Editor's note: There are a large number of movies, TV series and variety shows broadcast every week. How do you choose, you might as well take a look at The Paper's recommendations.
【Movie】
According to the Beacon Professional Edition, as of 16:30 on July 21, the top five at the box office that day were "Super Family", "Thirty Thousand Miles in Chang'an", "Feng Shen Part I", "In the Octagonal Cage" and "Barbie". Among them, "Super Family", "Feng Shen Part 1" and "Barbie" are new films this week. The three new films are in different circumstances. Although "Super Family", which has been adjusted several times, is currently leading the box office, it has been complained on the Internet. This movie produced by Happy Twist was criticized by the audience for more than 100 minutes without a single laugh; However, "Fengshen Part I" has too obvious advantages and disadvantages, so its box office and word-of-mouth have not improved. At present, the Douban score of the film has dropped from 7.7 points to 7.6 points.
In addition, the box office for the summer vacation in 2023 has reached 9.7 billion yuan, and it is expected to break through the 10 billion yuan mark this week.
"Fengshen Part One"
"Fengshen Part I" poster
"Feng Shen No. 1" is a film full of sincerity. Regardless of whether the audience feels that the story and visual effects meet expectations, at least the effort and thought of the creators can be seen from a large number of production details. For Chinese films, its release has actually become the ceiling for the production of magical and mythical themes in China today.
→ Interview｜Wu Ershan, director of "Fengshen Part I": "Start from the world"
→ "Fengshen Part I": a huge palace with great sincerity
→ "Fengshen Part I": a very "modern" adaptation
"Mission Impossible 7: Deadly Reckoning (Part 1)"
"Brother Cruise" and the motorcycle, all the way from young to old
Similar to "Fengshen Part 1", the Hollywood blockbuster "Mission: Impossible 7: Deadly Reckoning (Part 1)", which focuses on visual effects, has also failed to sell in the mainland market. Its box office has not yet reached 300 million yuan after its release. This once again triggered the discussion of "Can Hollywood blockbusters still work in China?" However, from the perspective of the movie itself, the word-of-mouth and film quality of "Mission: Impossible 7" can't be considered bad, it's just too routine, and Chinese audiences are a bit tired of aesthetics.
→ "Mission: Impossible 7: Deadly Reckoning (Part 1)": An old-fashioned action movie
→ Ethan Hunt can save the world but not Hollywood blockbusters
Other recommendations:
【TV drama】
TV drama information
The fantasy adventure suspense drama "Seven Heart Letters" starring Song Weilong, Liu Haocun, and Ao Ruipeng was launched on July 16.
The Lurker poster
The 37-episode spy war drama "The Lurker" starring Huang Xiaoming, Jiang Xin, Wu Xiaoliang, and Wan Qian is confirmed to be on July 27 after "Zeng Boy" will land on the CCTV-8 TV drama channel prime time.
Directed by Zheng Xiaolong, starring Luo Jin and Ma Sichun, the new drama "Scouting Heroes" to resist U.S. aggression and aid Korea lasted more than four months. The filming was officially completed on July 17, and a trailer was released.
Produced by Noon Sunshine, "Dajiang Dahe 3" starring Wang Kai, Yang Shuo, Dong Zijian, and Yang Caiyu was completed in Ningbo on July 14, and it was exclusively broadcast on iQiyi's entire network.
"Sauvignon Blanc" poster
"Long Lovesickness" starring Yang Zi, Zhang Wanyi, Deng Wei, Wang Hongyi, Tan Jianci, etc. is scheduled for July 24th.
The popularity of domestic dramas going overseas
In recent years, many domestic dramas have gone overseas through various platforms, gradually forming a "glow" around the world. This week, what to look at summarizes TikTok, YouTube and other data to sort out the popularity rankings of domestic dramas in the first half of 2023. (Due to the different surfing habits of netizens in various countries, netizens in Thailand and Vietnam like to use their own languages as entries, while netizens in countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines are used to directly using English drama titles, so there may be data discrepancies in the sum of statistics)
1. "I Can't Hide Secretly" , the English entry has 2 billion views, the Vietnamese entry has 900 million views, and the Thai entry has 500 million views;
2. "The Like You Give Me" , the English entry has 2.2 billion views, the Vietnamese entry has 700 million views, and the Thai entry has 300 million views;
3. "Long Moon Embers" , the English entry has 1.3 billion views, the Vietnamese entry has 1.5 billion views, and the Thai entry has 600 million views;
4. "Starfall Congeals into Sugar" , the English entry has 800 million views, the Vietnamese entry has 900 million views, and the Thai entry has 400 million views;
5. "I Heard You Like Me" , the English entry has 1 billion views, the Vietnamese entry has 500 million views, and the Thai entry has 200 million views.
