2016 March Blockbuster Movies Guide - The Asian Stuff

Here are the movies to look out for this month, US releases for theatrical films from Asia.

Rise Of The Legend (黃飛鴻之英雄有夢) - USA Release



Sweet 20



戀戀銅鑼燒 (Sweet Bean)



洛杉磯搗蛋計劃 (Papa)



Sources:
Box Office Pro - retrieved April 22, 2016
Box Office Mojo
Yahoo! Movies Taiwan
Wikipedia.org
WMOOV

Hong Kong Box Office - April 24, 2016 - 香港票房榜

Hong Kong Box Office - Week Ending: April 24, 2016

Weekend of April 24, 2016

Rank	Film Title
1	Zootopia (優獸大都會)
2	10 Cloverfield Lane (末世街10號)
3	樹大招風 (Trivisa)
4	The Huntsman: Winter's War (獵神:魔雪叛變)
5	The Boy (屍孩)
6	踏血尋梅 (Port Of Call)
7	Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (蝙蝠俠對超人:正義曙光)
8	Hardcore Henry (爆機特攻)
9	老笠 (Robbery)
10	我老婆係明星 (My Wife Is A Superstar)

Source: HKFlimArt and WMOOV - retrieved April 27, 2016

Captain America: Civil War - 美國隊長3:英雄內戰 - Upcoming

Captain America: Civil War (美國隊長3:英雄內戰) is now available for viewing publicly in most of Asia. That sucks, I have to wait until May 5th of next week. While the rest of the world can their Avengers on, I have to wait an extra 7 and half days. They've had a early release schedule for Asia for what seems like a decade now. Maybe they start it to fight piracy. I haven't really looked into it. BUT I am mad that I have wait an extra week.



This 10 days to release teaser reveals more of Spider-man. What a tease! 10 days when it was going to release in Asia in 3. Lame.



From all the teaser clips that have come out. I am foaming at the mouth to watch it. Seriously awesome stuff.



I recently re-watched Avengers, Iron Man 3, and Avengers: Age Of Ultron again. All three were pretty awesome. I can't help but think that Civil War will be one of the best. And it will get no awards play next year too, which is typical of lame awards. Its to pat the losers on their own backs.

Zhong Guo Box Office - April 24, 2016 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: April 24, 2016

Week ending in April 24, 2016

Rank	Film Title
1	The Jungle Book (奇幻森林)
2	谁的青春不迷茫 (Yesterday Once More)
3	The Huntsman: Winter's War (猎神:冬日之战)
4	London Has Fallen (伦敦陷落)
5	我的新野蛮女友 (My New Sassy Girl)
6	冰河追凶 (Lost In White)
7	刑警兄弟 (Buddy Cops)
8	垫底辣妹 (Flying Colors)
9	火锅英雄 (Chongqing Hot Pot)
10	American Ultra (废柴特工)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved April 25, 2016

2016 February Blockbuster Movies Guide - The Asian Stuff

Here are the movies to look out for this month, US releases for theatrical films from Asia.

西遊記之孫悟空三打白骨精 (The Monkey King 2)



过年好 (The New Year's Eve of Old Lee)



美人魚 (The Mermaid)



臥虎藏龍:青冥寶劍 (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny)



Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong



Sources:
Box Office Pro - retrieved April 22, 2016
Box Office Mojo
Yahoo! Movies Taiwan
Wikipedia.org
WMOOV

Taiwan Box Office - April 24, 2016 - 台灣票房榜

Weekend of April 24, 2016

Rank	Film Title
1	The Jungle Book (與森林共舞)
2	Zootopia (動物方城市)
3	Criminal (換腦行動)
4	The Huntsman: Winter's War (狩獵者:凜冬之戰)
5	Eddie The Eagle (飛躍奇蹟)
6	High-Rise (摩天樓)
7	Friend Request (非死不可)
8	Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (蝙蝠俠對超人:正義曙光)
9	Kung Fu Panda 3 (功夫熊貓3)
10	Fifty Shades of Black (格雷的五十道黑影)
11	失控謊言 (White Lies, Black Lies)
12	The Brand New Testament (死期大公開)
13	Look Who's Back (吸特樂回來了!)
14	為什麼貓都叫不來 (Neko Nanka Yondemo Kona)
15	10 Cloverfield Lane (科洛弗10號地窖)
16	Eye In The Sky (天眼行動)
17	Cinema Paradise (新天堂樂園 - 25週年數位修復版)
18	The Divergent Series: Allegiant (分歧者3:赤誠者)
19	The Clan (大犯罪家)
20	殘穢:被詛咒的房間 (The Inerasable)

