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The Captain (2019, D: Andrew Lau) -- From the director of the Infernal Affairs trilogy

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The Captain (2019, D: Andrew Lau) -- From the director of the Infernal Affairs trilogy

Old 10-18-19, 01:55 PM
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The Captain (2019, D: Andrew Lau) -- From the director of the Infernal Affairs trilogy




Director Andrew Lau's cinematic portrayal of the most miraculous emergency landing in the contemporary history of Chinese aviation.

On the morning of May 14th, 2018, Airbus flight A319 is thrown into a state of panic when the cockpit windshield shatters after takeoff. Cabin temperatures plummet, passengers are losing consciousness, and all communication to control is lost. Heading into an enormous storm with the co-pilot sucked halfway out of the cockpit window, the plane’s strong-willed Captain, Liu Chuan Jian, is determined to bring everyone home safely.



Opens this weekend in about 37 theatres.

https://www.wellgousa.com/films/the-captain


I plan to see this on Tuesday. I saw the trailer when I went to see Climbers a few weeks ago.
Old 10-18-19, 02:26 PM
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Re: The Captain (2019, D: Andrew Lau) -- From the director of the Infernal Affairs trilogy

More propaganda. Although this actually looks pretty good as a movie. Airplane disaster flicks are an imminently watchable subgenre.

“Trust the captain. We will go home together.” That’s nationalism for a secular society led by a dictator.
Old 10-18-19, 02:33 PM
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Re: The Captain (2019, D: Andrew Lau) -- From the director of the Infernal Affairs trilogy

DJ I know I probably bug you pouncing on these Chinese films, but I see this as an opportunity to educate.

Go see this if you must, but then watch a good disaster movie, like Titanic. What’s the underlying theme of Titanic? “My heart will go on.” That’s transcendence. That’s forgiveness. That’s a universally human view. It didn’t tell you to worship the captain because he went down with the ship.
Old 10-18-19, 11:53 PM
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Re: The Captain (2019, D: Andrew Lau) -- From the director of the Infernal Affairs trilogy

I’ll wait for the Scorsese version.
Old 10-23-19, 02:44 AM
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Re: The Captain (2019, D: Andrew Lau) -- From the director of the Infernal Affairs trilogy

I saw an evening show for this tonight. It was quite entertaining IMO. Best way to describe this is that it's Airport + Sully. Overall, it was a quite harrowing aviation thriller. The team who made this did a great job with the special effects. Lau created good tension aboard the plane. You really felt like you were on a plane, not a set.

I also thought the cast worked really well together, especially the actors who played the Captain and the flight attendant manager.

All the action and drama took place on the plane with a few cuts to the families and the control towers. No flashbacks or backstory like what Sully did to fill time.

and this movie was based on a true story that happened about a year ago. I assume probably no one here is going to see this. I've posted a few threads on Well Go releases and pretty no one here watches them. But it's worth watching if you like a tense, yet fairly predictable airline action thriller. it's playing in very limited release and not many markets are showing it.

Last edited by DJariya; 10-23-19 at 03:10 AM.
Old 10-23-19, 11:08 AM
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Re: The Captain (2019, D: Andrew Lau) -- From the director of the Infernal Affairs trilogy

I watch a lot of Asian cinema, as much as I can, but tend to stay away from the overtly nationalistic ones like Wolf Warrior 2, etc. This one also screams that, which is why I will also pass. It's actually playing at my local AMC this weekend. Maybe I will go see Parasite again.
Old 10-23-19, 11:35 AM
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Re: The Captain (2019, D: Andrew Lau) -- From the director of the Infernal Affairs trilogy

Originally Posted by DJariya
I assume probably no one here is going to see this. I've posted a few threads on Well Go releases and pretty no one here watches them.
As noted in your thread for CLIMBERS, I do watch virtually all of these movies, despite my dislike of the CCP. I just won't pay to see them in theaters, despite this one playing at four locations within driving distance. It's just a personal principle, nothing more. I'll borrow them from the library here, or even buy the DVDs when they hit stores like Big Lots. And of course, failing that, the many Chinese malls here are always an option if one really needs to fill in a viewing gap. Still, by the time I get around to them there rarely seems, to me, to be much point in reviving threads that didn't attract many eyeballs in the first place.

