Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
The DC extended universe has some catching up to do to its Marvel counterpart, but the franchise is making some noise by featuring two of its most iconic superheroes in its second release. Aside from being the first theatrical film to feature both Batman and Superman, it’s surprisingly also the first to feature live-action portrayals of Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash and Cyborg — although Wonder Woman did appear in a 1991 Filipino Batman and Robin spoof comedy that apparently does not count. And having two superheroes fight each other apparently is not a gimmick — as comic-book director Zack Snyder (Watchmen, Man of Steel) says, “I really believe that only after contemplating who could face [Superman] did Batman come into the picture.”
Macbeth
From superpowered mutant to Wild West bounty hunter to Steve Jobs, Michael Fassbender now takes on the role of Macbeth, the tragic Shakespearean general turned king in this Palm d’Or contending adaptation. The Bard’s shortest tragedy has seen its share of cinematic features — including takes by Orson Welles and Roman Polanski, and the most recent 2006 Australian modern gangster version. So what is this one, by Australian director Justin Kurzel (Snowtown) like? Roger Ebert’s Web site describes it as containing a “few narrative tweaks and a whole lot of visceral violence.” It is gory and bleak, for sure, but it is also gorgeous — that kind of bloodshed that you simply cannot turn your eyes away from no matter how nauseous you feel. Stylistics aside, the power-thirsty and tortured Macbeth is a pretty difficult character to play — but most say Fassbender nailed the performance. And so did Marion Cotillard as the manipulative Lady Macbeth.
Mustang
Winner of the 2015 Lux Prize and nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at both the Golden Globes and Oscars, Mustang tells the story of five orphaned girls growing up in conservative Turkey. The film opens with the sisters being imprisoned in their house by conservative elders after they are seen hanging out with boys at the beach, and their grandmother removes them from school and teaches them how to cook and sew in order to marry them off. Parts of the story are based on the experiences of first-time director Deniz Gamze Erguven, who was born in Turkey but raised in France. It is not clear when the story is set, perhaps reflecting the reality that this could still happen anywhere in the world. A Turkish-language film shot in Turkey, it was France who submitted it to the Oscars reportedly because of the subject matter. Warren Ellis of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds composed the soundtrack.
The Young Messiah
Anne Rice was an atheist when she wrote her vampire novels (Interview with the Vampire and Queen of the Damned were made into feature films), but she re-embraced Catholicism in 1998 after she nearly died from diabetes. Following another near-death experience in 2004, she decided to “dedicate her talent to glorifying her belief in God,” with Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt as her first effort. The book is a fictional account of the life of Jesus Christ from age seven to eight, as he returns with his family from Egypt to Judea, during which he starts to discover his healing powers and true background. Cyrus Norwasteh, known for the controversial The Path to 9/11, takes the helm for the film adaptation, with Adam Greaves-Neal, who has appeared in the Sherlock holiday specials, chosen out of 2,000 child actors to play, well, God’s chosen one. Norwasteh says since Jesus’ childhood is not documented in the Bible, the production team worked with religious scholars and Vatican representatives to make sure the film did not offend anyone.
Liza, the Fox Fairy
Enough with the seriousness, let us look at something whimsy, albeit a bit dark. Set in Csudapest (csuda means “miracle” in Hungarian) in 1970s pseudo-Hungary, Liza, the Fox Fairy features a lonely, 30-year-old nurse who takes care of the Japanese ambassador’s widow, and whose only friend is the ghost of a lip-synching 1950s Japanese pop singer. All this Japanese-ness comes to a head when she, for reasons we shall withhold to avoid spoiling the film, starts believing that she is a fox fairy — supposedly a Japanese legendary creature destined to live a life of solitude as all men who are seduced by her charm will die. However, while this premise is a clever way to drive the film, there is no example where this rings true in Japanese mythology. We’ll let this one slide, though — after all, the story happens in Csudapest, not Budapest.
On April 26, The Lancet published a letter from two doctors at Taichung-based China Medical University Hospital (CMUH) warning that “Taiwan’s Health Care System is on the Brink of Collapse.” The authors said that “Years of policy inaction and mismanagement of resources have led to the National Health Insurance system operating under unsustainable conditions.” The pushback was immediate. Errors in the paper were quickly identified and publicized, to discredit the authors (the hospital apologized). CNA reported that CMUH said the letter described Taiwan in 2021 as having 62 nurses per 10,000 people, when the correct number was 78 nurses per 10,000
As we live longer, our risk of cognitive impairment is increasing. How can we delay the onset of symptoms? Do we have to give up every indulgence or can small changes make a difference? We asked neurologists for tips on how to keep our brains healthy for life. TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH “All of the sensible things that apply to bodily health apply to brain health,” says Suzanne O’Sullivan, a consultant in neurology at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, and the author of The Age of Diagnosis. “When you’re 20, you can get away with absolute
When the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese forces 50 years ago this week, it prompted a mass exodus of some 2 million people — hundreds of thousands fleeing perilously on small boats across open water to escape the communist regime. Many ultimately settled in Southern California’s Orange County in an area now known as “Little Saigon,” not far from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, where the first refugees were airlifted upon reaching the US. The diaspora now also has significant populations in Virginia, Texas and Washington state, as well as in countries including France and Australia.
May 5 to May 11 What started out as friction between Taiwanese students at Taichung First High School and a Japanese head cook escalated dramatically over the first two weeks of May 1927. It began on April 30 when the cook’s wife knew that lotus starch used in that night’s dinner had rat feces in it, but failed to inform staff until the meal was already prepared. The students believed that her silence was intentional, and filed a complaint. The school’s Japanese administrators sided with the cook’s family, dismissing the students as troublemakers and clamping down on their freedoms — with
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