#famed chinese director zhang yimou

[devonebriewie10050212]

Kenny Lín Gēngxīn 林更新 Featurette In The Great Wall Movie (2016)

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~ THROWBACK ~

Before The Fourth Master Yuwen Yue in Princess Agents, long before The High Ancient God Xing Zhi in The Legend Of Shen Li, there was Commander Chen (Chen Jiangjun). The head of Eagle Troops faction (archers, red cloaks and armours), one of the five elite forces called Nameless Order in The Great Wall movie. He caught my attention because of Matt Damon and Legolas. Why? First, it's Matt Damon. One of the few Hollywood actors that I really respect their projects and personality. He's so normal. And Legolas? Yeah, I really have something with archery, so...

Some people may have already known it, but the others haven't. Yet. Because most of them, their main focus is on television series, not the big screen. In fact, if you are looking at Gengxin's portfolio, all the movies that he starred in - although it's less than the other actors done (Gengxin is known for his carefulness in choosing a role, and never plays the same typical character twice) - are no less exceptional than the others. And still made him one of the highest paid actors in China. In 2014, he became the main lead in The Taking Of Tiger Mountain along with Zhang Hanyu and Tony Leung. Two years later in 2016, he played a major role as Hsieh Shao Feng/Ah-Chi, The Third Master, collaborated with Peter Ho, in Sword Master film. And in this particular film, he acted together in one frame and one table with Matt Damon, Willem Dafoe, Pedro Pascal also Andy Lau.

So, when some time ago, a lot of people said that he was riding on his partner's (and his very best) name Zhao Liying for fame, perhaps they only knew him after The Legend Of Shen Li. Or... Maybe as usual, haters that apparently will always be haters.

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Production: Legendary Pictures, China Film Group, Dentsu Inc., Fuji Television Network

Country Origin: China, USA, Japan

Released Date: 6 December 2016 (Beijing)

Director: Zhang Yimou

Starring: Matt Damon, Jian Ting, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe, Andy Lau, Lu Han, Kenny Lin, Eddie Peng, Zhang Hanyu

Language: English, Mandarin

Music Director: Ramin Djawadi

Video Intro: Nameless Order (The Great Wall: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Ramin Djawadi

© 2016 Universal Pictures

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PS: Only on the big screen, that you will really hear his actual voice. Because most of his television series is done by voice over actors (which is a common in the Chinese film industry).

One thing that I remember, back then these elite forces, people on the internet called them Power Rangers 😅

[vereinars]

Poetic Muse.

Name: Liu Hao Cun

Native name: 刘浩存

Also Known as: Liu Haocun, Yimou girl, Cun Zi

Nationality: Chinese

Gender: Female

Born: May 20, 2000

Age: 24

Liu Hao Cun is a Chinese actor and dancer. She graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy.

Hao Cun was a rookie when she was cast by famed director Zhang Yimou, making her acting debut in his 2020 film "One Second" (一秒钟).

[thinktosee]

The Art that is Japan

Dotonbori, Osaka, June 27, 2024

“ ‘Kurosawa tells me to keep my own Chinese character and style,’ while embracing the outside world.” (1)

 - Renowned Chinese filmmaker, Zhang Yimou, about famed and award-winning Japanese film producer and director, Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998), as quoted by CNN.      

After pushing it off for a decade, I finally made the decision to re-visit Japan, departing Singapore on June 27 and arriving past noon in the vibrant city of Osaka, on Honshu island. On the train from the airport in Kansai to Namba station in the city, I was pleased to observe the immense transformation from our last visit. One glaring fact however remains, like a sun-kissed desert rose – Japan covets and retains its unique cultural identity. From the thoughtful spoken language to the spotless streets, superb food, hundreds of quaint shops and of course, the warm and welcoming people, Japan will always be an enigma to foreigners. I sense that this is the way the Japanese prefer it. They engage the world in every form of endeavour, propelling their country to become among the most modern, wealthy and developed. And yet, the core and character of Japanese society remain as is. Unceasing stability or if one prefers, uniformity, is a vital component to this success. 

