THOMAS PODVIN’S FREELANCE WORK
Freelance writer - translator - Editor

British director Guy Ritchie (the man critics love to hate) goes against the odds in this unusual, sexy gangster movie. Indeed, he sets the stakes so high that he risks losing the audience. Which is fitting, at least in one sense: the double or nothing bet is Revolver's main theme. Rather than rat out his associates, inveterate gambler Jake Green (Jason Statham) takes a seven year fall in the big house. While inside, he passes the time planning the perfect con, including the formulation of a set of Sun Tzu-like sure-win rules. Following his release, he puts the plan in motion, a plan designed to make him rich at the expense of his nemesis, crime boss Macha (Ray Liotta). As in his earlier gangster flicks (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch) the director favors eccentric characters, black humor, a plot that is too clever for its own good, oh-so-cool camera tricks and a catchy soundtrack. Produced by Luc Besson, Revolver has every trick in Ritchie's bag, with the addition of animated sequences. In the end, it's all a bit too much. The overly obtuse plot, experimental editing and excessive angst will leave most viewers feeling as if they've overdosed on valium. Ritchie is willing to take chances (he's Madonna's husband after all), but with this effort, he's bet the house and lost.
Europa Corp.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
January 2006 issue

What is love? Hong-Kong filmmaker Peter Chan addresses this simple, yet unsolvable question, in his first directorial effort since 1996. Of course, the question gets complicated when you have a USD 10 million budget and an international cast and crew. The plot is thus: Ten years ago, Lin (Taiwan heartthrob Takeshi Kaneshiro) and Sun (Chinese mainland actress Zhou Xun) were a couple living in Beijing. They split and went their separate ways. Fast forward to the present when they meet in Shanghai on the set of a musical. Lin tries to win Sun's love back, but she's romantically involved with the musical’s director, Nie Wen (Hong Kong's 'God of Song' Jackie Cheung). For a love-triangle, this sounds rather complex, at least on paper. But Chan has transferred the somewhat convoluted plot to the screen in a very straightforward fashion, and in the process raises an interesting question: What is the nature of reality and fiction? Produced by Andre Morgan (Million Dollar Baby), Perhaps Love is certain to seduce audiences and critics alike. Indeed, the film has already pocketed the Best Foreign Film award at the Queens Film Festival in New York, and many more awards are expected. So what is Love about? Guess we'll never know.
Applause Pictures

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Chief editor: Steven Crane
January 2006 issue

Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
January 2006 issue

This new Harry Potter opus will surely bewitch the younger audience with its parade of bizarre characters and eye-popping special effects. Still, Harry himself has grown up and teenage fans can share his first brush with acne and puppy love. That said, there's not much time for romantic frivolities in this fast-paced plot where Harry is chosen against his will to represent his wizard school at the Triwizard Tournament. This fourth installment of a saga rests more than ever on the franchise's main assets: hatfuls of magic and SFX. Both are taken to the limit in one sequence, a flying chase between Potter and a dragon. Which is a good thing. The dazzling effects help one to forget the unequal performances. That said, the cast veterans are solid: for example, Brendan Gleeson (Kingdom of Heaven) is wonderful as the madcap 'Mad­Eye' Moody. Viewers indifferent to Potter's fantasy world will probably see the real magic in the real behind-the-scenes story: J. K. Rolling, unemployed for years after fleeing a violent husband, has become the wealthiest woman in UK. Incidentally, at the Shanghai premier, Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger promised, much like the makers of this global series, to "be back".
Warner Bros.

