HONG KONG: Edward Yang, the Cannes-winning Taiwanese engineer-turned-director known for his realistic portrayals of modern Taiwan, has died from complications from colon cancer, film consultant Norman Wang announced Monday. He was 59.
Unlike most film directors George Ratliff is unpretentious, down-to-earth and a really nice guy, although you might not get that impression by the films he’s directed. He helmed the intense documentary Hell House in 2001 and his first feature film, a psychological thriller, Joshua opens in limited release today.
Fans of MTV2’s cult TV show Wondershowzen should recognize young actor Jacob Kogan as the kid who bounced around ground zero harassing unsuspecting tourists with water cameras, asking them to tell jokes, then sarcastically berating them for their mediocre efforts. But Jacob isn’t that sardonic in real life, in fact, he’s quite good-natured and obviously intelligent.
In Werner Herzog’s feature narrative adaptation of his documentary film, Little Dieter Needs to Fly, Rescue Dawn, Christian Bale stars as Dieter Dengler, a German born U.S. fighter pilot who is shot down while bombing the Ho Chi Minh Trail during the early stages of the Vietnam War. He survives a crash landing in the jungle, but is soon captured by enemy forces, and transported to a prisoner of war camp in Laos.