Movie reel

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