Hong Kong New Wave director Ann Hui returns to her Tin Shui Wai (an area on the outskirts of Hong Kong) roots with Night and Fog (天水围的夜与雾). The sequel to her award-winning film The Way We Are, Night and Fog breaks from the warm fuzzies of its predecessor to dig ... Read more »

Chamber music is one of the most challenging genres for a classical musician. It has intricate tones and compact form, and striking the right balance between technical proficiency and emotional depth is like walking a musical tightrope. But when these elements fuse together, the music soars. Fortunately for Beijing, the ... Read more »

Serious Man

Watching a new Coen Brothers movie is often the closest adult movie fans get to early-childhoodChristmas-morning glee. Give yourself a treat and pick up this Oscar-nominated modern day tale of the biblical Job. You won’t be sorry.

Where The Wild Things Are

This highly-anticipated Spike Jonze/Dave ... Read more »

Tuck in for a superb sonic feast from Germany’s premier countertenor Andreas Scholl. The award-winning vocalist ranks among the world’s best, and regularly performs with such classical music heavy hitters as The Metropolitan Opera and Lausanne Opera. For his China debut, Scholl performs a selection of melodies from ... Read more »

After one week of test screening during the Chinese New Year, China’s biggest movie theater has closed its doors to prepare for a grand opening this April. Brainchild of martial arts megastar Jackie Chan, Yaolai International Cinema in Le Mall, in the west of city, boasts 17 screening rooms ... Read more »

While big budget blockbusters like Avatar and Confucius dominate China’s box office, the country’s indie film scene is quietly growing. No less ambitious than their big-money counterparts, these films shed light on neglected and underreported issues. Few ever see the light of day, however, and fans of independent ... Read more »

Film takes on Sherlock Holmes’ exploits are usually anything but modern. Often given to lengthy ponderings by the film’s deerstalker-sporting central character, they are very much G-rated material. Most neatly excise the badass elements, like the martial arts and boxing, that made Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Holmes such ... Read more »

If Chinese civilization is a testament to anything, it’s time. With over 5,000 years under its belt, taking an hour and a half to explore the minutiae of the inner lives of a modern day working class Beijing family would seem no more than a very small grain ... Read more »

Legendary fight choreographer Yuen Woo-ping returns to directing for the first time in over a decade in this big budget fight film. Released over Spring Festival and sporting the first kung fu fight scenes ever filmed in 3D, this was clearly supposed to be the Chinese answer to Avatar. Don ... Read more »

You’re probably already suffering from Confucius burn-out and you probably haven’t even seen the film. Well, isn’t that just Confucius for you? No one reads the Analects, but his tired old bones get dragged up all the time. Anyway, over at China Beat, there’s an interesting ... Read more »

News broke today via dGenerate Films that the Apple Store in The Village will be hosting some pretty interesting very underground Chinese filmmakers this February. If you’re interested in Chinese films, it’s a must.

First up on Feb 17 is Peng Tao (彭涛). I’ve never seen either ... Read more »

You may have gotten a taste of Spring Festival travel woes for the average Zhou in Wang Jing’s heartwarming drama Yi Nian Dao Tou (一年到头). But in Fan Lixin’s Last Train Home(归途列车), the lens zooms in on China’s migrant workers, exploring the underside of China’s ... Read more »

Oscar nominees were announced on Tuesday. The only China-related entry is a short HBO documentary on the aftermath of the Sichuan earthquake called China’s Unnatural Disaster: Tears of Sichuan. Multi-award winning filmmaker Jon Alpert, who’s basically shot footage in every disaster/war zone in the world, headed the ... Read more »

Ballet brings to mind the best of the classical. Tutus, pointe shoes, gravity-defying leaps and graceful swoops accompanied by a symphony in the pit are traditional hallmarks of the genre. But the Hamburg Ballet is known for its delicately modern take on the traditional dance form. Led by director and ... Read more »

Zombieland

Woody Harrelson teams up with Jesse Eisenberg to kill zombies which have taken over the world. When critics praise a film in a done-to-death genre, you know it’s worth watching.

Jennifer’s Body

Smarmy scriptess Diablo Cody reappears to pen this zombie/vampire flick that is more Heathers ... Read more »

Hu Mei’s much anticipated film Confucius is a total disappointment. It was panned by state critics and they were pretty much right.

I wanted to see this film to know how China’s most revered thinker is being promoted officially these days. The short answer is: badly. He needs ... Read more »

Fans of the British improv comedy Whose Line Is It Anyway? are in for a treat as the Village gets ready to host a night of live comedy performances by some of the show’s stars. Stephen Frost, Steve Steen, Andy Smart and Ian Coppinger compete for the glory of ... Read more »

Forget Avatar and the scrum for tickets, Confucius opens tomorrow and we’re guessing you’ll have no problem getting tickets to this one. Why? It was killed by critics , even the Party-line ones. Whatever, we’re still going to check out this big budget attempt to dramatize the life ... Read more »

After burning through a staggering ¥150 million budget, the Chinese blockbuster Confucius hits theaters on January 22. Chow Yun-Fat lost 10kg and donnedplatform shoes to play China’s greatest philosopher, while fellow A-lister Zhou Xun co-stars as Nan Zi, the stunning and flirtatious beauty of the Wei Kingdom. Set in ... Read more »

The September Issue

Peek behind the pages of glamor manual American Vogue and at its queen, editor Anna Wintour, as they prepare for the year’s biggest issue. Though the documentary passes up any in-depth study of Wintour, it provides an entertaining glimpse of what it means to work in ... Read more »

It’s not unusual to see talented Chinese classical musicians on the international circuit teaming up with other top names in the business. Pianist Lang Lang and cellist Yo-Yo Ma have all but become household names and performed with some of the world’s best orchestras, conductors and musicians. But ... Read more »

The Valencia Dance Troupe has a reputation for searching out young, talented flamenco dancers and training them into some of the world’s best. This dedication to nurturing new talent has infused a sense of fresh insight into one of Spain’s oldest traditions. For its China debut, Valencia combines ... Read more »

Cow marks sixth-generation director Guan Hu’s return to the silver screen after five years of TV. And it couldn’t have turned out better. The film was nominated at the Venice Film Festival and won two awards at the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival in November (Best Leading Actor ... Read more »