After November gave us so much to choose from, it’s finally time for December. And we all know what that means! No, thankfully we don’t have to wait for another Star Wars movie to come to China. It means time to rewatch all our Christmas movies! And we even get one in the cinemas here… my, how the tides have turned.

Additionally, we have a couple holdouts from last month, not to mention a couple comedies and action-packed superhero flicks. For the kids, we have multiple cartoons too!

Friday, November 30, 2018

102 Not Out

《老爸102岁》

lǎo bà yī bǎi líng èr suì

Director: Umesh Shukla

Actors: Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor, Jimit Trivedi

China Release Date: Friday, November 30, 2018

Dattatraya Vakharia is a 102 year old man living like a youngster. While is 75 year old son Babulal has accepted his old age and lost all excitement in life. Dattatraya wants to break the world record of oldest person living on earth held by a Chinese man. He feels that it won’t be possible to break the record by living with a boring son.

Wow, Bollywood at its finest!

Long Press and Extract to View Trailer:

Friday, November 30, 2018

Revolt

《铁甲战神》

tiě jiǎ zhàn shén

Director: Joe Miale

Actors: Lee Pace, Bérénice Marlohe, Jason Flemyng

China Release Date: Friday, November 30, 2018

There aren’t words in any language to describe how bad this movie from 2017 looks. No wonder it got added at the last minute to the end of November.

The story of humankind’s last stand against a cataclysmic alien invasion. In the war-ravaged African countryside, a U.S. soldier and a French foreign aid worker team up to survive the alien onslaught. Their bond will be tested as they search for refuge across a crumbling world.

No words.

Long Press and Extract to View Trailer:

Friday, December 7, 2018

Aquaman

《海王》

hǎi wáng

Director: James Wan

Actors: Jason Momoa, Amber Heard, Dolph Lundgren, Willem Dafoe, Nicole Kidman, Julie Andrews

China Release Date: Friday, December 7, 2018

There’s probably only one reason left in the world to want to see this movie, and that’s the main actor. Male and female alike can appreciate the aqueous physique of the Dothraki, I mean underwater god.

And the fact that China is getting this TWO weeks before the US release is telling. They know it’ll do better here than abroad.

Plot: Arthur Curry learns that he is the heir to the underwater kingdom of Atlantis, and must step forward to lead his people and be a hero to the world. We assume this is before he meets Batfleck and Superman and Wonder Woman, et al.

Friday, December 7, 2018

Adrift

《惊涛飓浪》

jīng tāo jù làng

Director: Baltasar Kormákur

Actors: Shailene Woodley, Sam Claflin, Jeffrey Thomas

China Release Date: Friday, December 7, 2018

Based on the inspiring true story of two free spirits whose chance encounter leads them first to love, and then to the adventure of a lifetime. As the two avid sailors set out on a journey across the ocean, Tami Oldham (Woodley) and Richard Sharp (Claflin) couldn’t anticipate they would be sailing directly into one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in recorded history.

In the aftermath of the storm, Tami awakens to find Richard badly injured and their boat in ruins. With no hope for rescue, Tami must find the strength and determination to save herself and the only man she has ever loved. Adrift is the unforgettable story about the resilience of the human spirit and the transcendent power of love.

Long Press and Extract to View Trailer:

Friday, December 14, 2018

My Neighbor Totoro

《龙猫》

lóng māo

aka となりのトトロ

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Actors: Hitoshi Takagi, Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto

China Release Date: Friday, December 14, 2018

Note: this film is in Japanese with Chinese subtitles

And yes, this is the same movie as the original from 1988, but digitally remastered (we assume) and back in the cinemas in China just in time for the holidays! If you’ve never seen this movie, we highly recommend it…

Two young girls, 10-year-old Satsuki and her 4-year-old sister Mei, move into a house in the country with their father to be closer to their hospitalized mother. Satsuki and Mei discover that the nearby forest is inhabited by magical creatures called Totoros (pronounced toe-toe-ro). They soon befriend these Totoros, and have several magical adventures.

Long Press and Extract to View Trailer:

Friday, December 14, 2018

Searching

《网络谜踪》

wǎng luò mí zōng

Director: Aneesh Chaganty

Actors: John Cho, Debra Messing, Joseph Lee, Michelle La

China Release Date: Friday, December 14, 2018

After David Kim (John Cho)’s 16-year-old daughter goes missing, a local investigation is opened and a detective is assigned to the case. But 37 hours later and without a single lead, David decides to search the one place no one has looked yet, where all secrets are kept today: his daughter’s laptop.

