Film buzz: 2012 (2)

Don't believe the hype

In 2012, 3D movies will still draw Chinese audiences. Although the full list of 3D movies in 2012 is not yet available, the ones attracting the most attention are The Monkey King, Titanic, Journey to the Center of the Earth 2, Underworld: Awakening and Ice Age: Continental Drift. The 3D world is obviously still being dominated by the Western film industry.

But Chen is not worrying about Chinese 3D movies lagging behind.

"Current 3D technology is in a transitional period and will be replaced soon," he said confidently. Chen believes in the future, technology will altogether abandon the use of the screen to show a movie. "With the current technology, all 3D movies need a screen, but in the future, we will be able to watch a movie with nothing but air, without a screen," he predicted.

Culture card

It seems that Chinese movies are trending more and more onto screens overseas. But as for winning over Western audiences, the future remains uncertain. The Flowers of War received some harsh reviews from Western critics, earning a paltry 33 percent from Rotten Tomatoes, a film review website based in the US.

What's the fatal flaw in Chinese films, then? Why are they still not competitive even with huge budgets and international film stars taking lead roles?

Perhaps the answer lies in the differences in culture. "The competition between Chinese and Western movies is like a competition between two cultures," said Chen, explaining that even though Chinese culture has a sedimentary accretion of thousands of years, its filmmakers have still not been skillful in making good use of that. "Traditional Chinese painting, calligraphy, classical music, and local operas are all very intriguing elements of Chinese culture that are worth digging into."

Even many Chinese feel that domestic titles are not up to snuff.

"Normally, my husband and I watch more imported movies than domestic ones," said middle school teacher Xiao Lin. "The stories in domestic movies are not that good."