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

In Isabella, Pang Ho-cheung, known in Chinese entertainment circles as a deadpan comedy director, tries something completely different: family drama. The plot concerns a cop based in Macao (Chapman To), a bachelor whose personal and professional life is a mess. One fine day he meets a young woman (Isabella Leong), who claims to be the daughter of a girlfriend he impregnated sixteen years ago. Pang spends on average a full year to complete a movie, extremely slow by Hong Kong standards. But not by Western standards, especially considering that Pang acts as director, writer and producer on most of his films. In Isabella, Pang’s sixth film, he combines drama and nostalgia, with a dash of comedy in a highly-stylized personal flick. The visuals, as always with this thirty-something filmmaker, are stunning. But his most impressive achievement here is to push both lead actors – 17 year-old teen idol Leong and legendary comedian To – to deliver the greatest performances of their careers. With help from a solid supporting cast, Isabella offers depth and genuine emotions in one of the best Hong Kong dramas released in years.
Media Asia

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

Of late, most Chinese films fall in one of two categories: the flashy blockbuster or the intellectual art-house flick (in the main, aimed at the foreign film festival market). You and Me is no blockbuster, nor is it another dreary grab for offshore recognition. This film pleases both domestic and Western audiences. Produced on a small budget, You and Me relates the conflicting coexistence between a sharp, elderly widow and her young, bullheaded tenant. The deceptively simple plot – the landlady rents her dilapidated Beijing siheyuan for an excessive fee to the student – takes place in a single locale over four seasons, and is devoted to the pair’s daily clash of wills (wonderfully illustrating the Chinese saying: ‘two tigresses cannot stay on the same mountain’). Ma draws on her own experience as a student at the Central Drama Academy in the 1990s, and the story is full of deadpan humor, sparks of tension and bursts of non-contrived emotions. There are no extravagant twists or cliff-hangers here; the accent is on detail (despite the limited budget the film is exquisitely lit). You and Me may not have earned millions in box office receipts, but it does prove that a simple human story is at the heart of good filmmaking.
Beijing Film Studio

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

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PRD Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
June 2006 issue

In the midst of the Korean War, a US Navy pilot and five Korean soldiers – from both sides of the conflict – arrive at a peaceful village inhabited by some rather strange peasants, who are completely unaware there’s a war in progress. The plot may suggest an offbeat comedy, but this 133 minute film is an exercise in disappointment. The main problem is that the director wavers between fantasy and reality, never choosing a side. Once the initial surprise is exhausted – the military’s discovery of the village – the film descends into a series of predictable, hackneyed situations. True, the eccentricities of the villagers, do, on occasion, add some much-needed spice, but overall the characters are so obviously contrived that much of the humor is lost. As is the viewers goodwill; Welcome poses as a fable, but at the same time pretends to present historical reality. The result is a naïve and bogus representation of the relations between North and South Korea, and the US. Having said that, Park Kwang-hyeon’s directorial debut, the fourth-highest grossing South Korean movie of all time, was the country’s official entry in last year’s Oscars.
Showbox

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Chief editor: Steven Crane
June 2006 issue

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PRD Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
June 2006 issue

That a TV-series concerning gambling and corruption is exciting should come as no surprise. Throw in a crack surveillance team under the leadership of a former CIA agent assigned to spy on Las Vegas’ most prestigious casino and audiences are sure to tune in. But Gary Scott Thompson’s (The Fast and the Furious) series surpasses all expectations: the show is bright, ultra-cool, fast-paced and – classy. It also offers an insider’s view of the trade secrets in this sinful tourist mecca. The elite surveillance team is led by veteran actor Golden-Globe/Academy-Awards nominee James Caan (The Godfather, Rollerball), who along with his protégés – a former US Marine and three babes – deal with card-counting cheats; the mob; big spenders; luck, good and bad; inter-casino rivalries, and their own rollercoaster love lives. All of which provides a surfeit of thrills, romance and humor. Each episode begins with a marvelous hook: a one-take-only prologue, neatly wrapped in dazzling visuals. That alone is enough to engage audiences for the duration, but special guest stars (Black Eyed Peas, Sylvester Stallone, Pussycat Dolls…) ensure a long and, in this case, rewarding addiction to vice.
NBC

