November 26th, 2011
The Golden Rock 2011 Golden Horse Awards Live blog
We like to cover two major film awards here at The Golden Rock - The Hong Kong Film Awards and the Golden Horse Awards. Now, it’s that other time of the year, so we’re doing what we love to do: Live blog!
Since we got that pesky iPhone thing this year, in addition to the continuous snarky, sarcastic comments running throughout the night, we will be uploading pictures on Twitter @TheGoldenRock and the LoveHKFilm Facebook group. Beware, they will just be pictures taken of my TV.
I’ve tried to run some sort of interactions in the past year via live chat and the comment section. This year, we’ll do the interaction stuff via Facebook and the twitter. Or you can just follow by reloading this entry page every couple of minutes
11:11pm: And that’s 4 awards for SEEDIQ BALE: Best Sound Effects, Best New Performer, Best Original Score, and Best Picture. A SIMPLE LIFE picks up three. Wuershan still gets the most baffling win of the night. And no award for me. At least I get sleep now.
11:09pm: Of course, the speech is all about making more and more money for this movie. This is the film award equivalent of a gold star for effort
11:06pm: And the winner of Best Picture is…………SEEDIQ BALE, the “sorry you didn’t win anything else major” award of the night!
11:04pm: True story: I peed next to Hou Hsiao-Hsien once. Not many people can say THAT
11:03pm: Carina Lau, Chen Kuofu, and Hou Hsiao-Hsien present Best Picture. Carina first congratulate the SIMPLE LIFE trifecta. “It’s been so long since a Hong Kong film is this successful!”
11:01pm: I wonder what’s been going through Wei Te-Sheng’s head as SEEDIQ BALE loses one award after another. It’s time to accept that it’s a fine, but still flawed, film
10:56pm: “Right now, Hong Kong cinema is at an all-tme low, so I hope we can find out way out [like Taiwanese films have]”
10:53pm: And the winner for Best Actor is……………oh, someone did get this man an award. ANDY LAU FOR SIMPLE LIFE
10:51pm: Of course, the two just put in a plug for Doze Niu’s LOVE, too. Classssssyyyyy
10:50pm: “Hi, I’m Shu Qi, the one who just lost an award”
10:49pm: Last year’s Ethan Ruan and Shu Qi now coming to present Best Actor.
10:43pm: “I got a stroke in the film, and now i got an award, too!”—Deanie Ip
10:41pm: And the Best Actress Award goes to………..DEANIE IP FOR A SIMPLE LIFE.
10:39pm: Eric Tsang asks Andy Lau whether he knows how to have a child. Lau growled back angrily. I laughed
10:38pm: of course, the fact that Andy Lau is presenting the Best Actress award kind of tells you who will be winning…..
10:36pm: Andy Lau gets the biggest applause of the night. Someone give the man an award!
10:35pm: Award prediction: I hope Shu Qi doesn’t win for BEAUTIFUL LIFE. Sorry, this type of hysterical award-bait performance gives award-bait performance a bad name
10:30pm: Andy Lau to present the Best Actress award. If you’re reading this and don’t know who Andy Lau is, what the hell are you doing here?
10:26pm: Considering we jsut heard Sandy Lam belt out movie songs, do we really need another of Jam Hsiao doing it? He’s not as good anyway.
10:24pm: Thanks go Jam Hsiao, I had a chance to check. This is Ann Hui’s second Best Director award at the Golden Horse. Her first was for ORDINARY HEROES. Can Distribution Workshop move up the release date for SIMPLE LIFE already? This is getting annoying
10:21pm: And now, Jam Hsiao performs. Er, what for? Get on with it so we can all go home!
10:18pm: SEEDIQ BALE won the Audience Award of the Golden Horse Film Festival. Does it count as a disappointment for the film if it doesn’t walk away with Best Picture tonight?
10:17pm: Ann Hui credits Andy Lau with getting the money needed for A SIMPLE LIFE.
10:16pm: “I feel like I’m about to get a stroke!”—-Ann Hui. Wang Yu doesn’t think it’s funny.
10:15pm: And the Best Director winner is……………..ANN HUI for A SIMPLE LIFE!!!!!
10:14pm: Time for Best Director. Will it be Wei Te-Sheng? Jiang Wen? Ann Hui? Oh, there’s that young guy, too.
10:11pm: And starting off the fourth freaking hour of this show: 20-30-40 stars Rene Liu, Sylvia Chang, and Angelica Lee present Best Director
10:06pm: Getting into the big major awards after this commercial break
10:03pm: Now time for Best Original Song. And the winner is…………JUMP! ASHIN. I guess the jury got sick of the YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE song, too.
