下周热点:“今年八月最有希望的大片”《木乃伊》系列真正的第三集《The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor》移师中国:Brendan Fraser领衔有杨紫琼加入的抓“伊”队;Rachel Weiz的可爱妈妈的角色由Maria Bello代替;而李连杰饰演有秦始皇嫌疑的千年老妖;万里长城下铮铮白骨也将复活反抗;梁洛施、黄秋生也都有戏份。然而把兵马俑整成木乃伊这种不伦不类的情节让此片有多高的雷/汗指数,我们下周便见分晓。不过,可以肯定的是,Brendan将会有两部电影同时在top10光荣榜上(另一部就是3D的《Journey to the Center of the Earth》)!另外,老帅哥Kevin Costner不甘寂寞,一改去年的《Mr. Brooks》的邪神模样和《The Guardian》里的老兵气质,下周以“农民”形象出演政治讽刺喜剧《Swing Vote》。无论票房如何,凯哥的表演还是值得期待。
【周末榜单】 #1. "The Dark Knight" (第二周,上周#1) ($75.6M,累计$314.2M) 【番茄指数:95%;Yahoo: A- (影评人)/A (观众)】
#4. "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" (新) ($10.2M,累计$10.2M) 【番茄指数:33%; Yahoo: C (影评人)/B (观众)】 【可以说,《X档案2》的惨淡完全是预料之中的。这部电影离上一部已然10年,即使离最后黯然结束的剧集也已有6年之久。一代新人换旧人,只有最铁杆的X迷们依然坚守着Mulder和Scully的探索精神,不至于让只耗资$30M的此片一衰到底,开画额勉强上七位数算是给两位老FBI留下了些许颜面。福克斯公司的发言人厚着脸皮说:“这部片子就是献给那些铁杆粉丝的...”拉倒吧,爆米花电影发出来的主要目的不是赚钱而是“献给那些铁杆粉丝”,鬼才相信吧。】
Singer Jane Zhang has her eye on the Olympic stage
By Silvia Sartori
TOKYO —
It’s not everyday a world leader invites you to his home. But during a visit to Tokyo, that’s exactly what happened to China’s Zhang Liangying, better known as Jane Zhang, who sang for Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on the occasion. The singer from Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, was part of Chinese President Hu Jintao’s “warm spring” tour of Japan in May, where she had been designated Youth Cultural Ambassador thanks to her enormous popularity in her home country. On only her second visit to Japan, Zhang was actively helping promote cultural understanding and friendship between the youth of both countries through her music.
Just three years ago, she was a total unknown entering a TV competition in her homeland. But after 400 million people watched her in the final of the TV phenomenon that was “Supergirl,” where she delivered a string of stunning performances in English and Chinese, she is now an international jet-setting star. “Before I was just staying in my hometown, never going anywhere. After, I have been to many places,” she said.
Idol shows are much maligned in the West, but in a country whose pop music heritage is limited, it was a unique way to instantly reach across the enormous country. Zhang was quickly dubbed the “dolphin voice” due to her ability to sing in the whistle register - from D below middle C to G above soprano C. Since the show, she has marched onward, first reaching Japan’s shores in 2007 as a guest for the Miss China Pageant.
Attention to Zhang’s international potential is being mirrored by interest in China as a whole, particularly with the Olympics on the horizon. And Zhang may get a chance to be center stage. In collaboration with Andrea Bocelli, she has recorded “Embrace in Love and Dream,” favored to win the competition to open the ceremony. Thousands of singers submitted tracks, but hers, written by David Foster (producer of Céline Dion, Barbara Streisand & Madonna), is considered a standout.
“I never dreamt to sing with a singer like this,” she said. The winner will be announced on the day of the opening ceremony. “Chinese people have been awaiting the Olympics for years,” Zhang said. “It’s a dream of peace, friendship, love, understanding and communication among all different countries.”
