The period drama is the sixth film to reach vnd100 billion ($4m) this year.
Vietnamese period film The Last Wife has passed the vnd100 billion mark at the local box office, making it the sixth film to reach this milestone this year. It is equivalent to approximately $4m.
Directed by US-born Vietnamese filmmaker Victor Vu, the film has been dominating the Vietnamese box office since its opening on November 3. It crossed the $4.09m (vnd100bn) mark on December 8 for distributor Lotte Entertainment.
It also opened in North America through 3388 Films and Australia through VeOnline & Film Viet Tai Uc on December...
Vietnamese period film The Last Wife has passed the vnd100 billion mark at the local box office, making it the sixth film to reach this milestone this year. It is equivalent to approximately $4m.
Directed by US-born Vietnamese filmmaker Victor Vu, the film has been dominating the Vietnamese box office since its opening on November 3. It crossed the $4.09m (vnd100bn) mark on December 8 for distributor Lotte Entertainment.
It also opened in North America through 3388 Films and Australia through VeOnline & Film Viet Tai Uc on December...
- 12/11/2023
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
Outsider Pictures has announced that the supernatural horror film Don’t Look at the Demon, starring the Chucky franchise’s Fiona Dourif, will be getting a theatrical release in over 100 theatres across the United States and Canada this Halloween season, beginning on October 7th. Along with this announcement comes the unveiling of a trailer for the film, and you can check that out in the embed above.
Directed by Brando Lee from a screenplay by Alfie Palermo (based on Lee’s story), Don’t Look at the Demon has the following synopsis:
Led by the troubled medium Jules (Dourif), an American team of paranormal TV investigators go to the home of a couple who claim to have experienced inexplicable, threatening disturbances. Delving into the mystery, they encounter possessions and apparitions more terrifying than any they’d witnessed before – actual contact with the other side. As the cameras roll and bodies are possessed,...
Directed by Brando Lee from a screenplay by Alfie Palermo (based on Lee’s story), Don’t Look at the Demon has the following synopsis:
Led by the troubled medium Jules (Dourif), an American team of paranormal TV investigators go to the home of a couple who claim to have experienced inexplicable, threatening disturbances. Delving into the mystery, they encounter possessions and apparitions more terrifying than any they’d witnessed before – actual contact with the other side. As the cameras roll and bodies are possessed,...
- 9/1/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Dichen Lachman (Severance), Willa Fitzgerald (Reacher), Ron Perlman (Nightmare Alley) and Harvey Keitel will topline Steven Brand’s noir feature, Joe Baby, which has wrapped production in Mississippi.
The film based on Drew Fine’s novel centers on Lachman’s character of the same name—a “collector” for a private investigator, searching for a way out of her unfulfilling and sometimes violent life. When Joe takes on a case to help the savvy daughter of a real estate mogul recover money she was conned out of, she is also approached by an unorthodox FBI Agent who is looking into the cold case murder of Joe’s hit-man father. When Joe discovers the two cases may be related, she is soon caught up in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game in which she must face her violent past in order to live another day.
Joe Baby will also star Kelly Hu (The Orville...
The film based on Drew Fine’s novel centers on Lachman’s character of the same name—a “collector” for a private investigator, searching for a way out of her unfulfilling and sometimes violent life. When Joe takes on a case to help the savvy daughter of a real estate mogul recover money she was conned out of, she is also approached by an unorthodox FBI Agent who is looking into the cold case murder of Joe’s hit-man father. When Joe discovers the two cases may be related, she is soon caught up in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game in which she must face her violent past in order to live another day.
Joe Baby will also star Kelly Hu (The Orville...
- 6/27/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
In today's Horror Highlights, we have the trailer for Kane Hodder's Balsam: A Paranormal Investigation, details on Grave Hill (the remake of The Housemaid), and the trailer for Darkness in Tenement 45!
Balsam: A Paranormal Investigation: "Kane Hodder recently premiered the trailer for his new project, “Balsam: A Paranormal Investigation” at Mad Monster Party Arizona. Kane Hodder has been working with producer and director Tony H. Cadwell (Behind The Sightings) to produce a documentary entitled "Balsam: A Paranormal Investigation."
Synopsis: Kane Hodder leads a team of paranormal investigators as they investigate The Grand Old Lady Hotel in Balsam, North Carolina. The Grand Old Lady Hotel is a 112-year-old, 40,000 square foot hotel with a disturbing past. Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, the hotel is referred to by locals as the South's Stanley Hotel.
Director Tony H. Cadwell stated, "We wanted to put together a project for horror...
Balsam: A Paranormal Investigation: "Kane Hodder recently premiered the trailer for his new project, “Balsam: A Paranormal Investigation” at Mad Monster Party Arizona. Kane Hodder has been working with producer and director Tony H. Cadwell (Behind The Sightings) to produce a documentary entitled "Balsam: A Paranormal Investigation."
Synopsis: Kane Hodder leads a team of paranormal investigators as they investigate The Grand Old Lady Hotel in Balsam, North Carolina. The Grand Old Lady Hotel is a 112-year-old, 40,000 square foot hotel with a disturbing past. Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, the hotel is referred to by locals as the South's Stanley Hotel.
Director Tony H. Cadwell stated, "We wanted to put together a project for horror...
- 10/16/2020
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Parasite producer Cj Entertainment has tapped Black And Blue and Traffik filmmaker Deon Taylor to direct gothic horror-thriller Grave Hill, the company’s English-language remake of the hit Vietnamese horror film The Housemaid.
As we previously revealed, Oscar-winner Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious) wrote the adapted screenplay with Derek Nguyen, writer-director of 2016 pic The Housemaid, which explores racial and social themes through a genre lens. The remake will take place in the American South during the Reconstruction Era.
