Preview: Summer Palace (2008)

• Poster: C; C+

Review:

Simple, but not devastating. The poster is rather rudimentary and puts too much text into the frame. You can't get a sense of the film without accompanying the poster with the trailer.

It's no surprise that this poster now confirms what I had suggested. The film has been banned by the Chinese government. That is certainly their selling point. The Chinese have often banned the most controversial, but more intersting films. The poster is otherwise unremarkable.

• Trailer: B-

Review:

There are some similarities in romantic/political themes to Ang Lee's Lust, Caution, but the trailer suggests no espionage plots, so we're looking at a film that won't appeal to a general audience, but should appeal to cineastes looking to get their socio-political fix.

Oscar Prospects:

This is the kind of political film the Academy loves to recognize. The problem is that the Chinese government, not looking back kindly at the Tian An Men Square incident probably won't let the film compete for it, so the chances of the movie making Oscar's short list is incredibly slim.

Release Date:

• January 11, 2008

Full Review Synopsis:

I have not seen this film.

-Wesley Lovell (February 9, 2008) Original

-Wesley Lovell (February 16, 2008) New Poster