Wednesday, May 27, 2015

The Left Ear - 左耳



The Left Ear (左耳) is an 2015 film out of Zhong Guo. The film stars Chen Duling, Ou Hao, Yang Yang, and Ma Sichun. The movie is the directorial debut of Alec Su. The end credit song was sung by Zhao Wei. The saw this at a local AMC movie theater.

The year is 2005. 4 seniors in high school begin their 100 day march to their college entrance exams. Li Er, the main protagonist of the film, cannot hear out of left ear. Li Er is secretly in love with a prominent member of the senior class, Xu Yi. This secret crush comes out in mysterious ways. However, Xu Yi's got an enemy in Zhang Yang. After a basketball game, Zhang Yang gets the attention of a local harlot, Li Bala. Bala is a singer at a local bar and draws the wrong crowd. Bala isn't shy about professing her love to Zhang. Even though Zhang is romantically linked to Guan Xiaotong. Bala eventually gets Zhang's attention. However, the weave of lies that fall ahead are many. Those lies eventually lead to the death of Bala. Li Er blames her death on Zhang and tries to make sense of her life at the same time.



Oh man, where do I even start. I might be too old for this stuff. But drama begets drama. The four main characters look for drama in their lives and get it. From secret lies to secret crushes, its predicated on bad decision making. Coming of age stories are based on innocence to bad to coming of age. You gotta do something bad to learn from it and turn around for the better. Which is what Hollywoods been selling for years. Looks like its hopped over to the other side of the pacific. As a parent and as someone who isn't that far removed from making life decisions, the emotions of people are heightened in a movie. You've got 2 hours to stuff years of emotions in scenes.

Outside of Ma, the rest of the cast had three facial expressions, no emotion, happy, and angry. Ma was the most resourceful in scenes, being naughty and good at the same time. Which lead to a constant questioning of the actions on screen. I was asking myself if its real or more deception. Because of the deception at the beginning of the film and the lack thereafter, I was wondering all movie. Which doesn't allow me to come along for the ride as their character develops.

If you like a coming of age story, this isn't bad. It also isn't good if you've use to the stuff out of USA recently. However, some of the emotions their dealing with isn't so much different than what could appear in a 80s brat pack film, like St. Elmo Fire. Trying to figure life out in the midst of chaos, deception, and the disgust of "friendship".



Zhong Guo Box Office - May 24, 2015 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: May 24, 2015


Weekend of May 24, 2015
Rank Film Title
1 Avengers: Age Of Ultron (复仇者联盟2:奥创纪元)
2 P.K. (我的个神啊)
3 土豪520 (Love Without Distance)
4 Chappie (超能查派)
5 重生爱人 (The Beloved)
6 何以笙箫默 (You Are My Sunshine)
7 十二公民 (12 Citizens)
8 阿里巴巴大盗奇兵 (Alibaba And The Thief)
9 左耳 (The Left Ear)
10 Home (疯狂外星人)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved May 26, 2015

Monday, May 25, 2015

Taiwan Box Office - May 24, 2015 - 台灣票房榜


Weekend of May 24, 2015
Rank Film Title Weeks
1 Spy (麻辣賤諜) 1
2 Tomorrowland (明日世界) 1
3 Pitch Perfect 2 (歌喉讚2) 2
4 Mad Max: Fury Road (瘋狂麥斯:憤怒道) 2
5 Avengers: Age Of Ultron (復仇者聯盟2:奧創紀元) 5
6 要聽神明的話 (As The Gods Will) 2
7 The Age Of Adaline (時空永恆的愛戀) 4
8 Furious 7/Furious Seven/Fast & Furious 7 (玩命關頭7) 8
9 The Salt Of The Earth (薩爾加多的凝視) 1
10 滿月酒 (Baby Steps) 3
11 寄生獸:完結篇 (Parasyte Part 2) 3
12 誰說軍中沒有鬼 (Keep Running! Sir, Yes Sir) 1
13 Two Days, One Night (兩天一夜) 2
14 Still Alice (我想念我自己) 14
15 缺角一族 (The Missing Piece) 2
16 五月一號 (First Of May) 4
17 地下社會 (Underground) 2
18 SKE48 偶像的眼淚 DOCUMENTARY of SKE48 (アイドルの涙) 1
19 宅男女神殺人狂 (When Geek Meets Serial Killer) 1
20 深夜食堂 (Midnight Diner) 4

