'Cliff Walkers': Film Review

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefZhang Yimou’s period espionage thriller “Cliff Walkers” ran out a comfortable winner at the mainland Chinese box office, ahead of other holdovers and new release titles including Jason Statham-starring “Wrath of Man.”“Cliff Walkers” dropped only 32% between its second and third weekends, taking $16.6 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.

Road movies prime their audience to expect the unexpected – part of the point of the genre is for the protagonist’s expectations to be thwarted and for their journey to take a few extra twists and turns along the way. “Bipolar” takes this tendency to an extreme, with a protagonist so open to chasing new whims that it’s impossible to predict what might be happening in ten minutes, let alone by the end of the film.

EXCLUSIVE: The controversial life and career of Rudy Giuliani is to be the subject of a feature documentary from the team behind Hulu’s recent WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn doc.

Manori Ravindran International EditorThe Berlin Film Festival has confirmed that its in-person June event will go ahead as planned, taking place as an outdoor event.Organizers said the event will run from June 9-20, noting that “the Berlinale is pleased to be able to give audiences the enjoyment of an open-air cinema experience at 16 venues in total at the Summer Special.

Rebecca Davis editorZhang Yimou’s spy thriller “Cliff Walkers” strode into first place this weekend at the China box office with a $24.3 million score, bringing its cumulative total up to $118 million, according to data from consultancy Artisan Gateway.It more than tripled the gross of “My Love,” the melodramatic rom-com that had outpaced it last week for first place, in what was the opening weekend for both films.

Rebecca Davis editorHuayi Brothers, China’s longest-standing privately-owned production film studio, has notched its third consecutive year of losses despite producing the world’s highest grossing film in 2020, its annual report showed.The company’s revenues for 2020 fell by 33% year-on-year to $232 million (RMB1.5 billion) while net losses hit $162 million (RMB1.05 billion).

Jessica Kiang When the urgent desire to make something beautiful overrides the desire to tell a particular story — and when you are Zhang Yimou, rebounding from a run-in with the Chinese authorities over your last picture, “One Second” — you might end up with a film like “Cliff Walkers.” A gorgeously snowbound period spy movie insulated beneath layers of contorted plotting just as its cast is swaddled in snow-speckled winter furs and fedoras, the film is a muddle of a plot wrapped around a

It was almost exactly a year ago, in March 2020, atStudio Babelsberg Germany's largest film studio, located just outside Berlin.

Zhang Yimou's spy thriller Cliff Walkers was the best reviewed new release to open over China's lucrative May Day holiday weekend, but it was far from the biggest earner. Youth romance My Love, from Beijing Enlight Pictures, overcame withering reviews to dominate the start of the long holiday frame, earning $65.1 million from Friday to Sunday.

Rebecca Davis editorZhang Yimou’s snowy period spy thriller “Cliff Walkers” debuted in China this Labor Day holiday weekend with $37.7 million. But it was outrun by local rom-com “My Love,” which took a comfortable box office victory.That tale of young love starring Taiwan’s Greg Hsu and Zhang Ruonan of the popular TV show “Cry Me A Sad River” opened Friday to earn $65.1 million over three days, according to data from Artisan Gateway.

There are many poignant moments in 76 Days, Hao Wu’s moving documentary about medical workers in Wuhan, China and the patients they treated as the city went through lockdown last year over Covid-19.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorJon M. Chu’s “In the Heights” will screen at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival with a special preview on June 4 at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatre.The film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hit Broadway musical will screen five days before the Tribeca Film Festival.“We cannot wait to share this incredible film with our audience as part of this year’s festival,” said Edward James Olmos, founder of the Latino Film Institute.

The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival said Friday that it will host a special preview screening of Warner Bros’ In the Heights on June 4 at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. It will come ahead of the world premiere of the Jon M Chu-directed adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning musical five days later to open the Tribeca Film Festival.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefZhang Yimou’s “Cliff Walkers” is kicking off a multi-territory release this weekend, with day and date outings in North America, New Zealand, and Singapore coordinating with the espionage thriller’s official launch in mainland Chinese theaters on Friday.That makes it one of the first major Chinese pictures to take advantage of the improving theatrical conditions in the U.S.

After all the accusations, conspiracy theories and general misinformation regarding the origins of the coronavirus in China, the sensitive, humanistic Wuhan Wuhan does a fine job depoliticizing the topic. It shows how the Chinese response to the virus outbreak was very similar to those in hospitals around the world, though its interest for viewers, perhaps, lies in ferreting out some of the minor differences.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentFilm Movement has acquired North American rights to Alexandre Rockwell’s “Sweet Thing,” which won the Berlin Film Festival’s Crystal Bear in 2020.The movie is slated for a theatrical release this summer, followed by a rollout on all digital and home entertainment platforms.

Rebecca Davis editorMove over, “Nomadland” — Italy’s “Pinocchio” is now set to become the first film nominated at this year’s Oscars to hit China.Although Chloé Zhao’s film nabbed best picture and two other major prizes at the Academy Awards on Sunday, it was pulled quietly from its planned China release on April 23 in the wake of nationalist backlash against her there.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefAward-winning Chinese sci-fi novel “Folding Beijing” will move into production as a movie later this year, following a green light from mainland China studio Wanda Film.The film, titled “Folding City” is to be helmed by Josh Kim, the Korean-American director who previously made a splash with adolescent drama “How to Win at Checkers (Every Time)”. The film was selected as Thailand’s Oscar contender in 2015.

Rebecca Davis editorThe organization Chinese in Entertainment, the non-profit behind the Los Angeles Chinese Film Festival (LACFF), is changing its name to remove the word “Chinese” after internal discussions about the political implications of the term.After some soul-searching, the team decided that the new name Sino Entertainment Association (SEA) would be better aligned with its goal of championing inclusivity and diversity.

The Berlin Film Festival's planned in-person event this summer is in doubt amid new coronavirus pandemic restrictions set out in Germany's recently updated Infection Protection Act. The changes "now make the planning of the Berlinale Summer Special a bigger challenge," organizers said in a statement on Wednesday.