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Go To 1998 News:Note: In addition, major articles and interviews with CYF are listed here. Back to The World is Read |
January 1998:
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"I was Eddie Vu (Fokinese), a triad boss.
scene 1 (in chinese) E: Did you let your brother die? Scene 2 (in English) (I assume Chen is CYF )
?: Are we ready........ Scene 3 E: (looking at Vivian), you shouldn't have worked here. Scene 4 E: Who ever goes to the police, I am going to find you and kill everyone of you!" |
Ah, these tantalizing details ... OK, I'm getting psyched about this film too... (And huge thanks to Jesse Tse for the glimpse into TC! If anyone else remembers details of the audition, we'd all be delighted to hear more....)
HK Box Office for the week ending January 28th
Plagiarised directly from Wolverine's HK TOP 10 for January 28th!
| Title | Gross ($US) | Scrns | Wks | Cumulative ($US) [$1 = HK$7.73] |
| 1 Tomorrow Never Dies | 1,389,448 | 28 | 1 | 1,389,448 |
| 2 The Replacement Killers (!!!) | 1,284,623 | 27 | 1 | 1,284,623 |
| 3 Who Am I ? | 1,099,336 | 26 | 2 | 2,236,035 |
| 4 The Lucky Guy | 906,556 | 26 | 2 | 2,055,341 |
| 5 Young & Dangerous V | 694,313 | 24 | 1 | 694,313 |
| 6 Titanic | 611,860 | 7 | 6 | 8,383,943 |
| 7 Flubber | 95,691 | 16 | 1 | 95,691 |
| 8 Love Regret | 12,461 | 5 | 1 | 12,461 |
| 9 Wild Taste | 12,382 | 4 | 1 | 12,382 |
| 10 Cheerleader Strippers | 11,790 | 10 | 1 | 11,790 |
Chow Yun Fat is confident about his American promotion
Excerpted directly from Wolverine's HK TOP 10 for January 28th, item 6! Chow Yun Fat after spending the Lunar New Year with his family flew to Los Angeles on the 1st to prepare for the American premiere of The Replacement Killers.
Replacement was first released in Asia, as box offices in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Malaysia performed well. Fat Gor joked that now he can promote in America without worries. After a series of promotional activities, Fat Gor will begin production on his second Hollywood film The Corruptor. The plot of that movie will be very complicated and Fat Gor's English dialogue will be rather complex. He had to spend twice the time he did on the script of Replacement to memorize the script.
After the promotion, Fat Gor might return to Hong Kong for a few days to run errands. If not, Fat Gor will be away for another 4 to 5 months, as the film will be shot in Toronto, New York and other places. Fat Gor expressed, after The Corruptor, he will reteam with John Woo on his film King's Ransom for the latter half of the year. As for Anna and the King of Siam (The King and I), the script is already on its fifth draft, but Fat Gor said he hasn't signed on to the project yet and still has to consider the role.
Reportedly there was a major villain role in Sean Connery's new film which had Fat Gor in mind, but now he has already turned it down. Fat Gor said he didn't decline the offer because it's a villain role, but he is completely booked for the remainder of the year and couldn't come up with more time. However, he too regretted missing out on the chance to work with Sean Connery.
Hong Kong star finds a bull market in U.S.
By Steven Rea for The Philadelphia Enquirer, Sunday, February 1, 1998. Excerpted directly from Wolverine's HK Top 10 for the week of January 28th, item 20!
If you think Chow Yun-Fat is busy now, think again. The great
Hong Kong movie star makes his Hollywood film debut Friday with The Replacement Killers, an explosive action fest in which he's teamed with a tattooed, gun-toting Mira Sorvino.
In a few weeks, Chow begins shooting The Corruptor, a blazing crime pic (produced by blazing Oliver Stone, set in New York's Chinatown, costarring Mark [Boogie Nights] Wahlberg, to be directed by James Foley). Then, he and the fimmaker who made him an international action god, John Woo, will reteam for a big-budget Hollywood project in which Chow will play an undercover cop. And with, quite possibly, Woo's Face/Off costar, Nicolas Cage along for the ride. "I hope so," says Chow. "He is one of my idols."
