Frozen River
This outstanding debut film by director Courtney Hunt has finally made it to these shores (originally released in 2008) and should be seen by anyone who enjoys high-quality independent filmmaking. Hunt’s movie follows the story of a small-time human trafficking operation that smuggles people from Canada to upstate New York, yet studiously rejects the many opportunities to become a mainstream thriller or a sentimental drama, focusing instead on an uneasy relationship between two mothers driven by emotional and economic need. For them to survive, they must cross an uneasy divide much more dangerous than the frozen river of the title. Fantastic performances by actress Melissa Leo and Misty Upham.
Ex (前度)
The second feature film helmed by Heiward Mak (麥曦茵) mixes up mainstream TV-idol casting and melodramatic romantic setups with a distinctly art house sensibility and deliberately fragmented story line. Ex was selected as the closing film for the 34th Hong Kong International Film Festival and boasts the presence of singers Gillian Chung (鍾欣桐) and William Chan (陳偉霆). A clunky and hugely implausible plot and self-consciously kinetic camerawork aspire to avant-garde credentials, but to little effect.
Sister Smile (Soeur Sourire)
A musical biopic of the Belgian nun Jeanine Deckers, who rose to fame as the singing nun following her 1963 hit song Dominique. The title role is played by Cecile de France, who puts in a stunning performance in what is otherwise an ordinary musical biopic full of the cliches of sudden success, fame and self-destruction. The sexual revolution of the 1960s, which provides the background to Deckers’ career, is given little attention, with the film focusing resolutely on the emotional conflict between Deckers’ religion and her desire to be free.
Dear Doctor
This Japanese-language film written and directed by Miwa Mishikawa and staring TV personality Tsurube Shofukutei was nominated by film magazine Kinema Junpo as one of the best Japanese films of last year. It is the story of a con artist posing as a country doctor who finds himself torn between carrying on deceiving his gullible rustic patients or doing the right thing by a woman dying of a fatal illness. Dear Doctor has won plaudits for its subtle characterization, strong acting and the depth with which it explores truth and its unintended consequences.
Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samurai
An animated biography of the famous Japanese swordsman Miyamato Musashi, who authored the The Book of Five Rings and was a respected commentator on the virtues of Bushido. Written by Mamoru Oshii, the film, which examines the roots of Musashi’s philosophy, is short on story and long on theory. A motley mix of animation styles and excessive digressions on minor aspects of the way of the warrior are likely to make this film hard going for all but the most ardent fans of Japanese military history.
Toy Story 3
The saga continues with Andy all grown up and the toys of his childhood in danger of finding their way into the landfill. All the old characters are back, and there are also a few new additions. In the hands of director Lee Unkrich, the film maintains a certain freshness and also explores some slightly darker issues. While 3D is being used to market the film, Hollywood Reporter suggests that there is nothing cheap or showy about the effects, and that the new technology is effectively used to heighten and enrich the animation.
Last week saw the appearance of another odious screed full of lies from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian (肖千), in the Financial Review, a major Australian paper. Xiao’s piece was presented without challenge or caveat. His “Seven truths on why Taiwan always will be China’s” presented a “greatest hits” of the litany of PRC falsehoods. This includes: Taiwan’s indigenous peoples were descended from the people of China 30,000 years ago; a “Chinese” imperial government administrated Taiwan in the 14th century; Koxinga, also known as Cheng Cheng-kung (鄭成功), “recovered” Taiwan for China; the Qing owned
In Taiwan’s politics the party chair is an extremely influential position. Typically this person is the presumed presidential candidate or serving president. In the last presidential election, two of the three candidates were also leaders of their party. Only one party chair race had been planned for this year, but with the Jan. 1 resignation by the currently indicted Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) two parties are now in play. If a challenger to acting Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) appears we will examine that race in more depth. Currently their election is set for Feb. 15. EXTREMELY
Jan. 20 to Jan. 26 Taipei was in a jubilant, patriotic mood on the morning of Jan. 25, 1954. Flags hung outside shops and residences, people chanted anti-communist slogans and rousing music blared from loudspeakers. The occasion was the arrival of about 14,000 Chinese prisoners from the Korean War, who had elected to head to Taiwan instead of being repatriated to China. The majority landed in Keelung over three days and were paraded through the capital to great fanfare. Air Force planes dropped colorful flyers, one of which read, “You’re back, you’re finally back. You finally overcame the evil communist bandits and
They increasingly own everything from access to space to how we get news on Earth and now outgoing President Joe Biden warns America’s new breed of Donald Trump-allied oligarchs could gobble up US democracy itself. Biden used his farewell speech to the nation to deliver a shockingly dark message: that a nation which has always revered its entrepreneurs may now be at their mercy. “An oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms,” Biden said. He named no names, but his targets were clear: men like Elon Musk
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