Source: Yahoo! Movies Taiwan - retrieved April 25, 2016

2016 January Blockbuster Movies Guide - The Asian Stuff

Here are the movies to look out for this month, US releases for theatrical films from Asia.

唐人街探案 (Detective Chinatown)



捉妖記 (Monster Hunt)



葉問3 (Ip Man 3)



Sources:
Box Office Pro - retrieved April 22, 2016
Yahoo! Movies Taiwan
Wikipedia.org
WMOOV

1900 Post!

Wow, I should have hit this milestone last summer. But I got lazy. Life give me a nice uppercut. But I am trying to get up and get more consistent again. The last couple of months have gone ok.

I can hardly believe that I am still running this blog and still posting stuff, even with my long breaks. I still watch a ton of stuff, but don't have the energy to post about it like I did a few years back. I already follow box office for fun, why not share it?!

As I march towards the mighty 2000 post milestone, I hope that the movies of 2016 will continue to be awesome.

I still get page views according to google. Maybe you are just robots reading this.

For more information about this blog, you can check out my post about the 1,600th post.

Hong Kong Box Office - April 17, 2016 - 香港票房榜

Hong Kong Box Office - Week Ending: April 17, 2016

Weekend of April 17, 2016

Rank	Film Title
1	Zootopia (優獸大都會)
2	10 Cloverfield Lane (末世街10號)
3	The Huntsman: Winter's War (獵神:魔雪叛變)
4	樹大招風 (Trivisa)
5	Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (蝙蝠俠對超人:正義曙光)
6	老笠 (Robbery)
7	特工爺爺 (The Bodyguard)
8	Demolition (愛情上半場-完)
9	選老頂 (The Mobfathers)
10	Eddie The Eagle (我要做鷹雄)
...	...
16	暗色天堂 (Heaven In The Dark)

Source: BoxOfficeMojo, HKFlimArt, and WMOOV - retrieved April 22, 2016

鬼吹灯之寻龙诀 - 鬼吹燈之尋龍訣 - 尋龍訣 - Mojin: The Lost Legend

鬼吹灯之寻龙诀/鬼吹燈之尋龍訣/尋龍訣 (Mojin: The Lost Legend) is an 2015 film out of Zhong Guo. The movie stars Chen Kun, Huang Bo, and Shu Qi. The supporting cast includes Angelababy, Xia Yu, and Liu Xiaoqing. The movie has done really well at the box office, current sitting as the third highest grossing domestic film.

Mojin are special tomb raiders. In the 1980s, a trio of Mojin enter a tomb, but are unsuccessful. The most skilled in the group sees a vision and decides to retire. Retiring to New York on an expired visa, they make ends meet hustling antiques. When a cult sect seeks their skills to enter a secret tomb, they are compelled to joined by force. As they get into the tomb, its trap after trap they must figure out as well as deal with the cult sect.



I can see why this was a very popular film. It copies the formula of Raiders Of The Lost Ark. You get mystery, intrigue and treasure hunting. The film is well made and the production value is high. However, the special effects in Asia still have some catching up. I caught this in the theatres as the new year came.

What I don't get is the use of white guys in the film that speak Mandarin. I think there is still a novelty factor with "white" people that will be hard to displace in this generation or even the next few or ever.

