Xmas movie wrap-up
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Avatar
If you want to be part of the Avatar buzz, which begins here with the Jan 4 premiere, just go to the theater and watch it.
In the US$300 million film, James Cameron creates an alien planet called Pandora that has a mineral Earth needs. Since the atmosphere is not breathable for human beings man has to create an Avatar, a hybrid creature created by mixing the DNA of man and the Na'vi, a tall, blue-skinned creature native to the planet.
Jake Sully, a paraplegic soldier, has an Avatar adventure on the planet and the encounter with a Na'vi princess changes his life and maybe that of humans and the Na'vis.
Shot with Cameron's new 3-D camera system, the film has won praise for being a visual spectacle after its theatrical release on December 18 in 106 countries. It will be screened in both 2-D and 3-D, while the IMAX versions of both are also available in selected theaters.
Here is what top Hollywood film critic, Roger Ebert, says about the film: "It is an event, one of those films you feel you must see to keep up with the conversation."
True Legend
If a 3-D computer-generated planet sounds trite to you, how about watching dazzling Chinese kungfu, in 3-D?
"True Legend," which will hit theaters on February 9, is the first 3-D kungfu film in the world.
Yuen Woo-ping, the choreographer for "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" and "The Matrix," directs the biopic about the legendary martial artist Su Can and handles all the fight scenes, which are all free of computer-generated effects.
Mainland star Zhao Wenzhuo plays Su, a kungfu master in the 20th century, who goes from being born to a rich family to becoming a beggar, and eventually rises again to be a respected martial artist.
Zhao, like Jet Li, learned martial arts when he was young and won many national kungfu contests before beginning his acting career, in 1992.
Taiwan pop icon, Jay Chou, is Su's mentor, a kungfu master with all-white hair.
Also starring in the film is Michelle Yeoh, the best-known kungfu lady in Asia.
Sherlock Holmes
The detective film's arrival, expected on January 19, is the first opportunity for China's Sherlock Holmes fans to see him on the big screen.
Directed by Guy Ritchie, film is a brand new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous character - and apparently his fighting skills are as impressive as his intellect.
Set in England in 1891, the film revolves around Holmes and Dr. Watson stopping a conspiracy to destroy Britain.
An all-star cast accompany Robert Downey Jr impersonates the detective, and Jude Law plays his stalwart partner, Watson.
There have been at least 75 film, TV and stage adaptations of Sherlock Holmes following Doyle's four novels and 56 short stories, from 1887 to 1914. China published the Holmes stories as early as 1896, which made him the best-known detective of his kind in the country.
If you are a fan of the historic Sherlock Holmes books, stories, theatre or television adaptions, you do not want to miss this highly anticipated thriller on the big screen.
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