The Great Wall

Matt Damon's 'great Wall' Poised For Soft U.s. Opening Against 'lego Batman' And 'fifty Shades

... of nearly $300 million in ticket sales. Meanwhile, New Line’s new comedy “Fist Fight,” starring Ice Cube and Charlie Day, is projected to open with $15 million to $20 million, according to industry estimates, on a production budget of less than $25 million. The R-rated comedy about rival teachers who go to blows after school could end up upsetting “The Great Wall” for third place. Or, last weekend’s breakout hit “John Wick: Chapter 2” could defy expectations and beat out both. No ‘Cure’. The weakest of the major new releases is probably “A Cure for Wellness,” a thriller directed by Gore Verbinski about a mysterious wellness spa with a dark secret. The movie — starring Dane De Haan, produced by New Regency and released by 20 th Century Fox — is likely to open with $6 million to $8 million. The lack of interest in the film comes shortly after audiences flocked to another psychological thriller, Universal’s M. Night Shyamalan flick “Split,” which ruled the box office for three weeks straight until “Lego Batman” bumped it off. Reviews for “Cure” have been lukewarm so far. Hollywood ...

With 'the Great Wall' Comes Great Challenges As China's Influence In Hollywood Grows

... have also been explained by Chinese officials as the fault of early critics , whose "vicious and irresponsible" reviews have hurt films at the box office. When it comes to the casting controversy brought on by Damon's casting, Zhang says he thinks the criticism missed the point. Copy this code to your website or blog. "The female lead is also Chinese as well, and there's a lot of other Chinese characters in the movie," Zhang said, referring to the army leader played by Jing Tian (who notably is set to appear in two upcoming Legendary Productions films, "Kong: Skull Island" and "Pacific Rim"). "The story itself, I feel, is very natural. It makes sense that there's a character that traveled along the Silk Road and got to China.". Damon said he hopes those who criticized "The Great Wall" last year will see the film before judging. "I'll be interested if people see the movie and realize the whole idea is that it was an 'East meets West' co-production, giant monster movie where monsters are attacking and the humans are ...

The Great Wall' Is Big, Boring Monster Movie

... silly stories, and they’ve done it again. There would have to be more meat on the script’s bones for it to be described as thin. Damon plays a European mercenary who, along with a comic-relief sidekick, comes to Song Dynasty-era China in search of black powder riches but who runs into a gigantic army and the Great Wall being prepared for an epic battle. He’s had to scrounge to survive his entire life, like a thief. Now he sees these Chinese people who fight for one another, who have pride in their lives. I want that in my life, too, he decides, forgetting all about looting the black powder, to his buddy’s chagrin. There’s an earnestness to Damon’s monotone performance that practically says out loud, “I can be a great man. I can help these poor Chinese people. I can be their hero.”. When he does speak out loud, it’s with an accent derived from no part of Europe that I’m familiar with, in an “I’m taking this goofiness way too seriously” kind of tone set by the film, which plays like a bad 1940 s Western. But he sure can handle a bow and arrow, and that comes in handy against the monsters. Yes, it’s a monster movie. As they come by the thousands from a ...

China Goes Hollywood In 'the Great Wall

... films that go from East to West rather West to East," he said. CHINATOWN MEETS TINSELTOWN. Chinese money has been flooding into Hollywood recently. From 2000 to 2016, Chinese direct investment in U. S. entertainment firms amounted to nearly $9 billion, according to the Rhodium Group. Investment in 2016 more than doubled all investment in the previous 16 years combined. That's mainly due to one Chinese company — conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group — which bought the Hollywood studio Legendary Entertainment, known for the "Dark Knight" film franchise, for $3.5 billion. Legendary is the studio behind "The Great Wall." The same group bought movie-theater chain AMC in 2012. Meanwhile, Warner Bros., Dream Works Animation and Universal have linked up with state-owned enterprises and private companies such as electronics maker Le Eco and internet giants Alibaba and Tencent. "The world is changing," ...

The Founder, The Great Wall, John Wick

... the supply and demand will follow,” he repeats, as if it’s a sacred mantra. When the camera finally pulls back, we see that he is giving the pitch to some cafe owner who isn’t remotely interested. Everything about Kroc is contradictory. He pitches as if every sale is a matter of life and death, but he is moderately affluent already anyway and seems to have a decent enough life in prosperous Eisenhower-era America. He’s a regular guy and yet he is always on the make. We feel a little sorry for him as he is rejected again and again and has to fit his huge, unsold milkshake machine back in the boot of his car. Hollywood doesn’t tend to make many films about small business. That’s why Kroc’s business partners (and eventual stooges), Maurice Mc Donald (John Carroll Lynch) and his brother Dick (Nick Offerman) make such appealing characters. They’re the Californian restaurateurs who set up ...

The Great Wall’s Commander Lin Mae On Zhang Yimou's Fantasy Epic

... me to be a part of his film.  I would say the biggest difference between him and other directors that I've worked with is his attention to detail.  He's a master of visual artist and he puts so much focus into every shot. LRM: What was it like working with some of the Western actors like Matt Damon, Willem Dafoe and Pedro Pascal. Jing Tian: They were all so professional and amazing to work with.  It was such a tremendous learning experience for me, because they exposed me to different approaches when it comes to acting and how things are done in Hollywood compared to China.  All three of them are just wonderful people and we had so much fun together on set.  It was especially great working with Matt.  I’ve always admired his work and I found his dedication very inspiring. LRM: You’re actually doing more with Legendary Pictures, both the upcoming Kong and the Pacific Rim sequel. Do they ...

The Long Journey To The Great Wall Of Mexico

... to the Great Wall of Mexico. Alexandra Genova. Feb 09, 2017. Walls – literal and figurative – are a prominent part of today’s global landscape. In 1989 there were 15 border walls worldwide, today there are almost 70. In a new project called A Wall In Between, photographer Alessandro Grassani sought to document our modern fixation with border control and the human stories caught on either side. “I want my photographs to reveal a sense of fear,” says Grassani. “They should reveal the fear of the people living in the rich countries who are supposed to accommodate the migrants. But also the fear of the migrants who are risking their life to cross those walls.”. Grassani started his project at the heavily politicized U. S.-Mexican border in 2016. “Many of the people I met during my journey to the U. S. border were leaving countries like El Salvador or ...

Chinese Director Zhang Yimou's Search For The Meaning Of Art

... a fantastical context, Zhang says, realism was always the goal: "We want to make sure that this looks like an earthly creature and not an invader from outer space.". The Taotie carry a metaphorical meaning as well. Zhang says in China they are traditionally viewed as symbols of gluttony, an association that persists in the language today: "A 'Taotie feast' means that there's a lot of food.". This symbolism carries over into the movie, with Matt Damon's character learning to let go of greed and fight for a cause beyond personal gain. "It's not a typical hero's journey," Zhang says. "Even though this is a monster flick, I wanted to give it substance – so it's not just bad guys versus good guys.". For viewers in the West, different associations may come to mind. Walls, after all, are very much in the news lately, specifically the wall between the US and Mexico proposed by Donald Trump. Zhang concedes the film has an unexpected topical resonance, but says it was never his aim to comment on border protection in a literal sense. On the contrary, he says, the film offers an example of different cultures uniting and learning from each other, on screen and ...