Sara, David and I had many fond memories of our several visits to Japan, beginning from 2006. While Tokyo Disneyland and Osaka Universal Studios were among our happiest destinations, we also found the general atmosphere surrounding Japanese culture and society captivating and immersive. Art is deeply ingrained in the daily life of the Japanese citizen. One only needs to visit a store or restaurant to observe the creative manner in which the offered items are prepared and presented. In art, one finds pride of work or performance, and this in turn, promotes the innovative process. It is quite akin to a Hegelian dialectic, I gather. Every Japanese it seems, is an accomplished artist. It is possible this was what attracted David to Japan and its culture. During his theatrical pursuits while in high school, he researched extensively on Japanese theatre and prepared excellence-graded term papers on this. At home and on his bookshelf of over 200 books, there are several on the study of Butoh,(2) with David’s scribbled notations on almost every page.

As I presently re-trace our visit to Japan so long ago, bittersweet memories are resurrected and sometimes reformed – of the happiest moments in life with my children, something that I can never re-claim. These memories are plastered on the wall of my mind, forever it appears. And while they remain motionless therein, so too is the yearning to be securely reconciled. Art, as David once said, is life, and life is art. The Japanese surely understood this. I am beginning to.

Sources/References

1. http://edition.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/features/aoc/aoc.kurosawa.html

2. https://ums.org/2019/10/17/butoh-explained/

[mystlnewsonline]

BEIJING | Zhang Yimou's 'One Second' dropped from Berlin film festival

BEIJING | Zhang Yimou’s ‘One Second’ dropped from Berlin film festival

BEIJING (AP) — The latest film from famed Chinese director Zhang Yimou has been dropped from the Berlin film festival for what the festival described as technical reasons.

A notice on the official Weibo microblogging service account for the movie “One Second” apologized but gave no details other than to say it was not possible to show the film at Berlin.

The festival said the film was pulled…

[zhongwenstudieren]

City Vocabulary: Xī’ān

Xi’an, known historically as Cháng’ān 长安 (though the location of modern-day Xi’an is not quite the same as the locations of the cities known as Chang’an), served as the capital to a number of dynasties, including the Han and Tang dynasties. Xiányáng 咸阳, the Qin dynasty capital, is now also integrated with Xi’an, making this city the home of the famed Terracotta Army.  (Check out my other City Vocabulary lists here! Please feel free to request a city!)

陕西西安 - shǎn xī xī ān - Xi’an, Shaanxi

Districts

未央区 – wèi yáng qū – Weiyang District

新城区 – xīn chéng qū – Xincheng District

碑林区 – bēi lín qū – Beilin District

莲湖区 – lián hú qū – Lianhu District

灞桥区 – bà qiáo qū – Baqiao District

雁塔区 – yàn tǎ qū – Yanta District

阎良区 – yán liáng qū – Yanliang District

临潼区 – lín tóng qū – Lintong District

长安区 – cháng ān qū – Chang’an District

高陵区 – gāo líng qū – Gaoling District

鄠邑区 – hù yì qū – Huyi District

蓝田县 – lán tiān xiàn – Lantian County

周至县 – zhōu zhì xiàn – Zhouzhi County

Attractions

兵马俑 – bīng mǎ yǒng – Terracotta Army

西安城墙 – xī ān chéng qiáng – Xi’an City Wall

钟楼 – zhōng lóu – Bell Tower

鼓楼 – gǔ lóu – Drum Tower

回民街 – huí mín jiē – Muslim Quarter

大雁塔 – dà yàn tǎ – Giant Wild Goose Pagoda

小雁塔 – xiǎo yàn tǎ – Small Wild Goose Pagoda

陕西历史博物馆 ��� shǎn xī lì shǐ bó wù guǎn – Shaanxi History Museum

秦岭 – qín lǐng – Qinling Mountain Range

终南山 – zhōng nán shān – Zhongnan Mountain

大明宫 – dà míng gōng – Daming Palace

未央宫 – wèi yáng gōng – Weiyang Palace

华清池 – huá qīng chí – Huaqing Pool

碑林 – bēi lín – Forest of Steles

兴教寺 – xīng jiào sì – Xingjiao Temple

大唐芙蓉园 – dà táng fú róng yuán – Tang Paradise

Famous People

秦始皇 – qín shǐ huáng – Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of China

武则天 – wǔ zé tiān – Wu Zetian, the first female emperor of China (Tang dynasty)

许巍 – xǔ wēi – Xu Wei, singer and songwriter

张艺谋 – zhāng yì móu – Zhang Yimou, director

Food

肉夹馍 – ròu jiā mó – meat wedged in a steamed bun, sometimes referred to as a “Chinese burger”

