Asian Cinema

[AndrewJin]

This was actually aired on Malaysian television when I was a kid during Chinese New Year. Stories like Monkey King have been retold too many times. However I think you made sweeping statement about Hollywood just because top gross/rank movies are soulless.

Top Chinese one are also soulless. It's a commercialised world.

 

[liubang]

LOL. Self evident, isn't it?

hmm so Hollywood movies are better now is saying Western culture superior?? So I am saying I like Aaian food a lot more than European food, so now Asian culture is superior than European culture. Boy, you guy have a lot of reading comprehension problem, a top of your generalization, racism, mob mentality problem.

 

[AndrewJin]

That is the wrong approach. The Americans are starting to making films to appeal to Chinese. They really want to tap into that 1 billion+ cash cows. That sort of movement would be good for the Chinese audience too. China can make scify and fantasy and thriller films with Asians as a main protagonist and explore those sort of genre from an Asian perspective. I don't think, the industry is quite capable yet. But I am plenty hopeful.

Again, I think your main concern is about being thrilled and about the number of box office. What I'm concerned is if they can comfort people's soul and if we can still remember one scenario of a movie when we are old. I'm not feeling happy about the tendency of Chinese film industry, this tendency is just what you have suggested.

I cannot see a single Chinese film now which can surpass Farewell My Concubine(1993). @Galad highly recommended to you. If u mean one film can make money or not, there are already plenty of these commercial movies in China, each can have at least 10 million audience( ten times of Chinese are watching them online)

 

[liubang]

Top Chinese one are also soulless. It's a commercialised world.

Not very fair comment. Most of the top box office movies are targetted toward young kids, family fun sort of movies, and young adults. No one want to go to the theater to watch Selma or 12 years a slave. That isn't going to make a very fun weekend. Those movies are doing quite well also, but don't expect them to make more than half a billion dollars.

I cannot see a single Chinese film now which can surpass Farewell My Concubine(1993). @Galad highly recommended to you. If u mean one film can make money or not, there are already plenty of these commercial movies in China, each can have at least 10 million audience( ten times of Chinese are watching them online)

Hollywood make ton of movies per year, there are always drama/human experience/family live/faith/etc movies. Take Boyhood movie for example recently. All I am saying is that, do make movies like Farewell my concubine but also branch out.

Boyhood (2014) - Rotten Tomatoes

 

[Jlaw]

The old Hong Kong movie industry had a bravado and confidence that it lost in later years. They used to churn out so many movies with shoe string budgets but were in a class of their own.

The 'Once upon a time in China' movies were so awesome but ended in disaster when they decided to add a fourth movie set in America.

These days I am so sick of guy actors who look like girls in East asian cinema. There is little nuance in emotive screen play and the cgi effects looks like b grade hollywood effects. Why not have battle scenes played out with hundreds and thousands of people like in the old days instead of crappy cgi? It costs a bit more but works out so much better.



Speaking of Korean crap, have you seen 'The admiral, Roaring currents'? Believe it or not, its an Imjin war movie that doesnt even mention the Ming in at all. Not one word.

China should make an authentic Imjin war movie to depict the reality of Korean cowardice, futility and lack of martial spirit. Korean 'soldiers' would literally fire three arrows and run away scrambling over each other to avoid the Japanese samurai and levies.



This one is my favourite.

It makes me feel like fighting 3 tigers at once after listening.

Korean distorting history? NO!! lol. Korean cinema is crap but for some reason it's got all the Chinese housewives hooked. You're right, HK cinema was awesome back in the days. I've noticed old kung fu movies had real men not like nowadays with gay pretty boys.

The gay pretty boys thing started with the Japanese than caught on with HK. Now all you see are pretty boys that isn't very convincing when they try to portray a tough, no nonsense street cop or a kung fu master.

The last Chinese movie i watched was Detective Dee and the Sea dragon...something to that effect. The mainland production used Wook Jim and his shitty team of Korean graphics effects expert! . It was like watching a year 2000 movie. **** it was horrible.

