As of the evening of July 30, the summer box office has exceeded 7.5 billion yuan. Driven by films such as "Catch the Doll" and "Silent Killer", the enthusiasm for watching movies continues to heat up, and the "summer of movies" is colorful and hot.
In August, the summer season has entered its second half, and filmmakers have gathered their strength to bring a visual and emotional feast to fans. From realistic masterpieces to sweet customization for the Chinese Valentine's Day, to the strong return of classic IPs, the films of various genres should be emotional and heartfelt.
"The Decode" uses an "Inception"-style approach to peel back the inner world of a mathematical genius in troubled times; "Safe Evacuation from the 21st Century" is a "crazy" masterpiece that makes your adrenaline soar; "Retrograde Life" and "Another Day Full of Hope" and other films that delve into the ups and downs of life and pay tribute to the ordinary are also waiting to resonate with most people; during the Chinese Valentine's Day, "Negatives Make Positive" leads a group of sweet and sour love candies, calling for romance; classic IPs such as "White Snake: Floating Life", "Alien: Life Ship" and "A Dream of Red Mansions: Golden Jade Marriage" have returned with different new looks, which not only continues the feelings of the past, but also brings new vitality.
Let’s take a look at which movies have moved you in this hot summer.
Safe Evacuation from the 21st Century
Release date: August 2
Director: Li Yang
Starring: Zhang Ruoyun, Zhong Chuxi, Song Yang, Wu Xiaoliang, Zhu Yanmanzi, Li Chenhao, Wen Zhengrong
Synopsis:
On the unknown planet K, three boys chosen by fate can travel back and forth twenty years into the future by sneezing. Faced with a terrifying conspiracy to destroy the world, they have nothing but pure stupidity and single-digit combat power. How can they become heroes to fight against the super-bad villains who intend to destroy the world? The "Wang Zha" brothers, who look like adults but have extraordinary minds, represent the planet K to save the future!
Highlights:
It is definitely an unprecedented cinema experience. Director Li Yang directed a feature film for the first time after his two short films, "The Adventures of Li Xianji" and "Bad Future", won word-of-mouth. The imaginative script met Zhang Ruoyun, who was on the same wavelength as him. In order to present the most realistic K-planet environment, the creative team specially "invented" a whole set of K-planet language. A "dream-core" movie about a young dream that does not compromise with reality, leading the audience to travel back to their teenage self.
Decryption
Release date: August 3
Director: Chen Sicheng
Starring: Liu Haoran, John Cusack, Chen Daoming, Daniel Wu, Faye Yu
Story summary:
The story is about the 1940s, when the world situation was turbulent and it was crucial to decipher the enemy's communication codes in a timely and accurate manner. Rong Jinzhen showed amazing mathematical talent since childhood and was raised by Xiao Lili, the then president of the university, and his wife Ye Xiaoning. When Rong Jinzhen entered the university, he was noticed by more people because he solved the difficult problems assigned by mathematics teacher Heys, including Zheng, the director of the mysterious department 701 Bureau. Rong Jinzhen has since entered the door of code deciphering.
Highlights:
The spy war master Mai Jia "stamped" the most satisfactory adaptation, and it is also the work that Mai Jia recognized as the most difficult to adapt, so he sold the copyright in the end. After 7 years of preparation and 500 million yuan, Liu Haoran "rejuvenated" to play a mathematical genius. The 701 organization in the play is an intelligence organization adapted and created based on Mai Jia's own real experience, and Chen Sicheng also played a gorgeous "flower" this time to show the inner world of the character, and paid tribute to world-famous movies such as "Inception", "Oppenheimer" and "A Beautiful Mind".
Slam Dunk
Release date: August 3 (re-release)
Director: Takehiko Inoue
Starring: Ryouta Miyagi, Hanamichi Sakuragi, Kaede Rukawa, Takenori Akagi, Hisashi Mitsui
Synopsis:
The Xiangbei basketball team finally stepped onto the national competition stage, and they had to face Japan's strongest team, Sanno Industrial.
Highlights:
The original author, Takehiko Inoue, personally directed the film, which brought a bold and colorful ending to everyone's youth. This re-screening is almost like a continuation of last year's "key extension". This classic film, which has been in theaters for a long time, breaks the dimensional wall of viewing and rekindles the enthusiasm for summer support.