In the original, an orphaned Vietnamese girl is hired to be a housemaid at a haunted rubber plantation in 1953 French Indochina. However, she unexpectedly falls in love with the French landowner and awakens the vengeful ghost of his dead wife.
Cj Entertainment is financing, developing and producing the new English-language remake. Executive producers are Cj Group Vice Chairwoman Miky Lee, Cj Entertainment’s Jinnie Choi and Jerry Ko along with Hidden Empire’s Roxanne...
As we previously revealed, Oscar-winner Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious) wrote the adapted screenplay with Derek Nguyen, writer-director of 2016 pic The Housemaid, which explores racial and social themes through a genre lens. The remake will take place in the American South during the Reconstruction Era.
In the original, an orphaned Vietnamese girl is hired to be a housemaid at a haunted rubber plantation in 1953 French Indochina. However, she unexpectedly falls in love with the French landowner and awakens the vengeful ghost of his dead wife.
Cj Entertainment is financing, developing and producing the new English-language remake. Executive producers are Cj Group Vice Chairwoman Miky Lee, Cj Entertainment’s Jinnie Choi and Jerry Ko along with Hidden Empire’s Roxanne...
- 10/15/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
“Traffik” filmmaker Deon Taylor will direct an English-language remake of the Vietnamese horror film “The Housemaid” that will be produced by “Parasite” studio Cj Entertainment, the studio announced Thursday.
The remake is now titled “Grave Hill,” and Derek Nguyen, who wrote and directed the 2016 Gothic horror film, also adapted the screenplay alongside Geoffrey Fletcher (“Precious”).
“The Housemaid” is set in French Indochina in 1953 and follows a Vietnamese orphan girl hired to work as a housemaid at a haunted rubber plantation. When she falls in love with the estate’s landowner, she attracts the fury of the ghost of the landowner’s dead wife. Taylor’s film will take place in the American South during the Reconstruction Era and aim to remain true to the original’s racial and social themes.
Principal photography on “Grave Hill” hopes to begin in early 2021.
Cj Entertainment, which financed and produced “The Housemaid,” is also financing,...
The remake is now titled “Grave Hill,” and Derek Nguyen, who wrote and directed the 2016 Gothic horror film, also adapted the screenplay alongside Geoffrey Fletcher (“Precious”).
“The Housemaid” is set in French Indochina in 1953 and follows a Vietnamese orphan girl hired to work as a housemaid at a haunted rubber plantation. When she falls in love with the estate’s landowner, she attracts the fury of the ghost of the landowner’s dead wife. Taylor’s film will take place in the American South during the Reconstruction Era and aim to remain true to the original’s racial and social themes.
Principal photography on “Grave Hill” hopes to begin in early 2021.
Cj Entertainment, which financed and produced “The Housemaid,” is also financing,...
- 10/15/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Principal photography anticipated for first quarter 2021.
South Korean powerhouse Cj Entertainment has hired Deon Taylor to direct Grave Hill, the English-language remake of Vietnamese horror The Housemaid.
Taylor will direct from an adapted screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious) and Derek Nguyen, who wrote and directed the original film.
Cj Entertainment is financing, developing and producing the remake, which is expected to begin principal photography in the first quarter of 2021.
Grave Hill will be set in the American South during the Reconstruction Era in post-Civil War late 19th Century.
It will explore the same social and racial themes touched on in 2016 period horror romance The Housemaid,...
South Korean powerhouse Cj Entertainment has hired Deon Taylor to direct Grave Hill, the English-language remake of Vietnamese horror The Housemaid.
Taylor will direct from an adapted screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher (Precious) and Derek Nguyen, who wrote and directed the original film.
Cj Entertainment is financing, developing and producing the remake, which is expected to begin principal photography in the first quarter of 2021.
Grave Hill will be set in the American South during the Reconstruction Era in post-Civil War late 19th Century.
It will explore the same social and racial themes touched on in 2016 period horror romance The Housemaid,...
- 10/15/2020
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Sydney-based sales agent Odin’s Eye has picked up international rights to Harvey Keitel-starring action feature “Live Fast, Die Laughing.” The film is directed by Timothy Linh Bui and produced by Los Angeles-based Convergence Entertainment.
Scripted by Tim Tori, the film is the story of a broke taxi driver in Vietnam who thinks it is his lucky day when a mysterious American woman offers him a fortune to drive her 1,000 miles from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. They set off, pursued by mobsters and an assassin.
Set to shoot in November, the film will star Francesca Eastwood (“True Crime”) alongside Keitel. Action direction is to be supplied by fight choreographer Vincent Wang.
“Live Fast” is produced by Douglas W. Miller and Tim Kwok through Convergence Entertainment.
“Tim Bui is an authentic and original voice, with a unique story that’s rarely seen in modern-day Vietnam,” Kwok said. “The...
Scripted by Tim Tori, the film is the story of a broke taxi driver in Vietnam who thinks it is his lucky day when a mysterious American woman offers him a fortune to drive her 1,000 miles from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. They set off, pursued by mobsters and an assassin.
Set to shoot in November, the film will star Francesca Eastwood (“True Crime”) alongside Keitel. Action direction is to be supplied by fight choreographer Vincent Wang.
“Live Fast” is produced by Douglas W. Miller and Tim Kwok through Convergence Entertainment.
“Tim Bui is an authentic and original voice, with a unique story that’s rarely seen in modern-day Vietnam,” Kwok said. “The...
- 5/18/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Guest reviewer Lee Broughton offers a look at writer-director Derek Nguyen’s intriguing debut feature, a finely observed supernatural gothic chiller-cum-illicit period love story, set on a French plantation in Vietnam towards the end of the First Indochina War. It’s also a spooky melodrama with a difference. As such, this well-acted, handsomely staged and stylishly shot Vietnamese-South Korean co-production is able to offset its scenes of uncanny terror and interracial romance with scenarios that pass comment on both the mechanics of colonialism and the physical violence and psychological damage that necessarily accompany the colonial process.
