E. SHA Age (藝霞年代)
The only Taiwanese release for this week is a documentary that looks back at — and recreates — the exploits of the famed E. SHA song and dance troupe, which folded in 1984 after more than two decades of performances and international tours. This is a real trip down memory lane for older viewers; younger folks smitten with boy and girl band ephemera could do worse than check out what their parents and grandparents were enjoying at a difficult time in Taiwan’s history. Screening at Cinema 7 (絕色影城) in Ximending, the Sun theater (日新大戲院) in Taichung and the Vieshow complex in Tainan from today, then at the Vieshow complex in Kaohsiung from next Friday.
Halloween II
Michael Myers is back in this Rob Zombie-directed sequel to his sociologically angled remake from a few years ago, though it is not a remake of the 1981 sequel (sorry, hospital horror fans). As subtle and as sophisticated as two kicks to the throat, escaped lunatic Michael continues his rampage in search of his sister who escaped his clutches in Part 1. The violence in this one is so brutal and metronomic that it will sorely test those who think they’re watching a scary movie; the dreamlike glimpses inside Michael’s mind could send others into fits. There is, however, a welcome and muscular cameo by Margot Kidder.
Fame
Another remake, this time of the iconic performance film of the early 1980s, targeting an audience that wasn’t even born at the time; in Taiwan, many will never have heard of the original. A bunch of talented kids learn the ropes at the New York City High School of Performing Arts; some will make it, others won’t, but it all ends in a big number that won’t be selling albums or (these days) generating massive iPod downloads, despite the talent on show. Generally, this was poorly received, but it might play better for those who never saw the original and harbor fantasies of making it big in showbiz.
Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky
Within a matter of weeks, out comes another film about Coco Chanel. This one delves not into her rise to the top ranks of the fashion world, but with her subsequent affair with the famed (and married) composer. Unlike Coco Before Chanel, this one is liberally spiced with sex scenes as the scheming Coco gets her man. The rather unsympathetic Stravinsky is played by Mads Mikkelsen, who was simply perfect as James Bond’s gambling, bleeding-eye foe in Casino Royale.
The Admiral
The relentless hunt for European product by Taiwan’s small distributors this week brings us an apparently revisionist Russian epic that turns monarchist naval commander Alexander Kolchak into a nationalist hero for 21st century viewers. The good admiral starts the film in a battle against the Germans during World War I and continues by repelling Bolshevik forces on land. Meanwhile, this heroic fellow has taken to lusting after the wife of one of his colleagues. Sounds like a real charmer. Still, if you’re into period frocks and taboo romance ...
Sing, Salmon, Sing!
“Salmon” would appear to be the unkind nickname given to an enthusiastic but insecure Japanese schoolgirl who loves singing in her school choir. Unfortunately, she flips out when an unflattering photo of her appears in the school rag and, despondent, quits the group. Musical rehabilitation follows when she falls in with a group of “punks” who are musically inclined. This family-friendly fare comes with generous amounts of music. Remarkably, it doesn’t seem to be based on a manga. Japanese title: Utatama.
Kitaro the Movie: Japan Explodes!! PLUS Digimon Savers the Movie: Ultimate Power! Activate Burst Mode
Gegege no Kitaro, the ancient boy spirit who labors to keep the human world free of supernatural strife, is back in this animated film for kids after a run of two live-action pictures. Kitaro answers a request for help from a female spirit, which doesn’t bode well given the film’s subtitle. Accompanying Kitaro is a short Digimon film with a long title in which our heroes face an evil being that sends masses of people to sleep with mysterious thorns.
The Man Who Loves
The man here is a forlorn chap who can’t seem to sustain a relationship, a problem worsened by the model love life of his gay brother. This Italian film is a sincere attempt to depict the frailties of men in relationships and offers a few name stars (Monica Bellucci, whom the hero breaks up with, is the most familiar to Taiwanese audiences), but its critical reception has been so-so. Starts tomorrow.
Cross-Straits Films Exhibition
Here’s another mini-festival of six Chinese films, this time at the Xinyi Vieshow in Taipei from Monday to Wednesday next week and the Vieshow Durban in Taichung from Wednesday through Friday. The titles are the disaster flick Super Typhoon (超強颱風), which Variety described as “low-rent” camp and whose hero is a mayor (sounds like a must-see); Wild Horse From Shangri-La (命懸800公里), Apology (道歉), The Ring of Rainbow Flower (夏天有風吹過), Old Fish (千鈞一髮) and Wheat
(長平大戰之麥田). The last two open separately next week and the week after. Some of the films will introduce the director and actors after the screening.
April 28 to May 4 During the Japanese colonial era, a city’s “first” high school typically served Japanese students, while Taiwanese attended the “second” high school. Only in Taichung was this reversed. That’s because when Taichung First High School opened its doors on May 1, 1915 to serve Taiwanese students who were previously barred from secondary education, it was the only high school in town. Former principal Hideo Azukisawa threatened to quit when the government in 1922 attempted to transfer the “first” designation to a new local high school for Japanese students, leading to this unusual situation. Prior to the Taichung First
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) hatched a bold plan to charge forward and seize the initiative when he held a protest in front of the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office. Though risky, because illegal, its success would help tackle at least six problems facing both himself and the KMT. What he did not see coming was Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (將萬安) tripping him up out of the gate. In spite of Chu being the most consequential and successful KMT chairman since the early 2010s — arguably saving the party from financial ruin and restoring its electoral viability —
The Ministry of Education last month proposed a nationwide ban on mobile devices in schools, aiming to curb concerns over student phone addiction. Under the revised regulation, which will take effect in August, teachers and schools will be required to collect mobile devices — including phones, laptops and wearables devices — for safekeeping during school hours, unless they are being used for educational purposes. For Chang Fong-ching (張鳳琴), the ban will have a positive impact. “It’s a good move,” says the professor in the department of
Article 2 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China (中華民國憲法增修條文) stipulates that upon a vote of no confidence in the premier, the president can dissolve the legislature within 10 days. If the legislature is dissolved, a new legislative election must be held within 60 days, and the legislators’ terms will then be reckoned from that election. Two weeks ago Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) proposed that the legislature hold a vote of no confidence in the premier and dare the president to dissolve the legislature. The legislature is currently controlled
RSS