Ant Man
Marvelmania is in full swing in Hollywood, with at least three films from the comic universe hitting the theaters each year since 2010. The final one this year is Ant Man, starring … Paul Rudd? Dude’s funny, but I don’t think he’s ever starred in an action film, unless you count the time he fought medieval knights with a foam sword while dressed like Paul Stanley in Role Models. Maybe it’s because of Rudd’s presence, but it seems that in comparison to other Marvel films, Ant Man is much funnier. And the trailer looks awesome. Ant Man not only grows and shrinks at will for some pretty cool action sequences, he has an army of real ants at his disposal. And there’s an epic battle scene on a moving train — a toy one. Oh, and if you’ve seen enough Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, you know the drill: stay through the credits for a not-so-secret final end scene.
Every Thing Will be Fine
After praising Wim Wenders’ poignant documentary The Salt of the Earth, critics aren’t so kind to the German director’s 3D emotional drama. The plot revolves around Tomas (James Franco), a writer whose life falls apart after he accidentally causes the death of a child. The film periodically revisits Tomas, the child’s mother and brother over the following 12 years. It really isn’t clear why 3D is needed in a low-key story that focuses on the emotional, but given Wenders’ success with the technique in his 2011 dance documentary Pina, we should give him a chance. Whether the story is too drawn out or depressing or not, it is sure to deliver some beautiful cinematography.
The Forger
Starring John Travolta, The Forger is a three-generation crime thriller featuring an art forger who gets an early release from prison to spend time with his ailing son. To pay back the crime syndicate that arranged his release, he teams up with his father and son to steal a Claude Monet painting from the Boston Museum of Modern Art while replacing it with a perfect replica. With such a preposterous premise, the film could prove to be fresh if handled well. Probably not, though, as critics say that the film ignores the most interesting part of the premise (art forgery) that could have set it apart. A cross between a heist thriller and a tear-jerking family drama, it could be either entertaining or awkward. It’s hard to put a finger on this film, but one thing is certain: Travolta needs to lose his soul patch.
Burying the Ex
Most people probably have been in a relationship where they wanted out but couldn’t for whatever reason. So did Max, who was too chicken to dump his overbearing girlfriend Evelyn. Max’s problem seems to solve itself when Evelyn is hit and killed by a bus, but months later, she comes back as an obsessive zombie — who still thinks they’re dating, since, he never really broke up with her. Instead of going for Max’s brains as expected, Evelyn goes right back to their old life, albeit with rotting, pasty skin and bones that bend in the wrong direction. Burying the Ex seems to be one of those so-ridiculous-it-could-be-awesome B-movie style horror-comedies, and we’re hoping for big things from director Joe Dante, the guy who brought us Gremlins and Innerspace.
The Search
The Search is inspired by its namesake 1948 film, but it isn’t a remake. The original tells the tale of an American soldier who helps a young Auschwitz survivor find his mother across post-World War II Europe. French director Michel Hazanavicius has modernized the story — it is now set in 1999 during the Chechen-Russian conflict, depicting an EU human rights observer who rescues a boy who had fled his village after a Russian attack. Hazanavicius is best known for The Artist, a silent film. Here, the boy remains silent for most of the film — which happens to also hold true for the original version. There seems to be an emphasis on morality through the dialogue and a side plot where a young Russian is forced to join the army and is brutally stripped of his humanity. In addition to portraying the brutality of war, the film serves as a sobering reminder that even though the Chechen conflict is much more recent and relevant, we know way less about it than World War II.
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
“Magical,” “special,” a “total badass:” step forward Kamala Harris, the 59-year-old dynamo who has rebranded her country at lightning speed, offering it up as a nation synonymous with optimism, hope and patriotism. For the rest of us, Kamala’s gift is her joy and vibrancy — and the way she is smashing it just months away from her seventh decade, holding up 60 in all its power and glory. Welcome to the new golden age. Hers is the vibrancy of a woman who owns her power, a woman who is manifesting her experience and expertise, a woman who knows her time has
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