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Home | Upcoming | Reviews | In Cinemas | Links | Features | Editorials | Search Wednesday, May 7, 2003 Hong Kong DVD news (all region or region 3): Out today is Erotic Agent from City Connection. Starring Sophie Ngan and bearing a Category III rating, the flick is described as "the most sexy in the Erotic Ghost series!!" Naked bathing women are on the cover, if you're looking for it. Also coming this week is The Beast of Tutor, also starring the sultry Sophie Ngan. Expect the Modern Audio release to be shot on video; nudity not guaranteed. Actually, the lead story today should be the release of Cathay titles The Story of Three Loves — Part 1 and The Story of Three Loves — Part 2 . Asian DVD Guide provided all the details last week. Next week, the Shaw Brothers re-releases are scheduled to include The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, The Dancing Millionairess, The Grand Substitution, Passing Flickers, and The Venus Tear Diamond. As a reminder, all are coded for Region 3. U.S. / Canada DVD news (region 1): The Way Home is a cute and sentimental tale of a spoiled boy and his mute grandmother. The South Korean film felt too sweet and mawkish to some viewers, but I enjoyed it — as long as you're ready to be manipulated. A rental is recommended. Next week comes the Columbia/TriStar version of Full Contact. Ringo Lam directed a film many consider an action classic; Chow Yun-Fat stars with Simon Yam. Specs are said to include the original Cantonese audio. I was seriously underwhelmed when I rented this a couple of years ago, but so many people recommend it that I figure I must have been in a bad mood. The Mei Ah disk was reviewed by a number of people; here's a link to one by John Charles at Asian DVD Guide. Courtesy of DVD Basen, here are links to two reviews of the Columbia/Tri Star version: UpcomingDiscs.com and DVD Talk; neither is terribly impressed by the quality of the disk. A pre-order purchase is tentatively recommended for fans; cautious folks may want to rent first. Also coming next week from AnimEgo is Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo. The 1970 film is presented in Japanese with English subtitles. It was directed by Kihachi Okamoto. Never having seen this samurai flick, I refer interested parties to John Pettibone's brief comments at Mobius Home Video Forum. Event news: Today and tomorrow are your last opportunities to attend the VC Film Fest 2003; the closing night film tomorrow is Chen Kaige's Together. The 1st Annual L.A. Anime Festival continues at the Egyptian Theatre. Check the link for the crazy variety of anime on display. Monday, May 5, 2003 X2: X-Men United opened on a record 3,741 screens across the U.S. this past Friday. It made a studio-estimated $85 million, the fourth biggest opening weekend in history. What's especially interesting, though, is that 20th Century Fox opened the film in 93 additional markets around the world, grossing an additional $69.3 million. Teenage girls made The Lizzie McGuire Movie the #2 movie, pulling in a very nice $17 million. The movie stars a teenage girl and is based on a U.S. television series. Lower down the chart, Bulletproof Monk finished #10, with a low per-screen average of $765. That indicates it will be leaving theaters shortly. Its total gross is $21.5 million so far. With an estimated budget of $52 million, and an additional outlay of $25 million (estimated) for marketing costs, it's a long road to profitability for the Chow Yun-Fat starrer. Meanwhile, the reality flick The Real Cancun could only scare up $600,000 in its second weekend. That's a per-screen average of $265 (?!). Total gross is just $3.3 million. Even though it's budget was a very small (for Hollywood studios) $7.5 million, it's estimated that $20 million was spent on marketing (prints and advertising). In other words, they better put a lot of naked footage in deleted scenes on the eventual DVD if they ever want to recoup their money. Finally, Better Luck Tomorrow made an estimated $480,000 over the weekend, for a per-screen average of $1,240. The four-week total is $3 million. That sounds like small potatoes, but considering its very modest budget and limited roll-out, it's a more than acceptable total. Tuesday/Wednesday, April 29-30, 2003 Diva Ah Hey is scheduled for a two-disk release from Mei Ah today. Joe Ma directed the comedy, which stars Charlene Choi, Jordan Chan, Niki Chow, and my man Lam Suet. The Hong Kong DVD scene remains