The Beijinger Blog - Film

Art Attack: Food Writers at Capital M, Valentine’s Music and Last Calls

thebeijinger — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0800

Forgive me, I’ve been less on top of artsy news this week because I’ve been too busy trolling the internet at odd hours to keep up with this Jeremy Lin business. Yes, I am the world’s most intermittent basketball fan. But that’s beside the point. There are actually quite a few exciting things going on this week, like Capital M Literary Festival tickets going on sale, great indie films, a blind movie-watching experience and your last chance at several art exhibits! Click through for more.

Kung Fu Goes Virginal in The Sword Identity

thebeijinger — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:00:00 +0800

For those who tire of the formulaic martial arts aesthetic that dominates in everything from Chinese epics to the likes of Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes franchise, this indie film with a purist attitude will be a breath of fresh air. (And a very nerdy one, at that.) Xu Haofeng, whose credentials include martial arts training, a major in film directing and several successful novels under his belt, released his directorial debut, The Sword Identity, last year. (He's also the scriptwriter for Wong Karwai's highly-anticipated Ip Man biopic, The Grandmasters.)

In this film, the story unfolds around a fighter trying to open a new martial arts school to keep his master's legacy alive, but who faces resistance from the old guard because they mistake his weapon for a Japanese katana – a big no-no in that day. The film was praised for its directorial precision, character development and no-nonsense aesthetic after its showing at the Toronto International Film Festival, and now BC MOMA's hooking us up with a Beijing premiere (tonight, Feb 10) and followup screening Feb 18. But first, we chat with the director to plumb the depths of his martial arts cred ...

Art Attack: 10,000 Kuai for Your Photo, On Han Han, and China’s Oscar Fail

thebeijinger — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:00:00 +0800

We’re still waiting for things to get back into full swing around here, but that means you have some time to: 1) take some photos to try and win a month or two’s rent money, 2) catch up on web news like the accusations of Han Han not being a real writer and China getting snubbed at the Oscars, and 3) sleep. If you don’t like those ideas, you can get your fill of more movie screenings, and aspiring thespians: don’t miss a workshop teaching you how to audition for the stage.

Art Attack: Two Kuai Movies for Chunjie!

thebeijinger — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0800

Sticking around for chunjie can go two ways: You either relish the quiet (before the fireworks, anyway) and use the time to finish those projects you’ve been putting off, or you just get bitter thinking about your friends sunning on the beach in Thailand. This should help push you toward the former: the Beijing Municipal Government has launched a program of 2 kuai movies over the holiday! There are some great flicks on offer at theaters all throughout the city, so read on for all the info, handily translated and organized for you all right here.

Green Tea Party: China’s Most Versatile Flavor

thebeijinger — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0800

In Beijing, when a Western restaurant owner proudly tells you “We’re kind of fusing East and West,” you know the words “green tea tiramisu” are just seconds away. In fact, when almost any product in China is developed beyond “Original” flavor, the first stop is almost inevitably matcha, or powdered green tea. But which of these green tea-infused products tastes best?

Art Attack: Movie Awards, Flying Koreans, Haggis and Author Anticipation

thebeijinger — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0800

It’s awards season in the movie world, and apparently that means everyone’s in the mood to get a tan – from (cinema, TV and computer) screens, that is. At least, the sudden upsurge in film screenings in Beijing would support this notion. Also this week: crazy Koreans making you laugh with high-strung family drama played out with martial arts and bodies flying around, and of course the annual Burns Supper at The Bookworm.

From Country Bumpkin to Airline Captain

thebeijinger — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:00:00 +0800

Most farmers tend to their fields, but this one takes to the skies.

In Qiao Liang’s Flying, the eccentric land laborer Liu Baigang abandons his roots in favor of the heavens after teaching himself how to build an airplane. The film soars atop this ridiculous premise and eventually lands on rural China’s quirky yearnings.

See the film at Culture Yard on Jan 13, where the director – a longtime local TV auteur and Beijing Film Academy (BFA) alumnus – will also be present for a Q+A. But for now, please keep your seatbelt fastened and your tray in the upright position. This is your captain speaking, and Qiao Liang will now take our questions.

Art Attack: Culture Wars, Chinese Fortune Telling and Indie Flicks

thebeijinger — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +0800

Have you all heard, Hu Jintao's declared a culture war on the West? There's a signed essay circulating that cites the invasion of cultural exports like Harry Potter and Lady Gaga, and the Chinese have to fight back – with "the advanced culture of socialism" guiding the way. Um, good luck going viral on Youtube with that one.

Unfortunately, even Uncle Hu can't do anything about the black hole of sorts we experience in Beijing at this point in the year, especially where new art exhibits are concerned. (All the workers they need to help install the crazy contraptions are getting ready to blow dodge for chunjie.) There is one exception to the rule, and quite an exciting one at that. Luckily, you've got a great set of choices for film screenings coming up, including the next in Krzysztof Kieślowski's "Three Colors Trilogy", a couple gems at the UCCA's Indie Film Forum Series, and a campy 1960s "Secret Agents Series" kicking off at new hipster joint Modernista (quick, here's your chance to be an early adopter). Read on for the details.

Art Attack: Top Ten Stories of 2011

thebeijinger — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:00:00 +0800

We know 2011 was the year of Weibo, the year of more debt crisis all over the world, the year of campus scandals, more natural disasters and Occupying everything possible. So how frivolous does it seem to talk about the biggest news in Beijing’s arts landscape? Not as frivolous as you might think.

Film Review: Why The Flowers of War Makes Us Cry

thebeijinger — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:00:00 +0800

If I were a certain kind of man, I might make a joke along the lines of: “I like my movies how I like my women: beautiful, dramatic and ultimately hollow. That’s why this one was great!” Thankfully (for all of us), I am not that man. So instead, let's talk about crying.

Set against the Japanese conquest of the city of Nanjing in December of 1937, the film hones in on a motley collection of civilians sequestered in a Catholic cathedral, hiding out from the atrocities of the massacre. Headliner Christian Bale plays John Miller, a mortician out to make a quick buck by burying the cathedral’s head priest, but whose conscience soon (and rather unconvincingly) drives him to help look after the others. Who are these others? In a boarded up basement, a band of prostitutes led by an alluring woman named Mo (played by newbie actress Ni Ni), and upstairs, a group of convent schoolgirls. As you can imagine, all the characters must negotiate the strange waters of heroism, mutual contempt and even sexual attraction. (Yes, audiences and this Hollywood Reporter review have cringed at the crassness of the heightened sexuality in a film set during a period of civilian killings and rape.)

In a nutshell, we were wowed by Zhang’s stark-but-still-beautiful imagery and big-budget production values (blah blah Saving Private Ryan blah blah). We cried. We screamed. We averted our eyes. But mostly we look back and see what could have been, and for that, we really weep.