We Are Always Us
Release date: August 3
Director: Xia Meng
Starring: Mimi, Chen Xinwei, Yao Chi, Hu Chunyang, Wu Jun, Su Bai
Synopsis:
Is there someone who has always been by your side and supported you? Lu Meili, who has always been surrounded by flowers, is a coward who never believes in love. After experiencing a major change in her life, she met Si Tianyi, who was deeply hurt by love and could not let it go. Even though they were already scarred, they were still willing to accompany each other and give it a try for love. The two of them had a bumpy road, but no matter how many setbacks there were, we must be brave to love! "Then it's settled, the seasons change, we remain unchanged, people come and go around us, we will always be us..."
Highlights:
After reading the plot synopsis, I couldn't help but think of the background music "We promised not to separate, to stay together forever". Hmm... the familiar feeling of the summer season dominated by "Tiny Times" is back.
Campus Detective
Release date: August 3
Director: Yu Fei
Starring: Lin Ziye, Hong Yuexi, Pei Jiaxin, Yu Shuyao
Synopsis:
Look carefully, the student in front of you is called Xiang Li Siqi, a man who wants to be a "campus detective"! But the campus detective club has not been established yet, and what should we do if the case fails halfway through? Gai's scientific works mysteriously disappeared. The 7th grade "campus detective" Xiang Li Siqi sharpened his beard and investigated one by one. In addition to A Ru who has an alibi, who is the most suspicious among Nan Nan, Xiao Bai, Xiao Meng, Da Dong, Xiao Dong, Zhang Tian Tian, Wang Xiao Zhen, Yi Yi, and Ya Ya? Who is the undercover? Scientific mysteries, hilarious moments, and several reversals. There is no villain answer, only a warm truth!
Highlights:
In the cinema, there are only a few live-action movies for children, except for cartoons. Detective stories for elementary school students are suitable for some children's summer vacation.
One and Many
Release date: August 8
Director: Zhou Hongbo
Synopsis:
This documentary is a selection, a journey and a discovery. A car slowly moves forward on the Yushu Plateau in Qinghai, and in the car are mentors who are looking for good voices of Tibetan children. They go deep into the snow-capped mountains and visit schools, looking for the most talented and potential voices among those simple and innocent children... The four seasons on the plateau rotate, life continues, and the songs echoing in the growth of all things are eternal.
Highlights:
Enter the lives of another group of people and see a higher world from a different perspective.
"Reverse Life"
Release date: August 9
Director: Xu Zheng
Starring: Xu Zheng, Xin Zhilei, Wang Xiao, Jia Bing, Feng Bing, Ding Yongdai, Ding Jiali, Chen Halin, Wu Jiakai, Liu Meihan, Huang Xiaolei, Ma Dong, Liang Jing, Zhang Zhanyi, Wu Bi
Synopsis:
Under the pressure of life, Gao Zhilei, who was once high-spirited, "stalled" in middle age and deviated from his original life trajectory. His impulsive decision instantly turned him from the "little pride" of his family into a "marginal" of society. However, he never expected that this was only the starting point of his "retrograde life".
Highlights:
Adapted from the original work "Reverse Life" by Qingming. Xu Zheng's "warm realism" creation. In order to restore the "familiar yet strange" group, the film crew let the entire crew immerse themselves in 24 hours to observe and deeply understand the life and work status of the takeaway workers.
Layoffs in large factories, unemployment in middle age, everyone in the world will always have a period of going against the flow in life. How much can this movie resonate with you?
Another day full of hope
Release date: August 9
Director: Liu Taifeng
Starring: Song Ningfeng, Zhang Xinyi, Guo Keyu, Sun Zhihong, Jin Ka, Liu Yitie, Liu Yiran, Shi Chunzi
Synopsis:
Car accident, layoffs, unemployment, and a poor student who is about to take the high school entrance exam but is obsessed with games. What should I do if all these bad things happen at the same time? Wei Li is an executive of a food delivery platform. He accidentally hits his company's food deliveryman who is in a hurry to deliver the goods. In this investigation of who is right and who is wrong in the car accident, facing the dual torture of law and human nature, Wei Li gradually doubts the values he firmly believes in, and the truth hidden in the torrent of algorithms gradually reveals its hideousness...
