The Ultimate Fighter Zhong Guo

The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) makes its way to Zhong Guo. Broadcast start on December 7, 2013 in Zhong Guo. Hopefully, the UFC will put the episodes online like they did for TUF Brazil. The show's already done filming if its going to broadcast next week. The main coach is Cung Le as an umbrella coach for both teams. The team coaches are current UFC fighter, Zhang Tiequan. Zhang goes up against an unknown to me, Ao Hailin.

The UFC is following the lead of the rest of the world, following the money to Zhong Guo. With 1.3 billion people, a market share even in the high single digit percentages can make a company. In particular, Zhong Guo has no stand out fighters. Zhang is the standout and he's lost three fights in a row and didn't even fight in 2013. Legends and BC are trying to capture the market there, but both have non-domestic backers. The UFC can make it and it will try with TUF there. Does Zhong Guo deserve a TUF, most likely not. I can think of 3 other countries with small populations that have produced most successful fighters than Zhong Guo. Just look to the north and south UFC.

I will look forward to the show. The show is mostly Zhong Guo based fighters, but there is one fighter from the USA, a fighter Canada who's interested in Chinese Culture, a fighter form Malaysia, and a fighter from Taiwan.

Good luck TUF.

Hong Kong Box Office - November 24, 2013 - 香港票房榜

Hong Kong Box Office - Week Ending: November 24, 2013

Weekend of November 24, 2013

Rank	Film Title
1	The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (飢餓遊戲2:星火燎原)
2	Escape Plan (逃亡大計)
3	Thor: The Dark World (雷神奇俠2:黑暗世界)
4	殭屍 (Rigor Mortis)
5	Insidious Chapter 2 (兒凶續集)
6	誰調換了我的父親 (Soshite Chichi Ni Naru/Like Father, Like Son)
7	The Counselor (黑權大狀)
8	爆3俏嬌娃 (Kick Ass Girls)
9	過界 (Bends)
10	Captain Phillips (盜海狙擊)
...	...
12	爸媽不在家 (Ilo Ilo)
...	...
14	全民目擊 (Silent Witness)

Source: Box Office Mojo and WMOOV - retrieved November 28, 2013

Oldboy - US Edition - Upcoming

Oldboy, the US Edition makes it way to the theatres this weekend. Oldboy is an mid-1990 manga out of Japan. In 2003, a movie from Korea popularized it international. At one point, the US Edition had very famous people attached to it. Justin Lin, Steven Spielberg, and Will Smith to name a few. Eventually, it fell to Spike Lee. Spike says that the movie is not a remake and draws inspiration from the manga series instead.

For myself, I remember watching the Korean version in 2004. Up to that point, I wasn't an avid fan of Korean cinema. Although I had watched many, I watched a lot more HK and anime. But after that Oldboy, I was hooked on Korean cinema for a few years. It was hit and miss than and it still is now.

As for this US Edition coming out this weekend. Thank goodness its finally out and we don't have to speculate if its a remake, a abomination for taking on a classic, etc. Its out. Nothing anyone can do about it. I for one will rent it in the future and watch it. The storyline seems very Japanese, if you watch enough anime, every cultural taboo is broken at some point. If the storyline is close to the Korean version, the subject matter will be a shock to the audience. I won't be letting my girls watch until they are off to college.

Zhong Guo Box Office - November 24, 2013 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: November 24, 2013

Weekend of November 24, 2013

Rank	Film Title
1	Gravity (地心引力)
2	The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (饥饿游戏2:星火燎原)
3	Thor: The Dark World (雷神2:黑暗世界)
4	Escape Plan (金蝉脱壳)
5	控制 (Control)
6	Red 2 (赤焰战场2)
7	Hotel Transylvania (精灵旅社)
8	我爱的是你爱我 (Love You for Loving Me)
9	我的男男男男朋友 (My Boyfriends)
10	意外的恋爱时光 (Love Speaks)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved November 26, 2013

Aftershock - 唐山大地震

Aftershock (唐山大地震) is an 2010 film out of Zhong Guo. The film stars Xu Fan, Zhang Jingchu, Li Chen, Chen Daoming, and Lu Yi. The movie takes place at the start movie with the 1976 Tangshan earthquake and ends with the 2008 Sichuan earthquake.

