'X-Men: First Class' Director Talks 3-D, Costume Choices, And Attracting A Female Audience

The release of “X-Men: First Class” is almost upon us, and director Matthew Vaughn explained in a recent interview why we won't be seeing the film in 3-D, how they chose the costumes, and his method for getting more women into the audience.

“I’m not a big fan of 3-D,” he told Hey U Guys. “I think 'Avatar' works for 3D, because they really shot and designed it . . . [Avatar director James] Cameron knows what 3D means, but the rest of these directors... You know when they do this post-conversion sh--, you can’t even... It cuts too quick.”

Vaughn said that he thought Hollywood was “cheapening the process” of 3-D, and it seems he didn’t want to be part of that.

He was, however, very much into the process of choosing the X-Men costumes to use in the film.

“It was fun to look at the comics, and see how the characters dressed, and give them to the costume designer and say, ‘take that blue and yellow thing and...’ No offense to Fox, but [the blue and yellow outfits] kept looking like Fantastic F--ing Four," he laughed. "We were like, 'We can’t have that.'"

“There’s a lot of great stuff in the early '60s X-Men comics, we had that everywhere, all the panels of how they looked, how they dressed,” he went on. “Sammy [Sheldon] is a brilliant costume designer, and she just managed to make it fit into the real world.”

Vaughn also wants the movie to appeal to more women and is trying to make it work with the “Take That” song.

“I think there’s a lot for women to enjoy in this film," he said. "Remember 'Armageddon' [and] the Aerosmith song that got girls who probably wouldn’t have originally gone to see 'Armageddon' hearing there was a love song, and [saying], 'Oh, maybe there is something in the film?' . . . So it’s pure commerce, to be blunt, and I want women to see this film."(source:splashpage.mtv.com)

Tang's role in Chinese propaganda film in doubt

HONG KONG (AP) — "Lust, Caution" star Tang Wei's role in a Chinese propaganda blockbuster as the first love of Communist China's founding father, Mao Zedong, has reportedly been dropped, raising the prospect that the actress is still suffering backlash after playing a traitor in the 2007 World War II-era spy thriller.

While "Lust, Caution" gave Tang international exposure, her role as a student activist who warns a Japan-allied Chinese intelligence official about an assassination attempt allegedly offended Chinese film officials worried about lingering anger over Japanese wartime atrocities.

The film's director, Ang Lee, who won an Oscar for the gay romance "Brokeback Mountain," was asked to edit dialogue so as to make the warning from Tang's character less explicit. And Tang herself was reportedly blacklisted, not releasing another movie until last year's Hong Kong-set romantic comedy "Crossing Hennessy."

In September, Tang's casting as Mao's girlfriend was announced, signaling her rehabilitation in China. She joined a star-studded cast in "Jian Dang Wei Ye," scheduled for release on June 15 to mark the 90th anniversary of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. The Chinese title translates roughly as "The Great Achievement of Founding the Party." The official English title is "Beginning of the Great Revival."

But as the release date nears, reports have surfaced that Tang was left out of the final cut.

Gao Jun, deputy general manager of Chinese theater operator New Film Association, told The Associated Press in a phone interview Thursday that Tang's role was cut because historians questioned the factual accuracy of her character. He cited "industry insiders," but declined to identify them.

Gao, however, said the decision had nothing to do with her "Lust, Caution" role.

"It's not a problem with the actress," he said.

A news report posted on the official website for "Jian Dang Wei Ye" on Thursday said Tang was no longer listed in the credits printed in the film's latest publicity materials — although a production photo of Tang's character was still posted on the site.

Production notes recently sent to the AP by the movie's Hong Kong publicists also left out Tang from a list of actors that includes Hong Kong veterans Chow Yun-fat, Andy Lau and director John Woo.

Mao is played by Chinese actor Liu Ye, best known to Western audiences for his roles in the Zhang Yimou imperial drama "Curse of the Golden Flower" and the drama "Dark Matter," which costarred Meryl Streep.

Jiang Defu, the spokesman for government-owned studio China Film Group, declined to comment, asking a reporter to watch the movie when it is released.

Tang's Hong Kong management company didn't immediately return a call from the AP on Thursday.

