【推荐1】The Audience

Helen Mirren stars in the play by Peter Morgan, about Queen Elizabeth II of the UK and her private meetings with twelve Prime Ministers in the course of sixty years. Stephen Daldry directs. Also starring Dylan Baker and Judith Ivey. Previews begin Feb. 14. (Schoenfeld,236 W.45th St.212-239-6200.)

Who is the director of The Audience?

【推荐2】When “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” was first shown to the public last month, a group of excited animal activists gathered on Hollywood Boulevard. But they weren't there to throw red paint on fur­coat­wearing film stars. Instead, one activist, dressed in a full­body monkey suit, had arrived with a sign praising the filmmakers: “Thanks for not using real apes (猿)!”

Why did the animal activists gather on Hollywood Boulevard?

【推荐3】The reason why Ne Zha has been welcomed by Chinese audiences is that it has applied a range of traditional aesthetic elements, from Taoist, Peking Opera and Lunar New Year paintings to Chinese animation techniques. Actually, China’s animation movies are finding the right rhythm, achieving box office returns of about 60 billion yuan in the country.

But despite Ne Zha breaking several box office records, China's animation industry still faces many challenges. Ne Zha achieved almost unprecedented success because of the cooperation of more than 70 enterprises, indicating how decentralized (分散) China’s animation industry is. It also shows why the producers of The Monkey King: A Heroes Return and Big Fish& Begonia have not been able to make sequels (续集) of new animation films despite the relatively easy access to capital, and have sought foreign enterprises' help to make new animation movies.

There is still room for the Chinese animation industry to improve its filmmaking techniques and boost the country's cultural industry including the animation industry and bring them to international level.