SS: 5.5/10 With the Disney latest live-action film opened last week, totally different reviews came from both the Western world and eastern world.

The pandemic is still happening in most of the places of the worlds, but which obviously cannot hold back the release of Mulan any longer. The U.S. and other Disney+ covered countries and territories can watch it online with special subscriptions, and released in the cinema in other non-Disney+ place, including China.

As a live-action movie, Mulan is not bad, having 67 on Metascore and 75% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and most of those reviews from the audience in the western world are also quite positive. However, as in the birthplace of this story, China, many audiences seems not happy about this film, claiming this movie has loads of history errors and not as good as the animated version, even the animated version is also heavily criticised in China.

Yes, if we really into the history errors, Mulan would be a huge disaster. First, Mulan is not from Fujian, the Southeast of China, where is famous for the circle building as you can see in the film. Additionally, no matter in the ancient time or nowadays, if you sign up for the army, you will go to the local camp first and then move to another place with the troop together. Riding the horse crossing the whole China to join the army is quite unbelievable. Then, in the courtyard of the palace, you will never see princess chatting or be seen with other officers, in ancient times, it was a capital crime for concubines to communicate with officials.

The history errors are not the only thing pissed the audiences in China off, and the misused Chinese culture. Chi, for example, is the first concept has been misused in the film. Chi, one of the most important concepts in traditional Chinese philosophy, it’s a little bit like the Force in Star Wars, but not exactly. To explain it would take all day, but simply add Chi to the story without any explanation, but showing it as a kind of superpower which is not, making Mulan into a superhero and ignore her hardworking, “Sci-fi”ed the film. This is not appreciated by the Chinese audience. Besides, the weird makeup and the 4 virtues, especially the fourth one, are also highly criticised by the Chinese audience.

After all, Mulan is a movie suggested by The Ballads of Mulan, and this is not a serious history movie. Of course, if the team can do more research, making this movie without too many historical errors and correctly used those concepts would be better. But in a western perspective, this live-action is one of the great one in recent years.

SS: 8/10 New, breath-taking, and touching, a brilliant and creative way of storytelling, bringing the war to the audience or another way around.

Having 7 nominated in Oscar, and won 3 of them, this fantastic war film 1917 is finally on the big screen in China. Although having Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 4K rescreening as its biggest rival which has earned 31 million dollars since the rescreening, 1917 has earned 9.7 million, a not bad grade.

Even though China is one of the victorious countries, the main battlefield was not taken place in China, this film may not raise any emotional feeling or appealing audience by using emotional feeling in China. But its talented and well-known cinematography and screenplay did the job.

Using long take is dangerous and difficult, which require many times of rehearsal in advance and all units, not only actors but also the lighting unit, camera unit, sounds and many others cooperating closely than ever. One tiny mistake could ruin the whole take and all unit need to reprepare the set for another take. So how about the whole film is a long take, no other takes, one take and one long take only? Of course, the film is not really a long take, it just looks like a long take, but still, it needs lots of long takes combining together, using few cameras and lightning tricks as the “glue” to glue up different parts, all of these are brilliant and brave. Thanks to the marvellous cinematography technique, the audience is like the third soldier in this “suicide-like” mission with other who, not as a watcher but more like a witness.

Back to the story itself, comparing to the technique, the story seems too simple, the audience may be surprised by the long take but when the film over, rethink the story, it’s hard to find a highlight in the story but all are talking about the technique. But the character building, especially some characters only have a few seconds scene, the writer and director know how to introduce a character in a very short time and did a very good job on this part.

Overall, 1917 could be a phenomenon film, calling it one of those films which can represent the industry in the past ten years would be quite fair.

SS:3/10 There is no logic in the storyline, which causes a terrible story narrative.

After a series of remakes, the Sonic movie finally came out this year. You probably still remember the behind that scene story, when first trailer came out with that weird version Sonic. Disappointing wouldn’t be enough to describe it. But after the remake, thankfully the production company gave the team a second chance to modify the character model, a 3D Sonic appears on the screen this summer.

With the finally got it right Sonic, Jim Carrey, James Marsden and Tina Sumpter, a very good cast, you probably think there is no way that the movie could go wrong, however, it went really wrong.

As always, there will be spoilers in the following text.