Biangbiang面 – biáng biáng miàn – biang biang noodles, broad noodles often topped with hot peppers

西安凉皮 – xī ān liáng pí – Xi’an liangpi, a noodle-like dish served cold

镜糕 – jìng gāo – jinggao, a steamed glutinous rice cake

[waus-news]

BEIJING SNAPSHOT: As Olympics ebb, smartphone synchronicity | WAUS

BEIJING (AP) — The smartphones glowed. The irony echoed. As part of the closing ceremony Sunday night for the most locked-down and sequestered Olympics in human history, a carefully curated crowd packed — well, dotted, really — the famed Bird’s Nest stadium as a warm and humanistic show unfolded. The show itself, headed by famed Chinese director Zhang Yimou, fairly burst with color and music and energy and even joy. It felt disconnected from a COVID-compartmentalized Winter Games that, despite its insistent theme of “Together for a shared future,” kept people apart by the thousands — both those inside and outside its calibrated bubble. As the closing ceremony reached its denouement, something interesting unfolded. It was the kind of moment that has become common in the post-lighter-at-the-concert era.Before the ceremony, the official crowd preppers had exhorted those in attendance to, at a certain moment, take out their phones. “When the Olympic flame is about to be extinguished,” the emcee said, “hold up your phone, turn it on and sway to the music.”SEE MORE TECHNOLOGY WAUS NEWS >> And so they did, these carefully screened representatives of a carefully screened Games, these folks who had passed through security screenings and swabbing of their mucous membranes and all sorts of other gates and portals and checkpoints to gather here for the event that’s supposed to symbolize the planet coming together in the spirit of excellence and amiable competition.Winter OlympicsBeijing's Olympics close, ending safe but odd global moment After Beijing bubble bursts, can the IOC save the Olympics? Shiffrin, US 4th in mixed team Olympic event; Austria wins Friedrich gets 4th Olympic bobsled gold as Germans dominateIn The Era of The Phone, humanity is negotiating a new relationship with itself. But as we clutch our remarkable and terrible devices, be it swaying in unison in an Olympic Stadium or sitting alone and reaching across the ether, are we together but always apart? Or apart but always together?The smartphone, barely a teenager in 2022, has — like many teenagers — sucked up most of the oxygen in the room. And as these Olympic faithful in the Bird’s Nest held their phones skyward to become totems of warmth and togetherness against cold and COVID, a Chinese song called “You and Me” played and the words “One World” were displayed in fireworks, it was easy to wonder: Is this now the best connection we can hope for? ___Ted Anthony, AP’s director of new storytelling and newsroom innovation, is the AP’s former director of Asia-Pacific news and former China news editor and is covering his seventh Olympics. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/anthonyted SOURCE: AP NEWS Read the full article

[recentanimenews]

The Great Wall – The Art Of The Film Book Review

The Great Wall is a period fantasy/monster film directed by famed Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou, who gave us such memorable films as Raise The Red Lantern, Hero and House Of Flying Daggers. Set during the Song dynasty in ancient China, The Nameless Order battles against a horde of emerald monsters on a stretch of the great wall, aided by two European mercenaries played by Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal.

The film lacks the beautiful visual poetry of the director’s earlier films like Hero, but the action pieces are still very impressive and make for an entertaining film to watch. A big chunk of the visual effects for the film was done by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) Singapore, and had I not moved to Vancouver in 2015 I would most certainly have been involved in the project.

Anyhow, a recent re-watch of the film made me seek out this art book, which showcases a very nicely presented combination of film stills, marketing materials as well as concept art from the film. A considerable amount of content is dedicated to the designs for The Nameless Order, showcasing their impressive costumes and weapons design. Creature designs for the monster horde known as Taotei are also explored in detail, with many discarded designs that are quite interesting to look at.

The Great Wall certainly isn’t Zhang Yimou’s best film to date, but as a director with a strong background in cinematography, he still manages to make a movie that weaves a rich tapestry of color and action that is thrilling to watch. This art book is a great way to discover the unique visual designs for the impressive set pieces created for the film through the concept art, from costumes, weapons to creature designs. Recommended.

The Great Wall – The Art Of The Film book details :

– Dimensions – 12 x 1 x 10.7 inches – Hard cover, 160 pages – Full color

Buy From Amazon CA | Amazon JP | Amazon UK | Amazon FR | Amazon IT | Amazon DE | Amazon ES

You might also be interested in these items :

The post The Great Wall – The Art Of The Film Book Review appeared first on Halcyon Realms - Art Book Reviews - Anime, Manga, Film, Photography.

