No M:I:3 for us: The lucky 'protected'

Monsters and Critics has broken our hearts with the news that M:I:3 is being blocked by official Chinese Blocking People, those chaps who have the nation's proudest and holiest of jobs -- to stop all that evil foreign stuff coming in and ruining everything.

Chinese distribs claim more time is necessary to review M:I:3 for import license and any possible cuts that need to be made before screening in China ...

While reasons for the delay are not clear, insiders suggest that it could be the way the movie depicted a crime that the Chinese police did not know about. As the Chinese Government gears up for the 2008 Olympics, this portrayal of lax security -- even in a motion picture -- may have touched a nerve, where the Government is trying to put its best international face forward.

And it is doing that by blocking the release of action films. We are sure that you will agree with us entirely in giving a hearty "bravo!" to those responsible for delaying/blocking the release of this innately sinister and evil foreign movie.

Of course, it could just be a case of petty one-upmanship after the M:I:3 boys refused to debut the film in Shangers due to no one being able to "ensure the absolutely safety" of the original copy. What a thoroughly enjoyable pissing contest it really is.

Also on Shanghaiist:
Truly a Mission Impossible: No Shanghai debut for film
Mission Impossible to make world premier in Shanghai