Source: Yahoo! Movies Taiwan - retrieved May 25, 2015

Friday, May 22, 2015

Hong Kong Box Office - May 17, 2015 - 香港票房榜

Hong Kong Box Office - Week Ending: May 17, 2015


Weekend of May 17, 2015
Rank Film Title
1 Avengers: Age Of Ultron (復仇者聯盟2:奧創紀元)
2 全力扣殺 (Full Strike)
3 Mad Max: Fury Road (末日先鋒:戰甲飛車)
4 赤道 (Helios)
5 寄生獸完結編 (Parasyte Completion)
6 Spy (凸務MADAM)
7 黑衣凶靈2:死亡天使 (The Woman In Black 2: Angel Of Death)
8 Furious 7/Furious Seven/Fast & Furious 7 (狂野時速7)
9 可爱的你/五個小孩的校長 (Little Big Master)
10 上帝的男高音 (The Tenor)

Source: Ent Group, HKFlimArt, and WMOOV - retrieved May 20, 2015

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Zhong Guo Box Office - May 17, 2015 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: May 17, 2015


Weekend of May 17, 2015
Rank Film Title
1 Avengers: Age Of Ultron (复仇者联盟2:奥创纪元)
2 Chappie (超能查派)
3 何以笙箫默 (You Are My Sunshine)
4 左耳 (The Left Ear)
5 Furious 7/Furious Seven/Fast & Furious 7 (速度与激情7)
6 重生爱人 (The Beloved)
7 Home (疯狂外星人)
8 赤道 (Helios)
9 阿里巴巴大盗奇兵 (Alibaba And The Thief)
10 夺命旅行 (Death Trip)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved May 19, 2015

Monday, May 18, 2015

Taiwan Box Office - May 17, 2015 - 台灣票房榜


Weekend of May 17, 2015
Rank Film Title Weeks
1 Pitch Perfect 2 (歌喉讚2) 1
2 Mad Max: Fury Road (瘋狂麥斯:憤怒道) 1
3 Avengers: Age Of Ultron (復仇者聯盟2:奧創紀元) 4
4 要聽神明的話 (As The Gods Will) 1
5 The Age Of Adaline (時空永恆的愛戀) 3
6 Big Game (總統遊戲) 2
7 Furious 7/Furious Seven/Fast & Furious 7 (玩命關頭7) 7
8 寄生獸:完結篇 (Parasyte Part 2) 2
9 Hot Pursuit (辣味雙拼) 2
10 滿月酒 (Baby Steps) 2
11 深夜食堂 (Midnight Diner) 3
12 五月一號 (First Of May) 3
13 缺角一族 (The Missing Piece) 1
14 Two Days, One Night (兩天一夜) 1
15 赤道 (Helios) 3
16 Frank (法蘭克) 3
17 閃爍的愛情 1
18 地下社會 (Underground) 1
19 Playing It Cool (真愛BJ4) 2
20 The Green Prince (哈瑪斯之子) 1

Source: Yahoo! Movies Taiwan - retrieved May 18, 2015

Friday, May 15, 2015

Hong Kong Box Office - May 10, 2015 - 香港票房榜

Hong Kong Box Office - Week Ending: May 10, 2015


Weekend of May 10, 2015
Rank Film Title
1 Avengers: Age Of Ultron (復仇者聯盟2:奧創紀元)
2 赤道 (Helios)
3 全力扣殺 (Full Strike)
4 寄生獸完結編 (Parasyte Completion)
5 Furious 7/Furious Seven/Fast & Furious 7 (狂野時速7)
6 可爱的你/五個小孩的校長 (Little Big Master)
7 念念 (Murmur Of The Hearts)
8 我和DIOR的華麗邂逅 (Dior and I)
9 Wild Tales (無定向喪心病狂)
10 第四公民 (Citizenfour)

Source: Ent Group, HKFlimArt, and WMOOV - retrieved May 14, 2015

Thursday, May 14, 2015

夜宴 - The Banquet - Legend Of The Black Scorpion



夜宴 (The Banquet/ Legend Of The Black Scorpion/Ye Yan) is an 2006 film out of Zhong Guo. The movie stars Zhang Ziyi, Ge You, Daniel Wu and Zhou Xun. Well known Feng Xiaogang directed.

A cross between Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Tarantino’s Kill Bill, scheming royals and other officials attempt to consolidate power in a empire in chaos. Packed with deadly plots, sweeping camerawork, and elaborate fight choreography. (Amazon.com)

I watched this movie around 2007 or so. I really can't remember this movie well. I was only reminded of this film recently after seeing it re-titled as "Legend Of The Black Scorpion" for the USA market. When the film was released, Feng Xiaogang was just starting to make a name for himself. This film was a springboard to his next film and commercial hit, The Assembly (集結號). The four main stars were already established, while Huang Xiaoming's supporting role was short.

