JimmyTsai Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Check Out Two New 'Ping Pong Playa' Clips!
Filed under: Comedy », Sports », Trailers and Clips »
Just in case you have a heart of stone and weren't taken in by the awesome Ping Pong Playa poster that Erik posted earlier this month (which is to the right), two new clips have hit the web. To refresh your memories -- this is the story of a basketball-loving Asian American who has done everything he can to remove himself from his family's ping pong ways -- until an accident and some jerky ping pongers make him reevaluate things.First up, over at Coming Soon, C-Dub (Jimmy Tsai) gets introduced to his mom's ping pong class after she gets in a car accident and can't teach. C-Dub is completely not into the thought of spending his time with these tykes, and is none too impressed when he is mistaken for his ping pong champion brother.
Meanwhile, over at MovieWeb, we get to see C-Dub get called out on his questionable behavior. See, to make this whole ping pong class more interesting, he's added betting to the mix, and the one tykes older, cute sister isn't impressed. Unfortunately, poor Free Willy gets blamed.
Ping Pong Playa hits theaters on September 5. In the meantime, check out last year's TIFF interview where Jimmy talks about his ping pong experience, and the review here.
EXCLUSIVE: 'Ping Pong Playa' Poster Premiere!
Filed under: Comedy », Independent », IFC », Fandom », Family Films », Movie Marketing », Posters »
Cinematical has just received this exclusive poster for the film Ping Pong Playa (click image above to enlarge), directed by Jessica Yu (Protagonist). Starring Jimmy Tsai (who also co-wrote the script with Yu), Ping Pong Playa follows one kid who dreams about escaping his dead-end job and playing professional basketball in the NBA ... except his entire family is obsessed with the world of ping pong. His dad runs a ping pong-related store, his mom teaches the sport and his brother is a ping pong champion. Will our hero break away from the pong pressure and live out his b-ballin' dreams, or will he discover that the game he dissed was the game he missed?
In her positive review from last year's Toronto International Film Festival, Cinematical's Monika Bartyzel called Ping Pong Playa "a refreshing reversal from the usual comedic fare -- a lone Asian American beacon of laughs in a sea that usually has only spots of color." Check out the trailer after the jump. Ping Pong Playa arrives in theaters on September 5.
'Ping Pong Playa' Will Fly to Screens This Fall!
Filed under: Comedy », Independent », Sports », Deals », Distribution », Cinematical Indie »
It seemed too strange to be true. Only a handful of months after I watched Jessica Yu's excellent Protagonist, a Euripides-based story about four very different men and their manifestations of obsession, another one of her films was hitting Toronto. But it was nothing like the previous piece -- it was a fictional, comedic narrative about ping pong playing. Talk about drastic twists in themes! Ping Pong Playa' was an entirely new arena for the Oscar winner.Now The Hollywood Reporter posts that the film is finally hitting big screens outside of the festival circuit. IFC Films has picked up the US rights to the comedy, and it will head into a limited release on September 5. While you might have run the other way from Balls of Fury, Playa' is definitely worth another glance.
The film is a cute look at a basketball-obsessed slacker named C-Dub (Jimmy Tsai) who ignores his family's ping pong inclinations -- his mom runs a ping pong store and his brother is a champion. However, when both of them are injured in a car crash, he has to not only take over his mother's classes, but also put two jerky pongers in their place. It's a story we've seen before, but it's also fresh, sweet, and refreshingly smart and diverse. (Check out a review, some interviews, and the trailer.)
TIFF Interview: Ping Pong Playa' Writer/Star Jimmy Tsai
Filed under: Comedy », Sports », Family Films », Interviews », Cinematical Indie »
One of the most surprising performances that came out of the Toronto International Film Festival was Jimmy Tsai's C-Dub in Jessica Yu's Ping Pong Playa'. It was not a stunning or eye-opening look into a dramatic character, but rather a simple account of a guy who loves basketball, but begrudgingly enters the world of ping pong to help out his parents. Tsai is completely at ease on-screen, and seems more like an old, comedic pro than a fresh face who's used to crunching numbers rather than starring in a feature film. Cinematical was lucky enough to have a quick chat with the actor during TIFF about the project, his background, and what's coming down the pike.
Cinematical: How are you enjoying the fest so far?
Jimmy Tsai: It's good, it's good. I mean, I've only got the chance to watch one other film --Juno, the Jason Reitman film. It's really good. Just that one because everything leading up to our screening is just, you know, taking care of little details. But otherwise, it's really cool. I enjoy the vibe here. I heard about people who would literally take off a week, and just come here and watch movies. I was like oh, wow that's pretty cool, people actually do this? And then, when I was waiting in the ticket line, you know, for Juno, the guy sitting next to me was one of those guys. He was watching 3-4 movies every single day for the entire festival. That's like 34 movies in a row ... That's pretty amazing. It's very cool. Cool vibe.
TIFF Review: Ping Pong Playa'
Filed under: Comedy », Theatrical Reviews », Festival Reports », Toronto International Film Festival », Cinematical Indie »
Yes, as the title suggests, Jessica Yu's latest film is about ping pong. No, it is not a documentary. Ping Pong Playa' marks the director's first foray into fiction, and as she says: "Consistency be damned." This isn't about disabilities, art, or violence. It's a simple comedy about growing up and getting serious. It's also a refreshing reversal from the usual comedic fare -- a lone Asian American beacon of laughs in a sea that usually has only spots of color.
Ping Pong Playa' is the story of Christopher "C-dub" Wang (like song, not sang). He's a plain ol' suburban American guy -- he loves eating cereal, playing video games, hanging out with his best friend, and playing basketball. The game is his big passion, and he swears that he would be in the NBA if not for his Chinese genes. Meanwhile, his family is absorbed in ping pong. His dad runs the family's ping pong store, his mom teaches it at the local Chinese Community Center, and his brother is a champion (and a doctor to boot).
Peter Jackson Says Spielberg's 'Tintin' is Done Filming, but...
Interracial Harmony: 'Ninja Assassin' vs. 'Blind Side'
Spin-ematical: New on DVD for 11/24_thumbnail.jpg)
Exclusive 'Nine' Poster Premiere!
Exclusive: Title Track for 'The Road' Soundtrack
_thumbnail.jpg)