Tang has another scheduled Chinese release this year. The Peter Chan martial arts picture "Dragon," which co-stars Donnie Yen and Takeshi Kaneshiro, is scheduled to hit Chinese theaters Aug. 3.

In addition to the release of "Jian Dang Wei Ye," news reports said earlier this month that media regulators have ordered broadcasters to show "outstanding" TV series in synch with party themes as part of the propaganda buildup before the July 1 anniversary of the party's founding.

China Film Group also released another star-studded propaganda film, "The Founding of a Republic," in 2009 to mark the 60th anniversary of Communist rule in China.

While propaganda films were once considered boring and outdated fare, especially by youngsters, China Film Group has been able to reinvigorate the genre by injecting star power, and in the process lending credibility to its version of history. The Chinese-language film industry's biggest stars have been happy to comply, eager to please film officials who hold sway over the country's fast-growing theatrical market. A-listers like Jackie Chan, Jet Li and Lau had cameo appearances in "The Founding of a Republic," which went on to make a whopping $62 million in China, helped by politically correct theater operators who flooded their properties with screenings.

China Film Group is eager to replicate that success with "Jian Dang Wei Ye." Shot in locations across China, Paris and Moscow and set from 1911 to 1921, the film describes the "spectacular stories" of how Mao and his colleagues "gave everything for their country during turbulent times," according to an official synopsis issued by Hong Kong publicists.

Cadillac is a sponsor of "Jian Dang Wei Ye," raising American criticism of a partly U.S. government-funded company backing Chinese Communist propaganda. General Motors, which owns the Cadillac brand, was a beneficiary of the 2009 car industry bailouts.

China Film Group spokesman Jiang said Cadillac has a multiyear cooperation deal with the studio not limited to "Jian Dang Wei Ye." He said the company has helped "publicize and promote" the movie but no Cadillac cars appear in the film. He declined to give the value of the deal.

General Motors said in a statement that the sponsorship was initiated by its Chinese joint venture and described it as "part of a strategic alignment with the film industry, similar to alliances made by other companies."(source:google.com)

‘Kung Fu Panda 2’ will keep kids and their parents happy | 3 stars

DreamWorks Animation has long felt like the hard-working junior varsity to the bulletproof all-stars at Pixar.

“Kung Fu Panda 2” continues that tradition of very good but not great.

Its chief strength rests in its visuals, which are at once evocative of delicate silk-screen paintings from ancient China and yet filled with the lush, wild colors only fantasy can have. Thanks to artist-turned-director Jennifer Yuh, who was head of story on the 2008 original, there isn’t a single moment where the audience’s eyes aren’t scanning around the screen, spotting hidden gems at the corners.

Once again we have Po (voiced with slacker earnestness by Jack Black), the chubby and not-always-graceful panda and kung fu artist teamed with the Furious Five, a quintet of lethal masters, chief of whom is the stoic Tigress (Angelina Jolie.) The Five are trained by Po’s mentor, Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman).

A new threat arises in the form of the urbane and ambitious peacock Lord Shen (Gary Oldman, oozing menace), who has concocted a plan to conquer all of China using a seemingly invincible weapon.

Po is also struggling with a more existential crisis as he deduces that Ping (wonderful James Hong), the goose he calls Dad, might not be his father after all. This also gives our protagonist a chance for an origin story, which all heroes need … especially if the villain was somehow involved at the beginning (nudge, wink).

The plot is painted in broad strokes and serves mainly as a frame on which to hang some well-crafted action set-pieces, such as a rickshaw chase reminiscent of Buster Keaton. And a scene where Po and the Five conceal themselves inside a parade dragon, which then appears to devour and excrete various bad guys, wrings laughs and smiles at its ingenuity and imagery.

Like DreamWorks’ “Shrek” series, the film works on two levels, keeping younger viewers happy while getting parents involved with snappy one-liners.

Where the film falls short is that vaunted third level of true emotional engagement. While foreign directors such as Hayao Miyazaki (“Spirited Away”) seem to find it with ease, in America it’s pretty much the sole property of Pixar. And it’s when compared to triumphs like “WALL-E” or “Toy Story 3” that Po and his friends seem insubstantial.

Studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg has revealed that he envisions four more films telling Po’s story. If they’re all as beautiful and sharply written as this one, as Po would say, bring it on. (source:kansascity.com)