quiet otherwise, except for re-issues. Region 1 sees the release of three more films in the Zatoichi series from Home Vision Entertainment. By number, they are #6, #7, and #8. By title, they are Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold, Zatoichi's Flashing Sword, and Fight, Zatoichi, Fight. All three DVDs were reviewed last week at DVD Authority, along with the Columbia/TriStar version of Once a Thief. Also due out this week and available at Region 1 retailers: Junk, featuring zombies, yakuza, and plenty of blood and gore. I created the "Event of the Week" to highlight film festivals, special screenings, or new films that may be of interest to Asian film fans. I apologize, though, for posting a bad link for the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film & Video Festival. The link has been corrected. The week-long festival starts tomorrow night with Mina Shum's Long Life, Happiness, and Prosperity. The program includes features, documentaries, and shorts from Asian-American filmmakers, as well as films from Asia itself. Check it out! Monday, April 28, 2003 I had trouble keeping the stories of one-word titles Identity (thriller with John Cusack) and Confidence (con man caper with Ed Burns and Dustin Hoffman) straight, but audiences did not: Everybody went to see the former and ignored the latter. For the record, Identity finished #1 with a total of $17 million, narrowly ahead of Anger Management, the Adam Sandler/Jack Nicholson comedy in its third week. Confidence ended up in the #5 spot with less than $5 million gross. The real surprise was the dismal performance of The Real Cancun. Critical response was nearly unaninimous in negativity, but the target audience for this noisy spring break "reality" movie usually ignores the critics. This time, though, they stayed away in droves. The flick pulled in just $2.3 million with a pathetic per-screen average of just $1,017. I guess advertising doesn't always pay. The funny thing is that the low budget ($7-8 million) and quick turnaround from filming to release (4-5 weeks) were widely trumpeted as striking and unusual. Of course, many Hong Kong films have been made for far less money and an equivalent (or shorter) turnaround time. Bulletproof Monk grossed $4.6 million, good for #6 on the charts. The total after two weeks is no more than $20 million. Considering its reported $52 million budget, that's not so good. Could this discourage future projects of this type, or will it just be seen as a temporary hiccup? Bend It Like Beckham continues to hold on to its audience. Now in its seventh week, the per-screen average remained healthy ($3,717) and total gross is nearing $9 million. That's very good, considering it's still only playing on 421 screens. Better Luck Tomorrow opened much wider (expanding from 42 to 380 screens) and performed admirably, taking in more than a million dollars. The Korean film Bedroom and Courtroom screens tonight in Los Angeles at the Korean Cultural Center. The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles kicks into high gear today, with a full schedule of shorts, documentaries, and features beginning at noon and continuing until Sunday. In Hong Kong, the only Asian film opening is Takeshi Kitano's Dolls. As usual, complete information can (or will) be found at Sanney Leung's indispensable Hong Kong Entertainnent News in Review. Throughout the United States, cinema-goers may choose between Identity, an apparent thriller starring John Cusack; The Real Cancun, a so-called "reality" movie about drunken, stripping teenagers videotaped last month in Mexico (boy, that sounds like something that should only be available via the Internet, doesn't it?); Confidence, featuring Ed Burns as a con man who pulls a caper at the behest of Mob boss Dustin Hoffman (?!); and It Runs in the Family, starring Michael Douglas and Kirk Douglas in, presumably, some kind of life-affirming family story. All these features begin play tomorrow. Better Luck Tomorrow expands into more cities nationwide. It's full of verve and energy. It raises more questions than it answers. It features several excellent performances. It's not about Asian-American teens. It's all about Asian-American teens. It's amoral. It's highly moral. See it and decide for yourself. Tuesday, April 22, 2003 Newer films remain in short supply on DVD, but Cathay releases three older titles tomorrow: Air Hostess, Her Tender Heart, and Our Dream Car. Yet another wave of Shaw Brothers releases are due on Thursday. The