Don’t let the post-Easter blues get you down; yes we may have had our “5/1” Labour Day holiday, and the summer holidays feel like they’re miles off, but May 2011 brings along a whole slew of great films from Hollywood and beyond. At first glance it looks like sequel-season, with follow-ups to Hollywood blockbuster franchises such as Pirates of the Caribbean, The Fast and the Furious, and Kung Fu Panda, but a closer look reveals some outstanding cinema from mainland China too.

1)“Love for Life”

Opening on May 10th, this film features mainland starlet Zhang Ziyi and Hong Kong heart-throb Aaron Kwok as an HIV infected couple. The film is set in a small Chinese village where the deadly virus is rapidly spreading as a result of illegal blood sales, and illuminates the estrangement and unity experienced by the couple as a result of the infectious disease. Gu, whose directorial debut "Peacock" ("Kong Que") won a Silver Bear Award at the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival, said he had invited a number of HIV-positive people to join his new movie and hoped it would raise awareness of HIV/AIDS and discrimination against the disease. While making the film, Gu and Zhao Liang, another director, completed an HIV/AIDS-themed documentary called “Together” (“Zai Yi Qi”).

The film will be screened in Mandarin with English subtitles.

2) “Fast Five”

Yes it’s that time of year again folks for yet another high-octane sequel from the “Fast And The Furious” Team. This installment, simply titled “Fast Five”, is once again directed by Justin Lin and once again features performances from Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster. However this time around, we get an extra injection of testosterone to the heart, in the form of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who seems to be carving quite a successful acting career since leaving the world of pro wrestling.

Don’t expect clever dialogue or cunning plot-twists: this is fast, explosive, pedal-to-the-metal unadulterated action, and the chase scenes –with an all-new fleet of muscle cars—will leave you breathless. So sit down, switch off your cell phone and your brain, and enjoy.
The mega-blockbuster sees a mainland China release in IMAX format on May 12.

3)“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”

Ahoy there mateys, batten down the mizzenmast and swab the poop deck… Captain Jack is back! Good news for fans of adventurous sea-faring pirate Cap’n Jack Sparrow and chums; Disney’s long-awaited sequel to the hugely successful pirating series is soon to be washing up on Chinese shores. Fans will be glad to see the return of familiar faces like Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and Johnny Depp, but “…On Stranger Tides” will also introduce some new characters, chiefly the ferocious Blackbeard (played by Ian McShane) and his daughter Angelica (Penelope Cruz). Expect plenty of humour, great special effects and a whole barrel of swashbuckling.

“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” will be shown in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D screens from May 20.

Psst! According to our sources (a parrot), screenwriter Terry Rossio has just turned in his script for a fifth installment in Disney’s most lucrative film franchise. So watch that horizon for more adventures!

4) “Kung Fu Panda 2”
Another highly anticipated sequel, “Kung Fu Panda 2” follows on from where the 2008 original left off. It features the vocal talents of original cast Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman and Lucy Liu, and introduces new voices from Gary Oldman (playing new villain ‘Lord Shen’, an albino peacock), Hank Azaria, Michelle Yeoh as ‘The Soothsayer’, and Danny McBride.
When faced with a new weapon that “threatens the very existence of kung fu itself,” Po the Panda along with his band of fighting followers, the Furious Five, must unearth the secrets from his past in order to figure out how to defeat this threat.
The sequel will hit 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D cinemas nationwide on May 28. 

Warning：The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.

Keywords: What’s on Chinese cinemas May Chinese film releases Summer film releases China Hollywood films in China