Megamind
Although it was shown in cinemas last weekend as part of a promotional campaign, Megamind officially opens today to what will probably be large crowds eager to see the latest offering from DreamWorks, which has earned itself a weak track record in recent years by cynically squeezing money from the Shrek and Madagascar franchises. Megamind seems to signal a creative return to form, and while it glories in packing in a vast array of superhero references from numerous recent animation features from The Incredibles to Despicable Me, it has such good fun turning the usual superhero tropes on their heads that it is hard to take offense. Directed by Tom McGrath, who brought us the first two Madagascar movies, the film also features some fine voice talent including Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt and Tina Fey.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
After a shaky start, The Chronicles of Narnia plod on into their third installment, which follows closely after Prince Caspian, the second film. The Narnia installments so far have been notable for their rather low-budget special effects and retro vibe that preserve the dated children’s story quality of the books, published in the 1950s. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the most technically ambitious of the Narnia films to date, but the trailer suggests the same old hokey effects, though now enhanced with digital 3D. On the plus side, it is directed by Michael Apted, a thoughtful director (Gorillas in the Mist, 49 Up, Amazing Grace), albeit with limited experience with fantasy adventure.
South Taiwan Film Festival
For those living in or near Tainan and starved for art house cinema, the South Taiwan Film Festival (2010南方影展), organized by alumni from audiovisual-related studies at Tainan National University of the Arts (國立台南藝術大學), is just what you need. The festival celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and following screenings in Chiayi and Kaohsiung, the event will take up residence at the Ambassador Cinema Tainan (台南國賓廣場) located at 66-68, Jhonghua E Rd, Eastern District, Tainan City (台南市東區中華東路一段66-88號) from today until Dec. 12. A detailed schedule can be found at southfilmtw.pixnet.net. Tickets are NT$150, available at the door.
Son of Babylon
A road movie from Iraq that focuses on a journey taken by a small boy, Ahmed, and his grandmother, in search of his father. Regional politics — the US occupation, the Kurdish atrocities — are discreetly backgrounded, creating an intimate picture of the massive human toll that resulted from the regime of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and the perhaps misguided or just inadequate effort to put it right. There are moments of powerful emotion, but also passages of discursive exposition that slow the film. Director Mohamed Al-Daradji touches on the country’s open wounds — many of which continue to fester — and his efforts were recognized at the 2010 Berlin International Film Festival with the Amnesty International Film Prize.
Grand Champion
Cinematic filler from 2002 being brought to local screens to meet the needs of the festive season, this film will more than adequately serve the needs of people looking for something nice, with children and animals, and an upbeat, inspirational message. Directed by actor Barry Tubb, a Texas native who was a bull-riding champion at age 15 (in a junior division), Grand Champion tells the story of Buddy and Hokey (a calf), who work their way through the ranks of several Texas stock shows to finally win the coveted title of Grand Champion. All sorts of charming characters help them along the way.
Pianomania
A documentary that provides a glimpse into the world of the concert pianist and those who help create the divine sounds that bring the world’s most discerning audiences to their feet. The focus of Pianomania is Stephan Knupfer, the tuner for Steinway & Son, whose job it is to ensure the sound quality of the concert pianos played by the likes of Lang Lang (郎朗), Alfred Brendel and Pierre-Laurent Aimard is as near perfect as is humanly possible. While the minutiae of piano tuning might seem to be dry stuff, at 93 minutes, Pianomania is well gauged and likely to prove fascinating to classical music fans.
Berlin 36
Minor German flick about athlete Gretel Bergmann, a top high jumper during the 1930s who was first expelled and then invited back into the country’s track and field establishment. (The invitation was backed by threats of reprisals against her family). Bergmann, who was Jewish, subsequently suffered all manner of indignities as the Nazi authorities conspired against allowing her any substantial achievements. Berlin 36 adds a story of Bergmann’s rivalry and friendship with Marie Ketteler, a character loosely based on Dora Ratjen, a woman athlete, also preparing for the 1936 Olympic games, who was subsequently discovered to be a man.
The Intruder (Kew ar-khard)
Thai exploitation movie that provides an unusually high body count and lots of gore. Directors Thanadol Nualsuth and Thammanoon Sakulboonthanom go for the jugular, unleashing hordes of snakes onto a group of people trapped in a low rent apartment block. The acting is energetic, though most of the cast members get it in the neck pretty quickly. This is Snakes on a Plane, only in an apartment building, and minus the tongue-in-cheek humor. Ideal for schlock horror fans.
The Princess of Montpensier
Worthy French period flick that makes up for a lack of real drama with spectacular scenery and stupendous costumes. The Princess of Montpensier has its share of beautiful people lounging around, looking tormented, anguished or lustful by turns. Melanie Thierry, who plays the title character, is in love with one young man, engaged to a second, and fighting off the attentions of yet another. It can only end badly, and in this respect at least, the film does not disappoint.
Trick: The Movie 3
It’s been eight years since director Tsutsumi Yukihiko made the first Trick movie, a good-natured satire about human credulity in the face of both traditional and modern superstitions. Although it was little more than a TV show made for the big screen, the brainteasers and plot twists made it a huge hit in Japan. The third movie comes to these shores after scoring a big success back home. Features the same cast as the previous two movies, and is likely to appeal primarily to those already familiar with the franchise.
Juliets (茱麗葉)
Juliets (茱麗葉) is made up of three shorts, one each by up-and-coming filmmaker Hou Chi-jan (侯季然), documentary director Shen Ko-shang (沈可尚) and veteran commercial director Chen Yu-hsun (陳玉勳). The triptych charms with entertaining narratives and its polished production quality. Set in 1970s Taiwan, Hou’s Juliet’s Choice tells the tale of unrequited love between the disabled Ju (Vivian Hsu, 徐若瑄) and dissident college student Ro (Wong Po-chieh, 王柏傑) in an atmospheric film that eloquently captures that era’s aura. Director Shen shows his storytelling prowess with Two Juliets, which was shot entirely on Matsu (馬祖). The film connects two lovelorn women from different eras, both played by pop singer Lee Chien-na (李千娜), who won the Best Newcomer gong for her role in the movie at this year’s Golden Horse Awards. For Chen, Juliet doesn’t have to be female, but a 40-year-old, beer-bellied homosexual man in One More Juliet. Entertainer and singer Kang Kang (康康) turns in a lovable performance as a sissy gay bachelor who is convinced that he will never find love.
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
Peter Brighton was amazed when he found the giant jackfruit. He had been watching it grow on his farm in far north Queensland, and when it came time to pick it from the tree, it was so heavy it needed two people to do the job. “I was surprised when we cut it off and felt how heavy it was,” he says. “I grabbed it and my wife cut it — couldn’t do it by myself, it took two of us.” Weighing in at 45 kilograms, it is the heaviest jackfruit that Brighton has ever grown on his tropical fruit farm, located