Highlights:
"Intertextuality", a film with the same theme released on the same day, does not have as impressive a cast as the previous one, but when viewed together, it seems to provide another perspective on the lives of ordinary people.
White Snake: Floating Life
Release date: August 10
Director: Chen Jianxi, Li Jiakai
Starring (voiceover): Yang Tianxiang, Zhang Zhe, Tang Xiaoxi, Zhang He, Zheng Xiaopu, Liu Cong
Synopsis:
In Lin'an, Southern Song Dynasty, Xiaobai finally found the reincarnation of Axuan, Xu Xian, after 500 years, and the two met on the Broken Bridge. Xiaobai and Xiaoqing hid in the streets and alleys, and started a lively life in the world with Xu Xian and his brother-in-law Li Gongfu. Unexpectedly, a strange thing happened in Hangzhou. Fahai from Jinshan Temple came to eliminate demons and accidentally revealed the identities of Xiaobai and Xiaoqing as snake demons. Xu Xian was horrified to see Xiaobai transformed into a giant python... Is this life-and-death love catastrophe worth it for Xu Xian?
Highlights:
As the sequel to the well-known IP White Snake, the original cast "reunited after a long separation" with deep feelings. In the film, Xu Xian is braver despite his cowardice; Xiaobai is integrated into human society and more mature than before; Xiaoqing has just arrived in the human world and is learning how to think and get along with people... Humans, demons and monks all appear on the stage, showing all the phenomena of life.
Negative Negative Equals Positive
Release date: August 10
Director: Wen Shipei
Starring: Zhu Yilong, Qiu Tian, Jiang Qiming, Zhu Zhu, Wang Yitong, Chen Minghao, Mao Tao, Li Xiaochuan, Xue Xuchun, Liu Enjia
Synopsis:
Huang Zhenkai suspected that he was living in a movie. He could not change anything and could only follow the script day after day, becoming a prisoner of life. After moving into his new residence, he met his mysterious roommate Li Xiaole. Her sudden appearance and inexplicable disappearance caused ripples in Huang Zhenkai's life and also made him regain the ability to feel love.
Highlights:
Ning Hao is the producer, and Zhu Yilong is the co-producer for the first time. It has been a long time since we saw Mr. Ju perform a romantic film. His roles in recent years have inevitably been a bit bitter. The Qixi Festival will drink a cup of the prosperity and loneliness of the city, the sweetness and bitterness of love.
Her Dimples
Release date: August 10
Director: Cai Cong
Starring: Zhang Zhehua, Qi Yuchen, Luo Qiuyun, Li Zongheng, Duan Xiaowei, Wang Lina, Liu Moran
Synopsis:
Do you still remember the person you loved when you were 17? Xu You, a girl from the south with excellent grades, transferred to a school in Lin City and unexpectedly became a deskmate with the "school bully" Xie Ci. The two gradually entered each other's hearts in laughter and noise, but faced the trick of fate. Many years later, the two returned to the place where the story began, only to find that the joy of youth is like an apple-flavored lollipop, and the first one is still the sweetest after all the twists and turns...
Highlights:
The film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Jiji De Mao, and is a sweet little movie specially released during the period.
Alien: Death Stranding
Release date: August 16
Director: Fede Alvarez
Starring: Carrie Spaeny, Isabelle Merced, Archie Renault, David Ronson, Spike Finn, Aileen Wu
Synopsis:
The film is set between the first "Alien" in 1979 and its sequel "Alien 2" in 1986, and revolves around a group of young and brave space colonists. It tells the story of how they escaped the dull life in an alien mining colony and encountered the most terrifying life form in the universe - the alien while adventuring to explore an abandoned space station.
Highlights:
The "In My Lifetime" series has been updated! Ridley Scott gave the Alien, "the most terrifying alien creature ever", a strange parasitic reproduction mode and a cold-blooded hunter image, making it stand out from many screen monsters, transcending time and space, and becoming an immortal classic horror symbol in the minds of science fiction fans. Film technology has been iterated for half a century, and we look forward to this IP bringing a more extreme audio-visual experience.
