No one thought that this year’s Spring Festival movies would be in a situation where “four points the world” and .
The success of two of these movies was somewhat beyond expectations.
The first one is "Article 20" by Zhang Yimou.
The legal theme of self-defense makes people very uneasy when it is placed during the Spring Festival.
The other one is Han Han's " Flying Life 2".
Han Han's last movie "四海" was also released during the Spring Festival, and its dismal box office and reputation even lowered the ceiling.
plus "Flying Life 1" are already old IPs from 5 years ago. It is still unknown how much influence they can have now.
But after their official release, the two movies went from word-of-mouth to box office at the speed of light.
" Flying Life " had a strong start, with the box office exceeding 400 million on the first day, and now it is steadily moving towards 3 billion.
" Article 20 " has strong stamina. It started to top the box office on the 10th day of its release, and now the box office has exceeded 1.8 billion.
How did the two films break past prejudices and gain the opportunity to stand out?
In Qingshi’s view, in addition to all kinds of publicity outside the movie, the expression of the film itself has gone beyond the level of simple popcorn.
Next, let’s compare these two non-traditional comedies, which are branded as comedies, but each have different themes, and see what the differences are.
01
Before formally talking about these two movies, it is necessary to talk about the directors of the two movies.
74-year-old Zhang Yimou, an evergreen figure in the film industry, ushered in an era of Chinese films that amazed the world with his movie "Red Sorghum".
42-year-old Han Han is the best at writing articles in the racing world and the best at making movies among the writers.
Regardless of their cultural background or creative ideas, the two are completely unrelated.
However, during the Spring Festival this year, the two directors coincidentally chose the same track: little character comedy .
What’s interesting is that the protagonists of the two movies are also “down-and-out men” who are middle-aged but troubled.
But the similarities between the two films end there.
If you taste it carefully, the two directors have completely different comedy styles.
What Zhang Yimou pursues is steamy secular comedy.
It’s like a New Year’s Eve dinner cooked at home on New Year’s Eve. It’s home-cooked but it’s a lively meal.
Most of the jokes in the film come from the lively couple Han Ming (Lei Jiayin) and Li Maojuan (Ma Li).
For example, Han Ming's seniority ranking within the family, he "submits his head and is willing to be a coward."
For example, when Li Maojuan was shopping in the mall, she happened to meet her husband and his ex-girlfriend talking about work on a massage chair, and jealousy broke out.
These scenes are not only designed in advance by the script, but also require the actors' improvisational expressions.
Just like Ma Li said: Northeasterners are best at making memes with all kinds of golden sentences (Ma Li and Lei Jiayin are both from Northeastern China). In the
film, there is a bickering scene surrounding "the wife's body shape", which was improvised by Ma Li and Lei Jiayin.
Li Maojuan asked her husband: Did I have dark, straight hair and an S-curve before? Have you ever been young and beautiful?
Han Ming directly replied to the straight man's statement: It's good to be chubby now.
seemed to think that the matter was not big enough, so he added, "You always order takeout at night, and you fuck you all the time," which even touched the bottom line of what his wife couldn't bear.
Every comedy baggage is naturally thrown out in the trivial daily chatter, turning secular life into a sketch scene.
The last time Qingshi saw such a daily and funny home-cooked joke was in "Parents' Love".
Zhang Yimou turned each joke into a part of daily life, achieving the high level of "life first and comedy later".
"Flying Life 2" is just the opposite, focusing on literary comedy with a cold tone.
Han Han's best comedy technique is to find laughter in the identity gap between the characters' past and present.
For example, the former "King of Bayinbrook" Zhang Chi (Shen Teng) became a driving school instructor who was invisible to everyone in "Flying Life 2".
As a coach, Zhang Chi’s greatest honor is a cross-stitch plaque saying “Famous teachers make great disciples”.
The person who gave him the plaque was a student who had studied with him for more than two years and had yet to get his driver's license.
As a senior in the racing industry, he originally wanted to teach the new drivers a lesson.
But from sudden braking to reaction training, it was taken advantage of by newcomers.
This feeling of "today is different from the past" is funny but also a bit poignant.
Absurdity is another label of Han Han's comedy.
Looking around, "Flying Life 2" plays out various absurd plots against a realistic background.
For example, the "Limited Edition Shanzhai Laotou Le" produced by Xindi Machinery Factory.
For example, the scooter competition between the old and new generations of riders was so intense that even the car doors crackled.
Although the plot is absurd and exaggerated, it does not make people feel false and suspended.
The reason is that Han Han made these absurd plots self-consistent with the protagonist's downtrodden reality.
The absurdity in our eyes is exactly the real life they experienced.
2
If they were just to make people laugh, the two movies would not have caused such a big splash. Under the skin of
comedy, the two films have achieved "deep extension".
still remembers the ending of "Flying Life 1", Zhang Chi's "leap of faith" while driving a racing car, which was both tragic and romantic.
