TGIF Feature: My short, short, short review of the live-action 'Mulan'

Iconic Chinese actress Gong Li as Xian Lang, the witch.

After waiting years and having the rug pulled out at least four times in anticipation of its opening. I couldn't wait any longer for the local theater to watch Mulan. So I oped to watch it in my coronvirus-inspired setting.

Directing: Niki Caro created a visually stunning film, but more attention should have been made towards character development. And, mo god, how did you ever accept the writing? (See below).

Action: Spectacular, but I inherently fantastic Chinese martial art movies and easily accept the jumping on rooftops and running horizontally.

Costumes: Beautiful. Bina Daigeler should get an Oscar nod and if she does walk up to the stage to receive a statue, I hope she brings along Gong Pan Pan, her Chinese fashion consultant. I can forgive them because they're creating for what looks best cinematically, not an anthropological thesis. But then again, I'm not a student of fashion history.

Acting: Adequate. Best in the non-action scenes. Problem was in the dialogue (See below). Gong Li came off the best as the Witch (I'd love to see her in more accessible films.) Jet Li and Donnie Yen had little to work with. Liu Yufei was OK as the Tom-boyish Mulan but she excelled in the action scenes.

Dialogue: Clunky. Did every line from authority figures -- the father, the captain, the witch -- have to have that "Kung Fu, grasshopper" kind of pronouncement? How many times do we have to get hit over the head about the importance of family? The dialogue felt like it was written by those folks who do the translations for the foreign language captions. The clumsy writing sounds like it was by writers and a director just learning about Chinese values (Turns out, that's all-too true.) or former writers of fortune cookie fortunes. It is hard to imagine that with the millions poured into this film Disney couldn't find an Asian writer.

In short: See it in theaters if you can. It's a beautiful film to immerse yourself in. Don't compare it to the 1996 animated version of Mulan, otherwise, you'll be disappointed. They are two separate movies and should be viewed as such. Best to watch it without expectations.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A word of caution, this is news sprinkled with opinion. Readers are encouraged to seek multiple news sources to formulate their own positions. 

TGIF Feature: Coronavirus delays release of Disney's movie 'Mulan'

DiSNEY

In Disney's live-action remake, Liu Yufei plays Mulan, center.

The coronavirus has claimed another victim. The highly anticipated general release of the live-action movie Mulan has been postponed because Walt Disney Pictures believed COVID-19 would dampen attendance.

Originally set to be released in the US on March 27, the spectacle telling the tale of a daughter who disguises herself as a boy to take her father's place in the emperor's army, is now set for a date to be determined.

Mulan cost $200 million to make and was specifically aimed at a Chinese audience. Disney relies on international markets to pad its studios revenue. But since theaters are still closed in China, the studio was concerned about recouping its budget.

On Thursday, Niki Caro, the film's director tweeted out bad news to those fans awaiting the film's March 27 general release.

"Our hearts are with everyone the world over who is affected by this virus, and we hope that Mulan's fighting spirit will continue to inspire those who are working so hard to keep us all safe," she wrote.

In an attempt to be more culturally correct, the new film diverged from the original animated version by eschewing some of its popular musical numbers in favor of more extended martial arts action and spectacular battle scenes.

It stars an international cast of Chinese and Asian American actors led by popular Chinese actress Liu Yufei as the title character, Gong Li, Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Rosalind Chao and Jason Scott Lee.

The movie had its red-carpet premiere in Los Angeles three days ago and got a great reaction from an already receptive audience. Some in attendance called it the best of Disney's live-action remakes.

Mulan, the first Asian American blockbuster, would have been the crowning glory of a month of Asian American debuts. Even with Mulan's postponed release, the month still launches four television series and a movie, Go Back to China, an Asian American production starring Anna Akana.

The coronavirus is continuing to spread and several countries have quarantined it's residents. Italy has quarantined the entire country. China still has millions of its residents in quarantine and residents are encouraged to stay home, which would exclude going to the movies.

Several other Hollywood movies have delayed their releases, including the new James Bond movie No Time to Die and Disney's The New Mutants, an X-Men thriller.

Production on Marvel Studios’ upcoming Shang-Chi has been temporarily suspended because he film's director, Destin Daniel Cretton, is self-isolating himself because he might have contracted the pathogen and he his family might contract the virus.

TGIF Feature: 'Mulan' production starts - the next movie with an all-Asian cast

Chinese actress Liu Yifei will portray Mulan.

ASAM NEWS

PRODUCTION is underway for Disney’s live action version of Mulan.

Coming on the heels of Warner Bros.' Crazy Rich Asians, which was released in North American theaters on Wednesday (Aug. 15), Mulan could be the next wide-distribution movie from a Hollywood production company featuring an all-Asian cast.

Mulan stars Chinese star Liu Yifei as the title character.

The movie isn’t due out until March 2020, but Disney is whetting our appetites by releasing the first photo of Liu as Mulan.