After that I give up on all Chinese cinema, from the mainland and HK. Mainland Chinese cinema is using too many korean and Jap actors in their movies with dubbed voices. Just simply horrible. Is it that hard to find an actor in China with 1.3b people?

Xi should look into this....

Actually I think the current hollywood-style movies backed mainly by technology are mostly craps. I love those pre-2000 Chinese movies, full of humanity and connotation. Now, yes, they make money, but I feel they have no soul just like most hollywood movies.

@powastick

Few Hollywood movies make money except for superhero movies....

 

[liubang]

Again, I think your main concern is about being thrilled and about the number of box office.

Wrong, scify, thriller, fantasy pushed toward areas that human don't usually think before. Interstellar for example is NOT a masterpiece. But it help a new generation be wonder about space exploration, think about the unthinkable, imagine about the unimaginable. I am of a science background, my degree is in the science field. So that is my value.

Interstellar (2014) - Rotten Tomatoes

 

[powastick]

Top Chinese one are also soulless. It's a commercialised world.

By the way, you need to caution on Hollywood movies. Its a powerful tool from the US.

CIA Agent Secret Meeting With Sony Exec | Radar Online
"This is just one indication of a close relationship between Sony execs and the U.S. government. Radar also found e-mails between Under Secretary of State Richard Stengel and Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman Michael Lynton concerning the recruitment of filmmakers and musicians in efforts to fight the ISIS terror group in the Middle East. Other emails showed government agents asking Sony to recruit studio heads to combat terrorism."

 

[liubang]

By the way, you need to caution on Hollywood..

But Sony is a japanese owned company that fund American films. Like that one chinese guy who go on and on about Korean and the Ming dynasty so they gonna portray American positively. So yeah, they gonna have movies about terrorism. It is topical, and sellable. It is your fault if you don't like those movies and seek out stuffs like American Sniper. This is a skin to a person who don't like horror films and keep looking for horror films.

 

[AndrewJin]

Not very fair comment. Most of the top box office movies are targetted toward young kids, family fun sort of movies, and young adults. No one want to go to the theater to watch Selma or 12 years a slave. That isn't going to make a very fun weekend. Those movies are doing quite well also, but don't expect them to make more than half a billion dollars.

I've just received 4 movie coupons from spending a night in a budget hotel. I can use them in any cinema around China with an APP, 20 yuan for each. There are almost 12 cinemas within 5km from my home. If I buy a ticket for tomorrow, like a 30yuan ticket, I only pay 10 yuan with Alibaba's Alipay.

And I've just come back from a newly opened shopping mall in Wuhan, the biggest I've ever seen in my life, no matter in Shanghai or Beijing. When I passed by the cinema in that mall, I lost any interest in buying one ticket. Yes, u r right, some people will love to watch those and I won't judge them. We have to adapt to this world, when the golden time of Chinese films was long away.

 

[liubang]

And I've just come back from a newly opened shopping mall, the biggest I've ever seen in my life, no matter in Shanghai or Beijing. When I passed by the cinema in that mall, I lost any interest in buying one ticket. Yes, u r right, some people will love to watch those and I won't judge them. We have to adapt to this world, when the golden time of Chinese films was long away.

I am growing fond of you xD. You sound like my grandpa and I love my grandpa. Stop feeling so old and enjoy it.

 

[AndrewJin]

I am growing fond of you xD. You sound like my grandpa and I love my grandpa. Stop feeling so old and enjoy it.

No no no, I'm not grandpa type of guy. I spent 80% money on food for today in the mall.
I've tried Shanxi style noodle, Hunan style fish and of course the cheapest food in Ikea, 5-yuan hotdog with soft drinks.

 

[powastick]

But Sony is a japanese owned company that fund American films. Like that one chinese guy who go on and on about Korean and the Ming dynasty so they gonna portray American positively. So yeah, they gonna have movies about terrorism. It is topical, and sellable. It is your fault if you don't like those movies and seek out stuffs like American Sniper. This is a skin to a person who don't like horror films and keep looking for horror films.