Whatever characters do, they need to follow the logic, which is an important part that compose a story. Having no logic in this story makes every character lack of motivation and weaken the links between every chapters of the movies. In another word, the story goes like “because the director said so” not because in that situation what the characters did in the movie is reasonable.

For example, there is a scene that a meeting in the Pentagon, generals are discussing what they should do about the huge blackout. Why the head general chooses the Dr. Robotnik, who is he, what’s the relationship between him and the government etc. Director and writers left so many questions about this one scene and keep telling next chapter without any explanation about this scene. Left a black hole in the logic line, making the whole story doesn’t make any sense. A problem like this I can keep going, all those problems making the remake of Sonic model in vain. ‘Cause even a real-life real Sonic cannot save the movie, if the story is a bad apple.

But yes, for fans, watching your childhood hero running on the big screen, might still let you have goosebumps, well, about that I didn’t.

SS: 9/10 Find the deep of your heart and that is the only thing can define what you are

Jojo Rabbit from Taika Waititi, the talented New Zealand director who brought us Hunt for the Wilderpeople and Thor: Ragnarok. This time, Taika used a new way to tell the WWII story, and this time via a boy Nazi’s eyes to see this human tragedy. With Best Adapted Screenplay as the golden guarantee, Jojo Rabbit, without any doubts, should in your top 10 films of the year.

In this film, labels are the key topic of the story. Without too many narratives about Nazi’s offences, this film once has been criticized as may mislead the audiences about WWII and the true face of Nazi. However, in my opinion, WWII is just a background set, using this special time to discuss the key argument about humanity.

Jojo, a young boy who brought up by Nazi education, within that special environment, all the behaviour of him could be explained. But Jojo is just as same as other kids, no correct knowledge about the world or Jewish people. But in the deep of his heart, he knows what a right person’s behaviour should do. Hurting innocent would definitely not on his list.

If over criticised Jojo would not willing to hurt innocent, because of his age, that would be so wrong, as captain K, who I believe joined the force with no choice or finally realized the true face of the Nazi, what he has done on the battlefield is unforgivable, but saved Elsa’s life and protect Jojo which need great courage cannot be forget (I do believe that Captain K knew the tragedy about Rosie then he realized that Jojo may in great danger.)

Take off their labels, Jew, Nazi and anti-fascism, I saw humanity will shine, in China, there is an old saying, “There are no good or bad people, only good and bad behaviour. Having a conscience, even the most ordinary person could be a saint.”

SS: 7/10 The new technology brings the story to the next level.

Ang Li’s new film, Gemini Man, once again starts a cinema revolution all over the world. Like last time, this film also shot in 4K, 120FPS, which you many not able to see in your local cinema. Since the upgrade fee is too high for those cinema companies and only a few High-Tec films each year, there is not enough reason for them to spend that money. And which ii think is the main reason that reviewers don’t like this film, this film must be seen in a 4K&120FPS cinema.

Luckily, there are some High-Tec cinemas in China, well, actually quite a lot. So, I experienced Li’s new High-Tec work, and to be honest, it’s brilliant! The story is not the spotlight, just a very classic Hollywood style story, but the car chasing scene and the fighting scene on the 4K 120fps screen, it is so extraordinary. “Cool” won’t be enough to describe it.

I think I should explain what is 4K and 120FPS. Well, you can wiki or google it, of course, but I would like to explain them to you by myself, which will make this article looks not too short. 4K means the resolutions. It is much clearer than those films we usually watch, as those would be 2K. So, yes, double it. As 120 fps, this may hard to explain. FPS as short of “frames per second”. The movie also called “motion picture”. One short clip of video actually contained maybe thousand or hundred of pictures, when you watching the video, actually, you are watching those pictures flipping in front of your eyes every quickly. So, normally, in film, 24 pictures will be slipped in front of you in one second, but in this film, there will be 120pictures in ONE SECOND! This really is amazing, all the pictures are in 4K and 120 in one second, which means you can see everything in this film clearer than ever, even a pore. With this technology, the characters on the screen will be more real and lively.

Watching this film in a proper cinema may be a challenge, but it will be soon available in a DVD store or online store, try it on your best screen at home.

