Back in Time or That Year, Time Flew (匆匆那年) is written by Jiu Ye Hui (九夜茴) and has recently been adapted into movie and web version. The story revolves around a group of friends who were close friends during high school but after graduation, their friendship changes. In the group, Chen Xun and Fang Hui are a couple and their break-up will cause the group to go on separate ways. More information of the novel can be found here.
They look weird here somehow… Badly edited poster that looks fine from far but not close-up?
The movie version stars famous actors and actresses such as Eddie Peng and the forever-pretty Ni Ni. Eddie Peng is the perfect version of Chen Xun (and I realised that in both versions, Chen Xun has distinctively thick eyebrows).
Check out the trailer for the movie version:
The Internet version is produced by Sohu and 5 episodes of the web version has been released so far. There will be 16 episodes in total and subsequent episodes will be released every Monday and Tuesday at Sohu Youtube. The first two episodes were released in a cinema, unprecedented by any Internet dramas. They have also acquired the latest technology and filmed it in 4k resolution. This technology has only been recently used by movies and have not been used by any television dramas yet. Spending over RMB 1,000,000 on each episode, this drama is guaranteed to produce exceptional results. The directing and cinematography is really beautiful and it almost feel like you are watching a movie (or even better) every episode.
“Fang Hui likes Chen Xun” Those were the days when the subtle word ‘like’ was used more often and was a simpler way to convey your affection towards the other. The word ‘love’ bear a stronger meaning then and wasn’t used interchangeably with ‘like’.
If we turn back the clock and become 16 and 17 again, will we still toast to our friendship?
If we were not young, will we still be stopped from falling in love?
We have gone through so much. Are we sad just because we are afraid of separation only?
Are we still acting rashfully because of loyalty?
The cast for the Internet version are less popular actors and actresses compared to the movie version but that does not cause them to pale in comparison. They have acting chops. In any case, somehow the main actor, Yang Le, gives off the same vibe as Eddie Peng to me. The second male lead, Bai Jing Ting, has portayed his role well as Qiao Ran, a devoted boy who supports and protects the female lead from any harm. He bears a resemblance to actor Kai Ko and is called Little Ke Zhendong (Oops… now I know why I find him handsome). Female lead He Hong Shan reminds me of Zhou Xun. Is this a look-a-like competition? Lol.
Look! I am the innocent third party.
Can our friendship beat time?
Check out the touching trailer for the Internet version:
There are some people that you can never forget.
There are some things that you can never get it out of your mind.
Some kind of love can never be witnessed again.
You can never bid farewell to your youth.
Often, the more realistic your memory is, the more cruel it is.
We once thought that when we grow up, we would be together forever.
Actually, growing up means that we will leave each other one day.
Actually, those days were never a history.
Here is the MV version with Wei Chen.
It’s… been a while. I am just starting to look back at C-ent and a lot has changed. wow, these look so promising. While Eddie Peng could be good or terrible in this role, Zhang Yibai is one of those directors I will always love and respect and I’m sure he’ll make the film version worth watching even if these first trailers/posters don’t seem like much. Just wait til more promo material comes out. It’ll be beautiful.
I like the look of the series but not quite the lead either. He looks too old for his even though apparently he’s only 28 from what looked up. The other male lead Bai Jingting looks perfect as a kind sweet guy who is always there for the female lead, and I can see Wei Chen in the other second male lead as well in the film version. Can you tag Wei Chen?
Yeah sure. Just checked on Zhang Yibai and he is the producer for But Always. I like the trailers for But Always so lets cross our fingers and hope it will turn out good too. But Fang Hui in my impression has an average height. Oh ya i just realised the trailer ver for the movie isnt a trailer. Its called “sha qing”… Which i dont know how to translate to in English lol
sha qing is finishing filming/what happens when the cast finishes shooting~
Zhang Yibai actually directed in Gao Yuanyuan in another film, Spring Subway from a long long time ago. She was so youthfully innocent in that. Time is an amazing thing.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLOj0vhUXoo&w=420&h=315%5D
He also directed Xu Jinglei (who was also in Spring Subway) with Li Yapeng in Eternal Moment, a sequel movie to his 1998 “idol drama”.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WF4Cr7y_Bs&w=560&h=315%5D
There’s also a few other films he’s done that have also been well received – Longest Night in Shanghai (with Zhao Wei), Lost Indulgence (with Jiang Wenli, Karen Mok) and Curiosity Killed the Cat (with Carina Lau, and Hu Jun).
