| Compiled by Martin Williams | |
 | Chaotic Ana
Director Julio Medem, best known for his 2001 hit Sex and Lucia, creates another story that lives up to its title. Cave-raised Ana (Manuela Velles) is a young artist who accepts an offer to move to Madrid and join a commune. She then suffers mental problems after being attracted to a young painter, and is diagnosed by a hypnotist as channeling the oppression of women through the ages - which she then relives, climaxing in a messy scene that will enrage US neo-cons. Stylish, confusing and deeply personal, of all the films bravely opening against Indiana Jones this week, this is the one that screams "anti-Hollywood." |
 | Kids
The concept for this Japanese film is quite grim, even if the treatment is more upbeat. A strange youth has the power to transport injuries between bodies, including his own. He makes friends with another boy, a victim of domestic abuse, and the pair set about healing their friends and acquaintances by moving their wounds to the latter's despised father, now hospitalized. A sequel of sorts to last year's Calling You, this is based on the book by Otsu-ichi, which is part of a series exploring friendship. |
 | Art of the Devil 3
Drill-to-the-head torture and tongue-cutting on the big screen amid voodoo babble? Ah, it must be the Art of the Devil franchise from Thailand, ready to disgust all over again. Napakpapha Nakprasitte returns in this hit prequel as the schoolteacher from hell who wreaks bodily disaster on anyone standing in her way, with a little help from black magic of the grisliest kind. Unfortunately, her lust for vengeance seems to have extended to the film's official Web site, which is offline. Original Thai title: Long Khong 2. |
 | Gone for a Dance
In this Belgian film, a college professor relates the story of three men who devote themselves to their passion for dance at a cost to their personal lives. Humorous, romantic and filled with dance sequences, this French-language film has yet to make it to English-language markets. Stars Cecile de France (Haute Tension, Around the World in 80 Days) and veteran actor Jean-Pierre Cassel. |
 | Raging Inferno
This is trumpeted in local ads as a film released in the US and Germany by Warner Bros. But don't let the grindhouse-distributor hype or the extra theater bookings in Taipei and Taichung fool you; it's actually a German TV movie called Inferno: Das Flammen uber Berlin dressed up for theatrical release. Set in a modern-looking tower that is engulfed by flames, it stars Silke Bodenbender, which can't be a bad thing. Starts tomorrow. |
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
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
As Donald Trump’s executive order in March led to the shuttering of Voice of America (VOA) — the global broadcaster whose roots date back to the fight against Nazi propaganda — he quickly attracted support from figures not used to aligning themselves with any US administration. Trump had ordered the US Agency for Global Media, the federal agency that funds VOA and other groups promoting independent journalism overseas, to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” The decision suddenly halted programming in 49 languages to more than 425 million people. In Moscow, Margarita Simonyan, the hardline editor-in-chief of the
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