Skiptrace

[GeneChing]

...or not. I'm only seeing it playing at one venue in the S.F. Bay Area - the AMC Van Ness in SF. srsly?

Anyone see this available in other markets?

Jackie gets no respect. Well, maybe from the Academy finally, but not with distribution of his movies lately.

[GeneChing]

I'll post a review later today. It'll be the first forum review, unless anyone can beat me to it.

Director Renny Harlin on Why He Left Hollywood for China
BY YOMYOMF STAFF 09/05/2016


(DIRECTV / GETTY IMAGE)

SKIPTRACE, the new Chinese movie starring the oddball pairing of martial arts legend Jackie Chan and *******’ Johnny Knoxville, opens in limited release and on VOD this week. The film’s director, Renny Harlin, was one of Hollywood’s most successful action directors in the late 1980s and 1990s when he gave the world films like DIE HARD 2, CLIFFHANGER, DEEP BLUE SEA and, yes, even THE ADVENTURES OF FORD FAIRLANE.

But now, Harlin has been living and working in Beijing for the past few years where he says he has greater “creative freedom” and talked to Uproxx about his new film and what it’s like making films in China. Here are some highlight from his interview:

THE ORIGINS OF SKIPTRACE
This movie started 15 years ago. Jackie’s idea. Jackie had this dream of making a movie that he called his love letter to China. He wanted to show the Chinese audience and the international audience that China is not exactly what you expect and not the traditional stuff that people think China is. Certainly that it’s versatile and different. That’s how it started and then when I came on board as an outsider from America I said, “Okay with all these places and locations how we can tell the story.” It was never dictated by the producers or the financiers but it was really Jackie and me. Jackie educating me about China and me as an outsider saying what I thought that would be cool for an international audience to see.

ON JACKIE CHAN STILL DOING HIS OWN STUNTS AT AGE 62
It’s a balancing act because he will do anything and he comes up with the craziest ideas. I have to make sure that, because when Jackie was doing his Hong Kong movies a couple of decades ago or 30 years ago, they could do anything. And if you break your leg or arm or something, then you just take a couple of months off, then you come back and keep shooting. It was the Wild, Wild East. Now when we are making a Hollywood-meets-China kind of a movie, you have a budget and you have a schedule and you have to stick to it.

I had to do everything I could to keep him safe. He still got banged up and hurt himself a few times doing the shooting but, when you’re getting older you’re not quite as flexible and able as you were when you were young. I had to run that balance of how we get the audience filled with most of Jackie Chan stuff, but don’t put him in situations where he’s going to get hurt. He’ll do anything, so it was up to me trying to hold him back.

ON THE DRAWBACKS OF MAKING A FILM IN CHINA
Everybody in Hollywood, they want to come to China, they want to get the money that is here and throw around these ideas of co-productions and let’s work together and let’s make Chinese movies that appeal to the Western audiences, and let’s make Hollywood movies that appeal to the Chinese audience. Let’s put American movie stars in Chinese movies and let’s put Chinese actors in Hollywood movies. But it’s easier said than done.

I think that there’s going to be a lot of disappointment where it doesn’t work, because Hollywood doesn’t understand the Chinese culture. Chinese financiers and producers, both of those want to make Chinese movies that would appeal to the Western audience but there’s still a long way to go and lot of lessons to be leaned. I would say I’ve now lived in China for two and half years. I’m really immersing myself in this culture and understanding, trying to understand how it works and how this culture is good benefit for me and working together. But it has to be a natural fit.

You can’t just take a Hollywood script and change the name to Chinese guy and say okay great now we have a great Chinese movie. You have to really understand how you can integrate these elements and make them work in an organic way. That’s the biggest challenge and I think it’s going to take some time for that to work out.

[GeneChing]

Okay, y'all had your chance. Here be my review.

