Another classy Chinese action thriller whose dazzling style seems to take place in a deliberate narrative void, Cliff Walkers (previously titled Impasse) marks leading Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s first foray into the espionage genre. Following on the heels of his censorship-plagued One Second, which was abruptly withdrawn from the 2019 Berlin Film Festival and only came out in China last November, the new film would seem to the naked eye to have nothing for the censors to object to; in fact, it is dedicated to “the heroes of the Revolution.” What foreign audiences will take away is not the negligible storyline but a visually entrancing parade of attractive actors in a pleasingly fluid spy-counterspy dance.
Though bound to make most of its millions domestically, aided by its well-known cast, Cliff Walkers is being released day-and-date in China and the U.S. on April 30. Having one big English-language co-production under his belt — the Matt Damon-starring,...
Though bound to make most of its millions domestically, aided by its well-known cast, Cliff Walkers is being released day-and-date in China and the U.S. on April 30. Having one big English-language co-production under his belt — the Matt Damon-starring,...
- 4/27/2021
- by Deborah Young
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Chinese director Zhang Yimou’s stylish, snowy spy thriller “Impasse” is set to debut in China over the May 1 Labor Day weekend, joining what will be an unusually competitive line-up.
“Impasse” was supposed to hit screens last year, but its release was pushed back to this upcoming April 30 due to the pandemic. Starring Zhang Yi (“Operation Red Sea”), Yu Hewei (“A Writer’s Odyssey”), Qin Hailu (“White Deer Plain”) and Zhu Yawen (“The Witness”), the 1930s-set story tells the tale of four Chinese agents specially trained in the Soviet Union who parachute into the puppet state of Manchukuo, as northeast China was called under Japanese rule, to carry out a secret operation — only to discover they’ve been set up in a trap.
Including “Impasse,” six strong titles are now set to debut over the three-day holiday.
Three will premiere alongside Zhang’s latest on Friday, April 30: video game adaptation “Dynasty Warriors,...
“Impasse” was supposed to hit screens last year, but its release was pushed back to this upcoming April 30 due to the pandemic. Starring Zhang Yi (“Operation Red Sea”), Yu Hewei (“A Writer’s Odyssey”), Qin Hailu (“White Deer Plain”) and Zhu Yawen (“The Witness”), the 1930s-set story tells the tale of four Chinese agents specially trained in the Soviet Union who parachute into the puppet state of Manchukuo, as northeast China was called under Japanese rule, to carry out a secret operation — only to discover they’ve been set up in a trap.
Including “Impasse,” six strong titles are now set to debut over the three-day holiday.
Three will premiere alongside Zhang’s latest on Friday, April 30: video game adaptation “Dynasty Warriors,...
- 3/24/2021
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
On a peerless prolific streak, Zhang Yimou’s wuxia epic Shadow premiered in 2018 and since then, the Chinese director has four additional feature films in the works––the latest of which has just been announced.
There’s his Cultural Revolution-era drama One Second, which was pulled from last year’s Berlinale Film Festival at the last second likely due to Chinese censors and now finally got approval for release. Then there are two films which recently received trailers: his crime drama Under the Light and a new spy thriller Impasse, starring Zhang Yi and Zhu Yawen.
Now he’s embarking on The Coldest Gun, which has just been approved by Chinese authorities to move ahead, Variety reports. The film will follow the real-life story of 22-year-old sniper named Zhang Dagong, who battled U.S. troops during the Korean War, killing or injuring a record 214 American soldiers in 32 days. Celebrating the...
There’s his Cultural Revolution-era drama One Second, which was pulled from last year’s Berlinale Film Festival at the last second likely due to Chinese censors and now finally got approval for release. Then there are two films which recently received trailers: his crime drama Under the Light and a new spy thriller Impasse, starring Zhang Yi and Zhu Yawen.
Now he’s embarking on The Coldest Gun, which has just been approved by Chinese authorities to move ahead, Variety reports. The film will follow the real-life story of 22-year-old sniper named Zhang Dagong, who battled U.S. troops during the Korean War, killing or injuring a record 214 American soldiers in 32 days. Celebrating the...
- 10/13/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Chinese authorities have officially registered and approved a new Korean War-era film from director Zhang Yimou whose Chinese name translates to “The Coldest Gun.”
It will be written by Chen Yu, the screenwriter who also partnered with Zhang on his upcoming crime thriller “Under the Light,” and produced by Li Feng Culture, a small firm whose only credit to date appears to be as a minor co-producer on the patriotic National Day film “My People, My Homeland,” which hit cinemas Oct. 1 and has made $289 million so far. According to an official government filing that emerged online Wednesday, the project has been approved by Chinese authorities and can move forward with shoots.
The film will tell the story of a 22-year-old sniper named Zhang Dagong as he fights against U.S. troops during the Korean War. He is based on the real-life personage Zhang Taofang, a Jiangsu native born in 1931 who...
