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Compiled by Martin Williams

It’s a tragedy, but not as we know it

Escape From Huang Shi (黃石任務) Titled The Children of Huang Shi in Western markets, this is the true saga of English journalist George Hogg (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and American nurse Lee Pearson (Radha Mitchell), who led dozens of orphans to safety across hostile terrain as China collapsed into conflict between the Chinese Nationalists, the Communists and the Japanese. Co-stars Chow Yun-Fat (周潤發) as a fighter who helps the group and Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) as a concerned aristocrat. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode (Tomorrow Never Dies), this is billed as the first Australian/Chinese co-production (the producers obviously never saw 1982’s Attack Force Z with Mel Gibson, which was filmed in, ahem, the Republic of China).
Ganglamedo (岡拉梅朵) The timing couldn’t be worse — or better? — for this Chinese production about Tibet. The story has Ganglamedo, a young Tibetan woman, disappearing on her wedding night 60 years ago. Jump to the present, and a Han woman singer arrives in Tibet (on the Lhasa Express?) to “find herself” and is drawn into the mystery. Make of the diabolical subtext what you will; the drawcards here are ethnic music in transition, stupendous scenery, colorful costume and dance. Directed by music video queen Dai Wei (戴?) and written by the Tibetan postmodernist author Zhaxi Dawa (扎西達娃). The cheesy trailer is half-baked Bollywood and is on YouTube.
Crows: Episode 0 Yet another youth-oriented Japanese film with a manga connection, this one rises above the crowd with energy, detail and wit as the son of a yakuza boss sets his sights on taking over a high school overflowing with gangs and violence. Directed by the irrepressible Takashi Miike (Ichii the Killer), Variety reports that this is a prequel to a planned movie based on the original manga, hence “Episode 0.”
La Maison de Himiko Here’s the pitch: A young Japanese woman whose father walked out on the family discovers many years later that he has opened a retirement home for gays. She goes to work there because she needs the money, and comes to a better understanding of the residents — but what about her father, who is dying? Here’s the result: Supportive reviews by critics, but with concerns about stereotypes. Released in Japan in 2005.
Pokemon: The Rise of Darkrai In this, the 10th Pokemon theatrical feature, the feuding “pocket monsters” of time (Dialga) and space (Palkia) are upstaged by the arrival of a hitherto unseen and apparently evil Pokemon called Darkrai. Can our hero Ash Ketchum save the day before a town is left in ruins? Also known as Pocket Monsters the Movie: Diamond and Pearl.
Two Sons of Francisco The Spot theater in Taipei is offering an encore season of this 2005 drama from Brazil. A smash hit in its home country, this true story centers on two brothers who became leading performers of Brazilian country and western music, as well as their dirt-poor father who helped them get there. Irregular screenings start on Sunday and end on April 24.

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