From the TOP5 domestic dramas going overseas in the first half of the year, it can be found that ancient puppets and modern puppets are easy to get out of the circle. In addition, "Hurricane" and "The Long Season" were broadcast on iQiyi International Edition and WETV respectively. The platform only used the Chinese titles for these two dramas, and the English subtitles came online very late, and there were no subtitles in other languages. Various factors limited the overseas broadcast volume of the two dramas.
Due to the characteristics of the Internet, first-line fresh meat can attract the most traffic. In addition to the number of broadcasts, another angle to observe domestic dramas going overseas is whether there are overseas bloggers making "REACTION videos"-"My Fireworks in the World" starring Yang Yang, "Yu Guyao" starring Xiao Zhan, and "Long Wind Crossing" starring Bai Jingting. Just search for the titles of these dramas + REACTION, and you can find "REACTION videos" with tens of thousands of views on multiple websites.
Among them, there is no lack of export to domestic sales. For example, the REACTION video of "Yuguyao" produced by a well-known REACTION team in Thailand was broadcast and spread by Chinese netizens, making it a trending topic on Weibo, and then the team reposted the "good news" back to Twitter.
To the effect that we are on the hot search. Later, the hot search rose to No. 6, and they happily posted another
"Happy Face"
This is a somewhat different domestic drama. If you have watched "Goodfellas" and like Jiang Wen's movies, you may get used to it faster. There is no doubt that "Happy Face" is worth watching. A young man from Nanyang who wants to join the revolution has to go through many hardships all the way to the north to reach that end. Along the way, he met many people, including his godfather-like grandson, Yu Yixiu who inspired him, and Zhang Jiayi, a doctor who kindly helped him...Everyone laid a brick on Xu Tian's path of pursuing faith.
In fact, this is a fable that is not difficult to understand. Xu Tian is the belief itself on the road of growth and progress. Those who gain the Tao will be helped, because of his sincerity, loyalty, and purity, and he will always meet people who send him along the way. The core of the main theme is spelled out with wonderful stories and passages of flesh-and-blood characters. Is there any reason not to watch such a main theme?
In addition, there are many stars in this drama, Dong Zijian, Liao Fan, Zhang Luyi, Zhang Yi, Tian Yu, Yang Haoyu are all powerful groups with outstanding acting skills.
"Be Your Own Light"
"Be Your Own Light" Poster
Puppet dramas often become fear of marriage and fear of childbearing. Successful TV anchorwoman He Huan (played by Liu Tao), stepped back from the front line to get married and have children, and devoted nearly ten years to her family. As a result, her husband disappeared overnight, and she might cheat on her mistress, leaving her and her children with tens of millions of debts and unpaid mortgages.
The setting at the beginning really exploded. In contrast, Bai Yang, played by Qin Hailu, focuses on his career and does not fall in love. Maybe he is a bit mean, and it is a bit troublesome to rent a little milk dog to be a fake boyfriend for a class reunion, but at the same age, he can still compete with young people, and his aura is full.
In order to fill in the love line, the screenwriter even allowed a debt collector of the opposite sex to live in He Huan's house. This debt collector is not only handsome, good-looking, good-tempered, but also volunteered to be a male nanny, cooking and taking care of the children to clean up. It is definitely unrealistic to shoot like this. In reality, this is a very dangerous behavior. No one can guarantee that this stranger is a ghost and a snake. He doesn’t know if he cut himself off in the middle of the night.
Don't be serious, it's quite fun to watch as a sci-fi movie. But I also want to say, sister, you must get a divorce, no matter what reason the other party disappears, never forgive me, and, sister, don’t get married anymore, it’s fine to fall in love.
