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The Movie Emperor

Original title: Hong tan xian sheng
  • 2023
  • 2h 5m
IMDb RATING
6.1/10
639
YOUR RATING
The Movie Emperor (2023)
ComedyDrama

Actor Lau Wai-Chi has a huge following of devoted followers and is always keeping an eye on his rivals. After accepting to play the lead in a modest indie drama, Lau begins the laborious pro... Read allActor Lau Wai-Chi has a huge following of devoted followers and is always keeping an eye on his rivals. After accepting to play the lead in a modest indie drama, Lau begins the laborious process of mastering the acting skills for the role.Actor Lau Wai-Chi has a huge following of devoted followers and is always keeping an eye on his rivals. After accepting to play the lead in a modest indie drama, Lau begins the laborious process of mastering the acting skills for the role.

  • Director
    • Hao Ning
  • Writers
    • Xiaodan Liu
    • Ang Wang
    • Daniel Yu
  • Stars
    • Andy Lau
    • Pal Sinn
    • Rima Zeidan
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.1/10
    639
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Hao Ning
    • Writers
      • Xiaodan Liu
      • Ang Wang
      • Daniel Yu
    • Stars
      • Andy Lau
      • Pal Sinn
      • Rima Zeidan
    • 9User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 6 nominations total

    Photos3

    View Poster
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    Top cast17

    Edit
    Andy Lau
    Andy Lau
    • Lau Wai-Chi
    Pal Sinn
    Pal Sinn
    Rima Zeidan
    Rima Zeidan
    • Summer
    Daniel Yu
    • Mr. Yu
    Hao Ning
    Hao Ning
    • Lam Ho
    Kelly Lin
    Kelly Lin
    • Lau Wai-Chi's wife
    Tony Ka Fai Leung
    Tony Ka Fai Leung
    Miriam Yeung
    Miriam Yeung
      Jing Wong
      Jing Wong
      Zixian Zhang
      • Creditor in shooting film
      Eliz Lao
      • QQ
      Wei Zhou
      • Tiger
      Sunny Sun
      Sunny Sun
      Baohe Xue
      Ruoqing Liu
      Xiao Wei
      Xiao Wei
      • Mr. Zhuo
      Dong Ma
      • Compere
      • Director
        • Hao Ning
      • Writers
        • Xiaodan Liu
        • Ang Wang
        • Daniel Yu
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

      User reviews9

      6.1639
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      Featured reviews

      6EasonVonn

      2.10.2024

      In all honesty, Mr. Red Carpet didn't give me a bad first impression. After all, if you compare Mr. Red Carpet to other Chinese New Year films, or even recent films, the audio-visual and even the subject matter of Mr. Red Carpet can be described as superior and eye-opening.

      In the many static shots, and long shots with qualified actors scheduling, inevitably see a little art film posture, but the reality is contrary to the wish, when I walked out of the cinema, a lot of viewers around the audience began to complain that "I have never seen such a boring movie," but I still very much like the film's approach to this era! It's quite brilliant in this day and age.

      The core of the movie, however, is not worthy of the tone of the movie. The lack of spirituality and inner philosophy puts the movie in a very awkward position, like a spilled paint bucket. It seems like the work of a recent film graduate with a big budget, and still lacks polish. However, there are still some good points in the film, such as the discussion of modern cinema, which fully proves what Pang Zhang, the handbook of proletarian cinema, said, "Cinema can't be separated from the circle", and we can feel that the director, as if he has been hit by the festival many times, spits out his own bitter water.

      However, he focuses too much on his own subjective expression and neglects the balance of the overall structure, for example, many of the stream-of-consciousness moments seem a bit redundant with such a dull story, and the showmanship is intentional.

      Compared to its contemporaries, the film raises a number of questions about the movie industry that are quite valuable and worth thinking about; the content has potential, but the work lacks polish.
      5tiffanylss

      Ironic but very boring

      I respectfully agree with the other reviewer who gave it 3 stars, but I chose to gave a 5 for some (but very few) highlights/funny bits in this movie. I understand that Ning was trying to be innovative and creating something new however this is not a fun or compelling story at all. The whole script is boring and dreadful and we very much indeed agree that we couldn't wait for this movie to end. Ning is one of my favorite director but this is just not a good piece of him.

      My partner said it's a total waste of time and it feels like Ning merged lots of different story lines into one movie however he can't even tell one story right and just didn't finish any of them properly.

      Andy Lau is great actor, as always, although this character isn't too difficult for him to play I guess.
      8u-13309

      A thought-provoking and mirroring pseudo biopic

      It's been highly promoted already, with super movie star Andy Lau playing an in-movie movie star that's modeled after himself. He finds himself successfully in his career peak but with insatiable ambition needing a well-recognised award to fill. His plan to make it big comes back to bite him, in contrast to what he thought. The complexity of the role network: stake-holding parties, his vanity-partially-driven ideal, his self-centred personality, broken relationships would all impress me. A nice insight into the scene of business and movies is offered to lay audiences, and online criticism caused by a tiny issue is definitely aligned with reality. Overall, Andy Lau's long-honed acting and the story's realism make this work an ticket-worthy one. Highly recommended.
      5panta-4

      Half way...

      This film attempts to convey grand ideas but ultimately remains confined within its own limitations. It appears as though an inexperienced director was granted a substantial budget to create a movie without adequately refining the final product.

      Director Hao Ning, with the assistance of Andy Lau, places excessive emphasis on personal expression, thereby undermining the overall structural coherence of the film.

      In comparison to its peers, the movie poses several pertinent questions regarding the film industry that merit consideration. Observers have pointed out that the primary theme revolves around satirizing our society's obsession with celebrity culture, which in turn fosters a pervasive sense of narcissism among public figures. This observation may indeed hold a significant degree of truth.
      9savalai-1

      Andy Lau was superb in this excellent satire on film industry and celebrity culture!

      I respectfully disagree with the other reviewer who gave it paltry 3 stars.

      The central theme of this film was to make fun of our celebrity obsessed society. How this in turn leads to near constant narcissistic behavior of the celebrities.

      Meanwhile it also shows how an entire industry has developed around such people! We see it in real life in the US!! The spin masters, PR firms, promoters endless talking heads on TV especially for political leaders!!

      Andy Lau is the central character who plays this conflict laden personality superbly in my humble opinion. Never seen any of his films before. (Shame on me!) Every single subtle move, expression is exquisitely executed. Again my humble opinion.

      I congratulate TIFF snagging this film as their World Premiere. Kudos to them.

      Photography and music score were superb. Some of the shots were almost picture frame perfect! Supporting cast were impressive.

      Just as a disclosure I am not of Asian descent. So very little bias in this review!

      This gets an easy 9 stars from me.

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      Storyline

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        References The Revenant (2015)

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      FAQ17

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      Details

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      • Release date
        • February 10, 2024 (China)
      • Country of origin
        • China
      • Official site
        • Douban Site
      • Languages
        • Chinese
        • Cantonese
        • English
        • Mandarin
        • Korean
        • French
      • Also known as
        • Император Кино
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Box office

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      • Gross worldwide
        • $103,980
      See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

      Tech specs

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      • Runtime
        • 2h 5m(125 min)
      • Color
        • Color
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.78 : 1

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