latest batch includes Buddha's Palm, Shaolin Temple, Duel of Fist, Iron Bodyguard, and Na Cha the Great. Asian DVD Guide continues an outstanding job of listing new releases along with specs. When I started this web site in August 2000, I did not know of any site that listed new or upcoming releases of Hong Kong movies on DVD. Shortly thereafter I discovered the site now known as Asian DVD Guide. (Of course, I also learned the site had been in existence long before mine.) Regular updates there have been consistent for quite a while now, and unique information from DVD companies is posted there. Though I do my own research at online DVD retail shops, I'm not sure I'm providing any kind of service to readers that is worthwhile and/or worth the time and effort it takes me to write it up. So I'm considering changing the focus of this site. Your suggestions (via e-mail to me) are invited. What corner of the Hong Kong/Asian film world on DVD is not thoroughly covered already? Am I missing something? Region 1 releases are toplined by Columbia's version of John Woo's Once a Thief. The edition is bare-bones, but is said to include Cantonese audio. The film stars Chow Yun-Fat, Leslie Cheung, and Cherrie Cheung. The price is not cheap -- I've seen it for $18.71 online -- but if the transfer has been remastered, it would definitely be worth a rental, if not a purchase. The film itself is a trifle, but takes on a bittersweet air with the recent death of Leslie Cheung. And the scene where Chow Yun-Fat dances in a wheelchair is justly famous. Late as always, but I've posted reviews of The Touch, So Close, and Infernal Affairs in my latest Hollywood to Hong Kong Express column. Monday, April 21, 2003 Anger Management held up nicely, dropping 39% from its first week but still totaling $25 million in receipts. Finishing in the #2 and #3 positions were the young-skewing Holes and Malibu's Most Wanted. Both were modestly budgeted, so they're doing quite well. Bulletproof Monk, starring Chow Yun-Fat, ended up #4. Considering its reported $52 million budget, its total so far of just $8.6 million -- and a weak per-screen average of $2,955 -- is not very encouraging. Maybe it's a decent movie, but after watching the trailers for it on television, I had zero enthusiasm to see it. And I wonder -- after the financial success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, was this the best, most intriguing script that Chow Yun-Fat read? Among limited releases, Bend It Like Beckham continued to perform well. It expanded to nearly double the number of screens (216 to 392) and increased its take by 38.1%. Cowboy Beboy: The Movie, is playing on just 28 screens nationwide, and its returns have been quite modest. Considering its popularity on television, I wonder what happened. Did the movie come along too late? Not enough advertising? In any event, it's heading toward a Region 1 DVD release in June. Finally, Better Luck Tomorrow expanded further (to 42 screens) and took in half a million dollars, averaging an extremely healthy $12,261 per screen. It's a very good, entertaining movie that stumbles a bit in its final frames but until then is the most satisfying release of the year. Thursday, April 17, 2003 Sorry for missing the Tuesday update, felt a bit under the weather and lazy. Back to the grind and trying to be productive today, so here's a double update for your reading pleasure. Due to the paucity of Hong Kong cinema releases, the DVD scene is dominated by Leslie Cheung reissues and Shaw Brothers and Cathay titles. Two big recent releases are Cat and Mouse and Japan's Returner, now available in a cheaper HK version. Coming on April 30 will be Diva Ah Hey, a comedy starring Charlene Choi, Jordan Chan, Niki Chow, and Shawn Yue. As a reminder, Region 1 releases this week were toplined by Spirited Away, Castle in the Sky, and Kiki's Delivery Service. Also out is The Transporter; I know plenty of people dismissed this one, but I enjoyed it in the theater and look forward to catching it again, especially to see the deleted footage and bonus features. Bulletproof Monk, starring Chow Yun-Fat, has opened in both Hong Kong and the U.S. Here it was greeted by mediocre reviews. Hong Kong cinema-goers can also check out Johnnie To's PTU, the animated Doraemon Movie: Nobita and the Winged Braves, as well as hold-overs Why Me, Sweetie?! and the Korean flicks Unborn But Forgotten (horror) and Bungee Jumping on Their Own. The first reports that I read about PTU were negative, but now I've been