Digital Restoration festival
The Taipei County Government is hosting this Chinese Taipei Film Archive program in its main building. The curator has assembled some interesting old (and not so old) films from around the world that have received a digital boost, even if the format seems to be HDCAM for all screenings. Entry is free, but some of these flicks would be worth paying to see. Taiwan is represented by Our Neighbors (街頭巷尾, 1963) by director Lee Hsing (李行), whose festival at the Spot theater concluded last week. Then there are rarely screened works by Antonioni (Le Amiche, 1955), Visconti (Senso, 1954) and Carl Theodor Dreyer (Die Gezeichneten, 1922). There are other early Scandinavian films from Norway and Denmark, an American documentary from 1958 (Grand Canyon) and an episode of the English sitcom Dad’s Army, of all things. Finally, there’s the original The Wizard of Oz, which demands repeat viewings regardless of format. The program starts this Tuesday and finishes the following Saturday, with individual films screening three times at most. More details at www.ctfa.org.tw/2009DRFS.
The Great Buck Howard
John Malkovich is back with another strange but true-to-life role as Buck Howard, a magician and one-time chat show regular with a never-fail trick that keeps the audiences coming back even as he plays to lesser and lesser rooms. Colin Hanks (producer Tom Hanks’ lad) is his gopher who guides the viewer through this odd man’s traveling show. Filled with cameos by media personalities playing themselves, this is worth a look, especially for those who long for the return of vaudeville.
Gu Gu the Cat
There’s been quite a few dog and cat-themed films out of Japan over the past few years. The most recent cat flick was Nekonade, in which a soulless older man warms to a stray kitten and learns to live a better life. Gu Gu the Cat has a similar theme, though the manga-drawing heroine is already a cat lover by the time she adopts the titular feline, but will it help her out of a deep depression? Curiously features one-time Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman in the supporting role of an English teacher-cum-Greek chorus.
Rahtree Reborn
This is the second sequel to 2003’s Buppha Rahtree, a bloody comic-horror effort from Thailand, which turned The Exorcist into a comedy but kept the nasty stuff intact (Scary Movie 2 tried to do the same in its opening scene, and would have been a better film had it stuck with that idea). In this installment, the put-upon female ghost of the first two films is re-embodied at the expense of an abused schoolgirl — who conveniently has an awful lot of potential targets to slice up. Also known as Buppha Rahtree 3.1, and installment “3.2” is in the pipeline.
Jodhaa Akbar
This sprawling Indian historical saga secured a mainstream release in the US, which suggests it’s a mixture of Bollywood and Hollywood. Hrithik Roshan plays India’s first locally born Muslim emperor who marries a politically connected Hindu woman (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) for practical reasons but ends up working for her love and respect anyway — even as court intrigue grows and war beckons. Even by Indian standards, this one’s an epic: It’s more than three-and-a-half hours long, but it’s quite intimate and well worth the trip, according to seasoned Western reviewers.
Der Bibelcode
This German TV movie about Da Vinci Code-style intrigue at the Vatican was supposed to start on July 4 but was pulled at the last minute. Those who can’t get enough of Dan Brown imitations might find something to enjoy, though as with last time, a warning is in order: This is likely a seriously pruned version of the three-hour original.
Starts tomorrow.
Killer Bees
Like Der Bibelcode, this made-for-German-TV disaster entry was pulled without notice three weeks ago. For those crestfallen that The Swarm (1978) did not spawn a hive of sequels and remakes, this movie about intrepid scientists, global threat and pissed-off insects is for you.
Starts tomorrow.
The number of scandals and setbacks hitting the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in such quick and daily succession in the last few weeks is unprecedented, at least in the countries whose politics I am familiar with. The local media is covering this train wreck on an almost hourly basis, which in the latest news saw party chair Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) detained by prosecutors on Friday and released without bail yesterday. The number of links collected to produce these detailed columns may reach 400 by the time this hits the streets. To get up to speed, two columns have been written: “Donovan’s
President William Lai’s (賴清德) vision for Taiwan to become an “AI island” has three conditions: constructing advanced data centers, ensuring a stable and green energy supply, and cultivating AI talent. However, the energy issue supply is the greatest challenge. To clarify, let’s reframe the problem in terms of the Olympics. Given Taiwan’s OEM (original equipment manufacturer) roles in the technology sector, Taiwan is not an athlete in the AI Olympics, or even a trainer, but rather a training ground for global AI athletes (AI companies). In other words, Taiwan’s semiconductor ecosystem provides world-class training facilities and equipment that have already attracted
Nothing like the spectacular, dramatic unraveling of a political party in Taiwan has unfolded before as has hit the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) over recent weeks. The meltdown of the New Power Party (NPP) and the self-implosion of the New Party (NP) were nothing compared to the drama playing out now involving the TPP. This ongoing saga is so interesting, this is the fifth straight column on the subject. To catch up on this train wreck of a story up to Aug. 20, search for “Donovan’s Deep Dives Ko Wen-je” in a search engine. ANN KAO SENTENCED TO PRISON YET AGAIN,
Despite her well-paying tech job, Li Daijing didn’t hesitate when her cousin asked for help running a restaurant in Mexico City. She packed up and left China for the Mexican capital last year, with dreams of a new adventure. The 30-year-old woman from Chengdu, the Sichuan provincial capital, hopes one day to start an online business importing furniture from her home country. “I want more,” Li said. “I want to be a strong woman. I want independence.” Li is among a new wave of Chinese migrants who are leaving their country in search of opportunities, more freedom or better financial prospects at a
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