| Shutter In this American remake of a Thai horror opus directed by a Japanese, a young American couple in Japan seem to run down a woman with their car, resulting in something travel insurance doesn’t cover: a peeved poltergeist delivering omens and wreaking vengeance via the photographs and cameras of the photographer husband. From the director of Infection, which was much better — and more original — by most accounts. Fangoria magazine called this retread “the precise moment when the Asian-horror-remake trend ... officially disappeared up its own asshole.” |  |
| Late Bloomers A scandalized reaction awaits when Martha, a sprightly old lady, finally fulfills her dream of opening a store selling the latest lines of lingerie. The problem is that she lives in a conservative part of Switzerland and her son is the local priest, which doesn’t help matters. This is a comedy from 2006 that milks the potential outrageousness of elderly people who refuse to fit stereotypes. Originally meant for TV, Late Bloomers eventually served as Switzerland’s nomination for Best Foreign Film at the Oscars. |  |
| Cherry Blossoms Here’s a more serious treatment of old age. After his wife dies, an elderly German man continues their planned trip to Japan to visit his son and discovers a new world while making the acquaintance of a young practitioner of Butoh dancing. Mount Fuji figures prominently in this film for unusual symbolic and narrative reasons. From veteran German writer-director Doris Dorrie, probably best known for her comedy Men… from 1985. |  |
| Bread Superman 2008 This is the 19th and latest in Japan’s Anpanman series of animated features for kids featuring a cheerful hero with a bun for a head filled with bean paste. In this outing, Anpanman rescues a timid but talented young creature named Purun in a forest and escorts her home, only to find that his regular foe from Germ World is menacing the whole town. Original title: Go! Anpanman: Purun of Bubbles, this was made last year, notwithstanding the title. As usual, a Bread Superman short will screen with the feature. It’s called Go! Anpanman: Horaman and Hora-Horako. |  |
| Necromancer Belatedly attempting to cash in on decent box office for the similarly themed but far more graphic Art of the Devil 3, a rival Taiwanese distributor has given us this Thai fantasy thriller from 2005 featuring a rogue cop who dabbles in black magic, only to be caught and jailed. Upon his escape, he is pursued by a younger policeman who must match his skills in necromancy to survive. The film opened last week at the Caesar grindhouse in Ximending and the Scholar theater complex, but won’t likely be around for too long, no matter what hex they put on the audience. |  |
Following the shock complete failure of all the recall votes against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers on July 26, pan-blue supporters and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) were giddy with victory. A notable exception was KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), who knew better. At a press conference on July 29, he bowed deeply in gratitude to the voters and said the recalls were “not about which party won or lost, but were a great victory for the Taiwanese voters.” The entire recall process was a disaster for both the KMT and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The only bright spot for
Aug. 11 to Aug. 17 Those who never heard of architect Hsiu Tse-lan (修澤蘭) must have seen her work — on the reverse of the NT$100 bill is the Yangmingshan Zhongshan Hall (陽明山中山樓). Then-president Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) reportedly hand-picked her for the job and gave her just 13 months to complete it in time for the centennial of Republic of China founder Sun Yat-sen’s birth on Nov. 12, 1966. Another landmark project is Garden City (花園新城) in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) — Taiwan’s first mountainside planned community, which Hsiu initiated in 1968. She was involved in every stage, from selecting
As last month dawned, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was in a good position. The recall campaigns had strong momentum, polling showed many Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers at risk of recall and even the KMT was bracing for losing seats while facing a tsunami of voter fraud investigations. Polling pointed to some of the recalls being a lock for victory. Though in most districts the majority was against recalling their lawmaker, among voters “definitely” planning to vote, there were double-digit margins in favor of recall in at least five districts, with three districts near or above 20 percent in
Water management is one of the most powerful forces shaping modern Taiwan’s landscapes and politics. Many of Taiwan’s township and county boundaries are defined by watersheds. The current course of the mighty Jhuoshuei River (濁水溪) was largely established by Japanese embankment building during the 1918-1923 period. Taoyuan is dotted with ponds constructed by settlers from China during the Qing period. Countless local civic actions have been driven by opposition to water projects. Last week something like 2,600mm of rain fell on southern Taiwan in seven days, peaking at over 2,800mm in Duona (多納) in Kaohsiung’s Maolin District (茂林), according to
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