Films in 2000 (Part 1)
Click HERE for Part 2 and HERE for Part 3

PLAY IT TO THE BONE
(2000)
Directed by Ron Shelton.
Cast: Woody Harrelson, Antonio Banderas, Lolita Davidovich, Tom Sizemore, Lucy Alexis Liu, Robert Wagner

Writer/director Ron Shelton has Woody Harrelson and Antonio Banderas star as best friends and professional boxing rivals Vince Boudreau and Caesar Dominguez, both of whom haven't worked in years.

Finally, from out of the blue, they get the chance of a lifetime: an assignment to work together in Vegas. The job promises big money, but there's a hitch: They have to be there NOW. They hit the road with Grace Pasic (Lolita Davidovich) and things get interesting. Things get more complicated when they pick up a sultry hitchhiker Lia (Lucy Liu) as they race for their time in the spotlight.

Check out these movie clips to witness some of the actions!

SUPERNOVA
(2000)
Directed by Walter Hill
Producer: Lawrence Mark
Cast: James Spader, Angela Bassett, Vincent D'Onofrio, Robert Forster, Lou Diamond Phillips, Wilson Cruz, Peter Facinelli, Robin Tunney.

Lou Diamond Phillips is part of the cast in Supernova, which is a sci-fi thriller that chronicles the high-stakes adventures of a deep space hospital ship and its six member crew. When their vessel, the Nightingale 229, answers an emergency distress signal from a distant galaxy, the crew soon finds itself in danger from the mysterious young man they rescue, the alien artifact he smuggled aboard and the gravitational pull of a giant star about to go supernova -- the most massive explosion in the universe.

Get up close by viewing the television spots, checking out "behind the scene" pictures or just checking out the film's photo stills to get an overall impression.

FINAL DESTINATION
(2000)
Directed by James Wong
Story by Jeffrey Reddick
Written by James Wong, Glen Morgan & Jeffrey Reddick
Cast: Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith, Kristen Cloke, Daniel Roebuck, Amanda Detmer, Seann William Scott, Chad E. Donella, and Roger Guenveur Smith.

James Wong, as one of the great Emmy Award-winning writers who created some of the most memorable and spine-chilling episodes of "The X Files" - view their latest efforts - " Final Destination." Hopefully, his entry into the feature film directing scene will serve as another positive sign for the Asian Pacific American entertainment community of our talents in the directing/writing area - along with Wayne Wang, Ang Lee, etc.

THE FILM'S STORYLINE: Just before a plane loaded with high school students is about to take off, one of the students experiences a terrifying premonition that the plane is going to explode, killing all on board. His efforts to warn the other passengers only result in he and a group of friends being ejected from the aircraft. But when his prediction turns tragically accurate, the survivors find themselves hunted by a presence that may or not be death itself, coming to collect its due.

SEX: THE ANNABEL CHONG STORY  
(2000)
Directed by Gough Lewis
Distributed by Pretty Pictures
Cast: Annabel Chong and a cast of men

Most people didn't know quite what to expect from this film on the Asian porn store - Annabel Chong. This this movie, which documents the life of one weird nymphette, was less enjoyable than I could have imagined. Ms. Chong (not her real name) had a very decent middle class upbringing. The question everyone asks was why she turned out the way she did. It appears that we have a person with absolutely no self-esteem, who appears to be totally strung-out on whatever, and who claims to be doing 251 guys in ten hours in the name of liberation. Something she's proud of. Yeah, sure. In many of the interviews listed below, she shares the many reasons why the film was not representative of her views, but of the director (Gough Lewis) - whom she was intimately involved with during the filming, but broke up during productions.

Despite her attempts to break stereotypes, this film seems to confirm existing assumptions of Asian females, porn stars, sexual addiction, the follies of "free sex" and the pitfalls of somebody who don't have it all together - yet, hopefully!

Check out these reviews - E-File's review, Austin Chronicle's report and CNN's interview with Annabel to get a better handle on the film.