VIEW THIS PAGE Taken
The latest action flick from French writer-producer Luc Besson is notable for enjoying sustained box office success in the US nearly two months after its release. Liam Neeson is a former US spook who comes to the rescue of his kidnapped daughter, now apparently bound for a Middle Eastern harem. Carnage follows in his wake as he puts paid to his mid-life crisis — as well as a white slavery network. Sensitive souls might find this one a little hard to watch in the next few weeks given the sad fate of Neeson’s real-life wife, Natasha Richardson.
Young@Heart
Genuinely emotion-filled release of the week is this British documentary from 2007 about a choir of senior citizens with an average age of about 80 and who specialize in modern, rock-oriented fare. It follows their rehearsals, a number of individual stories and the last-minute deaths of choir members before closing with energetic performances. Winner of several awards, this film has real heart and has left audiences teary and delighted at the same time.
Make It Happen
Poor reviews in Britain and Australia may have helped keep this formulaic aspirational teen dancer movie from a US release, but Taiwanese youngsters besotted with dancing might find something of interest, though even they might be disappointed at the number of dance sequences on show. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Bruce Willis’ daughter in Die Hard 4.0) is a rural lass dreaming of entering a Chicago dance academy, but has to triumph the hard way, etc etc.
Stars on Earth
Bollywood identity Aamir Khan directs this drama from 2007 about a precocious but dyslexic and misunderstood child whose condition is recognized by a sympathetic teacher. Not many Bollywood features reach Taiwan, and this one is rather atypical, though its length (more than two-and-a-half hours) is not. Child actor Darsheel Safary has impressed many with his lively performance. Also known as Little Stars on Earth and Taare Zameen Par: Every Child is Special.
Homeless Boy
Based on a best-selling autobiography, Homeless Boy is the latest import to coincide thematically with the economic crisis. The boy is Hiroshi, whose already depleted family suffers a double blow when they are evicted and the father leaves the kids behind. Hiroshi follows suit and hits the streets, but, as the Japan Times observes, his fate is far kinder than most street people might experience, and casting an overaged pop star in the role hardly helps. This is no Vagabond or Pixote, then, but most of the kids who see this feel-good flick will probably be grateful for that.
Kamome Shokudo
In a treat for fans of Japanese cinema and the offbeat, the Spot theater in Taipei is screening the two most recent films from Japanese writer-director Naoko Ogigami. Kamome Shokudo (2006) follows the exploits of three Japanese women in Finland who end up working at the restaurant of the title. Quiet, subtle and charming, this film can be added to the list of fine features over the years that have seduced audiences by prominently featuring good food. Also known in English as Kamome Diner or Seagull Diner.
Megane
In Megane (2007), Ogigami sets the action much closer to home, though still rather remotely for most Japanese. Okinawa offers another space for older Japanese women to experience life as it isn’t lived back in the suburbs, and the results are equally quirky and slightly surreal. Their adaptation process and the eccentric locals in this case have hints of that underwatched British classic, Local Hero, and with a psychological payoff to match. English title: Glasses. VIEW THIS PAGE
In late October of 1873 the government of Japan decided against sending a military expedition to Korea to force that nation to open trade relations. Across the government supporters of the expedition resigned immediately. The spectacle of revolt by disaffected samurai began to loom over Japanese politics. In January of 1874 disaffected samurai attacked a senior minister in Tokyo. A month later, a group of pro-Korea expedition and anti-foreign elements from Saga prefecture in Kyushu revolted, driven in part by high food prices stemming from poor harvests. Their leader, according to Edward Drea’s classic Japan’s Imperial Army, was a samurai
Located down a sideroad in old Wanhua District (萬華區), Waley Art (水谷藝術) has an established reputation for curating some of the more provocative indie art exhibitions in Taipei. And this month is no exception. Beyond the innocuous facade of a shophouse, the full three stories of the gallery space (including the basement) have been taken over by photographs, installation videos and abstract images courtesy of two creatives who hail from the opposite ends of the earth, Taiwan’s Hsu Yi-ting (許懿婷) and Germany’s Benjamin Janzen. “In 2019, I had an art residency in Europe,” Hsu says. “I met Benjamin in the lobby
April 22 to April 28 The true identity of the mastermind behind the Demon Gang (魔鬼黨) was undoubtedly on the minds of countless schoolchildren in late 1958. In the days leading up to the big reveal, more than 10,000 guesses were sent to Ta Hwa Publishing Co (大華文化社) for a chance to win prizes. The smash success of the comic series Great Battle Against the Demon Gang (大戰魔鬼黨) came as a surprise to author Yeh Hung-chia (葉宏甲), who had long given up on his dream after being jailed for 10 months in 1947 over political cartoons. Protagonist
The following three paragraphs are just some of what the local Chinese-language press is reporting on breathlessly and following every twist and turn with the eagerness of a soap opera fan. For many English-language readers, it probably comes across as incomprehensibly opaque, so bear with me briefly dear reader: To the surprise of many, former pop singer and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ex-lawmaker Yu Tien (余天) of the Taiwan Normal Country Promotion Association (TNCPA) at the last minute dropped out of the running for committee chair of the DPP’s New Taipei City chapter, paving the way for DPP legislator Su