The Golden Rock - September 24th, 2007 Edition

- It's reviews time! Variety catches up with some Hong Kong film reviews from Toronto, including a disappointingly short review by Scott Foundas for Pang Ho Cheung's Exodus (why the hell do they keep calling it The Exodus?), and a review by Robert Koehler for Wilson Yip/Donnie Yen's Flash Point.

- Korean director Lee So-Yeon's Uninvited might have been a commercial flop in South Korea, but that doesn't mean he's not talented. His latest screenplay Hwan Gung, about a man who believes himself to be a warrior sent to send a woman who thinks she is a mermaid back to the sea, won the Busan Screenwriting Competition, which gives him a grant of 20 million won (roughly US$20,000).

- Under "I just can't get interested in this" news today, Taiwanese idol Wu Chun will be joining the cast of Jingle Ma's Wu Xia Liang Zhu (or a martial arts version of the classic tale Butterfly Lovers). Twins' Charlene Choi will be playing the other ill-fated lover, and Nicholas Tse is also in talks to join as another potential suitor for Charlene's cross-dressing character who will probably fight while hooked on some wire.

Honestly, this sounds like it'll be a pretty shitty movie already.

- From Variety Asia is a short profile of China Film Group head Han Sanping. He's the one that said China needs more "ethically inspiring movies" and said any China-basher is "mentally challenged." Actually, Quentin Tarantino is still saying dumber things (look at the second-to-the-last paragraph).

- From Twitch is a few small paragraphs devoted to the Japanese comedy Maiko Haaaan!!!, which I'll be catching this Friday night.

- Before you in the West go watch it, Ang Lee would like to tell you that his latest film will probably disappoint you and whomever you go watch it with in your local American arthouse.

- EastSouthWestNorth writes about a set of commercials for a Hong Kong theme park not named Disneyland that are freaking some people out. True, the version with both ads on Youtube isn't all that scary, but the original version of one of them is actually pretty freaky stuff.