Good Al Jazeera 20 minute documentary on Chinese immigrants in Senegal.
Category Archives: Film
Chinese in Africa (continued)
World’s most popular beer? Want to pee on a turtle?
Any idea what the most popular beer in the world is?
Sitting back with your friends enjoying a bud? Waaazzzzup?
enjoy drinking what is probably the best lager?
Would you give a XXXX for it? Best things come to those who wait?
No. The world’s most popular beer is Snow Beer (雪花啤酒)
According to the Telegraph, the Chinese drank 16.5bn pints of Snow last year.
Although most Chinese beers taste quite samey (think of a watered down bud light), I happen to think Snow actually tastes quite nice with a spicy meal. It is pretty inoffensive. At least I thought they were until I saw their latest marketing campaign…..
Snow beer are offering several lucky punters the chance to go to Kekexili – the Tibetan plateau. Here the fortunate winners can trod around on environmentally protected ground pissing off endangered species such as the Tibetan antelope . According to Jonathan Watts’ article in the Guardian, the plateau is “China’s most treasured nature reserve’ and has a ‘No Human Zone’, which as the name implies, is not supposed to be visited by anyone, yet Snow have gone ahead with their promotion even before they have permission.”
It would be as if Fosters offered their punters the chance for a lads holiday to the Galapagos islands to go and drink some brews, piss on a turtle’s face and eat its eggs in a giant fry up.
I should stop now, I don’t want to give them any ideas for competitions.
Filed under Advertising, Animal, Beer, comedy, environment, Film, News, Tibet
China stamps out ‘Hot Tub Time Machine’ style plots
China bans time travel for television – Business 360 – CNN.com Blogs.
As part of the cultural crackdown in China, State Administration of Radio Film and Television (SARFT) has decided to discourage plots using time travel or other surreal devices in its TV shows.
According to CNN: they are discouraging plot lines that contain elements of “fantasy, time-travel, random compilations of mythical stories, bizarre plots, absurd techniques, even propagating feudal superstitions, fatalism and reincarnation, ambiguous moral lessons, and a lack of positive thinking.”
If you have ever watched a Chinese epic drama you may be perplexed how they are going to do this. The Chinese classic ‘Journey to the West’ centers around a Monkey born out of a stone egg who eats a magic peach and then gains immortal powers. His powers include the ability to pluck hairs from his body, blow on them and convert them into whatever he wants.
Surreal?
I remain naively hopeful that the SARFT regulations are more of an attempt to stamp out lazy writing devices
Filed under comedy, Film, Propaganda, TV, Video
Chinese Black Swan
Chinese Party Officials try to recreate a seen from Darren Aronofsky’s Oscar Winning Black Swan
The Officials photographed are decked up in environmentally friendly clothing to promote a ‘low carbon lifestyle’. The event was held at a Beijing CPPCC annual gala on the evening of January 18. I am not really sure what else to say.
Filed under Art, comedy, environment, Fashion, Film, Propaganda
El Avispon Verde!
Ok. One of the great things about having a blog is that you can use it to review movies, music culture whatever. I am going to do a review of Green Hornet based on its trailer as I think I will save my money by not watching it.
I was really looking forward to this film as it has some good talent involved. Directed by Michel Gondry, starring Seth Rogen and co-starring the Justin timberlake of China – Jay Chou.
However, from what I can gather it looks like an attempt to fit too many squares in triangle shaped spaces. Seth Rogen plays stoners quite well, Michel Gondry does quirky sentimental DIY movies and Jay Chou can sing and dance in Chinese. The idea of putting the three of them together to make a superhero movie seems rather odd.
Green Hornet was never a particularly successful or interesting character. The 1960s TV show was famous for launching the career of Bruce Lee who played the Hornet’s sidekick ‘Kato’.The recent trend to ‘revamp’ old superheroes has found its way to reviving the Green Hornet. The project has been through a succession of actors who have pulled out – Kevin Smith, George Clooney, and Jake Gyllenhaal and also Kungfu hustle actor Stephen Chao. Stephen Chao is a natural martial artist and great comic actor and probably would have been perfect for the role. Jay Chou on the other hand can sing and dance and probably sell more movie tickets in China.
Anyway I haven’t seen the film and my advice is don’t go and watch it.
Spanish Hornet
Filed under Film
brushduck
Robespierre
brushduck 