The Housemaid
Region B Blu-ray + Pal DVD
Eureka Entertainment
2016 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 105 min. / Co Hau Gai / Street Date, 19 Feb 2018 / £12.99
Starring: Nhung Kate, Jean-Michel Richaud, Kim Xuan, Rosie Fellner, Phi Phung, Kien An, Svitlana Kovalenko.
Cinematography: Sam Chase
Film Editor: Stephane Gauger
Production Designer: Jose Mari (Joji) Pamintuan
Original Music: Jerome Leroy
Produced by Timothy Linh Bui,...
The Housemaid
Region B Blu-ray + Pal DVD
Eureka Entertainment
2016 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 105 min. / Co Hau Gai / Street Date, 19 Feb 2018 / £12.99
Starring: Nhung Kate, Jean-Michel Richaud, Kim Xuan, Rosie Fellner, Phi Phung, Kien An, Svitlana Kovalenko.
Cinematography: Sam Chase
Film Editor: Stephane Gauger
Production Designer: Jose Mari (Joji) Pamintuan
Original Music: Jerome Leroy
Produced by Timothy Linh Bui,...
- 3/6/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Sony Pictures Television unit Crackle has set a December 19 release on its platform for its original cyber thriller The Throwaways featuring Jeremy Renner as executive producer.
Sam Huntington, Katie McGrath, Christian Hillborg, Jack Kesy, Kevin Dillon and James Caan star in the story of a hacker who recruits a team and is tasked by the CIA to take down a cyber terrorist.
Tony Bui directs from a screenplay by Michael Ross. Renner and Don Handfield are on board as executive producers via their company The Combine along with Timothy Linh Bui.
The Throwaways is set in Bulgarian capital Sofia and was completed in October.
Directv Cinema has begun its exclusive VOD window on Atom Egoyan’s thriller The Captive through December 11, prior to theatrical release the following day via A24. The exclusivity component is pursuant to the partners’ ongoing agreement. Ryan Reynolds stars in the abduction thriller.
Sam Huntington, Katie McGrath, Christian Hillborg, Jack Kesy, Kevin Dillon and James Caan star in the story of a hacker who recruits a team and is tasked by the CIA to take down a cyber terrorist.
Tony Bui directs from a screenplay by Michael Ross. Renner and Don Handfield are on board as executive producers via their company The Combine along with Timothy Linh Bui.
The Throwaways is set in Bulgarian capital Sofia and was completed in October.
Directv Cinema has begun its exclusive VOD window on Atom Egoyan’s thriller The Captive through December 11, prior to theatrical release the following day via A24. The exclusivity component is pursuant to the partners’ ongoing agreement. Ryan Reynolds stars in the abduction thriller.
- 11/20/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Crackle has some new spy thriller entertainment coming your way. The online distributor will release its original, feature-length film The Throwaways on its site on December 19, 2014. The film centers around a character named Drew Reynolds (played by Sam Huntington of Being Human and Superman Returns fame), a hacker captured by the CIA and offered either a job with the organization or life in prison. Reynolds joins a “throwaway” group of the CIA’s least-favored agents, including Colonel Christopher Holden (played by James Caan from The Godfather) and combat specialist Dan Fisher (portrayed by Kevin Dillon of Platoon). Together, the three aim to take out a cyber-terrorist bent on destruction. Written by Michael Ross of Jerry McGuire, The Throwaways co-stars Katie McGrath from Merlin, Christian Hillborg of The Bridge, and Jack Kesy of The Strain. Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, The Avengers) and his colleague Don Handfield (Kill the Messenger) executive...
- 11/20/2014
- by Bree Brouwer
- Tubefilter.com
The 2009 drama Powder Blue was notable for two main reasons: Jessica Biel went topless and writhed on a strip-club stage and Patrick Swayze made his final appearance on celluloid before his death in September.
Biel's boobs propelled her to second place in Zap2It's Top 10 Celebrity Nude Scenes of 2009, where she was beaten only by Eva Amurri's raunchy role in Californication.
For those of who you missed all the fuss and the flashes of flesh, or want to see it again, the film is released on DVD in the UK tomorrow (Monday, January 25).
Powder Blue follows four people as they embark on different journeys that lead them all to the same place.
Swayze plays Velvet Larry, the sleazy owner of a strip joint where Rose Johnny (Biel) works as a dancer whose son is in a coma.
The ensemble cast also includes Ray Liotta (Goodfellas, Smokin' Aces), Forest Whitaker (Last King of Scotland,...
Biel's boobs propelled her to second place in Zap2It's Top 10 Celebrity Nude Scenes of 2009, where she was beaten only by Eva Amurri's raunchy role in Californication.
For those of who you missed all the fuss and the flashes of flesh, or want to see it again, the film is released on DVD in the UK tomorrow (Monday, January 25).
Powder Blue follows four people as they embark on different journeys that lead them all to the same place.
Swayze plays Velvet Larry, the sleazy owner of a strip joint where Rose Johnny (Biel) works as a dancer whose son is in a coma.
The ensemble cast also includes Ray Liotta (Goodfellas, Smokin' Aces), Forest Whitaker (Last King of Scotland,...
- 1/25/2010
- by David Bentley
- The Geek Files
In this day and age, why can't someone be both? Jessica Biel's dramatic turn as a stripper in Timothy Linh Bui's Powder Blue, which just hit DVD and Blu-ray, has been competing for attention with the theatrical release of Stephen Elliott's Easy Virtue, which opened in New York and Los Angeles before expanding this weekend. Throw in the tempest in a teacup about her interview with Allure Magazine, in which the actress was quoted as complaining that her beauty was causing her to miss out on more serious roles that instead went to Natalie Portman or Scarlett Johansson, and it may be hard to know what to think of the actress.