It will be written by Chen Yu, the screenwriter who also partnered with Zhang on his upcoming crime thriller “Under the Light,” and produced by Li Feng Culture, a small firm whose only credit to date appears to be as a minor co-producer on the patriotic National Day film “My People, My Homeland,” which hit cinemas Oct. 1 and has made $289 million so far. According to an official government filing that emerged online Wednesday, the project has been approved by Chinese authorities and can move forward with shoots.
The film will tell the story of a 22-year-old sniper named Zhang Dagong as he fights against U.S. troops during the Korean War. He is based on the real-life personage Zhang Taofang, a Jiangsu native born in 1931 who...
- 10/9/2020
- by Rebecca Davis
- Variety Film + TV
As coronavirus restrictions begin to ease up in China, film and TV production is reportedly starting up again, albeit under strict health guidelines. According to China Global Television Network, some crews have started to resume work following weeks on hiatus due to the outbreak.
Back in February, Xiangshan Film and Television Town in Ningbo, in the Zhejiang Province of eastern China, was among the first to reopen, with four crews going back to work and at least 50 readying to go back. The administrator of Xiangshan, however, mandated epidemic emergency precautions to be taken on set, limiting the number of gatherings of crew members to 50. Crew members were also asked to take an exam on epidemic prevention consisting of 25 questions, and all with a perfect score.
The news comes as China starts to recover its economy and ease up quarantine protocols, though movie theaters — which briefly reopened this month before shuttering again — remain closed due to concerns over a possible second wave of infection.
On March 28, Hengdian World Studios, which is one of China’s biggest production hub, reopened five shooting bases and brought more than 20 crews back to work. Films have also resumed shooting, including “Hero,” “House of Flying Daggers,” and “Red Sorghum” director Zhang Yimou’s upcoming film “Impasse,” starring Zhang Yi and Zhu Yawen. Production was taking place in Datong, northern China’s Shanxi Province, after shutting down operations for more than 50 days.
Also resuming filming, in the Hada Bay Old Industrial Zone in northeastern China’s Jilin Province, is director Zhang Ji’s “Moses in the Plain,” produced by “Black Coal, Thin Ice” Berlinale Golden Bear winner Diao Yinan, whose most recently film was sleek Chinese noir and 2019 Cannes selection “The Wild Goose Lake.”
Local governments in China have offered subsidies to the struggling film industry. The government of Dongyang City, in Zhejiang Province, offered 10 million yuan (equivalent to about $1.4 million) to cover overhead costs at Hengdian World Studios and provide for the crews. Hengdian also exempted its rental fees, discounted its hotel accommodation, and gave those quarantine in Hengdian 500 yuan per person. Xiangshan also took similar measures to provide for crew members by cutting accommodation and rental fees, and for equipment.
These developments come as production remains halted indefinitely in the United States, with studios anticipating going back to work in the summer, while continuing to shift release dates for their finished tentpoles.
Back in February, Xiangshan Film and Television Town in Ningbo, in the Zhejiang Province of eastern China, was among the first to reopen, with four crews going back to work and at least 50 readying to go back. The administrator of Xiangshan, however, mandated epidemic emergency precautions to be taken on set, limiting the number of gatherings of crew members to 50. Crew members were also asked to take an exam on epidemic prevention consisting of 25 questions, and all with a perfect score.
The news comes as China starts to recover its economy and ease up quarantine protocols, though movie theaters — which briefly reopened this month before shuttering again — remain closed due to concerns over a possible second wave of infection.
On March 28, Hengdian World Studios, which is one of China’s biggest production hub, reopened five shooting bases and brought more than 20 crews back to work. Films have also resumed shooting, including “Hero,” “House of Flying Daggers,” and “Red Sorghum” director Zhang Yimou’s upcoming film “Impasse,” starring Zhang Yi and Zhu Yawen. Production was taking place in Datong, northern China’s Shanxi Province, after shutting down operations for more than 50 days.
Also resuming filming, in the Hada Bay Old Industrial Zone in northeastern China’s Jilin Province, is director Zhang Ji’s “Moses in the Plain,” produced by “Black Coal, Thin Ice” Berlinale Golden Bear winner Diao Yinan, whose most recently film was sleek Chinese noir and 2019 Cannes selection “The Wild Goose Lake.”
Local governments in China have offered subsidies to the struggling film industry. The government of Dongyang City, in Zhejiang Province, offered 10 million yuan (equivalent to about $1.4 million) to cover overhead costs at Hengdian World Studios and provide for the crews. Hengdian also exempted its rental fees, discounted its hotel accommodation, and gave those quarantine in Hengdian 500 yuan per person. Xiangshan also took similar measures to provide for crew members by cutting accommodation and rental fees, and for equipment.
