Yesterday saw the opening of what promises to be one of the most iconic buildings of the 2008 Olympics: the National Aquatic Center, or as it's more commonly known, the Water Cube.

Many a writer has rhapsodized about the exterior of the cube, which was designed by PTW Architects, but now was the moment for the world's media to experience the inside of the structure. Inside is as aesthetically pleasing as you would imagine, with masses of bright white walls, straight metallic edges and a bubble theme running throughout. The facilities are equally impressive, with the training pool, diving boards and competition all matching the overall aesthetic of the building. The center is due for its opening event on Jan 31 with the Good Luck Beijing 2008 China Swimming Open.

Friends! The drought is over. After weeks of waiting for that alleged blackout of Hollywood movies to end, they give us … The Pursuit of Happyness … Oh, I guess beggars can’t be choosers. For a complete roundup of what's showing around town this week, keep reading below.

Director Zhang Yuan was released from jail on Saturday after being arrested for alleged drug use on January 9th. According to a Beijing TV news report, Zhang was discovered at his apartment taking ketamine and ice. Hopefully the "Sixth Generation" director, whose movies have performed well at the Venice and Berlin film festivals in the past, will be able to recover from this.

Get it while it’s hot! tbjkids is proud to present the January/February double issue special! Featuring 101 Family-friendly Restaurants in Beijing, each one selected by tbjkids for their food, family-friendly facilities and atmosphere, this guide is your way to finding the best dining experience with your family around town. Tired of chicken nuggets and gongbao jiding? tbjkids to the rescue! Pick up your copy of this indispensable guide today and liberate your taste buds!

With the recent back and forth about the supposed ban on Hollywood movies in China for the next 3 months, it's reassuring to note that for this week at least, there are loads of Chinese independent films showing around town for you to enjoy. For a complete roundup of what's showing around town this week, keep reading below.

The 2nd Forum on Young Generation in Film Making

Much in the same vein as the Beijing Movie Festival (see below), The Second Forum on the Young Generation of Film Making will showcase Chinese independent cinema's up-and-coming talent. The two-day forum will see a number of noted directors, producers and actors discuss their views on the state of the independent Chinese movie scene at College of Art and Communication, Beijing Normal University. There will also be free screenings of 30 recent independent Chinese movies throughout the week, most of which will have subtitles but be sure to call ahead to check. Recommended viewing on Wednesday, December 19 is Yin Lichuan’s The Park (Gongyuan) at 5-7pm. The touching story focuses on a meddling father who attempts to find a suitable partner for his daughter, and is well worth checking out.

No Hollywood Movies For 3 Months?

A recent (and quite alarming) article in Variety trumpeted the news that due to escalating political tensions between China and the US, no foreign films would be released in China for the next three months! Let's think about that for a moment. Doesn't it sound a little bit like the Outstanding Golden Domestic Film Exhibition Month (Sep-Oct), where supposedly no foreign films were released throughout China? Well, during that particular "blackout" period, No Reservations, Prey, Shrek the Third, Transformers (IMAX) and Ratatouille were all granted releases. More interestingly, a report from Herald Tribune quotes Zhang Pimin, deputy director-general of China's Film Bureau as saying that foreign films will continue to be released for the rest of 2007 and on into 2008. However, with only a certain number of foreign films granted a release each year, and the snip-happy scissors of the censor waiting to take content out of movies, it is becoming increasingly hard for movies to be granted a release in China, which Will Smith is now finding out (see below).

The fact that it’s a quiet week on the foreign movie front has less to do with the writer's strike in Hollywood and more to do with the beginning of China's Hesui Pian season (films released to take advantage of the Christmas/Spring Festival bonanza). The relatively short window given to huge Hollywood blockbusters like The Bourne Ultimatum and Die Hard 4 has been closed in order to give some local content a chance to make a few kuai at the box office. Keep reading for quick recap of the films to see around town this week and where and when to catch them.

Zhou Xuan Retrospective

If you’ve ever flicked through a pile of "vintage" posters at Panjiayuan, you've probably come across this woman's face.

Zhou Xuan (1920-1957) was known as "golden voice" and reached the peak of her fame in the '30s and 40s. Her smooth and silky voice (which you can listen to here) was the inspiration for Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love, with the film itself being named after one of Zhou Xuan’s songs.

This week the China Film Archives offers a special series of Zhou Xuan films (eight in total) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the star’s tragic and premature death. Visit the CFA website for more details about screening times. In Chinese, no English subtitles. Until Nov 25. RMB 8. After the retrospective is over the CFA will go into hibernation to emerge as a renovated version of itself early in 2008.

For screening times of all the English-language films showing in Beijing today and more movie news ...

Lost in Beijing finally turns up.

It's half-price movie day in Beijing and along with our regular handy roundup of what English language films are showing around town, we also offer some snippets of news about what's going on in the world of Chinese cinema.

Hungarian Film Festival

With a culture and history as rich as Hungary’s, it’s odd that most people would be hard pushed to identify any real classics of Hungarian cinema. Well fear not, as the Hungarian Embassy in Beijing will screen some of the best Hungarian films from recent years at Cherry Lane Movies from November 14-18.

What got cut from Lust, Caution?

Lust, Caution opened at Beijing Cinemas last week and today (see screening times below) is your chance to catch the long-awaited Ang Lee film (yes – it has English subtitles) at half price. For those who are wondering just what got cut from the shorter 143 min version being screened at Beijing's cinemas (and no, it’s not just the sex scenes), Roland Soong over at ESWN has provided a partial translation of a recent article on the subject in the Southern Metropolis Daily.

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.