I don't know if the Allure quotes are accurate are not, taken out of context or completely made up, but watching her in Easy Virtue made me forget all the career stuff and gossip and get...
I don't know if the Allure quotes are accurate are not, taken out of context or completely made up, but watching her in Easy Virtue made me forget all the career stuff and gossip and get...
- 5/31/2009
- by Peter Martin
- Cinematical
In the June issue of Allure, stunning actress Jessica Biel said her beauty “really is a problem” when trying to find work in Hollywood. (Ironic considering the quote accompanies a high-priced photo shoot in the pages of a magazine as she graces the cover.) “I just want the opportunity,” she said. “If you don’t like the audition, don’t hire me. But if you don’t want to even see me, that’s hurtful.” In short, she wants to be taken seriously as an actress.
In Powder Blue, Biel plays a stripper and delivers a bad performance. This ill-conceived, straight-to-dvd movie will forever be known for Biel’s scantily clad turns on stage, while the rest is rightfully tossed in the same pile as the remains of Anne Hathaway’s Havoc and Katie Holmes’ The Gift.
The plot is a series of forced connections between a moping cast of...
In Powder Blue, Biel plays a stripper and delivers a bad performance. This ill-conceived, straight-to-dvd movie will forever be known for Biel’s scantily clad turns on stage, while the rest is rightfully tossed in the same pile as the remains of Anne Hathaway’s Havoc and Katie Holmes’ The Gift.
The plot is a series of forced connections between a moping cast of...
- 5/27/2009
- by Jeff Leins
- newsinfilm.com
We're all for getting out in the summertime, but there might not be anything more refreshing than cooling off in a movie theater... or seeing a movie in the comfort of your air-conditioned home on demand, on DVD, or online... or better yet catching a classic on the big screen at a nearby repertory theater. With literally hundreds of films to choose from this summer, we humbly present this guide to the season's most exciting offerings.
May 1
"Eldorado"
The Cast: Bouli Lanners, Fabrice Adde, Philippe Nahon, Didier Toupy, Franise Chichy
Director: Bouli Lanners
Fest Cred: Cannes, Warsaw, Glasgow, Palm Springs,
The Gist: When Elie (Adde), a hapless young thief attempts to rob Yvan (Lanners), a 40-year-old car dealer, the two form a unlikely friendship that leads to a road trip across Belgium in this slight comedy that won the Best European Film at the Director's Fortnight at Cannes last year.
May 1
"Eldorado"
The Cast: Bouli Lanners, Fabrice Adde, Philippe Nahon, Didier Toupy, Franise Chichy
Director: Bouli Lanners
Fest Cred: Cannes, Warsaw, Glasgow, Palm Springs,
The Gist: When Elie (Adde), a hapless young thief attempts to rob Yvan (Lanners), a 40-year-old car dealer, the two form a unlikely friendship that leads to a road trip across Belgium in this slight comedy that won the Best European Film at the Director's Fortnight at Cannes last year.
- 5/6/2009
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
Green Dragon director Tim Linh Bui's new film Powder Blue, starring Jessica Biel, Forest Whitaker, Ray Liotta and Patrick Swayze, has received an original score by Didier Lean Rachou. He was called in very late in the process to replace most of the existing score with an edgy, modern approach. Rachou's previous credits include Aquaman: Mercy Reef, How To Rob a Bank and several episodes of Sex and the City. Recently, he also scored a Lionsgate film called High Hopes, starring Jason Mewes, Lacey Chabert, Andy Dick and David Faustino. Currently, Didier has just begun scoring his third season of the TV series Storm Chasers for the Discovery Channel.
- 5/6/2009
- by noreply@blogger.com (Mikael Carlsson)
- MovieScore Magazine
The Film School Rejects have posted a new trailer for director Timothy Linh Bui’s Zomg-Jessica-Biel-is-getting-nekkid-again! drama Powder Blue. While the first teaser trailer was very moody and atmospheric (thanks to The Soul’s Release’ Dripping Whispers), it think this one is a bit too talkative for it’s own good.
[See post to watch Flash video] Powder Blue only got a limited theatrical release, but will be available on June 9th on DVD and Blu-ray Disc (Code A) by Image Entertainment. If you don’t want to wait till June, Biel’s training video for her role as a single mom stripper is already available here.
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[See post to watch Flash video] Powder Blue only got a limited theatrical release, but will be available on June 9th on DVD and Blu-ray Disc (Code A) by Image Entertainment. If you don’t want to wait till June, Biel’s training video for her role as a single mom stripper is already available here.
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- 4/4/2009
- by Ulrik
- Affenheimtheater
A video with a series of footages from Vietnamese director Timothy Linh Bui’s “Powder Blue” has been around for a while, but this is the first time they’ve released an official trailer for the movie, with narration and dialogue and all that other neato stuff. Check out an extremely creepy Patrick Stewart, a highly emotional (is that bad acting, or trying too hard?) Jessica Biel, and Ray Liotta skulking through the place like he’s ready to cap someone’s ass. Several Angelenos meet on Christmas Eve through chance, tragedy and divine intervention. Swayze will play the sleazy owner of the strip club where Biel’s character dances. Redmayne will portray a mortician who falls in love with her. Kristofferson will play the head of a corporate crime organization who tries to convince his former employee (Liotta) not to seek vengeance on his former co-workers. Whitaker, who also...
- 4/3/2009
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
A few of you may recall hearing the title Powder Blue before, and that's probably because when we last heard about it, it was because Jessica Biel had joined the cast as a stripper. Well, good news, the official trailer has debuted, but it's about a lot more than just a stripper. Forest Whitaker, Ray Liotta, Eddie Redmayne, and Patrick Swayze all star in this as well. Powder Blue is one of those ensemble indie films about four Los Angeles locals who are brought together on Christmas Eve by a series of depressing circumstances. It doesn't look that great, but it looks better than most indies out there. Take a look! Watch the red band treaser trailer for Bruno: [flv:http://media2.firstshowing.net/firstshowing/powder-blue-trailer.flv http://media2.firstshowing.net/firstshowing/powder-blue-trailer.jpg 480 270] Several Angelenos meet on Christmas Eve through chance, tragedy and divine intervention: a sleazy owner of the strip club, a mortician who falls in love with a stripper, the head ...