He was one of those directors who tackled contemporary set movies very early on, at a time when the movies from China were indie and not contemporary. And still achieved notable recognition in the international circuit. His movies were well crafted, artsy and yet enjoyable to watch.
My favorite piece he did – 1/3 of About Love – with Li Xiaolu and Takashi Tsukamoto. Short, and wonderful.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRn6TdAGnrA&w=420&h=315%5D
Sorry for giving an entire comment about his filmography, I just love him so much. He got busted for drug use back in 2010 and I got so upset thinking he wouldn’t be making movies for a while, but he bounced back fairly quick.
Also, here’s a preview of Wei Chen’s song/MV for the movie with more scenes from the film. Glasses are so unnecessary but I love it.
AHHHH, CFENSI!!!!!!!
Except a bunch of companies recent signed an (illegal) agreement to never use drug users, so I’m not sure how he’ll fair. Even if the agreement is illegal, a lot of people are probably more hesitant to use people associated with drug use given how serious the drug crack-down is right now.
*waves* it’s been so long. Life is still kind of hectic but less so. I’ve checked the blog sporadically before but never had a chance to comment and was so out of the loop. It’s been less busy now though, and what prompted me to go back to c-ent was listening to some CDs that I had found in my car. I had made about 10 CDs worth of cpop songs and they just hold up so well over time. Cpop is just so timeless. It didn’t matter whether it was Fish Leong or Peng Tan or Li Yuchun or even Fahrenheit.Actually catching myself up to C-ent was easier than I thought it would be. But so many changes!
Re: drug thing, I really hope not. With the expansion of the film market in China, they need directors with stories to tell more than anything else.
I just saw the first episode of the web series, and as someone who’s read the book, the casting and vibe is just perfect. I was a bit disappointed that they went straight into the first timeline, because one of the things I liked about the book was that the story was told through flashbacks, like the English Patient, and there was also a story with interesting characters in the present timeline.
Not excited about the movie at all since the casting is so disappointing. One of the key aspects of the story, IMO, is the thick Beijing youth culture that grounds the setting. Unless Eddie Peng seriously work on his accent and his line delivery, I expect his performance to stick out like a sore thumb. (It was already bad enough in the Wedding Invitation, but thankfully, the high school parts were short). I can picture Ni Ni in the role, but her acting has been consistently so-so ever after The Flowers of War, and she was smiling too brightly in the promo poster to be consistent with the character of Fang Hui. At least she’s really pretty.
I think the vibe was perfect too. Which is something difficult to catch it right. The sidekicks were quite good too. I forgot his name… But its the man with slightly curled hair. Heh.
Eddie peng is one of my fave actors so i might be biased :p but i think he is a perfect cast in terms of looks but maybe not so much for his accent. I am trying to wait for all the episodes to come out before i watch them because i dont think i wanna wait when the sad part comes. Wanna watch it at one go and not prolong my pain.
I love 赵火华 too. I am really happy with the change in story for him and Lin Mojia in the drama, since the storyline for Mojia in the book really didn’t make sense.
Eddie Peng is one of my favorite TW actors too, so I was really looking forward to the Wedding Invitation. He was great in the adult scenes, but I thought it would have been better to set his character as a TW exchange student or something, because the high school scenes were just awkward.
I think it’s wonderful to have cross-strait collaborations, but the acting styles between the two areas are quite distinctive, so TW actors really work in certain contexts and not in others. IMO, these nostalgic works really depend on an authentically recreated historical and cultural context for them to work, and that’s why So Young only sort of worked for me since the main male character was from the South anyways, and I can tell Mark had worked on his accent and line delivery.
The stills for the internet series look better than the ones for the movie…
Always looking forward to Ni Ni! And wow, looks really pretty. Recently I’ve been hooked by movies like American Dreams in China/My Ol’ Classmate/(future) But Always…
Im looking forward to But Always too! Nichole tse looks amazingly handsome there *cough* i have never seen her act before so hopefully this will be a great start for me.