This is so Jackie millennium, as in a throwback to Jackie's Hollywood buddy flicks, but Knoxville is no Owen Wilson, not even a Chris Tucker, so there's no chemistry. Originally Seann William Scott was cast - he might've carried it - or someone like Neil Patrick Harris. All Knoxville did was make testicle jokes. srsly. He's got a fixation. You could easily redeem this film when watching it with your buddies by turning it into a drinking game: take a shot every time there's a testicle joke (shots to the testicles count - each one counts as a shot). The locations are great - exotic China. The singing jokes will be lost on U.S. audiences because non-sinophiles won't recognize the songs. Fan Bingbing & Eric Tsang are good (bit of a spoiler there but anyone who reads opening credits will know why). Most of the trailer reveals are in the first half hour, but still, this is very predictable. Not a single mcguffin was unforeseen. The plot is choppy and absurd, as if director Harlin was trying lots of formulas but couldn't decide which to stick with, such as a late narration from Knoxville when his character is introduced that stops for a while, then picks up again for a later scene, and then is completely abandoned.

Jackie can still move, and still gets hurt in NGs, but he's not doing big stunts or long single shots for this one (what do you want at 62?) Actually Eve Torres delivers the best fights. But still, good to see Jackie fight again.

The NG of the ****ting horse was amusing, just to hear Jackie say '****ting' as he complains about it just like he complains about cell phones ringing in other NG.

This got a very limited theatrical last weekend - only one SF Bay Area theater and we're a major market for Chinese films - so I watched this via iTunes.

[GeneChing]

‘Thithi’ wins Best Film honour at 1st BRICS Film Festival

POSTED BY: GOPI SEPTEMBER 6, 2016


New Delhi: Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation and Information & Broadcasting M Venkaiah Naidu at the closing ceremony of the First BRICS Film Festival in New Delhi on Sept 6, 2016. (Photo: IANS)

New Delhi, Sep 6 (IANS) Raam Reddy's Kannada film "Thithi" was conferred the Best Film award by Union MInformation and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu at the closing ceremony of the 1st BRICS Film Festival here on Tuesday.

"Thithi", which earlier won various honours at 68th Locarno International Film Festival, Marrakech International Film Festival, 19th Shanghai International Film Festival and 63rd National Film Awards, is a dramatic comedy about how three generations of sons react to the death of the oldest in their clan, a man named Century Gowda -- a locally renowned, highly cantankerous 101-year-old man.

South African actor Thabo Rametsi won the Best Actor (Male) award for his role in "Kalushi", Russian actress Yulia Peresild was given the Best Actor (Female) honour for her film "The Battle for Sevastopol" and Chinese director Huo Jianqi was announced as the Best Director for helming Indo-Chinese co-production film "Xuan Zang".

Meanwhile, a Special Jury award was given to Phillipe Barcinski for Brazilian film "Between Valleys", and Special Mention was given to "Songs of the Phoenix" from China and "14+" of Russia.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Naidu said: "I would like to congratulate all the recepients of the awards. It's a proud moment for us to have them between us today. Also I would like to thank all the delegates for contributing to this festival and making it a huge success."

He said that cinema "transcends national boundaries" by touching the hearts of millions of people globally.

"It has the best influence on the minds of people. It's the most powerful tool to communicate. It plays a pivotal role in creating public opinions on social issues. Cinema should not only be entertaining, it should also be enlightening," added Naidu, who was joined by Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and Directorate of Film Festivals chief Senthil Rajan, among others at the event.

Kickstarted on September 2, the festival, which is a part of the special events planned in run-up to the 8th BRICS Summit being held in India, took place at Siri Fort Auditorium Complex here.

The closing ceremony of the festival featured some power-packed performances by Shiamak Davar Dance Company from India and the Chengdu Performing Arts Theatre from China.

The festival featured 20 films in the competition section which focussed on a variety of issues and themes ranging from discrimination, love, history and relevant social challenges being faced by BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The jury of the festival included journalist, producer and curator of film shows Francis Vogner do Reis from Brazil, Academic Secretary of the National Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences of Russia Kirill Razlogov, Professor Hou Keming from Beijing Film Academy, China, member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Xoliswa Sithole from South Africa, and Indian writer, director and actor T.S. Nagabharana.

Post the closing ceremony Chinese star Jackie Chan's film "Skiptrace" was screened.