10:00pm: The winner for Best Original Film Score: Ricky Ho for SEEDIQ BALE. Third award of the night
9:59pm: Sandy Lam sticks around to present the music awards. First, Best Original Film Score.
9:57pm: I don’t care who sings the original versions of these songs. I think Sandy Lam just blew them all out of the water.
9:53pm: Taiwan Yahoo gives Michelle Chen’s dress the worst-dressed Award. Can’t say I disagree from that picture.
9:49pm: Now, Sandy Lam performs a medley of movie songs.
9:43pm: Wong essentially won for his work on SEEDIQ BALE, which looks like a truly grueling shoot
9:40pm: The winner for Outstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year is…….legendary production manager Wong Wei-Liu. Apparently, all the jury members cried when they decided on the award
9:38pm: Presenters devote a minute or two to each nominee
9:34pm: Yang Gui-Mei and someone I don’t know present Outstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year award
9:32pm: Qin Hailu: “Please keep asking me to act! I still act!”
9:30pm: Qin is also in two of the other two nominees. The winner is……..RETURN TICKET! Qin Hailu jumps for joy onstage
9:29pm: And now, Best Original Screenplay. Qin Hailu is actually one of the nominees for RETURN TICKET
9:27pm: By the way, Jiang Wen isn’t here tonight.
9:26pm: As Fruit Chan reads all the names out, he had to add in, “Wow! Six writers!”
9:24pm: First up, it’s Best Adapted Screenplay. The winner is……….LET THE BULLETS FLY, by Jiang Wen and co.
9:23pm: Fruit Chan and Qin Hailu present Best Screenplay. She exposes the Fruit Chan won Best Screenplay at the Golden Horse for a film without a script
9:22pm: If there’s a long gap between updates, it’s because of commercial breaks, not because I’m lazy. Well, I am lazy, but that’s not the reason.
9:15pm: Tang and Peng are presenting the Best New Actor category. The winner is…Ko Chen-Tung for YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE. Finally, an award win that everyone expected.
9:13pm: Gidden writes on Weibo that Andy Lau gave him a pat on the shoulder for encouragement in the toilet after he lost the Best New Director award. He was excited.
9:11pm: Tang Wei and Eddie Peng on stage to present. “Next year, I’ll work hard to compete with you in the Best Actor category!”
9:06pm: JUMP ASHIN director Lin Yu-Xian introduces performance of song from JUMP! ASHIN. Wait, the movie had a song?
9:05pm: Two hours down, two hours to go!
9:00pm: Oh, they’re doing a third award: Best Cinematography. Winner is…….LET THE BULLETS FLY
8:59pm: Now time for Best Visual Effects. The winner is……..WU XIA. Now WU XIA also has as many awards as SEEDIQ BALE.
8:58pm: Kara Hui accepts the award on Donnie’s behalf. Even better, I say.
8:57pm: Best Actio Design goes to DONNNNNIEEEEEE Yen for WU XIA
8:52pm: Have I been here for two hours already? That was fast. Anyway, time for Huang Bo for Best Action design now.
8:48pm: HUANG BO will be one of the two presenters for Best Action Design. Hahahaha
8:43pm: Wait, she’s singing the Leslie Cheung song in CANTONESE.
8:42pm: A-lin sings the In Memoriam sequence song
8:38pm: Ting has made 70+ films and written countless episodes of television. A true legend. No pun intended. His wife says the industry can remake his films for modern audiences. Yo, fo real? Oh, she also says Hollywood made 300, but he made 800 WARRIORS 30 years before that.
8:37pm: Ting’s wife accepts the award on behalf since he’s, um, passed away already.
8:35pm: To recap, THE BUTCHER, THE CHEF, AND THE SWORDSMAN now has as many awards as SEEDIQ BALE
8:33pm: Wang Yu doing a stand-up routine on stage. He’s presenting the Lifetime Achievement award for Ting Shan-Si
8:30pm: Jimmy Wang Yu, looking like a priest, on stage now. “I couldn’t get an award, but I got a stroke instead.”
8:29pm: Eric Tsang and Bowie Tsang immediately tease Giddens, then console him a bit. Ouch!
8:27pm: The winner is………..Wuershan for BUTCHER, CHEF, SWORDSMAN. What, FO REALS!
8:26pm: They’re presenting Best New Director. Giddens, come get your award
8:24pm: Li Lie(?) and Doze Niu now the presenters. Of course, Doze puts in a plug for his new film. “I’ve been making LOVE”.
