Cinematheque: a heart-warming trans movie by Neil Jordan (and other film news)

ENGLISH LANGUAGE MOVIES

• Penelope: Grab your nose for this Hollywood rom-com. James McAvoy teams up with Christina Ricci to unveil a modern day fairytale. Penelope is born with a pig's snout due to a witch's curse. To break the curse, she must find true love and realize life's most important life lesson: "to like herself the way she is." In Mandarin or English depending on the cinema.
• State of Play: Based on a BBC TV series, Kevin MacDonald´s latest fictional thriller stars Russell Crowe as a Washington Globe journalist who begins investigating the death of people close to his former boss, promising congressman Stephen Collins. Trouble ensues. In Mandarin or English depending on the cinema.
• Up: Carl Fredricksen, a 78-year-old, has always dreamed of visiting the South American wilderness. One day, he attaches his house to a super-cluster of hydrogen balloons and sets off his adventure with an 8-year-old boy. Brought to you by the creative team behind Toy Story, Finding Nemo and Cars. In Mandarin or English depending on the cinema.
• G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra: The elite Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity (read: G.I. Joe) takes on Cobra, an evil organization led by a nefarious arms dealer. The film follows the rise of Cobra and the G.I. Joe, so those new to the series will have an easy time following along. In Mandarin or English depending on the cinema.
• Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: When Sid's attempt to adopt three dinosaur eggs gets him abducted by their real mother to an underground lost world, his friends attempt to rescue him.

CHINESE LANGUAGE MOVIES

• Dada's Dance (达达): A romantic, aimless road movie about young Zhao Ye who secretly worships and spies on his neighbor Dada as she is doing her morning chores and dances for her own pleasure. The two later on set out on a journey together to find Dada's birth parents.
• Ke ai de Zhong Guo (可爱的中国): A bio-pic of Fang Zhimi, a senior Chinese Red Army leader executed by the Nationalist government in 1934.
• The Foundation Of A Republic (建国大业): This offering from China Film Board chairman Sanping Han tells the story of the founding of the PRC, in celebration of the country's birthday. Chinese megacelebrities Chen Kaige , Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, Chen Daoming and Ge You star. Mandarin only.
• Cow (斗牛): In the winter of 1940, Japanese soldiers are marching toward a small village. The Chinese troops are hurrying to evacuate and villager Niu Er is asked to take care of a precious Dutch diary cow, which supplies milk for wounded soldiers. He takes the job only after a village master offers a marriage with the master's daughter, Jiu Er. To protect the cow and sometimes the life of his own, Niu Er has to outsmart the Japanese, starving refugees, bandits and a greedy quack doctor.
• Eternal Beloved (爱有来生): Yu Feihong is now back in the spotlight with her directorial debut Eternal Beloved. This ghost story revolves around an ancient gingko tree and tells a tragic romantic tale that crosses between the dead and the living.Co-starring in the movie is Yu Feihong herself and actor Duan Yihong.
• Legend of The Tang Empire (大明宫): As the royal palace of the prosperous Tang Dynasty, Da Ming Gong is a magnificent example of the era’s architecture. This epic historical movie traces the legendary events that are said to have taken place in the grand palace. Take a look at the extravagant lifestyle of the Tang imperial family in this movie directed by Jin Tiemu. Mandarin only.
• Gasp (气喘吁吁): American entertainer John Savage pairs up with China's well-liked actor Ge You for one more time. They star as two desperate middle-age entrepreneurs who try to impress each other by puffing up themselves. Expect to see Howie B composing the music and Norwegian Aasulf Wolf Austad rocking the camera. U.S-educated director Zheng Zhong draws the best of both cultures into this comedy drama. In Mandarin with occasional English dialogue.
• Tian An Men (天安门): Prestigious director Ye Daying creates a history drama to celebrate the 60th anniversary of China. As the last film of Ye's revolutionary trilogy, Tian An Men features Guo Keyu, Xu Xiaoli and Pan Yueming. The film is set during the Tian An Men's restoration in 1949 for the Founding Ceremony of P.R.C. Mandarin only.
• Empire of Silver (白银帝国): This Shanghai International Film Festival winner features Aaron Kwok, Hao Lei and Zhang Tieling. Directed by Christina Yao, the film is set in the late Qing Dynasty and follows a carefree young man who is the reluctant heir to his father’s banking empire. Mandarin only.
• Metallic Attraction: Kung fu Cyborg (机器侠): China's latest sci-fi slash kungfu comedy, helmed by Hong Kong director Jeffery Lau, is a local version of Transformers. Wonder what a male Chinese robot (just pretend) will look like in year 2046? Here is your chance. Sent to live with a family in Ningbo, robot K-1 falls in love with local girl Su Mei. Watch the forbidden love unfold.
• Sophie's Revenge (非常完美): This Rom-com, directed by ambitious U.S.-educated director Jin Yimeng, marks Zhang Ziyi's debut as a producer. The movie follows Sophie (Zhang Ziyi) and Jeff (Jisub So) as an engaged couple that rides an emotional roller coaster right before the wedding. Mandarin only.
• One night in supermarket (夜店): A one-thing-leads-to-another comedy of misadventure entirely set in the pic's title location. It's the wee hours at Wang Wang Supermarket, where nerdy stockroom boy Li Junwei is on duty with - and only has eyes for - Tang Xiaolian. But the quiet soon lapses into chaos when balding, pop-eyed He Sanshui comes in with two doofus heavies and demands to speak to the mart's boss lady, Wang Sufen.
• Overheard (且听枫韵): The film stars Lau Ching-Wan, Louis Koo and Daniel Wu as a trio of police officers conducting surveillance on a listed company.

OTHER LANGUAGE MOVIES

• My favorite season (Ma Saison préférée): Antoine (Daniel Auteuil) and Emilie (Catherine Deneuve) are brother and sister. Not seeing each other for years, they meet again because their aged mother became critically ill. Together, they remember the deep bonds they had when they were children. They try to understand what separated them, and begin to come to terms with what they have become. Emilie is married to a notary, but doesn't feel love anymore. She has a daughter and an adopted son. Antoine is a brain surgeon. He's solitary, whimsical and outspoken, which profoundly displease Emilie's husband. But Antoine is very liked by his mother. In French with Chinese subtitles.


• Haeundae: Located on the southeastern tip of the Korean Peninsula, Haeundae-gu of the city Busan draws one million visitors to its beaches every year. This 2009 South Korean film has been billed as South Korea's first disaster film, depicting the tsunami catastrophy of 2004. Haeundae is directed by Yoon Je-kyoon and stars Sol Kyung-gu, Ha Ji-won, Park Joong-hoon and Uhm Jung-hwa.