The next edition of the BRICS Film Festival will take place in Chengdu, China.

Wonder how Skiptrace plays to an Indian audience.

[Jimbo]

Okay, y'all had your chance. Here be my review.

This is so Jackie millennium, as in a throwback to Jackie's Hollywood buddy flicks, but Knoxville is no Owen Wilson, not even a Chris Tucker, so there's no chemistry. Originally Seann William Scott was cast - he might've carried it - or someone like Neil Patrick Harris. All Knoxville did was make testicle jokes. srsly. He's got a fixation. You could easily redeem this film when watching it with your buddies by turning it into a drinking game: take a shot every time there's a testicle joke (shots to the testicles count - each one counts as a shot).

Obviously due to Johnny Knoxville having 'broken his pen!s" (torn his urethra) several years ago.

Although I'm not thrilled by Jackie's recent films, I would have considered watching this, if for no other reason than to see how Eve Torres fights in a JC film. But Knoxville's presence ruins any desire for me to see the movie. How anyone would consider him worthy to even be in the same movie as JC is a mystery to me.

[GeneChing]

Notably, Skiptrace isn't mentioned at all in this Looper vid.

Obviously due to Johnny Knoxville having 'broken his pen!s" (torn his urethra) several years ago.

Although I'm not thrilled by Jackie's recent films, I would have considered watching this, if for no other reason than to see how Eve Torres fights in a JC film. But Knoxville's presence ruins any desire for me to see the movie. How anyone would consider him worthy to even be in the same movie as JC is a mystery to me.

Several people told me about Knoxville's broken ***** after I made the review, but good on you Jimbo for posting it here. The Looper vid explains that, and also why Harlin might have thought Knoxville had more celebrity status in China for this JC film.

[GeneChing]

If Hollywood really wants to pander to China it will...I mean, come on. Skiptrace?

China's Oscar Selection 'Xuanzang' Wins Big at Inaugural Golden Screen Awards
6:43 PM PDT 11/4/2016 by Valerie Zhou


John Li
Rob Schneider

The ceremony, presented by the U.S.-China Film & TV Industry Expo, honored the period epic in five categories, including best co-production.
The inaugural Golden Screen Awards, which specifically focuses on co-productions between the U.S. and China, took place Thursday at L.A. Live. Held by the U.S.-China Film & TV Industry Expo in partnership with the Motion Picture Association (MPA), China Film Co-Production Corporation and The Hollywood Reporter, Xuanzang was the biggest winner, receiving best co-production film, director, cinematography, actor and production design honors.

The film, which depicts the perilous journey of the legendary Chinese monk who brought Buddhism from India to China, is the latter country's official Academy Award foreign-language submission this year. “This is a great opportunity for us," said director Huo Jianqi, "but I don’t think too much about the result, as long as this film can spread the spirit of Xuanzang.”

Paula Patton, who starred in the U.S.-China co-production film Warcraft, attended the ceremony, which was hosted by Rob Schneider.

“It’s great to be in Hollywood, the entertainment capital of the world. Hollywood is proud to be an equal-opportunity spender of other people’s money,” joked Schneider in his edgy remarks. “First we took money from Germany, then from France. Then we raped Japan pretty good. Now we are delighted to take China. Bend them over, for as much money as we could steal from them.”

Other films receiving awards included Three, Mountain Cry, Skiptrace and Kung Fu Panda 3.

A complete list of winners follows:

Best Co-Production Film

Da Tang Xuan Zang

Best Director

Huo Jianqi (Da Tang Xuan Zang)

Best Screenplay

Yau Nai Hoi / Lau HoLeung / Mark Tinshu (Three)

Best Cinematography

Su Ming (Da Tang Xuan Zang)

Best Actor

Huang Xiaoming (Da Tang Xuan Zang)

Best Actress

Lang Yueting (Mountain Cry)

Best Supporting Actor

Eric Tsang (Skiptrace)

Best Supporting Actress

Fan Bingbing (Skiptrace)

Best Production Design

Wu Ming (Da Tang Xuan Zang)

Best Animation

Kung Fu Panda 3

[GeneChing]

Director Renny Harlin on Staging His Second Act in China (Q&A)
1:57 AM PST 12/1/2016 by Patrick Brzeski


Joe Pugliese
Renny Harlin

After 25 years in Hollywood, the veteran filmmaker now makes his home in China, where he recently directed Jackie Chan's latest hit and has started shooting a fantasy tentpole for Alibaba.

