Welcome to the year of the Dragon! While many of you might be scurrying around trying to make good on this year's prospects of fortune, taking an hour or two to veg-out in front of a big screen is a relaxing indulgence no one would hold you accountable for. Here, then, are the best Hollywood and Chinese films to hit cinemas this February and March.

Foreign:

1) Journey 2 – February 2nd, 2012

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island brings together the legendary stories of Treasure Island, Gulliver's Travels and Mysterious Island in one epic story. One island contains miniature versions of every large animal and large copies of every otherwise small creature. And of course no epic story of lost islands/lost cities would be complete without a cameo appearance by Atlantis.

Journey 2: features a cast of actors including Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson, whose bulky mass and shaved head puts even the most goliath primates to shame, and concludes with talk of heading to the moon, we might be in store for a third instalment! Stay tuned.

Director: Brad Peyton
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Michael Caine, Josh Hutcherson, Vanessa Hudgens, Kristin Davis
Languages: English, Mandarin
Running time: 94 minutes

2) War Horse – February 28th, 2012

From director Steven Spielberg comes a war epic motion picture set during World War 1.  It is based on a children's novel of the same name as well as the 2007 stage adaptation.  The story is about a boy named Albert and his horse Joey. It may sound like a mushy flop of a film, but the story is punctuated by depth and complexity of emotion and personality which are set against the monolithic and faceless events of World War 1. 

When the war breaks out, Joey is sent to the front to fight against the German forces, eventually being captured by them. The story is an accessible one, laced with emotional anticipation and broad appeal. What else could you expect from Spielberg, the master of cinema?   

Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter Mullan, David Thewlis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Eddie Marsan, Toby Kebbell, Niels Arestrup
Languages: English, Mandarin
Running time: 146 minutes

3) Killer Elite – February 17th, 2012

This action film brings together Jason Statham and Robert de Niro, as mercenaries, and Clive Owen as the head enforcer of a secret society. Danny (Jason Statham) meets an agent who gives him a $6 million job, the very same one which his partner, Hunter (Robert de Niro) accepted but failed to complete. If Danny can't make good on the mission then Hunter will be executed. After arriving in Oman, Danny (Jason Statham) is introduced to a deposed king with a terminal illness and an undying grudge.

The film has been met with mixed reviews, some criticizing its characters while others laud it as a strong debut for novice director Gary McKendry. Hopefully with its release in China, Killer Elite can break even.

Director: Gary McKendry
Cast: Jason Statham, Clive Owen, Yvonne Strahovski, Dominic Purcell, Robert De Niro, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Languages: English, Mandarin   
Running time: 116 minutes

Chinese:

1) A Life Without Principle 夺命金 – February 3rd, 2012

Directed by Johnnie To, Life Without Principal revolves around three seemingly unrelated people whose fates become intertwined when a loan shark is assaulted and robbed after withdrawing $10 million from the bank. With the most recent attack by the "cropped-hair man" in Nanjing, it seems that life is imitating art. Teresa (Denise Ho) was a successful member of a bank board before being forced to step down and become a bank advisor. Panther (Lau Ching Wan) and his gangster associates have all of their money tied up in bad investments, causing them to lose a huge sum of money. They decide to embezzle funds, with Richie Ren (Cheung Ching Fong) as the chief investigator on their case. But even he seems to have a change of heart about his unshakable moral principles.

As the plot becomes increasingly intertwined, the characters are tested in their fortitude and desire to obtain what makes them happy when living a life without any guiding principles.
Director Johnnie To
Starring: Ching Wan Lau, Richie Ren, Terence Yin
Languages: Cantonese/Mandarin, English subtitles (varies according to movie theatres)
Running time: 107 minutes

2) Love 爱 – February 14th, 2012

Rou Yi (Shu Qi) is Lu Ping's (Niu Chengze) girlfriend and well-noted social butterfly.  She is a materialistic girl who gets whatever she wants, yet at the same time she has lost hope of finding true love.

Ah Kai (Peng Yuyan) has a steady girlfriend named Xiao Ni (Guo Caijie). Yi Jia (Chen Yihan) is their mutual friend. But the relationship between these three is not all it seems.  Xiao Ye (Zhao Wei) is a single mother who works as a property agent for Siheyuan courtyards in Beijing. During one of her property transactions, Xiao Ye runs into Mark, a rich and powerful young man from Taiwan.
If you could beat your way through that list of names, then you'd know that Love has all the makings of a classical romance movie, Chinese style.

Director:  Niu Chengze (钮承泽)
Cast: Hsu Chi (舒淇), Vicky Zhao (赵薇), Ethan Ruan (阮经天)
Languages: Mandarin, English subtitles (varies according to movie theatres)
Running time: 100 minutes

3) Bang Bang Formosa乌龙戏凤 – January 27th in Taiwan, February 22nd Mainland

Tan Yanfei is a rich young woman headed to Taiwan to enjoy her graduation trip. Soon after arriving, she is bound and thrown in the trunk of a car. Pon, a middle-aged cop, unwittingly stops the car while chasing down auto thieves. After rescuing her, Pon tries to send the young woman back to Shanghai, but Tan Yanfei refuses. She is excited by the new environment of Taiwan and has no interest in returning home quite yet.

The stoic mafia godfather back on the mainland is determined to capture Yanfei. He sends messages to Taiwanese gangsters offering a huge reward for her capture. The film is filled with colourful characters and hilarious scenes as well as fluid dialogue laced with spoofs.

The colourful and exotic appeal of Taiwan is sure to intrigue eager Chinese tourists from the mainland. The film is an energetic and comedic display and perhaps a subtle introduction to Taiwan for an increasing number of Chinese mainlanders.

Director: Andy Luo (罗安得)
Cast: ChenYirong (陈怡蓉), Pon Chia Chia (澎恰恰), Yuan Xinyu (苑新雨)
Languages: Mandarin, English subtitles (varies according to movie theatres)
Running time: 99 minutes

4) A Simple Life 桃姐- March 8th, 2012

A Simple Life, also translated as Sister Peach, is a drama starring Andy Lau and Deanie Ip. The film is inspired by a true story about the relationship between the young head of a big family named Roger (Andy Lau) and the servant who raised him, Sister Peach (Deanie Ip). 

At 13 years old, Sister Peach begins tending to the Liang family's household needs. In the blink of an eye, 60 years pass, and with those years, some of the Jiang family have passed away, left home or immigrated even farther away. The only two left are Sister Peach and Roger. Although they don't talk much, they have a tacit understanding of one another, a relationship bound to change when Sister Peach suffers a stroke and Roger helps her to recover in a nursing home.
Ip won the Best Actress Award at the 68th Venice International Film festival, giving this film a great boost. Its release to an international audience has met with mixed but mostly positive reviews. For any one who has been having too much joy this holiday season, round off the Spring Festival celebrations with this tear-jerker.

Director: Ann Hui (许鞍华)
Cast: Andy Lau, Deanie Ip
Languages: Mandarin/Cantonese, English subtitles (varies according to movie theatres)
Running time: 118 minutes

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Keywords: theatre releases China 2012 new movies China film releases cinemas China February March new films China