A family of 4 live life in the summer 1976 in the Tangshan region of Zhong Guo. Mom, Dad, Older Sister, and Younger Brother make it go at life everyday. On the night of the 1976 earthquake, the mom, older sister, and younger brother survive. The dad is killed running into the building to save the kids. During the rescue, the workers ask the mom to decide whom to save as the stone on top of both of them would kill the other if moved. The mom doesn't choose. When the workers start to leave, the mom announces to save the brother. As luck would have it, the sister's body is laid down with the rest of the deceased bodies. But the sister wakes up and walks around, before being picked up by the military workers. The mom and brother make it through the end of the 70s and 80s in the general area of Tangshan. The sister is adopted and raised by a military couple. The brother also lost an arm in the earthquake. The story diverges into the lives of the three. The hardships of life and their eventual reunion during the 2008 earthquake.



This movie was well made. The fictional storyline seemed very plausible and the parallel lives apart showed a sense of lost and longing for family. Xu Fan and Zhang Jingchu really carry the emotional weight of the film. Zhang's rebel attitude and immigrant life harken to those that I might run into here in LA. The live of the ever faithful wife played by Xu is tragic and yet heart warming at the same time.

As a movie based on a tragic event, the movie does try to bring out some positives. The reunion of a family and the process of healing after mother nature speaks up.

Taiwan Box Office - November 24, 2013 - 台灣票房榜

Weekend of November 24, 2013

Rank	Film Title	Weeks
1	The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (飢餓遊戲:星火燎原)	1
2	看見台灣 (Beyond Beauty - Taiwan From Above)	4
3	Captain Phillips (怒海劫)	2
4	Thor: The Dark World (雷神索爾2:黑暗世界)	4
5	殭屍 (Rigor Mortis)	3
6	Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 (食破天驚2)	3
7	The Best Offer (寂寞拍賣師)	1
8	秋香 (Chiu-Hsiang)	1
9	The Sapphires (閃亮女聲)	1
10	我死在去年夏天 (Last Summer)	3
11	The Vocano (尪某愛計較)	2
12	幸福快遞 (Love Transplantation)	2
13	Insidious: Chapter 2 (陰兒房第2章:陰魂守舍)	5
14	Escape Plan (鋼鐵墳墓)	6
15	一首搖滾上月球 (Rock Me To The Moon)	8
16	Haute Cuisine (巴黎御膳房)	2
17	縱行囝仔 (Trekking The Way Home)	7
18	大奧:永遠 (The Castle of Crossed Destinies)	1
19	我的意外爸爸 (Like Father Like Son)	5
20	夢見 (Mida)	2

Source: Yahoo! Movies Taiwan - retrieved November 25, 2013

Jeremy Lin In Da Clutch

Last night, Jeremy Lin started again in a lopsided win over the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves. Jeremy Lin ended the game with 19 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds, and 5 turnovers. 2 of those TOs were ugly.

However, the play of the game was his last second 3 pointer before the first half expired. And a "dance" and semi-strut afterward. I caught the rerun via NBA TV earlier this morning.



NBA Rockets' link to the shot

Hong Kong Box Office - November 17, 2013 - 香港票房榜

Hong Kong Box Office - Week Ending: November 17, 2013

Weekend of November 17, 2013

Rank	Film Title
1	Thor: The Dark World (雷神奇俠2:黑暗世界)
2	Escape Plan (逃亡大計)
3	The Counselor (黑權大狀)
4	Insidious Chapter 2 (兒凶續集)
5	殭屍 (Rigor Mortis)
6	爆3俏嬌娃 (Kick Ass Girls)
7	誰調換了我的父親 (Soshite Chichi Ni Naru/Like Father, Like Son)
8	Ender's Game (宇宙生還戰—安達的戰爭遊戲)
9	Captain Phillips (盜海狙擊)
10	Prisoners (罪迷宮)
...	...
12	全民目擊 (Silent Witness)
...	...
20	特殊身份 (Dak Siu San Fan/Special ID)
...	...
21	狂舞派 (The Way We Dance)

