The Flowers of War

Exclusive Clip from THE FLOWERS OF WAR Starring Christian Bale

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 20th, 2012 at 11:26 am

We’ve been provided with an exclusive clip from the upcoming historical drama The Flowers of War. Directed by Zhang Yimou (Hero), the film is set during the Japanese invasion of China in 1937 and stars Christian Bale as a priest who seeks refuge in a local church, where he meets a beautiful Chinese courtesan who helps him rescue a group of schoolgirls from a terrible fate at the hands of the Japanese. The pic is the most expensive movie that China has ever made, and the production values are on full display in the impressive trailers.

Hit the jump to check out the clip. The Flowers of War is in select theaters now.

97 Original Scores Up for Oscar; DRIVE and ATTACK THE BLOCK Ruled Ineligible

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 23rd, 2011 at 12:04 pm

As the 84th Academy Awards move closer, we’re starting to get a better sense of how things will pan out. We recently shared the 39 songs that will contend for the Best Original Song category, and now the Academy has announced the 97 original scores eligible for the Best Original Score award. AMPAS is notoriously picky when it comes to eligibility in this category, and as we feared the scores for both Drive and Attack the Block have been deemed ineligible. Also disappointing is the ineligibility of Alexandre Desplat’s mesmerizing score for The Tree of Life.

While it’s upsetting to see some of the year’s best work side-lined, there’s plenty to be happy about. I was a huge fan of Howard Shore’s work in Hugo and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s score for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, as well as The Chemical Brothers’ brilliant work in the criminally underseen Hanna. Hit the jump for the full list, as well as who I think will make the cut.

New Trailer for THE FLOWERS OF WAR Starring Christian Bale

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: December 11th, 2011 at 6:37 am

Wrekin Hill has released the first U.S. trailer for The Flowers of War, the latest from Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou (Hero).  The film is set during the Japanese invasion of China in 1937.  Christian Bale stars as a priest who seeks refuge in a local church, where “he meets a beautiful Chinese courtesan who helps him rescue a group of schoolgirls from a terrible fate at the hands of the Japanese.”  The Flowers of War is said to be the most expensive China has ever made, and all that money appears on the screen.  The production values are stellar.  That combined with the use of English (about 40% of the dialogue) made Flowers the natural selection for China’s official Oscar submission.

Speaking of which, The Flowers of War will sneak into theaters in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco starting December 21 for an Oscar-qualifying run.  A wide release will follow in early 2012.  Watch the trailer after the jump.

New Images and Posters from THE FLOWERS OF WAR Starring Christian Bale

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 6th, 2011 at 1:35 pm

A batch of new images and posters from the drama The Flowers of War have gone online. Directed by Zhang Yimou (Hero), the Chinese period epic stars Christian Bale as a Jesuit priest who takes refuge in a cathedral with a group of people as the invading Japanese Imperial Army takes over Nanking in 1937.  The pic marks China’s most expensive film in history, and will serve as the country’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar this year. There’s one poster here that stands out (with the butterfly) but none hold a candle to the gorgeous one sheet that was released a few weeks ago. We also have a hefty amount of images from the historical drama.

Hit the jump to check out the posters and images. The Flowers of War opens in China December 16th and will have a qualifying run stateside soon.

New Posters for THE FLOWERS OF WAR, CORIOLANUS, UNDERWORLD: AWAKENING, and GOON

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 11th, 2011 at 1:49 pm

We’ve got a batch of new posters to share with you today. First up is the extraordinary new poster for Zhang Yimou’s The Flowers of War. Poster art is definitely not dead, and this gorgeous one-sheet is proof. The film stars Christian Bale in the Chinese period pic about the invading Japanese Imperial Army taking over Nanking. The UK quad for Coriolanus is pretty great as well. Marking Ralph Fiennes’s feature directorial debut, the film is based on Shakespeare’s tragedy of the same name. The new poster for Underworld: Awakening is a bit uninspired (not to mention confusing; why does Kate Beckinsale want to shoot met?), and the poster for the hockey comedy Goon is underwhelming as well, especially when compared with the film’s previous posters.

Hit the jump to take a look at the posters. The Flowers of War opens in China on December 16th (and in the U.S. sometime in December), Coriolanus opens January 20th, 2012, Underworld: Awakening opens January 20th as well, and Goon will be available VOD February 24th, and in theaters March 30th. [Update: We've been asked to take the Underworld poster down. An official version should be released soon.]

THE FLOWERS OF WAR Starring Christian Bale Will Get Oscar-Qualifying U.S. Release in Late December 2011

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: November 7th, 2011 at 9:07 pm

China selected The Flowers of War as its official submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar this year.  It’s a sensible move.  Director Zhang Yimou is a known quantity here in the States—his 2002 film Hero is #3 on the highest-grossing foreign language movies at the domestic box office.  Also, it stars Christian Bale, who is arguably even more of a known quantity around these parts after starring in those Batman movies, and winning an Oscar at last year’s ceremony for The Fighter.

