Copywriting | Titie
Editor | Yellow Cat
The Spring Festival in 2024 is really too lively.
There are many comedies that are tough and tough, and there are some good ones to watch.
"Mr. Red Carpet" is full of satire and denounces the chaos of domestic entertainment. Several trailers reproduce famous scenes in the entertainment industry. I won't tell who sweated it. Who can not be curious about the excitement of the main film.
The original cast of "Flying Life 2" has reunited. As soon as Shen Teng appears, the familiar taste and style are back. What kind of jokes will it bring to the audience this time?
However, the biggest highlight of the Spring Festival every year is the PK between major directors, and 2024 is no exception - "Hot and Spicy" directed by Jia Ling vs. "Article 20" by Zhang Yimou.
Don’t wonder why these two people can be compared together. "Hello, Li Huanying", directed by Jia Ling for the first time, exceeded 5.4 billion, directly rushing to the third position in the domestic film box office list.
Zhang Yimou's highest-grossing film, "Man Jiang Hong", only received 4.5 billion in box office.
So, in the competition between "China's first female director" and "National Director", which one will be better? Through the trailer, I give my guess -
"Hot and Spicy": a collection of laughs and tears, I will binge watch
"Hot and Spicy" tells the story of how a kind person finds himself and learns to love himself.
Du Leying (played by Jia Ling) is fat, poor, and slovenly. She has stayed at home for many years with nothing to do and no expectations for life.
graduated from college and worked for a while. After a fierce quarrel with her sister, she decided to move out.
Leying chose to withdraw from society and close her social circle because she believed this was the best way to "reconcile" with herself.
However, in the process of fighting against fate, she suffered repeated setbacks, so she made up her mind to start a new life in a different way.
Le Ying cautiously contacted the outside world, and accidentally met boxing coach Hao Kun (played by Lei Jiayin).
With Haokun's help, Du Leying found the joy of life - boxing.
She practiced boxing hard, trained herself to look like a professional boxer, stood in the ring, and started a new life.
Just when Du Leying thought she had found the right way of life and her life was finally on the right track, the tests that followed were far beyond her imagination. Her exciting life had just begun.
"Hot and Spicy" is Jia Ling's return to the Spring Festival after three years after "Hello, Li Huanying", which undoubtedly arouses the expectations of many viewers.
In the trailer, you can see the happy atmosphere in the film.
Le Ying was doing strength training with her boxing coach. Hao Kun was behind her lifting the barbell with all his strength. Le Ying was also using all her strength and rubbing her nose. It looked like me who was absent from class. The contrast was so complete that it made people laugh.
Le Ying's sister Le Dan (played by Zhang Xiaofei) competed in her sister's place. Before going on the stage, she called her sister out. She gained weight and lost weight. The sense of surprise was instantly full, making the audience look forward to Jia Ling's successful weight loss.
Of course, on the basis of maintaining the joyful atmosphere of the work, Jia Ling is also very delicate in controlling the emotions of the characters and the texture of the images.
The film is shrouded in dark and gloomy tones and tells the life of a loser. After the loser finds her direction, there is only a beam of light left on the screen to illuminate her bright future.
"Hot" is a "laughing and tearful" movie. It is not only the protagonist's journey of transformation, but also a spiritual comfort to the audience. Even if life is full of difficulties, the positive and optimistic attitude is worth everything. People learn.
Chinese audiences always favor stories of "external joy but internal sadness". I believe that after "Hot" is released, it will become another box office miracle like "Hello, Li Huanying" and never get tired of it.
"Article 20": It's so difficult to film, I don't want to watch it
"Article 20" tells the story of middle-aged prosecutor Han Ming (played by Lei Jiayin) who took over a long-delayed case, and the people involved were forced into a desperate situation. Reluctantly, Han Ming risked everything to give justice.
I have to say that Lao Mouzi knows how to cast.
Lei Jiayin, Zhao Liying, Yu Hewei, Ma Li, Gao Ye, Zhang Yi, Liu Yaowen and others have joined in. Big names, powerful actors, and traffic come together to perform on the same stage. There is no need to worry about acting skills and box office.
However, I am not optimistic about this movie for two reasons.
One, theme.
Although "Article 20" is a comedy, it revolves around realistic topics.
For example, it is difficult for people to petition.
The character played by Yang Haoyu was unable to resolve his legitimate rights protection. He kept petitioning for explanations, but was blocked by forces from all sides.
Another example is the issue of protection for people with disabilities.
Hao Xiuping, played by Zhao Liying, is deaf and mute, so she was bullied by bullies in the village and even had her child snatched away in broad daylight.
There are also many problems such as campus bullying and official protection, which are all shown in the film. However, putting such a serious topic into a comedy would seem a bit jokey.
It is not difficult to use comedy to tell tragedy, but it is not easy to use comedy to tell reality.
Second, images.
There is no doubt that Zhang Yimou is called the National Master because the standard of his works has always been online. However, in recent years, Zhang Yimou's pursuit of aesthetics has continued to weaken.
"One Second" is all about the yellow sand landscape of the northwest desert, and "Sniper" and "Above the Cliff" are almost all about the snowy landscape in the northern winter.
Even in "River Red", there is a single iron-green tone, which makes the audience visually tired. In last year's National Day release of "Sturdy as a Rock," Zhang Yimou boldly adopted a neon style, which lowered the quality of the entire film.
Looking at the preview of "Article 20", the situation is "not optimistic."
Lao Mouzi gave up all the bells and whistles and chose the most plain and simple shooting method. No matter the composition, shooting techniques, or lighting, it lost the texture of previous blockbusters. The display of
props strives to bring out the atmosphere of life, but the layout and art creation of the entire scene appear rough and have no cinematic feel at all.
It is worth mentioning that the filming of "Article 20" started in July last year and was completed in August. The filming took only more than a month.
It is difficult not to suspect that Zhang Yimou lowered the quality of the film in order to pursue "fastness".
Conclusion:
Judging from the trailer, the gap between "Hot and Spicy" and "Article 20" is quite obvious.
Although Jia Ling's ability is far inferior to Zhang Yimou, as a comedian, she knows best what the audience likes to watch. Moreover, her growth experience and road to fame also allow her to better understand the hardships of little people.
Jia Ling can always use the simplest way to give people the deepest shock and make the audience "laugh and cry".
Zhang Yimou has a very high status at home and abroad, and it is a height that others can only dream of. However, it is undeniable that compared with himself, Zhang Yimou is on the decline.
How can a director who always gets perfect marks produce 90-point works not disappoint?
Of course, the movie hasn't been released yet, so we can't make a final conclusion on who is good and who is bad. I wonder which movie are you looking forward to more?
