Billed as a sports drama based on the experiences of the real-life members of Hong Kong’s baseball team who play themselves in the film, City Without Baseball (無野之城) explores the little-known story of the official baseball team in a city where the game is virtually unheard-of. On the surface, it seems like a melodramatic sports movie. But a closer look shows it to be something altogether different.
Building up to the 2004 Asia Baseball Cup tournament in Pakistan, the film focuses on three characters: Coach Tai (John Tai, 戴于程), who arrives in Hong Kong from Taiwan to train the team for the big game; the team’s starting pitcher, Chung (Leung Yu-chung, 梁宇聰); and his not-so-popular teammate, Chun (Heung Tze-chun, 香子俊). Insecure about his position both in the team and in his relationships with women, Chun starts dating Mei Zhi (Lin Yuan, 林苑) after finding out that his girlfriend has cheated on him. Mei Zhi, however, becomes infatuated with Chung when she meets the macho pitcher. Chung, meanwhile, develops an interest in Kim (played by Monie Tung), who he almost accidentally runs over when she tries to commit suicide by getting in front of his car. And complicating matters considerably, Chun discovers that he has feelings for his teammate and rival Chung.
Amid the tension and excitement built around the matches in the tournament, Chun decides to profess his love to Chung.
Directed by novice Yun Xiang (雲翔), and Lawrence Lau (劉國昌), known for his films that explore youth-related issues in Hong Kong, City Without Baseball is notable for the absence of actual scenes involving the sport. Though there is footage of games and dramatic tension built around baseball-related activities, the film has more to do with relationships and identity issues, existential crises, homoeroticism and repressed sexuality. As the story unfolds, it focuses on revealing the protagonists’ backstories and inner reflections rather than following their drive to victory.
Overloaded with too many themes and subjects, City Without Baseball ends up being a hazy mishmash that is less than the sum of its parts. Background music seems to suggest nostalgia for the end of a better era but what that means is never made clear. And certain plotlines, such as the romance between the Taiwanese coach and a young Chinese woman, suffer a premature death.
Many moviegoers, however, will no doubt be delighted by the movie’s full-frontal nudity and scenes of athletes horsing around in the locker room and in the showers. In terms of storytelling, Scud’s script is solid and able to maintain the audience’s attention. And the baseball players themselves come across as natural and uninhibited actors with strong on-screen presences, despite their lack of formal training.
As I finally slid into the warm embrace of the hot, clifftop pool, it was a serene moment of reflection. The sound of the river reflected off the cave walls, the white of our camping lights reflected off the dark, shimmering surface of the water, and I reflected on how fortunate I was to be here. After all, the beautiful walk through narrow canyons that had brought us here had been inaccessible for five years — and will be again soon. The day had started at the Huisun Forest Area (惠蓀林場), at the end of Nantou County Route 80, north and east
Specialty sandwiches loaded with the contents of an entire charcuterie board, overflowing with sauces, creams and all manner of creative add-ons, is perhaps one of the biggest global food trends of this year. From London to New York, lines form down the block for mortadella, burrata, pistachio and more stuffed between slices of fresh sourdough, rye or focaccia. To try the trend in Taipei, Munchies Mafia is for sure the spot — could this be the best sandwich in town? Carlos from Spain and Sergio from Mexico opened this spot just seven months ago. The two met working in the
Exceptions to the rule are sometimes revealing. For a brief few years, there was an emerging ideological split between the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) that appeared to be pushing the DPP in a direction that would be considered more liberal, and the KMT more conservative. In the previous column, “The KMT-DPP’s bureaucrat-led developmental state” (Dec. 11, page 12), we examined how Taiwan’s democratic system developed, and how both the two main parties largely accepted a similar consensus on how Taiwan should be run domestically and did not split along the left-right lines more familiar in
A six-episode, behind-the-scenes Disney+ docuseries about Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Rian Johnson’s third Knives Out movie, Wake Up Dead Man, are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week: Chip and Joanna Gaines take on a big job revamping a small home in the mountains of Colorado, video gamers can skateboard through hell in Sam Eng’s Skate Story and Rob Reiner gets the band back together for Spinal Tap II: The End Continues. MOVIES ■ Rian Johnson’s third Knives Out movie, Wake Up Dead Man
RSS