Chinese Cinema

(I can't believe there isn't already a thread dedicated to this.)

Chinese historical epics and wuxia films are already legendary.
That said, I recently sat through two Chinese films with more "modern" themes, and they were actually pretty solid. So, I’m putting it out there—if anyone has recommendations for other high-quality Chinese films, please let me know.

The two I just mentioned are:

1. Cold War (2012)
An explosion goes off in public and a police van with its crew gets hijacked. That’s all I’m saying. Don't go straight to IMDb because those mindless reviewers love to drop spoilers everywhere. This movie is unpredictable (which is incredibly rare), intriguing, smart, and features great acting.

2. Thelma & Louise (2012).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2370792/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
If anyone happens to know the melody playing at 00:35:27 (the kissing scene), hit me up. As for the movie itself... I don't even know how to describe it. It's pretty uneven; some parts feel like a typical American indie flick, while others are contemplative pieces meant for people who actually appreciate deep dialogue.

gentlemarlin said:(I can't believe there isn't already a thread dedicated to this.)

Chinese historical epics and wuxia films are already legendary.
That said, I recently sat through two Chinese films with more "modern" themes, and they were actually pretty solid. So, I’m putting it out there—if anyone has recommendations for other high-quality Chinese films, please let me know.

The two I just mentioned are:

1. Cold War (2012)
An explosion goes off in public and a police van with its crew gets hijacked. That’s all I’m saying. Don't go straight to IMDb because those mindless reviewers love to drop spoilers everywhere. This movie is unpredictable (which is incredibly rare), intriguing, smart, and features great acting.

2. Thelma & Louise (2012).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2370792/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
If anyone happens to know the melody playing at 00:35:27 (the kissing scene), hit me up. As for the movie itself... I don't even know how to describe it. It's pretty uneven; some parts feel like a typical American indie flick, while others are contemplative pieces meant for people who actually appreciate deep dialogue.

But that’s exactly why we have the "Asian film" thread. 😉 You might find some decent recommendations for other Chinese movies over there.

Susan Hernandez said:But that’s exactly why we have the "Asian film" thread. 😉 You might find some decent recommendations for other Chinese movies over there.

The Asian thread is meant for smaller film industries, not for giants like Indian, Chinese, or Japanese cinema. Besides, we already have dedicated threads for Japanese and Indian films (and Iranian, etc.).

For those who aren't aware: looking at the numbers, the top four film-producing countries are India, the USA, Japan, and China.

It's honestly hard to believe that nobody here watches Asian films (including those from Hong Kong) and has zero recommendations to share.

gentlemarlin said:It's honestly hard to believe that nobody here watches Asian films (including those from Hong Kong) and has zero recommendations to share.

I’d suggest two really great ones—and I know tastes vary, obviously—Not One Less and Happy Times, both from Zhang Yimou's earlier period. They focus on "ordinary" people caught in unusual circumstances. It's also quite nice that, unlike some of his other work, the ending isn't just everyone killing each other.

I'm also looking for recommendations for similar movies... though honestly, they don't even have to be similar, as long as they're good.

I’ve been having a bit of a struggle trying to track down a decent torrent for The Red Racer... Has anyone here had any luck finding one?

Ethan Jones98 said:I’d suggest two really great ones—and I know tastes vary, obviously—Not One Less and Happy Times, both from Zhang Yimou's earlier period. They focus on "ordinary" people caught in unusual circumstances. It's also quite nice that, unlike some of his other work, the ending isn't just everyone killing each other.

I'm also looking for recommendations for similar movies... though honestly, they don't even have to be similar, as long as they're good.

Ugh... I read the summaries for those movies and honestly, they sound terrible to me. If I wanted to watch nothing but small-scale struggles, I'd just watch soap operas. I want to see epic, larger-than-life characters. That’s actually why China appeals to me—it's massive and imposing. 🙂 Plus, they have the budget for grand spectacles. It doesn't always have to be historical epics or wuxia; the aforementioned Cold War is actually really solid.

There was a time when Chinese filmmakers were churning out great movies like an assembly line, but now it feels like they've hit a wall. I really thought they were on track to rival Hollywood, but it looks like it'll be a long time before that happens (if it ever does).

