Zhong Guo Box Office - July 28, 2013 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: July 28, 2013

Weekend of July 28, 2013

Rank	Film Title
1	Fast And Furious 6 (速度与激情6)
2	White House Down (惊天危机)
3	大明猩 (Mr.GO)
4	笔仙Ⅱ (Bunshinsaba 2)
5	After Earth (重返地球)
6	赛尔号大电影3之战神联盟 (Seer III)
7	天台爱情 (The Rooftop)
8	盲探 (Blind Detective)
9	天机-富春山居图 (Switch)
10	火焰山历险记 (Adventure At Flaming Mountains)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved July 29, 2013

Fulltime Killer - 全職殺手

Fulltime Killer (全職殺手) is an 2001 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Andy Lau, Takashi Sorimachi, and Kelly Lin. The supporting cast include Cherrie Ying, Lam Suet, and Simon Yam.



Tok is a very flamboyant assassin that likes to put on a show while he's taking out his targets. O is the top assassin in all of Asia and does things efficiently. When Tok sets his sights on becoming the number one assassin in all of Asia, he starts to infiltrate O's life. Tok looks to Chin, a Taiwanese transplant in Hong Kong who knows Japanese very well. When Tok and Chin get more serious, O starts to react. At the end, they must decide who's the number one assassin in all the land.

This movie was a breathe of fresh air when I first saw it back in 2002. I hadn't seen it right after it's released in 2001, but in 2002 while I was catching up. At that point, the catching was really sad due to overall quality of HK cinema taking a dive. There were gems of the lot, but the majority was mediocre to bad. Fulltime Killer stood out among the rest for its premise, pretty awesome acting from Andy, and great style. Andy was already an HK box office star, but his proved it during a dark time in HK cinema. He carried films all by himself. Fulltime Killer was among one of them.

The way the story ran also gave us great stories to follow as there was interpol chasing O across Thailand, to Japan, and finally to Hong Kong. There was a fair amount of English in the film. Basically letting Kelly Lin and Cherry Ying do their thing having both come from the US of A. Kelly after UCI and Cherry straight after High School.

I have this as one of my top 10 films of the aughts/two thousands. I recently rented it from Netflix again. It was all that and more. You should make it part of your Hong Kong movie viewing pleasure.

Taiwan Box Office - July 28, 2013 - 台灣票房榜

Weekend of July 28, 2013

Rank	Film Title	Weeks
1	The Wolverine (金鋼狼:武士之戰)	1
2	Pacific Rim (環太平洋)	3
3	Despicable Me 2 (神偷奶爸2)	4
4	Red 2 (超危險特工2)	2
5	Monsters University (怪獸大學)	5
6	盲探 (Blind Detective)	1
7	The Lone Ranger (獨行俠)	2
8	Before Midnight (愛在午夜希臘時)	2
9	淒厲人妻 (Pee Mak Phrakanong)	5
10	The Heat (麻辣嬌鋒)	3
11	小時代 (Tiny Times)	2
12	陰巢 (Long Weekend)	1
13	偉大的隱藏者 (Secretly Greatly)	1
14	White House Down (白宮末日)	4
15	World War Z (末日之戰)	6
16	世界第一麥方 (27℃-Loaf Rocks/Pan)	2
17	天台 (RooFTop)	3
18	名偵探柯南：絕海的偵探 (Detective Conan : Private Eye In The Distant Sea)	4
19	Oslo, August 31st (八月三十一日，我在奧斯陸)	1
20	殺人草莓夜 (Strawberry Night)	1

Source: Yahoo! Movies Taiwan - retrieved July 29, 2013

This Is 40 - 四十不惑

This Is 40 (四十不惑) is an 2012 film. The film stars Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann. The supporting cast include John Lithgow, Megan Fox, Albert Brooks, and Charlyne Yi. The movie's main characters were features as supporting roles in Knocked Up. This Is 40 is all about their life as they turn 40.

Debbie and Peter are now 5 years older and moved into a different stage of their life. Debbie owns a boutique and Pete is running his own record label. Both are having trouble financially at their respective world of ownership. Pete's record company is bleeding money and has no lifeline on the horizon. Debbie's boutique is losing money and she suspects it's own of her loyal workers as she has very nice things that shouldn't be affordable on her pay scale. Pete's having a crisis, just not mid life. The movie explores their marriage, their parenting, their relationship to their parents, and outside temptations.