Zhong Guo Box Office - April 17, 2016 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: April 17, 2016

Week ending in April 17, 2016

Rank	Film Title
1	The Jungle Book (奇幻森林)
2	London Has Fallen (伦敦陷落)
3	火锅英雄 (Chongqing Hot Pot)
4	冰河追凶 (Lost In White)
5	我的特工爷爷 (The Bodyguard)
6	Zootopia (疯狂动物城)
7	垫底辣妹 (Flying Colors)
8	American Ultra (废柴特工)
9	Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (蝙蝠侠大战超人:正义黎明)
10	睡在我上铺的兄弟 (Who Sleeps My Bro)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved April 19, 2016

火锅英雄 - Chongqing Hot Pot

火锅英雄 (Chongqing Hot Pot) is an 2016 film out of Zhong Guo. The movie stars Chen Kun and Bai Baihe. The supporting cast include Qin Hao and Yu Entai. The film is directed by Yang Qing, who's debut film One Night In Supermarket was very entertaining. This time around, we have a heist movie based in Chong Qing.




The movie starts with a quartet of bank robbers that are about to get away, but their get away driver is noticed by the police and scrams. Leaving the quartet stranded, the robbers start to search for another way out. When the guy in the "monkey" face mask finds a whole in the safe, we're led onto another story. It is the story of Liu Bo and his two friends that open up a Hot Pot restaurant in order to unload it on a buyer, but it is a fake restaurant. Liu is a ma jong gambling addict that is in debt to loan sharks and has to take care of his 80 plus year old grandfather. When the trio finds the hole to the safe a few days earlier, they decide not to take it for fear of it being traced back to them, but the temptation is too much. The story unfolds as the money is too much temptation for all those involved.




This was an awesome movie. Yang Qing's style is pretty awesome and hearing the Chongqing accent was pretty fun too. I could make out half of what they were saying, but had to resort to subtitles for the other half. The story was a jigsaw puzzle waiting to be finished. You got hooked in by the bank robbers at the beginning of the film and you were reeled in waiting for things to connect.



Bai Baihe is in a fair amount of movies. Seems that I see her in 2-3 films a year lately. In this film , she is radiant and her presence really made you feel an emotional connection to the story. We see her role in the heist unfold to our delight. Bai is not front and center in this film, but when she is, she lights up the screen.



I don't know if this is the film to introduce Zhong Guo cinema to your friends, but its definitely got style, a great story, lots good looking leads, and plots twist galore. Go watch it and enjoy the ride.

Taiwan Box Office - April 17, 2016 - 台灣票房榜

Weekend of April 17, 2016

Rank	Film Title
1	The Jungle Book (與森林共舞)
2	The Huntsman: Winter's War (狩獵者:凜冬之戰)
3	Zootopia (動物方城市)
4	Criminal (換腦行動)
5	Eddie The Eagle (飛躍奇蹟)
6	Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (蝙蝠俠對超人:正義曙光)
7	Kung Fu Panda 3 (功夫熊貓3)
8	失控謊言 (White Lies, Black Lies)
9	10 Cloverfield Lane (科洛弗10號地窖)
10	Look Who's Back (吸特樂回來了!)
11	The Brand New Testament (死期大公開)
12	The Divergent Series: Allegiant (分歧者3:赤誠者)
13	殘穢:被詛咒的房間 (The Inerasable)
14	Cinema Paradise (新天堂樂園 - 25週年數位修復版)
15	Eye In The Sky (天眼行動)
16	特工爺爺 (The Bodyguard)
17	暗色天堂 (Heaven In The Dark)
18	路邊野餐 (Kaili Blues)
19	Finding Vivian Maier (尋秘街拍客)
20	The Lobster (單身動物園)

Source: Yahoo! Movies Taiwan - retrieved April 17, 2016

Jay Chou In Now You See Me 2

The president, Jay Chou, is making his way across the pond for another stab at the Hollywood market. This time with Now You See Me 2. Which is pretty cool due to Jay Chou very well known love for magic. You can see on youtube many clips of him showing off card skillz and so forth. If you see the trailers, the four horsemen make their way to Zhong Guo and bump into Daniel Radcliffe. The president doesn't show up in the trailer, but it's been surmised that he plays a significant part. Also, why not get more pub for it a growing film market that is becoming more and more important to US films making a return.