Dream of Red Mansions: A Perfect Marriage
Release date: August 16
Director: Hu Mei
Starring: Lin Peng, Lu Yan, Bian Cheng, Zhang Miaoyi, Huang Jiarong, Guan Xiaotong, Wang Ban, Yuen Qiu, Luo Haiqiong, Yang Tongshu
Synopsis:
The film begins with a flashback to Jia Baoyu becoming a monk in a heavy snow, and the main story begins with Lin Daiyu returning home to attend a funeral. It reveals that Wang Xifeng embezzled Lin Ruhai's property to build the Grand View Garden, and then betrayed the childhood love between Baoyu and Daiyu by setting up a substitution plan, causing Baoyu to marry Baochai. Daiyu died of tears, and ultimately the love ended and they returned to their fate, completing the tragic ending of Dream of Red Mansions.
Highlights: In this era, someone actually dares to film "Dream of Red Mansions"! Although it is difficult to have high expectations, it is also really hard not to be curious. So, let's see the truth in the theater.
Kids Are Not Stupid 3
Release date: August 16
Director: Jacky Leung
Cast: Hu Jing, Zhou Yuchen, Rong Qihang, Cao Guohui, Wee-Ann Goh, Liu Shengmei, Lin Ruping, Xixi Lim, Liu Qianyi, Mok Xiaoling, Liang Zhiqiang, Colin Chee Keong Tan, Chen Meilin
Synopsis:
Zihao, a sixth-grade student who transferred from Shanghai to Singapore, quickly made a group of good friends at school, including Jayden, the school's recognized academic master, Xiaopang, who wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and sell fish ball noodles, and Jiayao, the helpful class monitor. The horn of the primary to junior high school entrance examination is about to sound, and a competition to enter a prestigious school has begun...
Highlights:
This well-known Singaporean children's film IP has been filmed for the third time after more than 20 years. The Douban scores of the first two films are both above 8 points. Is it a continuation of the classic or a rehash... I hope the innocence of childhood will never fade.
Dragon Guardian
Release date: August 17
Director: Li Jianping, Salvador Simo
Synopsis:
According to legends from ancient times, the Yinglong clan protects the world's good weather and good harvests. The dragon keepers are linked to their fate and protect nature and peace. However, there are only two imprisoned dragons and the last dragon keeper, Ping, left in the world. In order to save her hamster friend Huahua who strayed into the dragon cave, Ping took the risk and went deep into the cave. Her encounter with Danzi and Luyu accidentally revealed her true identity and awakened her dragon keeper energy. Ping also received a severe task - to send the last dragon egg in the world to the dragon pond for incubation, and the adventurous growth journey of one person and one dragon began.
Highlights:
Adapted from the fantasy novel of the same name by Australian writer Carole Wilkinson, it is a combination of Chinese and Western elements, and a display of the results of co-production of cultural exports. The painting style looks quite good.
Ali
Release date: August 17
Director: Xu Han
Synopsis:
Ali, who lives in the Dream City, has always dreamed of becoming a dream-collecting hero. But in reality, Ali and his teammates, the alarm clock and the paper man, are a useless team in the dream-collecting team that is laughed at by others for being incompetent. One day, Ali accidentally collected the dream of a blind little girl, and the fate of the two began to be tied. However, just as Ali and the little girl became good friends, the Dream City also encountered an unprecedented crisis. So, can Ali become a hero who saves the Dream City? What kind of fantasy journey will he and the little girl embark on?
Highlights:
Ali, who was once a hot topic because of "plastic surgery", at least proved that it once left a deep impression on a generation of people. The original author Xu Han directed it himself, hoping that everyone in this world still believes in fairy tales.
If I were the one who loved you most in the world
Release date: August 23
Director: Liu Fendou
Starring: Tong Liya, Huang Minghao, Li Zongheng, Liu Dan, Luo Sansui
Synopsis:
Fu Jiayi (Tong Liya), an armless woman who grew up in an orphanage, was not buried by life. Instead, she was born with a spirit of not admitting defeat and became a stubborn seed. She and Fu Manduo (Huang Minghao), a hearing-impaired boy who also grew up in an orphanage, are like siblings, and the two support each other all the way. The peaceful life of the siblings was broken by a sudden baby (Luo Sansui), which also awakened Jiayi's new desire and pursuit for life.
