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

At 52, Jackie Chan or Cheng Long (Dragon Cheng) has appeared in more films, in Asia and the West, than any other ten actors combined. As such, he merits the box set treatment and CAV Warner’s magnificent, limited edition, collector’s box (only 3,000 copies), includes a dragon t-shirt and four Chan films from the 90s – a transitional period when the actor journeyed to the West and in the process, lost something of his style. Fortunately, one of the films here is the excellent Drunken Master 2 (1994), his last Hong Kong Kung Fu movie. Rumble in the Bronx (1996) is also impressive, but it failed to establish Chan in the American market. The big-budget Mr. Nice Guy (1997) was a more successful effort to place Chan squarely in the US mainstream. In a similar vein, the entertaining, but cheap, Hong Kong/Aussie Who Am I? (1998) was a failed attempt to make the dragon an international star, at least, a respected international star. Chan is known throughout the world, and he has many admirers. Still, his later works, for example, the foul and unfunny US flicks, Rush Hour or Shanghai Knights, are sad reminders of what could have been. Note that this set doesn’t offer English subtitles; no matter, you can wear the t-shirt.
CAV Warner

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

If you think you know Pierce Brosnan, think again. The stylish, phlegmatic British gentleman, James Bond, is no more. In The Matador, Brosnan is Julian Noble, an unsavory hitman sent all over the world to ‘facilitate fatalities’. Noble is anything but. He’s an asocial, alcoholic, middle-age killer, whose social life is limited to nights with hookers. ‘Matador’ means ‘killer’ in Spanish, and killing is what Noble does best. But even hitman get the blues, and Noble suffers a middle-age crisis; he senses the shallowness of his life; becomes depressed; fails to do his job. Of course, this leads to some serious consequences. Despite the nature of the story, this is not an action film; rather, it is drama laced with black comedy. With a well-written script, a wicked soundtrack, great performances and slick photography, this film is a sure hit, if you’ll excuse the pun. The real draw though is Brosnan’s portrayal of an inept, sleazy killer, and it’s evident that the actor enjoyed the part, meticulously deconstructing his screen persona. Check out the scene in the posh hotel lobby and you’ll understand why he was nominated for Best Comedy Actor at the 2006 Golden Globe awards.
The Weinstein Company

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

(c)that's Guangzhou
Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
March 2006 issue

For the past five years, Zhang Yimou has switched back and forth from action blockbusters with mass appeal to the more personal art-house film. His latest work falls in the latter category. Or does it? With a modest budget of RMB 56 million, this movie might best be described as an ‘art-house blockbuster’. It has been promoted and distributed like a blockbuster and has enough appeal to reach audiences across Asia and beyond. But at the same time, it’s the sort of work that will wow film-festival goers. The plot concerns a Japanese fisherman who travels thousands of miles to Yunnan province in search of a local opera performer who was supposed to sing for the fisherman’s terminally ill son. The story is an excuse to throw a taciturn Japanese guy - played by ‘Japanese Clint Eastwood’ Ken Takakura - into the Chinese countryside and see what happens. While the film has definite commercial potential (just ask the Yunnan tourism board), its also addresses father-son relationships and the culture gap in a thought-provoking manner. So is this hybrid a sign of what’s to come? Perhaps Zhang’s next flick, Autumn Remembrance, will be a ‘blockbuster art-house’ film.
Toho Company

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

(c)that's Guangzhou
Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
March 2006 issue

US films and TV series have long been inspired by real life confrontations, e.g., the Cold War and Vietnam, but Over There breaks new ground. It is the first show based on a war still in progress – the war in Iraq. Unlike some of its predecessors, this series doesn’t romanticize; rather it portrays the day to day violence without a trace of sentimentality. Over There follows an infantry platoon led by a savvy, battle-hardened sergeant. Indeed, he’s a good man to have around when one has to deal with insurgents and the military bureaucracy. This series is not a commercial for the military, or the US government. None of the parties involved are completely ‘good’ or ‘evil’ and no one has a solid claim on the truth. Yes, this is television, and though based on real events, the series is not a documentary. But it does feel realistic. War, as everyone knows, is terrible stuff and this series convincingly portrays the moral, physical and mental state of soldiers on both sides of the war. Patriotism is not an issue here; even hope is in short supply. The end credit sequence features a song with the lyric: “Someone has to die”. In fact, the show died in its second season. In Bush’s America, pessimism is not tolerated.
fX Network

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

Kung Fu movies aren’t famous for providing anything more than kicks, back flips and thrills, but Fearless breaks the mold; indeed, it is a movie with a message. Produced by and starring Jet Li, this film tells the true story of Tianjin-born Master Huo Yuanjia (1869-1910), the heroic founder of the Jing Wu Sports Federation. In Shanghai, in the first decade of the last century, Hou set out to prove the superiority of his (and China’s) martial arts. He challenged all comers and in doing so earned the respect of some of the most ruthless and brutal opponents ever to appear in the ring (the fight scenes are extraordinary, choreographed by Yuen Woo-ping [the Matrix]). But there’s more to this movie than action. Huo’s motto was: ‘Never give up’ – even when he lost a fight, he came out a winner. Li seconds the motion. Like Huo, he also founded an organization with a noble aim, the One Foundation which offers support to the suicidal. Its message: ‘Life is worth living’. And Fearless, both for its cinematic qualities and uplifting message, is worth seeing. Indeed, it is the best Kung Fu film we’ve seen in years.
Columbia Tristar Asia

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

(c)that's Guangzhou
Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
March 2006 issue

Following his highly successful adaptation of Lord of the Rings, director Peter Jackson tackled another classic, Cooper and Schoedsack’s King Kong (1933). Of course, he had a far bigger budget, and it shows in this latest version. Jackson’s Kong is an epic, though the story remains about the same: An ambitious, ruthless moviemaker persuades his cast to travel to the mysterious Skull Island, where they discover a giant gorilla. Indeed, this is the most expensive film made since Titanic – USD 207 million (equal to the total Chinese box-office revenue for 2005) – and much of the cash was spent to grand affect. Emotions, action and special effects are state of the art, which is to say they are overblown. True, Jackson has worked hard on character development, and roughly the first third of this three-hour long movie serves to introduce the players. The 7.6m ape appears some 70 minutes into the film, and he does look real, courtesy of the motion-capture technique (the same used for Gollum in the Rings trilogy). That said, this high-tech, megabuck version has nothing on the original.
Universal Pictures/UIP

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

(c)that's Guangzhou
Guanzhou Chief editor: Christopher Cottrell
March 2006 issue