Then there's Anna and the King of Siam, a remake of the 1946 Irene Dunne-Rex Harrison classic, subsequently musicalized as The King and I. That one, rumors have it, will star Emma Thoompson as the British governess who goes head-to-head with the stubborn monarch, although Chow couldn't say. "It is still a long way off, but we will definitely make it."
There are other U.S. projects on the boards, too, including Band of Assassins, scripted by John Singleton; a futuristic thriller called Metal Machine, and a Speed-like vehicle titled Rush Hour. Whether or not any in this last batch comes to pass, it seems Chow certainly won't be idle.
Then again, idleness is in the mind of the beholder. Holding court in a New York hotel recently, looking dapper in a black suit, Chow complained about the slow pace of the Hollywood machine. "In 1986, in just one year, I made 12 movies," he says of his Hong Kong days, which produced such gems of kinetic gunplay and hard-boiled heroism as The Killer and A Better Tomorrow.
"And many years, during the period from 1986 to 1990, I can tell that I was working in more than one movie at a time. In the morning I would go to the 'A' movie, in the afternoon to the 'B' movie, at midnight I'd go to the 'C' movie. I don't know why, but the performances come out significantly damn good," he laughs, displaying a new confidence with his English thanks to the dialogue coach he worked with on The Replacement Killers.
"But now, in Hollywood, you're waiting for four years to do a picture....The whole process of making a movie is totally, totally different than in Hong Kong. All the studio issues, the agent process, some restrictions from the lawyers, the contract negotiations....You spend a lot of time on trivial things: 'I want a 42-foot-long trailer.' 'No, what about if we cut it to 38-feet?' You know, something like that.
"Sometimes I like the system in Hong Kong better. Nonstop. You don't have to think about it, just do it do it do it!...
"If I can work in Hollywood and make 12 movies per year, then I will be fine."
CHOW WOWS HONG KONG
By Maureen Sullivan for Variety. Excerpted directly from Wolverine's HK Top 10 for the week of January 28th, item 22!
HONG KONG: The jury's still out on Chow Yun-fat's future in Hollywood, but there's no doubt that he's the man in his hometown.
Chow wowed the 2,500-strong crowd who turned out Jan. 20 for the world premiere of Columbia Pictures "The Replacement Killers," in which he and a tattooed Mira Sorvino shoot up a car wash, movie theater, video arcade and most of L.A.'s Chinatown.
"Jackie Chan is great, but Chow Yun-fat is the most popular movie star," said one Chow loyalist at the premiere.
Chow, 42, started acting more than 20 years ago as a regular on numerous television serials, which earned him a rabid following that has supported him throughout his 70-film career. With his big-brother looks, he usually plays the gentleman gangster, a role he reprises in the Antoine Fuqua-directed film - albeit this time in his newly acquired English.
"I think audiences like Yun-fat the killer because he is a very honorable man who can hold two guns," Chow told a newspaper in Singapore, where he took CineAsia's Star of the Decade award last month.
"Replacement Killers" premiered at the Grand Hall of the new Convention Center, site of the previous night's opening of "Tomorrow Never Dies." Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh also brought out 2,500 folks for the latest James Bond installment, though they certainly didn't attract the nearly 300 media people who shadowed Chow. Also on hand were Fuqua and Col Tri-Star Film Distributors Intl. prexy Duncan Clark, who made the call to open the pic in Asia before opening it Stateside. (It opens wide in the U.S. on Feb. 6.)
The premieres signal the kick off of the Lunar New Year moviegoing season in Hong Kong. As usual, Jackie Chan will also debut his latest offering - this time it's "Who Am I?" - over the holiday, which begins next Wednesday.
The actioners will also have to do battle with a love story. "Titanic" has steamed up the screens across the city, surprising industry watchers who now expect it to soon surpass "Jurassic Park" as the all-time box office title holder.
"Jackie Chan faces a lot of competition," said Woody Tsung, head of the Motion Picture Industry Assn. "Hong Kong audiences are very eager to see Chow Yun-fat make his first Hollywood picture. And with Michelle Yeoh in the James Bond movie, the Hong Kong element is very appealing. And 'Titanic' is very surprising.