Source: Box Office Mojo and WMOOV - retrieved November 20, 2013

陣頭 - Din Tao: Leader of the Parade

陣頭 (Din Tao:Leader of the Parade) is an 2012 film out of Taiwan. The film stars Alan Ke. The rest of the ensemble cast include Crystal Lin, Alien Huang, and Samantha Ko. Cameo apperances by Esther Liu and Matilda Tao. The movie is inspired by the real life Din Tao troupe from Taichung, Taiwan called Jyou-Tian Folk Drum and Arts Group (九天民俗技藝團). Din Tao is a traditional troupe that plays during religious festivals in Taiwan.

Da and Wu-Cheng are school brothers in a Din Tao group. After years of fighting, they finally split. Da and Wu-Cheng go in very different paths. One is successful and one is on a much smaller scale. They both have sons that grow up to join the family business. However, one goes off to Taipei in search of fame in a rock band. When things don't work, he returns home. The son gets interested in the Din Tao business and integrates some "rock" antics into traditional Din Tao.

The movie was a good watch. A feel good movie with nice eye candy and a engaging story of tradition vs modern day advances. The generation gap challenges and how to keep tradition alive as well. A good watch and feel good movie.

Zhong Guo Box Office - November 17, 2013 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: November 17, 2013

Weekend of November 17, 2013

Rank	Film Title
1	Thor: The Dark World (雷神2:黑暗世界)
2	Escape Plan (金蝉脱壳)
3	Red 2 (赤焰战场2)
4	我爱的是你爱我 (Love You for Loving Me)
5	意外的恋爱时光 (Love Speaks)
6	Hotel Transylvania (精灵旅社)
7	我的男男男男朋友 (My Boyfriends)
8	步步追魂 (Bu Bu Zhui Hun)
9	Stalingrad (斯大林格勒)
10	少女灵异日记 (Black Mirror)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved November 20, 2013

A Wedding Invitation - 分手合约 - 分手合約

A Wedding Invitation (分手合约/分手合約) is an 2013 film out of Zhong Guo. The movie stars Eddie Peng and Bai Baihe. The supporting cast include Pace Wu and Jiang Jingfu. The movie is directed by Korean maestro, Oh Ki-hwan. And distributed by Korean based, CJ Entertainment. The movie spent several weeks atop Zhong Guo's box Office this past spring. I got it as a rental from my local library.



The movie starts in college where Peng woos Bai. Bai is sad and Peng cooks his way into her heart. However, as they graduated from college in Beijing, Bai breaks up with Peng citing that he doesn't have a good job, doesn't have a house, no ring, and doesn't have enough money to buy her her dream wedding gown. Peng doesn't give up and ask how long they should they split for for. Bai suggest 5 years and they thumb print an agreement. The agreement states that if they are both single in 5 years, they would marry. Fast forward about 5 years later. Bai is now a successful artist who is really into food residing in the Shanghai area. A foodie to some degree. Peng has stayed in Beijing and has become a successful chef competing on a televised cooking competition. Peng invites Bai back to Beijing to celebrate his wedding.

Wow, the synopsis is only a third of the movie above. If I go more, I'll reveal too much! I don't want to give too many plot points away. As such, you can imagine that the movie goes into more hijinx. It is a rom-com.

Peng is looking good in this movie. Peng looked the part of starving student when he tried to woo her in school. Bai has an both serious and goofiness to her that does translate to the screen. By the middle of the film, you have grown to like both. Which is where twists and turns start to take place until the ending. In Korean drama-ish fashion, the movie romanticizes food, lost love, and the drive to obtain success. But if I give the kicker away, I can't really write about it.

My wife and I watched this and both liked it. It was a good watch and entertained us for one evening. I don't think I'll get a chance to watch this again, but who knows. Watch it as it is a nice rom-com, sorta, out of Zhong Guo. Eddie Peng fans will like him in this movie. Peng is starting to show signs of a long and lasting career as a leading man.

