#cdrama

For a taste of the excellent wirefu in Ad Aspera Ad Astra here are the two leads Dylan Wang and Victoria Song in a behind the scenes clip.

https://youtube.com/shorts/ZROfgArP4cI

@Phangurl@tenforward.social @thearkchat@fedigroups.social @SesameSquirrel@mastodon.social @klu9@ohai.social #cDrama #SciFi #ScienceFiction #Streaming #WatchParty #KungFuSat #ActionMatinee

@Phangurl@tenforward.social thanks for letting me know!

Disasters on colonial sleeper ships seems to be it’s very own SciFi subgenre.

Perhaps I will run a poll…

My preference would to be to kick off with a one time joint watch of the movie Per Aspera Ad Astra (2026) from Mainland China in collaboration with #KungFuSat and #ActionMatinee if their hosts are up for it.

The movie takes place on a colonial sleeper ship which wakes up a sysadmin to check out the AI responsible for the virtual environments of the sleepers. A bit of Star Trek professionalism and holodeck malfunctions, the Matrix, and tributes to old HK action movies mixed in.

It’s a fun ride but only available for streaming on Netflix.

@thearkchat@fedigroups.social @SesameSquirrel@mastodon.social #cDrama #SciFi #ScienceFiction #Streaming #WatchParty

This was released in 2000! I feel so old..😬 #CrouchingTigerHiddenDragon #cdrama

Tonight's movie night is #CrouchingTigerHiddenDragon as we determine if a couple years of #cdrama and kdrama watching affects what we think of this flick. Granted we haven't watched this in ages...

Thanks @klu9@ohai.social for hosting! It does seem as though there should be more tales with this heroine and sidekick. However, I don’t see more recent films from this director. Some of the same cast are in earlier ones though *The Imperial Cat* (2019) and *The Imposter Bodyguard* (2017). #kungFuSat #TheMysteriousInn #cDrama

@JanineFromPgh@mastodon.social yup #kungFuSat #TheMysteriousInn #cDrama

@kshernandez@me.dm I have found that I have to pause when the characters are first named and replay exposition dump scenes. Also, over time I have picked up titles etc that get dropped in the subtitles. Definitely, there’s a skill set one picks up in regularly watching subtitles. #kungFuSat #TheMysteriousInn #cDrama

@LK_877@mastodon.social @klu9@ohai.social That looks like an older inn/tavern set at the massive Hengdian World Studios. They seem to have miraculous reassembly powers though. #kungFuSat #TheMysteriousInn #cDrama

@kcarr2015@mstdn.social Small karmic debts are collected immediately. Her sect brothers were showing their support. #kungFuSat #TheMysteriousInn #cDrama

@klu9@ohai.social Blemishless skin is essential to demonstrate a high cultivation level. @Terencio@mastodon.social#kungFuSat #TheMysteriousInn #cDrama

@klu9@ohai.social it’s a cdrama. Sigh The usual question is whether torture was authorized or vigilante. . #kungFuSat #TheMysteriousInn #cDrama

@kcarr2015@mstdn.social I always go for the subtitles. Even when they are bad and AI generated they are better. The hard coded ones are yet better. #kungFuSat #TheMysteriousInn #cDrama

We’ve got our heroine’s origin story and a justification for revenge. Know she’s going to be awesome. Love the wirefu on the beach. #kungFuSat #TheMysteriousInn #cDrama #FemaleCentricWuxia

And we’re right into an ominous bamboo forest scene in the first ten minutes. Bad things always happen in bamboo forests. #kungFuSat #TheMysteriousInn #cDrama

@JanineFromPgh@mastodon.social @SesameSquirrel@mastodon.social @MatthewTitus88@mastodon.social @MirrorAyako@universeodon.com @analgesicsleep@mastodon.social @hyde@lazybear.social @kamikat@dmv.community @lilymarswrites@mastodon.social @LisaMarieBowman@mastodon.social @rsmon77@mastodon.social @JoeWynne@mstdn.plus

There’s a massive amount of new/recent content available from China with multilingual subtitles — whether straight Kung fu action movies or any number of period, police/thriller, wuxia, xianxias or period dramas, there’s almost always choreographed fight scenes in cdramas. The question is the frequency and quality of action sequences.

Glad you brought it up@klu9@ohai.social!

There are very many full seasons of action cdramas as well as movies available on YouTube on a free ad-supported basis or on the free ad-supported tier for subscribers (either browser-view or in app).

Some, like YOUKU with Mystic Nine(2026) seem to be posting slightly shorter versions of the episodes for unpaid/nonVIP viewers. So, we’d need to consider what the cutdown versions are missing in those cases, and whether they are still worth viewing.

I have been meaning to suggest some of the newer Mainland China monster movies to @Taweret@timeloop.cafe as options for Monsterdon. They typically run 1:07 minutes so double-features are quite possible.

I’ve been running The Ark watch parties Saturday afternoons but once we’re finished season three (currently in broadcast), I would be interested to help host some newer Mainland Chinese content — perhaps if someone more knowledgeable about cdramas and Chinese culture (such as @liztai@hachyderm.io) — would join in.

Two Chinese YOUKU original monster movies that might be good for Monsterdon but less for Kung Fu Saturday are:

The Megladon Returns (2024) a mix of bad science, Kaiju and Jaws https://youtube.com/shorts/cUeRQMG8QGE

Monster Hunt (2015), a very successful live action + cgi film from the animators of Shrek where a man gets pregnant with a radish alien. Yes, there is a sequel. https://youtu.be/ANWMiDHULkU

Other than the Lost Tomb IP/franchise, including Mystic Nine, I haven’t given too much thought to what might be popular for more general action audiences but it’s worth thinking about.

#cDrama #Monsterdon #kungfusat

For Asian Movie Night last night we saw 100 Yards [ 门前宝地]. Another DVD to add to our Andy On collection but can't say we enjoyed it. It did receive two award nominations though. Managed to watch it without dropping off, so there is that. #cdrama

“ China has industrialized the production of microdramas, and in 2024, the market overtook the country’s national box office revenue for the first time, hitting 50.5-billion yuan ($10.5-billion), according to the China Television Drama Production Industry Association. By next year, it could surpass 85-billion yuan, generating millions of jobs.” #cdrama China’s microdramas go big with racy plot lines, one 60-second episode at a time