- 4/2/2009
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
You really have to admire Jessica Biel's dedication to her craft. Especially when it involves the Stealth beauty working the stripper pole and twisting her form into delectable contortions. Biel plays single mom/stripper Rose-Johnny in the upcoming drama Powder Blue, and for the role she worked tirelessly to learn the skills that pay the bills for the world's exotic dancers. "I've gained such a great respect for the women who actually do this for a living, because it's so hard," Biel tells Access Hollywood. And Biel, in turn, gained great respect from Powder Blue writer/director Timothy Linh Bui. "She's very athletic," Bui enthuses. "I.
- 4/2/2009
- by Celebuzz
- Celebuzz.com
Way back in August of 2007 big news hit the movie world -- big in the prurient sense that is -- that Jessica Biel would be getting naked in her upcoming film Powder Blue in which she plays a single mother stripping to raise money to save her terminally ill son. She stars opposite Forest Whitaker, Ray Liotta and Patrick Swayze with Timothy Linh Bui directing. In December the trailer debuted and the Internet shut down and it was immediately declared a national holiday as people rushed online to see what they could see. The film didn't have a release date or a distributor yet the anticipation was palpable as the thought of a naked celebrity seems to get people quite randy. Well, the film has a distributor and a release date, but it doesn't look like it will be coming to a theater near you as Blu-ray.com announces Powder Blue...
- 3/2/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Wave Releasing -- founded by Vietnamese American filmmakers Timothy Linh Bui, Stephane Gauger, Ham Tran and Wyn Tran -- will release its first film, Gauger's "Owl and the Sparrow," Friday in Los Angeles, Irvine and Westminster. Wave's focus is delivering entertainment for Vietnamese American audiences as well as mainstream indie moviegoers.
"We're at a crossroads point in indie filmmaking, and this was our way of helping to ensure that we're on the correct side as the paradigm shift occurs," Wave Releasing CEO Bui said. "Starting the company was our response (to the digital revolution) and a way for us to reclaim a strong film and storytelling legacy."
"Owl" was the Audience Award winner at the 2007 L.A. Film Festival. After its Southern California engagements, it will move on to San Francisco, Houston, Chicago and other cities.
"We're at a crossroads point in indie filmmaking, and this was our way of helping to ensure that we're on the correct side as the paradigm shift occurs," Wave Releasing CEO Bui said. "Starting the company was our response (to the digital revolution) and a way for us to reclaim a strong film and storytelling legacy."
"Owl" was the Audience Award winner at the 2007 L.A. Film Festival. After its Southern California engagements, it will move on to San Francisco, Houston, Chicago and other cities.
- 1/15/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A promotional trailer for Powder Blue is now online, giving a first look at the indie drama starring Jessica Biel, Forest Whitaker, Patrick Swayze, Kris Kristofferson, Eddie Redmayne, Alejandro Romero and Ray Liotta. Written and directed by Timothy Linh Bui, the film centers around four eclectic characters — a mortician, an ex-con, a suicidal ex-priest and a stripper — brought together on Christmas Eve by a mixture of circumstances. Watch the trailer below. A specific release date has not yet been set for the film, though, it’s expected to arrive sometime next year.
- 12/10/2008
- by James Cook
- TheMovingPicture.net
The first real look into "Powder Blue" has been provided by the newly-released trailer of the drama movie. Taking more than two minutes of running time, the video footage shares glimpses of several of the main characters, including stripper Rose-Johnny played by Jessica Biel, suicidal ex-priest starred by Forest Whitaker and sleazy strip club owner portrayed by Patrick Swayze.
A drama movie about a group of different people desperately searching for redemption, human connection, and restored faith, "Powder Blue" is set within the underbelly of Los Angeles. On the eve of Christmas, four lives will cross paths by chance, love, past guilt, and divine intervention and by sunrise, their lives will have been woven together by a miracle that will set them free to realize that within death there is hope, and love is the reason we choose to breathe.
Starring also Ray Liotta, Lisa Kudrow, Kris Kristofferson, Eddie Redmayne and Alejandro Romero,...
A drama movie about a group of different people desperately searching for redemption, human connection, and restored faith, "Powder Blue" is set within the underbelly of Los Angeles. On the eve of Christmas, four lives will cross paths by chance, love, past guilt, and divine intervention and by sunrise, their lives will have been woven together by a miracle that will set them free to realize that within death there is hope, and love is the reason we choose to breathe.
Starring also Ray Liotta, Lisa Kudrow, Kris Kristofferson, Eddie Redmayne and Alejandro Romero,...
- 12/10/2008
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
We normally wouldn’t pay much heed to a moody indie film about characters struggling through emotional tumult. But when the movie is Powder Blue and it features Jessica Biel as a stripper, we’re all ears and other organs. God knows what to make of this trailer. It sure evokes mood but, hell, color-saturated shots of Biel squirming around showing off little outfits with Forest Whitaker, Ray Lioitta and a Cillian Murphy lookalike gazing off into the horizon thinking deep thoughts to a Sigur Ros soundtrack, well, hell, that’s, like, shooting fish in a barrell. The film is directed by Timothy Linh Bui, who co-wrote the film Three Seasons, directed by his brother Tony Bui. I saw this in 1999 when it came out and I am 85% sure I liked it. How’s that for an endorsement? After the jump, dig the video as leaked to YouTube. You can totally use this video.
