Rated PG, directed by Chuck Russell, with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (Mathayus), Steven Brand (Memnon), Kelly Hu (Cassandra), Michael Clarke Duncan (Balthazar), running time: 90 minutes.
Were there an Oscar for ``Best Torso,'' Dwayne ``The Rock'' Johnson would win hands down. He plays Mathayus, the Scorpion King, a role he played in The Mummy and The Mummy Returns. But don't be confused, this romp through the desert has nothing to do with either of those films, save to create another opportunity to put Johnson in a leather codpiece. Ruthless warlord Memnon sets out to rule all the peoples of the desert. His secret weapon is the sorceress Cassandra. His rival tribal leaders unite and recruit Mathayus to kill Memnon. Smart man that he is, though, Mathayus instead captures Cassandra and sets out to rule the desert himself. High art this is not, but if you appreciate a movie with a lot of fighting -- and, of course, the aforementioned codpiece -- The Scorpion King is your ticket.
PHOTO: UIP
With the inauguration of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) William Lai (賴清德) today, the DPP has already announced plans for increased social spending. Meanwhile the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is pushing east coast infrastructure spending bills through the legislature, in part to feed and water its local patronage networks. The KMT plan is old: the first planning studies for it were done in 2012 under the Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) administration. Even then the head of the highway administration, Wu Meng-feng (吳盟分), pointed out that on a typical weekday only 20 percent of the capacity of the east coast highways 9
Gaotai Mountain (高台山) and the three Daotian Peaks (小中大島田山回來) afford visitors a truly rewarding hike in Hsinchu County (新竹). Located in the foothills just beyond the charming Neiwan Old Street (內灣老街), the hike is well suited for hikers in a fair to good physical condition. It’s also a good introduction to the foothills of northwest Taiwan, along with some more adventurous — but still not terribly dangerous — rope and scrambling sections. As a bonus, there are Japanese ruins, hot springs and river tracing destinations such as Meihua Waterfall (梅花瀑布) and Bilin Waterfall (比麟瀑布) all located nearby. WHISPERING PINES The first section of
Like many young Taiwanese men who recently graduated from university, George Lee (李芳成) isn’t quite sure what he’ll do next. But some of his peers surely envy what he’s already achieved. During the pandemic, while staying with his brother in California, Lee started an online food page, Chez Jorge. At first, it was a straightforward record of what he cooked each day, with many of the dishes containing meat. Lee soon began to experiment with plant-based dishes, specifically vegan versions of Taiwanese dishes he was already familiar with. “Very often, I found myself awed by not only how delicious they were,
May 20 to May 26 The two American HU-16 seaplanes hovered helplessly above the roaring waves, unable to save their seven comrades who had parachuted into the Pacific Ocean after their plane malfunctioned. As they were discussing the next plan of action over the airwaves, a Taiwanese plane overheard the conversation and told them to contact Chin Moon Fun (陳文寬) — “because that guy can land a plane on any water surface!” On March 18, 1954, Chin, who co-owned Foshing Airlines (復興航空, renamed TransAsia in 1992), hurriedly flew one of the company’s two amphibious PBY Catalina planes to the scene. Even though