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Chief editor: Steven Crane
January 2006 issue

Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
January 2006 issue

Although Cantonese is spoken by 66 million people from southern China (Hong-Kong, Macau, Guangdong), south-east Asia and, indeed, in cities all around the world, very few reference books on this knotty language have ever been published. Subtitled The Language of Hong Kong Movies, Street Gangs and City Life, Hutton and Bolton have compiled a 500-page dictionary of everyday Cantonese including colloquialisms and slang from sources as diverse as comics, street gangs, teenagers, magazines and movies. Many of the entries have never been listed in common dictionaries before. The dictionary is aimed at foreign students and Chinese alike. The foreword, signed by a former police officer, states that the book is a valuable and useful tool, containing authentic word usage from the Hong-Kong underworld. Triad-trash talk aside, this is a practical guide to the vulgar and the vernacular that will help the reader to get around the oral Cantonese trickiness.
Singapore University Press/available at www.nus.edu.sg/npu

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Chief editor: Steven Crane
January 2006 issue

Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
January 2006 issue

In his introduction to this book Jonathan Spence writes that "It is a basic belief of most historians, including myself, that the more time elapses after an event has taken place, the easier it is going to be to interpret that particular event..." During the height of the "great proletarian cultural revolution" (1966-70) Li Zhensheng worked as a photojournalist for Harbin's Heilongjiang Daily, shooting film for the newspaper and, as it turns out, for himself. While some of his photographs were published at the time, Li hid the bulk of his work in the hope that it would provide documentation of the period for others in the future. Forty years later that time has come. This book provides an amazing visual record (400 photos) and includes a preface, introduction, text by the photographer, a chronology, maps, and extensive photo captions. The photographs were selected from a collection numbering in the tens of thousands and many have never been seen before. Li's inventive techniques and powerful images make him one of the premier Chinese photographers alive today. This book, which takes its name from the literal translation of Li's accreditation as a photographer, is part of the key to understanding one of the most turbulent eras of modern Chinese history.
Phaidon

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
January 2006 issue

Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
January 2006 issue

http://beifan.com/

The Internet offers trainloads of travelogues with material of diverse quality and practical use. This website was created to share photos of Chinese people, and their geography, customs and food. Not especially well designed, the homepage displays gazillions of hyperlinks. As a result, the visitor is overwhelmed; fortunately, they provide an extremely handy site map. Beifan.com was created by an English teacher in a Methodist Church in Wrexham, North Wales who happened to meet some 'boat people'. How likely is that? Anyway, as a result of this chance meeting, he traveled frequently to China from 1987 to 2005. He fell in love with the Chinese and his passion spilled all over the web. The site has many different topics, in no particular order. In short, it is all about chance. Some of the links provide hours of virtual tours to some of the most gorgeous places in China (from the Yangtze Gorge, to Dalian's beaches and even Shanghai's Bund). The accompanying text is just as intense, containing a wealth of details and historical facts. Visit this site if you have plenty of spare time; ideal for train travelers.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
January 2006 issue

http://thegadgetblog.com

Our dictionary defines 'gadget' as "an often small mechanical or electronic device with practical use but often thought of as a novelty". The definition fails to specify gadgets that may be classed as totally trivial, amusing, grotesque, tasteless or even sexy. Not surprising, there are people who spend their time designing such gizmos; others simply reference them. Colbert Low loves gadgets and specifically all electronic devices, the more novel the better. Low's blog is a tribute to these unsung inventors, with hundreds of entries classified in dozens of categories (cellphones, gaming, household, robots, etc.). Guest bloggers (and Low) provide daily comments that introduce new fancy gadgets. For instance: "the portable Nokia 770 tablet will please workaholics with its expensive, conspicuous platform to surf the Internet from anywhere… while the Modern 2-Tasten sexy mouse will allow fantasy breaks at work... the ice kebabs sticks will bring life to any cheesy cocktail party". Well, you get the idea.

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
January 2006 issue

At the risk of going out on a limb without a safety net, A Chinese Tall Story is the perfect family entertainment for the New Year holiday. An hilarious, feel-good movie full of lighthearted drama and gut-busting sight gags. More fun, in short, than a barrel of monkeys. To make a tall story short, a long time ago, even before Star Wars, a monk fell in love with a monster and an alien princess. Reduced to twenty-five words or less it doesn't sound like much. But the movie is as impertinent and comical as its director, Hong Kong-born Jeff Lau Chun-wai.
Lau is a playful man, with a permanent smile and ready with the jokes. He's in his fifties, but a child at heart. Much like the Monkey King, one of the characters in this three episode saga, inspired by the Chinese classic, Journey to the West. However, in the latest installment, Lau departs from the source material and delivers a surprisingly modern tale full of witty ideas, colorful characters and dazzling visuals.

