Editor's note: There are a huge number of movies, TV series and variety shows broadcast every week. How do you choose? You may want to check out the recommendations of The Paper.
【Movie】
As of press time, this week's box office has exceeded 600 million yuan, with "Chasing Shadows," "Little Monsters of Langlang Mountain," and "Nanjing Photo Studio" ranking in the top three. This weekend, the summer movie season is still well-stocked, with many films of varying styles making their debut.
The most powerful film in theaters this week is undoubtedly "Chasing Shadows," which has maintained its daily top spot for five consecutive days, and its reputation continues to spread from person to person. At a time when people are gradually becoming aesthetically fatigued with Hong Kong films, Jackie Chan and Tony Leung Ka-fai, two hardworking models, have been able to carve out a new path for the stagnant "gangster film" genre, making it fresh, exciting, brutal, and poignant, making it a truly worthwhile movie to watch.
This weekend's release of "The Runaway," a comedy crime film directed by Cao Baoping and starring Guo Qilin, follows Ma Fei, a man who has left his hometown to return to Tianjin. Faced with life's challenges, he undertakes a daring and absurd act: kidnapping his nephew, Li Jiawen. This duo embarks on a journey of unconventional adventures filled with unexpected surprises and hilarious moments.
Poster of "The Runaway"
Guo Qilin, with his exceptional comedic talent, is sure to bring plenty of laughs as Ma Fei, whose plot of "kidnapping" his nephew for money is full of absurdity. The brilliant performances of a stellar cast, including Qi Xi, Sun Anke, and Chang Yuan, further enhance the film's comedic impact. Director Cao also won the Best Director Award at this year's Shanghai Film Festival for this film. The film's rich, Tianjin-inspired flavor will delight audiences, allowing them to experience the unique charm of Tianjin culture and Director Cao's distinctive style while embracing laughter.
→ "The Runaway": Noir + Absurdity, "Humanity Swaying in the Times"
Stills from Goodbye, Bad Guy
This week, Guo Qilin and Chen Minghao weren't the only ones showing off their prowess. "Goodbye, Bad Guy" premiered on August 22nd. The film tells the story of the brief companionship between "Uncle Bad Guy" and "Moon Boy," depicting the kindness and mutual redemption of ordinary people faced with adversity. The film captures the vibrant life of Wuhan and the kindness of strangers helping each other in a heartwarming and dreamy way.
→ Movie "Goodbye, Bad Guy": Say the cruelest words and do the warmest things
In addition to the new film, there are also old friends who have been reunited after a long separation.
"Operation Jiaolong" returns with a brand new special edition, featuring meticulously edited footage, polished visuals, re-edited music, and refined narrative. With a purer narrative and more powerful audiovisuals, it embodies the spirit of "tempered in the storm." Previews will begin on August 23rd and 24th. Having learned from its failure during the Spring Festival box office, and now returning to the more exciting season, can this film, also claiming to set a new standard in the underwater special effects industry, make a significant splash?
In addition, "Redemption" directed and acted by Nick Cheung is said to be very bold. Together with imported films such as "Final Destination: Bloodlines" and "Eden", they also provide enough sensory experience, thrilling, exciting, suspenseful and scary. Friends who like "heavy tastes" will have a lot of dishes for you in the cinema this weekend.
In addition, "The Mystery of Jiangyuan Lane" directed by Chen Kexin and starring Zhang Ziyi has been launched on major video websites.
【Special Feature】Summer of Movies
【TV drama】
New drama starts filming
On August 19, the 10-episode costume martial arts comedy "Extreme Wealth", directed by Guo Degang and starring Yue Yunpeng and Yan Yikuan, started filming and will be exclusively broadcast on Youku.
New drama finished filming
On August 21st, filming wrapped on the historical political drama "Qiao Chu," starring Chen Duling and Zhou Yiran. Directed by Yang Long and written by Li Min, the drama also stars Tang Xiaotian, Wang Ruichang, and Gao Maotong. The plot is adapted from Xi Xing's novel "Queen of Chu."
On August 21st, the drama "Dazzling," directed by Zhu Dongning and written by Liu Fei, starring Guan Xiaotong and Li Yunrui, wrapped filming and will air on Hunan Satellite TV and Mango TV. Adapted from the Jinjiang Literature City novel "Dazzling," the drama tells the story of the mutual redemption and reunion of the down-and-out daughter Qingye and the small-town "weed man" Xing Wu.
On August 19, the costume drama "Red Dust Sihe" directed by Zhu Ruibin and starring Wang Xingyue and Xu Ruohan wrapped filming. The drama is based on the novel of the same name by You Sijie.
On August 18th, filming wrapped on "Splendid as the Stars," directed by Li Qingrong and starring Yu Shuxin and Chen Jingke, with Ma Boqian and Xie Keyin also appearing. The drama is based on the novel "Narrow Road" by Chang Er, a writer on Jinjiang Literature City.
There are many new dramas coming up this week. "Midnight Return" and "Fighting Memory" have already started airing, and "Return to the Team", "With Jin Chang'an" and "Twelve Letters" have also been scheduled. There are many types of dramas for the audience to choose from.
