David Fincher's Heavy Metal.

David Fincher, the director who brought the world popular, quality films like Fight Club, The Game, Se7en and Zodiac will executive produce a sequel to the 80s animated hit film, Heavy Metal. The new film will follow the format of the popular 70s large format comic book, just as the original film did, and feature several directors directing different fantasy, science fiction and horror vignettes. Check out this amazing collection of covers from the classic comic here.

Actress Tang Wei Banned By Chinese Government For Her Role In Ang Lee Film.

Twenty-eight year old actress Tang Wei has been banned from all Chinese media because of the sexual nature of a character she played in Ang Lee’s latest film, Lust, Caution. This is just the latest of bizarre censorship moves by the communist government. The Chinese government’s lock down on the internet is already legendary news fodder.

The State Administration of Radio, Film & Television, the Chinese government agency that polices all electronic & print media made the stunning announcement last Saturday, yanked a television commercial for a skin care product that featured Ms. Wei and adviced the producers of an awards show to strike her from their list of guests.

None of the other artists involved in the film were banned, Director Ang Lee, or the film’s stars Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Joan Chen & Lee-Hom Wang. SARFT prohibits an scenes considered lewd or pornographic, any material that shows “promiscuous acts, rape, prostitution, sexual intercourse, sexual perversity, masturbation and male/female sexual organs and other private parts”. Now, I have not seen the film, which was released last September (I thought it looked dull, see the trailer for yourself here), Which is described as an erotic thriller, but I imagine Tang Wei did not perform any objectionable scenes alone.

A love scene, or two - it’s hard to tell, between Tang Wei and Tony Leung is evident from the trailer. No bans announced on Tony Leung. In fact this would be the third time, that I am aware of, that Tony Leung has done a sexually charge movie. One of my favorite films, Wong Kar Wei's In The Mood For Love, featured Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung Man-Yuk as neighbors whose spouses are having an affair and eventually hook up themselves.

The sequel, 2046, featured Tony Leung bedding a whole slew of women including (quite graphically) Zhang ZiYi. Who has yet to make a movie that she doesn’t get laid in. That is not to be misconstrued as a complaint, FYI.

In fact plenty of other Chinese actresses in films past have been in sexual roles. Gong Li, Maggie Cheung, Vivian Wu to name but a few, and have not incurred the wrath of their nation’s government as Tang Wei has. The government has waited in the past to throw the hammer down on a film that it has deemed offensive, so that in itself is not too unusual. I guess I will have to see the movie after all.

This is extremely puzzling. Ang Lee became a national treasure after Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. But perhaps part of that luster was lost with Brokeback Mountain. Still, looking at this film itself, the highest grossing in film in China, you would have to think the Chinese government would love it.

It deals with the Japanese invasion of Shanghai during World War II and a group of young actors who plot to assassinate a powerful Chinese traitor (Tony Leung) by using one of their own Tang Wei, who becomes his mistress for the sole purpose of killing him. Despite what they may say, the Chinese government is not big on Japan, who still won’t own up to the Nanking Massacres during WWII and whose leaders still visit Yasukuni Shrine, where Japanese war criminals are enshrined amongst true Japanese heroes.

In the past the Chinese government has edited offending scenes from movies before their release. Why wait and then only ban the newcomer Tang Wei and not popular leading man, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, who presumably is in every offending scene with Wei? Why they didn’t opt to simply cut out the scenes instead of electing to destroy a young woman’s career is a sad, unfortunate mystery that only the SARFT can answer.

Source: Reuters.

International Wota: Your Passport To The World of J-Pop.

If you’ve ever watched the early morning talk shows you’ll notice how they all have a segment where the hosts sit around and discuss all the morning’s headlines. International Wota would be that concept’s hipper, internet cousin. International Wota is a sort of round table of all the blogs that feature J-Pop or some other aspect of contemporary Japanese youth culture. Somewhat resembling a news feed, it provides a link as well as a brief description to various exciting and well done blog posts, including the blog you’re reading right now. Virtually all are in English and geared towards foreigners like myself who dig the culture, but a few include a little Japanese, so if you study like I do, you can multi-task. Or at least tell yourself that’s what your doing while websurfing. Anyway…if you want music, music reviews, J-Pop gossip, news articles, concert reviews, Japanese fashion, anime, the latest otaku gadgetry from Akihabara or J-pegs of all your favorite Japanese stars and idols, tune into International Wota, your one stop access to Japanese youth culture.

International Wota.

CONTROL: Ian Curtis, Joy Division Bio-Pic.

I’ve seen The Clash. I’ve seen The Smiths. Adam & The Ants, Echo & The Bunnymen, Blondie, Devo, Johnny Rotten. I kissed Siouxsie Sioux, talked with Malcolm McClaren and shopped with Depeche Mode. I would’ve given anything, ANYTHING to have seen Joy Division.

They are the one bands I regret not having had an opportunity to see. When I found out about Control, the Anton Corbijn motion picture about Ian Curtis and his band, Joy Division I jumped in the air.

Samantha Morton who is always great stars in it as Ian’s widow. Sam Riley stars as the troubled Ian Curtis, James Anthony Pearson as Bernard Sumner. New Order did the original soundtrack. It opens in the U.K. on October 5th U.S. on Wednesday October 10th to a limited release.

Control.

Yahoo! movie page.