This is 40 use to be the 30-35 for the pre-generation X era. And goes on a little younger with each generation further back in time to when marriage in your teens and having many kids by 25 was common. So, the title of this movie is really for the 2010s era. The era of starting out a little later and thinking career first before settling down and having a family. A few generations ago, you were any empty nester in your late 30s. Yupe, late 30s. Now, 55-60 is probably the norm. How do you even retire and get around the world when you're still simi-mobile.

Back to the movie. The movie was interesting. I am in a similar situation as them. I haven't hit 40 yet, but its right around the corner and I have kids. I didn't go big and go start my own business, but I have a very satisfying career, as does my wife. We're in a much more stable point in our lives. I don't know how it'll be when my gurls hit their tween and teenage years. But the story was based on many assumptions of the American Dream that has slowly been debunked in the last couple of decades. The 1980s were no joke and the "American Dream" premise of fulfillment through material possession seems like a lifetime ago. That same dream now haunts a the "third" world countries trying to bring their populous out of the farm era.

As the movie goes on, I can't but feel bad that this couple's dreams is stuck in the 1980s. And here we are in 2013 and the values of today are much different. Or its just that my circle doesn't include Debbie and Pete's type of people. Which made it hard to relate.

Running Out Of Time 2 - 暗戰2 - 談判專家

Running Out Of Time 2 (暗戰2-談判專家) is an 2001 film out of Hong Kong. The movie stars Sean Lau, Ekin Cheng, and Kelly Lin. The film is the sequel to the highly successful first Running Out Of Time starring Andy Lau.

Lau reprises his role as inspector Ho. Called to the rooftop of a building to stop a suicide jump, he's faced with a new thief, played by Ekin. Lin plays Teresa, an insurance mogul on the heals of a massively lucrative deal. Three items under their insurance is stolen recently and held for ransom by the thief. Ho's group suspect Teresa's firm is involved in some sort of money laundering. When the thief extorts Teresa, Ho steps in to catch him. Reluctantly forced to work together, Ho and Teresa cooperate to catch the thief.

This movie shouldn't have been made. Compared to the first one, this seemed like a TV movie. Ekin's constant smiling came off more cheezy than smart or sinister. Andy just did it better in the first one. The feel of the movie also felt very TV movie like. It seemed the camera angles, production sets all seemed cheap and amateurish. Luckily the movie was in the ~90 minute range. Kelly Lin was what saved the movie for me. Still in her mid twenties when the movie was made, I was kept going with waiting for her to show up in future scenes. A very good ploy that kept me engaged to the end of the film.

Unlike the first film, I don't get the running out of time concept for Ekin as there was no terminal illness. Only that some deal was going to be influenced by X time. Which in comparison to the main protagonist death, seem very insignificant.

Hong Kong Box Office - July 21, 2013 - 香港票房榜

Hong Kong Box Office - Week Ending: July 21, 2013

Weekend of July 21, 2013

Rank	Film Title
1	Monsters University (怪獸大學)
2	Pacific Rim (悍戰太平洋)
3	Despicable Me 2 (壞蛋獎門人2)
4	Turbo (極速TURBO)
5	浮城謎事 (Mystery (2012))
6	盲探 (Blind Detective)
7	World War Z (地球末日戰)
8	I'm So Excited (HIGH爆雲霄)
9	Now You See Me (非常盜)
10	Man Of Steel (超人:鋼鐵英雄)
...	...
18	致我們終將逝去的青春 (Zhi Wo Men Zhong Jiang Shi Qu De Qing Chun/So Young)

Source: Box Office Mojo and WMOOV - retrieved July 25, 2013

- - - - - - -

This weeks report by Box Office Mojo again seems off. The inclusion of Mystery (浮城謎事), which was released in March and isn't even on WMOOV still perplexes me. So again, I include the week totals from Ent Group for the HK box office. I still continue to wonder where Box Office Mojo is getting their stats.

