Ghosted
In a week with three film festivals, eight new features and three DVD promotional releases, the only film with a Taiwanese connection among them might struggle to compete. This German/Taiwanese co-production is directed by Monika Treut, who returns to Taiwanese themes once more after shooting documentaries on a local schoolgirl in 2005 and three notable women the year before. In Ghosted, a Taiwanese journalist (Hu Ting-ting, 胡婷婷, daughter of Taichung Mayor Jason Hu, 胡志強) looks into the death of a Taiwanese woman in Germany and hooks up with a German woman who knew her to find out what happened. There are ghosts and sexual attraction involved, but that hasn’t stopped the film from attracting terrible reviews.
A Perfect Getaway
Get away from it all with this ironically titled eye-candy-filled suspense film set in Hawaii. A couple (Milla Jovovich and Steve Zahn) hike out into the wilderness and meet two other couples in the process. Eventually the six join forces after it’s revealed that a homicidal couple is loose — and possibly among their number. Any film that keeps critics guessing is probably worth a ticket, but in this case a good sense of humor seals the deal.
The Informant!
Matt Damon plays real-life executive Mark Whitacre, whose bizarre role of self-aggrandizer while acting as an FBI informant makes for a juicy if platonic comedy from director Steven Soderbergh. Damon volunteers information to FBI agents about a price-fixing conspiracy that sends him on a jetsetting journey looking for incriminating evidence, but that’s not the half of it. Soderbergh’s Che films look positively experimental compared with this one, yet even this has elements that many moviegoers will not have seen before. If Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story fails to secure a release in Taiwan, this jaundiced view of corporate America will do just as well.
Skate or Die
Two kids who spend most of their time skateboarding are witnesses to a murder and suddenly find that their acrobatic skills will prove useful if they are to avoid the same fate. A French film with little fanfare and even less critical support, this might be diverting enough for Francophiles and skateboard enthusiasts. But it is the kind of film in which a cellphone goes off at exactly the wrong time.
Evangelion 2.0 - You Can (Not) Advance
The second in the rebooted, theatrical version of Japan’s Neon Genesis Evangelion phenomenon continues the saga of a gaggle of traumatized warrior teens, their nifty biomechanical vehicles and a range of lethal machines from outer space known as Angels that would destroy all humanity. Warning: This film punishes impatient viewers who walk out the moment the credits roll.
Les Destinees
Director Olivier Assayas adds to his impressive CV with an epic — but not bloated — story of how a romantic relationship starts, changes and endures over several decades in early 20th century France. Righteous Protestant minister Jean (Charles Berling) leaves his wife (Isabelle Huppert) after suspecting her of being unfaithful and hooks up instead with admirer Pauline (Emmanuelle Beart), whom he marries. After some time he is forced back into the family business, which offers significant existential challenges. With this cast and director you can’t go wrong, even if it is a lengthy journey. Based on the book Les Destinees Sentimentales, which is the French title for the film.
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