Resident Evil: Retribution
Female action heroes are in pretty short supply, and if you except megastar Angelina Jolie, then the queen of this small category is indubitably Milla Jovovich, who seems to have been genetically engineered for the express purpose of killing people in exotic ways while wearing a spandex bodysuit. Retribution is the 5th in the Resident Evil franchise, and inevitably with such movies, the setting is now international (tag line: “Evil goes global”), and the villains more numerous and have bigger killing machines. And, it goes without saying, it will be in 3D.
Detachment
Another in a series of feature films with a revelatory agenda (eg: Larry Clark’s 1995 film Kids), in this case to expose the failure of America’s school system. Directed by Tony Kaye (who also directed American History X), Detachment provides a magnificent vehicle for its star Adrien Brody, whose performance as dedicated substitute teacher Henry Barthes is seen by some critics as his best work since The Pianist. The hectoring tone, stylistic gimmicks (deliberately crude animation sequences, direct address to camera) and tabloid sensationalism of the film have annoyed many critics, who nevertheless acknowledge that the film has visceral power.
Lucky
Director/writer Avie Luthra is both a filmmaker and a practicing psychiatrist, and although the dramatic development of his story of a Zulu AIDS orphan and a short-tempered Indian woman who comes to his rescue (initially for no more than financial gain) is predictable, the quality of the script and the acting make Lucky both warmhearted and real. The central character, Lucky (Sihle Dlamini), is anything but, and moreover, he is far from being a loveable youth. He is bitter and violent, and his savior, played by celebrated Indian stage actress Jayashree Basavaraj, is rapacious and mean. But people change, and Luthra handles these transformations with great sensitivity and insight.
The Prey (La Proie)
Action-packed French film from director Eric Valette and starring veteran tough guy Albert Dupontel. There are plenty of twists and turns in a tale of imprisoned armed robber Franck Adrien, who is a little too forthcoming to a cellmate. After this cellmate’s release, Adrien discovers that his revelations have put his family at risk. He escapes, and a many-tiered manhunt begins. The story is not original, and some of the action sequences a bit too obviously copied from Hollywood, but direction is taut and the cast of veterans provides efficient character portraits.
Vulgaria (低俗喜劇)
Publicity material proudly states that this film, directed by Edmond Pang (彭浩翔) was shot in just 12 days, and Vulgaria has all the qualities of a hastily cobbled together variety show comedy. Pang, whose career as a novelist, show host and filmmaker amply prove that he has his hand on the pulse of Chinese pop culture, may yet strike gold with this off-beat comedy about a unsuccessful film director who gets drawn into a film project in backwoods China financed by Mafia money and aimed at fulfilling various libidinous impulses of the film’s main backer.
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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