Weekend of July 21, 2013

Rank	Film Title
1	Monsters University (怪獸大學/怪兽大学)
2	Pacific Rim (悍戰太平洋)
3	Despicable Me 2 (壞蛋獎門人2)
4	迷離夜/迷离夜 (Tales From The Dark 1)
5	盲探 (Blind Detective)
6	Turbo (極速TURBO)
7	飛虎出征 (SDU: Sex Duties Unit)
8	World War Z (地球末日戰)
9	Man Of Steel (超人:鋼鐵英雄)
10	Now You See Me (非常盜)

Source: Ent Group and WMOOV - retrieved July 24, 2013

The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils - 天龍八部 - 2013 - Upcoming

The 2013 version of 天龍八部 (The Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils) is about to be broadcast in Zhong guo. This series has both bromances and romances galore.

You'll also notice the love triangle brought back to life from a previous Jin Yong series from 2002. Guess away. I've got the picture above as your hint.

The main three actors seem to fit the roles. An international cast at work to reach the furthest reaches of Asia.



DOOD! when will this wuxia series make it to the US!

Zhong Guo Box Office - July 21, 2013 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: July 21, 2013

Weekend of July 21, 2013

Rank	Film Title
1	After Earth (重返地球)
2	大明猩 (Mr.GO)
3	笔仙Ⅱ (Bunshinsaba 2)
4	天台爱情 (The Rooftop)
5	盲探 (Blind Detective)
6	赛尔号大电影3之战神联盟 (Seer III)
7	小时代 (Tiny Times)
8	Man Of Steel (超人:钢铁之躯)
9	Sur la piste du Marsupilami (追踪长尾豹马修)
10	火焰山历险记 (Adventure At Flaming Mountains)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved July 22, 2013

Chinese Cuisine Mecca - The San Gabriel Valley In Los Angeles

Seems that the SGV or the 626 is starting to gain fame around the world! AFP did a story on called, "LA's San Gabriel Valley a new mecca for Chinese cuisine" with the abstract of "With a majority Chinese-American population, the San Gabriel Valley suburb of Los Angeles is home to some of the most authentic and innovative Chinese cuisine in the United States". The AFP is not from around the SGV.

Although locals know that restaurants are no longer just in the SGV, it still has the most in number and types. The SGV in terms of the Chinese stuff is broken into two sections. The half to the west of the 605 freeway and the other half to the east of the 605. Even within these halves, there are sections, but that's too much to try to explain in this post.

The half with the majority of the restaurants is the western half. You'll also find more varieties of restaurants. Like the Shanxi Gourmet featured in the video and other more regional foods. And it has Din Tai Fung. The eastern half is also mostly in the 626, but it also contains the 909 and 562 area codes. The eastern SGV does have more area, but the Chinese restaurants are closer to 200 (my humble estimation) and more centralized around the 60 freeway. Western SGV is just a mass of more stuff.

And just a comparison, back growing up in the 1980s, my family would trek out to Monterey Park to eat authentic Chinese food. Away from eastern SGV. =[

Chinese restaurants are popping up all over the Greater Los Angeles Area. There are legit restaurants from the other valley, San Fernando all the way down to OC. And that's just the Chinese restaurants we're talking about here.

Taiwan Box Office - July 21, 2013 - 台灣票房榜

Weekend of July 21, 2013

Rank	Film Title	Weeks
1	Pacific Rim (環太平洋)	2
2	Despicable Me 2 (神偷奶爸2)	3
3	Red 2 (超危險特工2)	1
4	Monsters University (怪獸大學)	4
5	The Lone Ranger (獨行俠)	1
6	The Heat (麻辣嬌鋒)	2
7	Before Midnight (愛在午夜希臘時)	1
8	White House Down (白宮末日)	3
9	淒厲人妻 (Pee Mak Phrakanong)	4
10	小時代 (Tiny Times)	1
11	世界第一麥方 (27℃-Loaf Rocks/Pan)	1
12	天台 (RooFTop)	2
13	World War Z (末日之戰)	5
14	名偵探柯南：絕海的偵探 (Detective Conan : Private Eye In The Distant Sea)	3
15	破案天才伽利略:真夏方程式 (Midsummer Formula)	3
16	Escape from Planet Earth (地球人壞壞)	1
17	Now You See Me (出神入化)	8
18	The Internship (實習大叔)	4
19	Tour de Force (騎動人生)	1
20	The Girl With Nine Wigs (9頂假髮的女孩)	2

Source: Yahoo! Movies Taiwan - retrieved July 22, 2013

Battleship - 超級戰艦

Battleship (超級戰艦) is an 2012 film. The movie stars Taylor Kitsch. The supporting cast include Alexander Skarsgård, Rihanna, Brooklyn Decker, and Liam Neeson. The movie is advertised as being based loosely off a popular board game of the same name.