seeing more positive comments. In any event, it sounds like something to check out when it comes your way via either cinema screen or DVD. Three other wide releases started in the U.S. either yesterday or will start tomorrow: Chasing Papi, poorly-reviewed flick about Latina girls getting revenge about their three-timing boyfriend, Holes, based on a best-selling children's book, and Malibu's Most Wanted, apparently about a white rapper. If these are your only choices this weekend, you have my deepest sympathies. Southern Californians can look forward to the LA Asian Pacific Film & Video Festival, which will begin May 1 at several local venues. Scroll down this page for a link to the festival site and complete schedule. Monday, April 14, 2003 Advertising pays. At least it did for the Adam Sandler/Jack Nicholson comedy, Anger Management. Despite generally poor reviews, the film grossed an estimated $44.5 million, according to Box Office Mojo. It probably helped that the name of the film and the stars involved seemed a natural fit. And people love comedies. Didn't hurt that it was the only major release this past weekend. Bend It Like Beckham continues to perform well, pulling in a nice per-screen average of $6,481 on about 200 screens. Playing on nearly 500 screens, Spirited Away nosedived, grossing just $817 per screen. It should finish with about $10 million gross in the U.S., which is really quite good for an arthouse release. Still, it seemed like it could appeal to a much wider audience. Perhaps it will find a groove when it's released on home video tomorrow. Better Luck Tomorrow, the Asian/American juvenile delinquent film directed by Justin Lin, performed spectacularly, averaging more than $30,000 per screen in very limited release (13 screens in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles). Reviews have generally been positive. Bollywood film The Hero, with basically no advertising, was quite respectable in its debut week, averaging $6,761 per each of its 21 screens. Meanwhile, Cowboy Bebop: The Movie dropped 50% in its second week. It's playing on 23 screens. I took in Fulltime Killer during its last show in Los Angeles, and it was a truly awesome and fun experience. It's still slated to play other cities in the near future, according to the web site of its distributor, Palm Pictures. Beyond that, I was a bit under the weather through the semi-rainy weekend here in usually sunny SoCal, so I stayed bundled up, slept, and watched a few older flicks on TV. And now I can't sleep . . . Early word on Johnnie To's PTU has been disappointing. It opened the Hong Kong International Film Festival earlier this week, and is due for cinema release there soon. The sole new local production in Hong Kong cinemas this weekend is Why Me Sweetie?. Cherrie Ying and Louis Koo star -- as characters named Ding and Dong (?!); Jingle Ma directed. Evidently it's a romantic comedy version of Memento (?!). If you're curious, visit the web site for the Broadway Circuit of cinemas to find out how they're trying to reassure prospective patrons in light of the outbreak of atypical pneumonia (known as SARS in the U.S.). Better Luck Tomorrow opens in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago tomorrow, and expands to 15 more cities next week. Debuting sensationally at Sundance in 2002, the film is about a group of Asian-American teen honor students in suburbia who turn to a secret life of crime. Directed by Justin Lin, it's been advertised heavily on MTV. The big release for the week is the Adam Sandler/Jack Nicholson teaming, Anger Management. So many jokes have been given away in the numerous commercials airing in heavy rotation on TV, I wonder if any are left? The big winners at the Hong Kong Film Awards were Infernal Affairs and Hero. Complete details and a list of winners have been posted at Hong Kong Entertainment News in Review. The Hong Kong International Film Festival kicked off last night with Johnnie To's PTU and the award-winning The Twilight Samurai, directed by Yamada Yoji. Here's a link to an overview on the festival web site. Turning to DVD news, Cat and Mouse is expected on Thursday from Mega Star. The historical romance stars Andy Lau, Cecilia Cheung, and Anthony Wong. Andrew Lau and Gordon Chan directed. It's a big week for Shaw Brothers releases, with nine titles due out on Thursday. All are coded for Region 3; scroll through Sifu Linn's Cave of Kung Fu for a few more details. Bloody Cops features Roy Cheung and Pinky Cheung. Modern