Shanghai: Movie reel

By Chen Nan (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-08-29 09:36

Gasp

Veteran standup comedian Ge You plays a miserable investor in new director Zheng Zhong's movie Gasp. Instead of his trademark bald head and cap, Ge sports a wig and speaks fluent English; instead of his typically glib and witty remarks, Ge plays a man on the edge of collapse. The small-budget movie is a realization of a 10-year promise between Ge and producer Li Xiaodian, who met on the set of commercial director Feng Xiaogang's Be There or Be Square in 1998. The movie also stars American actor John Savage (The Thin Red Line), Hong Kong actress Kelly Lin and mainland actor Liu Hua. Savage portrays a frustrated US businessman (Fran) who tries to solve his personal financial crisis by finding someone to buy his bankruptcy bound cheese factory so that he can go to live in Spain. He comes to Beijing and meets a Chinese investor, an actress-to-be and a mine owner. The investor, though claiming to want to buy Frank's factory, is also trying to hold together a failing business and dysfunctional family. Ge, who is regarded as box-office gold especially during the Spring Festival season, brings his own popular brand of humor and acting skills into the summer film market. The movie opened yesterday.

Haeundae

With a US$1 million price tag attached, Haeundae is the highest-budget Korean movie to date. Named after the country's most popular beach resort in the southern port city of Busan, it details the havoc wreaked by a tsunami and has drawn over 10 million viewers since it opened in Korea on July 22. Visual effects, supervised by Hans Uhlig of The Day After Tomorrow fame, are impressive, especially when the undersea quake threatens to flood the city. Directed by Yoon Je-kyoon, the movie stars some of Korea's leading actors, such as Seol Kyeong-gu, Ha Ji-won and Park Jong-hoon. It opened in China on Tuesday.

Other films now screening at cinemas nationwide include:

Kungfu Cyborg: Metallic Attraction

Combining artificial intelligence with kungfu, Chinese robot K-1 is sent to live in Ningbo, where it falls in love with a local gir. Jeff Lau directs. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra The Hasbro toys come to life in this film set 10 years into the future, which shows the origins of G.I. Joe operatives and their terrorist enemies, Cobra. Starring Channing Tatum. Stephen Sommers directs.

Sophie's Revenge

Sophie is a cartoonist, who is beautiful, successful and has a perfect fianc named Jeff. But when she finds out that Jeff is having an affair with an actress, Sophie wants her revenge. At first she tries to win back his heart, but soon learns that true love is just around the corner. Starring Zhang Ziyi, Fan Bingbing. Directed by Jin Yimeng. Produced by Zhang Ziyi.