Race to Witch Mountain
The always magnetic Dwayne Johnson stars in an updating of the fondly remembered 1975 Disney film Escape to Witch Mountain. Two aliens in the guise of children appear in
ex-con Johnson’s cab and ask for help to locate their spaceship, which the puzzled cabbie is shortly compelled to provide as government goons close in. More action-
oriented than the original, but harmless and fun for the kids and undemanding oldies. Fans of the original will be delighted to hear that child actors Ike Eisenmann and Kim Richards have cameos in the 2009 version.
Last Chance Harvey
Dustin Hoffman is Harvey, a man whose professional and personal life is at low ebb. Visiting London to attend his daughter’s wedding, he receives news that he has been fired and, worse, his daughter would rather someone else give her away at the ceremony. But then he meets Emma Thompson in a pub, and everything changes. Fans of the stars might enjoy this serio-romantic comedy, though critics were lukewarm and box office in the US was hardly better.
My Bloody Valentine
The Hollywood horror movie remake machine grinds out another retread of the late 1970s/early 1980s, a time when horror films were served straight and with precious few Freddy Kreuger-style one-liners. Augmented by gruesome effects (and full female nudity) in 3D, the story has the owner of a disused mine return to the nearby town to sell it; inconveniently, he’s back on Valentine’s Day, the 10th anniversary of a killing spree, and the bodies are set to pile up again. Director Patrick Lussier was editor for most of horror icon Wes Craven’s later films, so he has real pedigree. But the remake of Craven’s most infamous and brutal film, Last House on the Left, was offered to someone else; expect that in theaters later this year.
Tokyo Sonata
A salaryman hides the fact that he is unemployed from his wife and two sons, and things only get worse as family tensions accumulate. In a Lonely Guy-style development, our anti-hero meets a friend in similarly dire circumstances — and who has become something of a specialist in keeping the illusion of dignity intact — before fate deals a series of low blows. Veteran director Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s comeback movie was praised by the Japan Times and was a triumphant winner of the Jury Prize at last year’s Cannes film festival.
252: Signal of Life
Apocalyptic special effects are the star of this show as Tokyo once again succumbs to an overwhelming disaster — a storm system this time, with a tsunami thrown in for good measure. The human side of the plot is like Sylvester Stallone’s Daylight: a bunch of survivors are in subterranean peril and need rescuing, but in this case the hero of the day is on the outside looking for a way in — and needing to tell lies to do so.
7 Days to Leave My Wife
This Thai comedy expects audiences to believe that a dull and unattractive (and married) salesman would be incredibly attractive to a femme fatale-type colleague who dresses to kill. Naturally, his wife soon catches on and the hijinks start. Imagine The Woman in Red with infantile sight gags and without the charm of Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner (or the ultimate come hither look from Kelly LeBrock) and you’re on your way. Starts tomorrow at the Baixue theater in Ximending.
Sept.16 to Sept. 22 The “anti-communist train” with then-president Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) face plastered on the engine puffed along the “sugar railway” (糖業鐵路) in May 1955, drawing enthusiastic crowds at 103 stops covering nearly 1,200km. An estimated 1.58 million spectators were treated to propaganda films, plays and received free sugar products. By this time, the state-run Taiwan Sugar Corporation (台糖, Taisugar) had managed to connect the previously separate east-west lines established by Japanese-era sugar factories, allowing the anti-communist train to travel easily from Taichung to Pingtung’s Donggang Township (東港). Last Sunday’s feature (Taiwan in Time: The sugar express) covered the inauguration of the
This Qing Dynasty trail takes hikers from renowned hot springs in the East Rift Valley, up to the top of the Coastal Mountain Range, and down to the Pacific Short vacations to eastern Taiwan often require choosing between the Rift Valley with its pineapple fields, rice paddies and broader range of amenities, or the less populated coastal route for its ocean scenery. For those who can’t decide, why not try both? The Antong Traversing Trail (安通越嶺道) provides just such an opportunity. Built 149 years ago, the trail linked up these two formerly isolated parts of the island by crossing over the Coastal Mountain Range. After decades of serving as a convenient path for local Amis, Han settlers, missionaries and smugglers, the trail fell into disuse once modern roadways were built
“Once you get there, you think, that’s a little embarrassing or revealing or scary... but ultimately, I learned that is where the good stuff is,” says Taiwanese-American director Sean Wang about writing indie breakout Didi (弟弟), which debuted at Sundance Film Festival Asia 2024 in Taipei last month. Didi is a heartwarming coming-of-age story centered on the Asian American experience. Not just a 2000s teenage nostalgia piece, but a raw, unflinching look at immigrant families and adolescent identity struggles. It quickly became the centerpiece of the event, striking a chord with not only those sharing similar backgrounds but anyone who’s ever
In a stark demonstration of how award-winning breakthroughs can come from the most unlikely directions, researchers have won an Ig Nobel prize for discovering that mammals can breathe through their anuses. After a series of tests on mice, rats and pigs, Japanese scientists found the animals absorb oxygen delivered through the rectum, work that underpins a clinical trial to see whether the procedure can treat respiratory failure. The team is among 10 recognized in this year’s Ig Nobel awards (see below for more), the irreverent accolades given for achievements that “first make people laugh, and then make them think.” They are not
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