With the huge fame she now enjoys among Chinese audiences, Zhang wishes to introduce new music genres and a new musical sensitivity in the Middle Kingdom. A fresh innovator, she would like to see a fast change in the Chinese music environment. “I like jazz, blues, soul, and I want this music to use Chinese lyrics.” It may not come as a surprise that her muse is Mariah Carey.
Zhang recalled how she grew up buying each of her albums and learning them faithfully one after the other. And of course Carey’s songs were her favorite repertoire at “Supergirl.” “But the judge said: ‘You can’t always sing Mariah!’” Other Western idols include Craig David, Eric Clapton and British soul singer Beverley Knight. “I sing them in my concerts,” Zhang said. “Songs like ‘Every Time You See Me Smile’ and ‘Black Butta.’”
Zhang also sang the theme song for the Chinese music drama “Impression West Lake,” which is composed by Japanese musician Kitaro and was released in June. This cooperation may just be the beginning of a wider debut in Japan. From the Middle Kingdom to the Land of the Rising Sun, the “dolphin voice” keeps enchanting audiences.
下周热点:上个世纪末大热的电视剧集《X档案》十年后第二次推出电影版《The X-Files: I Want to Believe》,Mulder/Scully预告片里貌似的kiss是否还能荡起老影迷们心中的涟漪?同时,深受人民大众喜爱的大活宝Will Ferrell携手John C. Reilly推出R级喜剧《Step Brothers》,在笑声缺乏的7月不啻为一记强心剂。
【周末榜单】 #1. "The Dark Knight" (新) ($155.3M,累计$155.3M) 【番茄指数:94%;Yahoo: A- (影评人)/A (观众)】
#4. "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (第二周,上周#3) ($11.9M,累计$43.1M) 【番茄指数:60%;Yahoo: C+ (影评人)/B+ (观众)】 【靠3D电影的优势克服了平平的口碑,以43%的跌幅守住第四把交椅。】
#5. "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" (第二周,上周#1) ($10.0M,累计$56.4M) 【番茄指数:88%;Yahoo: B (影评人)/B+ (观众)】 【本周暴跌71%和中肯的评价并不相称,大概可以部分“迁怒”于《黑暗骑士》的火爆。“透过现象看本质”,虽然影片的特技被铁杆Del Toro粉丝追捧,然而不太符合相当部分百姓的“审美”口味却是板上钉钉的现实。】
综合评价:A 大概以《断背山》里的角色最为人熟知的Heath Ledger年初不幸过世,谣传因为扮演Joker入戏太深而服药过量,用自己的生命给《黑暗骑士》(简称《TDK》)做了最强有力的宣传。按照以往的经验,被炒起如此大型的泡沫的电影通常不可以抱着太大的希望。然而事实证明,所有的担心全部是多余。这绝不是一般的漫画改编、超级英雄电影,这是一部(被正义勉强超过的)邪恶的雄伟诗篇。 Heath Ledger塑造的Joker毫无疑问是有史以来最经典的恶棍形象之一。其藏在浓重的白粉后的表情、藏在黑色眼圈后的发黄的眼珠、凌乱的头发、血红的嘴唇和舌头、每一个微小的肢体动作,都为“每个毛孔都散发出的彻头彻尾的邪恶”带来完美的注脚。Heath的表演,让我几乎忘却了蝙蝠侠的存在;我享受着Heath "The Joker" Ledger带来的每一刻不寒而栗和奇妙的幽默,罪恶地希望这个邪神能够充斥银幕的每一秒钟。去年《No Country for Old Men》里的Javier Bardem饰演的Anton Chigurh是沉默隐忍的极致,Heath Ledger的Joker则是张扬的极致。所以,要带小朋友去看超级英雄的同学们要慎之又慎。