- 12/10/2008
- UGO Movies
All of a sudden I noticed the Massive interest in Jessica Biel's upcoming film Powder Blue and then I realized it's because the trailer had found its way onto the Internet. Of course any of you that have not heard of this film probably still don't understand the infatuation... well, it has a little something to do with the fact that Biel plays a stripper in the flick and it is already on record Biel will be seen nude in the film. Yes, this means screenshots are likely to hit the Internet fast and furious. As for the film, it concerns four troubled people who connect on Christmas Eve. Liotta plays an ex-con who has been released after a 25-year stretch and reaches out to his long-lost daughter (Biel). Along with Biel the feature stars Forest Whitaker, Ray Liotta, Patrick Swayze, Kris Kristofferson and Eddie Redmayne and was directed by Timothy Linh Bui.
- 12/9/2008
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The first possible picture of "Powder Blue" has been making its round. On November 19, MoviesOnline has come out with the film's supposed leaked photo which may expose scantily clad Jessica Biel as her stripper character, Rose-Johnny.
In the image, it can be seen that the woman claimed to be Biel is sitting on a couch wearing nothing else than her underwear and a pair of black stockings. The picture also let out a first glimpse into Patrick Swayze's character. The photo of Biel in her stripper outfit can be seen via Egotastic!.
For her Rose-Johnny role, Biel has reportedly signed a deal for appearing nude in "Powder Blue". Depicting a single mother trying to raise money for her terminally ill son by stripping, the 26-year-old is said to be showing some flesh that include shots of her breasts as well as her bottom though they would be seen in side view only.
In the image, it can be seen that the woman claimed to be Biel is sitting on a couch wearing nothing else than her underwear and a pair of black stockings. The picture also let out a first glimpse into Patrick Swayze's character. The photo of Biel in her stripper outfit can be seen via Egotastic!.
For her Rose-Johnny role, Biel has reportedly signed a deal for appearing nude in "Powder Blue". Depicting a single mother trying to raise money for her terminally ill son by stripping, the 26-year-old is said to be showing some flesh that include shots of her breasts as well as her bottom though they would be seen in side view only.
- 11/20/2008
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
The indie drama "My Own Love Song," written and directed by Olivier Dahan ("La Vie en rose"), will start production next month in Kansas and New Orleans. Forest Whitaker and Renee Zellweger will star in the Alain Goldman produced film which follows a former singer (Zellweger) now in a wheelchair and her friend. As both have suffered a tragedy in their lives, they are one another's support system. Also cast is "Californication" actress Madeline Zima. Zellweger can be seen next alongside Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen in the "Appaloosa" western. Harris also returns to the director's chair after an eight year rest from his "Pollock" debut. Whitaker is in the Timothy Linh Bui helmed and written "Powder Blue" drama next with Jessica Biel, Lisa Kudrow and Patrick Swayze. Goldman also produced last week's opener "Babylon A.D." starring Vin Diesel as well as 2001's "The Crimson Rivers." ...
- 9/4/2008
- Upcoming-Movies.com
NEW YORK -- Patrick Swayze, Kris Kristofferson and Eddie Redmayne have joined Forest Whitaker, Jessica Biel and Ray Liotta in the ensemble drama Powder Blue.
In writer-director Timothy Linh Bui's film, several Angelenos meet on Christmas Eve through chance, tragedy and divine intervention. Swayze will play the sleazy owner of the strip club where Biel's character performs. Redmayne will portray a mortician who falls in love with her.
Kristofferson will play the head of a corporate crime organization who tries to convince his former employee (Liotta) not to seek vengeance on his former co-workers. Whitaker, who also serves as a producer on the film, will play a suicidal ex-priest. Newcomer Alejandro Romero will play a transsexual prostitute who shares an unexpected bond with the priest.
The Collective, which is handling the domestic sale of the indie, negotiated the financing with Eleven Eleven Films and Grosvenor Park. The executive producers are Collective's Shaun Redick and Jeff Golenberg, along with Bill Block and Kimberly Fox of foreign sales agent QED International.
In writer-director Timothy Linh Bui's film, several Angelenos meet on Christmas Eve through chance, tragedy and divine intervention. Swayze will play the sleazy owner of the strip club where Biel's character performs. Redmayne will portray a mortician who falls in love with her.
Kristofferson will play the head of a corporate crime organization who tries to convince his former employee (Liotta) not to seek vengeance on his former co-workers. Whitaker, who also serves as a producer on the film, will play a suicidal ex-priest. Newcomer Alejandro Romero will play a transsexual prostitute who shares an unexpected bond with the priest.
The Collective, which is handling the domestic sale of the indie, negotiated the financing with Eleven Eleven Films and Grosvenor Park. The executive producers are Collective's Shaun Redick and Jeff Golenberg, along with Bill Block and Kimberly Fox of foreign sales agent QED International.
- 8/10/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Los Angeles Film Festival
Stephane Gauger's keenly observed debut feature, Owl and the Sparrow, takes verite-style filmmaking to the streets of Saigon. With a captivating central performance by 10-year-old newcomer Pham Thi Han and an empathetic story line depicting the ordeals of urban alienation, Owl and the Sparrow is natural festival material and should nest comfortably on a strategically positioned specialty theatrical slate. The contemporary character drama recently won the audience award for best narrative feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
Orphaned Thuy (Han) works in her uncle's factory, where she assists with making bamboo blinds and other accessories. Young and relatively unskilled, she is the frequent focus of his chiding reminders that he is the only family she has left. After a particularly stinging rebuke, Thuy fills her bright pink backpack with clothes and personal possessions, running off alone to Saigon and spending most of her paltry savings on the expensive boat ride.
Arriving in the big city, she has little but her own quick wits to survive on, along with the compassion of strangers. Thuy first makes an unsuccessful attempt selling postcards on the street, then joins a group of flower girls plying roses to passersby with slightly more luck.
