Meet Dave
Eddie Murphy has struggled a little of late. Missing out on a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Dreamgirls, some say, because of the immense crudity of his characters in Norbit, Murphy has chosen a better vehicle in Meet Dave. This is entirely appropriate because “Dave,” a strangely dressed man who turns up in New York one day, is a vehicle, too — a spaceship, in fact, containing tiny aliens. This is a fun movie for all ages that makes much better use of Murphy’s prodigious talent and without the flatulent humor and rubber suits that have marked his films over the last decade or so.
The Violin
An unusual mixture of black-and-white photography, music and radicalism, The Violin stars a real-life violinist, the 81-year-old Don Angel Tavira, as a farmer and wandering musician who gets involved in the movement that attempted to oust a Mexican government 30 years ago. Scenes of brutality mix with a subtle tale of cunning as the old violinist and his family attempt to turn the tables on the military.
Memory
In this Thai thriller, an overworked psychiatrist at a Chiang Mai hospital is referred a case of a little girl who appears to have been abused. When he investigates, he discovers things are more sinister than even that, with something supernatural possibly preying on the child. There may be something even more sinister in store, too, given that the shrink fails to stop himself from getting it on with the little girl’s mother. Some viewers may sense The Sixth Sense in all of this, but at least Bruce Willis didn’t seduce anyone (even if he was a ghost).
The Room
A struggling family goes from bad to worse when a strange room appears in their house in this Belgian flick from 2006. With a failed composer father, his mistreated wife, a handicapped son and an unhappy pregnant daughter vying for the most-dysfunctional-family-member title, audiences will wonder if the mysterious room of the title is doing one victim a favor when he disappears through its door. This film made appearances at various genre film festivals but has failed to stir up much interest since then. Starts tomorrow.
Keroro the Movie 3
Keroro, better known to English-speaking manga/anime fans as “Sgt Frog,” is one of the more bizarre Japanese animated characters to gain a following. The slovenly leader of a failed invasion force from a faraway planet, Sergeant Keroro makes do with wasting his time in between errands for a nice, ordinary Japanese family, despite having a team of crack soldiers at his call. In Part 3, Keroro and the gang end up at the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu on holiday, only to encounter strange forces that produce an “evil” Keroro who also wants to conquer Earth and kidnaps the “good” Keroro’s hosts. Now there’s a dilemma for the “good” Keroro. Screens with a Keroro short entitled Warrior Kero’s Announcement! The Battle of the Warring State Pekopon.
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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