Renny Harlin, director of such 1990s hits as Die Hard 2 and Cliffhanger, is walking his dog Rascal through Beijing's downtown Sanlitun district. After 25 years in Hollywood, Harlin, 57 and originally from Finland, now calls this colorful Chinese neighborhood home.

Harlin came to the Middle Kingdom in 2014 to direct the Jackie Chan action-comedy Skiptrace, co-starring Fan Bingbing and Johnny Knoxville. Upon its release this summer, the film earned $134 million, giving Harlin his first big box office hit in over a decade.

Instead of returning to Los Angles, as he originally intended, Harlin got an apartment, adopted Rascal for some companionship and stayed on in Beijing to explore further opportunities in China's booming domestic film industry. In October, he began shooting his second Chinese feature, Legend of the Ancient Sword, an Alibaba Pictures adaption of a wildly popular Chinese video game. Last summer, he launched a Beijing-based arm of his production banner Midnight Pictures to develop a slate of Chinese projects and international co-productions.

The Hollywood Reporter joined Renny and Rascal on one of their usual morning walks around Beijing's Workers' Stadium to discuss what it takes to break into the Chinese film business, local etiquette tips for his Los Angeles-based peers and whether more veteran Hollywood figures will be making the exodus east.

How did you decide to stay in China?

I totally thought I was going to do what I usually do: work on a film for six months overseas and then go back to LA. But things went great and I enjoyed being here, so I thought, why not? This market is growing, and sometime soon — whether it's next year or in five years, it doesn't really matter — China is going to be the biggest movie market in the world. So why not be where things are growing and people are really excited about making movies, rather than in Hollywood, where it's consolidating and only getting harder. Am I crazy? It was a really easy and fun decision.

Do you expect to see more people like you moving to Beijing to take advantage of the opportunities here?

In a way, I'm sort of surprised more people haven't come over already. At the same time, I realize that it's not as easy as one might think. It really takes commitment, because it’s an entirely different world and culture. The last thing to do is to come here with a really arrogant Hollywood attitude — like, we know everything, give us your money and we'll show you how it's done. You have to be humble and you have to bend and blend in and sacrifice your LA lifestyle.

Were the lifestyle adjustments hard for you in any way?

I don't have any special attachment to Los Angeles. I had been there for about 25 years. The big difference is that I come from Europe, so Hollywood was a dreamland for me, but once I settled in there, some of that glory faded away and then it was just a place. There are some great things — good weather and beautiful places like Malibu — but there's also traffic and polluted air and hundreds of square acres of really ugly architecture. To me, Beijing and China was exciting and different. The culture, history, architecture, food and everything else all felt like an exciting, welcome change.

People who are doing really well in Hollywood would say, why would I leave? I'm doing well and I have a great life. And those people who aren't doing quite so well need to prove that they've done some impressive work and that they have something to offer, otherwise China isn't interested.

continued next post

[GeneChing]

Renny Harlin in Beijing's upscale Sanlitun neighborhood, where he now lives.

So, I kind of fell into the right niche, because I’ve proven myself with some successful films over the course of my career. I was at a point where I wasn’t getting the big gigs, but I still have lots of experience, skills and film industry knowledge. So, I could bring everything back to the table and do the biggest movies China is capable of making.

So, first you have to find a person who actually wants to come here, and then that person also has to have the skills China needs — it's a trickier fit than it first seems.

Part of what also made this workable for me, I think, is that I don't have kids.

China's box office grew by 48 percent in 2015, but this year it might actually contract slightly. What do you think caused the slowdown?