Taiwan Box Office - November 17, 2013 - 台灣票房榜

Weekend of November 17, 2013

Rank	Film Title	Weeks
1	Thor: The Dark World (雷神索爾2:黑暗世界)	3
2	Captain Phillips (怒海劫)	1
3	看見台灣 (Beyond Beauty - Taiwan From Above)	3
4	殭屍 (Rigor Mortis)	2
5	Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 (食破天驚2)	2
6	Escape Plan (鋼鐵墳墓)	5
7	我死在去年夏天 (Last Summer)	2
8	The Vocano (尪某愛計較)	1
9	Insidious: Chapter 2 (陰兒房第2章:陰魂守舍)	4
10	Vehicle 19 (玩命車手)	2
11	Haute Cuisine (巴黎御膳房)	1
12	狂舞派 (The Way We Dance)	1
13	B2ST Beautiful Show	1
14	我的意外爸爸 (Like Father Like Son)	4
15	夢見 (Mida)	1
16	拔一條河 (Bridge Over Troubled Water)	11
17	About Time (真愛每一天)	9
18	現場-戰場-夢工場 (LIVE IN LIVE)	4
19	幸福快遞 (Love Transplantation)	1
20	The Starving Games (雞餓遊戲)	2

Source: Yahoo! Movies Taiwan - retrieved November 18, 2013

Good Week For Jeremy Lin

This was a good week for Jeremy Lin. Jeremy Lin helped his Houston Rockets to a 3-1 record while scoring 102 points. Jeremy Lin averaged 25.5 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.25 three pointers during this 4 game stretch. The highlight was his start against the 76ers. Jeremy Lin tied a franchise record and stadium record of 9 three pointers against the 76ers. From now until the end of December, the Rockets will be playing a average of 3+ gamers a week. That's a lot of basketball until they get just a smidgen of rest of January.

During this stretch, he's impressed coming off the bench. So much so that Brent Barry named Jeremy Lin his player of the week during the Sunday, November 18, 2013 NBA TV Game Time segments.

Not a bad week for Jeremy Lin. Except for the racist comment by Jorge Andres. Note to the media, when referencing players (Asian or not), just treat them as human beings and cut out topics that refer to their ethnicity unless they make it themselves. Even than, just stop.

Olympus Has Fallen - 全面攻佔:倒數救援

Olympus Has Fallen (全面攻佔:倒數救援) is an 2013 film. The movie stars Gerard Butler. The supporting cast include Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Rick Yune, Dylan McDermott, Ashley Judd, and Malana Lea. The film has garnered some attention after its release. Both for being a success at the box office and fans racist twits against Asians.



Gerard Butler plays a ex-secret service lead that protects the president of the United States, played by Aaron Eckhart. During winter one year, the First Lady, played by Ashley Judd, dies in an accident. The president blames Butler and he's relegated to another post in the DC area. Months after the death, we're in DC and the White House is attacked. Butler sees this from afar and heads to the white house. He eventually gets in tries to fend off the terrorists. Olympus has indeed fallen.



Good fun movie to watch. The sad part is that they choose North Korea as the source of the terror. Although its less like Red Dawn, it still doesn't make sense for North Korea to ever attack the US. Beyond that, the movie was action packed and fun to watch. Oh, the fake Asian accents weren't very good either. If you need a FOB, you need to get a FOB. Period.

Hong Kong Box Office - November 10, 2013 - 香港票房榜

Hong Kong Box Office - Week Ending: November 10, 2013

Weekend of November 10, 2013

Rank	Film Title
1	Thor: The Dark World (雷神奇俠2:黑暗世界)
2	Escape Plan (逃亡大計)
3	殭屍 (Rigor Mortis)
4	Ender's Game (宇宙生還戰—安達的戰爭遊戲)
5	Captain Phillips (盜海狙擊)
6	Prisoners (罪迷宮)
7	誰調換了我的父親 (Soshite Chichi Ni Naru/Like Father, Like Son)
8	Gravity (引力邊緣)
9	Blue Jasmine (情迷藍茉莉)
10	詭嬰 (Baby Blues)
...	...
11	特殊身份 (Dak Siu San Fan/Special ID)
...	...
12	溝女不離３兄弟 (The Best Plan Is No Plan)
...	...
16	5月天諾亞方舟 (Mayday Nowhere 3D)
...	...
22	偷走的那五年 (The Stolen Years)
...	...
23	狂舞派 (The Way We Dance)