和《The Dark Knight》的深刻寓意和自始至终丰富的剧情相比,同样星光璀璨的上一集《Batman Begins》(这个星期刚复习了一遍)俨然成了曾被高估的陪衬。《BB》剧情相对的浅显和杂乱远不及严格执行且错综复杂的《TDK》。大概因为片长原因(2个半小时),影院版的有相当多的细节都没有交代,我想今后出重剪的加长版本会使剧情脉路更加清晰,而不会由于部分转接生硬而反倒显得些微的冗长。不过,这一套蝙蝠侠继上一集再次“影射”中国,虽然是由于娱乐原因大可不必当真,但稍微还是有些不爽。
【周末榜单】 #1. "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" (新) ($35.9M,累计$35.9M) 【番茄指数:88%;Yahoo: B (影评人)/B+ (观众)】 【并不被看好的《Hellboy II》斩获$36M,让接过索尼(《Hellboy》第一集的片商)手中山芋的环球公司狠狠擦了擦头上的汗。四年前的《Hellboy》耗资$66M,却被安排在春季档,最后在北美市场仅拿下$60M,而此片的口碑其实是从DVD发行后才开始传开。导演Guillermo del Toro后来靠《潘神的迷宫》攒起相当的人气,让环球最终有兴趣接手系列制作。投资"仅"$85M的《Hellboy II》画面风格像极《潘神》却是双刃剑,一方面自然受到为数甚多的粉丝们狂热追捧,另一方面片中怪物却有似曾相识的嫌疑。客观地看,《Hellboy II》的票房和今年暑期早些时候另两位漫画英雄 - Iron Man和Hulk - 相比实在不是一个档次,说明北美观众的审美情趣真是有特定的方向。】
【Will Smith的票房吸引力无与伦比。在骂声一片的情况下,此片12天斩获$165M,接近《I Am Legend》在去年圣诞节档的水平。本周末三天仅比上周跌下47%,差点将《Hellboy II》拉下冠军宝座。】
#3. "Journey to the Center of the Earth" (新) ($20.6M,累计$20.6M) 【番茄指数:62%;Yahoo: C+ (影评人)/B+ (观众)】 【854家3D影院 - 约占全部放映影院的1/3 - 贡献了一半强的票房,让这部号称“第一部真人3D电影”获得了相当的成功。发行公司华纳抱怨目前院校的3D放映厅不够多,而不得不在2/3的放映厅里将这部3D电影屈就地用2D形式呈现,而这些观众则相应地少了很多的"wow"的感觉。】
《Kung Fu Panda》朝两亿票房稳步迈进的同时,暑期动画片大战,成本高出不少($180M vs $130M)的《Wall-E》在前十天总票房稍有胜出($128M vs $117M)。
实在很烂的《The Happening》和《The Love Guru》在开画第四周和第三周时一起迅速跌出十名开外。
下周热点:以《潘神的迷宫》闻名的Guillermo del Toro继续他自己的梦想旅程,推出"Hellboy"系列的第二部《Hellboy II: The Golden Army》。《HB II》特技造型酷似《潘》,而比票房并不成功的第一部《Hellboy》(2004)投资更大,于是更猛更强,然而到底这一次合不合北美观众胃口,我们拭目以待。另两部开画的同为PG分级的合家欢类科幻作品,一部是Mummy杀手Brendan Fraser领衔的3D版《Journey to the Center of the Earth | 新地心游记》,另一部是Eddie Murphy孜孜不倦再次一人分饰多角的《Meet Dave| 戴夫号飞船》。
【《Hancock》的剧情虽然遭到众多媒体的口诛笔伐,但是北美观众用实际行动捍卫了39岁的Will Smith如今第一票房金男的地位。《Hancock》周末三天的$66M保持他个人的一贯开画水准,绝对数值仅次于去年底的《I Am Legend》的$77M。从7月2号开画算起,北美五天收进1亿强,加上全球各地的$78M,$185M的成绩已经远远超出$150M的成本。这也是Will Smith本人在独立日开画的第四部电影:前三部分别是《Independence Day》《Men in Black》《Men in Black II》。】