That last point is especially noteworthy as Wrekin Hill announces their U.S. release plan for The Flowers of War.  The studio will unveil the period epic here sometime in late December after its worldwide premiere in China on December 16.  Wrekin Hill doesn’t have the precise date nailed down, but for a prestige film like The Flowers of War, late December is code for “We think this has a chance to win a few awards.”  For more on the film, read the press release after the jump.

International Trailer for Zhang Yimou’s THE FLOWERS OF WAR Starring Christian Bale

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 20th, 2011 at 10:27 am

The international trailer for Zhang Yimou’s war drama The Flowers of War (formerly 13 Flowers of Nanjing) has gone online.  Christian Bale stars as a Jesuit priest in a story about a group of people who take refuge inside a cathedral as the invading Japanese Imperial Army takes over Nanking in 1937.  If you want any further clarification on that plot, the trailer may not help you out.  Whereas most trailer we see provide some kind of narrative or over-arching theme, this one is a mish-mash of important scenes that don’t seem to have any particular order.  In one scene Bale is acting heroic and responsible and in another he’s drunk and looking for whores and it’s tough to see how he got from A to B.  Yimou looks like he’s pulled off some interesting battles that almost look like he’s trying to blend the wuxia style of his Hero with the gritty war-is-hell cinematography of a movie like Saving Private Ryan.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  40% of the movie is in English and the rest is in Mandarin and Japanese.  No U.S. release date has been announced, but The Flowers of War is China’s official entry for the Best Foreign Film Oscar, so we should expect to see the film sometime in 2012. [Update: We've received the official synopsis and have posted it after the jump.]

Full List of Submissions for the Best Foreign Film Oscar; Includes MISS BALA and THE ELITE SQUAD: THE ENEMY WITHIN

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 13th, 2011 at 2:47 pm

As you may or may not know, every country is only allowed to submit one movie for consideration.  It’s a little weak that a country can have multiple Oscar-worthy films but can only submit one and I think it would be better if each country could submit three to five films (unlimited submissions would be unfeasible).  The full list of eligible contenders for this year’s Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar has been announced and it features some notable submissions that have already picked up some buzz.  Brazil submitted its highest-grossing film of all-time, The Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, directed by RoboCop reboot helmer Jose Padilha.  Mexico has chosen the acclaimed crime thriller Miss Bala as its submission, Germany put forward Wim Wenders’ snooze-fest Pina, and China has selected Zhang Yimou’s historical drama The Flowers of War starring Christian Bale

Hit the jump for the full list.  Only five of the films will receive nominations for Best Foreign-Language Film.  Oscar nominations will be announced on January 24, 2012, and the winners will be announced at the 84th Academy Awards on February 26, 2012.

New Posters for THE RUM DIARY, RED LIGHTS, and THE FLOWERS OF WAR

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 26th, 2011 at 1:23 pm

New posters have gone online for The Rum Diary starring Johnny Depp, Rodrigo Cortes Red Lights starring Robert De Niro, and Zhang Yimou’s The Flowers of War starring Christian Bale.  Here’s what you need to know about each poster: The Rum Diary is the second poster this year featuring Johnny Depp’s character and a fish.  The international poster for Red Lights poster is the same as the U.S. one except it has a black background and the tagline translates to “The Truth Is The Most Dangerous Of Illusions.”  Finally, The Flowers of War poster has Bale as a priest admiring a nice Asian lady’s cleavage.

Hit the jump to check out the posters.  The Rum Diary opens October 28th and also stars Amber Heard, Richard Jenkins, and Aaron Eckhart.  Red Lights opens in 2012 and also stars Cillian Murphy, Elizabeth Olsen, and Sigourney Weaver.  The Flowers of War has no U.S. release date but it’s China’s official submission for the Best Foreign Film Oscar.

Zhang Yimou’s Epic Starring Christian Bale Now Titled THE FLOWERS OF WAR

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: September 9th, 2011 at 12:53 pm

Director Zhang Yimou’s latest effort, a war epic starring Christian Bale, now has a new moniker—The Flowers of War. Formerly referred to as 13 Flowers of Nanjing (as well as Heroes of Nanking), the film is based on Yan Geiling’s historical novel. The multi-linguial pic takes place in 1937 and tells the story of a group of people who take refuge inside a cathedral as the invading Japanese Imperial Army takes over Nanking. Yimou shot the movie approximately 40% in English and 60% in Mandarin. The director previously helmed the features A Woman, a Gun, and a Noodle Shop, and Under the Hawthorn Tree. The Flowers of War will have its World Premiere in Beijing, China on December 16, 2011.

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