I think it's like any new market — first it's an explosion, where everyone is just saying, wow, we're going to the movies! And then it pulls back like a rubber band, and people say, wait a minute, if we're paying these premium 3D ticket prices, let's make sure we're going to the best movies, not every random thing.

The bottom line is: most of the Chinese audience is much smarter than people think — they're very savvy and you can't just fool them into seeing any Hollywood film. The market is rooted in a younger, quite cosmopolitan and social media-driven audience. But there is also growth of cinemas in China's smaller third and fourth tier cities, where most people are relatively new to moviegoing and totally unfamiliar with American culture. So for them to get a sequel to Star Trek, it doesn't really work. They're just like, what is this? How do I get into this story?

So it's a very strange mix — and it's evolving very quickly.

What cultural tips do you give to Hollywood friends when they come over to China?

Socializing is really important. It's important to spend time with people where you don't just talk about work. Americans are used to being so highly motivated and productive in all situations. If you have lunch with an LA industry person, after a couple of words about the weather, it's straight to the deal. Chinese people will think that's very bad manners and opportunistic — like, I see, you just want a deal or money from me; you're not even interested in building a real relationship.

Hollywood people are such salesmen. I've seen this with a lot with friends who come here. The confident, hard-sell approach — pitching projects and trying to make everything sound awesome, and awesomely lucrative — it will have the exact opposite effect in China. People take several steps back from that.

Also, it's no secret that in Chinese culture people don't like to say no. Maybe you're trying to make something happen, and you're getting a sort of vague answer, so you keep pushing. Later, when nothing materializes, you'll probably find out that they just didn't feel comfortable saying no to you, even though they totally disagreed with your proposal. You have to build relationships where you can read cues and really understand each other, and that takes time. The communication is not as simple and direct as we are used to. Of course, there are similar confusions on their side. You have to be prepared to invest time and really get to know your partners.

How about on set?

The most important thing is about respect. Whether you're dealmaking or dealing with a crew or actors, you want to show respect and not seem like you see yourself as superior. Anytime you appear to show that you know better and you need to put someone in their place, it will not go over well. Even as the director you should never yell at the crew or put someone down, because it's the whole thing about losing face with someone. You can lose the good faith of your Chinese crew with behavior like that.

Other differences?

For Legend of the Ancient Sword, the project I'm currently working on with Alibaba, we're going full speed ahead and we'll be shooting seven days a week until Chinese New Year in February. This is the Chinese system — no day off, and no overtime pay — because they pay crew a monthly salary and they work as much as they can. It's grueling, but that's how it's done. If you're in their system, you have to accept the challenge and always be gracious.

I've heard these stories about big U.S.-China co-productions that have had really high-class catering by Beijing standards, but still the Hollywood crew will be like, "we're not going to eat this crap." Whereas the Chinese crew are, like, "we've never had such luxurious food on any production!" That kind of thing can really erode the sense of collaboration and teamwork.

What's hardest about moviemaking within the Chinese industry right now?

Finding experienced screenwriters and casting — these two by far.

The handful of Chinese screenwriters who have written screenplays that became big local blockbusters are in huge demand. They are totally booked and very expensive. Most production roles are much cheaper in China, of course. But if you're a top writer, you're making Hollywood money — maybe more. There's such huge demand for good stories and there aren't nearly enough experienced writers — especially bilingual ones with an international view. Translating a Western screenplay just doesn't work, for many reasons.

Casting is the second huge challenge. There are just a handful of Chinese stars who automatically mean something for the box office, and they are always booked — usually with several movies, reality TV shows, commercials and other promotional commitments that earn them enormous money. Getting access to top talent and getting them onboard with a project is a very long process. If someone tells me they have a production in motion and they're ready to start shooting soon, I always ask if they are cast. Because it takes six months to one year to assemble a strong cast — minimum.

And where did you get Rascal?

I had a dog in LA that I had to leave behind when I decided to stay here. I really missed having a dog, so I started researching. I tend to go for rescue dogs because, you know, someone has to help them. I found this place called the International Center for Veterinary Services (ICVS), and it's this phenomenal organization that an American lady started 15 years ago. I went there and saw a bunch of dogs and it was just love at first sight with him. He had been rescued from the meat market with some other dogs. He had had some horrific experiences, so I had to house train him and teach him everything from the beginning. He's a good boy now. I take him with me everywhere.

