Top 10 movies of this holiday season
By Liu Wei and Raymond Zhou (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-23 08:51
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Avatar
If you want to be part of the Avatar buzz, which begins here with the Jan 4 premiere, just go to the theater and watch it.
In the $300 million film, James Cameron creates an alien planet called Pandora that has a mineral Earth needs. Since the atmosphere is not breathable for human beings man has to create an Avatar, a hybrid creature created by mixing the DNA of man and the Na'vi, a tall, blue-skinned creature native to the planet.
Jake Sully, a paraplegic soldier, has an Avatar adventure on the planet and the encounter with a Na'vi princess changes his life and maybe that of humans and the Na'vis.
Shot with Cameron's new 3-D camera system, the film has won praise for being a visual spectacle after its theatrical release on Dec 18 in 106 countries. It will be screened in both 2-D and 3-D, while the IMAX versions of both are also available in selected theaters.
Here is what top Hollywood film critic, Roger Ebert, says about the film: "It is an event, one of those films you feel you must see to keep up with the conversation."
True Legend (苏乞儿)
If a 3-D computer-generated planet sounds trite to you, how about watching dazzling Chinese kungfu, in 3-D?
True Legend, which will hit theaters on Feb 9, is the first 3-D kungfu film in the world.
Yuen Woo-ping, the choreographer for Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (卧虎藏龙) and The Matrix, directs the biopic about the legendary martial artist Su Can and handles all the fight scenes, which are all free of computer-generated effects.
Mainland star Zhao Wenzhuo plays Su, a kungfu master in the 20th century, who goes from being born to a rich family to becoming a beggar, and eventually rises again to be a respected martial artist.
Zhao, like Jet Li, learned martial arts when he was young and won many national kungfu contests before beginning his acting career, in 1992.
Taiwan pop icon, Jay Chou, is Su's mentor, a kungfu master with all-white hair.
Also starring in the film is Michelle Yeoh, the best-known kungfu lady in Asia.
Sherlock Holmes
The detective film's arrival, expected on Jan 19, is the first opportunity for China's Sherlock Holmes fans to see him on the big screen.
Directed by Guy Ritchie, film is a brand new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous character - and apparently his fighting skills are as impressive as his intellect.
Set in England in 1891, the film revolves around Holmes and Dr Watson stopping a conspiracy to destroy Britain.
An all-star cast accompany Robert Downey Jr impersonates the detective, and Jude Law plays his stalwart partner, Watson.
There have been at least 75 film, TV and stage adaptations of Sherlock Holmes following Doyle's four novels and 56 short stories, from 1887 to 1914. China published the Holmes stories as early as 1896, which made him the best-known detective of his kind in the country.
If you are a fan of the historic Sherlock Holmes books, stories, theatre or television adaptions, you do not want to miss this highly anticipated thriller on the big screen.
Confucius (孔子)
The mushrooming Confucius Institutes around the globe have made the Chinese philosopher and educator who lived 2,500 years ago much better known to the world. Now a biopic of him may bring fresh understanding.
Starring Chow Yun-fat, the grave swordsman in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, the film follows Confucius' life between the age of 51 - the time he became an official - and his death at 73. To present a convincing Confucius, Chow took two and a half hours getting made up for the role and worked hard to perfect his Mandarin. He also had to learn ancient rituals and lose 4 kg.
The film has already created quite a stir because Confucians around the world became furious about a rumor that the man they worship as a saint would have an affair and display kungfu skills in the film, which they insist has no historical proof.
Hu Mei, director of the $20 million film, has promised there will be no sex scenes or kungfu scenes involving the thinker. Hu, one of the few successful female directors in China, made her name directing many TV series on powerful historic figures, such as Emperor Yongzheng and prominent banker Qiao Zhiyong.
Hot Summer Days (全城热恋)
Chinese cinema is not all about kungfu and ancient saints. There are also romantic comedies such as The Holiday and Love Actually.
After all, this is the season - Christmas, New Year and Spring Festival - for romantic and family films.
Hot Summer Days, co-produced by China's largest private media group, Huayi Brothers, Fox International Productions (FIP) and Star Television Asia Limited (STAR), consists of five intertwined love stories, starring about 10 A-listers, such as Jacky Cheung, Daniel Wu and Vivian Hsu.
Cheung plays a driver who falls in love with a foot massagist, while Wu acts as a sushi cook who is tongue-tied in front of Vivian Hsu, his ex-girlfriend with whom he is still in love. Mainland pop singers Jing Boran and Fu Xinbo have minor roles, too.
Veteran filmmaker Paul Cheng and well-known fashion photographer Wing Shya co-direct the film, which will screen on Feb 11.
Shya has shot stills for many of Wong Kar-wai's films and is one of the most in-demand photographers among stars.