Talking with Wuershan & Daniel Yu. The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman.

Just prior to the world premiere of the Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman I had the opportunity to have a few words with the Wuershan, the director of the film and Daniel Yu the producer. Here is that footage.

Delectable Delights For THE BUTCHER, THE CHEF, AND THE SWORDSMAN

They say that Toronto boasts more Chinese restaurants than China (where, by the way, they’re just called ‘restaurants’).

Okay, no one says that. Mostly because it’s probably not true. But Toronto not only has some of the best Chinese restaurants in Canada or even North America, but many of them are open until the wee hours of the morning – perfect for a post-Midnight Madness snack or, if you’re in and out of screenings as much as I am, breakfast. Here’s a few of my favourites that would make for an ideal setting to mull over the culinary and martial arts wizardry in tonight’s premiere of The Butcher, The Chef, and The Swordsman.

Gold Stone Noodle (266 Spadina Ave) isn’t just any old restaurant – it’s actually nothing short of a fixture in Chinatown. Whether driving or walking down Spadina, you can’t miss the illuminated window with whole roasted ducks and pigs hanging there like delicious, inside-out mannequins. Make your selection and the chef will chop up that carcass like it owes him money before expertly laying it on a bed of freshly-made (in-house!) thick noodles. It’s no frills and I don’t even think they give you any vegetables, but it is seriously one of the best meals you can have in the city.

Rol San (323 Spadina Av) is so dear to my heart that I’m almost loath to mention it, lest it be overrun next time I’m trying to get a table. I’ve spent many late nights there, eating things I was too drunk to even identify and passing them to friends around huge round tables after a particularly late club night or screening. The Crispy Beef with Ginger Honey Sauce here is roughly equivalent to a night with GACKT or Carrie Ng (depending on your preference) and the gigantic sign outside proclaiming that “WE SERVE DIM SUM” isn’t just there for decoration.

Asian Legend (418 Dundas St. W.) is a lesser-known spot on Dundas, located close to the Art Gallery of Ontario and TIFF venue, Jackman Hall. This place specializes in Northern Chinese cuisine from the Shanghai region and is super authentic (chicken balls are nowhere on this menu). Super crispy, not greasy Peking Duck, delectable green onion pancakes rolled with beef...Oh god I’ve drooled all over my keyboard. What I love about this place, though, are its private rooms downstairs. Nowhere in this city can replicate the feeling of being a Chinese gangster quite like Asian Legend’s circular rooms that my friends and I have affectionately dubbed ‘the Jedi Council Chamber’. You get a huge table in this room that goes almost to the wall and rotates, Lazy Susan style, for optimal sharing. Perfect for you and your crew to plan your next hit.

So if you find yourself with a deadly case of the munchies tonight after The Butcher, The Chef, and The Swordsman, give one of these places a try!

The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman screens:

Thursday, Sept 16 11:59PM RYERSON
Friday, September 17 6:30PM AMC 6
Saturday September 18th 3:30PM SCOTIABANK THEATRE 2

You can purchase tickets from the official TIFF website.

Fight! Fight! Fight!

Get into the wuxia spirit for The Butcher, The Chef and The Swordsman with some fine fighting action. Above, The Deadly Breaking Sword with Ti Lung and Ku Feng. And below, the famous bamboo forest fight from King Hu's A Touch of Zen:



Jet Li takes down Donnie Yen in Hero:



Michelle Yeoh gives Zhang Ziyi what for in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon:



Zhao Wen Zhou in The Blade, Tsui Hark's Tsui Harkiest move:



And since Fire of Conscience is coming up, this fan video with kung fu, wuxia and guns:



The Butcher, The Chef and The Swordsman screening times:
Thursday, Sept. 16. 11:59pm Ryerson
Friday, Sept. 27. 6:30pm AMC 6
Saturday, Sept. 18. 3:30pm Scotiabank Theatre 2

Fire of Conscience screening times:
Saturday, Sept. 18. 11:59pm Ryerson
Sunday, Sept. 19. 3:00pm Scotiabank Theatre 11

Tickets are available for purchase at the official site.

Midnight Producers Part 5: Daniel Yu - The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman

This is the fifth in the ongoing series, Meet the Producers of Midnight Madness 2010

Let me introduce you to Daniel Yu, producer of The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman.

Daniel Yu is a well known producer and active member of Hong Kong's film and entertainment industry. In 1990, Daniel co-founded Team Work Productions with renowned actor Andy Lau. The company’s debut film Saviour of The Soul was commercially successful across Asia, and was awarded Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography at the 1992 Hong Kong Film Awards.

