Tower Heist
An A-list cast works at this comic crowd-pleaser about a bunch of regular guys looking to get some measure of justice after being fleeced by a Ponzi scheme. The heist that results is adequately suspenseful, but for a film that is clearly supposed to be driven by gags, there is precious little laughter. Put together with an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink abandon, plot devices and gags from a host of other films are haphazardly thrown into the mix. Even with headliners Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy, who both have, on occasion, aspired to the heights of comic genius, and strong support from the likes Alan Alda, Casey Affleck and Matthew Broderick, Tower Heist never quite manages to come together as anything other than a pleasing 104 minutes of forgettable entertainment.
Eating Out: Drama Camp
There is more camp than drama in this fourth iteration of Q. Allan Brocka’s rom-com with its host of lovely lads, buff bodies, and heavy innuendo. Eating Out might be thought of as a gay version of the American Pie franchise, and has a thematic focus that is resolutely below the belt. Though the film carries on a story outlined in previous installments, it works perfectly well on its own. The relationship between Casey (Daniel Skelton) and Zack (Chris Salvatore) is in the doldrums, and a stint at an acting school, where Zack gets the hots for roommate Benji (Aaron Milo), increases the strain. There are moments in Drama Camp that are touching as characters work through confused emotions, some well handled sex scenes that provide a hint of soul along with the requisite hot, heaving bodies, but the film sticks pretty much to a strict rom-com formula.
Bunny Drop (Usagi Doroppu)
The idea for Bunny Drop, by Japanese director Sabu, is not new. It traces its cinematic heritage back to the silent era of Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid, and through a host of contemporary adaptations of comedies about men coping with children such as Three Men and a Baby. In the case of Bunny Drop, Daikichi (Kenichi Matsuyama), a 30-year-old salaryman, volunteers to raise 6-year-old Rin (Mana Ashida), the love child of his recently deceased grandfather. The reasons for his choice and how he manages to deal with the child are all well-handled, and while there is good chemistry between the leads, the almost complete lack of friction and the manic attempts to keep things light make the whole concoction too bland to be memorable.
That’s the Way! (Korede iinoda! Eiga Akatsuka Fujio)
Madcap Japanese comedy directed by Hideaki Sato featuring Tabanobu Asano as crazed genius manga artist Fujio Akatsuka, who first makes life hell for the young and serious new editor at his publishing company (Maki Horikita), before inevitably teaching her to loosen up and discover her inner joy. The film makes ample use of magical realism that has the characters entering a world conjured up by the artist’s comic creativity. Akatsuka is a real-life cartoonist, and the film is based on a novel by Toshiki Takei, who actually has worked with the cartoonist as his editor.
Little White Lies (Les petits mouchoirs)
Friends come together and in the close proximity of what is supposed to be a relaxing holiday, loyalties, friendships and suppressed jealousies are tested or exposed. Little White Lies is an ensemble piece in the manner of The Big Chill or Peter’s Friends, with a cast of fine actors who are able to develop situations of intense intimacy, humor and sadness. Writer/director Guillaume Canet handles his material with sensitivity, but at 154 minutes, the film drags a little.
Saint (Sint)
Dutch slasher that makes hay with legend. Saint Nicholas comes to the modern day as a renegade 15th-century bishop who is out for revenge after a lifetime of bloody mayhem is brought to a fiery end. In the present day, there are a bunch of pretty young things intent on enjoying life and making out, but for this festive season, the arrival of Sinter Klaus will only bring a horrible death. Although director Dick Maas (who wrote and directed Amsterdamned) keeps the pace engagingly rapid, the lack of any real characters, and an inexplicable avoidance of real gore, give this film a rather dated feel that will cut no ice with audiences expecting any proper and creatively engineered scares.
Tomorrow, When the War Began
Plucky teens take up arms against an invading army in what can only be described as an Australian remake of Red Dawn, a film with many faults but indisputable cult cred (despite the presence of Patrick Swayze). The absence of jingoistic Cold War ideology is sorely missed, as director Stuart Beattie fails to provide anything in the way of philosophical underpinning other than some painfully bathetic lines about fighting for freedom. It does not help that the young stars, most of whose acting credentials come from soaps such as Neighbors and Home and Away, are impressively unconvincing as hardened warriors. A return to old-school commie-bashing can be expected in the remake of Red Dawn due for release next year, with North Korea firmly cast as the villain.
Tekken: Blood Vengeance
Based on the console fighting game Tekken, Blood Vengeance is a full CG animation movie, detailing events that slot firmly into the game’s story development somewhere between releases five and six. Internet comment on the film suggests a poor integration with the feel of the games and some rather hit-and-miss action sequences. If the fans don’t like it, it’s not likely anyone else will.
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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