Meanwhile, apparently single flight attendant Lan (Cat Ly) checks into a modest Saigon hotel on a five-day layover, as zookeeper Hai (Le The Lu) tends to his beloved animals on the other side of town. Wandering onto the zoo grounds on her flower rounds, Thuy quickly latches onto Hai, recognizing him as another lonely soul, who is nursing an aching heart broken by a former fiancee.
Lan is suffering her own romantic disappointments as the secret mistress of an insensitive married airline pilot. After Thuy and Lan meet at a streetside noodle stand, Lan offers to let the homeless girl share her hotel room. Their nascent friendship inspires Thuy to play matchmaker between Hai, whom she compares to an owl, and Lan, who considers herself more like a sparrow. At the same time, Thuy's uncle searches the Saigon streets for her, while menacing municipal authorities want to put the girl into an orphanage.
Except in the final scenes, where "Owl" just manages to skirt overt sentimentality, Gauger's script effectively capitalizes on the compact cast's naturalistic acting and the city's lively immediacy to provide a realistic framework as the story brings the three principal characters together as a makeshift family. A skilled cinematographer and technician with notable experience on previous Vietnam-set productions, Gauger takes to the city streets with verve, his predominantly hand-held DV lensing infusing the low-budget film with refreshing vitality.
Han's assured, slightly whimsical turn as young Thuy is the principal catalyst for the film's substantial charm, eliciting compelling sympathy and unexpected humor from sometimes grim circumstances. Ly ventures a nicely nuanced performance, her expressive features attentively convey Lan's shifting emotions, but Lu's role registers fairly weakly.
Tech aspects are fine, with the DV transfer to 35mm holding up well.
OWL AND THE SPARROW
Annam Pictures in association with Chanh Phuong Films
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Stephane Gauger
Producers: Nguyen Van Quan, Doan Nhat Nam, Stephane Gauger
Executive producers: Timothy Linh Bui, Ham Tran, Jimmy Nghiem Pham
Director of photography: Stephane Gauger
Music: Pete Nguyen
Editors: Ricardo Javier, Ham Tran
Cast:
Lan: Cat Ly
Hai: Le The Lu
Thuy: Pham Thi Han
Uncle Minh: Nguyen Hau
Running time -- 97 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Stephane Gauger's keenly observed debut feature, Owl and the Sparrow, takes verite-style filmmaking to the streets of Saigon. With a captivating central performance by 10-year-old newcomer Pham Thi Han and an empathetic story line depicting the ordeals of urban alienation, Owl and the Sparrow is natural festival material and should nest comfortably on a strategically positioned specialty theatrical slate. The contemporary character drama recently won the audience award for best narrative feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
Orphaned Thuy (Han) works in her uncle's factory, where she assists with making bamboo blinds and other accessories. Young and relatively unskilled, she is the frequent focus of his chiding reminders that he is the only family she has left. After a particularly stinging rebuke, Thuy fills her bright pink backpack with clothes and personal possessions, running off alone to Saigon and spending most of her paltry savings on the expensive boat ride.
Arriving in the big city, she has little but her own quick wits to survive on, along with the compassion of strangers. Thuy first makes an unsuccessful attempt selling postcards on the street, then joins a group of flower girls plying roses to passersby with slightly more luck.
Meanwhile, apparently single flight attendant Lan (Cat Ly) checks into a modest Saigon hotel on a five-day layover, as zookeeper Hai (Le The Lu) tends to his beloved animals on the other side of town. Wandering onto the zoo grounds on her flower rounds, Thuy quickly latches onto Hai, recognizing him as another lonely soul, who is nursing an aching heart broken by a former fiancee.
Lan is suffering her own romantic disappointments as the secret mistress of an insensitive married airline pilot. After Thuy and Lan meet at a streetside noodle stand, Lan offers to let the homeless girl share her hotel room. Their nascent friendship inspires Thuy to play matchmaker between Hai, whom she compares to an owl, and Lan, who considers herself more like a sparrow. At the same time, Thuy's uncle searches the Saigon streets for her, while menacing municipal authorities want to put the girl into an orphanage.
Except in the final scenes, where "Owl" just manages to skirt overt sentimentality, Gauger's script effectively capitalizes on the compact cast's naturalistic acting and the city's lively immediacy to provide a realistic framework as the story brings the three principal characters together as a makeshift family. A skilled cinematographer and technician with notable experience on previous Vietnam-set productions, Gauger takes to the city streets with verve, his predominantly hand-held DV lensing infusing the low-budget film with refreshing vitality.
Han's assured, slightly whimsical turn as young Thuy is the principal catalyst for the film's substantial charm, eliciting compelling sympathy and unexpected humor from sometimes grim circumstances. Ly ventures a nicely nuanced performance, her expressive features attentively convey Lan's shifting emotions, but Lu's role registers fairly weakly.
Tech aspects are fine, with the DV transfer to 35mm holding up well.
OWL AND THE SPARROW
Annam Pictures in association with Chanh Phuong Films
Credits:
Screenwriter-director: Stephane Gauger
Producers: Nguyen Van Quan, Doan Nhat Nam, Stephane Gauger
Executive producers: Timothy Linh Bui, Ham Tran, Jimmy Nghiem Pham
Director of photography: Stephane Gauger
Music: Pete Nguyen
Editors: Ricardo Javier, Ham Tran
Cast:
Lan: Cat Ly
Hai: Le The Lu
Thuy: Pham Thi Han
Uncle Minh: Nguyen Hau
Running time -- 97 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 7/18/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
PARK CITY, Utah -- "Three Seasons" is a luminous, delicate and powerful saga of modern-day Saigon. The winner of both the Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, the film moved audiences throughout the fest and should be a hit on both the festival and select-site circuit for October Films.