From 2004 to 2006, Daniel was Chief Operating Officer for Andy Lau’s Focus Films Limited. There he oversaw all films in which Andy Lau starred, invested and produced. The year 2005 was particularly fruitful for Daniel. He wrote and directed one of the Hong Kong box office’s top 10 of that year: All About Love, starring Andy Lau.

That same year, Daniel spearheaded and produced a series of films which achieved tremendous success at various Asian & International film festivals. Particularly notable was Crazy Stone by chinese director Ning Hao, which was praised as the most creative commercially successful film in China's history. Currently, Daniel holds the position of Senior Vice President for UnionVoole Technology, as well as Chief Executive Officer for Voole Pictures.


1) How much has the business of funding films in HK/China changed since the handover in 1997?

The climate of funding and financing in HK has changed significantly since the traditional markets for HK films has somewhat been taken over by the growing dominance of local films. After China granted HK films a status of local films that could be released in china outside of the quota system, it presented itself as a new key territory for HK filmmakers to show their films. Now with the increased number of screens and investors in China, China is a key territory not just for HK films but also major Hollywood films. In China, previously, most filmmakers focused on making art house films with the possibilities of winning awards as the exhibition sector was not mature but and the handful of filmmakers making commercial films, collaborated with HK film crews/ cast to make commercially more viable films. Now, filmmakers in china are reaping the success of the china economy by having investments, audience and cast to match those of the rest of the world.

2) Are films primarily funded by the government or are private investors approached?

In Asia (with the exception of Taiwan and Singapore), films are generally funded by film companies, private investors and commercial sponsors. In China, now city governments are coming on board to support film production but that is an exception and not the norm for most filmmakers. For art house auteur directors, a number of them still work closely with Europe to receive funding grants from European funds.

3) What were some of the difficulties in getting the film The Butcher, The Chef and The Swordsman made?

Wuershan being a very successful commercial director was one of the few directors that didn't have a track record yet to investors and distributors. The film he wanted to make is also is kinda fresh in approach and people are not sure if the vision he wanted to create would be achieved within the budget the producers were comfortable would recoup. Yet, though the shoot and budget kinda went beyond what was planned, things worked out well. We are happy to collaborate with a good team of cast and crew and now finally we are collaborating with fox international productions and Doug Liman on the film which is very exciting for all of us in the production to bring the film beyond Chinese audiences.

Here is the trailer:



The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman screens:
Thursday, Sept 16 11:59PM RYERSON
Friday, September 17 6:30PM AMC 6
Saturday September 18th 3:30PM SCOTIABANK THEATRE 2

You can purchase tickets from the official TIFF website.

Midnight Madness Picks: James Rocchi

More Midnight Madness (and some non-MM!) picks! This time from James Rocchi of MSN Movies.

Bunraku -- I tend to be an easy pitch for 'Mysterious Drifter" sagas, plus the added draw of Woody Harrelson -- whose recent work's been as strange as it is strong -- and every still's promise of candy-colored chaos in the actual film make this a big-screen must-see.

Vanishing on 7th Street -- With a title worthy of Rod Serling, the latest from Brad Anderson suggests a small-scale apocalypse with plenty of intimate strangeness -- as well as the always-entertaining John Leguizamo.

The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman -- Revenge, as we all know, is a dish best served cold; this film's plotline, with its implied mix of martial arts, blade-bashing action and cooking, suggest that when you do serve revenge cold, plating and side dishes matter, too. ...

And for a non-Midnight Madness Pick:

Cave of Forgotten Dreams -- Werner Herzog guides us through the caves featuring 30,000-year-old works of art. In 3D. hacks and flack will use, and have used 3D to gin ups excitement for otherwise-forgettable films, but this promised trinity of topic, technique and auteur is irresistible to any film fan who knows that Herzog's brilliance satisfies the questioning mind and the yearning heart.

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Bunraku screens:
Saturday, Sept. 11. 11:59pm Ryerson
Tuesday, Sept 14. 10:15pm Scotiabank Theatre 2
Friday, Sept 17. 5:00pm Scotiabank Theatre 2

Vanishing on 7th Street screens:
Sunday, September 12. 11:59PM RYERSON
Monday, September 13. 2:00PM AMC 2

The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman screens:
Thursday, September 16 11:59PM Ryerson
Friday, September 17. 6:30PM AMC 6
Saturday September 18 3:30PM Scotiabank 2

You can purchase tickets from the official TIFF website.