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

Compared to their Chinese counterparts, Korean filmmakers aren’t very adept at making martial art films (see Musa or The Duelist). And Shadowless Sword provides yet another conspicuous example of what not to do. This film was shot in China, enjoyed a large budget and has excellent production values. Trouble is, it lacks authenticity without which audiences just don’t care about the characters. Or the mise en scene: in 926 AD, following the assassination of the Prince of Balhae, a female warrior is assigned to escort Prince Dae back from his 14-year exile, to ascend the throne and restore order to the kingdom. The rest is filler. In his sophomore film, Kim Yeong-joon delivers a simplistic road movie cum buddy movie/romance/martial art film. One littered with predictable twists and monotonous dialogues. Despite the film’s many faults, the camerawork is quite breathtaking, and the climax is almost worth waiting for. But the choreographed action sequences merely duplicate scenes from its betters, so-called gems of the genre like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and House of Flying Daggers.
CJ Entertainment

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Chief editor: Steven Crane
June 2006 issue

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PRD Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
June 2006 issue

Although popular with audiences, Hong Kong comedies have never really been highly praised by critics on the Chinese mainland. These films are at worst considered shallow, lowbrow, amusement, and at best, the source of a few guilt-inducing guffaws. 2 Become 1 may not be a revolutionary departure from this genre, but it does provide more substance than is the norm, enough to last beyond the theater exit door. The plot concerns a young, independent woman, Bingo (Miriam Yeung), who works as a ‘creative’ at an advertisement company. Her carefree chuppie lifestyle is turned upside down after a laid back doctor (Richie Jen) discovers a lump in her breast. Produced by seasoned filmmaker Johnnie To, renowned for his commercial comedies and ‘auteur’ gangster flicks, the film uses comedy to deal with serious matters indeed: breast tumors; cancer prevention; male impotency; women in today’s corporate world, and so on. Of course, the film offers the usual sight gags and the usual broad commercial reach with two big name leads, a pop music score, and not least, the screen debut of Hong Kong’s singer/songwriter superstar of the month, Justin Lo. Nevertheless, 2 Become 1 proves HK comedies can convey universal themes with maturity and if not tact, at least some understanding.
Media Asia

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

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PRD Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
June 2006 issue

Jem, aka Jemma Griffiths, must be the envy of every British musician. In a very short period, she sold a quarter of a million albums in the US, and became the biggest selling British female debut artist last year. Indeed, breaking stateside is no small accomplishment. It happened thus: the 29-year-old Cardiff-born singer/songwriter was studying law at Sussex University while hanging out with DJs and music producers. Next, in the autumn of 2003, she went behind the mike and recorded the EP “It All Starts Here”. A year later, she released her debut CD, Finally Woken, and got a big boost from Elton John, who touted its breezy melodies and diverse rhythms. And he was right. Jem’s catchy sound is easy on the ear and wide-ranging: “Finally Woken”, has emotional trip hop beats; “Wish I”, playful electronic melodies; “Save Me” and “24”, reggae and rock tempos, respectively; and “Missing You” boasts some fine fuzz-box vocals à la Portishead. Jem’s sound is eclectic and fits into any medium. Which is why she succeeded in the US mass market. In the States, you can hear her everywhere: on the radio, on TV (The O.C.; Desperate Housewives; Six Feet Under), and in the movies (Closer, 2004 and Ultraviolet, 2006).
Sony-BMG

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

(c) that's PRD
PRD Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
June 2006 issue

