| OTHER RELEASES | |
| Klimt John Malkovich plays yet another talented but troubled character, this time Austrian artist Gustav Klimt (1862-1918). Klimt is famous for nude portraits and a lifestyle that defied social norms; both feature in this loose biopic by hardworking director Raul Ruiz. Critics were largely dismissive of this effort, though more or less united in their praise for its visual beauty and honorable intentions. Alas, the version showing in Taiwan seems to be the shorter — and inferior — producer's cut that was released in the US. |  |
| The Valet Yet another Parisian romance to hit Taiwanese screens this winter, this comes from director Francis Veber, who wrote the original La Cage Aux Folles and a bunch of other films later remade in Hollywood. More comedy of errors than manners, the luckless parking attendant of the title is called on to pretend to be in a relationship with the mistress of a wealthy businessman after the latter two are caught in a reasonably compromising position. Fans of farce should enjoy this. French title: La Doublure |  |
| Kung Fu Fighter (功夫無敵) A number of actors from Kung Fu Hustle (功夫) turn up in a cheap knock-off that is also set in Shanghai in the 1930s. But Stephen Chow (周星馳) is not one of them. Vanness Wu (吳建豪) of F4/JVKV fame tries to locate his father as romance blossoms and triads close in. The trailer alone reveals a lack of Chow's visual flair and his ability to mingle the spectacular with the bizarre. Chow’s many fans instead need to wait until Jan. 31, which is when his new big-budget film CJ7 opens in Taiwan. |  |
| The House If you didn't get your fill of Thai horror flicks last year, the new year offers this entry. A reporter connects the dots in a series of grisly deaths at a haunted house, only to discover that she might be next in line. The House is getting more publicity than normal for a Thai horror opus, possibly because it performed quite well at the Thai box office. Decent production values may not appease those looking for a little more originality, however. Director Monthon Arayangkoon also made last year's The Victim, which did well here, and 2004's Garuda, about a monster in the Bangkok subway. |  |
Jan 13 to Jan 19 Yang Jen-huang (楊仁煌) recalls being slapped by his father when he asked about their Sakizaya heritage, telling him to never mention it otherwise they’ll be killed. “Only then did I start learning about the Karewan Incident,” he tells Mayaw Kilang in “The social culture and ethnic identification of the Sakizaya” (撒奇萊雅族的社會文化與民族認定). “Many of our elders are reluctant to call themselves Sakizaya, and are accustomed to living in Amis (Pangcah) society. Therefore, it’s up to the younger generation to push for official recognition, because there’s still a taboo with the older people.” Although the Sakizaya became Taiwan’s 13th
Earlier this month, a Hong Kong ship, Shunxin-39, was identified as the ship that had cut telecom cables on the seabed north of Keelung. The ship, owned out of Hong Kong and variously described as registered in Cameroon (as Shunxin-39) and Tanzania (as Xinshun-39), was originally People’s Republic of China (PRC)-flagged, but changed registries in 2024, according to Maritime Executive magazine. The Financial Times published tracking data for the ship showing it crossing a number of undersea cables off northern Taiwan over the course of several days. The intent was clear. Shunxin-39, which according to the Taiwan Coast Guard was crewed
China’s military launched a record number of warplane incursions around Taiwan last year as it builds its ability to launch full-scale invasion, something a former chief of Taiwan’s armed forces said Beijing could be capable of within a decade. Analysts said China’s relentless harassment had taken a toll on Taiwan’s resources, but had failed to convince them to capitulate, largely because the threat of invasion was still an empty one, for now. Xi Jinping’s (習近平) determination to annex Taiwan under what the president terms “reunification” is no secret. He has publicly and stridently promised to bring it under Communist party (CCP) control,
One way people in Taiwan can control how they are represented is through their choice of name. Culturally, it is not uncommon for people to choose their own names and change their identification cards and passports to reflect the change, though only recently was the right to use Indigenous names written using letters allowed. Reasons for changing a person’s name can vary widely, from wanting to sound more literary, to changing a poor choice made by their parents or, as 331 people did in March of 2021, to get free sushi by legally changing their name to include the two characters
RSS