The China Post ran a very interesting story last Sunday about a new Hollywood-financed film starring a Japanese actor, Takeshi Kaneshiro, female heartthrob they say, and directed by some HK directors, two. But the real interesting part is that the film is based on a bestselling picture book by a Taiwanese artist named “Jimmie” – real name is Jimmy Liao and he is married to the woman who is the Taiwan translator of all the Harry Potter novels, I read somewhere.
I have seen his books in the bookstores, very well done illustrations, top of the line, pure creative genius. And the book GO LEFT, GO RIGHT is, according to my girlfriend, who translated it for me, super. Hollywood picked up the film rights for around US$1 million so this guy is going bigtime.
It’s good for Taiwan pop culture, I think, that Hollywood has paid good money for a Taiwan published book by a comic illustrator. What Ang Lee is to directing, this Jimmie guy might just be for book rights. I heard he is dying of leukemia.
Did anyone ever read his books, I mean, LOOK at his picture books here. I just know the GO LEFT GO RIGHT book, and it sold beaucoup copies to college students. It’s about the choice we have in life, kind of a love story, Taiwan style.
I wonder if the movie will do well overseas. They began filming today in Taipei, the papers said. Movie will be in theaters maybe in 2004 or 2005. Is Hollywood finally getting hip to Taiwan, or is this a one-off thing?
That same story was also in the CHina Post and the Taiwan News, writer was Annie Huang at the Associated Press bureau in Taipei.
So that means, I guess, that that story went out on the international wire to around 2500 media outlets, and this JIMMY guy ought to become very popular real soon overseas in Western countries too.
In fact, after this AP story is printed in the USA and Europe, I am sure that smart publishers will sign him up for English and other translations real quick. He was probably signed up by 10 Westner publishers today in New York, London, Paris, Rome and Etc (yes, Etc is a new country, the 245th in the UN…)
Probably next week TIME and NEWSWEEK will also do an illustrated story on him too. I noticed that NEXT magazine is also running a weekly JIMMY illustration at the back of the magazine. Two pages of artwork, and some text which of course I cannot read… but the pics are beautiful.
For a guy who almost died of leukemia 10 years ago, he’s doing pretty good. When that movie comes out, his international reputation will be cemented. He might even get invited to the Oscars in 2005!
By Yu Sen-Lun
STAFF REPORTER
Friday, Jan 03, 2003,Page 19
For its first Asian film, Warner has selected a modern romance story set in Taipei, adapted from the best-selling illustrated book of the same name by Hong Kong’s Jimmy Liao (
The reporter probably made a simple mistake. She is a Taiwanese, from her name. So I am sure she knows Jimmy is from Taiwan. Maybe a copy editor slipped it in by mistake. No, of course, he is from Taiwan, born and bred here. He is NOT from Hong Kong, that’s for sure. Just a typo or a simple slip of the mind or a gremlin from hell.
One of his books is now in ENglish on amazon.com, titled SUNSHINE or something like that, but it’s really the TURN RIGHT TURN LEFT book. Published in New York.
It opens Friday. What’s the advance word? Will it play in Peoria or is it a strictly Asian affair?[/quote]Oh, I bet the Taiwanese xiao-jies will be lining up to see Jin Cheng-wu- that 1/2 Taiwanese 1/2 Japanese stud.
It’s a sappy romance. It won’t even make it outside of TW/HK/(maybe)JP.
see how much I know! go left, turn left, what do i know? NOTHING! See what two days in suspension in the Principal’s Room does to my brain? MUSH.
I want to see this movie! YES!
That actor Takenakihirosenseimasayukidaijobutenakaobeewankanaboekobe Hiro (Hero, get it?) is a good actor, as actors go, and most actors go. His is not half Taiwanese and half Japanese. He is double. Half is a slur. Double is a joy. Remember we are all doubles, DNA of our parents, except for winter my doppleganger, he was born with just one set of DNA, poor mother rejected him inplacenta. That explains most everything of how he took over my body for a few days while I was in suspended animation in the Suspension Room for being a baddie. Damn, I hate doppelgangers. I have now given 200 kwanshee to BUENLAI for being a good egg in all this and 200 more to BIg Fluffy for being a better egg. Now anybody else need some gwanashee? I feel my role in life now should be to give gawanashee where I can and to whomever needs/deserves it. I have no need of these points and I only have a short time to live. I am trying to get rid of everything I own bit by bit so that on the day the Grimm Reeper comes, HE will not have much to reap. Just a few measly gakwanshee points from my old debits. Damn the torpedoes, let’s go out with a bang.
From what I understand, it’s based on a series of paintings by a local artist…this is very unreliable knowledge as it was explained to me by my former perfect partner when she noticed that one such painting adorned the walls, in mural form, of the cafe we were dining in in Panciao.
Sounds like great date material if you want to show your sensitivity towards what she wants to do…you may not even have to carry her purse thru the night market for a couple of weeks.
It’s after a book by Taiwan cartoonist Jimmy. Actually, Formosa has started a thread on the movie before.
Anyway, the book is about that pair of lonely city people who live in the same place and always leave the house at the same time. But one goes left and one goes right …
I got the book because I like the pictures, and the text is short enough for me to make it through a couple of pages at once :? (there also is an English translation available, I saw it at Taida Eslite). However, I can’t really imagine that it would be enough material for a feature movie, even though it seems to be promoted abroad quite a bit. Still, I might go and watch it, just for the sake of watching a Taiwanese movie in Taiwan.
I don’t think this is a Taiwanese movie, just a Hong Kong pseudo-romantic movie. And yes, I agree with most of the posters here, any movie that stars pop singers and poster heartthrobs is to be missed.
Real Taiwanese movies would be long, grave and to most Westerners, too monotonous and slow.
Taiwan only produces about ten movies a year, compared to about a hundred in HK, so the chance of you ever seeing a Taiwanese movie are rather limited.
it IS a Taiwanese movie. It was written from a book by a Taiwanese artist, Jimmu Liao, perhaps the greatest artist in picture books in Asia at the present time, a huge genius… and it was filmed on location in Taipei, the storyline is in Taipei, it comes out of the Taipei experience…not everything has to fit the stereotype of slow hou shiao shien movies with sad music and slow monotonous camera work. That was the OLD Taiwan, maybe, just maybe this is NEW Taiwan. I plan to see it Friday when it opens in Taipei, count me in.
Maybe it’s a bomb. Maybe it’s great. Let’s see.
Critics, weigh in later! (I have the feeling, tho, that this is a woman’s film, not for most males here…) And I mean that in a positive + way.
Okay so the director is from HK and the actors are outside people, border wise. But this is global village, global asia village, we are the children now, no?
Shouldn’t this thread be merged into this one? Especially since this is a Taiwanese story, set in Taipei, with Taiwanese actors, it seems like this should be in Culture & History, merge or not.
