Catacombs
Another suspense-horror feature to miss out on a US theatrical release, Catacombs is set under the streets of Paris, where a labyrinth of tunnels hosting a dance party turns into a claustrophobic nightmare for an American woman seemingly pursued by a killer. "Inspired by true events," whatever they were, it co-stars the singer Pink in a largely no-name cast. A surprise ending divided viewers, but most would seem to agree that if you really want to see a young-women-in-subterranean-peril movie, stay at home and rent The Descent. | |
The Killer Snake
Properly known as Alien Incursion, this made-for-DVD horror flick is a hybrid retread of the human body as chest-bursting incubator from Alien and the rival hunter element from Critters, all set in a forest. Director Jeffery Scott Lando's first film was Savage Island, a 2003 action-horror effort that had some decent reviews despite a paltry budget. This, his third feature, seems to be gamely keeping up that momentum. Note: The deadly aliens start out small and snake-like but end up looking like mutant geckos with horns. Oddly, the English title appears to be exclusive to Taiwan. It's showing at - where else? - the Caesar grindhouse in Ximending. | |
End of the Spear
In the words of Bullwinkle J. Moose, "This time for sure!" End of the Spear was set for release twice and twice pulled at the last minute. This time it really is showing - at the Scholar theater complex, to be exact. If you're interested in tales of religious conversion set amid deadly conflict in South America that barrack for the missionaries, then this saga might be for you. |
A few weeks ago I found myself at a Family Mart talking with the morning shift worker there, who has become my coffee guy. Both of us were in a funk over the “unseasonable” warm weather, a state of mind known as “solastalgia” — distress produced by environmental change. In fact, the weather was not that out of the ordinary in boiling Central Taiwan, and likely cooler than the temperatures we will experience in the near-future. According to the Taiwan Adaptation Platform, between 1957 and 2006, summer lengthened by 27.8 days, while winter shrunk by 29.7 days. Winter is not
A sultry sea mist blankets New Taipei City as I pedal from Tamsui District (淡水) up the coast. This might not be ideal beach weather but it’s fine weather for riding –– the cloud cover sheltering arms and legs from the scourge of the subtropical sun. The dedicated bikeway that connects downtown Taipei with the west coast of New Taipei City ends just past Fisherman’s Wharf (漁人碼頭) so I’m not the only cyclist jostling for space among the SUVs and scooters on National Highway No. 2. Many Lycra-clad enthusiasts are racing north on stealthy Giants and Meridas, rounding “the crown coast”
March 25 to March 31 A 56-year-old Wu Li Yu-ke (吳李玉哥) was straightening out her artist son’s piles of drawings when she inadvertently flipped one over, revealing the blank backside of the paper. Absent-mindedly, she picked up a pencil and recalled how she used to sketch embroidery designs for her clothing business. Without clients and budget or labor constraints to worry about, Wu Li drew freely whatever image came to her mind. With much more free time now that her son had found a job, she found herself missing her home village in China, where she
In recent years, Slovakia has been seen as a highly democratic and Western-oriented Central European country. This image was reinforced by the election of the country’s first female president in 2019, efforts to provide extensive assistance to Ukraine and the strengthening of relations with Taiwan, all of which strengthened Slovakia’s position within the European Union. However, the latest developments in the country suggest that the situation is changing rapidly. As such, the presidential elections to be held on March 23 will be an indicator of whether Slovakia remains in the Western sphere of influence or moves eastward, notably towards Russia and