The 10th Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) was postponed for more than four months due to the outbreak of COVID-19. But as the saying goes, “All good things are worth waiting for.” This year’s BJIFF is more eye-catching than previous years. We believe the majority of the audience still remembers that several films, such as Gravity and Mad Max: Fury Road, hit the IMAX-screen theaters during last year’s BJIFF, providing an eye feast for a vast number of movie lovers. As a gift offered to the audience, the Hit IMAX Theatres section launched for the Beijing Film Panorama will bring some selected movie masterpieces to giant screens. Today let’s catch a sneak preview of the movies to be offered at this annual grand screening event.
Forrest Gump Returning to Big Screens
When it comes to this film, whether you are a movie fan or not, we believe you are familiar with the name of Forrest Gump. This year marks the 26th anniversary of the 1994 movie classic and presents a rare opportunity for the Chinese audience to watch this movie in IMAX theaters.
In a way, “Forrest Gump” has become a symbol. His spirit of never giving up tells us to show others with our own actions that don’t use birth defects as an excuse for not trying hard in life. The film touches on many important chapters in modern American history when Forrest’s personal experiences unfold, and the fate of an ordinary person shines over the long course of history. At the end of the movie, when we watch Forrest finally reunite with Jenny and the scene where he sees his son off to school, it can evoke a sincere emotional response in viewers.
It is worth noting a smart screenwriting technique that the running scenes go through the film. Forrest Gump had to wear leg braces to walk when he was a child. Later, he ran faster and faster and even ran to the rugby field and to the battlefield. He also leads a nationwide running spree. Running, a movement that can be mastered at the beginning of human’s life and also a sport that almost everyone can do, is symbolized by the screenwriter into a spirit of forging ahead. The profound meaning of life is often hidden in these “simple” little things.
Looking at Forrest Gump running on the IMAX screen, what reasons do you have for not working hard?
Apocalypse Now: Offering a Truly Immersive Experience on IMAX Screen
During the Shanghai International Film Festival held last month, the tickets for the 4K restoration of Apocalypse Now are very hard to get. The complaints about the lack of tickets could be heard again and again online and offline, which was rare to see before. In order to allow more movie fans to enjoy this masterpiece, the 4K film will also be screened on IMAX screens during this year’s BJIFF. The previous IMAX version enjoyed high popularity when it came back to theaters in the US, and many Chinese movie lovers were eager for its arrival. So remember to set an alarm clock and keep refreshing to grab the tickets. Don’t miss this great opportunity again.
News and rumors going around about the shooting of this film all focused on one point: hardship. First, the shooting process suffered a lot of difficulties, such as lack of funds, accidents occurring during the filming process, actors behaving like a prima donna, and the bad weather. Coppola and Apocalypse Now hit a run of bad luck, making them a derision of the media and the public. Fortunately, good things are a long time in coming. The movie won the Golden Palm and was nominated for Academy Awards. The box office exceeded US$ 100 million. Coppola gained both reputation and financial benefits so that he would not become another Michael Cimino. Second, it is difficult to give an attractive storyline. The pain carried by the Vietnam War will never fade in the hearts of all Americans. There are countless works reflecting on this defeated war as represented by Platoon and Full Metal Jacket, but none of these war films could be as technically complex and masterful as Apocalypse Now. -it comes from the Ride of the Valkyries, from the realistic the thunder of guns and the clash of fleet, from “special services” and cruel soldiers, from Colonel Kurtz who was in stark contrast to all of these. Coppola focused on “exploration” and “seeking” to express the Vietnam War, and in the end he found not only Colonel Kurtz, but also the meaning of this war—being meaningless.
In the meantime, the audience witnessed a series of absurd and sinful “impressive scenes” through the eyes of Captain Willard. Audiences can notice that the filmmaking was heavily invested. However, it is these scenes that make this film unique. Coppola’s aesthetic strategy is to use the most realistic and magnificent scenes to shock the audience. Using the unique audio-visual techniques of the film art, the director can make the audience feel like they’re a part of it, really inside the movie’s battlefield. At this moment, I can’t help imagining what kind of immersive experience I will get when watching this film on a giant screen?
Akira: A "Magnificent" Spectacle
If asked about the best cartoons in the film history, you may mention a series of works by Miyazaki Hayao and our childhood memories of Disney stories may flash through your mind. However, there is a film that must be on the list even though it does not top the list. Yes, it is Akira made by Katsuhiro Otomo and shown in 1988. Akira will also be included in the Hit IMAX Theatres section at this year's Beijing International Film Festival.
Though Akira has seen too many film reviews to make inside-out thorough analyses of it since its existence, it seems that Akira never has enough of them. Every once in a while, the cartoon blending motorcycle boys, cyberpunk and mutant monsters will be remembered with attribution to various events that happen in reality (of course, it has never been totally forgotten), whose characteristics of foretelling make people hardly contain themselves for astonishment—the characteristics are embodied in the depth and richness connoted by the story.
In addition, only from the audio-visual perspective, Akira can also be counted as a sheerly thrilling work. It must be a unique and unforgettable experience if you sit in the IMAX cinema, appreciating Katsuhiro Otomo's grand and fantastic world represented by the scenes like racing cars running in shabby streets and lanes, the panoramic montage of "New Tokyo", or the classic shot at the end - Kaneda's once friend Tetsuo becoming a huge meat ball right in front of him. Furthermore, his realistic painting style of the live-action type, and his technique of arranging shots and editing films also have much to do with its deserving repeated appreciation.