"The Interview" is the deal breaker. It shows that Americans weaponize their movies. They also tend to spread ideas on Idealism, Western liberalism, and democracy. Maybe I don't watch some of their movies, but it doesn't guarantee others will not get influence by it. Remember Arab Spring? If you have been following Japanese anime/manga, you could see the shift on gender roles over the years. Social engineering in the works.

 

[AndrewJin]

"The Interview" is the deal breaker. It shows that Americans weaponize their movies. They also tend to spread ideas on Idealism, Western liberalism, and democracy. Maybe I don't watch some of their movies, but it doesn't guarantee others will not get influence by it. Remember Arab Spring? If you have been following Japanese anime/manga, you could see the shift on gender roles over the years. Social engineering in the works.

Will Americans watch Chinese saving people from aliens?
Will Americans watch Chinese epic historic movies?(too many of them, extremely popular in China)
I don't think so. It is not about technology or the standards of movie making. It's more about which culture dominates the world.

 

[liubang]

"The Interview" is the deal breaker. It shows that Americans weaponize their movies. They also tend to spread ideas on Idealism, Western liberalism, and democracy. Maybe I don't watch some of their movies, but it doesn't guarantee others will not get influence by it. Remember Arab Spring? If you have been following Japanese anime/manga, you could see the shift on gender roles over the years. Social engineering in the works.

You know who made the Interview. Seth Rogen. Have you seen his other movies?? Stupid, funny, shit. Kim Young Un had always being the butt of the joke by American Comedians. You know who else is also the butt of the joke? W Bush.

But let talk about Un for a second, the guy who mandate hair cut. Who invite Dennis Rodman over and woo him. Have you seen Vice documentary on this? The real documentary is even funnier than the Interview.

The shifting in gender roles is factored by many things and not just by anime/manga. But anime/manga does push the boundary of imagination like that of Hollywood or like classic literatures like 20,000 leagues under the sea, or The time Machine, etc.

Will Americans watch Chinese saving people from aliens?
Will Americans watch Chinese epic historic movies?(too many of them, extremely popular in China)
I don't think so. It is not about technology or the standards of movie making. It's more about which culture dominates the world.

Yes.. In Hollywood, people are always pushing for more diversity which meant more Asians. Asians here is not necessary Chinese ethnic nor Chinese citizens. However, if it is a good film, I don't see why not. Manga/Anime is extremely popular even though they Japanese protagonist mostly.

Film like Heroes, or Red Cliff has some fan base in the west. Etc. But you need to understand context. People are more well versed overhere with European history and not so much with chinese history unless something popular like 3 kingdoms. Even then, the 3 kingdoms fanbase is small in comparison to everything else.

Red Cliff (2009) - Box Office Mojo

Red cliff net some 627k in the states. Hero net some 53.7 million in the states. It is also about buying advertisement and commercial. Do the Chinese willing to put couple of million dollars buying tv airtime over here. Red Cliff didn't hence it barely made a million. Hero actually did.

 

[powastick]

You know who made the Interview. Seth Rogen. Have you seen his other movies?? Stupid, funny, shit. Kim Young Un had always being the butt of the joke by American Comedians. You know who else is also the butt of the joke? W Bush.

But let talk about Un for a second, the guy who mandate hair cut. Who invite Dennis Rodman over and woo him. Have you seen Vice documentary on this? The real documentary is even funnier than the Interview.

The shifting in gender roles is factored by many things and not just by anime/manga. But anime/manga does push the boundary of imagination like that of Hollywood like classics like 20,000 leagues under the sea, or The time Machine, etc.

I find the documentary fascinating. The west need to stop poking fun on people that they don't like. Example: Prophet Muhammad. If you want to criticize is fine.

I agree on Japanese anime/manga, some of them have good ideas. Ghost in the Shell, and Spirited Away.