Audio plans to release it on Thursday. Men are depicted holding guns on the cover of the DVD, so draw your own conclusion about the subject matter. Zhou Yu's Train (AKA Zhou Yu's Lovers) was released last week. The Mainland Chinese production has received good notices during festival play recently. Stars include Gong Li and Tony Leung Ka Fai; Chow Suen directed. The Mega Star disk is coded for Region 3. Please note that the Modern Audio DVD Devil Killer (AKA The Devil Butcher) does not have English subtitles. And, though both Grace Lam and Sophie Ngan appear, everyone stays quite completely clothed. **sigh ** Sophie is also featured in Girl World, due on Thursday; that disk is also from Modern Audio, so buyer beware about the possibility of no English subtitles. Monday, April 7, 2003 Generally tepid numbers at the box office this past weekend, but Phone Booth took top honors. The flick has not received enthusiastic reviews, but advertising has been incessant, and the basic idea (man stuck on telephone while threatened by sniper), which seems curiusly anachronistic, must have struck a chord of interest. Shot on digital video with basically one exterior set, it actually seems ideal for a HK remake. What a Girl Wants, about an American girl reuniting with her British Dad, must have drawn a big family crowd, while Vin Diesel in the strange character study (disguised as action thriller) A Man Apart, trudged into third place. Fulltime Killer did not finish in the top 25 - not surprising considering its limited release - but an indication that opportunities to see it on the big screen will be extremely limited. So see it now. Too bad that more people -- including Asian movie fans -- have not supported the release. I don't think you have a right to complain about the lack of Asian releases in the U.S. uncut in their original language if you don't support the ones that are out there. Spirited Away did less than OK in its second week of wide release. The gross was down only 39.2% from the previous week, but the per-screen average was only $1,502 -- which is not good. If you want to see it on the big screen, see it now, because once it's out on DVD next week it won't be around long. On the other hand, Bend It Like Beckham continues to perform well, while Cowboy Bebop performed respectably. Wednesday, April 2, 2003 The Hong Kong film world is mourning the death of Leslie Cheung. Check out Hong Kong Entertainment News in Review for more information. And I have written a few thoughts about the man and his films in my weekly column, Hollywood to Hong Kong Express. If you'd like to read more about some of the films he made, I've linked (on the main page, in the right hand column, under "REVIEWS") to reviews of various films that can be found on this site. We all have different ways to cope. By necessity, we must press on with our lives, pass the time with a little entertainment, and care for our loved ones. If you feel like seeing a movie, watching a wacked-out violent and stylish flick is one way to go. Or maybe you want to dream about living in New York and watching a lot of trippy movies on the big screen. Closer to home, I'm hoping to finally get into a few cinemas during the next few days. Perhaps that will bring a measure to relief to all this madness. Hollywood hits through the eyes of a Hong Kong movie fan: The overall box office was way down -- something like 24% over the same weekend last year. Comedian Chris Rock finally scored a #1 finish for his directorial effort Head of State, grossing about $14 million, while holdover Bringing Down the House, in its fourth week, was #2. So it's not just in Hong Kong that audiences want to see comedies. Close behind were debuting disaster flick The Core and military-themed thriller Basic. In the wake of its Academy Award victory, Chicago reaped further financial benefits, and has now grossed close to $150 million. Spirited Away expanded from 7 to 711 screens and performed respectably, with a per-screen average of $2,257. To date it's grossed about $7 million. In limited release, Bend It Like Beckham expanded -- to 46 screens -- and pulled in a very healthy $13,282 per screen. No figures were available for the extremely limited release of Fulltime Killer. For our friends in Hong Kong and throughout Asia, may you avoid catching the deadly SARS virus. Seldom has going outside been so fraught with peril. Personally, I can barely move after helping friends with a project this weekend. May your day be active and healthy. Friday, March 