What's New is a recurring column that looks at the new films, music, books and DVD releases in and/or about Chinese mainland
New Film: Solace
This supernatural thriller pits Sir Anthony Hopkin’s retired doctor-turned-detective on the hunt for Colin Farrell’s serial killer. The caveat - they both have psychic abilities. While the film premiered last April in Turkey and was shown at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, there’s a good chance that it’s China opening will precede its North American one. Opens nationwide on January 14.
New Film: The Last Witch Hunter
This dark action thriller stars Vin Diesel as an immortal witch-hunter who must combat a plague in New York City, while retaining the uneasy peace between humans and witches. Despite a star-studded cast that also includes Michael Caine and Elijah Wood, the planned franchise has received less than stellar response in America. However, it’s been a hit internationally and will be a litmus test to Vin’s star power in China, after the massive success of Fast 7. Opens nationwide on January 15.
New Album: Forsaken Autumn - Whenere
Formed in 2011 by slowcore singer Ecke and Britlulu, the Shanghai quartet has been bubbling under the surface for awhile, landing a pair of songs on last year's China Shoegaze Compilation. On their debut EP, they nail all the genre touchstones with drawn-out distorted riffs, sweetly ethereal vocals and an ability to go from quiet to loud at an instant. The hazy disc is a welcome addition to the Mainland's growing shoegaze scene and hints at a big 2016 for Forsaken Autumn.
New Book: William Lindesay - The Wall in 50 Objects
Since first coming to China in 1987 where he completed what Xinhua dubbed “the most successful exploration of the Great Wall,” William Lindesay OBE has become revered as an expert on China’s most iconic site. A conservation advocate who coined the term “Wild Wall,” Lindesay has produced several TV shows on the Wall, including one produced for National Geographic. In his latest book, he breaks down the vast history and size of the Great Wall in 50 artefacts from “the unexepected origins of ‘wolf smoke’ to the proliferation of the blunderbuss in the fifteenth century Great Wall theatre of war.” Released by Penguin China to great acclaim, The Wall in 50 Objects is available at bookstores nationwide.
New Yeezy: G.O.O.D. Friday 2.0?
No VPN? Listen to 'Real Friends' on Xiami.
Say what you will about Kanye West as a public persona, but his musical bonafides are without question. Even his most polarizing solo album, 808 and Heartbreaks, widened the paramaters of hip hop and essentially opened the doors for an emotional half-Jewish Canadian kid to be one of rap's biggest stars. However, with 'Ye seemingly more concerned with his shoe line and life as Mr. Kim Kardashian, there was a growing concern that we were about to witness a massive drop-off. The unctious 'Facts' didn't really help matters (when rappers start doing whole songs about their clothing line, it tends to signal the beginning of the end - see 'Wu Wear: The Garment Renaissance') Thank Yeezus, that last Friday he seemed to revive his legendary 2010 G.O.O.D. Friday series of releases with the standout 'Real Friends.' It's a return to vulnerable Kanye, who manages to elicit a little sympathy for his mega-rich life with a tale of having to buy a stolen computer from a cousin for USD250,000. Even more exciting is the snippet of 'No Parties in LA,' which features production help from Madlib, a Kendrick Lamar appearance and a Ghostface sample. With SWISH set to drop on February 11, expect to hear new heat from Kanye every weeekend until its release. While he's releasing all the singles on his official Soundcloud, which is sadly blocked in China, Mainland fans can keep up thanks to Xiami.
Bonus: R.I.P. David Bowie
Yesterday was a truly horrible day when news broke that David Bowie passed away at 69 from cancer. Seriously, first Lemmy and now Ziggy Stardust? Much like the rest of the world, we went on a deep dive remembering the original musical chameleon's remarkable career and found some complete gems, like a 1974 Rolling Stone interview between Bowie and Beat legend William S. Burroughs and an epic three-part Best of Bowie video series on Youku starting from an awesome 1972 BBC performance to his late 90's soulpatch-off with Nine Inch Nails Trent Reznor in the 'I'm Afraid of Americans' video. Also, the icon did leave one last gift to the world with his 25th album, Blackstar, which was just released a week ago to wide acclaim.
> Have a tip about a new release? Get in touch at arts@urbanatomy.com.
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