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Champions, directed by Tsui Siu Ming, starring Dicky Cheung, Xie Miao, Xu Xiang Dong, Yu Rongguang, Debbie Goh, Priscilla Wong, will be out on DVD on January 22. The movie, about a group of athletes aspiring to participate in the Olympic Games, features various forms of martial arts such as Praying Mantis, Eagle Claw and Tai Chi. Two editions are available for pre-order at YesAsia - 2-disc edition and 2-disc + Soundtrack CD edition, both containing extras like making-of, trailer, promos, etc.

All About Women, a romantic comedy by Tsui Hark, starring Zhou Xun, Zhang Yu Qi, Guey Lun Mei, Alex Fong Chung Sun, Stephen Fung arrives on DVD on January 20. The film revolves around the roller coaster romantic adventures of three women bumbling through love and life. Pre-order at YesAsia.

Wushu - The Young Generation, a coming-of-age wushu movie produced by Jackie Chan and directed by Antony Szeto, starring newcomers like Wang Wen Jie, Liu Feng Chao, Mao Jun Jie, etc, with Sammo Hung lending his support to help groom the next generation, is expected to be out on DVD on January 30. Wushu tells the tale of five friends immersing their lives in learning the disciplines of martial arts with no other thought but to excel. More information on YesAsia.

On December 9, gala premiere of the romantic comedy All About Women was held in Beijing, attended by the director Tsui Hark and cast members Zhou Xun, Gui Lun Mei, Zhang Yu Qi, Stephen Fung, Eddie Peng etc.

In the film, Zhou Xun is an antiquated doctor who petrifies upon contact with any man. Kwai Lun Mei plays a rock band singer who has violent inclinations, and often hallucinates about having a perfect boyfriend. Zhang Yu Qi is a self-centred entrepreneur who doesn't believe in having a boyfriend.

-- All About Women --

Trailers to All About Women, a wacky Beijing metropolitan romantic comedy directed by Tsui Hark, starring Zhang Yuqi, Zhou Xun, Kwai Lun Mei, Alex Chung Chung Sun, Stephen Fung, Eddie Peng, are available on Sina: A, B, C

Behind-the-scenes: A, B

Tsui Hark, accompanied by Shi Nan Sun, was at 13th Pusan International Film Festival on October 5 to give a talk "My Life, My Cinema". His cosmopolitan comedy She Ain't Mean/All About Women was to premiere worldwide at the festival but had to be withdrawn at the last minute as its approval from Mainland censors was delayed owing to National Day holiday.

To Tsui Hark, a filmmaker should keep exploring all kinds of possibilities, and hence he has been experimenting with different kinds of films such as Legend of Zu, Missing, and She Ain't Mean, rather than being limited to one genre, and trying out new technology and filming equipment. A filmmaker should experiment, reinvent, and find their own niche.

Tsui Hark directed Missing and She Ain't Mean for he believes that Mainland film industry needs more variety as most are just following the trend, which might lead to some awkward situations and saturation of the market.

Tsui Hark does have the intention of doing a remake of New Dragon Inn, which was announced several years back. However, as his other movie Di Ren Jie/Judge Dee is set to begin production next April, he is still debating if he should go ahead with New Dragon Inn due to time constraints. And the talented director has just completed the script of another comedy.  EastDay

-- She Ain't Mean/Not All Women Are Bad --

Release for She Ain't Mean/Not All Women Are Bad by Tsui Hark is being pushed back from October to early December 2008. The film distributors believe that as the film is filled with fantasy and comical elements, it's more suited for a holiday season. Moreover, the film is still in post-production, and October would be too rushed for the science-fiction elements in the film require massive work.  Sohu

-- Missing --

Missing trailer may be viewed at Sina. A better quality trailer is now available at MTime.

The suspense mystery, starring Angelica Lee Sinjie, Guo Xiaodong, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Isabella Leong, Chang Chen, is set for release on June 20.  Photos: MTime

In the meantime, She Ain't Mean, another work directed by Tsui Hark, is wrapping up towards the end of this month. Tsui Hark says that in order to return Kwak Jae Young's favour for writing She Ain't Mean, he'd write a script for him too.

Tsui Hark's modern day comedy 《女人不坏》 She Ain't Mean (tentative) has begun production in Beijing on January 8. It's described as a modern version of Peking Opera Blues with Zhou Xun, Gui Lun Mei and Kitty Zhang Yu Qi taking on the leading roles. The three respectively underwent training in Chi Kung, in boxing, and in etiquette and ballet in preparation for the role. And Tsui Hark will amend the script according to their performances. Tsui Hark says that the most important element in this film is beauty, "Everyone you see in this movie, the dresses, the objects are all the most beautiful and avant-garde."

Tsui Hark was inspired by a calligraphy with the words She Ain't Mean that he saw when he awoke one day, and images of countless women flashed across his mind. While he didn't gave it a careful thought, the various characters began to gradually form into something more concrete after several days.

-- Seven Swords 2 --

Sun Hong Lei reveals that Seven Swords 2 film is still an on-going project and Tsui Hark has been working on the script. He estimates that production might possibly begins next year. Charlie Yeung, who's invited, along with Sun Hong Lei, to a ribbon cutting ceremony, would not say anything about the script other. She believes Tsui Hark would give her a role that would be a delightful surprise. On the hand, Ciwen Pictures, the studio behind the TV version of Seven Swordsmen, is putting the TV sequel on hold due to high costs involved as well as the audience's declining interest on ancient series.

Tsui Hark had recently completed filming of Missing, a mystery about one of a couple gone missing at an ancient underwater ruins off Yonaguni Island. He also has several other projects ahead including 《女人不坏》 She Ain't Mean, which is a somewhat modern version of Peking Opera Blues, and Di Ren Jie. In addition, he has just acquired the rights to Jing Xu Feng's suspense novel 《天眼》 Divine Eye which deals with cracking of an enigmatic case in the recent 100 years.  Chengdu Evening News