The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
When director Steven Spielberg gets together with producer Peter Jackson on a cinematic take based on the much-loved Tintin series of books, one can count on stratospheric expectations. A cast that is led by Jamie Bell and Andy Serkis, with the likes of Daniel Craig and Simon Pegg supporting, only adds to the luster. Motion capture, 3D technology and the latest refinements of CGI are all brought to bear. Early reviews have been favorable, and despite the intricate plot (story elements have been taken from two other Tintin books in addition to the book that shares the film’s title) and some incredible feats of technical wizardry, adapting a book with such a devoted fan base is always a risky enterprise. There has been quite a bit of negative comment to balance out the general enthusiasm. What cannot be denied is that The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is cinematic entertainment of the first order.
Moneyball
Big names headline a baseball movie that has many American critics raving, though elsewhere they have been inclined to shrug their shoulders. It all depends on how you feel about baseball and the arcane art of player selection. Moneyball has ambitions to be the new The Social Network, and features screenplay credits by Aaron Sorkin, a much-lauded leading performance by Brad Pitt, and some excellent fish-out-water comedy by Jonah Hill (Superbad, Get Him to the Greek). There is a bunch of stuff about some clever software kit used by Pitt’s character Billy Beane, an actual person who used it to bring together a potentially winning baseball team on a tight budget. Metrics software is not Facebook, but for anyone with a love of baseball, Moneyball looks like a sure-fire hit.
Immortals
Early sneak peeks suggest that Immortals is the film that Clash of the Titans aspired to be. It sees a return to something like form by Mickey Rourke as the villain of the story, a wonderfully ripped Henry Cavill (The Tudors, Red Riding Hood) as the hero Theseus, and a gravelly narration by John Hurt. Tarsem Singh, a young director whose 2007 film The Fall earned a seldom-given four stars from critic Roger Ebert, shows a remarkable visual flair and ability to handle out-sized fantasy themes. The feel of the film shares some similarities with 300, though it is visually even more intricate. If you like your men oiled and in leather and/or your women buxom and sultry, this film will have you in ecstasies.
Attenberg
Like the deeply weird Dogtooth by Greek director Giorgos Lanthimos, which showed here in April, Attenberg by compatriot Athina Rachel Tsangari looks set to polarize opinion, delighting hardened cinephiles with its bold indifference to the rules of linear narrative and accepted film language, and causing frustration among wider audiences annoyed with its relentless impenetrability. The main character Marina’s (Ariane Labed) interpretation of the world around her is mediated through her obsessive interest in the work of wildlife documentary-maker David Attenborough (his mispronounced name gives the film its title). Her friendship with a more worldly Bella (Evangelia Randou), who plays up to Marina’s peculiarities, forms the main substance of the film. There is some fine acting, and Labed picked up Best Actress honors at Venice last year for this picture.
The Big Picture (L’homme qui voulait vivre sa vie)
A workman-like thriller in the mold of Guillaume Canet’s Tell No One. Based on a novel by best-selling author Douglas Kennedy, The Big Picture is one of those films that gradually and meticulously builds up situations from quite conventional ingredients, but does so in such a way that normal life gets pulled apart. The story sees its hero Paul (Romain Duris) discover his wife in infidelity, face up to his own ambitions and regrets, find a new identity, see the way to redemption, and discover that success has a sting in its tail. Strong performances, including a lovely and underused Catherine Deneuve, this is a well-crafted and intelligent film likely to appeal to anyone who likes a good thriller in which emotions rather than buildings and cars explode.
Death and Glory in Changde (喋血孤城)
From Shen Dong (沈東), the director who gave us the jingoistic tosh Taihang Shan Shang (太行山上), Death and Glory in Changde lives up to its title as a simplistic war film in which heroic Chinese make a last stand against a vastly superior force of Japanese troops who stop at nothing to take the strategically important city. There are plenty of stereotypes on hand, from the iron-jawed Chinese commanding officer played by Hong Kong veteran Ray Lui (呂良偉), the gentle nurse (Ady An, 安以軒) who works tirelessly to help the wounded (looking lovely all the while) and a host of vicious Japanese officers and soldiers. It’s all pretty predictable, but there are some fine set piece battle sequences and good production values, and it is probably no worse than a host of old-fashioned war movies where the plucky Allies got the better of the nefarious Bosch.
Eternal First Love
Laughter, tears, a return from the dead, dual identities, music and pasta all come together in this light romantic melodrama about foodies Takeshi (Takashi Tsukamoto), an Italian restaurant chef, and Ruri (Saki Aibu). Just at the moment when Takeshi wants to express romantic feelings, he is crushed to death by a suicidal musician. Takeshi dies, but his personality becomes embedded in the musician’s body. Absurd plot, attractive cast, and generally inoffensive.
Love Come (Rabukome)
Japanese TV stars take to the big screen in a light-hearted romantic romp. Makie Matsuda meets Miharu, a geeky old acquaintance who works as an anime screenwriter. Miharu tries to declare his feelings on the same day Makie gets back together with her ex-boyfriend. Nishijima, an anime voice artist, falls for Ryoko, who works in Makie’s flower shop and moonlights as a hostess. Various situations ensue. Does not present a particularly riveting option in a week with so many big movies opening.
Sankaku
Yet another Japanese soap on the big screen, this time dealing with a love triangle. Momose is a bit of a slacker, and his relationship with Kayo isn’t going anywhere. When Kayo’s young sister Momo comes to stay, family life livens up, then takes a turn south when a romantic relationship between Momose and Momo develops. A romantic comedy that takes its characters seriously to build up a not unappealing picture of life among young Japanese urbanites.
May 26 to June 1 When the Qing Dynasty first took control over many parts of Taiwan in 1684, it roughly continued the Kingdom of Tungning’s administrative borders (see below), setting up one prefecture and three counties. The actual area of control covered today’s Chiayi, Tainan and Kaohsiung. The administrative center was in Taiwan Prefecture, in today’s Tainan. But as Han settlement expanded and due to rebellions and other international incidents, the administrative units became more complex. By the time Taiwan became a province of the Qing in 1887, there were three prefectures, eleven counties, three subprefectures and one directly-administered prefecture, with
It’s an enormous dome of colorful glass, something between the Sistine Chapel and a Marc Chagall fresco. And yet, it’s just a subway station. Formosa Boulevard is the heart of Kaohsiung’s mass transit system. In metro terms, it’s modest: the only transfer station in a network with just two lines. But it’s a landmark nonetheless: a civic space that serves as much more than a point of transit. On a hot Sunday, the corridors and vast halls are filled with a market selling everything from second-hand clothes to toys and house decorations. It’s just one of the many events the station hosts,
Two moves show Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) is gunning for Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) party chair and the 2028 presidential election. Technically, these are not yet “officially” official, but by the rules of Taiwan politics, she is now on the dance floor. Earlier this month Lu confirmed in an interview in Japan’s Nikkei that she was considering running for KMT chair. This is not new news, but according to reports from her camp she previously was still considering the case for and against running. By choosing a respected, international news outlet, she declared it to the world. While the outside world
Through art and storytelling, La Benida Hui empowers children to become environmental heroes, using everything from SpongeBob to microorganisms to reimagine their relationship with nature. “I tell the students that they have superpowers. It needs to be emphasized that their choices can make a difference,” says Hui, an environmental artist and education specialist. For her second year as Badou Elementary’s artist in residence, Hui leads creative lessons on environmental protection, where students reflect on their relationship with nature and transform beach waste into artworks. Standing in lush green hills overlooking the ocean with land extending into the intertidal zone, the school in Keelung
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