Taylor plays a navy seaman that gets into trouble a lot. But he's such a catch that the admiral's daughter finds him hot. Out on a routine training exercise, they are attacked by aliens. The the reconnaissance crew sent by the aliens crash lands by an island in Hawaii. The navy's ships are there, including Taylors. After some display of ultimate power from the aliens, they settle down and try to phone home. Taylor and what's left of the navy try to stop them.

I saw this movie via both rented blu-ray and on HBO. I had a hard time sitting through the whole thing. Almost none of the main characters appealed to me. I flat out didn't like them. They had heart during the battle as they should, but on their off hours, I don't know. I'd avoid them. Which made avoiding this movie something I wanted to do. But HBO's constant reruns got me. I got through the movie over like a span of a month. Just like its box office take, something you don't really need to watch unless HBO repeats it like crazy again.

Hong Kong Box Office - July 14, 2013 - 香港票房榜

Hong Kong Box Office - Week Ending: July 14, 2013

Weekend of July 14, 2013

Rank	Film Title
1	Monsters University (怪獸大學)
2	Despicable Me 2 (壞蛋獎門人2)
3	浮城謎事 (Mystery (2012))
4	盲探 (Blind Detective)
5	World War Z (地球末日戰)
6	Man Of Steel (超人:鋼鐵英雄)
7	Now You See Me (非常盜)
8	神探伽俐略2:真夏方程式 (Midsummer Formula/Midsummer's Equation)
9	Epic (綠國奇兵)
10	那年遇上世之介 (Yokomichi Yonosuke/A Story Of Yonosuke)
...	...
14	致我們終將逝去的青春 (Zhi Wo Men Zhong Jiang Shi Qu De Qing Chun/So Young)
...	...
15	中國合伙人 (Zhong Guo He Huo Ren/American Dreams In China)

Source: Box Office Mojo and WMOOV - retrieved July 16, 2013

- - - - - - -

This weeks report by Box Office Mojo again seems off. The inclusion of Mystery (浮城謎事), which was released in March and isn't even on WMOOV perplexes me. So again, I include the week totals from Ent Group for the HK box office. I would like to know where Box Office Mojo is getting their stats. Last week's omission of World War Z was glaring and this week's inclusion of Mystery is a head scratcher.

Weekend of July 14, 2013

Rank	Film Title
1	Monsters University (怪獸大學/怪兽大学)
2	Despicable Me 2 (壞蛋獎門人2)
3	盲探 (Blind Detective)
4	迷離夜/迷离夜 (Tales From The Dark 1)
5	Man Of Steel (超人:鋼鐵英雄)
6	World War Z (地球末日戰)
7	Now You See Me (非常盜)
8	神探伽俐略2:真夏方程式 (Midsummer Formula/Midsummer's Equation)
9	Epic (綠國奇兵)
10	那年遇上世之介/横道世之介 (Yokomichi Yonosuke/A Story Of Yonosuke)

Source: Ent Group and WMOOV - retrieved July 16, 2013

世界第一麥方 - Pan - 27℃-Loaf Rocks

世界第一麥方 (Pan/27℃-Loaf Rocks) is being released in Taipei this coming weekend. The movie brings the art of Taiwanese bakeries to the forefront again. The desire to be the best, ichiban, or number 1 is part of competition. May the bake be with them!

I am not sure how much I want to watch this. The trailer wasn't too compelling. I will definitely need subtitles for this.

Based on the true story of Wu Pao-chun, a Taiwanese baker that made it big at the 2010 Bakery World Cup. Imma gonna guess the story will be embellished with screams from the rooftop and things thrown against walls for extra emotional emphasis.