"Imperfect Victim"
The Imperfect Victim poster
Unexpectedly, such a plot can be seen in domestic dramas, and women who have experienced similar incidents will feel PTSD when they hear the content description. What kind of story can a hesitant, pure and pleasant newcomer in the workplace, and a successful and charming domineering president make up? Perhaps in the perspective of more mainstream Mary Su romance dramas, there will be an unforgettable relationship. The success played by Liu Yijun is among the domestic domineering presidents, and the charm value is also among the best. But unfortunately, in the real world, they are more of a power relationship, a relationship of unequal status, a relationship of being violated and not being responsible.
The value of this drama is that it captures the true heart of women and explores the process of defining sexual assault. The law is often unable to give a standard answer in such incidents. From the perspective of their own job responsibilities, the police cannot provide better protection. Is the only rejection of men by throwing tables and swearing? Is it understandable to abandon the future and immediately push away when being violated by a superior power person before calling the police and pursuing accountability?
When encountering sexual assault by strangers, the victim and the judiciary have a clearer thinking, but the most harmful thing is the violation by the so-called upper power. The most frightening thing about this kind of sexual assault is not the process of that night, but its contempt for women, or even ignorance, and its use of power relations to brainwash, tame, and confine women.
What's interesting is that the show's screening on iQiyi actually only completed half of its broadcast, and the other half of the broadcast was made up of reviews. Open social networking sites such as Xiaohongshu, Douban, and Weibo. The better ones will say that they don’t understand Zhao Xun, and the more violent views will accuse the heroine Zhao Xun of reneging on her promises, jumping like a fairy, messing around without getting money, being brainless, and paying for her own stupidity... There are a lot of words. I don’t know how many forms of women’s screams are needed before everyone can understand that all the abuse, accusations, punishments, questions, and demands should belong to the offender, not the victim. On stage and off stage, they jointly completed the presentation of the situation of women in the current society.
In addition, regarding the issue of sexual consent, you can refer to the 2-minute popular science video in the UK using tea drinking as an analogy.
→ "Imperfect Victim": Two-way rush of female subject matter and creative team
Other recommendations:
Interview｜Ren Min talks about "Jade Bone Yao": After playing Zhu Yan, I am more calm
Thank you "Legend of An Le", let me break the defense in one episode
【Variety】
"Ride the Wind 2023"
"Night of Riding the Wind" will be broadcast at 19:30 on July 21, and "Sister Lang 4" will come to an end.
In fact, on the day the program was recorded on July 17th, it was already clear to Reuters that Ella Chen Jiahua won the C position without any suspense. However, with Mango's usual sensational approach, flowers, applause and tears will definitely be indispensable in the group night.
Ella Chen Jiahua
After several sessions of "Sister Lang", what the participants can recall is probably only tiredness. For example, Choo Ja Hyun participated in Korean variety shows and mentioned that the biggest feeling is "tired". It seems that the efforts of the sisters can only be reflected by the word "tired". In this way, the audience has turned from freshness to numbness, which has led to the fact that there are not many sisters who are out of the circle this season and become popular. In my opinion, instead of thinking about how to innovate, it is better to let the guests relax. Since there were not many splashes after the group formed in the previous few seasons, it is better to let the sisters enjoy the moment.
According to another news, the third season of "Brother Overcoming Thorns" will seamlessly connect with "Sister Lang 4", and next Friday will be the first stage of "Brother Pi 3".
"Chinese Restaurant 7"
Three years later, the seventh season of "Chinese Restaurant" traveled far again.
The sales team consists of Huang Xiaoming, Zhao Youting, Yue Yunpeng, Yin Zheng, Shen Mengchen, Xu Guanghan, Cheng Xiao, and Lin Shuwei. Among them, Huang Xiaoming and Zhao Youting will serve as the double store manager and lead the partners to launch a double-level PK mode. The partners will go to Budapest, the capital of Hungary, to run a Chinese restaurant and promote Chinese taste to the world.
"Bright Days" Season 4
Stills of the fourth season of "Bright Days"
"Little Poor Comprehensive" and "Sparkling Days" are online again, and this time I finally found the "Golden Master Dad".