In the business for more than two decades, Lau's been involved in the production of more than thirty films. He's often associated with Wong Kar-wai (2046); indeed, they are best friends, since they co-funded and co-founded the Jet Tone film company in 1993, a project that was set up to produce both art-house and commercial films (Eagles Shooting Heroes, 1993; Ashes Of Times, 1994; A Chinese Odyssey 2002, 2002). Which is not to say that they think alike. Wong's preference is for realist cinema. Lau, on the other hand, is fascinated by the magic of a medium in which the impossible becomes possible. Thus, Lau's stock-in-trade is the nonsensical, cartoon-ish sight gag. Indeed, Lau spearheaded Hong Kong's special brand of humor, moleitau (literally 'nonsensical'), and in the process made a name for himself as a sort of Chinese Tex Avery (creator of Daffy Duck, Droopy and Screwy Squirrel).
He's also made another of his best friends, Stephen Chow Sing-chi, a superstar with a string of unforgettable comedies: All for the Winner (1990); Out of the Dark (1995); and A Chinese Odyssey Part 1 and 2 (1995) to name but a few. If Chow's now known as the 'King of Cantonese comedy', the title, in large part, is due to Lau.

Which brings us back to the Monkey King saga, more familiarly known as Journey to the West a work that has no equivalent in Western literature. Ten years ago, Lau wrote a three-chapter screenplay based on the classic sixteenth-century novel written by Wu Cheng-en. (Wu, in turn, was inspired by a real monk, Xuan Zang, who lived during the Tang Dynasty.) Two of Lau's chapters were shot in a row – A Chinese Odyssey: Pandora's Box and A Chinese Odyssey II: Cinderella – with Stephen Chow playing the Monkey King. "We made only two films considering the bad box office at the time," recalls Lau, adding that the period movies were, perhaps, too avant-garde as such. "No one dared invest in a third installment."
Of course, what is avant-garde one year, becomes classic the next, or the next. Two years after their release, the films developed a following – on video. A very large following. Today, both films are considered masterpieces. And their acceptance provided both Lau and Chow with an opportunity to display their full potential.
In the latter's case as a comedian and a thespian. Chow's character, Monkey King or Sun Wukong, is half-human/half-monkey. Born from a rock, he lacks manners and discipline; he's mischievous, yet pure of heart. Brave, too – he frequently challenges gods and monsters alike. It's these qualities that make the cheeky Sun Wukong the best-loved folk character in China. Such is his popularity that disobedient children are often (affectionately) said to be 'As naughty as Sun Wukong'.
For those unacquainted with the novel, the 100-chapter Journey to the West is an adventure tale, albeit one filled with humor. It relates the journey of the monk Tripitaka as he travels to India in search of enlightenment and with the purpose of bringing the Buddha's Holy Scriptures to China. Tripitaka, escorted by animal spirits, the Monkey King, the pig monk (Zhu Bajie) and the river/sand monk (Sha Wujing), finds himself in danger any number of times; 81, to be exact.
For those of you unacquainted with Chinese TV and cinema, Journey to the West has been adapted almost as many times as Tripitaka broke a sweat on his journey. Still, this rich source material allowed Lau plenty of room for innovation, especially in this third episode.

A Chinese Tall Story, budgeted at RMB100 million, is a prequel of sorts, focusing on Tripitaka prior to his famous journey. Lau has also added some bizarre new elements and goofy characters. During the production of Kung Fu Hustle for Stephen Chow in 2003, Lau discovered that the Chinese mainland film industry had mastered the art of computer generated imagery – which was not the case in 1995 – and was confident that they could put his ideas on film. That confidence extended to the decade-old script, which he submitted to the producers at Hong Kong-based film company Emperor Motion Pictures (EMP). "The audience," he declared to his new employers, "is now more receptive to change."
But after reading the script, they weren't so sure. For one thing, Lau updated Journey to the West, including a scene featuring UFOs. "When they found out there were flying saucers in the script, they came to check the rushes everyday!" he says with a laugh.
Indeed, Lau's unconventional sense of humor, his blending of parody and slapstick, might well offend the average banker. Though the film's dramatic scenes, that seamlessly combine fantasy and CGI effects, would have that same banker counting the box office receipts. As for the UFOs, Lau says they weren't meant to introduce an element of science fiction, rather the intent is to challenge the Chinese superstition that sky-dwelling gods control the universe. "Once aliens are there, gods stands no chance with their kung fu," says Lau. "Aliens have scanners and guns; they're so powerful!" Well, you can't argue with that.

