Beverly Hills Chihuahua
This is the latest in a lengthening line of live-action “talking animal” movies that started with Babe. The plot starts with the title: a prissy, pampered but charming Chihuahua (Drew Barrymore) is taken south of the border by her owner’s niece, where she gets lost and runs into all sorts of trouble, not unlike the misadventure depicted in Babe: Pig in the City. There are stars galore in this canine caper, but the biggest question is why celebrated Hispanic actor/director/activist Edward James Olmos would contribute his voice to Disney fluff that paints Mexico as a place gone to the dogs.
Wushu 武術
The title and promotional literature scream “Hong Kong action flick” but this one is a little out of the ordinary and rates a wider audience. Described as a coming of age drama in martial clothing, Wushu charts friendships among students who eventually use their fighting skills and sense of righteousness to tackle a sinister organization targeting children. Stars the incomparable Sammo Hung (洪金寶) as the father of brothers who get in the thick of the action, as well as several young, real-life martial arts champions. Directed by one-time Australian stuntman and wushu practitioner Antony Szeto and executive produced by Jackie Chan (成龍).
Tokyo!
A French production, Tokyo! offers three off-kilter portraits of the city by directors Michel Gondry (Be Kind Rewind), Leos Carax (Les Amants du Pont-Neuf) and Bong Joon-ho (The Host). Gondry’s segment has a Japanese couple arriving in the city and finding the going quite tough — before a surreal change takes place. The Carax short is anarchic and confrontational: a grisly creature emerges from nowhere to insult and cajole Tokyosiders. Bong finishes the trilogy with a love story whose hero is agoraphobic but who still tries to get the girl (his Cupid turns out to be an earthquake). Don’t be put off by the bland, congenial poster and ads in the newspapers; this is a quality urban ode with attitude and real teeth.
The Good, the Bad, the Weird
A top earner at home and billed as South Korea’s most expensive production, this hybrid of Sergio Leone and Korean quirkiness reimagines the spaghetti western in Chinese desert locales and serves up grand entertainment. The three titular characters get caught up in a race for ancient loot in prewar Manchuria as the Japanese tighten their grip on the area, a contest that triggers elaborate fights and stunts. Critically acclaimed, this is a film that deserves to be seen in a big theater. Directed by Kim Jee-woon, who made the formidable psychological thriller A Tale of Two Sisters.
Jan 13 to Jan 19 Yang Jen-huang (楊仁煌) recalls being slapped by his father when he asked about their Sakizaya heritage, telling him to never mention it otherwise they’ll be killed. “Only then did I start learning about the Karewan Incident,” he tells Mayaw Kilang in “The social culture and ethnic identification of the Sakizaya” (撒奇萊雅族的社會文化與民族認定). “Many of our elders are reluctant to call themselves Sakizaya, and are accustomed to living in Amis (Pangcah) society. Therefore, it’s up to the younger generation to push for official recognition, because there’s still a taboo with the older people.” Although the Sakizaya became Taiwan’s 13th
Earlier this month, a Hong Kong ship, Shunxin-39, was identified as the ship that had cut telecom cables on the seabed north of Keelung. The ship, owned out of Hong Kong and variously described as registered in Cameroon (as Shunxin-39) and Tanzania (as Xinshun-39), was originally People’s Republic of China (PRC)-flagged, but changed registries in 2024, according to Maritime Executive magazine. The Financial Times published tracking data for the ship showing it crossing a number of undersea cables off northern Taiwan over the course of several days. The intent was clear. Shunxin-39, which according to the Taiwan Coast Guard was crewed
China’s military launched a record number of warplane incursions around Taiwan last year as it builds its ability to launch full-scale invasion, something a former chief of Taiwan’s armed forces said Beijing could be capable of within a decade. Analysts said China’s relentless harassment had taken a toll on Taiwan’s resources, but had failed to convince them to capitulate, largely because the threat of invasion was still an empty one, for now. Xi Jinping’s (習近平) determination to annex Taiwan under what the president terms “reunification” is no secret. He has publicly and stridently promised to bring it under Communist party (CCP) control,
On Sept. 27 last year, three climate activists were arrested for throwing soup over Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh at London’s National Gallery. The Just Stop Oil protest landed on international front pages. But will the action help further the activists’ cause to end fossil fuels? Scientists are beginning to find answers to this question. The number of protests more than tripled between 2006 and 2020 and researchers are working out which tactics are most likely to change public opinion, influence voting behavior, change policy or even overthrow political regimes. “We are experiencing the largest wave of protests in documented history,” says
RSS