I remember the film being a bit of let down in terms of the story, as it was quite too complicated and over the top. The action however was quite awesome and balletic. If you're a wuxia fan and can get over the story, the action scenes are pretty spectacular.





Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Zhong Guo Box Office - May 10, 2015 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: May 10, 2015


Weekend of May 10, 2015
Rank Film Title
1 Furious 7/Furious Seven/Fast & Furious 7 (速度与激情7)
2 何以笙箫默 (You Are My Sunshine)
3 赤道 (Helios)
4 Chappie (超能查派)
5 左耳 (The Left Ear)
6 Home (疯狂外星人)
7 念念 (Murmur Of The Hearts)
8 闯入者 (Red Amnesia)
9 战狼 (Wolf Warriors)
10 阿里巴巴大盗奇兵 (Alibaba And The Thief)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved May 13, 2015

Monday, May 11, 2015

Taiwan Box Office - May 10, 2015 - 台灣票房榜


Weekend of May 10, 2015
Rank Film Title Weeks
1 Avengers: Age Of Ultron (復仇者聯盟2:奧創紀元) 3
2 Big Game (總統遊戲) 1
3 The Age Of Adaline (時空永恆的愛戀) 2
4 Hot Pursuit (辣味雙拼) 1
5 Furious 7/Furious Seven/Fast & Furious 7 (玩命關頭7) 6
6 寄生獸:完結篇 (Parasyte Part 2) 1
7 赤道 (Helios) 2
8 滿月酒 (Baby Steps) 1
9 深夜食堂 (Midnight Diner) 2
10 五月一號 (First Of May) 2
11 Playing It Cool (真愛BJ4) 1
12 The Water Diviner (伊斯坦堡救援) 2
13 七龍珠Z劇場版:復活的F (Dragon Ball Z: Fukkatsu No F) 2
14 Frank (法蘭克) 2
15 行者 (The Walkers) 5
16 裁縫師的美麗人生 1
17 While We're Young (青春倒退嚕) 4
18 White God (忠犬追殺令) 3
19 National Gallery (歡迎光臨國家畫廊) 2
20 念念 (Murmur Of The Hearts) 5

Source: Yahoo! Movies Taiwan - retrieved May 11, 2015

Friday, May 8, 2015

Hong Kong Box Office - May 3, 2015 - 香港票房榜

Hong Kong Box Office - Week Ending: May 3, 2015


Weekend of May 3, 2015
Rank Film Title
1 Avengers: Age Of Ultron (復仇者聯盟2:奧創紀元)
2 赤道 (Helios)
3 Furious 7/Furious Seven/Fast & Furious 7 (狂野時速7)
4 可爱的你/五個小孩的校長 (Little Big Master)
5 念念 (Murmur Of The Hearts)
6 我和DIOR的華麗邂逅 (Dior and I)
7 Wild Tales (無定向喪心病狂)
8 瘋語 (Insanity)
9 衝鋒車 (Two Thumbs Up)
10 姆明:漫遊藍灣 (Muumit Rivieralla/Moomins On The Riviera)

Source: Ent Group, HKFlimArt, and WMOOV - retrieved May 5, 2015

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Fast Five - 玩命關頭5



Fast Five (玩命關頭5) is an 2011 film. The film stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Matt Schulze, Sung Kang, and Dwayne Johnson. As the title suggest, this is the fifth installment of the The Fast and the Furious film series. This film also introduces The Rock as part of the regular cast.



After the events of Fast & Furious, Dominic, Brian, and Mia are on the run and show up in Brazil. Vince has relocated to Brazil and now has an wife and child since the events of the first film. Vince has a heist planned out for cars on a train. In need of some cash, Dominic and Brian agree to help Vince and his friends. They find that the US Feds are on the train and know there's something important about the cars. Dom catches Vince trying to remove a chip from the GSP system. When they find out that the chip is very important, a heist is planned out to steal from the biggest crook in Rio. Enter in the rest of the crew from the previous 4 films. The heist is on and its pretty amazing.



I am writing this review after I've seen Fast & Furious 6 and Furious 7. I still like this movie the best of all of them in the series. When 2, 4, and 6 are in rotation on cable, I barely stop to re-watch. I may feel the same about 7, but time will tell when it goes into rotation on cable. I still stop and watch segments of 5 all the time. 1 seems like its from another era now, something from an bygone era and nostalgic. Tokyo Drift holds a special place still, but its hardly on reruns.