Sacrifice - 趙氏孤兒

Sacrifice (趙氏孤兒) is an 2010 film out of Zhong Guo. The movie stars Ge You, Wang Xueqi, and Huang Xiaoming. The supporting cast includes Fan Bingbing and Vincent Zhao. The movie is directed by Chen Kaige.

Two Generals have beef with each other. One general frames the other general by poisoning the Duke. The framed general's whole clan of ~300 is killed. The only survivor is baby Zhao. A local doctor is the one that saves the baby from the grips of the general that wins. When the manhunt for baby Zhao takes the life of the doctor's son, he vows revenge. But a long drawn out revenge plan is hard to pull off, especially if it take 15 years. The doctor decides to raise baby Zhao and use him to take revenge on the general for his son. In the process, he sacrifices his wife, son, and his honor.

This movie was pretty good. Good acting, engaging story, and rather suspenseful. The matter of how things plays out kept me at the edge of my seat. I really didn't know which way things would go. Fan Bingbing's part was rather small, but quite emotional. Huang Xiaoming also plays a bit part. The main acting is left to Ge You and Wang Xueqi. Even though them two aren't the prettiest things to look at, their acting was superb.

Zhong Guo Box Office - July 14, 2013 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: July 14, 2013

Weekend of July 14, 2013

Rank	Film Title
1	After Earth (重返地球)
2	盲探 (Blind Detective)
3	天台爱情 (The Rooftop)
4	小时代 (Tiny Times)
5	赛尔号大电影3之战神联盟 (Seer III)
6	Man Of Steel (超人:钢铁之躯)
7	不二神探 (Badges Of Fury)
8	Bullet To The Head (赤警威龙)
9	Man Of Tai Chi (太极侠)
10	开心超人 (Happy Heroes)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved July 15, 2013

Asians Eat Stuff - It Is NOT Weird

Recently, the duo that brought us Colima Road and The 626, released their ode to "weird" things Asians eat. I was totally offended. Stinky Tofu (pictured above) is not weird. It's AWESOME!

However, here in the good ol US of A, y'all might think its weird, but it rocks.

Check out the WSJ article, the YouTube video, and go eat some Stinky Tofu.

Taiwan Box Office - July 14, 2013 - 台灣票房榜

Weekend of July 14, 2013

Rank	Film Title	Weeks
1	Pacific Rim (環太平洋)	1
2	Despicable Me 2 (神偷奶爸2)	2
3	Monsters University (怪獸大學)	3
4	The Heat (麻辣嬌鋒)	1
5	White House Down (白宮末日)	2
6	天台 (RooFTop)	1
7	World War Z (末日之戰)	4
8	名偵探柯南：絕海的偵探 (Detective Conan : Private Eye In The Distant Sea)	2
9	淒厲人妻 (Pee Mak Phrakanong)	3
10	The Internship (實習大叔)	3
11	破案天才伽利略:真夏方程式 (Midsummer Formula)	2
12	Now You See Me (出神入化)	7
13	The Girl With Nine Wigs (9頂假髮的女孩)	1
14	Out in the Dark (愛,悄悄越界)	1
15	Man Of Steel (超人:鋼鐵英雄)	5
16	My Awkward Sexual Adventure (我的性愛六堂課)	3
17	The Angels’ Share (天使威士忌)	4
18	我們的交換日記 (The Last Chance: Diary of Comedians)	1
19	Camille Rewinds (再一次初戀)	2
20	艷之夜 (Before the Vigil)	2

Source: Yahoo! Movies Taiwan - retrieved July 15, 2013

The Guillotines - 血滴子

血滴子 (The Guillotines) is an 2012 film out of Hong Kong and Zhong Guo. It was released in the US of A on June 14, 2013 in theaters and VOD. The movie stars Ethan Juan and Huang Xiaoming. Shawn Yue and Li Yuchun round out the rest of the supporting cast. This film was very loosely based on the Guillotine movies of the 1970s. However, this movie is completely new.

During Qianlong's rule, he inherited a secret squad called the Guillotines. They carried out secret missions effectively, efficiently, and ruthlessly. Each head was a reward of 10 teals. When a messiah figure called Wolf appears, the Guillotines are sent to squash the rebellion. However, they do not and one of their squad members is kidnapped. Forced to recover their friend, but also take down Wolf, they are left with very little options. When the emperor sends the firearm squad to replace them, all heck breaks loose.

