Go Grandriders 不老騎士
A heartwarming and inspiring local documentary about a group of 17 retirees, average age 81, who take a 13-day, 1,178km ride by scooter around Taiwan. The journey, organized by the Hondao Senior Citizens Welfare Association (弘道老人福利基金會) and directed by Hua Tien-hsien (華天灝), is a realization of a dream for some; for others a last fling before their inevitable demise. Two of the participants had already been diagnosed with cancer and most of the others had various ailments. The group, a mix of Taiwanese and Chinese, brave the terrors of the Su-Hua Highway (蘇花公路), overcome frailty and weariness and provide yet another testament to the strength of the human spirit.
The Perks of being a Wallflower
The first outing for Emma Watson after 10 years of playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, The Perks of being a Wallflower is one of those warm yet tough-minded coming-of-age stories that makes you remember how painful and how fun being an adolescent can be. Watson is paired with Ezra Miller, who was remarkable as an alienated teenager in We Need to Talk About Kevin, and Logan Lerman, from the Percy Jackson franchise, showing that he too has hidden depths. Based on a best-selling novel by Stephen Chbosky, who also directs. The book has claims to being the Catcher in the Rye for a new generation.
Pitch Perfect
The plot line in which a talented outsider livens up a stale performance group with some fresh ideas has been reworked in as many combinations as performance styles, but the a cappella singing groups which are at the heart of Pitch Perfect, along with the remarkably attractive cast of Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow and Rebel Wilson, may just be enough to give this tired old format a bit of life. A script by Kay Cannon from the 30 Rock writing team provides some oddball humor and a few laughs along the way. Predictable, easy-watching movie that manages to get most of the right moves.
Upside Down
Science-fiction romance starring Kirsten Dunst and Jim Sturgess as star-crossed lovers, not just from different sides of the tracks, but separated literally in two worlds, rigorously kept apart by the rulers of one (which is rich), to keep out the inhabitants of the other (which is poor). For all the special effects, this story is as old as the hills, and director Juan Diego Solanas, working together with the FX team that created 300, doesn’t seem to provide much more than fantasy visuals.
Seven Psychopaths
From Martin McDonagh, the director of In Bruges, comes another piece of slapstick violence, once again with Colin Farrell, and also including some great performances from Christopher Walken, his best role in years, Woody Harrelson, and Sam Rockwell. The movie is over elaborate, and while there are moments that will live forever, as a whole, Seven Psychopaths is a little bit too demented for its own good.
May 6 to May 12 Those who follow the Chinese-language news may have noticed the usage of the term zhuge (豬哥, literally ‘pig brother,’ a male pig raised for breeding purposes) in reports concerning the ongoing #Metoo scandal in the entertainment industry. The term’s modern connotations can range from womanizer or lecher to sexual predator, but it once referred to an important rural trade. Until the 1970s, it was a common sight to see a breeder herding a single “zhuge” down a rustic path with a bamboo whip, often traveling large distances over rugged terrain to service local families. Not only
Ahead of incoming president William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration on May 20 there appear to be signs that he is signaling to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and that the Chinese side is also signaling to the Taiwan side. This raises a lot of questions, including what is the CCP up to, who are they signaling to, what are they signaling, how with the various actors in Taiwan respond and where this could ultimately go. In the last column, published on May 2, we examined the curious case of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) heavyweight Tseng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) — currently vice premier
The last time Mrs Hsieh came to Cihu Park in Taoyuan was almost 50 years ago, on a school trip to the grave of Taiwan’s recently deceased dictator. Busloads of children were brought in to pay their respects to Chiang Kai-shek (蔣中正), known as Generalissimo, who had died at 87, after decades ruling Taiwan under brutal martial law. “There were a lot of buses, and there was a long queue,” Hsieh recalled. “It was a school rule. We had to bow, and then we went home.” Chiang’s body is still there, under guard in a mausoleum at the end of a path
Last week the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) released a set of very strange numbers on Taiwan’s wealth distribution. Duly quoted in the Taipei Times, the report said that “The Gini coefficient for Taiwanese households… was 0.606 at the end of 2021, lower than Australia’s 0.611, the UK’s 0.620, Japan’s 0.678, France’s 0.676 and Germany’s 0.727, the agency said in a report.” The Gini coefficient is a measure of relative inequality, usually of wealth or income, though it can be used to evaluate other forms of inequality. However, for most nations it is a number from .25 to .50