"Giving Birth to All Things" scored 7.5 on Douban
On August 20th, "The Life of All Things" surpassed 100 million views on Yunhe in a single day, becoming the first drama series to do so this year. The series achieved widespread popularity on both TV and the internet, earning positive reviews, with a Douban score of 7.5 (73,000 ratings). This weekend, the series will conclude on CCTV, so if you haven't already caught up, don't miss out and watch it all in one sitting.
"The Life of All Things" leads the pack on Yunhe, Dengta, and Kuyun. "The Song of the Golden Moon," which has already reached its finale, is currently in second place. Its star, Cheng Lei's new drama, "The Jin Chang'an," premieres this Sunday. "The Offering of Fish" and "Midnight Return," both adapted from Fu Hua's novels, rank third and fourth, respectively.
Offering Fish
Starring Chen Feiyu and Wang Yinglu, the series is adapted from Fu Hua's novel "Offering Salted Fish to the Master". It tells the love story between the master Sima Jiao who has been sealed for five hundred years and Liao Tingyan who accidentally traveled to the world of immortal cultivation.
I had mixed feelings watching this drama. The main plot was indeed well-written, and the extra scenes with the second female lead and the second male lead made me want to fast forward, but the chemistry between the male and female leads was truly enjoyable, especially the rare way they portrayed the double cultivation in a beautiful and playful way.
Stills from "Offering Fish"
The male lead, Sima Jiao, appears aloof and merciless, but he repeatedly saves the female lead from danger with his own blood, and gradually develops feelings for her as they spend time together. Sima Jiao, with his own uniquely beautiful, strong, and tragic past, embodies the typical "dominant villain" type of period drama. Chen Feiyu's appearance fits the character perfectly, and his occasional expressions of gloom are endearing. Director Wen has truly captured his yandere charm.
Wang Yinglu, who previously became famous for her human-machine-like role as "Sister Baoer", plays Liao Tingyan, a "salted fish who only loves to lie down". She smiles at her boss while sending barrages in her heart. She has a strong working-class flavor of "a living person is half dead", which is quite different from the little sun-type heroines commonly seen in ancient costume dramas.
Return at Midnight
This fantasy ancient idol drama starring Xu Kai and Tian Xiwei is adapted from Fu Hua's novel "The Daily Life of Madam Mei's Doting Husband". It tells the story of Mei Zhuyu (played by Xu Kai) and Wu Zhen (played by Tian Xiwei) who are bound by fate and work together to protect Chang'an.
Honestly, I really hope that Lu Haojiji, the director of "Midnight Returns," can go to the next door to shoot "Offering Fish." After all, he was able to make the plotless "Midnight Returns" feel exquisite, which shows that the chef is a good chef.
The male and female protagonists both have dual lives, and even have matching professions: the male protagonist appears to be the head of the Xuanjian Division, but is actually a demon catcher; the female protagonist is a romantic county lady during the day, and a cat king in the demon market at night.
Stills from "Midnight Return"
Just as things were looking up for this xipi couple, this morning, @许凯soso was suddenly embroiled in a love triangle controversy, which blew up several trending searches and prompted his boss, Yu Zheng, to respond via livestream. One netizen commented, "'Midnight Returns' is soso, soso is not soso." It remains to be seen whether this incident will impact the show's future viewership.
【Variety Show】
"Youth Research Institute," a spinoff of the "One Stop to the End Youth Season," officially launched on AI Lizhi and Tencent Video on August 21st. The program, using a documentary interview format, delve into the studies, lives, and interests of 100 outstanding young participants outside of the program, showcasing their "path to excellence"—effective learning methods, healthy lifestyles, and healthy growth habits.
Stills from "Flowers and Boys 7"
"Flowers and Youth 7" premieres on Saturday, August 23rd at 12:00 PM on Mango TV and will air on Hunan Satellite TV at 10:00 PM on Saturday. The second episode preview shows the cast exploring Madagascar, interacting with local "magical animals" and experiencing its unique natural ecosystem. This season's theme is "Together," and Na Ying, Chen Shu, Ma Sichun, Li Qin, Zhang Yaqi, Gong Jun, and Zhang Wanyi will embark on a 27-day journey together.
Tencent Video's "Heart Signal 8" welcomes new guests to the Heart Apartment, marking the official start of the third episode of Heart Stories. The addition of a new male guest stirs new ripples in the relationships between the guests, and the Heart-beating Answer Book seems to offer some guidance. Will the trajectory of the heartbeat change in the new episode? The fourth episode of "Watch Heart Signal with You" has also been released.
The fourth episode of "Earth Super Fresh" has been released on Tencent Video. Sun Honglei, Li Naiwen, Chen He, Liu Yuning, Gong Jun, Chen Xingxu, Wang Yuwen, and Ouyang Didi all gathered to embark on a journey to southern Italy. Not only did they select "Earth 808", but they also experienced "movie life".
Wang Yuwen