Midnight Madness Picks: Jason Anderson

Jason Anderson is one of Toronto's busiest freelancers, writing for EYE Weekly, the Toronto Star, CBC Arts, among others. Word on the street is that he once got into a bare knuckle fight with Lee Marvin and lived to tell the tale. That story intimidates me so much I've never asked him to confirm or deny. Instead, I asked for his Top Three Picks:

Fire of Conscience: Only one of the bunch I’ve actually seen and can therefore endorse as a very satisfying piece of old-school Hong Kong action with the new-school addition of many explosive devices. And if you thought Hard Boiled had the last word on natal-related action setpieces, think again.

The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman: Surely the culinary/martial arts crossover I’ve been waiting for since accidentally renting Tampopo when I meant to get Tiger Claws 2.

Vanishing on 7th Street: Brad Anderson’s Session 9 and The Machinist are two distinctive creep-outs so I’m very curious to see (or not see) what happens in the dark.
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Fire of Conscience screens:
Saturday, September 18. 11:59PM Ryerson
Sunday, September 19. Scotiabank 11

The Butcher, the Chef and the Swordsman screens:
Thursday, September 16 11:59PM Ryerson
Friday, September 17. 6:30PM AMC 6
Saturday September 18 3:30PM Scotiabank 2

Vanishing on 7th Street screens:
Sunday, Septermber 12, 11:59PM, Ryerson
Monday, September 13. 2:00PM AMC 2

You can buy tickets from the official TIFF website.

Midnight Madness Picks: Grady Hendrix of NYAFF

We are graced with the presence of the great Grady Hendrix: writer, raconteur, programmer of the New York Asian Film Festival, and always, always the coolest guy in the room. There's this rumour going 'round that TIFF ends on the 19th of September, but make no mistake -- TIFF ends whenever Grady leaves Toronto. Here's one of the films he thinks you should see:

"The Butcher, The Chef and the Swordsman! It's already attracting a lot of hype with that endorsement from Doug Liman, and from the tiny amount of footage I've seen, the hype is deserved. I'm a sucker for food movies and here's hoping that this one will give me a full release and a happy ending."

The Butcher, The Chef and the Swordsman screens:

Thursday, September 16. 11:59PM Ryerson

Friday, September 17, 6:30PM AMC 6

Saturday, September 18, 3:30PM Scotiabank 2

A Tasty Mix of Violence & Food

I haven't even seen The Butcher, The Chef and The Swordsman and I'm already hungry.

And I can tell I'm going to be even hungrier after seeing the movie. I've been here before, driven to my favorite restaurants for char siu bao, shredded duck soup or scallops and ho fan with black bean sauce first by double bills at the old Golden Classics (now the new Toronto Underground Cinema), then after Kung Fu Fridays and now by 2am cravings after Midnight Madness or cruelly delicious daytime TIFF flicks like Johnnie To's Vengeance, Mad Detective and Exiled. (Oh, Johnnie To, why are your films so filled with cool guys cooking such yumminess?)

Whether it's the feast the Triad brothers share in Johnnie To's The Mission (Midnight Madness, 2000) or the chopstick battle over the perfect chicken leg in Yuen Woo-Ping's Iron Monkey, Chinese genre movies mix two of my favorite things: violence and food.

It doesn't help that nearly every kung fu movie has a “tavern fight,” which is really code for “fight in a place where people drink tea and eat delicious looking snacks, oh my god, I need soup dumplings and a plate of spice and salt squid...” The hunger pangs are even worse with movies based around cooking and food like Kung Fu Chefs, starring Midnight Madness star Sammo Hung Kam-Bo, who also played on of Wong Fei-Hong's most famous disciples, the eponymous butcher of The Magnificent Butcher.

So get ready to get hungry with The Butcher, The Chef and The Swordsman. It looks positively dangerous, with a mix of delicious action, comedy and just plain deliciousness.

Make your post-screening noodle house, barbecue joint and seafood restaurant plans now. And, if you already have a plan at the ready, help out fellow festivaleros by sharing your favorite places and dishes in the comments.

Just writing this is making me hungry. I'm not even sure that watching The Untold Story: Human Meat Roast Pork Buns could put me off pork buns right now.

The Butcher, The Chef and The Swordsman screening times:

Thursday, Sept. 16. 11:59pm Ryerson.

Friday, Sept. 17. 6:30pm AMC 6

Saturday, Sept. 18. 3:30pm Scotiabank Theatre 2

You can purchase tickets at the main TIFF site.