Ethan Jones98 said:I’d suggest two really great ones—and I know tastes vary, obviously—Not One Less and Happy Times, both from Zhang Yimou's earlier period. They focus on "ordinary" people caught in unusual circumstances. It's also quite nice that, unlike some of his other work, the ending isn't just everyone killing each other.

I'm also looking for recommendations for similar movies... though honestly, they don't even have to be similar, as long as they're good.

My own top two Zhang Yimou picks—honestly, I don't mind a little onscreen carnage, and I've always had a massive soft spot for Li Gong. 😁

http://akas.imdb.com/title/tt0099902/?ref_=tt_rec_tt
http://akas.imdb.com/title/tt0101640...=nm_flmg_dr_22

Those movies are top-tier—perfectly directed—but I think gentlemarlin is just looking for some Hollywood-style Chinese flicks. Maybe they should give the Detective Dee series or Journey to the West a shot instead.

gentlemarlin said:It's honestly hard to believe that nobody here watches Asian films (including those from Hong Kong) and has zero recommendations to share.

I am curious, what specific types of Chinese cinema actually interest you? What genres are you looking for? To be perfectly honest, I have managed to watch at least 50 Chinese films over the last year and a half, and I must admit that I can't even recall many of them—perhaps even most of the titles. 😁

Dennis Martin6 said:Those movies are top-tier—perfectly directed—but I think gentlemarlin is just looking for some Hollywood-style Chinese flicks. Maybe they should give the Detective Dee series or Journey to the West a shot instead.

Personally, I would suggest starting with Once Upon a Time in China. If I recall correctly, there are about five installments in total, and in my humble opinion, the first three are the absolute best. Jet Li really made his mark in those, whereas Vincent Zhao takes over the lead role in the final two.

I’m telling you, that Chinese Ghost Story trilogy is top-tier—honestly right up there with Evil Dead 😁

1911 Honestly, I don't get how nobody brought up Red Cliff—it’s such a massive spectacle by John Woo. I've sat through plenty of others—you know, those historical and mythological epics—but let's be real, who can even remember their names?

Terry Collins9 said:1911 Honestly, I don't get how nobody brought up Red Cliff—it’s such a massive spectacle by John Woo. I've sat through plenty of others—you know, those historical and mythological epics—but let's be real, who can even remember their names?

If I recall correctly, Red Cliff actually consists of two parts. I have seen both, and they are quite good films.

I would also highly recommend the films about Ip Man, the martial arts legend who served as a teacher to Bruce Lee (he passed away just a month before Bruce did). There are a few more recent films regarding this master; one was released in 2008, titled Ip Man, starring Donnie Yen. Two years later, the same actor starred in the sequel, Ip Man 2. There is also Ip Man from 2013, though Donnie Yen does not appear in it. Finally, last year's The Grandmaster is, in my humble opinion, a film that truly deserves your attention; I have personally watched it several times. The lead actor, Tony Leung, actually practiced Wing Chun for about five years specifically for this role. The film is a blend of drama and action, featuring some truly impressive martial arts sequences.

I'm pretty sure I've sat through the first two Ip Man movies—as for the third, honestly, who knows?
I've been meaning to get to The Grandmaster for ages, but it just keeps slipping through my fingers.

I watched The Grandmaster sometime last year, towards the end of the summer if my memory serves me right. I stumbled upon it online, found a friend who had it, and downloaded it immediately. I’ve actually revisited certain scenes several times.

As I mentioned before, Ip Man was actually a real person, and his most famous student was Bruce Lee.

There is also the film The Legend is Born – Ip Man, which I have seen. To be honest, I wasn't particularly fond of the lead actor; I suppose I am just more accustomed to seeing Donnie Yen, Jet Li, or Andy Lau (in films like Shaolin from 2011, Detective Dee, Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon, House of Flying Daggers, The Warlords, and so on). I have watched quite a few films featuring these actors, though I tend to be rather particular about my viewing habits. I generally stick to four rules: 1) strictly martial arts films, 2) English subtitles only, 3) period pieces set in the past, and 4) relatively modern productions—I haven't really touched anything from the '70s or early '80s. The only exception would be a film set during WWII, though even then, I often watch those in segments rather than all at once.

