Battle of the blockbusters
The holiday film fest kicked off this weekend with the release of director Chen Kaige's $15-million biopic of late Peking Opera star Mei Lanfang. The film explores the icon's inner world and marks Chen's return to Chinese opera after his 1993 film Farewell, My Concubine, which dealt with the relationship between two Peking Opera stars. Farewell won a Palme d'Or at Cannes and earned two Oscar nominations.
Forever Enthralled (Mei Lanfang for its Chinese title) stars Hong Kong actor-singer Leon Lai as Mei and Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi stars as Mei's lover Meng Xiaodong.
The Underdog Knight is another flick attracting interest from filmgoers. The story follows a battle-scarred, retired soldier (Liu Ye) who commits himself to fighting Hong Kong gang boss.
