. Jones who has not been in a studio movie for a while will be likely be back in the earlier announced Men In Black 3 with Will Smith.

Monday, May 10, 2010

ALICE IN WONDERLAND on Blu-ray™, DVD & JUST MOVIE 25, May 2010

From Walt Disney Pictures and visionary director Tim Burton comes an epic fantasy adventure ALICE IN WONDERLAND, a magical and imaginative twist on some of the most beloved stories of all time. Capturing the wonder of Lewis Carroll, ALICE IN WONDERLAND comes to Blu-ray and DVD on May 25, 2010. The Blu-ray is priced at $49.90, standard DVD at $26.90 and JUST MOVIE at $16.90. Alice in Wonderland Blu-ray and standard DVD contains these exclusive bonus features, The Mad Hatter, Finding Alice and Effecting Wonderland.

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Are You Ready for the Coolest Film of the Summer?

If you aren't yet too thrilled by anything Hollywood has to offer this summer, well Christopher Nolan's new film just might change your mind. Much has been shrouded in secrecy till this point about Nolan's followup to The Dark Knight but what we do know is that it's set in a world where dreams and reality merge, where technology has provided us the means and the liberty to invade a person's mind to steal his/her dreams. Sound cool enough for you?

Warner Bros has just released the first full-length theatrical trailer of what promises to be an amazing sci-fi thriller boasting an international star-studded cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Ellen Page, Dileep Rao, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Marion Cotillard, and Michael Caine.

We at movieXclusive wantyou to be among the first to catch this awe-inspiring trailer. Just watch our trailer box at the top right hand corner of the page!

Friday, May 07, 2010

Japanese Commercials

Always trust the Japanese to come up with eye-catching commercial campaigns. This one starring Takashi Sorimachi (GTO) for troubled carmaker, Toyota. Check out the series of cool ads here.

Thursday, May 06, 2010

AU REVOIR TAIPEI

A Taiwanese movie produced by Singapore talents gross over NT$15mil in Taipei within 2 weeks of film release. Directed by first-time director Arvin Chen, Au Revoir Taipei has put up a good performance grossing NT$15million in box office takings. The film’s commercial success follows a series of critical acclaim garnered through international film festivals. Au Revoir Taipei tells the tale of Kai (Jack Yao), a broken-hearted young man who hopes to leave Taipei for the romantic city of Paris to be with his girlfriend. In a bid to master French, he spends time at the language section of the local bookstore and meets a sweet young girl named Susie (Amber Kuo). And in an attempt to raise enough money for his air ticket to Paris, Kai accepts a dubious offer from a local gangster to deliver a mysterious package to the City of Lights. At the end of the film, Kai has to decide whether or not to bid farewell to Taipei (hence the film’s title Au Revoir Taipei) and the girl he truly loves. Au Revoir Taipei comes to Singapore screens in July 2010. The director and cast members are expected to make a special meet-and-greet appearance when the film debuts in Singapore.

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

DVD...DVD...DVD...DVD...DVD...

Chinese New Year is long over. But you can still feel the festive spirit well alive on home video that is. For the record, there were three 'he sui pians' (贺岁片) released during the Lunar New Year this year. This was the only one that didn't manage to secure a theatrical release- Here Comes Fortune. And if you have missed the other two which received a theatrical release, the star power of Shaw-TVB's 72 Tenants of Prosperity and the marquee name of All’s Well Ends Well 2010. All are available now on VCDs and DVDs with 72 Tenants of Prosperity being the only one blessed with the original Cantonese audio track.

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Hollywood/Asia Stars In Japan IV

It's not just Hollywood stars who are having a field day touting products in Japan. HK action star Sammo Hung I'm sure received a fat (oops..) paycheck for touting Suntory Black Oolong Tea. Check out the TV ad here. Sammo can be seen in theaters opposite Donnie Yen in Ip Man 2.

Monday, May 03, 2010

Hollywood Stars In Japan III

While he is not busy being Wolverine, Hugh Jackman is touting Asahi Super Dry beer (supposedly Japan's No.1 beer). You can watch his super cool TV ad right here

MX NewsBites Archive