Based on short stories penned by director Pang Ho-cheung (彭浩翔), Trivial Matters (破事兒) is a series of vignettes on love, sex, friendship and as the title suggests, all the Trivial Matters in life. Entertaining, witty and sometimes downright absurd, the seven segments assemble several of Hong Kong's pop idols, who seem - from the delivery of the project - to be having a big, A-list ball.
A video recording of a couple talking about their sex life opens the film with Hong Kong entertainer Jan Lam (林海峰) starring as an off-screen therapist. The reenactment of the couple's bedroom activities by two other actors adds a comic punch to the otherwise "she says, he says" routine.
In the wake of Edison Chen's (陳冠希) sex photo scandal (in which hundreds of images featuring female Hong Kong stars in erotic poses with Chen were posted on the Internet), the segment offers a poignant comparison with real life: The star plays a dandy picking up girls at a nightclub.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF GROUP POWER
Ah Wai - The Big Head, one of the most developed segments, stars Gillian Chung (鍾欣桐) and her real-life boyfriend Juno Mak (麥浚龍). It portrays friendship not as an expression of loyalty and love but as a hodgepodge of selfishness, pride and carelessness.
The subject of love is affectionately tackled in Recharge starring Chapman To (杜汶澤) as an actor who is addicted to paid sex. Junior, on the other hand, is a charming example of director Pang's absurd humor that stars Chinese director Feng Xiaogang (馮小剛) as a PR representative from an assassination firm and Shawn Yue (余文樂) as a hitman-in-training who enjoys smoking pot with his target.
The vignettes fluctuate between engaging viewers and drifting off, but still show Pang as a rising star who dares to produce something different from Hong Kong cinema's mainstream fare.
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
Despite the intense sunshine, we were hardly breaking a sweat as we cruised along the flat, dedicated bike lane, well protected from the heat by a canopy of trees. The electric assist on the bikes likely made a difference, too. Far removed from the bustle and noise of the Taichung traffic, we admired the serene rural scenery, making our way over rivers, alongside rice paddies and through pear orchards. Our route for the day covered two bike paths that connect in Fengyuan District (豐原) and are best done together. The Hou-Feng Bike Path (后豐鐵馬道) runs southward from Houli District (后里) while the
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at
Mirror mirror on the wall, what’s the fairest Disney live-action remake of them all? Wait, mirror. Hold on a second. Maybe choosing from the likes of Alice in Wonderland (2010), Mulan (2020) and The Lion King (2019) isn’t such a good idea. Mirror, on second thought, what’s on Netflix? Even the most devoted fans would have to acknowledge that these have not been the most illustrious illustrations of Disney magic. At their best (Pete’s Dragon? Cinderella?) they breathe life into old classics that could use a little updating. At their worst, well, blue Will Smith. Given the rapacious rate of remakes in modern
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