Editor's note: There are a huge number of movies, TV series and variety shows broadcast every week. How do you choose? You might as well take a look at the recommendations of The Paper.
【Movie】
According to the Lighthouse Professional Edition, as of 15:00 on April 18, the top three movies at the box office that day were: "Nezha: The Devil Boy Conquers the Dragon King", "Sunny Flower", and "Detective Chinatown 1900". If the second place was not a Qingming Festival movie, I would have thought I was looking at the box office list for this year's Spring Festival.
Fortunately, there are many films of different styles released this weekend, and I hope that the market will improve.
From warm and healing food tours to workplace stories that explore human nature; from sci-fi space adventures to family comedies full of realistic thinking, there are still many choices in the cinema. Especially for those who love the second dimension and Japanese culture, this weekend is a blessing.
Stills from The Solitary Gourmet Movie
As the "electronic pickled mustard tuber" of countless viewers, "The Solitary Gourmet" has been with the audience for 13 years. Inogashira Goro is a gourmet who loves food. As long as he is hungry, there is something to watch. The "The Solitary Gourmet Movie " released on April 18 carries the memories of countless fans. This time, Uncle Goro Matsushige Yutaka personally served as the director, extending the foodie journey from Japan to South Korea and France, which not only shows the unique charm of food from all over the world, but also conveys the beautiful emotions between people.
→ "Lonely Gourmet" strolls through Shanghai and checks out delicious food
"Everything at Dawn", which was released on April 18, is adapted from the novel of the same name by Maiko Seo, and tells the survival story of Fujisawa Misa, who suffers from premenstrual syndrome, and her colleagues in the workplace. Director Uta Miyake interprets emotions deeply from a unique perspective, injecting human care into the film, and the themes of the fragility and tenacity of urban people in modern workplace life, women's physiological health, and sincere companionship and understanding between people will surely resonate deeply with working people.
The manga "Firebird: Homeward Bound" drawn by "Father of Astro Boy" Osamu Tezuka tells the story of Romi, a fugitive from Earth, going to the barren and desolate extraterrestrial planet "Eden 17" to overcome hardships and seek a new life. The original "Firebird" series of manga was first published in 1954. The creation spanned more than 30 years. Osamu Tezuka poured all his efforts into it and was regarded as "the best of Japanese manga". The animated film "Firebird Flower of Eden" released on April 18 was adapted from "Firebird: Homeward Bound". Director Yoshiro Nishimi used a unique artistic style to vividly restore the classic characters and scenes. The audience can feel the imaginative settings, magnificent cosmic scenes and exquisite and unique aesthetics from the trailer. Follow the protagonist on a journey back to the universe that spans 1,300 years, feel the changes of the world, and find the hope of human survival and identity.
In the animated film "Looney Tunes Movie: The Day the Earth Exploded" released on April 18, the lives of "master of screw-ups" Daffy Duck and "ambassador of pale people" Piglet have undergone a major change - after the farmer's father left, the house was about to collapse, and the end of the world was about to come. With their difficult lives, they had to start the road of working as slaves, and accidentally met the bubble gum scientist Piglet, and at the same time accidentally discovered the interstellar conspiracy behind the "pink bubbles"...
"Touch You," which was released on April 19, is an imaginative animated film that tells the story of Qiu, Ryo, and Yuta, close friends who met and grew up together on an island since childhood. Because of the mysterious creature "Bump", they gained the ability to communicate through physical contact. The film is set in a fantasy setting and explores the topics of friendship and growth in depth. The images are healing and the emotions are delicate.
→ Video丨Interview with animation director Ryuyuki Nagai: Whether good or bad, it’s all youth
Other recommendations:
From "Forrest Gump" to "Here's to Stay": Big Times in Small Pictures
【TV drama】
Stills from "A Good Life"
"A Good Life" was broadcast on CCTV-8 and Youku on April 17. The drama is directed by Wang Jun, written by Fei Huijun and Li Xiaoliang, and starred by Sun Li and Dong Zijian. The story focuses on Hu Manli, a 39-year-old insurance practitioner who thought she was about to reach the peak of her life, but suffered a double blow of marriage breakdown and being fired by the company at the same time, and all this was related to 28-year-old Xue Xiaozhou. After several encounters, the two went from misunderstanding to mutual recognition, and finally joined forces. Xue Xiaozhou grew into a gold medal sales champion, and Hu Manli also returned to her career home, showing the story of ordinary people counterattacking and growing in the workplace dilemma.
→ Another Shanghai-produced masterpiece is on air! Sun Li plays a career beauty again
"Living with Borrowed Life" is directed by Lu Chuan, written by Xiong Yuzhen, and starred by Qin Hao, Han Geng, and Zhong Chuxi. It tells the story of Du Xiangdong, a top student at the police academy in the early 1990s, who was assigned to a detention center against his will. Two suspects under his care accidentally escaped, which kicked off the story of prison guard Du Xiangdong's relentless pursuit for more than 20 years. The drama will be broadcast on CCTV-8 and iQiyi Misty Theater from April 18.