Source: Box Office Mojo and WMOOV - retrieved November 14, 2013

Sorta Linsane In NYC

Jeremy Lin made his 2nd trip to the genesis of Linsanity last night, Madison Square Garden. Jeremy Lin was relegated back to the bench and his impact on the game limited. The night after Jeremy Lin shot 60% from beyond the arc, he went 1-6 against the Knicks. Jeremy Lin also got 2 slam dunks in this game. Tight.

Didnt know i could still dunk lol. Fun game at MSG! Cant wait to get home! #toGodbetheglory (Thanks… http://t.co/WGQbWillG2

— Jeremy Lin (@JLin7) November 15, 2013

Jeremy Lin's lin return did become the subplot especially as he came off the bench. ~30 minutes like his first few games. However, with the offense anemic, Jeremy Lin's offense has started to be more pronounced. Here's to hoping Jeremy Lin's current hot steak makes him trade bait for the Lakers as they scratch their heads trying to figure out how Nash fits into their future.

I still dream and hope for miracles. Even in LA.

Linsanity Makes Temporary Return

Linsanity makes a temporary appearance as Jeremy Lin has scored 65 points in the last two games vs the Raptors and 76ers. However, the 34 point, 12 assist effort last night in Philadelphia was in a loss. A winnable game that was up and down until towards the end of the 3rd, when the Rockets pulled away to a 10 point lead. The offense came to a screeching halt towards the end of the 4th quarter. Basically going away from Jeremy Lin whom had 28 points at the time and 7 three pointers. When it came down to crunch time, Jeremy Lin missed 2 shots. How it got there is another story.



Two nights ago in when the Raptors visited Houston, Jeremy Lin put up 31 points in a double OT effort. Not a pretty game, but the Rockets lucked out and won.



In the game with the Raptors, Jeremy Lin attacked when he could and rebounded from a 1-5 first half to tear it up in the 2nd half. Towards the end of the 4th and into OT, sticky ball it was and it was ugly. How the Rockets won was beyond me. The bad play of the Raptors had a lot to do with it.



Jeremy Lin heads back to where Linsanity started, Madison Square garden tonight. With both teams not playing very good basketball. Here's to hoping for a career day for Jeremy and an actual start.

Zhong Guo Box Office - November 10, 2013 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: November 10, 2013

Weekend of November 10, 2013

Rank	Film Title
1	Thor: The Dark World (雷神2:黑暗世界)
2	Escape Plan (金蝉脱壳)
3	Hotel Transylvania (精灵旅社)
4	Stalingrad (斯大林格勒)
5	我爱的是你爱我 (Love You for Loving Me)
6	意外的恋爱时光 (Love Speaks)
7	The Wolverine (金刚狼2)
8	诡婴吉咪 (Baby Blues)
9	甜心巧克力 (Sweetheart Chocolate)
10	特殊身份 (Special ID)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved November 12, 2013

2013 November Hong Kong Movie Guide

Check out the new releases for the Hong Kong region for the rest of November 2013.

Don't forget to check out my my November's Blockbusters and November Offbeat guides for the USA.

全民目擊 (Silent Witness)



過界 (Bends)



獵仇者 (Pay Back)



末日派對 (Doomsday Party)



衝鋒戰警 (The Constable)



