May 2003

Some pics from John Woo's latest movie, PAYCHECK can be viewed at: www.hollywoodnorthreport.com.

Based on a short story by Philip K. Dick, the film is a futuristic tale centred on a man (Ben Affleck) who has part of his memory erased by his employer and begins to find clues to his whereabouts for the past two years.

Tsui Hark's THE ERA OF VAMPIRES will be released on dvd on 17 June. Amazon.com is accepting pre-orders now. However, the movie has been renamed as VAMPIRE HUNTERS. Here're the technical specifications:

Tsui Hark's Vampire Hunters (2002) Release Information: Studio: Columbia Tri-Star Theatrical Release Date: January 1, 2002 DVD Release Date: June 17, 2003 Production Company: columbia Package Type: Keep Case Aspect Ratio(s): Widescreen anamorphic Discographic Information: DVD Encoding: Region 1 Available Audio Tracks: Chinese (Cantonese) (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1) Available subtitles: English, French

April 2003

Leslie Cheung has committed suicide by leaping off a hotel. He was 47. Leslie appeared in a number of John Woo and Tsui Hark movies, notably A BETTER TOMORROW and A CHINESE GHOST STORY. He also starred in Chen Kaige's FAREWELL TO MY CONCUBINE and Wong Kar Wai's ASHES OF TIME. Rest in peace 'Ah-Kit'...

February 2003

Front cover	Back cover

THE ERA OF VAMPIRES was released on vcd in Singapore last week. Comes in a Mandarin language track with English subtitles. While the vcd mastering isn't fantastic (night scenes don't show up well), it should sustain me until the dvd gets released.

I found this site selling the ERA OF VAMPIRES vcd:

http://www.dvdsvcds.com/E_Movie_folders/Era_Of_Vampires.htm

The language is in Cantonese though and I don't know if it comes with English subtitles. The site looks somewhat shady as it is also selling THE TWO TOWERS dvd and vcd when the official release isn't out yet.

There's a Ninja Film contest to be judged by John Woo and Terence Chang. Details at the following site:

http://www.ninjafilmcontest.com

Here's an excerpt from the official site:

GO FROM AMATEUR FILMMAKER TO PRO IN LESS THAN 2 MINUTES
ENTER THE REEL NINJA FILM CONTEST

Judged by internationally-renowned director
JOHN WOO and producer TERENCE CHANG
of Lion Rock Productions.
• $15,000 Grand Prize
• $5,000 First Prize

• Your film may be used in a national marketing campaign
• Accolades, press and more

Enter at this website starting 2/3/03 until 2/17/03

Show off your talent. Just make the ultimate ninja film (and make it short - around 2 minutes). You could win cash, exposure and the pleasure of watching your peers squirm with jealousy. From funny to frightening--what will your ninja film look like?

Thanks to Al Young for the info.