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By: yonghow

[profoundpaul]

Zhang Yimou’s ‘One Second’ dropped from Berlin film festival

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal. BEIJING (AP) — The latest film from famed Chinese director Zhang…

The post Zhang Yimou’s ‘One Second’ dropped from Berlin film festival appeared first on The Western Journal.

source https://www.westernjournal.com/ap-zhang-yimous-one-second-dropped-from-berlin-film-festival/

[princeashy]

Zhang Yimou's 'One Second' Dropped From Berlin Film Festival - U.S. News & World Report

Zhang Yimou's 'One Second' Dropped From Berlin Film Festival – U.S. News & World Report

[ad_1] Zhang Yimou’s ‘One Second’ Dropped From Berlin Film Festival  U.S. News & World Report

BEIJING (AP) — The latest film from famed Chinese director Zhang Yimou has been dropped from the Berlin film festival for what the festival described as …

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[m-anis-things]

A star makes a costly introduction

COLOURS OF CHINA

Monday, 16 Oct 2017

YOU may not know who they are, but these two youngsters crashed the Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo, broke tens of millions of hearts and forced a web engineer to skip his wedding ceremony – in minutes.

This happened when Chinese heartthrob Lu Han (pic) dropped a bombshell on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, on the last day of the Golden Week holiday when most people were preparing for work or school the following day.

“Hello, let me introduce you, this is my girlfriend @Guan Xiaotong,” wrote the pop star with the highest number of fans (over 41 million) among the post-1990s celebrities at noon on Oct 8.

This surprise announcement spread faster than wildfire to reach a record high of over 820 million Weibo users within just a few minutes, according to data released by the social media site.

The fans not only visited the accounts of the couple, they also checked on Dilraba Dilmurat, the Uyghur on-screen lover of Lu Han.

And the result – the Weibo server was paralysed for some four hours.

About 30 minutes after the server went down, its customer service team apologised for the inconvenience caused and at the same time, did not forget to poke fun at the new couple by writing: “What caused this, you all should know very well”, followed by three smiley faces sticking their tongues out.

Dilraba and Lu Han were made a pair for variety show Keep Running (Season 5), a spin-off from the popular South Korean game show, Running Man.

This orchestrated relationship was well accepted by fans and brought a significant amount of popularity and commercial returns to the duo.

Many Weibo users, especially Lu Han’s fans, reacted with disbelief to his post, comforting themselves that it was a publicity gimmick for the new Chinese idol drama Sweet Combat, in which the actor- singer and Guan play two students at a sports school.

Diehard fans expressed their sadness about the end of their “fruitless love stories” with the 27-year-old Lu Han.

The post “Click like if you think this is fake” garnered more than 220,000 likes in minutes.

In their imaginary relationships with Lu Han, they could only accept Dilraba, 25, as the third party, thanks to the successful marketing gimmick.

Guan, 20, who started her acting career four years ago, is currently a Year 2 student at Beijing Film Academy, a cradle for the Chinese film industry which has nurtured stars like Huang Lei, Zhao Wei and Huang Xiaoming as well as award-winning directors Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige.

She is less popular compared to Dilraba, who has over 34 million Weibo fans.

Now, how popular is Lu Han in China and how crazy can his fans be?

Born in Beijing, Lu Han was recruited as a member of the popular South Korean boys group EXO in 2011 when he was studying there. He left the group and returned to China three years later.

This xiao xian rou, literally translated as little fresh meat – referring to young, good-looking and innocent men – can make a product shoot to fame overnight without spending a single cent.

Around 11pm on April 8, Lu Han posted a picture of himself next to a mailbox at The Bund of Shanghai and the miracle happened soon.

A long queue of people started lining up to take photos with the dark green pillar-like mailbox, one that can also be found anywhere else.

At its peak, the queue stretched up to 300m and the security team had to reschedule their roster and patrol beats to maintain peace and order at the location.

This celebrity effect is not something strange in China and is one reason why many companies still stick to “low-budget” television commercial plots but are willing to pay sky-high fees for celebrities to advertise their products.

Chinese TV commercials are boring and usually feature celebs saying a few words about how good the products are.

Apart from Weibo users, one person who was greatly affected by the collapse of the server was Ding ZhenKai, who posted a picture of himself in front of a laptop.