"Theater owners should be celebrating", Tsung added.
Comments of Agent Casting Extras for Corruptor
And many thanks to David Lee for courteously forwarding me this note!
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From: Thomas Yee [SMTP:asianact@total.net] Sent: Friday, January 23, 1998 2:54 AM To: Lee, David Subject: Re: CYF Movie So, here's the UPDATE: We had an Open Audition yesterday (Friday January 16) for actor in a new feature film by Oliver Stone in titled "The Corruptor " starring Chow Yun Fat. The turnout was overwhelming. If you were amongst the few that cannot wait due to the long line-up, please accept our apology. And if you did not make it to the open call and still would like to take part in this exciting production, we are accepting photos of people wanting to be Extras. Please mail (regular mail) a photo (close up of face) and a brief description of yourself to: Asian Action Talents, 38 Vanbrugh Ave., Scarborough, Ontario M1N 3S9 Sorry, no phone calls or personal inquiries, we can only accept mail at this time. Once we have a confirmed shooting schedule, we will get in touch with you for Extra work. We need all types of people (passers-by in Chinatown, patrons in restaurant, street vendors, hospital staff, etc.) so, age is not a factor. Again, no experience is required but if you have done extra work before, better still. Talk to you soon, Thomas Yee http://www.oocities.org/Broadway/8828 |
Casting Call for Extras for Corruptor
And many thanks to David Lee for courteously forwarding me this note!
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(NAME) Thomas Yee (Talent Agent) (location of sender) Toronto (sender's address) asianact@total.net (comments) Chow Yun Fat will be in Toronto to shoot his new feature film by Oliver Stone in titled "The Corruptor" and we are searching for Chinese Actors for Supporting Roles and Extras in the action packed thriller that will start shooting in Toronto on March 2, 1998. If you or you know of people who wanted to be in the movies and are living in the Toronto area, here is your chance. We need to see: Male 18 - late 50's; Female 17-25 & 50-65 There is no acting experience required. The looks of the characters are more important to Mr. Oliver Stone in most of his movies. Please bring a recent photo of yourself to the open audition this Friday January 16th, to 130 Darcy Street, Toronto's Chinatown (Spadina & Dundas) between 1:00 ^÷ 5:00 p.m. and ask for me. Thanks for your help |
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Chow For Now, by Richard Corliss. CYF appeared on the cover of January 26th's International Edition of TIME magazine. Mindbogglingly, there is no mechanism whereby back issues can be bought in North America, but at least the story is on-line at the TIME site. Richard Corliss' article is well worth reading, but mildly depressing.
Essentially, it's an article about Hollywood politics and CYF's problems fitting in; the subtitle runs "With 'The Replacement Killers,' Hong Kong film star Chow Yun-fat is set to become America's newest action hero. But is Hollywood any place for a nice guy like him?" The article also intimates that CYF does not have plans to make any more HK films; if that's so (and I hope not) one certainly hopes that his Hollywood life works out .... (And many thanks to Benson Mirhan for courteously e-mailing me about the issue ... And to L.P. for kindly sending me the scans of CYF, at left: CYF on the cover of Time magazine, for the January 26th, 1998 international edition.) |
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Chow Mania
By Huey Wong for the January 1998 issue of Singapore's NetVoice magazine (CYF on the cover).
Six pages of Chow pix and text (pp. 38-43) -- great reading on TRK, CYF's future plans, Chow on the Net, etc. But since they devote a whole paragraph to plugging me ("by far the most interesting and informative site on the great actor"), I admit to being biased. (And thanks to Daniel Sun for coolly sending me a copy of the magazine!)
Killer Instinct
By Daniel Goh for the January 1998 issue of 8 DAYS magazine (CYF on the cover).
If you find this magazine -- I think it's from Singapore -- you will find five pages of awesome CYF pix, plus (!!!) a CYF pin-up poster. The text is fluffy, very fluffy ("CYF is beyond alpha male.") but great fun. (And huge thanks to Daniel Sun for coolly sending me a copy of the article!)
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