8:17pm: Time for Best Supporting Actress. The winner is…….Tang Qun for RETURN TICKET
8:15pm: Simon Yam keeps holding Michelle Chen’s hand. HEY, HANDS OFF!
8:12pm: The two first present Best Documentary. The winner is…….HOMETOWN BOY
8:09pm: Michelle Chen says she would like to work with Andy Lau. Simon Yam tells Andy Lau to stick to investing in the movies…for Yam and her together.
8:07pm: Simon Yam and THE GODDESS herself Michelle Chen now on stage
8:05pm: Even the original performer of the theme song can’t sing it in its original key. That makes sense.
8:03pm: Real-life version of characters from YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE introduce the performance of the theme song.
7:59pm: SEEDIQ BALE award is actually for three people. Thank god, now we know Tu Du-Chih isn’t the only sound person in Taiwan.
7:57pm: And the winner of Best Sound Effects is……..SEEDIQ BALE. First technical award of the night for the most expensive Taiwanese film ever. Also second award for the film tonight
7:56pm: Now for Best Sound Effects. If SEEDIQ doesn’t win this one, that’s saying, er, something
7:54pm: I hate to be mean, but the editor of THE MAN BEHIND THE BOOK can learn a lesson from the Art director of BUTCHER, CHEF, SWORDSMAN, as in cut it short
7:52pm: They’re presenting Best Editing. And the winner is…..THE MAN BEHIND THE BOOK. HK films lost!
7:50pm: Chen has to translate his own remarks to Japanese. Then he has to translates Miyazaki’s back to Mandarin
7:48pm: Japanese actress Aoi Miyazaki present the next award. Wait, what the hell is Chen Bo-lin doing on stage next to her?
7:47pm: Jay Chou, one of the two performers of the song, isn’t here tnight. Hence, the picture isn’t worth taking. Sorry.
7:45pm: Time for second song performance after second commercial: A BA, from, er, ABBA
7:42pm: That’s two technical awards SEEDIQ BALE lost
7:41pm: Best Art Direction goes to….WU XIA. Wow, surprised. So surprised that even the co-winner is surprised
7:40pm: The two remain to present Best Art Direction. Will BUTCHER pick up this one too?
7:39pm: Sorry, it’s best Make-up and Costume Design. Anyway, the winner is…..THE BUTCHER, THE CHEF, and THE SWORDSMAN
7:37pm: OK, looks like they’re presenting Best Costume Design. Who wants to guess SEEDIQ BALE is picking this one up?
7:36pm: Vic Zhou and S.H.E’s Ella present….er, I’ll let you know after the witty bantering
7::35pm: I wonder if people in Taiwan can understand what the hell Eric Tsang is saying in Mandarin
7:32pm: Remember to check out my Twitter for pictures from the awards throughout the night.
7:29pm: Back from commercial. First performance of nominated song, introduced by SEEDIQ BALE historical consultant in Seediq
7:27pm: Haha, Star Movies ad for HEAR ME says it stars Michelle Chen (of YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE). Sorry, she’s just a supporting character
7:26pm: Time for first commercial. Vic Zhou coming up next.
7:24pm: And the winner is: THIEF from Taiwan. Of course, starts off with “We’re so happy Taiwanese cinema is having such a big year!”
7:22pm: Presenters remain for Best Short Film. There’s a Hong Kong nominee, by the way.
7:19pm: And Best Supporting Actor goes to: Bokeh Kosang for first award for SEEDIQ BALE. He is also nominated for Best New Actor
7:18pm: By the way, look at the LoveHKFilm home page for a link to the nominees
7:16pm: WUXIA Best Supporting Actor nominee Wang Yu gets his bit of time in the spotllight during introduction. This is the ass-kissing section, I see
7:15pm: I’m not sure who everybody is, so I apologize in advance. Anyway, first award being presented now: Best Supporting Actor
7:13pm: “We have the most numbers of Best Actor/Best Actress winners this year!” - yes, Eric Tsang is one of them
7:11pm: Bowie Tsang takes off her Seediq getup to reveal YOU ARE THE APPLE OF MY EYE school unifrom. Eric Tsang takes off his to become Ashin of JUMP ASHIN. I’m sure they’re happy there are so many successful Taiwanese films to make fun of this year.
7:09: Hosts Eric Tsang and Bowie Tsang (his daughter) show up singing a song in Seediq.
7:07pm: And we’re officially underway!
7:05pm: OK, Star Movies just decided to go to commercial. Keep standing by.
7:03pm: Sitting in front of my TV, ready to go. The live feed hasn’t begun yet, though. By the way, the entries will go from bottom to up for easier reading for those following live.