The newest float in the summer sequel parade belongs to Lara Croft, the swashbuckling archaeologist and British aristocrat who rose to digital stardom as the protagonist of a pioneering video game.
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life emerges as just one more formulaic action film as the title character bounces around the globe in a deadly treasure hunt. The object of her search is nothing less than the original Pandora's Box, which is revealed to be some sort of intergalactic surprise package that was once the source of all life on earth but now contains the very essence of death and evil.
That's exactly the sort of weapon of mass destruction that every conscientious dictator yearns for, and the film's principal villain, a renegade biochemist played with hammy elan by Ciaran Hinds, has assembled a group of bidders who include Asian despots, Serbian war criminals and inscrutable German businessmen.
PHOTO: PARAMOUNT
Lara Croft's record on preserving important historical sites ranks with that of the Taliban; the new film finds her destroying both a long-lost Greek temple and a Chinese emperor's tomb in her quest. But she does cut a dashing figure in her silver Spandex action suit. As filled out by the sculptural beauty of Angelina Jolie, that silver suit seems to lie at the center of the game's adolescent appeal: it idealizes the female form while making it completely inaccessible, a kind of full-body chastity belt that both arouses and reassures.
Lara does have a romantic interest in the new film: an adventurer of dubious morals named Terry Sheridan, played by the up-and-coming Scottish actor Gerard Butler (who is to play the Phantom of the Opera in Joel Schumacher's forthcoming film of the musical). Lara reluctantly teams up with Terry, knowing that only he has the skills and ruthlessness to get the job done. But then there is the matter of their five-month, not-quite-extinguished love affair -- unfinished business that is meant to add an edge of tension to the proceedings but mainly serves as the occasion to revive such time-honored lines as "We're two of a kind, you and I."
As directed by Jan De Bont, whose 1994 Speed helped define the summer action blockbuster, Lara Croft lopes from one action set-piece to the next without developing any real rhythm or drive. Too many of the stunts are too obviously digitally enhanced to carry much sense of danger, though there is one breathtaking moment when Lara and Terry (or rather, their stunt doubles) jump from the top of a Hong Kong office tower wearing what seem to be scuba suits equipped with tiny wings. As they sail out over the harbor, Lara Croft briefly achieves the thrill and grandeur of genuine adventure.
Last week saw the appearance of another odious screed full of lies from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian (肖千), in the Financial Review, a major Australian paper. Xiao’s piece was presented without challenge or caveat. His “Seven truths on why Taiwan always will be China’s” presented a “greatest hits” of the litany of PRC falsehoods. This includes: Taiwan’s indigenous peoples were descended from the people of China 30,000 years ago; a “Chinese” imperial government administrated Taiwan in the 14th century; Koxinga, also known as Cheng Cheng-kung (鄭成功), “recovered” Taiwan for China; the Qing owned
In Taiwan’s politics the party chair is an extremely influential position. Typically this person is the presumed presidential candidate or serving president. In the last presidential election, two of the three candidates were also leaders of their party. Only one party chair race had been planned for this year, but with the Jan. 1 resignation by the currently indicted Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) two parties are now in play. If a challenger to acting Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) appears we will examine that race in more depth. Currently their election is set for Feb. 15. EXTREMELY
Jan. 20 to Jan. 26 Taipei was in a jubilant, patriotic mood on the morning of Jan. 25, 1954. Flags hung outside shops and residences, people chanted anti-communist slogans and rousing music blared from loudspeakers. The occasion was the arrival of about 14,000 Chinese prisoners from the Korean War, who had elected to head to Taiwan instead of being repatriated to China. The majority landed in Keelung over three days and were paraded through the capital to great fanfare. Air Force planes dropped colorful flyers, one of which read, “You’re back, you’re finally back. You finally overcame the evil communist bandits and
They increasingly own everything from access to space to how we get news on Earth and now outgoing President Joe Biden warns America’s new breed of Donald Trump-allied oligarchs could gobble up US democracy itself. Biden used his farewell speech to the nation to deliver a shockingly dark message: that a nation which has always revered its entrepreneurs may now be at their mercy. “An oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms,” Biden said. He named no names, but his targets were clear: men like Elon Musk
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