Feels a bit more like ranting than a good essay, but it definitely rang true with what I've noticed. Almost had to post it just for the mention of "The Promise". For me that movie is basically a...
Feels a bit more like ranting than a good essay, but it definitely rang true with what I've noticed.
Almost had to post it just for the mention of "The Promise". For me that movie is basically a summary of everything wrong with Chinese movies. It's an earlier one, one of thw first I remember watching that felt Hollywood-ish probably because it seemed to have a very western style love theme.
This is really quite an interesting take. I remember watching a lot of Bollywood films growing up and when it came to Fantasy, it was a really mixed bag. There were some really obvious...
This is really quite an interesting take. I remember watching a lot of Bollywood films growing up and when it came to Fantasy, it was a really mixed bag. There were some really obvious Hollywood-esque films, but imo the sequels paved a way for them to obtain their own identity. But really I think the majority of the films (all genres) feel like they are not at all like anything from Hollywood. They may tackle similar social issues, but the execution is quite different.
My main criticism of the video is the lack of diversity in the film chosen. They all look like some sort of sci-fi or fantasy based on the clips. I am willing to admit I have heard of none of them, so if I am wrong, please do point out my ignorance. OP - or others- could you explain how does his theory hold up in other genres e.g. Romance, art-house, etc?
He skipped the movie that I think is the best example of this type of film: The Great Wall. It was supposed to be amazing. My favorite Chinese director, Zhang Yimou, was directing it in his first...
He skipped the movie that I think is the best example of this type of film: The Great Wall.
It was supposed to be amazing. My favorite Chinese director, Zhang Yimou, was directing it in his first English language film complete with a major Hollywood star headlining the film. But in the end it was so painfully "Hollywood" it actually disgusted me and I couldn't finish the film.
But that isn't all that Chinese film does, of course. I was pleasantly surprised to watch Animal World, a Chinese live-action adaption of a Japanese manga. So when it comes down to it, I think the Chinese film industry has the same problems as the American film industry; it's run by producers who are more interested in making money than making excellent films.
Hmmm so do you think this video talks about a real problem in Chinese movies? All movie industries have varying quality of films. If the majority of films are like this, then I can understand the...
Hmmm so do you think this video talks about a real problem in Chinese movies? All movie industries have varying quality of films. If the majority of films are like this, then I can understand the issue, but if its the minority, I think it deserves a pass. Also, especially with animated films, I think newer movie industries deserve a pass. I am making an assumption that China's animation industry, standards, and schools are not at the level of Western equals. I think the video actually mentioned that directors of older movies went to film school (or something cultural?).
To be honest, I'm not Chinese nor do I live in China, so I don't think my oppinion means much. That being said, I think China has some very good, experienced professionals across all of the...
To be honest, I'm not Chinese nor do I live in China, so I don't think my oppinion means much.
That being said, I think China has some very good, experienced professionals across all of the different segments of their film industry. The country has some legitimately great films. If I were to guess why Chinese films tend to have that sense of "cheapness", I would assume it's simply because Chinese audiences are much less picky about the production values than the rest of the world. I honestly don't think that's a bad thing.
Don't disagree that at least romantic and historical movies could have been included, but I find there is generally a lack of diversity in the movies available themselves. My mom use to say China...
Don't disagree that at least romantic and historical movies could have been included, but I find there is generally a lack of diversity in the movies available themselves. My mom use to say China is the land of mythical creatures (and stories) and I think that's why we seem to love our fantasy. More recently, there's been an interest in scifi to skirt censorship.
My two cents on the other popular types, mainly historical and romance. Historical, for me, seems to have focused completely on the beauty and grandiose of old powerful China, and generally still lacks unqiue characters and stories. Romance is grossly sexist still, but have been trying to modernized. For me, it's fallen into a weird place that generally feels kinda rapey and lots of taming of the scwerd sort of putting women in their place.
Feels a bit more like ranting than a good essay, but it definitely rang true with what I've noticed.
Almost had to post it just for the mention of "The Promise". For me that movie is basically a summary of everything wrong with Chinese movies. It's an earlier one, one of thw first I remember watching that felt Hollywood-ish probably because it seemed to have a very western style love theme.
This is really quite an interesting take. I remember watching a lot of Bollywood films growing up and when it came to Fantasy, it was a really mixed bag. There were some really obvious Hollywood-esque films, but imo the sequels paved a way for them to obtain their own identity. But really I think the majority of the films (all genres) feel like they are not at all like anything from Hollywood. They may tackle similar social issues, but the execution is quite different.
My main criticism of the video is the lack of diversity in the film chosen. They all look like some sort of sci-fi or fantasy based on the clips. I am willing to admit I have heard of none of them, so if I am wrong, please do point out my ignorance. OP - or others- could you explain how does his theory hold up in other genres e.g. Romance, art-house, etc?
edit: English
He skipped the movie that I think is the best example of this type of film: The Great Wall.
It was supposed to be amazing. My favorite Chinese director, Zhang Yimou, was directing it in his first English language film complete with a major Hollywood star headlining the film. But in the end it was so painfully "Hollywood" it actually disgusted me and I couldn't finish the film.
But that isn't all that Chinese film does, of course. I was pleasantly surprised to watch Animal World, a Chinese live-action adaption of a Japanese manga. So when it comes down to it, I think the Chinese film industry has the same problems as the American film industry; it's run by producers who are more interested in making money than making excellent films.
Hmmm so do you think this video talks about a real problem in Chinese movies? All movie industries have varying quality of films. If the majority of films are like this, then I can understand the issue, but if its the minority, I think it deserves a pass. Also, especially with animated films, I think newer movie industries deserve a pass. I am making an assumption that China's animation industry, standards, and schools are not at the level of Western equals. I think the video actually mentioned that directors of older movies went to film school (or something cultural?).
To be honest, I'm not Chinese nor do I live in China, so I don't think my oppinion means much.
That being said, I think China has some very good, experienced professionals across all of the different segments of their film industry. The country has some legitimately great films. If I were to guess why Chinese films tend to have that sense of "cheapness", I would assume it's simply because Chinese audiences are much less picky about the production values than the rest of the world. I honestly don't think that's a bad thing.
Don't disagree that at least romantic and historical movies could have been included, but I find there is generally a lack of diversity in the movies available themselves. My mom use to say China is the land of mythical creatures (and stories) and I think that's why we seem to love our fantasy. More recently, there's been an interest in scifi to skirt censorship.
My two cents on the other popular types, mainly historical and romance. Historical, for me, seems to have focused completely on the beauty and grandiose of old powerful China, and generally still lacks unqiue characters and stories. Romance is grossly sexist still, but have been trying to modernized. For me, it's fallen into a weird place that generally feels kinda rapey and lots of taming of the scwerd sort of putting women in their place.