Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation
What a summer has it been for those who grew up in the 90s — with new installations of Jurassic Park, The Terminator and now Mission: Impossible. It’s a bit hard to believe that this is the fifth film in the spy-action franchise over 19 years, furthering speculation that Tom Cruise does not age. Without dinosaurs or time-traveling killing machines, Rogue Nation’s premise is simple: the Impossible Missions Force has been disbanded, but Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is closing in on terror organization The Syndicate (which only he believes exists) and refuses to stop, forcing the CIA to send Hunt’s former colleagues against him. Nope, nothing original here, but it seems that with thrilling sequences, death-defying stunts, a dose of humor and a deeper look into Hunt’s psyche — this film is widely considered the best action flick of the summer so far.
The Duke of Burgundy
This erotic bondage film is often compared to Fifty Shades of Grey, albeit an arthouse, thinking person’s, neurotic, more complex and more intelligent version — basically everything Fifty Shades is not. There’s no nudity in this story set in a castle, featuring the S&M relationship between butterfly professor Cynthia and her maid Evelyn. While Cynthia is the dominant one, it appears that Evelyn is the one orchestrating their sexual acts and routines. There are also no men in this film – “Duke of Burgundy” is a species of butterfly. With the end credits listing a “human toilet consultant,” this film is indeed kinky and almost sleazy, but it’s also a sexy, strange and tender love story.
Love Clinic
We find another sex-themed movie that ultimately isn’t really about sex itself. This South Korean flick is a “battle of the sexes” featuring a virgin female urologist and a sexually impotent male gynecologist who open clinics next to each other in the same building. They most likely end up bickering for most of the movie then fall in love with each other. The trailer mostly features the fiery urologist, including a scene where she gets drunk and repeatedly insults the “sizes” of men around her. As has become the formula with many South Korean movies, the male appears to be way meeker than his female counterpart. Let’s see if the premise brings any life to this tired genre.
Samurai Cat — A Tropical Adventure
As if last week’s Assassination Classroom wasn’t bizarre enough, here’s the sequel of a Japanese drama-turned-movie featuring a ruthless samurai who is tasked by a dog-loving gang to kill the beloved pet cat of a rival gang. When he meets the target, he cannot bring himself to do the act due to her cuteness, and ends up adopting and protecting the cat. That was in the first movie. This time around, the protagonists end up drifting through the Pacific Ocean, where on an island the adorable white cat meets a black cat prince who is supposed to be the love of her life. The film doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously, and if you’ve watched enough cutesy Japanese movies by now, you should know not to as well. It’s entertainment, that’s all.
You’re Sleeping, Nicole
This 35mm black-and-white Canadian film follows fresh college grad Nicole and her idle summer in her small-town family home while her parents are away. It appears to be a dreamy portrayal of those hazy days of early adulthood where everything should, but has yet to fall in place. Nicole steals clothes from work, hangs out with her best friend Veronique, has casual sex and maxes out a credit card. But as Nicole’s trip to Iceland with Veronique falls through and her musician brother decides to use the house as a recording space for his band, she struggles with insomnia amid a heatwave. Nothing dramatic really happens here, but that may be the significance here: It’s one of Nicole’s last carefree summers, and while it may or may not be life- changing, things most likely won’t be the same again.
Just after 6am, I walked up to the ticket gate at Taipei Main Station and entered the Taiwan Railway platform without scanning any ticket; instead, I flashed the Sanrio Fun Rail pass on my phone to the gate worker and was admitted. I found my train and prepared to board. My destination? This very same station. I was embarking on a 13-hour journey on one of two round-the-island trains operated by ezTravel. They run each day, one counterclockwise around the island and one clockwise. They differ in a number of ways from an ordinary Taiwan Railway train and can make for
Jason Han says that the e-arrival card spat between South Korea and Taiwan shows that Seoul is signaling adherence to its “one-China” policy, while Taiwan’s response reflects a reciprocal approach. “Attempts to alter the diplomatic status quo often lead to tit-for-tat responses,” the analyst on international affairs tells the Taipei Times, adding that Taiwan may become more cautious in its dealings with South Korea going forward. Taipei has called on Seoul to correct its electronic entry system, which currently lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan),” warning that reciprocal measures may follow if the wording is not changed before March 31. As of yesterday,
The Portuguese never established a presence on Taiwan, but they must have traded with the indigenous people because later traders reported that the locals referred to parts of deer using Portuguese words. What goods might the Portuguese have offered their indigenous trade partners? Among them must have been slaves, for the Portuguese dealt slaves across Asia. Though we often speak of “Portuguese” ships, imagining them as picturesque vessels manned by pointy-bearded Iberians, in Asia Portuguese shipping between local destinations was crewed by Asian seamen, with a handful of white or Eurasian officers. “Even the great carracks of 1,000-2,000 tons which plied
On Thursday, former Taipei mayor and founder of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was sentenced to 17 years in prison and had his civil rights suspended for six years over corruption, embezzlement and other charges. Seven others related to the case were also handed prison sentences, while two were found not guilty. It has been a bad week for the TPP. On Tuesday, prosecutors charged Chinese immigrant Xu Chunying (徐春鶯) with suspicion of taking part in Beijing-directed election interference. Xu has strong links to the TPP, which once offered her a party list legislator nomination. Tuesday also
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