“It’s a big, girly martial arts epic. It will be extremely muscular and thrilling and entertaining and moving,” the film’s director, Niki Caro, (The Zookeeper’s Wife), told MovieFone about her vision for the Disney remake. According to IGN, shooting will take place in both New Zealand and China.

Joining Liu will be Jet Li (Expendables 3), Donnie Yen (Rogue One), Gong Li (Raise the Red Lantern) and Jason Scott Lee (Dragon: the Bruce Lee Story). Recent additions to the cast include Rosalind Chao (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Cheng Pei-Pei (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and Nelson Lee.

Based on a traditional Chinese legend, Mulan was a teenaged rebel who dressed as a man to serve in the emperor's army in place of her father. She becomes a war hero in the battle against the Hun.

Breaking away from the Disney mold of princesses who are usually rescued by male heroes, Mulan raises issues of female empowerment, women in the military and cross-dressing, particularly relevant in this era of #MeToo and #AboutTime.

Disney had previously said the live action version would not be a musical, unlike the original animated version which featured the singing voice of Broadway star Lea Salonga. However, as of late, Disney has said that could change. The selection of Liu Yifei to portray the legendary character, opens the door to that possibility. She  is also a popular recording artist in China. Director Niki Caro, has said the film would incorporate music in some way.

Views From the Edge contributed to this report.
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Mulan actor named; Disney's newest princess is Chinese.

AFTER CONDUCTING an international search and auditioning a thousand actors, Disney settled on who would play Mulan in their live-action telling of the Chinese tale.

Liu Yifei isn't a household name (in the U.S., anyway) but she's one of China's most popular actresses.

The upcoming film, directed by New Zealander Niki Caro, is based on Disney’s 1998 feature telling the story of a woman disguising herself as a man to fight against an invading army, saving her elderly father from getting drafte in the army.

Picking a Chinese actress to play the heroine Mulan allays the fear among Asian/Americans that the movie might get white-washed and have a white actress play the pivotal role.

But Disney has been adament to do the right thing in casting, much in the way the voice actors, all of whom were Pacific Islanders, were picked for the animated hit Moana,

In Liu, Disney has found someone who checks all the boxes:

• Chinese descent: Check. She was born in Wuhan, China.
• Speaks English: Check. As a child, she lived for a time in Queens, NYC.
• Martial arts: Check. Several of her Chinese movies featured swordplay and fantastic choreographed fight scenes showing she can be a badass.

• Singer: Check. Is there anything this actress can't do? On top of modeling and acting, she is also noted as a pop singer. Liu released her self-titled debut album in 2006 with Sony Music, and has more recently sung covers for soundtracks. Her ability to sing may mean that the live-action Mulan will feature some of the songs made famous in the animated version. The director at first said that the film would not be a musical but she now says she is open to making the project a musical. Listen to one of Liu's hits - in English!

• Acting experience: Check. While most of her films have been made in China for Chinese audiences, she acted in English in 2008's The Forbidden Kingdom, alongside Jackie Chan and Jet Li, and 2014's Outcast, opposite Nicolas Cage and Hayden Christensen. She also starred opposite Emile Hirsch in Danish auteur Bille August's period romance The Chinese Widow, which opened the Shanghai International Film Festival in June.
• Beautiful: Check, check, check and check. She is nicknamed "Fairy Sister" by the Chinese moviegoing public for her innocent looks. If a picture can say a thousand words ...

The rest of the cast hasn't been named yet. I can't wait to find out who will play Li Shang. The movie is scheduled for a 2019 release.
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'Mulan' director & executive producer chosen, production to start this Spring.

Jamie Chung played Mulan on TV's 'Once Upon A Time.' Does that give her an edge for the movie role?

MULAN, the live-action version, has found its director. New Zealand native Niki Caro will direct the Disney production, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Niki Caro

Caro is not new to films with women lead characters. Her breakout film was Whale Rider, a highly praised film about a Maori family starring a young Keisha Castle-Hughes in the lead role.

Caro's most recent film, The Zookeeper's Wife, has been praised for its gender-inclusive production crew by its star, Jessica Chaistain.

Disney had initially sought an Asian director for the project, meeting with Ang Lee (who passed, citing scheduling) and Rogue One star Jiang Wen, a well-known director in his native China. 

To help ensure the movie's cultural authenticity, the studio is bringing on Hong Kong-based super-producer Bill Kong as executive producer. Kong produced the most successful Chinese films to cross over — Hero, House of Flying Daggers and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, for which he received an Oscar nomination — as well as many of China’s biggest hits, including Monster Hunt, Wolf Totem and Journey to the West.

Disney had to fight off rumors during the writing of the script when rumors started to circulate that the male lead would be changed by casting a white actor by assuring that the cast will be all Chinese, or at the very least, all-Asian.

Bad news for AAPI actors: According to THR, the studio is focusing its casting search in mainland China for the main roles, including the legendary woman warrior herself. 

Like most Hollywood studios, Disney hopes to cash in on the growing China market. The actress must be fluent in Mandarin and English. Casting decisions will probably be announced soon. Production will be in China and shoot from April through to October.

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