It was his wedding day, but the website engineer was forced to put aside his ceremony and bride to deal with the emergency.

“The server is stable, my father-in-law asked me to go for a glass of wine, it’s all Lu Han’s fault,” he wrote later.

To make up for this, Lu Han has expressed his regrets while his manager replied that he would buy the couple a meal.

Ding and his newly-wed wife also received tonnes of well wishes from Weibo users.

[anne--frankly-blog]

The 5 Best Martial Arts Movies By Jet Li

Arguably the most internationally popular martial arts performer of all time, with only Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan viable competition, Jet Li has been a household name in Hong Kong for years. Over the past decade he has become immensely popular in America as well, unfortunately with some mediocre films. For those who may not know the best Li has to offer, here are five of his best films.

Hero

Directed by Chinese auteur Zhang Yimou, Hero is a lyrical, almost poetic martial arts film. The story of an assassin (Li) attempting to execute a would-be emperor, Hero is a gorgeous feast for the eyes, with stunning cinematography by Christopher Doyle. The Rashomon –like story asks big questions about love and patriotism, and which should come first. With action choreography by acclaimed action director Ching Siu-tung, and strong supporting performances from Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai Hero is a movie demanding to be seen. One of the best martial arts films of all time and a true masterpiece. Hereo featured a ton of martial arts including boxing, BJJ and Mixed Martial Arts!

Fearless

Billed as Jet Li’s last pure martial arts film, Fearless does not disappoint. A heavily fictionalized account of real-life Chinese martial artist Huo Yuan-Jia, Fearless fits in the same mold as Hero. The fighting, choreographed by action master Yuen Woo-Ping who is a bjj specialist, is exquisite, but this is a movie about the essence of martial arts, not just fighting. Huo starts as a petulant fighter, who ultimately heads down a path to true enlightenment. Director Ronny Yu gives the characters time to breath between the action scenes, and Li gives the best performance of his career. Interested viewers should seek out the Director’s Cut, as it is nearly 30 minutes longer. The longer cut fleshes out some of the subplots, and makes for a much less disjointed and more compelling movie. Further, it restores Michelle Yeoh’s performance, which was completely cut from the theatrical version.

Fist of Legend

Essentially a remake of the seminal Bruce Lee film Fist of Fury, Fist of Legend contains Li’s best fights, hands down. Li plays Chen Zhen, and martial arts student who returns home to China to avenge his master’s murder. Taking place before WWII, tensions between China and the occupying Japanese army are at the forefront of the movie. At the end of the day though, this movie is about knock down drag out fighting. The fights happen often and they are fast and brutal. Choreographed once again by Yuen Woo-Ping, and using minimal wirework, Li’s Brazilian jiu jitsu prowess is on full display. Overall the movie actually trumps Lee’s original.

Once Upon a Time in China 2

The second entry in the series that brought Li to fame is the best. Li plays Chinese folk hero Wong Fei-Hong, continuing his battle against invaders to China. Wong encounters Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, battles the evil White Lotus Cult, and fights Donnie Yen in one of the best fights in martial arts history. Directed by famed Hong Kong director Tsui Hark, and choreographed by the ever present Yuen Woo-Ping, OUATC2 is an exhilarating blend of martial arts action and political commentary. The film is also one of Donnie Yen’s best films.

Bodyguard from Beijing

Ostensibly a remake of the Kevin Costner film The Bodyguard, Li plays a mainland Chinese soldier who is sent to Hong Kong to protect the spoiled witness to a murder, played by Christy Chung. Romantic tension predictably ensues, but Li and the adorable Chung have great chemistry, far better than Costner and Whitney Houston. Director Corey Yuen is a Hong Kong action pro, and it shows in this film. The fighting is exceptionally well done, and the film moves at a great pace. The last fight, wherein Li and the main villain have to duke it out in a house rapidly filling with gas is fantastic. Light, fluffy entertainment, but incredibly well done.

For fans wanting to know the best Jet Li movies out there, this list is a great place to start. These five movies are guaranteed to satisfy any Jet Li fan, or any martial arts movie fan out there.

[jpopnation]

Deng Chao hints at appearance in Zhang Yimou's upcoming film

(China Plus) Chinese actor Deng Chao seems to have confirmed that he is set to appear in a new film directed by famed director Zhang Yimou. Over the weekend, the Read More http://dlvr.it/NcZP31