This film was loooooonnnnnnnng. At least it felt that way. I was very bored watching it. The first half was completely confusing. I kept asking myself, what is going on and what does this all mean. If I wasn't watching with someone else, I may have turned it off never to return. At last, I sat through the second half. And the payoff left me very disappointed. The confusing parts of the first half are answered slowly, but in a very unsatisfying way.

In the end, it went soapbox as they talked about rebellion, equality, and peace in life. I wasn't sure how this was playing out in terms of their view on mainland Zhong Guo. Which is massively controlled by the government, yet deals corruption that bankrupts the people's trust. Sucking it up and moving on can only last so long and as Zhong Guo continues to move into the global market in not only exports, but thought leadership. A bubble "burst" is definitely possible, but I think gradual change is more likely.

The Love Of A Mother - Fighting Cancer

A heartbreaking story out of the LA Times last week. Nina Polvanich Louie has Stage IV cancer and has a 1-in-20,000 chance of finding a bone marrow match. Having gone through chemo already, she's reminded everyday to keep fighting to see her 2 year old son grow up.

As a father to two young children, I often dream about what their lives will be like. If they'll be b-gurls, filmmakers, youtube celebrity, or just regular folk like my wife and I. I think about their teenage years and when I will walk them down the aisle.

Back in college, I contributed my bone marrow. Now it's your turn.

For more info on how to help please visit:
www.savenina.com
Facebook: Save Nina
Be the match website: marrow.org

Hong Kong Box Office - July 7, 2013 - 香港票房榜

Hong Kong Box Office - Week Ending: July 7, 2013

Weekend of July 7, 2013

Rank	Film Title
1	Despicable Me 2 (壞蛋獎門人2)
2	盲探 (Blind Detective)
3	Man Of Steel (超人:鋼鐵英雄)
4	Epic (綠國奇兵)
5	神探伽俐略2:真夏方程式 (Midsummer Formula/Midsummer's Equation)
6	Now You See Me (非常盜)
7	不二神探 (Bu Er Shen Tan/Badges of Fury)
8	那年遇上世之介 (Yokomichi Yonosuke/A Story Of Yonosuke)
9	戇爸的禮物 (Miracle In Cell No. 7)
10	Searching For Sugar Man (尋找隱世巨聲)
...	...
12	中國合伙人 (Zhong Guo He Huo Ren/American Dreams In China)
...	...
13	致我們終將逝去的青春 (Zhi Wo Men Zhong Jiang Shi Qu De Qing Chun/So Young)

Source: Box Office Mojo and WMOOV - retrieved July 10, 2013

- - - - - - -

You'll notice how there's a glaring omission of a filmed released last week. World War Z. Don't know where Box Office Mojo got their stats from. I am also going to report EntGroup's HK chart this week too.

Weekend of July 7, 2013

Rank	Film Title
1	Man Of Steel (超人:鋼鐵英雄)
2	Despicable Me 2 (壞蛋獎門人2)
3	World War Z (地球末日戰)
4	盲探 (Blind Detective)
5	Epic (綠國奇兵)
6	神探伽俐略2:真夏方程式 (Midsummer Formula/Midsummer's Equation)
7	Now You See Me (非常盜)
8	不二神探 (Bu Er Shen Tan/Badges of Fury)
9	戇爸的禮物 (Miracle In Cell No. 7)
10	全職獵人劇場版:緋色的幻影 (Hunter x Hunter: Phantom Rouge/Gekijouban Hunter×Hunter)

Source: Ent Group and WMOOV - retrieved July 11, 2013

天台 - The RooFToP - Upcoming

天台 (RooFToP) is being released in Taipei this weekend. The movie has Jay Chou not only staring in the movie, but behind the camera (sort of) as well. Jay also co-wrote the movie.

Here's the Fandango Synopsis, "When Gao meets his dream girl, a billboard beauty named Sian, fate takes him on a wild ride through romance, friendship, and gang rivalry, all told through enchanting melodies and stunning dance numbers".

This film is being touted as a new genre with its mix of action, dance, and "musical". Jay's also got buff for the film. If you search on images of his for this movie, he's not shy about showing his six pack.

The movie will be released by Well Go USA in a couple of weeks here in LA. I will do my darnest to make the showing.