The problem is not many people here watch Chinese movies, and not just because they're propaganda. I found the same issue here when discussing Hong Kong movies back in the day — I had to visit other, more dedicated forums for that. The same goes for most threads started here for foreign films. Occasionally, one gains a little momentum, but it ebbs and flows. There's also a limited theatrical audience in North America for foreign films in general, despite having more viewing options and larger ethnic populations than ever before. They play mainly to the diaspora, though often in 'mainstream' theatres, and its great that those groups have that option since the days of dedicated cinemas in Chinatowns or Little Indias or wherever are long gone.

That said, when discussing most contemporary-set Chinese movies, in particular, it's only reasonable to talk about the political nature of these films as well as the glossy production values, effects, pacing, similarities to Hollywood product, whatever. Fair enough if a viewer posting here doesn't want to go down that rabbit hole, or takes it too personally when others do, but the films are so firmly intertwined with China's domestic and foreign policies (far more than any U.S. film, even similar ones) that it's hard to ignore, especially in light of ongoing tales of the China extorting the outside world to behave "properly" toward them or face financial penalties (Hollywood, NBA, Activision Blizzard recently, but the list goes on).

To some, this will be just a solid thriller. To others, the bigger picture is unavoidable. But regardless, the interest in foreign films — let alone the time and means to keep up with them — just doesn't seem to be here.

I'd love to start threads for all of the phenomenal Taiwanese movies I've been seeing at festivals over the past few years — honest, boundary-pushing "Chinese" cinema from filmmakers that aren't "expected" to follow government dictates or break box-office records — but I know they'd draw even less interest than the endless spate of 'glorify China' blockbusters and pre-1949 period epics that are more easily marketed by WellGo.

Last edited by Brian T; 10-23-19 at 11:41 AM.
Old 10-23-19, 12:11 PM
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Re: The Captain (2019, D: Andrew Lau) -- From the director of the Infernal Affairs trilogy

Originally Posted by Brian T
As noted in your thread for CLIMBERS, I do watch virtually all of these movies, despite my dislike of the CCP. I just won't pay to see them in theaters, despite this one playing at four locations within driving distance. It's just a personal principle, nothing more. I'll borrow them from the library here, or even buy the DVDs when they hit stores like Big Lots. And of course, failing that, the many Chinese malls here are always an option if one really needs to fill in a viewing gap. Still, by the time I get around to them there rarely seems, to me, to be much point in reviving threads that didn't attract many eyeballs in the first place.

The problem is not many people here watch Chinese movies, and not just because they're propaganda. I found the same issue here when discussing Hong Kong movies back in the day — I had to visit other, more dedicated forums for that. The same goes for most threads started here for foreign films. Occasionally, one gains a little momentum, but it ebbs and flows. There's also a limited theatrical audience in North America for foreign films in general, despite having more viewing options and larger ethnic populations than ever before. They play mainly to the diaspora, though often in 'mainstream' theatres, and its great that those groups have that option since the days of dedicated cinemas in Chinatowns or Little Indias or wherever are long gone.

That said, when discussing most contemporary-set Chinese movies, in particular, it's only reasonable to talk about the political nature of these films as well as the glossy production values, effects, pacing, similarities to Hollywood product, whatever. Fair enough if a viewer posting here doesn't want to go down that rabbit hole, or takes it too personally when others do, but the films are so firmly intertwined with China's domestic and foreign policies (far more than any U.S. film, even similar ones) that it's hard to ignore, especially in light of ongoing tales of the China extorting the outside world to behave "properly" toward them or face financial penalties (Hollywood, NBA, Activision Blizzard recently, but the list goes on).