These developments come as production remains halted indefinitely in the United States, with studios anticipating going back to work in the summer, while continuing to shift release dates for their finished tentpoles.
- 4/5/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Filming of movie and TV series is underway in China following a months-long shutdown forced by the coronavirus outbreak. But not the whole country is back at work, or working at the same speed.
“We’ve been shooting our TV series ‘Game Changer’ since the beginning of March. We’ve completed all the interiors and now have only one week outside to do,” Wang Haiyi, of film and TV company Hishow Entertainment, told Variety.
“We spent six weeks of lockdown in three hotels, with all the cast and crew, including star Huang Xiaoming. Nobody moved. But we were lucky to be near Chengdu which was not the worst part of the country affected by the virus, so we have been able to restart.”
Chinese state media reports that five stages at Hengdian, the mega studios near Hangzhou, have been back in action since March 28. Lensing of TV series “Legend of Fei,...
“We’ve been shooting our TV series ‘Game Changer’ since the beginning of March. We’ve completed all the interiors and now have only one week outside to do,” Wang Haiyi, of film and TV company Hishow Entertainment, told Variety.
“We spent six weeks of lockdown in three hotels, with all the cast and crew, including star Huang Xiaoming. Nobody moved. But we were lucky to be near Chengdu which was not the worst part of the country affected by the virus, so we have been able to restart.”
Chinese state media reports that five stages at Hengdian, the mega studios near Hangzhou, have been back in action since March 28. Lensing of TV series “Legend of Fei,...
- 4/3/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Zhang Yimou spy drama and popular TV series among projects reportedly given go-ahead, under strict health guidelines
Coronavirus – latest updates
Signs of life are re-emerging in China’s film and TV industry, as studios across the country reopen and suspended film shoots are restarted, it has been reported.
According to China Global Television Network, a branch of the state-owned TV network China Central Television, studios have reopened in Ningbo, Shanghai, Qingdao and Xi’an, and TV series such as Legend of Fei and Like a Flowing River have resumed production. High-profile film shoots, including Zhang Yimou’s Impasse, are also reported to have begun filming again.
Coronavirus – latest updates
Signs of life are re-emerging in China’s film and TV industry, as studios across the country reopen and suspended film shoots are restarted, it has been reported.
According to China Global Television Network, a branch of the state-owned TV network China Central Television, studios have reopened in Ningbo, Shanghai, Qingdao and Xi’an, and TV series such as Legend of Fei and Like a Flowing River have resumed production. High-profile film shoots, including Zhang Yimou’s Impasse, are also reported to have begun filming again.
- 4/3/2020
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
As part of its "Summer Under the Stars" film series, Turner Classic Movies is showing 12 Anne Francis movies today, including three TCM premieres. Those are actor-director William Conrad's Brainstorm (1965), veteran Raoul Walsh's A Lion Is in the Streets (1953), and actor-director Richard Benedict's Impasse (1969). [Anne Francis Movie Schedule.] Brainstorm is about a scientist intent on killing the husband of the woman he loves. The B thriller stars performers who had seen better big-screen days in the '40s and/or '50s: Jeffrey Hunter, Dana Andrews, Viveca Lindfors, and Francis. At the time, however, Francis was doing well for herself on television in the series Honey West, in which she played a sexy gumshoe whose partner was an ocelot. Based on a novel by Adria Locke Langley, A Lion Is in the Streets (1953) is a political drama that got made probably thanks to Robert Rossen's 1949 Oscar winner All the King's Men.
- 8/29/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Anne Francis on TCM: Forbidden Planet, Brainstorm, A Lion Is In The Streets Schedule (Et) and synopses from the TCM website: 6:00 Am Summer Holiday (1948) Musical remake of Ah, Wilderness!, about a small-town boy's struggles with growing up. Dir: Rouben Mamoulian. Cast: Mickey Rooney, Gloria DeHaven, Walter Huston, Frank Morgan, Jackie Jenkins, Marilyn Maxwell, Agnes Moorehead. C-93 mins. 7:45 Am So Young So Bad (1950) A crusading psychiatrist tries to help troubled reform school girls. Dir: Bernard Vorhaus. Cast: Paul Henreid, Catherine McLeod, Cecil Clovelly, Anne Jackson, Rita Moreno. Bw-91 mins. 9:30 Am Battle Cry (1955) A group of Marines eagerly await deployment during World War II. Dir: Raoul Walsh. Cast: Van Heflin, Aldo Ray, Mona Freeman, Dorothy Malone, Nancy Olson, Tab Hunter, James Whitmore, Raymond Massey, William Campbell. C-148 mins, Letterbox Format. 12:00 Pm Bad Day At Black Rock (1955) A one-armed veteran uncovers small-town secrets when he tries to visit an Asian-American war hero's family.
- 8/29/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
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