Zhong Guo Box Office - July 7, 2013 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: July 7, 2013

Weekend of July 7, 2013

Rank	Film Title
1	小时代 (Tiny Times)
2	盲探 (Blind Detective)
3	Man Of Steel (超人:钢铁之躯)
4	不二神探 (Badges Of Fury)
5	Man Of Tai Chi (太极侠)
6	开心超人 (Happy Heroes)
7	萨米大冒险2 (Sammy's Adventures 2)
8	咒丝 (The Deadly Strands)
9	初恋未满 (Singing When We Are Young)
10	枕边有张脸 (Mysterious Face)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved July 9, 2013

John Carter - 異星戰場:強卡特戰記

John Carter (異星戰場:強卡特戰記) is an 2012 film. The movie stars Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins. The movie is based on the legendary Barsoom book series by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The movie is also noted as one of the biggest financial flops of the 2012 movie year. The movie cost an upwards of $300 million and generated roughly ~$282 million worldwide.

John Carter is an treasure hunter that stumbles on the Spider Cave of Gold. A gun fight breaks out and he's sent to Mars. Once on Mars, Carter has extra ordinary powers and helps on clan fight the other clan. We're introduced to the many clans, tribes, and cities of the planet. The technology seems to far more advanced than even modern day Earth. Just when there's a breaking point on Mars...I can't. It'll be spoilers.

The movie was not all that bad. Maybe it was because I went in thinking it would suck bad. It didn't. It was actually entertaining. I like sci-fi and this was well made sci-fi. The movie plot however was quite poor. Marry the great sci-fi and poor story telling, you get a decent film.

Taiwan Box Office - July 7, 2013 - 台灣票房榜

Weekend of July 7, 2013

Rank	Film Title	Weeks
1	Monsters University (怪獸大學)	2
2	Despicable Me 2 (神偷奶爸2)	1
3	White House Down (白宮末日)	1
4	World War Z (末日之戰)	3
5	名偵探柯南：絕海的偵探 (Detective Conan : Private Eye In The Distant Sea)	1
6	淒厲人妻 (Pee Mak Phrakanong)	2
7	The Internship (實習大叔)	2
8	Man Of Steel (超人:鋼鐵英雄)	4
9	Now You See Me (出神入化)	6
10	破案天才伽利略:真夏方程式 (Midsummer Formula)	1
11	The Angels’ Share (天使威士忌)	3
12	My Awkward Sexual Adventure (我的性愛六堂課)	2
13	Camille Rewinds (再一次初戀)	1
14	Fast And Farious 6 (玩命關頭6)	7
15	Side Effects (藥命關係)	4
16	艷之夜 (Before the Vigil)	1
17	The Great Gatsby (大亨小傳)	8
18	Stand Up Guys (王牌雙賊)	1
19	Renoir (印象雷諾瓦)	6
20	The Kirishima Thing (聽說桐島退社了)	4

Source: Yahoo! Movies Taiwan - retrieved July 8, 2013

小時代 - Tiny Times - Upcoming

小時代 (Tiny Times) was the top movie in Zhong Guo's box office last weekend. I had seen the trailers for it a month or so back and totally forgot about its release. I would have to rank this movie as one of the top releases of the year. The reason is due to the cast. A mix of mainland China and Taiwanese young stars comprise the leading roles. Will this usher in a new "style" of cinema for mainland films? I have a feeling that it will.

I for one will be looking forward to seeing this in the near future. 蘇打綠 (Sodagreen) also contributes an amazing song for the movie.

It'll be released in Hong Kong and Taiwan later in July.

Hong Kong Box Office - June 30, 2013 - 香港票房榜

Hong Kong Box Office - Week Ending: June 30, 2013

Weekend of June 30, 2013

Rank	Film Title
1	Man Of Steel (超人:鋼鐵英雄)
2	World War Z (地球末日戰)
3	Epic (綠國奇兵)
4	Now You See Me (非常盜)
5	神探伽俐略2:真夏方程式 (Midsummer Formula/Midsummer's Equation)
6	Despicable Me 2 (壞蛋獎門人2)
7	不二神探 (Bu Er Shen Tan/Badges of Fury)
8	戇爸的禮物 (Miracle In Cell No. 7)
9	中國合伙人 (Zhong Guo He Huo Ren/American Dreams In China)
10	致我們終將逝去的青春 (Zhi Wo Men Zhong Jiang Shi Qu De Qing Chun/So Young)
...	...
25	天機-富春山居圖 (Switch)

Source: Box Office Mojo and WMOOV - retrieved July 2, 2013

2013 July Offbeat Movie Guide

July's Blockbusters may get all the attention, but there also are those that dare to walk the path less traveled. You might be one of them. Here's a few "offbeat" movies for you to chew on. This list is based on USA release dates.