Highlights:
The three people are not related by blood, but they form a loving family in this world. The film will present Chinese-style human emotional connections and life scenes, focusing on each lively individual who lives out his or her own answers, and telling their stories.
One Piece: Strong World
Release date: August 23
Director: Jing Zongjiu
Starring (dubbing): Mayumi Tanaka, Akemi Okamura, Kazuya Nakai, Kappei Yamaguchi, Hiroaki Hirata
Synopsis:
The Straw Hat Pirates are about to face off against the most powerful enemy in history...
Highlights:
The tenth animated theatrical version of One Piece, produced by Eiichiro Oda himself. It has been fifteen years since the theatrical version was released in Japan in 2009, which is highly rated. Chinese fans can enjoy a carnival of youth in the cinema. The team members in this version are vividly portrayed, and each member's different personality and characteristics are brilliantly explained. For passers-by who are not familiar with the IP, it is also a good way to "get into the pit".
Crash
Release date: August 23
Director: Jiang Jiachen
Screenwriter: Wu Tao
Starring: Li Jiuxiao, Wang Qianyuan, Pan Binlong, Yang Haoyu, Liang Chao
Synopsis:
Liu Yonggan (played by Li Jiuxiao), a delivery boy known as the "Shapingba Bolt", gathered thirty brothers to form a rugby team called "Dockers". They fought back all the way and eventually defeated the Warriors International Team to win the Eternal Bowl Championship.
Highlights:
The middle-aged male actors with excellent acting skills form a rugby team that looks a bit funny. The rugby theme is superimposed with comedy and realistic concerns, which makes it feel "exciting".
"Tumbledown"
Release date: August 24
Director: Zhang Yudi
Starring: Bian Cheng, Zhou Meijun, Chen Shaoxi, Xu Shixin, Zhang Chi, Liu Jun, Song Xiaochuan
Synopsis:
The transition from a stage to a stage of adulthood is the beginning of a journey towards adulthood, a necessary change in life, and the first sincere emotion of youth. Drama school student Sun Xiaolei is facing his first important competition in his life. The delayed voice change period makes him anxious, and his father's long-term expectations also make him full of fear of "transition". In the process of preparing for the competition, Xiaolei unexpectedly becomes friends with two competitors - the boyish female old actor Shi Jiahui and Xie Tianci, who comes from a famous Peking Opera family. How will the teenagers break the stereotyped life and how will they face the undercurrent of emotions? The youth of the drama school teenagers makes their debut.
Highlights:
The film won the FIRST Best Screenplay Award. It uses the cloak of opera themes that are gradually declining among young people to wrap up the core of a youth story, exploring youth, freedom, and the impulsiveness of teenagers who are infatuated for a while but do not regret it afterwards.
Child of Light
Release date: August 25
Director: Kasenja
Synopsis:
13-year-old Meiduo studies and lives in a welfare school in Tibet. After her parents divorced, Meiduo could only stay with her elderly grandparents. In order to regain the family affection that she had lost since childhood, Meiduo overcame various difficulties and bravely went to the depths of the grassland to find her father. Seeing that her father had a happy family with children, cattle, sheep and grassland, Meiduo felt mixed emotions but had nowhere to express them. She faced the sun, holding a paintbrush, and expressed her desire and imagination.
Highlights:
In the digital age of commercial society, people communicate through the Internet, changing the traditional lifestyle and nomadic culture. "Child of Light" shows the changes of the times through the adventure of young life. The film was produced by the late Tibetan director Wangma Caidan.
The Whisperer
Release date: August 31
Director: Feng Du, Zhao Qing
Starring: Hu Xin, Wu Simu, He Yanxin
Synopsis:
The film tells the story of two contemporary Chinese women who seek self-breakthrough, independence and growth in the face of social discipline and traditional concepts. The women in the film all started a new life because of their connection with Nüshu.
Hu Xin is the youngest inheritor of Jiangyong Nüshu. After the end of her marriage, she struggled between being a "traditional woman" and a "modern woman". Simu is an urban woman who taught herself to be a Nüshu artist. Simu grew up in an open-minded family atmosphere. How will she choose between love, the reality of life, and her love and pursuit of herself?
Highlights:
The texts that are passed down secretly only among women are the spiritual power and cultural codes of generations of women.