A narrative pastiche weaving four separate stories in present-day Vietnam, "Three Seasons" is an eloquent depiction of life in that tumultuous country. Filmmaker Tony Bui, who directed and co-wrote, has painted a provocative picture of the hard life that many Saigon residents face.
Reminiscent of Italian neo-realism, Bui focuses on those who are barely scraping by, including a cyclo driver, a prostitute, a young man who hustles trinkets on the streets and a girl who has been hired to be a personal assistant to a reclusive spiritual master.
Winding between these unconnected, but ultimately inclusive stories, Bui's storytelling is packed with hard city images. Indeed, "Three Seasons" is most eloquent and powerful in its visuals: the kaleidoscope of the scurrying chaos of big-city Saigon is both frightening and dignified.
Unfortunately, the dialogue and writing is often of an expositional nature and occasionally "Three Seasons" is over-arching in making its thematic points. During these junctures, the storytelling takes on a somewhat glossy, "National Geographic" patina.
Overall, "Three Seasons" is an exceptional film, capturing the roiling nature of a country that's torn by its past and gyrating between the old ways and the new. The acting is special as the well-chosen cast members embody their character's everyday essences.
Particularly noteworthy is Ngoc Hiep, whose radiant and fragile nature literally blossoms as she comes to gain strength and uncommon insights in her routine work with a religious master. Don Duong is also noteworthy for his engaging performance as a love-smitten cyclo driver. Harvey Keitel, who also executive produces, is solid as an American G.I. searching for the daughter he left behind during his Vietnam war days.
It's in its technical aspects that "Three Seasons" is most bountiful. Cinematographer Lisa Rinzler deservedly won the festival's Cinematography Award for her masterful lensing, eloquently and touching and conveying the heart and soul of the fractured city. In addition, composer Keith Reamer's full-bodied music, with its dissonant as well as mellifluous tones, also captures the vibrant qualities of Vietnamese life.
THREE SEASONS
A Film by Tony Bui
Producers: Jason Kliot, Joana Vicente, Tony Bui
Screenwriter-director: Tony Bui
Executive producer: Harvey Keitel
Co-executive producer: Charles Rosen
Co-producer: Timothy Linh Bui
Story: Tony Bui, Timothy Linh Bui
Director of photography: Lisa Rinzler
Production designer: Wing Lee
Costume designer: Ghia Ci Fam
Editor: Keith Reamer
Music: Richard Horowitz
Vietnamese songs by: Vy Nhat Tao
Line producer: Trish Hofmann
Casting director: Quan Lelan
Sound: Curtis Choy, Brian Miksis
Color/Stereo
Hai: Don Duong
Kien An Nguyen: Ngoc Hiep
Teacher Dao: Tran Manh Cuong
James Hager: Harvey Keitel
Lan: Zoe Bui
Woody: Nguyen Huu Duco
Truck Driver: Minh Ngoc
Huy: Hoang Phat Trieu
Running time -- 113 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13...
A narrative pastiche weaving four separate stories in present-day Vietnam, "Three Seasons" is an eloquent depiction of life in that tumultuous country. Filmmaker Tony Bui, who directed and co-wrote, has painted a provocative picture of the hard life that many Saigon residents face.
Reminiscent of Italian neo-realism, Bui focuses on those who are barely scraping by, including a cyclo driver, a prostitute, a young man who hustles trinkets on the streets and a girl who has been hired to be a personal assistant to a reclusive spiritual master.
Winding between these unconnected, but ultimately inclusive stories, Bui's storytelling is packed with hard city images. Indeed, "Three Seasons" is most eloquent and powerful in its visuals: the kaleidoscope of the scurrying chaos of big-city Saigon is both frightening and dignified.
Unfortunately, the dialogue and writing is often of an expositional nature and occasionally "Three Seasons" is over-arching in making its thematic points. During these junctures, the storytelling takes on a somewhat glossy, "National Geographic" patina.
Overall, "Three Seasons" is an exceptional film, capturing the roiling nature of a country that's torn by its past and gyrating between the old ways and the new. The acting is special as the well-chosen cast members embody their character's everyday essences.
Particularly noteworthy is Ngoc Hiep, whose radiant and fragile nature literally blossoms as she comes to gain strength and uncommon insights in her routine work with a religious master. Don Duong is also noteworthy for his engaging performance as a love-smitten cyclo driver. Harvey Keitel, who also executive produces, is solid as an American G.I. searching for the daughter he left behind during his Vietnam war days.
It's in its technical aspects that "Three Seasons" is most bountiful. Cinematographer Lisa Rinzler deservedly won the festival's Cinematography Award for her masterful lensing, eloquently and touching and conveying the heart and soul of the fractured city. In addition, composer Keith Reamer's full-bodied music, with its dissonant as well as mellifluous tones, also captures the vibrant qualities of Vietnamese life.
THREE SEASONS
A Film by Tony Bui
Producers: Jason Kliot, Joana Vicente, Tony Bui
Screenwriter-director: Tony Bui
Executive producer: Harvey Keitel
Co-executive producer: Charles Rosen
Co-producer: Timothy Linh Bui
Story: Tony Bui, Timothy Linh Bui
Director of photography: Lisa Rinzler
Production designer: Wing Lee
Costume designer: Ghia Ci Fam
Editor: Keith Reamer
Music: Richard Horowitz
Vietnamese songs by: Vy Nhat Tao
Line producer: Trish Hofmann
Casting director: Quan Lelan
Sound: Curtis Choy, Brian Miksis
Color/Stereo
Hai: Don Duong
Kien An Nguyen: Ngoc Hiep
Teacher Dao: Tran Manh Cuong
James Hager: Harvey Keitel
Lan: Zoe Bui
Woody: Nguyen Huu Duco
Truck Driver: Minh Ngoc
Huy: Hoang Phat Trieu
Running time -- 113 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13...
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