Source: Wmoov Upcoming

Taiwan Box Office - November 10, 2013 - 台灣票房榜

Weekend of November 10, 2013

Rank	Film Title	Weeks
1	Thor: The Dark World (雷神索爾2:黑暗世界)	2
2	看見台灣 (Beyond Beauty - Taiwan From Above)	2
3	殭屍 (Rigor Mortis)	1
4	Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 (食破天驚2)	1
5	Escape Plan (鋼鐵墳墓)	4
6	Vehicle 19 (玩命車手)	1
7	我死在去年夏天 (Last Summer)	1
8	Insidious: Chapter 2 (陰兒房第2章:陰魂守舍)	3
9	The Starving Games (雞餓遊戲)	1
10	我的意外爸爸 (Like Father Like Son)	3
11	About Time (真愛每一天)	8
12	現場-戰場-夢工場 (LIVE IN LIVE)	3
13	Headhunters (獵頭遊戲)	1
14	Gravity (地心引力)	6
15	Lovelace (A片女神 深喉嚨)	3
16	縱行囝仔 (Trekking The Way Home)	5
17	總舖師 (Zone Pro Site)	13
18	真愛100天 (100 Days)	2
19	拔一條河 (Bridge Over Troubled Water)	10
20	一首搖滾上月球 (Rock Me To The Moon)	6

Source: Yahoo! Movies Taiwan - retrieved November 11, 2013

Los Angeles County Library

I've been renting (free via my taxes) a lot of films from the Los County Library. They have recent and oldies. I recently picked up Legendary Amazons, The Great Magician, and many others. They're only on DVD, but that's good enough as most Blu-ray players will upstream it 720. Which is good enough for me. My previous DVD players kept it 480.

If you live in the Los Angeles region, go to the Library, it may have some Asian films.

Hong Kong Box Office - November 3, 2013 - 香港票房榜

Hong Kong Box Office - Week Ending: November 3, 2013

Weekend of November 3, 2013

Rank	Film Title
1	Thor: The Dark World (雷神奇俠2:黑暗世界)
2	殭屍 (Rigor Mortis)
3	Captain Phillips (盜海狙擊)
4	Prisoners (罪迷宮)
5	誰調換了我的父親 (Soshite Chichi Ni Naru/Like Father, Like Son)
6	詭嬰 (Baby Blues)
7	Gravity (引力邊緣)
8	特殊身份 (Dak Siu San Fan/Special ID)
9	Blue Jasmine (情迷藍茉莉)
10	About Time (回到最愛的一天)
...	...
11	溝女不離３兄弟 (The Best Plan Is No Plan)
...	...
15	逃出生天 (3D 逃出生天/Inferno 3D/Out Of Inferno)
...	...
18	5月天諾亞方舟 (Mayday Nowhere 3D)
...	...
22	偷走的那五年 (The Stolen Years)
...	...
24	狂舞派 (The Way We Dance)

Source: Box Office Mojo and WMOOV - retrieved November 6, 2013

Lakers Beat Houston, 99-98

For Jeremy Lin fans, the 2013-2014 NBA season is not a good one. Jeremy Lin has been relegated to the bench to accommodate the H-Squared combo of Harden and Howard (H&H). Even in the limited minutes Jeremy Lin has had in the season's first six games, he's had no less than 12 points, playing about 30 minutes a game. Which is good, given his situation. A talented basketball player that should be starting, should be allowed to play point guard, and someone that is team first.

My hometown Lakers made their way to H-Town last night and squeaked out a victory over Jeremy Lin's current team, the Rockets, 99-98. Jeremy Lin did not start the game but got to play ~30 minutes. Doing most of his damage when H&H were on the bench. Once either of the H&H guys got in, Jeremy Lin may have brought up the ball, but he just passed it off and ran to the opposite side. I can go into detail of how Houston is not using Jeremy Lin to his fullest, but there's a whole website that does it daily. At this time, a trade to the Lakers would reunite him with D'Antoni, which could be a good thing. But going to a team where the PG runs the offense would work too, like the Bucks or Suns. I can dream.

I hope that Jeremy Lin gets traded to a team that will utilize his PG skills. Being in a non-PG offense is not the best use of his skills. You saw when Houston played both the Clippers and Lakers, teams that initiate their offense with setting picks for their PG. Letting the PG dictate where the offense goes base on how they defend the PnR.

Here's some highlights of the three Thursday night games:

2013 November Offbeat Movie Guide

November'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.

Many of these releases are already available via VOD or iTunes.

Big Sur



Dallas Buyers Club



Last Love



Mr. Nobody



A Case of You



Best Man Down



The Book Thief



How I Live Now



The Motel Life



The Starving Games



Charlie Countryman (這該死的愛)



Dear Mr. Watterson



Sunlight Jr.



Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom



Sources:
IMDB Coming Soon November 2013
Comingsoon.net
Box Office Mojo
Wikipedia.org
Taiwan Yahoo! Movies

Zhong Guo Box Office - November 3, 2013 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: November 3, 2013

Weekend of November 3, 2013

Rank	Film Title
1	Stalingrad (斯大林格勒)
2	The Wolverine (金刚狼2)
3	Hotel Transylvania (精灵旅社)
4	特殊身份 (Special ID)
5	The Last Stand (背水一战)
6	Fly Me To The Moon (私奔B计划)
7	诡婴吉咪 (Baby Blues)
8	制服 (A Chilling Cosplay)
9	Now You See Me (惊天魔盗团)
10	猎仇者 (Pay Back)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved November 4, 2013

This Is The End - 大明星世界末日

This is the End (大明星世界末日) is an 2013 film. The movie is a big ensemble cast including Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Michael Cera, and Emma Watson.

Two friends get together for a smoke out session. When friend one wants to goto another friends housewarming party, they get there and the world apocalypse arrives. The five friends try to make due with what they got. Eventually, the demons get to them. It is the end of the world.

Not much of a synopsis because the movie isn't about anything. Bunch of friends that try to live through the "end of the world" as the Bible prophecies. But the story is about these friends, how they interact with one another and turn on one another.

I don't know if I liked it or not. I definitely won't want a second viewing.

Taiwan Box Office - November 3, 2013 - 台灣票房榜

Weekend of November 3, 2013

Rank	Film Title	Weeks
1	Thor: The Dark World (雷神索爾2:黑暗世界)	1
2	看見台灣 (Beyond Beauty - Taiwan From Above)	1
3	Escape Plan (鋼鐵墳墓)	3
4	Insidious: Chapter 2 (陰兒房第2章:陰魂守舍)	2
5	我的意外爸爸 (Like Father Like Son)	2
6	Gravity (地心引力)	5
7	About Time (真愛每一天)	7
8	Lovelace (A片女神 深喉嚨)	2
9	現場-戰場-夢工場 (LIVE IN LIVE)	2
10	Closed Circuit (全面鎖定)	2
11	真愛100天 (100 Days)	1
12	十億追殺令 (Shield of Straw)	1
13	縱行囝仔 (Trekking The Way Home)	4
14	加油! 男孩 (Good Luck! Boy)	2
15	Just Like A Woman (逍遙舞孃)	1
16	總舖師 (Zone Pro Site)	12
17	一首搖滾上月球 (Rock Me To The Moon)	5
18	Tasting Menu (歡迎光臨愛情餐廳)	3
19	風起 (The Wind Rises)	7
20	Cold Bloom (愛在櫻花紛飛時)	1

Source: Yahoo! Movies Taiwan - retrieved November 4, 2013

The Purge - 國定殺戮日

The Purge (國定殺戮日) is an 2013 film. The movie stars Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey. The movie is based in the future with new founding fathers of America.

It is the year 2022. The United States had fallen into a state of violence and was a nation reborn. The rebirth was a strong economy and very low crime. This new America was forged on an event called "The Purge". The purge was a 12 hour period in March every year where any crime is permissible. Ethan Hawke plays a husband to Lena Heady and is the father of two. The two children are in their teens, the older daughter is in her rebellious stage and the younger son is learning the world and has health problem. Hawke sells security systems meant to protect homes from violent crimes during the purge. The purge starts and they shut the doors. When the son sees a homeless man wonder by in need of help, he lets him in. The people after the homeless man start to attack the house and eventually get in.



The movie was entertaining on premise and wanted to portray a moral dilemma. Can you support the purge? If someone needed help, would you give it to them? If you could commit crime with no conscienceless, would you do it? All which is silly since its a movie. Could you be put into a situation like this? Maybe, there are still countries in this world that operate on terror from the government.

The movie does go into action mode at the end. But the first half is decision after decision made by the protagonist in the movie to allow the terror from the antagonist. Which was hard to do. Because at the end, as a husband and a father, the decisions made by the protagonist wouldn't happen with me.