Yellow Sheep River (黃羊川)
This unorthodox Taiwanese documentary about remote Chinese rural villages is screening until next Friday at Cinema7 (formerly known as Spring Cinema Galaxy) in Ximending after earning a good reputation at the Taipei Film Festival. Impressionistic rather than narrative-driven, the director has assembled a series of vignettes of humanity and geographical beauty — all linked together by a wandering blind musician. Screening without subtitles in any language, the politics of it all, if any, is in the eye of the beholder.
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra
For most kids growing up decades ago, G.I. Joe was a straightforward action figure. The protagonist of this effects-laden sequel seems to bear little resemblance to the macho grunt, though there’s still plenty of action and plenty of macho traipsing around, even if the futuristic setting dilutes the classic Rambo aesthetic. In this one, our heroes are intercepted by agents belonging to Quantum, er, “Cobra,” as they transport powerful weapons from A to B. Anyone still reeling from the Transformers sequel (whose action figures are owned by the same company that peddles G.I. Joe and friends) might want to pass on this one, but if you’re into watching French national landmarks bite the dust and can’t get enough of the sandy expanses of Egypt, then this is the film for you. From the director of The Mummy.
Mia and the Migou
Mia is a little girl who must battle dastardly developers with their eyes on prime forest and rescue her father from a mining accident. Never fear: There is a strange creature — a migou — that will help her in her quest. This animated film from a pro-environment French film studio was apparently six years in the making, and some may wonder where all the time and money was spent. The migou, by the way, appears to be a European take on the yeti, or Abominable Snowman.
Doraemon: Nobita and the Green Giant Legend
Our best blue friend returns in this entry that was released in Japan early last year. Doraemon’s buddy Nobita manages to turn a sapling into a smart little boy, which is splendid for all the family — until a threat to all Earth’s trees emerges from another planet. There’s more credible action than the G.I. Joe sequel, more environmental credibility than Mia and the Migou and, for kids, more laughs than Bruno.
7eventy 5ive
The tired gimmicks start with the alphanumeric title and continue with a weirdo offing a bunch of “college students” who look even older than the balding lechers of Porky’s Revenge. Dork graduate friends think prank calls are a fun way of wasting time until one of the recipients turns out to have a psychopathic urge. Cue the domino effect of “teen” slaughter. That fine Dutch actor Rutger Hauer, who must have needed the work, is not even top billed here as a cop who cleans up after some messy conversations. Starts tomorrow.
Pixar: 20 Years of Animation
Last week, one of animation studio Pixar’s best offerings, Up, opened in Taipei. From today, the Taipei Fine Arts Museum hosts a traveling exhibition devoted to the history of Pixar, including drawings, digital paintings, sculptures, sketches, installations and — of course — short films. This is a treat for kids and movie/animation lovers of all ages — and a milestone in the history of a studio that set new standards for not just animation but movies in general. For more details see the museum’s Web site at www.tfam.museum, and don’t miss Noah Buchan’s article in Thursday’s edition of the Taipei Times, which includes an interview with the exhibition’s curator, Elyse Klaidman.
Cobalt Blue
This beautifully titled and filmed Japanese feature crept into a single Taipei theater last week with no fanfare. Set in Okinawa, this is the story of three friends who grow up together, only for the dynamics between them to change when romance enters the frame. If you loved Cape No. 7, then this one might be of interest.
June 2 to June 8 Taiwan’s woodcutters believe that if they see even one speck of red in their cooked rice, no matter how small, an accident is going to happen. Peng Chin-tian (彭錦田) swears that this has proven to be true at every stop during his decades-long career in the logging industry. Along with mining, timber harvesting was once considered the most dangerous profession in Taiwan. Not only were mishaps common during all stages of processing, it was difficult to transport the injured to get medical treatment. Many died during the arduous journey. Peng recounts some of his accidents in
What does the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in the Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) era stand for? What sets it apart from their allies, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)? With some shifts in tone and emphasis, the KMT’s stances have not changed significantly since the late 2000s and the era of former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九). The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) current platform formed in the mid-2010s under the guidance of Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), and current President William Lai (賴清德) campaigned on continuity. Though their ideological stances may be a bit stale, they have the advantage of being broadly understood by the voters.
Artifacts found at archeological sites in France and Spain along the Bay of Biscay shoreline show that humans have been crafting tools from whale bones since more than 20,000 years ago, illustrating anew the resourcefulness of prehistoric people. The tools, primarily hunting implements such as projectile points, were fashioned from the bones of at least five species of large whales, the researchers said. Bones from sperm whales were the most abundant, followed by fin whales, gray whales, right or bowhead whales — two species indistinguishable with the analytical method used in the study — and blue whales. With seafaring capabilities by humans
In a high-rise office building in Taipei’s government district, the primary agency for maintaining links to Thailand’s 108 Yunnan villages — which are home to a population of around 200,000 descendants of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) armies stranded in Thailand following the Chinese Civil War — is the Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC). Established in China in 1926, the OCAC was born of a mandate to support Chinese education, culture and economic development in far flung Chinese diaspora communities, which, especially in southeast Asia, had underwritten the military insurgencies against the Qing Dynasty that led to the founding of
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