Director Feng Xiaogang reunites with his Youth stars Huang Xuan and Yang Caiyu in upcoming romantic film Only Cloud Knows 只有芸知道. Huang Xuan plays a widower who takes a trip down memory lane and accidentally uncovers a secret relating to his wife’s past.
Based on a true story, the film is slated for a Dec. 20 premiere. [Teaser]
Jia Zhangke (Touch of Sin, Mountains May Depart) often creates contemplative stories that reflect issues in society, and I’m expecting his new romantic thriller Ash is Purest White 江湖儿女 to do the same.
Directed by Feng Xiaogang (I Am Not Madame Bovary), Youth follows the story of Liu Feng, played by Huang Xuan (Extraordinary Mission), as he goes from popular dancer in the art troupe to a soldier on the real battlefield.
Huang Xuan (Extraordinary Mission) returns to his dancing roots in Feng Xiaogang’s new film Youth, a coming-of-age story that focuses on the friendship between young dancers during the Cultural Revolution.
Huang Xuan (The Interpreter) is on a roll! He was part of Zhang Yimou’s action-adventure film The Great Wall, recently wrapped up filming for Chen Kaige’s Legend of the Demon Cat and now he’s headlining Feng Xiaogang’s In Youth 芳华. Huang Xuan definitely deserves his success, and I’m glad directors and producers are starting to recognise his talent.
The “circular film format” was a hit with viewers at the Toronto International Film Festival, though it remains to be seen whether the domestic audience will feel the same.
The upcoming feature film I am Not Madame Bovary 我不是潘金莲 is based on the novel of the same name by Liu Zhenyun, and stars Fan Bingbing as Li Xuelian, a countryside woman who spends twenty years in court defending her reputation.
Do you remember Yang Liping’s gorgeous Peacock dance from last year?
Chinese New Year’s is on January 31, so the annual CCTV Spring Gala will broadcast the eve before. The official 2014 Spring Gala Weibo (everything’s released on Weibo now) recently released an official list of the upcoming programs for the Feng Xiaogang-directed show. You may recognize Yao Beina, Amber Kuo, Jackie Chan, Lang Lang, Yif, Yang Kun, Liu Huan, and Sun Nan among them. Jane Zhang, formerly one of Hunan TV’s Supergirls, also promises to make an appearance. Also coming from Super Boys will be Wang Zhengliang and Hua Tianyu. Personally, I’m looking forward to the “Butterfly Dream” acrobatics, and the song by Mongolian ethnic singer Wulan Tuya.
Welcome to the Year of the Horse! Look below the cut for a list of the upcoming programs. Continue reading
Huayi producers and directors Huayi is working with for Fashion Weekly. How many can you recognize?
Chen Kun has been singled out in praise for his acting in the film Jian Guo Da Ye, commemorating the PRC’s 60th anniversary (today in China time), not an easy feat when the entire film consists of stars. He was chosen to act in the film as Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek’s son, Chiang Ching-kuo, future president of Taiwan, because he had a youthful air about him, as well a brooding pensive quality. He ended up playing it so well, that he was given more screentime while others were cut.
Here he sings red song Yin Shan Hong at the premiere ceremony a few weeks ago. He’s no Huang Ying, but I think he did a good job anyway.
I normally hate to talk politics in general, but since I am posting about this movie, I’d like to clear up a few things about the political aspect.
Most people have a knee-jerk reaction to this movie, because it’s “propaganda”. Perhaps, but not like you think. Due to closer cross-straight relations, and a celebratory nature of the movie in general, this will probably show the Nationalist side of the civil war as very sympathetic, which will in turn cause many Chinese youth to wonder what exactly the communists were fighting for in 1949 . And as much as the Mao-led government sucked afterward, the status quo before the civil war gave every reason for revolution. Frankly, this movie will definitely be much more balanced and less one-sided than The Patriot was to the British. Continue reading
IMAX Corporation CEO Richard L. Gelfond in Shanghai for "Tangshan Earthquake/Hua Yi" Press Conference
IMAX and Hua Yi had a press conference the other day stating that the two companies were going to be co-producing three Chinese IMAX films. The first fo these would be Feng Xiaogang’s Tangshan Earthquake. It is expected to premiere July 10th 2010 in China, and will be shown in IMAX locations in major cities in North America, as well as the 25-30 IMAX theaters in China.