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![]() | Hunting and Gathering
Director Claude Berri and lead actress Audrey Tautou (Amelie) are the drawcards for those who have not read the novel by Anna Gavalda on which this is based. Tautou is a cleaner in Paris who comes to know an eccentric neighbor, who in turn introduces her to a gruff chef. Circumstances bring the three together — but not in a threesome, unlike the last few Parisian films to play in Taiwan — as the barriers between Tautou and the chef melt away. For a film that has yet to open in major English-speaking markets, there have been strong reviews, especially for Tautou. French title: Ensemble, c’est tout. |
![]() | The Tracey Fragments
In Paranoid Park, released last week, a jumbled narrative reflected the disordered emotions of a skateboarder going nowhere. In The Tracey Fragments, a Canadian film, a similar technique is used as a schoolgirl endures a miserable life while hunting for her brother whom she claims to have turned into a dog. Notable also for its use of split screen, which Variety magazine says is “more often than not ... just plain irritating.” Still, the film has won a few awards, including for director Bruce McDonald at the Berlin and Atlantic film festivals. |
![]() | Dead in 3 Days
This is a slice-and-dice horror flick from Austria, of all places, with shades of I Know What You Did Last Summer, Ringu, Friday the 13th and The Hills Have Eyes. A group of friends start receiving messages warning of their demise in three days, and before long it turns out the threat is real. It’s had some good reviews and some bad reviews, but fans of the genre seem to have found it all too familiar, despite the unorthodox and pristine setting. Even the poster seems to have cribbed the artwork of Dead & Buried. For some genuine lakeside Austrian horror, try watching Michael Haneke’s Funny Games. |
![]() | Bullet & Brain (神槍手與智多星)
Another hit-and-miss Wong Jing (王晶) production from Hong Kong, this gangland saga pits a couple of underworld veterans, Bullet (Francis Ng, 吳鎮宇) and Brain (Anthony Wong, 黃秋生), against a bunch of thugs in pursuit of the granddaughter of a crime kingpin. The ubiquitous Eric Tsang (曾志偉) co-stars. Screening at the Baixue theater in Ximending as a warm-up for its DVD release. |
Climate change, political headwinds and diverging market dynamics around the world have pushed coffee prices to fresh records, jacking up the cost of your everyday brew or a barista’s signature macchiato. While the current hot streak may calm down in the coming months, experts and industry insiders expect volatility will remain the watchword, giving little visibility for producers — two-thirds of whom farm parcels of less than one hectare. METEORIC RISE The price of arabica beans listed in New York surged by 90 percent last year, smashing on Dec. 10 a record dating from 1977 — US$3.48 per pound. Robusta prices have
A dozen excited 10-year-olds are bouncing in their chairs. The small classroom’s walls are lined with racks of wetsuits and water equipment, and decorated with posters of turtles. But the students’ eyes are trained on their teacher, Tseng Ching-ming, describing the currents and sea conditions at nearby Banana Bay, where they’ll soon be going. “Today you have one mission: to take off your equipment and float in the water,” he says. Some of the kids grin, nervously. They don’t know it, but the students from Kenting-Eluan elementary school on Taiwan’s southernmost point, are rare among their peers and predecessors. Despite most of
The resignation of Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) co-founder Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) as party chair on Jan. 1 has led to an interesting battle between two leading party figures, Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) and Tsai Pi-ru (蔡壁如). For years the party has been a one-man show, but with Ko being held incommunicado while on trial for corruption, the new chair’s leadership could be make or break for the young party. Not only are the two very different in style, their backgrounds are very different. Tsai is a co-founder of the TPP and has been with Ko from the very beginning. Huang has
Nine Taiwanese nervously stand on an observation platform at Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport. It’s 9:20am on March 27, 1968, and they are awaiting the arrival of Liu Wen-ching (柳文卿), who is about to be deported back to Taiwan where he faces possible execution for his independence activities. As he is removed from a minibus, a tenth activist, Dai Tian-chao (戴天昭), jumps out of his hiding place and attacks the immigration officials — the nine other activists in tow — while urging Liu to make a run for it. But he’s pinned to the ground. Amid the commotion, Liu tries to