Sing It! (唱歌吧!)
This Taiwanese documentary is being released with little warning or advertising, but the timing is crucial. A Bunun Aboriginal school principal, who cannot read music and has a sports education background, leads the local elementary school choir to national fame and a recording deal. As always, there are challenges along the way, including relationships with parents back home. But the events onscreen now have new currency given that the choir’s home village, Dongpu (東埔) in Nantou County’s Xinyi Township (信義), was badly hit by Typhoon Morakot — making this 64-minute film a valuable time capsule. Starts tomorrow.
G-Force
G-Force is a part-computer animated, part-live action thrill ride about a bunch of guinea pigs and other rodents who team up to defeat an evil big businessman who wants to take over the world using a bunch of malevolent gadgets. This is Jerry Bruckheimer territory, not Pixar, so expect exhaustion and kiddie crudity, not reflective or genuinely emotional moments. Screening in 3D in selected theaters, and featuring the voices of Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz and Steve Buscemi.
Coco Before Chanel
This French biopic tracks the childhood and early adult life of Chanel founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, delving into how the fashion innovator who created an empire grew out of a cabaret performer and emotional recluse. As the grown-up Coco, Audrey Tautou (Amelie, The Da Vinci Code) has impressed critics with her latest big role, though some wondered if this film’s sumptuous photography and overall elegance might not have been boosted by more emotional appeal.
Kabuli Kid
The “kid” of the title is a baby boy left behind in a Kabul cab, the driver of which can’t seem to work out how to get rid of the creature. Steering between realism and — perhaps — a hint of black comedy, this is a portrait of ordinary Afghans, the lives they lead and the mundane dilemmas they face — details obscured by the international media’s focus on the wider conflicts in the region and electoral woes.
Sanpei the Fisher Boy
This live-action film based on a classic manga dating back to the 1970s is director Yojiro Takita’s follow-up to this year’s Oscar-winning drama Departures. Sanpei is the grandson of a master fisherman who is happy to pass on his skills and enthusiasm to the youngster. One day Sanpei learns about a possibly mythical superfish — and immediately sets his sights on catching it, along with another fishing ace. It’s hard not to imagine this as a Japanese Huckleberry Finn — energetic and brimming with life, and there’s straw hats too.
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