Song Dandan Movies
- 2007
When his drinking buddy and long-time co-worker Liu Quanyou (Hong Qiwen) drops dead during a jovial session of imbibing, fifty-something working-class stiff Zhao (Zhao) vows to transport his friend's corpse to its final resting place in director Zhang Yang's gently philosophical road comedy. Though he had planned to simply cart Liu's corpse across the countryside via the local bus route, Zhao's simple plan is quickly thwarted when a gang of bandits hold up the bus. Despite having the calm of mind to talk the gang leader (Guo Degang) out of following through with the robbery, Zhao finds his plan backfiring when his fellow passengers become so unsettled with his cargo that they promptly kick him off of the bus. When a sympathetic truck driver (Hu Jun) spots Zhao carting the unwieldy cadaver on his back, he kindly offers to give the struggling man a lift before suffering an impromptu emotional breakdown. With miles to go before he reaches his destination, Zhao must resort to a series of unconventional methods to ensure that Liu receives a proper sendoff. Along the way Zhao will meet such eccentrics as a wealthy recluse who's planning his own funeral (Wu Ma), a brutish roadside restaurateur (Liu Jinshan), an optimistic cyclist (Xia Yu) traveling to Tibet, and a family of bee-keepers (Chen Ying and Guo Tao) who have turned their backs on modern society. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zhao Benshan, Hong Qiwen, (more)
Chinese director Zhang Yimou fuses a martial arts action-drama with a tragic romance in this elegant period piece. In the year 859 A.D., as the Tang dynasty is beset by rebellion, Leo (Andy Lau) and Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) are a pair of lawmen who have been given the task of ferreting out the leaders of a revolutionary faction known as the Flying Daggers. Working on a tip that members of the group are working out of a brothel called the Peony Pavilion, Jin arrives there in disguise and is introduced to a beautiful blind dancer named Mei (Zhang Ziyi). After watching Mei's performance following several drinks, Jin drunkenly attempts to have his way with her, and Leo is forced to intervene. After gaining Mei's trust in a game of skill, Leo arrests her and informs her that she'll be tortured if she doesn't tell all she knows about the Flying Daggers. Jin responds by helping Mei break out of prison, but he has an ulterior motive -- by following her, Leo and Jin are certain she'll lead them to the Flying Daggers. However, as he helps the blind girl find her way back home, Jin finds himself falling in love with Mei, and isn't certain if he's willing to betray her again. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhang Ziyi, (more)
- 1998
Li Shaohong directed this Chinese drama about a working-class Beijing family. On a sidestreet by a railway line, Qi Hongguang (Song Dandan) awakens at 3am to go to her job at a meat-processing plant. She's married to factory foreman Liu Shijie (Wang Xueqi). His aged mother (Lu Wenzheng) lives with them, as does their tomboyish 16-year-old daughter, Mingming (Gao Jun). When Mingming's school requires her to take an army drill course, she develops a strong attraction to a young soldier (Liu Xingsheng), while her mom finds a few romantic sparks ignited by her former art teacher (Wang Bing). An immense shopping mall spells doom for Shijie's factory, but he keeps the news from his family. In sequences recalling The Full Monty, Shijie and his buddies secretly search for work, play cards, and hang out together in mutual support -- until one day Hongguang stumbles onto the secret. Shown at the 1998 East West Film Festival (London). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Song Dandan, Wang Xueqin, (more)
- 1992
The news that his first wife was pregnant with a child when they separated some ten years ago comes to official photographer Cao Depai (Li Xuejian) like a thunderbolt out of the blue. Now she is dead, and the son that he never knew was found wandering the streets. He is afraid to tell his new wife about this extra mouth to feed, and at first he attempts to house the lad at his darkroom. However, the boy sneaks visits to his father's current home frequently in order to play with his step-siblings, and eventually they are discovered together. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Li Xuejian, Song Dandan, (more)
