“Aftershock,” the long-awaited film by one of China’s more successful directors, Feng Xiaogang, grossed over RMB 100 million within three days of its release on July 22. That means it has beaten the record previously held by "The Founding of a Republic," which took three and a half days to earn RMB 100 million and went on to earn more than RMB 420 million in box office revenue in China. "Aftershock" also set a new box office record when it earned RMB 36.2 million on its first day, the most ever made by a locally made movie on opening day. “Aftershock,” with a budget of more than US$20 million, quite high by Chinese standards, is also the first Chinese-directed movie to be screened in IMAX theaters. Already the most successful film ever made in China, "Aftershock" has been chosen to compete for the nomination at the 83rd Academy Awards next February.
Based on the novel Aftershock by Zhang Ling, the film follows a family who fell victims in the Tangshan Earthquake. The father, Fang Daqiang (Zhang Guoqiang), was crushed dead while trying to rescue his children, Fang Deng and Fang Da, who were trapped in the house. Unable to save both kids, the mother, Li Yuanni (Xu Fan), is forced to sacrifice Fang Deng for her feeble younger brother Fang Da, a decision that proved agonizing for the entire family. It turns out that Fang Deng survived the quake and was adopted by a couple in the aftermath. Thirty-two years later (2008), the grown-up Fang Deng (Zhang Jingchu) would finally cross paths with Fang Da (Li Chen) in Wenchuan, Sichuan...
In a significantly distant pole with Hollywood production disaster flick like “2012”, “Aftershock” isn’t a special effects flaunt and even the earthquake sequence doesn't last for a long time (cause it doesn’t try to be China’s answer to that Emmerich’s film), but the arousing journey of the survivors set apart by a catastrophic event goes on for much longer. It might be fun to watch fictional disasters on the big screen, but watching the fictionalized effects of a real life disaster is just heartbreaking, a story that is as universal as the natural disaster itself. In this film, Feng follows a family that survives China’s most disastrous earthquake, the massive 7.8 temblor that flattened the entire city of Tangshan in the early hours of July 28, 1976. Adapted from Zhang Ling’s 2006 novel of the same title, “Aftershock” shows the raw human emotions of choices made in the heat of an emergency whose effects resonate throughout a lifetime.
South Korean war film "71-Into the Fire" has been a great hit among critics and fans in South Korea upon it’s initial release. Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War this year, the film had garnered much hype among the media even ahead of going into production due to its 4 A-list actors and the huge investment put to produce this high quality production (11 Billion Won). The movie is based on a true story where Kwon Sang-Woo (权相宇), Choi Seung-Hyun (a.k.a T.O.P, power rapper of Korea’s group BIG BANG) and others play 71 student soldiers who are outnumbered but fight valiantly to defend a strategic point against the advancing North Korean army led by Cha Seung-Won. Kim Seung Woo plays a middle ranking South Korean officer. "71-Into the Fire" is highly reviewed and referred to the “Saving Private Ryan” and “Letters of Iwo Jima” of the year. The movie attracted 114,131 people on its opening day, and has accumulated over 3.3 million admissions to date, making it the fastest movie this year to breach the one million mark. The film will be one of the title representing Korea to contend for Best Foreign Film in the Oscars next year.
In June 1950, a war between North and South Korea broke out, and it quickly engulfed the entire peninsula. A South Korean soldier (Kim Seung Woo) is ordered to take his troops to assist a group of young soldiers defend an area near the Nakdong River. The ragtag group of inexperienced soldiers, which includes criminal bad boy Gap Su (Kwon Sang Woo), is led by Jang Beom (T.O.P), the only one in the group with battle experience. After providing minimal training to the youth squadron, the expert soldiers go off to the Nakdong River to fight the North Koreans. However, the enemy battalion, led by General Park (Cha Seung Won), decided to take an alternate path in the direction of Jang Beom's squad.
Two-disc DVD Edition comes with audio commentary with screenwriter, director, and T.O.P., behind the scenes footage, interviews, press conference, and trailers. It also comes with four postcards.