There’s not much to be said about Shanghai ‘alternative’ band Cold Fairyland, that hasn’t been said already. Most every music critic in the country has taken a stab at pigeonholing this band, but the band, and its front woman Lindi, refuse to cooperate. The best we can offer is that Cold Fairyland thinks out of the box. The band – Lindi on keyboard and pipa; Su Yong on bass; Zhou Sheng’an on cello; Li Jia on drums; and Song Jianfeng on guitar – incorporates elements of various music genres (world music, gothic, jazz, funk, dream pop, etc.,) with traditional and contemporary Chinese sounds. And they do it best live, not in the studio. Hence, this live album recorded at ARK in Xintiandi in 2005, is Cold Fairyland at its best, from the surrealistic “The Cat from Paris” to the social commentary of “The Dead Children in the Newspapers”. But whatever the song’s provenance, Lindi’s vocals drive the melody from beginning to end with a meticulous precision. Unfortunately, the live recording sometimes suffers from less accurate reproduction – the price of independence, perhaps.
Cold Fairyland/available at www.miyadudu.com

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

Chinese independent and experimental music may be looked upon as something of an oddity in its homeland. And to Western ears, it may sound odder still. But that hasn’t stopped Yan Hun, the founder (in 2000) of the Sub Jam label, and one of the pioneers in China’s experimental music scene, from doing what he does best. Which is just about everything. Yan is involved in many arts: poetry, music, film and literature. But his most lasting accomplishment may be that he has proved that the fusion of electronic sounds with poetry works. Last year, Sub Jam released Nowise Assault, a 60-minute CD of made-in-China electronica, more specifically ‘leftfield electronic music’ blending artificial sounds with spirituality and poetic ambience. In this entry, 718, aka Sun Lei, a central figure in the experimental scene, offers ambient music and down tempo beats featuring ethnic or/and industrial influences. “Taoism or Calm” intermingles drum solos into a spiritual atmosphere; while “Over and Over” provides more than seven minutes of noise with an industrial edge. “Aluminum” is a straight piece performed on the piano, the crystalline purity of which is at one point corrupted by lowfi noise. Say what you will, this is highly addictive, hypnotic music.
Sub Jam/available at http://www.subjam.org/

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

(c) that's PRD
PRD Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
June 2006 issue

Osaka-born songwriter/singer Ken Hirai is known as the ‘King of Japanese R&B’. Influenced by Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, Hirai’s sound features warm vocals atop beats borrowed from soul (“Miracles”), funk (“Strawberry Sex”), dance (“Style”) and pop music (“Kiss of Life”). This two-CD release offers 23 chart topping singles in chronological order from Hirai’s debut “Precious Junk” in 1995 to “Pop Star”, released last October. Along the way, this disc provides a fair overview of his progression from saccharine to emotional, passing by sentimental, mushy and blue. Still, Hirai’s success is based on his appeal to middle-aged housewives, be they from Japan, China, Korea or the West. And as such, his success owes as much to his unique falsetto as it does to his appearance – for a ‘pure blooded’ Japanese, Hirai looks pure Caucasian. In any case, Hirai has sold 6.5 million units in Asia alone. Following recent live shows in the US – he appeared at the high-profile 2002 FIFA World Cup concert with Lauryn Hill – what can we say? The King is back.
Sony-BMG

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

(c) that's PRD
PRD Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
June 2006 issue

In the early 1990s, Irma, an Italian label, altered musical perceptions with the first of its jazz/house/fusion series of compilations. The Jazz House Independent compilation is the fourth in the now classic series, and thanks are due to High Note Records for making this gem available in the Chinese mainland. This entry blends jazz, house and afrobeat (American funk rhythms fused with African percussion), in a double bill of atmospheric electronica. CD one (unmixed) was compiled by one of the original Irma artists/producers, Black Mighty Wax (BMW), while CD two was mixed by label mate, Dino Angioletti of the Pastaboys. The various international artists gathered here attest to the global success of jazz house music genre. Examples include the groove-laden “Mafe Disco” by France’s Claude Monnet; the powerful “Happy” by the UK’s Max Sedgley; and the mesmeric “Madame Blanche” by US DJ Moses. This disc also includes some of the most successful club tunes recorded for Irma Records: a fantastic re-edit by US DJ Danny Krivit (from Body & Soul in New York) of “Starlite”, and Don Carlos featuring Michelle Weeks on “Take Me Higher” remixed by Japanese house DJ Yukihiro Fukutomi.
High Note Records