Has anyone here seen Skiptrace aside from me?

Anyone?

[GeneChing]

Hollywood director Renny Harlin on his China career, directing Jackie Chan, and new film Bodies at Rest
Harlin moved to China five years ago to direct Jackie Chan in the hit 2016 release Skiptrace and has since made the country his home
He has tasted both success and failure since the move. Here he tells the Post all about his experience so far
Edmund Lee
Published: 9:00pm, 21 Aug, 2019


Film director Renny Harlin photographed in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, during an interview on his latest action thriller, Bodies at Rest, and his experience of making films in China. Photo: Edmond So

Renowned internationally for directing such popular action thrillers as Die Hard 2 (1990) and Cliffhanger (1993), Renny Harlin is now better known in the Chinese-speaking world as that rare Hollywood filmmaker who uprooted from Los Angeles and moved to China on a full-time basis.
It is five years since he arrived to direct Jackie Chan in the hit 2016 release Skiptrace. Since then, the Finnish veteran has founded his own company, based in Hong Kong and Beijing, to develop a range of feature films and TV shows for the China market. He has also had tasted failure: his second film after moving, last year’s Legend of the Ancient Sword, was a flop.
His third film since he relocated, Bodies at Rest, is a Hong Kong-China co-production. Set in a morgue on Christmas Eve, the story revolves around the attempts of a forensic expert (played by Nick Cheung Ka-fai) and his assistant (Yang Zi) to fend off a trio of masked criminals (headed by Richie Jen Hsien-chi), who have broken into the premise to look for a particular body.
The filmmaker recently sat down with the Post to reflect on his China experience.



Your new film, Bodies at Rest, is set on Christmas Eve. Does this setting remind you of Die Hard 2?

Yeah, I think it’s funny to go for Christmas! At least in the Western world, Christmas is a peaceful time when families come together and everything is perfect. So the setting of a dramatic, explosive story during that time has always felt like a good idea to me.
When we talked about when the movie [should] take place, we talked about the fact that we wanted the villains to wear masks in the first part of the movie. What if they wear Christmas-themed masks? And then we kind of built the story around Christmas. I even tried to use some of the same music that I used in Die Hard 2, but eventually we didn’t go with the song that I wanted to use.

Can you tell us a bit about the origin of this screenplay?

One executive from Wanda [Pictures] was going through Hollywood agencies looking for material. He read hundreds of screenplays, read this one and really liked it. He bought the rights for Wanda – it was a totally American movie at that point.


(From left) Yang Zi, Richie Jen and Nick Cheung in a still from Bodies at Rest.

Then the script was translated into Chinese. Then, Wanda hired a Chinese screenwriter to take the translation and make it a living, breathing Chinese story. When they decided to let me get involved with this movie, they translated that script back to English – so now it’s the fourth generation of the film script.
I read that translation. You know how in Mandarin, words and sentences can be interpreted in so many different ways? There were literally things I couldn’t understand. At that point, I asked to read the original American script. Now that I knew the movie they wanted to make, [I told them], “I will write the script from the original American script.”


Harlin (third from left) and the main cast of Bodies at Rest at the Beijing premiere.

What was the process like to make that original script culturally relevant to a Chinese audience?

My company has a team of young film students who have graduated from UCLA [University of California, Los Angeles] and NYU [New York University] – they’re Chinese and have come back. They are my advisers. With their cultural knowledge and understanding of humour, behaviour and all the details, we then created this screenplay that became the movie.
We wrote the screenplay simultaneously in English and Mandarin, which was then translated into Cantonese. It was a long process. This script represents a very typical example of the challenges for filmmakers like me. It’s hard for some Hollywood producers to come to make a co-production movie in China. It’s hard for them to comprehend how vast the cultural differences are.
It’s not just about the language, or eating or not eating certain kinds of food. It’s about human interaction, family, relationships and certain reservations that [Chinese] people have that Western people might not. For me, it’s a daily learning experience.


