Art Attack: Food Writers at Capital M, Valentine’s Music and Last Calls

Forgive me, I’ve been less on top of artsy news this week because I’ve been too busy trolling the internet at odd hours to keep up with this Jeremy Lin business. Yes, I am the world’s most intermittent basketball fan. But that’s beside the point. There are actually quite a few exciting things going on this week, like Capital M Literary Festival tickets going on sale, great indie films, a blind movie-watching experience and your last chance at several art exhibits! Click through for more.

Capital M is gearing up for their second shot at Literary Festival prowess, and while details have been coming at a slow trickle, we think it may be time to start buying your tickets. They’re available through Mypiao.com if you’d like to preorder, but you can also show up at the restaurant the day of the event and see if there are any seats left.

True, these don’t sell out quite as quick as those over at The Bookworm, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be left in the cold for popular events like the Great FT Debate and the Harold McGee talk, to name a couple. Not to mention any event, panel or workshop dealing with journalism.

Meanwhile, check out our interview with McGee in the February issue of the magazine, which you can read online here. We’ll also have an interview with New York-based Singaporean writer Cheryl Tan about her new food memoir. (A teaser: Those Singaporean pineapple tarts above are a pivotal part of the story.) Curious about other events at the Capital M Lit Fest? Download the pdf schedule at their website.

Technode released an interesting infographic about the growth of the China box office this last week. It’s cool, but we wish it was a tad bigger. You might have to grab it from their website and zoom in a bit if you want to read it. Or maybe my eyes are just really bad. Shrug. Takeaway point: the Chinese box office has doubled since 2009. Yowsers.

Also this week, don’t miss the strange opportunity to watch a film at the UCCA blindfolded (Feb 11). They’ll be screening three films followed by discussion about the experience. Also on screens this month, the buzzy indie martial arts film The Sword Identity. Check out our Q+A with director Xu Haofeng, who’s also been working with Wong Karwai on a new Ip Man biopic.

Still at a loss for what to do on Feb 14? Impress a cultured cutie with a trip to the Forbidden City Concert Hall. The DNA Trio will be playing classic and pop hits like the Beatles in the acoustically superior concert hall, but first you'll have to walk through the gorgeous greenery of Zhongshan Park. Or you can go to the Laofei Independent Library at hip newish bar Modernista, for a quiet night of trading books and movies.

For the rest of the week, be sure to check below for more screenings and several great art exhibits that are coming down very soon. Like today. Hurry!

Event details:

Feb 10
Film: Jamon, Jamon
A woman hires an aspiring bullfighter to seduce her son’s pregnant girlfriend. In conjunction with the Instituto Cervantes photo and video exhibition exploring the cultural cliché of bullfighting (see also Feb 3, 17). Free (reservation required). 7.30pm. Instituto Cervantes (5879 9666)

Film: The Sword Identity
An answer to cheesy over-the-top wire-fu, this brainy flick offers a purist’s look at the lore and finesse of martial arts. Director Q&A to follow (Feb 10 only). RMB 40, RMB 30 (students and seniors), RMB 25 (members). 7.30pm. BC MOMA (8438 8258)

Feb 11
Film: NGO Series – Experience Cinema for the Blind
At this provocative event, volunteers will blindfold you and lead you into a theater, where you’ll watch Letter from an Unknown Woman, Scent of a Woman and If You Are the One. Discussion to follow (in Chinese only). Free. UCCA (5780 0200)

Feb 12 & 16
Film: The Endless Summer
Follow the summer around the world in this 1966 surf documentary. Buy-one-get-one-free on Hawaii-themed cocktails. Free. 5.30pm. Modernista (136 9142 5744; see Nightlife directory)

Feb 12
Film: Hero
The movie that some (mostly American critics) would call the height of Zhang Yimou’s career, if only because of his descent into blockbuster whoredom soon thereafter. Free. 6.30pm. Mandarin Plus (5785 3361)

Film: Red Sorghum
Zhang Yimou at his directorial best, with a young Gong Li and Jiang Wen to boot. A young bride takes over her leprous husband’s wine distillery after his mysterious death. RMB 40, RMB 30 (students and seniors), RMB 25 (members). 4pm. BC MOMA (8438 8258)

Feb 14
Laofei Independent Library
A free multi-language independent film and book exchange. Find Crime and Punishment in Spanish or The Little Prince in Chinese. Free. 8pm. Modernista (136 9142
5744; see Nightlife directory)

Concert: DNA Trio
Take your sweetheart to this cozy set with a pianist, a violinist and a cellist playing Beatles hits, among others. RMB 50-580. 7.30pm. Forbidden City Concert Hall (6559
8285)

Feb 15
Film: His Girl Friday
Long before Anchorman, this fast-talking comedy about men and women chasing the scoop had audiences in stitches. RMB 30 (includes coffee or tea). 7.30pm. Riverbank Bar and Café (6506 8277; see Nightlife directory)

Feb 16
Violin: Nigel Kennedy
The virtuoso lands in Beijing on his Asia tour, playing the classics as well as the not-so-classics. See Preview, p45. RMB 180-1,280. 7.30pm. Beijing Exhibition Theater
(6835 4455)

Last call for these art exhibits:

Until Feb 10 (as in today):

Apichatpong Weerasethakul: For Tomorrow For Tonight
Independent Thai filmmaker examines night, blending video with image
and sound from his previous films to create an emotional, sensory dream. RMB 15. UCCA (5780 0200)

Curated by Zhan Wang: Tang Yuhan – Interior Divination
Feng shui, interior decorating and high art combine. Free. UCCA (5780 0200)

Kolkoz: Parallax
The French artistic duo mixes tourist photos with NASA training photos for a cheeky series of illusions. RMB 15. UCCA (5780 0200)

Until Feb 12:

Cheng Ran: Hot Blood, Warm Blood, Cold Blood
Hippocrats rejoice! Horses abound in this study of life at its various levels of vitality. Free. Galerie Urs Meile (6433 3393)

Wang Xingwei
Still-lifes turned portrait, like his “flower pot old lady,” and real portraits like his one of fellow painter Mao Yan. Free. Galerie Urs Meile (6433 3393)

Photos: WSJ.net, Technode.com, Travelfusion.com and Eurovista.com