Lau may not be serious about aliens, but he's on firm ground, after ten years thinking about it, with his casting. Tripitaka, the leading character of the film, is played by Hong Kong pop idol Nicholas Tse Ting-fong (The Promise, 2005). In the book, the monk is an honorable, decent man. The same cannot be said for Tse, at least not if you believe what's written about him in the Chinese tabloids. "If I can make the audience believe a not very decent young man can play a decent monk, then the character will be even more powerful," says Lau of his casting strategy, adding that, "It's a huge challenge!" Lau had to be firm with Tse: "I didn't let him do his look à la James Dean," explains Lau. "I didn't want him to be seen as a hero."
The supporting players are equally powerful, and cast against type, which is to say different from the characters in the novel. In the film, the three animal spirits are: Xin Wukong (Monkey King), who constantly makes a fool of himself; Se Bajie, a handsome, obedient and innocent version of the Pig, a fallen deity punished for his uncontrolled libido; and Men Shaseng, the sand monk, who hides his naivety behind a mustache. (Without giving too much away, two young girls trap the inept monk in a love triangle.) Then there's the beautiful Princess Xiaoshan from outer space, portrayed by Chinese mainland actress Fan Bingbing (Twins Effect 2, 2004), and the young lizard imp Meyan, played by Hong Kong singer/actress Charlene Choi (All About Love, 2005). The latter, by the way, falls in love with Tripitaka, though that stretches belief. Lau sadistically forced the pop starlet to wear make-up that makes her a match for Quasimodo; her teeth are the stuff of a dentist's nightmare.

Less repellant, though equally stunning, the film's visuals are the result of big budget, solid CGI, several months of post-production and experienced artists at the head of every department (action director Corey Yuen, art designer William Chang and visual-effect master Eddy Wong). Indeed, we'll go further: this film's SFX make the Lord of the Rings look as cheap as Ed Wood's Plan 9 from Outer Space. The action scenes, especially those set in outer space, are brilliantly staged and reminiscent of Tsui Hark’s best work in the Legend of Zu, Stars Wars and even a few Japanese animation movies involving giant robots (Macross). If trivia interests you, some of the earth scenes were shot on location at Shennongjia, a gorgeous Chinese national reserve in Hubei province.

In sum, Lau has raised the bar, and brought new life to the tale of Sun Wukong. But best to let the man speak for himself: "When I make a movie, I first think of myself and how I can have fun out of it." Which sounds like a quote from the Monkey King himself. In fact, Lau is an endangered species, one of the few directors who doesn't live for box office receipts and one of few people in show business who hasn't always got an eye on the next project. A good family man, Lau is jovial and cunning, upright and subversive. Who knows, perhaps one day mothers will be saying to their mischievous children, 'You're as naughty as Lau Chun-wai!'

Special Thanks to EMP/H. Brothers Film/David Vivier/HKCinemagic.com

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
January 2006 issue

L’easy listening à la française peut être considéré comme une cure contre l’insomnie, mais Borel transcende le genre de son humour bien Gaulois.
Cet album, sorti chez le label taiwanais High Note Records et mélangeant habilement guitare acoustique, violon et flûte, générera sûrement des fans en Chine. Et pourquoi pas ? Tous ce qui est français semble de plus en plus à la mode ici ces jours-ci. Le ringard aussi. Et c’est vrai que "Oserai-je t'aimer?" surpasse largement la ringardise du très populaire en Chine populaire "Je m'appelle Hélène" d’Hélène Rollès.
Mais pour ceux d’entre vous ne maîtrisant pas la langue de Molière, le romantisme verbal de Borel perd de sa substance. Et c’est bien dommage, car une écoute de près révèle plus que des traits d’esprit ; parfois même les paroles ressemblent à celles de notre génial et regretté Serge Gainsbourg. La voix aussi du collaborateur de Borel, le compositeur Jérémie Lefebvre en backing vocals sur plusieurs titres, rappelle remarquablement Gainsbar. Et Borel de faire preuve sur certaines chansons du même caustique sens de l'humour.
Enfin, l’album contient un titre en anglais, un cover sensuel du « Get Into The Groove » de Madonna chantée avec un bel accent français. Mon dieu !
High Note Records