In a hyper-modern thriller told via the technology devices we use every day to communicate, David must trace his daughter’s digital footprints before she disappears forever.

I feel like we downloaded this one a couple months ago.

Friday, December 14, 2018

Padman

《印度合伙人》

yìn dù hé huǒ rén

Director: R. Balki

Actors: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Apte, Sonam Kapoor

China Release Date: Friday, December 14, 2018

Note: this film is in Hindi with Chinese subtitles

You may have read this film title and thought to yourself, “No that can’t be. They don’t mean that.” But it’s true, they do.

Upon realizing the extent to which women are affected by their periods, a man (yes, a man) sets out to create a sanitary pad machine and to provide inexpensive sanitary pads to the women of rural India. And the feminists rejoiced!

Hopefully China’s recent ambition to show more and more Bollywood films doesn’t come back to bite them.

Long Press and Extract to View Trailer:

Friday, December 14, 2018

The Grinch

《绿毛怪格林奇》

lǜ máo guài gé lín qí

Directors: Yarrow Cheney, Scott Mosier

Actors: Benedict Cumberbatch, Cameron Seely, Rashida Jones, Keenan Thompson, Angela Lansbury, Pharell Williams

China Release Date: Friday, December 14, 2018

For those who don’t know, The Grinch tells the story of a cynical grump who goes on a mission to steal Christmas, only to have his heart changed by a young girl’s generous holiday spirit.

Funny, heartwarming, and assumedly visually stunning, it’s a universal story about the spirit of Christmas and the indomitable power of optimism. Benedict Cumberbatch lends his voice to the infamous Grinch, who lives a solitary life inside a cave on Mt. Crumpet with only his loyal dog, Max, for company.

With a cave rigged with inventions and contraptions for his day-to-day needs, the Grinch only sees his neighbors in Whoville when he runs out of food. Each year at Christmas they disrupt his tranquil solitude with their increasingly bigger, brighter, and louder celebrations. What will he do when the Whos declare they are going to make Christmas three times bigger this year!?

Friday, December 14, 2018

Partner

《最萌警探》

zuì méng jǐng tàn

aka Напарник

Director: Aleksandr Andryushchenko

Actors: Elizaveta Arzamasova, Sergey Garmash, Yang Ge

China Release Date: Friday, December 14, 2018

Note: this film is in Russian with Chinese subtitles

A grizzled special operations Major wakes up after a botched drug bust to find he is now inhabiting the body of a baby. But crimes still need to be solved, so he hitches up his diaper and gets back to work.

I wonder what went through the head of the producer when the director/writers pitched this movie to him? And then… hey, we should release this in China, too!

Long Press and Extract to View Trailer:

Friday, December 21, 2018

Spider-Man:

Into the Spider-Verse

《蜘蛛侠：平行宇宙》

zhī zhū xiá ：píng háng yǔ zhòu

Directors: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman

Actors: Hailee Steinfeld, Nicolas Cage, Mahershala Ali, Liev Schrieber, Jake Johnson

China Release Date: Friday, December 21, 2018

We’re actually really surprised to see this one on the list! And only a week after its US release. Not bad at all. An early Kwanzaa present to us!

Miles Morales comes across the long-dead Peter Parker. But this Peter Parker is not from his world, though; he’s from somewhere else in the multiverse. With Parker’s guidance, Miles will become Spider-Man: and through that he will become part of the ever-expanding ‘Spider-Verse‘…

Heard and seen good things about this one! Might wanna check it out~

Long Press and Extract to View Trailer:

Thanks to imdb.com, douban.com, all the movies’ websites, and Wikipedia for the information used. And a huge thanks to the team at  Culturability. They consistently write useful content. Follow their WeChat platform by scanning below:

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Sunday nights from 8pm

Berlin Haus
SOHO Building A 1203, 60 Kehua Bei Lu 科华北路60号费城A座1203

Movie nights at Mike’s Pizza 

Sunday nights (now from 10 pm)
Mike’s Pizza Kitchen 
2-3 East Yujie St., 28, Sect. 4, South Renmin Rd. 人民南路四段28号玉洁东街2号附3号

Chengdu Secret Cinema Immersive Film Experiences

Secret Cinema will be showing movies throughout the year in unusual places to give some of your favourite films a little special flavour.  Add WeChat ID: Chengdu-Expat2 to be added to the group and keep updated with upcoming events.