I am surprised that he's even showing up in the list of stars and that he got his own.

Kung Fu Panda 3 - 功夫熊貓3

Kung Fu Panda 3 (功夫熊貓3) is an 2016 animated film. The voices Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, J. K. Simmons, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, David Cross, Bryan Cranston, Kate Hudson, James Hong, Jean-Claude Van Damme, and Randall Duk Kim. This is the third film release.

Kai, a prisoner of the spirit realm finds a way to get to the human realm. When he does, he seeks out the Dragon Warrior to prove he's the strongest. Po inherits the master role, but does a poor job. Heading back home for some comfort, he bumps into another Panda looking for his long lost son. Po learns that there's a whole village of Pandas. Saying good bye to his friends, me makes the long perilous journey to this village. When he does, he gets reconnected. Just as he was getting comfortable, Kai's presence is felt and they must devise a plan to defeat him. Can the village learn Kung Fu in time to save themselves?

Much like the last installment, they expand on the mythology of the realm. Where the 2nd installment made improvements to the first one, this 3rd installment didn't. Seems there's always someone around the corner that is bigger and stronger than the last one. But beyond that, this movie didn't involve the previous characters as much, but spent a significant time in the panda village.

My kids both liked the movie and I plan on getting it on sale in Blu-ray during black Friday or the Christmas season. Be prepared for more, it was recently announced that there are 3 more planned films.

Hong Kong Box Office - April 10, 2016 - 香港票房榜

Hong Kong Box Office - Week Ending: April 10, 2016

Weekend of April 10, 2016

Rank	Film Title
1	Zootopia (優獸大都會)
2	The Huntsman: Winter's War (獵神:魔雪叛變)
3	樹大招風 (Trivisa)
4	Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (蝙蝠俠對超人:正義曙光)
5	特工爺爺 (The Bodyguard)
6	選老頂 (The Mobfathers)
7	Kung Fu Panda 3 (功夫熊貓3)
8	Eddie The Eagle (我要做鷹雄)
9	Miracles From Heaven (天堂奇癒記)
10	暗色天堂 (Heaven In The Dark)
...	...
24	紅衣小女孩 (The Tag-Along)

Source: BoxOfficeMojo, HKFlimArt, and WMOOV - retrieved April 14, 2016

The Hateful Eight - 八惡人

The Hateful Eight (八惡人) is an 2015 film. The movie stars Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, James Parks, and Channing Tatum. The is the eight film by Quentin Tarantino.

Russell is a bounty hunter, John "The Hangman" Ruth. He's on a coach with his latest bounty, Daisy Domergue, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh. On the way there, he bumps into Major Marquis Warren, played by Samuel L. Jackson. On their way there, they pick up Chris Mannix, played by Walton Goggins. But because of a blizzard, they are forced to find shelter to wait out the storm. When they get to the shelter, they find four more people there waiting out the blizzard too. Ruth announces to the other 7 that he's getting the $10,000 bounty on Daisy and he'll kill anyone that tries anyting.

This movie was a lot of dialogue. Mostly set in the mountain cabin, it goes back to a style not seen since Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs. As the story progressed, you're forced to think and think. Which made for an interesting experience as you try to figure things out.

As for where this ranks with the other seven QT films, its in the middle of the pack with its dialogue and unique western setting.

Zhong Guo Box Office - April 10, 2016 - 中国票房榜

Zhong Guo Box Office - Week Ending: April 10, 2016

Week ending in April 10, 2016

Rank	Film Title
1	火锅英雄 (Chongqing Hot Pot)
2	London Has Fallen (伦敦陷落)
3	我的特工爷爷 (The Bodyguard)
4	Zootopia (疯狂动物城)
5	Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (蝙蝠侠大战超人:正义黎明)
6	睡在我上铺的兄弟 (Who Sleeps My Bro)
7	The Revenant (荒野猎人)
8	The Boy (灵偶契约)
9	Kung Fu Panda 3 (功夫熊猫3)
10	美人魚 (The Mermaid)

Source: Ent Group - retrieved April 12, 2016

The Revenant - 神鬼獵人 - 復仇勇者

The Revenant (神鬼獵人) is an 2015 film. The movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio. The supporting cast include Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, and Forrest Goodluck. The movie is based loosely on the life of Hugh Glass from 1823.

