The Blind Side (攻其不備)
Sandra Bullock seems to be making something of a return to form after a series of duds with this Golden Globe winner and Oscar-nominated picture (Best Picture and Best Actress in a Leading Role). It probably helps if you are a fan of American football, or at least of inspirational sports movies. The Blind Side makes a determined grab for the heartstrings, and this “based on a true story” account of a homeless boy making it to become an all-American football player sheds complexity to achieve maximum uplift. Features cameos from a number of former and current NCAA coaches.
Shutter Island (隔離島)
The all-star cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio as an improbable US marshal and the likes of Ben Kingsley and Max von Sydow providing lurking menace on an isolated island that is home to a hospital for the criminally insane. Martin Scorsese directs the action, which is full of sound and fury, but critics agree that the maestro was unable to find a balance between the psychological thriller and supernatural horror genres. In an attempt to explain this embarrassment away, Shutter Island is laden with clunky exposition and intimations of everything from Cold War shenanigans to Freudian high jinks.
Nine (華麗年代)
If Moulin Rouge wasn’t enough, Nicole Kidman is back with an all-singing, all-dancing cast that includes Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson and Sophia Loren in this musical inspired by Federico Fellini’s 8 1/2. Directed by Rob Marshall, who brought us Chicago, Nine by all accounts manages to look dazzling and suave, if rather chaotic, though over-elaborate editing may spoil it for dance fans, who rarely get to see complete sequences (Day-Lewis doesn’t have Richard Gere’s moves), and the song lyrics are, by general consensus, over-burdened or just plain dumb.
Good Morning President
(早安總統)
A South Korean flick that draws (tenuous) comparisons to Rob Reiner’s The American President with Michael Douglas and Annette Bening. It was the opening film at the 2009 Pusan International Film Festival and did well with Korean audiences when it premiered in October, but its focus on the country’s political culture is unlikely to cross national frontiers. Casting an amused eye over the romantic and family life of three successive presidents, director Jang Jin has created a light, fluffy confection that will likely feed Taiwan’s appetite for Korean product.
Hot Summer Days
(全城熱戀熱辣辣)
A star-studded cast ornaments this ensemble piece about relationships finding their true level as tempers and passions flare during a heat wave that engulfs Hong Kong. It strongly resembles the recently released Valentine’s Day with numerous mini-subplots coalescing into a romantic montage. It also sports a who’s who of figures from the Chinese-speaking entertainment establishment, from Taiwan’s own Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) and Rene Liu (劉若英) to Hong Kong stars Nicholas Tse (謝霆鋒) and Jacky Cheung (張學友). There are even cameos by art house director Fruit Chan (陳果) and Maggie Cheung (張曼玉). This is entertainment royalty having fun in the sun.
Little Big Soldier (大兵小將)
An engaging movie in a historical setting, the pet project of action star Jackie Chan (成龍) has reportedly been in the works for nearly two decades. Directed by Ding Sheng (丁晟) and featuring pop star Wang Lee-hom (王力宏), the flick about a cowardly soldier who takes a defeated general captive in the hope of garnering a reward produces good chemistry between Chan and his young co-star. Chan, who also has writer credits for the film, has succeeded by keeping things simple and avoiding the overblown pomp that has characterized many recent Chinese historical dramas. With minimal romance and few set-piece battles, Little Big Soldier falls into an easy buddy-flick road-movie groove that harks back to the good old days before Hollywood dreams ruined Chan’s mojo.
The Rainbow Maker
(爺爺的彩虹故事)
This story about childhood, imagination and love from Georgia was released in 2008 and has been doing the rounds of minor European film festivals ever since. Directed by Nana Djordjadze, whose 1986 success My English Grandfather picked up the Camera d’Or the following year. A whimsical comedy about a father who returns to his home after imprisonment to find his children convinced he is a spy and his wife run off with a circus strongman. He discovers that while he may not be the super spy his children believe, he does have magical powers that may help put his world right.
When a Man Comes Home (老爸靠邊站)
Danish art house comedy with the whimsical formalism of a Mozart opera by Thomas Vinterberg, one of the founding fathers of the Dogme movement. Hints of this stripped-down cinematic credo are visible in what is essentially a standard dysfunctional family (in this case a small Danish village) rom-com; its art house cred comes in the form of canny cutting between farce and chilling realism. This bold juxtaposition is also found in the cinematography, which combines hyper-real colors while maintaining a spontaneous, handheld sense of movement.
Japan is celebrated for its exceptional levels of customer service. But the behavior of a growing number of customers and clients leaves a lot to be desired. The rise of the abusive consumer has prompted authorities in Tokyo to introduce the country’s first ordinance — a locally approved regulation — to protect service industry staff from kasuhara — the Japanese abbreviated form of “customer harassment.” While the Tokyo ordinance, which will go into effect in April, does not carry penalties, experts hope the move will highlight a growing social problem and, perhaps, encourage people to think twice before taking out their frustrations
From a Brooklyn studio that looks like a cross between a ransacked Toys R Us and a serial killer’s lair, the artist David Henry Nobody Jr is planning the first survey of his career. Held by a headless dummy strung by its heels from the ceiling are a set of photographs from the turn of the century of a then 30-year-old Nobody with the former president of the US. The snapshots are all signed by Donald Trump in gold pen (Nobody supplied the pen). They will be a central piece of the New York artist’s upcoming survey in New York. This
In the tourism desert that is most of Changhua County, at least one place stands out as a remarkable exception: one of Taiwan’s earliest Han Chinese settlements, Lukang. Packed with temples and restored buildings showcasing different eras in Taiwan’s settlement history, the downtown area is best explored on foot. As you make your way through winding narrow alleys where even Taiwanese scooters seldom pass, you are sure to come across surprise after surprise. The old Taisugar railway station is a good jumping-off point for a walking tour of downtown Lukang. Though the interior is not open to the public, the exterior
There is perhaps no better way to soak up the last of Taipei’s balmy evenings than dining al fresco at La Piada with a sundowner Aperol Spritz and a luxuriant plate of charcuterie. La Piada (義式薄餅) is the brainchild of Milano native William Di Nardo. Tucked into an unassuming apartment complex, fairy lights and wining diners lead the way to this charming slice of laid-back Mediterranean deli culture. Taipei is entirely saturated with Italian cuisine, but La Piada offers something otherwise unseen on the island. Piadina Romagnola: a northern Italian street food classic. These handheld flatbreads are stuffed with cold
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