Bruce Willis in a still from Die Hard 2 (1990), directed by Renny Harlin. Photo: Twentieth Century Fox

Now that you’re completely based in China, how does it feel?

I feel like I’m in a very privileged position that I can live in China, and live this life and encounter these things every day – compared to somebody who flies in and does one project, and tries to digest everything that unfolds around them.
It was just being in the right place at the right time. I came here to do Skiptrace, and the journey started from there. I started researching locations and travelling around China, slowly learning things about people, history, culture and food. The more time I spent here, the more I loved it.
Of course, I still thought that it was just [going to be] one of the couple of dozen movies I made outside Hollywood. But things went so well [and] I really enjoyed working with a Chinese crew. I have so much respect for them; they’re such hard workers and collaborators. There’s also this sense of improvisation which was refreshing [when] compared to Hollywood.
The first movie went so well, the local people here asked me to stay and make more movies. The film industry was just starting to explode in China and they felt, with my Hollywood experience, maybe I could bring some ingredients into the filmmaking scene here.

continued next post

[GeneChing]

Jackie Chan and Johnny Knoxville in a still from Skiptrace (2016).

What do you remember from the experience of working with Jackie Chan on Skiptrace?

It was an amazing experience. It was [also] like jumping into very cold water. Because working with him – his films are very improvised. They literally come up with ideas in the morning and shoot them in the afternoon. I’m used to a very organised, Hollywood way of planning everything.
For our action scenes, I would show Jackie storyboards and descriptions on how I was planning to do things. He would be excited and interested, but also immediately start suggesting, “That’s good, but we can also do this.” The same thing continued on the film set [throughout].

People love movies [in China] and they build new movie theatres every day – while in America, they changed them into bookstores
Renny Harlin

Some scenes, of course, involve more dialogue and story; they went exactly how I planned. But in some action scenes – he was extremely respectful and supportive of me, but he would offer things like, “What do you think if we do this or we add this?”
For him, it’s always like, “Don’t have just two jokes. The third joke is going to be the one that’s really going to make the audience love the scene.” And, “Don’t have just two beats in the action; have the third beat, fourth beat.” So, the most valuable lesson I’ve learned since I started in Hollywood is to be open to improvisation; don’t be afraid to improvise.


Richie Jen in a still from Bodies at Rest.

What’s the current state of Hollywood in your opinion?

I feel that, for a long time, the number of studio movies being made in Hollywood has gone down every year. It’s either the Marvel-type superhero movies or the Blumhouse-type of low-budget horror films. There are a very small number of movies in between. It’s not at all like it was when I went there in the ’80s and ’90s. It’s all Netflix and Amazon now, and I like making theatrical movies.
I was in a unique position in that I was an outsider in Hollywood to begin with. So I found it very easy to say, “OK, this is the next chapter of my life. I’m going to go to China and see how things go and develop.” It’s been snowballing. The more I get to know people, the more I work here, the more I like it and learn about it.
So why not China? People love movies here and they build new movie theatres every day – while in America, they changed them into bookstores [laughs]. Maybe not bookstores, but some kind of stores. It’s sad to see old movie theatres that have been turned into something else.

Harlin says he now tries to work with fully Chinese crews, rather than search for people who are bilingual. Photo: Edmond So

What has your time in China taught you as a filmmaker?

You learn about the importance of finding the right material. I think many filmmakers are like me: we love making movies so much that we don’t necessarily make the right decisions, because we’re so passionate to get behind the cameras. I’ve developed patience in that sense.
I’ve also learned more about being very particular about who I cast in roles. You realise you’re just as good as your casting crew.
Also, putting the crew together: at first, I was very particular that my DOP [director of photography] and costume designer had to be bilingual. And then I realised that the talent is much more important than the language. The language [issue] we can always resolve, but the talent is the key. So now I go with a fully Chinese crew where nobody speaks English; I can always get people to translate. Finding the right people to help you paint the pictures is the most important thing.

I don't know about Bodies At Rest.

Skiptrace sucked.