On April 18, the TV series "Successful Family" was broadcast on Mango TV and Tencent TV, and on Hunan TV on April 20. The drama tells the story of Qin Tianyue (Qin Lan) and Feng Qingming (Alan), who both work on a dating website but have completely different work philosophies. In the tit-for-tat business friction, the two overcome various obstacles and find blind dates for clients of different identities, backgrounds, demands, and even special groups.
The suspense crime drama "Hanging Mirror" was launched on Tencent Video on April 15. The drama is starred by Simon Yam, Zhu Yuchen, Zhang Lingxin, and Huang Yi. A murder case in the sewer made the criminal police captain Xu Xiao and the old criminal police Lin Guoqiang form a mentor-mentee partnership. The process of solving the case was not smooth. With the help of archaeologist Chen Nan, they found that the murderer had some evil thoughts...
Other recommendations:
Episode 1: "Worryfree" is a small hit, and "Black Mirror 7" is at the same level
【Variety Show】
Jiang Mengjie temporarily leaves "Riding the Wind 2025"
On April 18, the show Riding the Wind and Breaking the Waves 2025, which was launched on Mango TV, announced the results of the second public elimination. The regretful departure of powerful contestants such as Jiang Mengjie and Liu Yutong caused dissatisfaction among the audience. The elimination of Wang Rong continued to ferment, and was suspected to be related to the "script" arrangement of the program team. The originally scheduled revival match was cancelled due to public pressure, and the program team changed to revive some contestants through online voting, but the specific rules have not yet been clarified.
The audience's comments on the outdoor stage design were polarized, with some believing that the environment interfered with the performance, while others appreciated the innovative attempt; the program team invited world-class singer Sarah Brightman to perform in the third public performance, and the singing clip was released in advance, which was praised as a "shocking audio-visual experience". The 62-year-old Maggie Cheung challenged the singing and dancing stage "Bungee Jumping", and the training video attracted attention after it was exposed. Although the team lost three games in a row, its professionalism and stage energy won the support of fans.
Tencent's first annual variety show "I Smile When I See You" was launched on April 18. Each episode is customized around popular TV series and movies, and the content is linked through game interaction, famous scene restoration, improvisation and other means. For example, the first episode of "Filter" crew restored the fantasy setting of "alpaca transformation" in the play, and combined it with escape room, gesture dance and other links. The program's regular guests include Yang Di, Xu Zhisheng, Yang Chaoyue, Huang Zihongfan, Zhu Xudan and others. In the future, it is planned to invite the main creators of "Jinyue Ruge" and "When the Wild Goose Returns".
"Singer 2025" is scheduled to be broadcast live on Hunan Satellite TV and Mango TV every Friday at 20:00 starting from May 16, for a total of 12 episodes. The program will continue the full live broadcast format of "Singer 2024" and add new interactive gameplay: "National Audition" (online weighted voting), "National Director" (audience can switch perspectives), and "National Witness" (weekly live broadcast of behind-the-scenes events).
The sixth season of The Voice of China officially announced its first lineup on April 15, and the show will premiere on Zhejiang Satellite TV every Friday at 22:00 starting from April 18. This season's guest lineup includes David Tao, Jane Zhang, Tan Weiwei, Zhang Bichen, Jike Junyi, Yang Kun, Wang Yuan, Liu Yuning, Huang Zihongfan, Wang Heye, and Wang Yitai.
The first travel reality show focusing on the silver-haired group , "Old Interesting Travel Agency ", was launched on Mango TV on April 17. Kenji Wu teamed up with his friends Landy Wen, Wu Yi, Huang Ling, Landlord's Cat, and Siwaigo to form the "Old Interesting Travel Agency" to help silver-haired travelers "realize their life bucket list" and, in the process of old and young traveling together, show the life of contemporary elderly people and convey the program spirit of "as long as it's interesting, you won't grow old."
The 13th season of "Running Man" will be launched on April 25, continuing the theme of "lightweight" and integrating regional culture and technological elements. At the Xi'an press conference, the members appeared in futuristic styles, Zhou Shen carried a long suona, Zhang Zhenyuan performed shadow puppetry, and Song Yuqi held a ladle mask, highlighting the intangible cultural heritage elements of Shaanxi.
The national auditions for "One Stop to the End - Youth Season" are in full swing, and the program will be broadcast on Jiangsu Satellite TV in the summer. This season's program will be a new puzzle-answering program focusing on the youth group, achieving the growth and transformation of active exploratory learning in a brainstorming and interesting way.