DiCaprio plays Glass, a hired hand to American pelt traders. When attacked by Arikara, Glass escapes with his son Hawk, the captain and other men, include Fitzgerald. While scouting a route back to camp, he's mauled by a bear, but survives. When the rest of the troupe find him, they save him and take him on a gurney with them. But as the route gets more and more steep, the men complain. The captain pays 3 men to stay behind and watch Glass.

That's about as far of the story I was aware of prior to watching the movie. I know that Leo got some awards. If you know me, I care not for any awards being handed out. But I was interested in the movie nonetheless. The movie told a harrowing story of a man that defied death. Which is inspiring. But the flip side of it is the horrors of the old frontier, where it included some killed or be killed situations. The movie doesn't shy away from depicting what could have really happened. In all, I enjoyed it the film, but its unlikely I'll ever watch it again, even when it's being shown on cable.

Taiwan Box Office - April 10, 2016 - 台灣票房榜

Weekend of April 10, 2016

Rank	Film Title
1	The Huntsman: Winter's War (狩獵者:凜冬之戰)
2	Zootopia (動物方城市)
3	Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (蝙蝠俠對超人:正義曙光)
4	Eddie The Eagle (飛躍奇蹟)
5	Kung Fu Panda 3 (功夫熊貓3)
6	10 Cloverfield Lane (科洛弗10號地窖)
7	Eye In The Sky (天眼行動)
8	The Divergent Series: Allegiant (分歧者3:赤誠者)
9	特工爺爺 (The Bodyguard)
10	Look Who's Back (吸特樂回來了!)
11	Cinema Paradise (新天堂樂園 - 25週年數位修復版)
12	路邊野餐 (Kaili Blues)
13	London Has Fallen (全面攻佔2:倫敦救援)
14	我們的那時此刻 (The Moment)
15	The Lobster (單身動物園)
16	All Roads Lead To Rome (享受吧!羅馬)
17	Triple 9 (非法999)
18	The Young Messiah (少年彌賽亞)
19	藤田嗣治與乳白色的裸女 (Foujita)
20	Room (不存在的房間)

Source: Yahoo! Movies Taiwan - retrieved April 11, 2016

Zootopia - 動物方城市

Zootopia (動物方城市) is an 2016 animated film from Disney. The movie includes voices from Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, and Shakira. I was able to catch this movie in 3D in the theater with my daughter a few days ago.

Judy Hopps, a rabbit from rural Bunnyburrow, has dreams of becoming a police officer in the best animal city, Zootopia. Bullied by other bigger animals her whole life, she excels at the police academy and graduates first in her class. Making it to Zootopia, she's bullied again and given parking duties. Sick of being on the sidelines, Judy investigates a sly fox. When reports of missing animals makes the rounds, Judy is assigned one. While investigating, things get interesting. Can Judy do her job and make a difference?

This movie was pretty good. It has a good plot line, mystery, and builds up an animal world. In essence, animals take on human form and co-exist in some what harmony. In the Zooptopia world, there is still a need for law enforcement and the underworld elements. As a whole, I think its a pretty positive message for kids.

However, this movie differentiates prey (90%) and predators (10%) and the message is that they can co exist in harmony. Which I interpret as the message of universal acceptance and political correctness. In many circles, this is definitely a hot topic. Populasian is an blog written by a Taiwanese Chinese American. Yet, in the US of A, I will never see universal acceptance even as political correctness is so pedestaled in this generation. For minorities, specifically Asian Americans, discrimination comes in various forms. Just see how politically correct the Oscars were to Asians?

But alas, this is a movie, a fantasy, let's get back to real life. We can talk all we want about universal acceptance and political correctness, but until it is acted upon, we will never get close to Zootopia's message.