We originally wanted to see this film out of curiosity—what kind of Chinese comedy could possibly have landed an award at the first annual International Comedy Festival Berlin? But after seeing Crisis Management, we now want to recommend it as a cultural lesson. Crisis Management is an excellent portrayal ... Read More
The world can always use another superhero. Another superhero flick? That’s another story. Fortunately, no matter how many cinematic superhero adventures you’ve seen, you’re not going to want to miss The Avengers.
Based on the comic book series of the same name, the film pits the forces ... Read More
A senior high school girl, clad in her school uniform, walks back home with an upset look on her face. After taking a short break on her bed, she jumps up, sheds her high school gear and dons a bright yellow T-shirt, jeans and a black jacket. Freshly painted red ... Read More
James Cameron's in Beijing. He showed up at the opening ceremony of the Second Beijing International Film Festival, and he's slated to attend a co-production film forum, a 3D technique and film development forum and a Titanic 3D seminar. But before Cameron starting schmoozing with local celebs, he ... Read More
Even though the inaugural Beijing International Film Festival was a complete disaster, we're still getting a second round next week. Last year's farce didn't even release a screening schedule until a day or so before the event—and even worse, none of the movies were currently on ... Read More
The re-release of Titanic 14 years after it first came out has a lot of people feeling deeply nostalgic, and stories of where we were and who we were when we first saw it in 1998 have brought up memories long forgotten. While Americans remember queuing up to see the ... Read More
School uniforms, wooden desks, bike rides, a basketball field and rebellious classmates are the backdrop of the recent Taiwanese blockbuster You Are the Apple of My Eye. Unprotestingly, you feel yourself transported back to the sweet days of adolescence. In this romantic drama based on a semi-autobiographical novel (那些年,我们一起追的女孩 ... Read More
Even after the most heart-rending tragedy, life still moves on. In his documentary The Next Life, Fan Jian records the trials of middle-aged women undergoing government-sponsored in-vitro fertilization in the hopes of conceiving another baby after losing their only child in the devastating 2008 Sichuan earthquake.
The film begins with ... Read More
Star Wars and Avatar are both highly successful films that have inspired parody, spinoffs and sequels, but few people know that George Lucas and James Cameron drew inspiration for these films from Edgar Rice Burrough’s series of novels, A Princess of Mars and its leading man, John Carter. Produced ... Read More
In Weibo Watch, City Weekend takes a look at the most talked about topic circulating China's biggest microblogging site. This week everyone is wondering why Chinese films aren't making it through to the Oscars. What are Chinese netizens saying?
It's been over a week since the 84th ... Read More
Xu Haofeng’s first martial arts film showcases real kung fu, not flash and dazzle of superimposed scenes and stunts that defy the laws of physics.
Incredible stunts and dazzling action scenes have come to define Chinese kung fu movies. But in reality, the rollicking action audiences pay to see ... Read More
Documentaries aren’t the most visually stimulating cinematic fare, but they are the best way to get a view of a life that isn’t yours, a better grasp of fate, and a better sense for small truths that often slip under the radar. Yu Guangyi offers all of these ... Read More
Berlin is a lucky place for Chinese director Wang Quanan, who took home a Golden Bear Award for his drama Tuya’s Marriage in 2006 and a Silver Bear for the screenplay of the movie Apart Together in 2010. Just two days ago, his new movie White Deer Plain was ... Read More
If you’re going to venture out to one movie this winter, go see the latest Mission Impossible. Plenty of action series lose steam by the fourth installment, but Mission Impossible―Ghost Protocol actually makes for a spectacular cinematic experience that happens to be the franchise’s best so far ... Read More
China’s first sex shop comedy, Red Light Revolution,
recently participated in a slew of film fest globally and nabbed several awards. Now the controversial and hilarious film is available to all of China, albeit sans English subtitling. Consider it good Chinese practice.
It premiered on Tudou last week and ... Read More
From the title, you can guess Wu Na’s Song and Moon is about romance. If your knowledge of putonghua and Chinese minorities is up to speed, you’ll also pick up on the film’s Chinese title, Xing Ge Zuo Yue (行歌坐月), which refers to a set of ancient ... Read More
North Korea may be bewailing the loss of Dear Leader now, but next year Koryo Tours says they'll be back taking tourists into one of the most mysterious countries on the planet. Just in case you can't take their tours (or you're South Korean), check out Koryo ... Read More
This is Zhang Yimou's big production. This is China's big Oscar hope. And with Christian Bale as John Miller, it's the biggest Hollywood star ever to play a China expat (though we haven't seen the Kevin Spacey vehicle Inseparable yet).
Critics are mixed about this film ... Read More
Christian Bale was turned away from visiting blind activist Chen Guangcheng ... with fists.
Bale invited a CNN team on his visit to Chen's house to raise awareness about the lawyer who gained fame (and notoriety with the government) for his advocacy on behalf of victims of China's family-planning ... Read More
Robert Ong curates submissions for local indie film group Electric Shadows. Currently, he has 250 films to sift through, with everything from a Pashtun music video to a passionate (maybe) Bulgarian romance. Interested in helping out? Join in by subscribing to the Electric Shadows email list at electricshadows.bj@gmail ... Read More
First-time director Lu Sheng set out to make a film about love, but what he ended up with was a story about the keen sense of ennui and melancholy that accompanies loss.
Here, There tells three interconnected stories crossing three generations. A man who raises reindeer in the mountains of ... Read More
Spring Festival comes early this year, so the local film industry is racing to get their movies out to meet the crowds. We've picked out the hottest movies that will grace the big screen this winter.
Zhang Yimou’s The Flowers of War (金陵十三钗) is the most highly anticipated ... Read More
In advance of the UCCA film showcase, we interviewed Apichatpong Weerasethakul on the Thai film industry, what Thai films he recommends and the dream-like quality to his body of work.
Apichatpong Weerasethakul is Thailand’s most internationally recognized filmmaker. He has produced a considerable number of shorts, videos and installation ... Read More
ChinaGeeks blogger Charles Custer has been busy filming a documentary about the awful practice of child trafficking, which came to public notice after a series of high-profile rescues on Weibo earlier this year. Though media attention has waned, the fact is that child kidnapping is still a serious problem here ... Read More
Though many will know him best from his controversial Palme d’Or winning “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives,” Thai film director Apichatpong Weerasethakul has long been on the radar of the international film scene. A showcase of the groundbreaking auteur's films is happening at the UCCA ... Read More
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Middle 8th: The New Sanlitun Village Location Has Creative Zest
By JPDM
I tried the new Middle 8 location last night. We tried to make a reservation... >>