Tuesday's Film Roundup

I have a recurring nightmare about being chased around Beijing by Megatron, leader of the Decepticons. He chases me around Nanluogu Xiang, forcing me to duck and weave my way through the hutongs. If only Optimus Prime would come and rescue me … Well, the imaginings that inhabit the dark recesses of my subconscious are soon to become a reality, as Obiwan will be screening a series of short Chinese transformer-style animated films in November as part of the Beijing Film Festival. Of course, the films have nothing to do with the Michael Bay-helmed blockbuster, but it’s still cool to see robots kicking the heck out of each other in a hutong.

The fighting robot film is just one of many films showing at the Beijing Film Festival. Showcasing new and independent talent from China and abroad, the festival will be held at some of the most versatile “cinemas” in Beijing including venues like D-22 and MAO Livehouse. Films already confirmed to be screened over the next couple of months include The Naked Life of Qin Yongjian, which depicts the life of a nude male model, a series of short zombie animations, and Lost in Wu Song, which is described as being similar to Terry Gilliam’s Lost in La Mancha. For more details and a schedule check out the organizer’s website as it’s updated.

It’s been a year of Chinese movies making waves at foreign film festivals, and the latest to garner attention is The Western Trunk Line (西干道 Xi Gan Dao), which won the Special Jury Prize at the 20th Tokyo International Film Festival on October 28. Li Jixian’s movie is set in a remote Chinese town at the end of 1970s and has taken the director over ten years to get it on to the big screen. Franco-Israeli film The Band's Visit (Bikur Ha-Tizmoret) took top honors at the festival, another trophy to add to the this film's growing collection – it won Un Certain Regard honors at Cannes earlier this year.

Finally, Lust Caution (Se, Jie 色, 戒), or at least a trimmed down version of it - though we're not sure if it will be "about nine" or 30 minutes shorter than the 2 hour 36 minute version that they're watching in other countries – will finally open at Beijing cinemas this Thursday. The film's release date has already been pushed back twice, but it looks like it's really going to happen this time. According to local media reports, some cinemas will be holding midnight screenings on Wednesday, Oct 31. It seems only fair that Shanghai host the star-studded Chinese premiere – Ang Lee, Tony Leung and Tang Wei will all be there – tomorrow night at 7pm, as the film is after all set down there.

The film has received a few bad reviews: the New York Times was less than positive: "a sleepy, musty period drama about wartime maneuvers and bedroom calisthenics," however, reader's comments on the review have defended the film's reputation. For a broader perspective you can check out some more reviews here.

A good quality trailer of Lust Caution is available at this site.

NetEase is offering free tickets to a 9.50am screening of the film on Thu Nov 1 at the Star City cinema. All you need to do is send an email about your understanding of the relationship between lust and caution to this address: 163xunbao@163.com. We guess that they're expecting responses in Chinese, but who knows, maybe a response in English will qualify as one of their best 20 answers. Don't forget to include your name and a contact number. Sina has also organized a similar competition but we had a bit of difficulty getting our heads around the rules - you can have a look for yourself here.

Screening Times for English Language Films in Beijing – Tuesday Oct 30

(All times and prices have been taken from today’s Beijing News or this website – it would be a good idea to call and confirm details)

Haidian
UME International Cineplex
Ratatouille
20:05 21:35　

Transformers (IMAX)
16:50 19:40 22:30
RMB 50

CBD
Wanda International Cinema
Ratatouille
15:00 17:20 18:50 19:40 21:10 22:00

The Sun Also Rises
21:30

Landao
Ziguang Cinema
Ratatouille
16:10 18:20 20:30
RMB 50

Art Gallery
Changhong Cinema
Ratatouille
16:10 18:30 20:30

Dongsishitiao
East Gate Cinema
Ratatouille
15:00 17:00 19:00 21:00

Wangfujing
Xindong'an Cinema
Ratatouille
16:50 18:50 20:50

Star City
Ratatouille
12:50 14:50 16:50 18:50 20:50

Links and Sources:
New York Times: Lust, Caution (2007)
npr: When 'Lust' Meets Caution, Is It Still Art?
Xinhua:Cutting of "Lust, Caution" renews calling for film rating system in China