Regarding martial arts cinema, I would have to highlight Blades starring Donnie Yen. I’ve watched that one a couple of times as well. Donnie Yen is truly a standout because he possesses genuine martial arts skills himself.

I have started to notice certain recurring patterns within this genre:

1) They generally steer clear of immoral or explicit scenes;

2) A happy ending isn't guaranteed. In fact, it is quite common for the protagonist (male or female) to perish by the end, or for some other tragic conclusion to occur. For instance, Donnie Yen dies at the end of Blades, Andy Lau dies in Shaolin, and in House of Flying Daggers, the female lead whom the hero loves passes away. In The Warlords, I believe one of the main characters meets a similar fate, and Jet Li dies at the end of Fearless. The list is honestly quite long.

3) There is almost always a thematic tension between betrayal and loyalty (usually toward an emperor, a general, or the people).

After watching about twenty of these films, I felt a sudden pang of regret that I hadn't been taking notes on all the wisdom and profound sayings that surface throughout the stories; there are quite many of them. Since diving into these, I find myself completely uninterested in Hollywood productions. I believe I have only watched perhaps two or three Hollywood films in the last year and a half... or at least, I can't recall any others.

I'm sick of these Chinese movies trying way too hard to mimic Hollywood. Their budgets are nowhere near the same level, so you end up getting crappy special effects. Plus, they just radiate this massive inferiority complex—it’s like they're desperate to chase after those Hollywood standards. But why even bother? The whole point of that Hong Kong genre renaissance back in the 70s and 80s was that they were different from American or European films.

As for why everything went sideways in the 90s, I can only guess: the integration of Hong Kong into China to create one unified national cinema, the fact that there wasn't a real generational shift (you still had the old guard like Tsui Hark and John Woo dominating the box office), etc. David Bordwell actually blamed Spielberg's Jurassic Park for the whole mess in an interview.

The Grandmaster is a decent flick, but honestly, it's probably Wong's weakest work, right up there with Happy Together (never saw that American road trip movie). The only new kung fu film on my radar is Hou Hsiao-hsien's Reign of Assassins. I think that movie—much like Wong's Ashes of Time from twenty years ago—could actually bring some much-needed life back to this tired-out genre.

A low budget doesn't automatically mean a movie is going to be subpar. 🤷 In my view, the very philosophy behind their filmmaking is fundamentally different from what we see in Hollywood. There are even some great South Korean films out there; I've personally sat through several. I am specifically referring to the martial arts genre here.

Have you had a chance to watch Blades?

Low budget always means cheap effects—especially when you're trying to pull off some epic spectacle. You mix that with a lack of originality and just ripping off Hollywood tropes, and you end up with total garbage. I just saw the trailer for The Blades and it’s exactly what I’m talking about—it looks like some weird bastard hybrid of Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings. There is zero connection to actual kung fu or those classic wuxia flicks from the 80s or 90s.

Dennis Martin6 said:Those movies are top-tier—perfectly directed—but I think gentlemarlin is just looking for some Hollywood-style Chinese flicks. Maybe they should give the Detective Dee series or Journey to the West a shot instead.

I'm not sure what "Hollywood-style" means to you. I assume you mean "shallow movies packed with special effects." 🙂 Honestly, that's exactly why I've almost stopped going to the theater altogether.

I've already seen both Detective Dee films just because of the lead actor. I wouldn't rank them above average, though. Crimic is always interesting, but these two feel way too unrealistic.

I'll check out the other one you mentioned and let you know what I think.

Steven Clark2 said:What interests you about Chinese films? Like, what genre?

Genre doesn't matter to me. What matters is a movie having impressive, quality dialogue, solid and engaging characters, or actual wit if it's a comedy.

I'd start with Once Upon a Time in China.

I don't know why, but I kept thinking I had already seen that. Then I went to check on YouTube and it doesn't look familiar at all. Added it to my list. 🙂

Terry Collins9 said:1911, and I don't get why nobody mentioned Red Cliff; after all, it's a John Woo spectacle.

It just didn't click for me.