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Many movies have used scenes set in seemingly deserted parking garages to unnerve viewers, but this flick is set mostly inside one - underground. A New York executive leaves work late and alone and fails to start her car in said garage; unfortunately for her, a security dude turns up but doesn't live up to his job description. Positive reviews have lauded the intelligence of the heroine in the face of bloody danger - when the Hollywood cliche would have required her to make stupid mistakes every step of the way. Written and produced by the French team that made Haute Tension and the remake of The Hills Have Eyes.
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 | Enchanted
Disney pokes fun at itself by sending one of its princesses to Times Square for a few lessons in the school of hard knocks. Lesson one: don't wear pink crinoline, puffy sleeves or glass slippers in New York City. Ok, not really. The main lesson is about love. She's already fallen in love with Prince Charming in her own world (which is why she's been banished by an evil queen). Once in this one, she falls for a divorced lawyer who lets her crash at his place (which she tidies up nicely with a CGI clean-up crew of critters). The really enchanting lessons, according to Variety, though are the emotions she learns in a world not always happily ever after, although things seem to work out well enough for her. Opens tomorrow.
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 | What My Eyes Have Seen
Moviegoers who thought The Da Vinci Code was a bit overblown might prefer this similarly themed and visually sumptuous art-as-mystery feature about an obsessive student in France who investigates hidden meaning in works by Antoine Watteau and Gilles-Marie Oppenordt from the 18th century. Stars Sylvie Testud as the art student; Testud also played Edith Piaf's childhood friend Momone in La Vie en Rose, currently in re-release. Also known as The Vanishing Point. Opens tomorrow.
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 | L: Change the World
This is a follow-up to Japan's popular Death Note films, in which the strange teen super-detective known as "L," who locked horns with the metaphysical vigilante of the first two episodes, embarks on an ill-fated trans-Pacific investigation. Variety magazine said the first two films invite Hollywood remakes, though their dark underbelly did not impress incensed schoolteachers in Taiwan. Parents who would fall apart if their kids came home dressed as Goths are duly warned. Based on a manga and directed by Hideo Nagata, who made the original Ringu films. Opens Saturday.
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Taiwan, once relegated to the backwaters of international news media and viewed as a subset topic of “greater China,” is now a hot topic. Words associated with Taiwan include “invasion,” “contingency” and, on the more cheerful side, “semiconductors” and “tourism.” It is worth noting that while Taiwanese companies play important roles in the semiconductor industry, there is no such thing as a “Taiwan semiconductor” or a “Taiwan chip.” If crucial suppliers are included, the supply chain is in the thousands and spans the globe. Both of the variants of the so-called “silicon shield” are pure fantasy. There are four primary drivers
The sprawling port city of Kaohsiung seldom wins plaudits for its beauty or architectural history. That said, like any other metropolis of its size, it does have a number of strange or striking buildings. This article describes a few such curiosities, all but one of which I stumbled across by accident. BOMBPROOF HANGARS Just north of Kaohsiung International Airport, hidden among houses and small apartment buildings that look as though they were built between 15 and 30 years ago, are two mysterious bunker-like structures that date from the airport’s establishment as a Japanese base during World War II. Each is just about
Two years ago my wife and I went to Orchid Island off Taitung for a few days vacation. We were shocked to realize that for what it cost us, we could have done a bike vacation in Borneo for a week or two, or taken another trip to the Philippines. Indeed, most of the places we could have gone for that vacation in neighboring countries offer a much better experience than Taiwan at a much lower price. Hence, the recent news showing that tourist visits to Pingtung County’s Kenting, long in decline, reached a 27 year low this summer came
Japan is celebrated for its exceptional levels of customer service. But the behavior of a growing number of customers and clients leaves a lot to be desired. The rise of the abusive consumer has prompted authorities in Tokyo to introduce the country’s first ordinance — a locally approved regulation — to protect service industry staff from kasuhara — the Japanese abbreviated form of “customer harassment.” While the Tokyo ordinance, which will go into effect in April, does not carry penalties, experts hope the move will highlight a growing social problem and, perhaps, encourage people to think twice before taking out their frustrations
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