To some, this will be just a solid thriller. To others, the bigger picture is unavoidable. But regardless, the interest in foreign films — let alone the time and means to keep up with them — just doesn't seem to be here.

I'd love to start threads for all of the phenomenal Taiwanese movies I've been seeing at festivals over the past few years — honest, boundary-pushing "Chinese" cinema from filmmakers that aren't "expected" to follow government dictates or break box-office records — but I know they'd draw even less interest than the endless spate of 'glorify China' blockbusters and pre-1949 period epics that are more easily marketed by WellGo.

I don't agree with you much, but I will give that to you. There's really not much of an audience in this forum for Asian movies. I can try to bring attention to them, but it will be like talking to a brick wall. Very very few get wide attention.

I guess it's a combination of people here simply not having the time to seek them out and that there's so many other things to watch aside from a small marketed movie from China like this one.

Sure a few will click on this thread and wonder what the hell this Captain movie is, but it likely won't draw much interest or talk. OK, it's a waste of time.
Old 10-23-19, 12:57 PM
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Re: The Captain (2019, D: Andrew Lau) -- From the director of the Infernal Affairs trilogy

I certainly don't think it's a waste of time. Although sometimes I wonder if forums like this would almost be better just having "Chinese Cinema" or "Indian Cinema" threads, or whatever, where people can just dump thoughts on stuff they've seen. BTW, I don't expect anyone to agree with me, but the fact remains there's far more than surface-level enjoyment to Mainland Chinese films. If you're not interested in that kind of discussion personally, no worries, but it won't stop others from wanting to engage. It's entirely not personal. From what I've read, this film tones down the rhetoric compared to CLIMBERS, so there's that. The lack of "backstory" you mentioned earlier sounds about right: that kind of thing portrays characters as individuals, something the CCP frowns upon in these kinds of films. Probably makes for a leaner experience compared to SULLY, but it has been called out in some reviews I've read.

What interesting about THE CAPTAIN and CLIMBERS — among others, I'm sure — is that both have been mega-money spinners on their home soil, and are of high-enough quality to garner international distribution, but they tend to fly under the radar everywhere that isn't China, and particularly outside of the diaspora in those markets. Certainly, if it wasn't for you posting about them here, I doubt anyone besides myself would even know about them. Variety's (generally positive) review notes the film has done "brisk business" in the UK and Australia, but boxofficemojo puts the UK haul at around $105,000 on 24 screens for a week before dropping off the chart, and Australia's at just shy of $600,000 (much larger Chinese population there). Compared to THE CAPTAIN's China's haul of nearly $400 million — and a release conveniently timed ahead of the National Day holiday — I'm not sure that qualifies as "brisk", but I suppose expecting these movies to perform like, say, Jackie Chan's Hong Kong imports back in the day (or even some of the artsy-bordering-on-dull 'fifth generation' mainland movies for that matter) is a stretch. And again, who among us has the time to keep up?
Old 10-24-19, 02:14 PM
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Re: The Captain (2019, D: Andrew Lau) -- From the director of the Infernal Affairs trilogy

Originally Posted by DJariya
I guess it's a combination of people here simply not having the time to seek them out and that there's so many other things to watch aside from a small marketed movie from China like this one.
You should keep it up - I actually do catch some of the Chinese movies here in NY...although AMC mainly plays them in the 42nd st AMC and relegated to the really dirty, gross theaters.

As a Chinese American, I’d already spent decades watching and enjoying “American Propaganda” (not necessarily political propaganda - as someone who views it from a lens of barely ever seeing people like myself on screen...it’s there) in entertainment so it’s just the other side of the same coin.

Count me in as someone who will give “The Captain” a try. It’s been tough since there’s been so much interesting out (seeing JoJo Rabbit, Parasite & The Lighthouse in one week is nuts - this coming week is Terminator, Pain and Glory and Wizard of Oz in Dolby Cinema).

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