SS: 5.5/10 A mixture of horror and adventure films, doesn’t handle so well, but worth the ticket.

IT Chapter two, based on Stephen King’s work IT. The story continues where the last one ended, the seven kids made a patch, and in this film, the story will mainly about when they all grow up, after 27 years, how will them fight the clown again. Not like 27 years before, when they are little, they have less to worried about, the adult world totally changed them, but the same nightmare, the Clown has never changed, could they win this time as well?

The book set the whole story in a small town, which focuses on childhood trauma and also satirizes the ugly thought and overdated value in contemporary America. The film follows the book’s core concept, but the huge story and massive storylines will not be easily handled and clearly this film doesn’t handle these well.

The clown uses their childhood fears to scar them, weak them down, these need to show the audience all their nightmare form their childhood. 7 people’s nightmare in one film isn’t possible, so there will be something missing in the film, the film will mainly focus on how to scar the audience. However, this weak the main storyline, audience doesn’t know what exactly are their trauma, the audience only knows they scared of the same thing that the characters are scared of too. This happened in Avengers: Endgame too, too many storylines, how to tell them.

The female character in this film shows a typical Hollywood female character style. Either for having a relationship with everyone in the film or is the one who inspires the male character. In this film is the first one. Female just like a male, can do everything, using female characters just for adding some drama in the film is totally wrong.

As I mentioned before, King’s work also satirizes those ugly outdated value, this film wants to show some of those elements too, but too deliberate, just like there are four gays in the film, I won’t tell you what happened and who are they, no spoilers. But there is so less background plot for those conflicts, and homophobia definitely cannot be the only outdated thing right? It feels like this film wants some deeper meaning, then just add some homophobia.

The last part of the film, the story has completely collapsed. Main characters used a so stupid way to kill the Clown, can’t say, spoiler. They can do better.

Overall, it still worth the ticket if you like a horror film.

SS: 5/10 Funny but meaningless.

Good boys with Seth Rogen as one of the producer and Jacob Tremblay from Room, using age conflict and family conflict as the “punch line”, giving audience maybe the best comedy film in cinema this summer.

The film is full of the funny and hilarious point, which are made of the conflicts as I mentioned before. Using the child’s innocent reaction about adult’s world and combina with the family relationship and friendship to make audience laugh, meanwhile the relationship part makes this film doesn’t looks like a joke collection, or in another words, makes this film have some worthiness and deeper meaning.

If you worried about this film may not be as funny as you expected, you would be fine. The film is totally funny and interesting. But if you looking for more than laugh, this film may not be a good choice for you. Weak storyline, awkward character personality building and poor writing about the family relationship and the friendship totally drag this film down a lower level.

Overall, if you wanna have a good time of laughing, this is the film you better not miss, but that is all.

SS: 8/10 Unlike other Quentin’s film, but other Quentin’s film. It more like a mixtape, all Quentin elements you can find in this.

Once you heard the name, Quentin, the first thing in your head definitely are those massive violent scenes. Blood splashed everywhere, broken human parts laid on the ground… If you have those expectations, want to watch a classic violent Quentin film, then this may or may not let you down. I have to tell you that this film does have blood splashing and other violent parts, but this film is not about violence.

Although this film is based on the real incident, Tate Murder, but the story of the film is telling you a different story. By the way,

!!!DO NOT SEE, READ, OR WATCH ANY SPOILERS!!!

This review will have slight spoilers, just a wee little bit, please feel safe to continue your reading.

Quentin is still that Quentin, as I said above, all his elements you can find in this film. Quentin used two fiction characters show the whole picture of the last century’s Hollywood. In this film, you can see two normal Hollywood actors (Well, an actor and a double) set in this golden age background, they try to fight for their future, want to have a new start back into audience’s sight. But Hollywood is Hollywood. It never lacks talents. The director used these two “normal” guys and the story between them to rebuilt the 1960s Hollywood.

The story flow has its own speed, and each chapter connects to each other smoothly. The whole story from beginning to the end, every part of this film seize your attention tightly. But the length of the film could be a challenge for people who not usually watch a film for 3 hours, This film can easily lose him at some point of it.

Overall, this is a very classic Quentin style film and totally worth to spend your time on it. I can’t spoil, so, not much can say, but just go watch it.