Version anglaise de l’article publiée dans that’s Shanghai et that’s Guangzhou, Décembre 2005.
La version française n’a pas été publiée.

Re-TROS have been gigging around Beijing for the last two years under the name “Re-establishing the Rights of Statues” before releasing this debut album on the Badhead label – and simplifying their name in the process, thank god. Indeed, simplification best describes their brand of post-punk, reminiscent of late 1970s David Bowie with elements of Joy Division. On Cut-Off!, this neo-punk trio delivers six tracks running thirty minutes: tight, straightforward guitar riffs, un-fussy base lines and solid drumming. Minimalism, however doesn’t necessarily mean minimal quality.
Indeed, the band’s meticulously-polished sound owes a lot to Brian Eno. While on a visit to China in October last year, the legendary producer of David Bowie, U2 and Depeche Mode added color and texture to the Beijing band’s sound and even mixed in some keyboard on a couple of tracks. Nor, for that matter, are the English lyrics simple. Indeed, each song tells a different story. “If the Monkey Becomes the King” refers to the famous novel Journey to the West while alluding to the stupidity of mankind; while “TV Show” offers a somewhat bitter challenge to authority. All said, this release will appeal to the band’s already large following (built on the back of their stunning live performances) but its minimal running time will leave them craving for more.
Modern Sky/Badhead

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Chief editor: Steven Crane
January 2006 issue

Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
January 2006 issue

This compilation from Beijing-based independent label New Bees provides a perfect sampling of what happened in the Chinese music scene last year. Or at least what happened on the New Bees label in 2005. In fact, this release is something of an advertisement for its latest signings with the inclusion of artists’ biographies and links to their websites. So what happened? Not much apparently. Most bands appear to have followed the long-standing formula of emulating their Western idols, be they punk, rock, rap or new wave. Crystal Butterfly for example, owe the title of the successful debut album Magical Mystery Tour to the Beatles and their sound to British pop-rock bands like U2. Chinese vocalist M.I.K., who sings in English, clearly takes his cue from new-wave gloom band, The Cure. Oddly, the last track on this CD, “Stay By My Side” is the real thing, sort of, a country pop tune from Swedish band The Club 8, whose 2005 release Strangely Beautiful peaked at number 18 in US charts. With a total of ten cuts from eight different bands, Indieblog Music may not enlighten anyone on the Chinese alternative-music circle, but it will inform those who are interested about who is influencing whom.
New Bees/available at www.newbeesmusic.com

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
January 2006 issue

Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
January 2006 issue

Singer/songwriter Christopher Peyton has cultivated paradox in both his private life and his music career. Born in the seventies in North-Carolina to a conservative-minded family (Peyton is the son of famous preacher, Wesley Peyton); in 2004, Peyton the son co-hosted the UK TV-show Queer Eye for a Straight Guy, in which five gay men offered lessons in good taste to straight men. While his father might not have approved of the show, the son hasn’t abandoned his roots entirely. Christopher began his career at the age of six as the lead vocalist in his father’s gospel choir. That influence is evident in his eponymous debut album which features a number of pop gospel tracks, but also a few tunes that were designed to get the hips shaking in a lewd manner. “A Higher Place”, for example, went on to become an Ibiza anthem and was played at clubs worldwide. In short, Peyton is not a man you can pin a label on: he’s religious, gay, a night crawler, and intellectual – with a degree in English literature. His lyrics are often autobiographical: “Keep The Faith” speaks of his religious beliefs, “Love’s Going’ On” of his ‘coming out’ and how that affected his relationship with his parents. Like the man himself, Peyton is a mesmerizing and lighthearted CD, a cocktail of gospel, soul, and dance music, influenced by artists such as Seal and The Christians. At the same time, it’s a sensitive and intense piece of work; one that transcends all the paradoxes of its creator.
High Note