28, 2003 Running late as I have all week, here is today's update. My only advice is to go see Fulltime Killer. Yo! New Yorkers, get off your duff and into the Cinema Village. For Southern Californians, you have a choice of venue: Hollywood, Pasadena, or Irvine. Reviews in mainstream publications have been across the board from quite positive to quite negative. To some extent, that echoes the reviews greeting the film upon its initial release in Hong Kong cinemas and then on DVD. Some of the reviews have been informed, while others can only grasp at comparisons to John Woo. Even if you've already seen it on DVD, even if you didn't like it, I say buy a ticket. After all, a lot of people went to see Dreamcatcher last week just to see the Matrix short feature that's playing with it. Don't miss this opportunity to show your support for uncut releases of Asian films in their original language! And then after that, you can go see Spirited Away again, another highly recommended flick. Don't expect it to hang around theaters long, though, because the Region 1 DVD is scheduled to be released on April 15. Tuesday, March 25, 2003 Congratulations to Hayao Miyazaki and Spirited Away for winning the Best Animated Feature Academy Award! Disney will finally roll out the film this weekend to many more U.S. cinemas. One exec was quoted as saying that was the company's plan all along. (cough of disbelief) Well worth seeing a second time before the Region 1 DVD hits retail shelves next month. Decided to make it a long weekend yesterday as far as updating the site, but I've spent a lot of time today researching and freshening the "Upcoming" and "In Cinemas" pages (links at the top and bottom of each page). The U.S. box office news was somewhat dire, but several reports claim it was the poor quality of the newest movies rather than a collective decision to stay home and watch war news. In any event, the Academy Awards telecast Sunday night looks to be among the lowest in viewership. Shaw Brothers titles due out on Thursday include Mighty Peking Man (drama), When the Clouds Roll By (drama), and The Happiest Momemt (comedy). All are coded for Region 3. Details and picture galleries are available today at Asian DVD Guide. My Lucky Star was a Chinese New Year's release that is now reaching DVD. The film stars Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Miriam Yeung. Vincent Kok directed the comedy. The two-disk special edition from Mei Ah is said to include the film's original soundtrack on the second disk. Look for it April 1. The reviews for Fulltime Killer and Golden Chicken have been archived and can be accessed under the "Reviews" link. Finally, my column on five films from the Heroic Grace UCLA series of martial arts films has been posted. Hero is the big HK title this week. Due on Thursday from Edko, specs are said to specify a two-disk edition, coded for Region 3. The supplements include plenty of behind-the-scenes features, "Journey to Hero," "Making of Hero," etc. It appears, though, that this is the version released in cinemas -- clocking in at close to 100 minutes -- and *not* the extended director's cut promised for release in the future. Hero is nominated for an Academy Award but is not scheduled for a U.S. theatrical release until November. The Little Chinese Seamstress is a French production to be released by Mega Star. It's set in the midst of the so-called "cultural revolution" of the early 1970's. It played at AFI Fest in Los Angeles this past November -- I missed both screenings, though I heard good things about it -- and other festivals as well. The disk is coded for Region 3. Admirers of the supple flesh of Grace Lam and Sophie Ngan have another purchase to make this week: Kowloon Sky - Devil Killer. Modern Audio will release the title Friday; expect it to be shot on video. Panorama will release two more Cathay films: The Greatest Civil War on Earth is a 1960's comedy about two business rivals who share an apartment, while Our Sister Hedy is a comedy about the romantic entanglements of four sisters in late '50's Hong Kong; it's described as an update of Little Women. Two titles from Winson are also due (I Love Gillyflower and March Azalea Ghost), while Kam & Ronson releases one (Cafe Shop). Sadly, I cannot find any information on these movies. DVD Shelf reports that none of these titles include subtitles on their respective VCD versions. Region 1 is quite busy today. Leading the pack is a bare-bones release of Akira Kurosawa's Dreams, the final