Reviews
Movie
Luxury Car
Directed by Wang Chao, starring Tian Yuan
A Wuhan University graduate said something inappropriate and was sent to work in a remote mountain. Some 20 years later, his son and daughter are back in the city, trying their own ways to climb out of poverty.
The father comes to the city in search of his son, who, unknown to him, was killed in a carjacking. The daughter is working in a nightclub, teetering between unreasonable demands from clients and the needs of his boss, who doubles as her boyfriend.
The movie accurately depicts two generations who adapt to the changing environment in their own ways. The pacing is measured, though much faster than Wang's previous outing. Unfortunately, there is not much to ponder on. It is just another attempt to deliver a skin-deep portrayal of a dizzying vortex to a Western audience who has learned to watch China through a preconditioned prism.
Raymond Zhou
DVD
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Directed by Stephen Norrington, starring Sean Connery
Automobiles, submarines, rockets and explosions that nearly sank Venice: all this modern equipment in 1899?
Norrington's fantasy movie is based on a comic book in the genre of "Steampunk", which presents an alternate Victorian age with an extra-evolved steam-driven science that never existed. The film has great promise. There are seven well-known Victorian fictional figures, such as Dracula's old flame Mina Harker, the Invisible Man, Dr Jekyll (plus Mr Hyde) and Tom Sawyer, all led by the self-exiled hunter Allan Quatermain (Connery) to take on a lunatic warmonger known only as the Fantom.
Overall, the film is quite enjoyable, never too serious, filled with fun and adventure, and dry humorous lines. But serious defects occur in the first fighting scene and logic and continuity fly out of the window.
Captain Nemo's shiny submarine, with all its artistic ornaments, makes up for some loss and Quatermain's affectionate chat with Sawyer (Shane West) warms up the story. But the fight at Venice destroys it all. Even the jellyfish-shaped vessel couldn't salvage the movie with such dashing effects and sets.
Liu Jun
Book
China: The Art of Law
For foreign investors, doing business in China is not always as easy as back home. Mark E. Schaub, a legal expert who has worked in a Shanghai law firm for 15 years, says that foreigners have to get acquainted with the legal system to avoid various pitfalls.
The Western legal expert has gathered together his insightful observations in a book entitled China: The Art of Law.
The book is a lively, entertaining and informative publication that provides practical tips and identifies pitfalls to avoid when investing in China.
It covers all issues from setting up a foreign-invested enterprise, project implementation to managing risks, illustrated with real life experiences.
Published by CCH Hong Kong Limited, 500 yuan ($65), available on the mainland.
Zhu Linyong
(China Daily 05/24/2007 page20)