I enjoyed Fast Five because its the most enjoyable heist of them all. From trying to get access to impossible places, to the full use of the team, and to having The Rock on their tail, the movie had all the right elements to make for an lasting impression.




Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Zhong Guo Box Office - May 3, 2015 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: May 3, 2015


Weekend of May 3, 2015
Rank Film Title
1 Furious 7/Furious Seven/Fast & Furious 7 (速度与激情7)
2 何以笙箫默 (You Are My Sunshine)
3 左耳 (The Left Ear)
4 赤道 (Helios)
5 Home (疯狂外星人)
6 战狼 (Wolf Warriors)
7 万物生长 (Ever Since We Love)
8 Sabotage (破坏者)
9 爱我就陪我看电影 (Lovers And Movies)
10 念念 (Murmur Of The Hearts)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved May 5, 2015

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

2015 May Hong Kong Movie Guide

Check out the new release for the Hong Kong region for the rest of May 2015.

Don't forget to check out my May's Blockbusters guide for the USA and March's Hong Kong Movie Guide. Sorry that I totally forgot to do one for the month of April.

赤道 (Helios)



全力扣殺 (Full Strike)



智取威虎山 (The Taking Of Tiger Mountain)



媽咪俠 (Wonder MaMa)



Source: Wmoov Upcoming
Source: Yahoo! Movies Hong Kong

Monday, May 4, 2015

Taiwan Box Office - May 3, 2015 - 台灣票房榜


Weekend of May 3, 2015
Rank Film Title Weeks
1 Avengers: Age Of Ultron (復仇者聯盟2:奧創紀元) 2
2 Furious 7/Furious Seven/Fast & Furious 7 (玩命關頭7) 5
3 赤道 (Helios) 1
4 深夜食堂 (Midnight Diner) 1
5 五月一號 (First Of May) 1
6 The Water Diviner (伊斯坦堡救援) 1
7 七龍珠Z劇場版:復活的F (Dragon Ball Z: Fukkatsu No F) 1
8 The Age Of Adaline (時空永恆的愛戀) 1
9 White God (忠犬追殺令) 2
10 While We're Young (青春倒退嚕) 3
11 Frank (法蘭克) 1
12 念念 (Murmur Of The Hearts) 4
13 行者 (The Walkers) 4
14 National Gallery (歡迎光臨國家畫廊) 1
15 來自星星的傻瓜PK 7
16 The Longest Ride (愛情沒有終點) 4
17 Suite Française (亂世有情天) 1
18 Tour De Force (生命騎士) 1
19 寧靜咖啡館之歌 (The Furthest End Awaits) 2
20 Home (好家在一起) 6

Source: Yahoo! Movies Taiwan - retrieved May 4, 2015

Friday, May 1, 2015

Avengers: Age of Ultron - 復仇者聯盟2:奧創紀元 - First Viewing Thoughts



Avengers: Age of Ultron (復仇者聯盟2:奧創紀元) is an 2015 film. The movie stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner. The supporting cast include Don Cheadle, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Anthony Mackie, Hayley Atwell, Idris Elba, Stellan Skarsgård, James Spader, Samuel L. Jackson, Linda Cardellini, Julie Delpy, Andy Serkis, Claudia Kim, and Stan Lee. This is a sequel to 2012's The Avengers. However, the story chronologically follows the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. television show. I watched this last night as part of the "Midnight" showings, but it was at 7pm on IMAX 3D.



After the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers have been trying to recover some weapons Hydra stole. Along the way, Tony Stark accidentally creates artificial intelligence in the form of Ultron. Ultron than tries to destroy the world and recruits twins with some pretty nice powers and beef with Stark. However, when the twins find out that Ultron means to destroy the world, they side with the Avengers. The Avengers are Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye. The twins are Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. They get a little help from Iron Patriot, Maria Hill, and Nick Fury. Ultron creates Vison during all the brewhaha.



Wow. The movie was an edge of your seat kind of movie. So much stuff going on that you didn't have time to relax. From the get go, it's action. There were tender moments in the film that build your emotional attachment to the characters, the city, and the situation at hand.

This is classic Joss Whedon in a Marvel controlled environment. Classic Joss Whedon wise cracking humor that's made him so beloved during the Buffy and Firefly eras. You've got character development where you least expect it and a whole ensemble cast that needs highlighting. And all this in a little over 2 hours!

I am itching to watch it again at least a couple more times. I can't wait for its release on Blu-ray to go slower through the movie. This Avengers stands by itself and should be watched multiple times.

This fanboy of comics and movies approves.