Girl Most Likely



Blue Jasmine



The Way Way Back (三分男孩)



Fruitvale Station



Only God Forgives



Hammer Of The Gods



Stuck In Love



Killing Season (復仇人獵人)

Zhong Guo Box Office - June 30, 2013 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: June 30, 2013

Weekend of June 30, 2013

Rank	Film Title
1	小时代 (Tiny Times)
2	Man Of Steel (超人:钢铁之躯)
3	不二神探 (Badges Of Fury)
4	开心超人 (Happy Heroes)
5	萨米大冒险2 (Sammy's Adventures 2)
6	Star Trek Into Darkness (星际迷航:暗黑无界)
7	枕边有张脸 (Mysterious Face)
8	天机-富春山居图 (Switch)
9	中国合伙人 (American Dreams in China)
10	Colombiana (致命黑兰)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved July 1, 2013

The Whole Nine Yards - 殺手不眨眼

The Whole Nine Yards (殺手不眨眼) is an 2000 film. The movie stars Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry. The supporting cast include Rosanna Arquette, Michael Clarke Duncan, Natasha Henstridge, Amanda Peet, and Kevin Pollak.

Willis plays Jimmy "the Tulip" Tudeski, a famous hitman. He's made by his neighbor, played by Perry, Nicholas "Oz" Ozeranski. Oz was from Chicago but is now working in Quebec as a dentist. As they become friends, Jimmy ask Oz to help him out. Pull in old flames, a conniving wife, law enforcement, you've got a crazy story.

I've seen this film on and off through the years as it's a constant on reruns. I actually saw this in the theatre back in 2000 at the height of the "Friends" era of TV dominance. Throw in lots of other familiar faces like Henstridge and Arquette, it was a very fun watch. The character was just a more scared version of Chandler Bing. Which didn't make it a stretch to believe Perry in this role. The unique parts were when Arquette, Duncan, Henstridge, and Peet played against their "type" up to that point in their careers.

Taiwan Box Office - June 30, 2013 - 台灣票房榜

Weekend of June 30, 2013

Rank	Film Title	Weeks
1	Monsters University (怪獸大學)	1
2	World War Z (末日之戰)	2
3	The Internship (實習大叔)	1
4	Man Of Steel (超人:鋼鐵英雄)	3
5	Now You See Me (出神入化)	5
6	淒厲人妻 (Pee Mak Phrakanong)	1
7	Fast And Farious 6 (玩命關頭6)	6
8	Side Effects (藥命關係)	3
9	不二神探 (Badges of Fury)	1
10	Movie 43 (激愛543)	1
11	The Great Gatsby (大亨小傳)	7
12	My Awkward Sexual Adventure (我的性愛六堂課)	1
13	The Angels’ Share (天使威士忌)	2
14	搜索 (Caught In The Web)	1
15	The Kirishima Thing (聽說桐島退社了)	3
16	After Earth (地球過後)	4
17	The Place Beyond the Pines (末路車神)	4
18	Escape From Tibet (遠離西藏)	7
19	Makkhi (終極唬神:愛的大復仇)	1
20	Renoir (印象雷諾瓦)	5

Source: Yahoo! Movies Taiwan - retrieved July 1, 2013

2013 July Blockbuster Movie Guide

Here's the July edition of movies to look out for this month.

天台 (RooFToP)



盲探 (Blind Detective)



大鬧天宮3D (The Monkey King)



The Lone Ranger (獨行俠)



Grown Ups 2 (亞當等大人2)



Pacific Rim (環太平洋)



R.I.P.D. (降魔戰警)



The Wolverine (金鋼狼:武士之戰)