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

(c) that's PRD
PRD Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
June 2006 issue

Since the turn of the century, Japan’s most popular female vocalist, the 23-year-old Mika Nakashima, has enjoyed huge success and a long run at the top of the charts. As the title states, this release compiles the best of the diva’s work, from 2001 until the present. That said, Nakashima’s pop superstardom owes much to her publicity agent, whose promotional efforts have made her a household name. In 2001, Nakashima made her debut with the song, “Stars”, the theme song for the Fuji TV drama Kizudarake no Love Song, in which she also starred. Other works have appeared in a number of the very popular anime series; “Find the Way”, for example, became a massive hit (and a karaoke favorite) after being featured in the Mobile Suit Gundam Seed series in 2004. Later, the song was covered by Korean singer Park Hyo-shin and featured in a Korean soap opera. Indeed, Nakashima’s music travels well; she currently enjoys acclaim in the Chinese mainland, Taiwan Province and, as mentioned, South Korea. In addition to covers of John Newton’s “Amazing Grace” and L’ Arc en Ciel’s “Glamorous Sky”, this CD includes the Valentine’s Day song “Aishiteru” and the sexy, up tempo jazz number “Love Addict”, written by Nakashima herself. If J-Pop is your thing, this is the one to get.
Sony-BMG

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

http://www.hancinema.net/

Since the late 1990s, the Korean entertainment industry, in the form of movies and TV dramas, has exploded across Asia and the West. In part because the Korean government has a quota system which favors domestic product, but also because the product is generally of high quality, though not always. Of late, however, there’s likely to be a big fall off in quantity, following a change in Korean policy; but in the meantime, banked product will continue to pour out. To help one keep track (and au courant), the ‘Korean movie and drama database’ Hancinema.net is a handy, English-language resource, offering a comprehensive database of film personalities, movies and TV dramas (with names listed in English, Korean and Chinese). The content is exhaustive: fact sheets, news, filmographies, box office figures and industry data, photo galleries, BBS and links to e-stores. Hancinema.net also provides an efficient and smartly-designed search engine. With this site, Hanju mania is here to stay.

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

http://www.idontlikeyouinthatway.com/

Jenny and Todd have an opinion, an opinion on everything ‘showbiz’. In July 2005, they launched the self-proclaimed ‘sexiest site on the Internet’ IDontLikeYouInThatWay.com wherein they share their (often scathing) opinions with folks like us. Yet this website is more than just a platform for their gripes and trash talk. It’s an eye-opener, with off-the-record quotes and less than glamorous pics of one’s favorite stars. In short, this is the web equivalent of Kenneth Anger’s Hollywood Babylon, volumes one and two. And just as entertaining for the same target audience: the insatiable gossip hunter. We don’t wish to lower ourselves but here are just two examples: “Orlando Bloom almost killed a guy with his car, and apologized with an autograph” and “Tom Cruise says he will eat the cord and the placenta after fiancée Katie delivers their baby.” Authentic, gross, and strangely addictive.

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

Los Angeles-born Anna May Wong (1905-1961) was the most prominent Chinese-American actress during the silent era, though her career extended to the early 60s. From 1919 to 1960, she played in more than fifty US and European movies (The Thief of Baghdad, 1924; Shanghai Express, 1932) with stars such as Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. and Marlene Dietrich. More celebrated in Europe and Japan than in the US or China, Wong, despite her many roles, still suffered from racial typecasting. At the time, the Hollywood system cast whites in Chinese roles, while ‘real’ Chinese were relegated to (often demeaning) supporting parts. In addition, mixed race romance was forbidden on the screen. As a result, Wong’s enormous potential as an actress was never truly given reign, though decades after her death she was given a star on the legendary Hollywood Walk of Fame. In this compelling biography, professor of history Graham Hodges provides copious accounts of the glamour, and the prejudice, that was the fate of many an actor of Chinese descent in the first half of the twentieth century.
Palgrave Macmillan

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

(c) that's PRD
PRD Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
June 2006 issue