film from the directorial master. Buena Vista unleashes Pokemon 4 Ever, ADV uncages Gamera: Guardian of the Universe, and Kino unveils Welcome Back Mr. McDonald. Tai Seng releases re-issues of Blonde Fury, Dead and the Deadly, Hero Beyond the Boundary of Time, The Sword, Twilight of the Forbidden City, Twist, and A Warrior's Tragedy. Today's weather report from Los Angeles: the sun is shining brightly and the wind is blowing fiercely. Have a good day. Hollywood films as seen through the eyes of a Hong Kong movie fan: The easy analysis is to say that, with the U.S. on the brink of war, all its citizens want laughter, so they made Bringing Down the House, starring Steve Martin, #1 again. Or maybe they thought, the idea of a teenage James Bond (Agent Cody Banks) starring the teenage star of U.S. television show Malcolm in the Middle, is not too appealing. The latter film played on the most screens and didn't do too badly (grossing $15 million). But the real secret is that Bringing Down the House dropped just 28% in its gross, which means people who saw it the first weekend liked it and told their friends to go see it. Willard, the creepy remake, received decent reviews from mainstream critics, but drew small crowds, finishing #8 for the week with a low per-screen average ($2,285). Cradle 2 to the Grave continued to drop. So far it's grossed $31 million. With video and foreign sales, it should bring in a decent profit. Will that mean another Jet Li hip hop movie down the road? Shanghai Knights just surpassed the original in box office receipts. With the Academy Awards less than a week away, Chicago actually increased its take, which indicates everyone wants to see the frontrunner before it wins any more awards. In its second week of limited release, Laurel Canyon, despite not receiving great reviews, increased its modest take considerably. In its debut week, playing in just six theaters nationwide, Bend It Like Beckham averaged $25,333 per screen - quite healthy. Here in Los Angeles, a huge rain storm blew into town late Friday night and dumped several inches of rain. The freeways were a mess -- over 1,000 auto accidents -- and traveling was slow slow slow. But -- and it's a big but, and also why so many stay here despite all the horrors of big city life -- today it's beautiful and the sun is shining. I caught up with a few DVD rentals over the last few days, including the atmospheric and intriguing Rain (New Zealand), the predictable but fun con man caper Nine Queens (Argentina), the ponderous and puzzling The Weight of Water (United States), and the awful yet fascinating car wreck Formula 51 (UK/Canada; directed by Ronny Yu). Thursday, March 13, 2003 Diva, Ah Hey has opened in Hong Kong cinemas. Ah Hey (Charlene Choi) dreams of a singing career; secrets and scandals follow. Hmmm, sounds cute and possibly intriguing. Also starring Jordan Chan, Niki Chow, and Shawn Yu; directed by Joe Ma. Three wide releases will open tomorrow in the U.S.: Agent Cody Banks, a teen spy movie, which could be cool; The Hunted, whose plot sounds like First Blood, the first Rambo movie; and Willard, a remake of the '70's creepy flick, starring the creepy Crispin Glover and directed by Glen Morgan (co-writer of The One). Opening tomorrow in limited release in Los Angeles: Divine Intervention, a Palestinian film about which I've heard very good things; Nowhere in Africa, a German film nominated for an Academy Award; and Le Cercle Rouge, Jean-Pierre Melville's little-seen (on these shores) last film. And also the final weekend of UCLA's Heroic Grace Martial Arts Film Series. A soccer movie not made in Hollywood opened in Los Angeles and New York yesterday. No, it's not Shaolin Soccer, which has been delayed until later this year. Instead, the British Bend It Like Beckham is the one receiving good reviews. Coming next week to Los Angeles and New York: Fulltime Killer, uncut and with its original gloriously mangled multi-lingual soundtrack. I write a weekly column for Mobius Home Video Forum, Hollywood to Hong Kong Express. Normally it's posted by noon each Wednesday. Unfortunately, due to problems with an e-mail account, I was unable to transmit this week's column -- a look at five of the films that have played in the Heroic Grace series. Hopefully it will appear next week. Personally, I plan to take the weekend off from cinematic visual treats. Some times you have to give your brain and eyeballs a rest. Home | Upcoming | Reviews | In Cinemas | Links | Features | Editorials | Search |