The fourth season of this show, which relies on the fans' mutual support, is successful because it is "authentic". The guests basically don't treat the audience as outsiders. Therefore, the show is called "the most suitable variety show for dinner".
"I'm Reading on the Island" Season 2
This week, "I'm Reading on the Island" aired the sixth volume of "Flying and Transformation", starting from fairy tales and science fiction, let literature give you the wings of imagination. In this program, the young writer Zheng Zhi will be a guest at "Shan Hai Jing Bookstore" to share his writing experience and insights with everyone in the literary world.
As a leader among the new generation of writers, Zheng Zhi's works are full of realism and boundless imagination. He once won the first prize of the Anonymous Writer Project with "Xian Zheng". "I always think that imagination is a person's sovereignty in viewing the world. This kind of imagination is the most different filter and angle between you and others." Zheng Zhi said.
Taking Zheng Zhi's works as an entry point, Yu Hua, Su Tong, Cheng Yongxin, Zhu Yong, Alai and others introduced classic fairy tales and science fiction works with great interest.
Dragon TV's 20th anniversary special program "Dream Chasing 20 Years"
Dragon TV's 20th anniversary special program "Dream Chasing 20 Years" will be aired on July 22. Young people are the future of the motherland, strong young people make the country strong, Dragon TV always pays attention to and presents the true features of contemporary children. This issue of "20 Years of Dream Chasing" will review Dragon TV's three-stage program "Come on! In 2008, "Trendy Children's World" and "Cheers to China" explored the eccentric inner world of children in joy, and decoded the hope and strength of children to move forward and grow up healthily in warmth.
Stills of "20 Years of Dreaming"
"come on! Weng Hong, the overall champion of 2008, reunited with young contestants in impoverished mountainous areas after 15 years, witnessing the transformation and growth of children in the past. The 15-year "mother-child" fate between her and Zhang Guoda, a young contestant, not only changed the fate of the children, but also made people see the power of hope and love; Jin Wei, the host of "Children's World", was a guest at the scene, reviewing those ridiculous children's words with you; Yi and Xiaohuadan showed the vigorous new power of Chinese opera in children, as well as the light of inheritance passed on from generation to generation.
"Future China 2"
Humans lack resistance to cute things, and the chubby giant panda is naturally among them, setting off waves of "panda craze" on the Internet. The third episode of the second season of "Future China" will enter the world of wild animals, and invite Lu Zhi, a professor at the School of Life Sciences of Peking University, a well-known conservation biologist and ecologist in China. She has been investigating the natural living conditions of giant pandas in the wild since she was 19 years old, and revealed to the world the mystery of the life of wild giant pandas. She is known as "the closest human being to wild giant pandas"! She will discuss with five highly educated scientific youths from different professional backgrounds how to protect ecosystem diversity.
Other recommendations:
The sixth season of "Signal of Heartbeat": focus on vivid portraits of ordinary people
"The Voice of China 2023" breaks the "blind selection" and adds "bright selection"
【Documentary】
100-episode micro-documentary "Shen Sheng Endless"
The 100-episode micro-documentary "Endless Life" is jointly planned by the Documentary Center of Shanghai Radio and Television Station, the School of Architecture and Urban Planning of Tongji University, and the Shanghai Institute of Urban Planning and Design. Professor Li Xiangning, the dean of the School of Architecture and Urban Planning of Tongji University, a well-known architectural theorist, critic and curator, serves as an academic consultant.
"Shen Sheng Endless" will capture 100 real stories in the process of urban development, from multiple perspectives such as the improvement of living conditions, the rebirth and upgrading of public spaces, the co-shaping of historical inheritance and cultural innovation, etc., to reflect how Shanghai is based on the people in urban development, to build a city for the people, to highlight the concept of "people's city", to explore the endless vitality of Shanghai, a heart-warming city, and the wisdom of urban management, to record the common emotions and memories of people in this city and this era.
The first season will start on July 18, 2023, and will be broadcast every Tuesday at 22:00 on Dragon TV's "New Documentary" period.
Other recommendations:
Strange & Interesting Documentary｜The Killer
"Young Work Institute 2": From ChatGPT to anti-drug squirrels, how the world works
【cartoon】
"What kind of life do you want to live": Hayao Miyazaki's brain roaming