In the second part, the idealism of the previous part has turned into a real crisis for middle-aged men.
Zhang Chi, who miraculously survived, was unable to return to the game due to serious injuries and was forced to become a driving school instructor.
The down-and-out phoenix is not as good as a chicken. His past honors are gradually forgotten, and he owes a lot of debt for medical treatment. The race record once set by
was not recognized because of the loss of the racing seal.
No money, no car, no fame, the reality is enough to destroy a person's dream.
Zhang Chi, who no longer pursues his dream of racing, now just wants to earn some living expenses through racing.
Even if he participates in a competition like Bayinbulak, in his opinion, "as long as the loss is not ugly, that's enough."
But when I came to the competition field and watched the younger generation struggling, my heart, suppressed by life, began to feel restless again.
All the grievances, unwillingness and cowardice felt in the past were vented in the hearty racing showdown in the end.
Through the hail and the black curtain, the man who muttered "for survival" rediscovered himself in the dust.
Middle-aged men are not only ignorant, but also qualified to burn with passion.
Even if you lose, you should lose beautifully.
completes the output of meaning and value in the "anti-chicken soup" and "anti-routine", and "Flying Life 2" does an excellent job in this regard.
"Article 20" also talks about the awakening of the little people.
is temporarily employed in the Procuratorate Han Ming, for the sake of his future and his family, is careful about what he says and does, for fear of getting into trouble.
Regarding the bus driver who was convicted of intentional injury for his bravery, Han Ming advised him not to petition again and live his life with peace of mind.
Regarding "unnecessary" "The son of a crime, he advised his son to focus on the overall situation. It is not easy to go to a good school.
It is such a humble little character. His transformation and awakening have emotional appeal.
There is an old saying: " "People speak lightly", but it is also said that "everyone adds firewood to the flames."
As an ordinary prosecutor, Han Ming could only do so much;
But his last speech shouted out the aspirations of the people and made his personal The slight words are sublimated into the great cause of national economy and people's livelihood.
This pursuit of fairness and justice is the core highlight of "Article 20" that makes people's hearts swell most.
Many legal experts have also paid great attention to this film. For example, the well-known Luo Xiang has personally come forward to popularize the importance of legitimate defense.
I believe that with the further fermentation of this film, it will definitely have a positive impact on the improvement of relevant laws.
can inspire the public to think and push the entire society forward. This is the most commendable highlight of "Article 20".
3
I have seen this sentence before:
If a movie has a good story but does not have good actors to interpret it, it is in vain.
's words are rough but not rough. "Article 20" and "Flying Life 2" are living cases.
Let’s take a look at “Article 20” first. The cast is luxurious.
The ones who make the most of the soy sauce are Xu Yajun, Yu Hewei, Ding Yongdai and other powerful players.
The list of high-quality actors is not just superficial, Lao Mouzi's vicious vision in selecting actors has already been fully demonstrated.
For example, Lei Jiayin has vivid micro-expressions and a firm grasp of the character's "cowardly yet strong" temperament.
"I don't believe in national laws without natural principles, nor do I believe in natural principles without human feelings!"
The last statement is even more impressive, and every word is thunderous and piercing the heart.
and Zhang Yi, played the dean, the bully father played by Fan Wei, and Wang Xiao played Deputy Inspector Tian. Each actor has nothing to say about fitting the role.
Even Zhao Liying, who was not optimistic at the time, also gave the best performance of her career, interpreting the role of a mute girl to the core.
"Flying Life 2" recalls the "Iron Triangle" of the previous film. The signature of Shen Teng + Yin Zheng + Zhang Benyu is full of emotions.
's new characters include Director Xin, a "Zhang Chi loyal fan" played by Jia Bing, and Liu Xiande, a "disciple" played by Sun Yizhou, both of whom have undoubted comedy abilities.
The most outstanding person is Shen Teng.
Following last year's "Manjianghong", Shen Teng once again contributed a non-comedy level of delicate performance.
From the loss and decadence in the early stage to the determination and momentum in the later stage, Shen Teng captured the inner truth of the character with the emotion of "sadness and joy".
Especially the phrase "This car recognizes me" said after starting the car is particularly sour.
Just like what netizens said, by the end, you will forget that this person is Shen Teng, who successfully hid himself behind Zhang Chi.
Finally, Qingshi also wants to make an interesting point.
Zhang Yimou, who is becoming more and more sophisticated as he gets older, is still seeking changes.
Han Han, who is more than 30 years younger than him, pursues "unchangedness" and sticks to his own style.
is an attempt to seek more diversity in creation, and remains true to one's original intention.
two people also represent the two attitudes of Chinese movies, both of which are worthy of appreciation.
It can be seen from the movies released during this year’s Spring Festival that the market box office increasingly emphasizes that “content is king”.
hopes that film creators will continue to produce high-quality content, so that more films with personal expression and social value can become the mainstream of the film market!
Qingshi Movie | Shang and Zhou
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