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Chief editor: Steven Crane
January 2006 issue

Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
January 2006 issue

The combined challenge of unauthorized Internet downloads and hard copy piracy rage, has forced a number of music labels to think twice about investing in new acts. As it turns out, reality TV offers a low-cost solution to the problem. Take, for example, the 13-week-long “American Idol” series, which helped develop the connections among small-screens, wannabe stars and record buyers. In the US, the Fox Network show attracted a following that numbered in the millions and turned a few croaking toads into golden-throated princes and princesses of pop. True, there’s nothing of the amphibian about Kelly Clarkson, though we suppose she trained her voice under the shower. At 20, the former Texan waitress won first prize in the first season of American Idol and secured a record deal. Her first single “A Moment Like This” sold 250,000 copies in its first release week, while her debut album Thankful went double platinum. What’s more, her record company saved a bundle in marketing and promotion costs.
Breakaway, Clarkson’s second and more mature CD, marks a parting of ways with the American Idol image. “What you see is not what you get” she sings on one of the self-composed tracks. What you get is an independent woman, á la Sheryl Crow, with unoriginal but effective ballads and pop-rock melodies supported by solid and sorrowful vocals. Breakaway sold five million copies worldwide and proved Clarkson, in an artistic and commercial sense, is more than a flicker on the screen.
Sony-BMG

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
January 2006 issue

Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
January 2006 issue

Brit-pop is far too influential in the current Shanghai alternative music scene where many local bands blindly copy UK acts. But having paid their respects for three years, The Sonnet, formed by a group of college students, has found a distinctive sound of its own as evidenced in the debut CD: From The Last Century. Released in September 2005, this CD is named after the eighth track; an instrumental theme for an alternative movie made by local artist, Song Tao. Clearly The Sonnet’s sound is an alternative choice within the Chinese music scene. They blend noise, Brit-pop and American indie rock, with influences as diverse as The Verve, Sonic Youth, Pavement and the Japanese Shiina Ringo.
That said, this quintet does more than duplicate their heroes; they’ve even made cover songs of their own. Placebo’s “Pure Morning” sounds fresh and lively, while “Bless for Pop” proves the band has a gift for writing original and catchy melody. The latter’s English lyrics also reveal how difficult it is to be inventive in a second language. The Sonnet’s forthcoming second album, billed as “; simple, rough and direct,” promises another leap towards experimentation and creativity. Watch this space.
14sh records/ available at www.14sh.com

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
January 2006 issue

After 15 years of singing about the nation’s malaise, the Californian punk trio Green Day continues to focus its attention on recent US political controversies, a move that is signaled in the CD’s title. American Idiot is Green Day’s seventh album, and a brave departure from previous, less engaged, efforts (eg., “Blood, Sex and Booze” from Warning released in 2000). On this release, this trio of malcontents denounces everything from mass hysteria to the media, political propaganda to “redneck agendas”. Other targets include: the Bush administration, organized religion, war, terrorism… the list goes on. If political polemic isn’t your thing, you can still enjoy their vivifying brand of music. The band, mostly famous for the hit “Basket Case” (Dookie, 1994), has polished their punk to a soft glow on “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams”; they go for the pop gold on “Give Me Novacaine”. Quite a change from the loud noise tradition of 1970s UK punk music that marked their previous releases. Nevertheless, on several cuts, the East Bay enfants terribles still voice their anger through three-chord guitar riffs and lyrics written with vitriolic ink. And it’s been a success with fans and critics alike. Amercian Idiot won the Best Rock Album Grammy award in 2004 and has sold ten million copies worldwide. Punks getting rich may sound idiotic, but it’s not stupid.
WEA International

(c) that's Shanghai Magazine
Chief editor: Steven Crane
January 2006 issue