Butterfly on a Wheel
This thriller barely got released in the US before going to cable (under the name Shattered), but Pierce Brosnan completists might get a kick out of seeing him abduct a couple's daughter and subject all three to various torments.
Ghost of Mae Nak
A British cinematographer helms this Thai ghost story set in present-day and early 20th century Bangkok. A man lies comatose after an accident, and his wife must dig deep (literally) to uncover the secret of the ghost that protects and threatens their lives. Film Threat magazine likens the death scenes to those in the Final Destination series.
Doraemon: The Movie 2007
This, the latest in the decades-old series of animated films for kids featuring our best blue friend, involves a dinosaur egg. Released last year in Japan as Doraemon: The Movie 2006.
Memories of Tomorrow
Ken Watanabe of The Last Samurai fame was the driving force behind this Japanese drama. He stars as an advertising executive who succumbs to Alzheimer's disease as his family struggle to adjust. A weepie, to be sure, but by most accounts very well done.
Nightmare Detective
The most brutal entry for the week comes from director/cinematographer Shinya Tsukamoto, perhaps best known for Tetsuo: The Iron Man. Pop star Hitomi is a detective probing a series of suicides; with the help of a mysterious man who analyzes dreams, she faces her own demons and the demonic killer. Variety describes the film's style as "recalling David Lynch at his most perverse." A sequel is in production.
Photo Album of the Village
This Japanese drama from 2004 is set in a mountainous town threatened by construction for a dam. An aging photographer calls his son back from the city to help him make a record of the people of the community before it is destroyed. In so doing, their troubled relationship changes.
Seven hundred job applications. One interview. Marco Mascaro arrived in Taiwan last year with a PhD in engineering physics and years of experience at a European research center. He thought his Gold Card would guarantee him a foothold in Taiwan’s job market. “It’s marketed as if Taiwan really needs you,” the 33-year-old Italian says. “The reality is that companies here don’t really need us.” The Employment Gold Card was designed to fix Taiwan’s labor shortage by offering foreign professionals a combined resident visa and open work permit valid for three years. But for many, like Mascaro, the welcome mat ends at the door. A
The Western media once again enthusiastically forwarded Beijing’s talking points on Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comment two weeks ago that an attack by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on Taiwan was an existential threat to Japan and would trigger Japanese military intervention in defense of Taiwan. The predictable reach for clickbait meant that a string of teachable moments was lost, “like tears in the rain.” Again. The Economist led the way, assigning the blame to the victim. “Takaichi Sanae was bound to rile China sooner rather than later,” the magazine asserted. It then explained: “Japan’s new prime minister is
NOV. 24 to NOV. 30 It wasn’t famine, disaster or war that drove the people of Soansai to flee their homeland, but a blanket-stealing demon. At least that’s how Poan Yu-pie (潘有秘), a resident of the Indigenous settlement of Kipatauw in what is today Taipei’s Beitou District (北投), told it to Japanese anthropologist Kanori Ino in 1897. Unable to sleep out of fear, the villagers built a raft large enough to fit everyone and set sail. They drifted for days before arriving at what is now Shenao Port (深奧) on Taiwan’s north coast,
Divadlo feels like your warm neighborhood slice of home — even if you’ve only ever spent a few days in Prague, like myself. A projector is screening retro animations by Czech director Karel Zeman, the shelves are lined with books and vinyl, and the owner will sit with you to share stories over a glass of pear brandy. The food is also fantastic, not just a new cultural experience but filled with nostalgia, recipes from home and laden with soul-warming carbs, perfect as the weather turns chilly. A Prague native, Kaio Picha has been in Taipei for 13 years and
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