VIEW THIS PAGE Determined to look after his girlfriend if he dies on the operating table, the terminally ill Van Fan (范逸臣) searches for a man who has exactly the same voice as he has to take his place.
Blue Lan (藍正龍), a reticent music video director, re-encounters old flame Annie Liu (劉心悠) and realizes a car accident has erased her memories of their love.
Movie stuntman Ethan Ruan (阮經天) dashes out the door after a lover’s spat with his flight attendant girlfriend, Alice Tzeng (曾愷玹).
Plain homebody Tracy Chou (周采詩) turns to a fortune-teller for love advice, who tells her she’ll meet six guys sporting bangs with the last being Mr Right.
The four love stories that form L-O-V-E (愛到底) are directed by four celebrities turned first-time film directors.
With homegrown stars making cameos and guest appearances, the film is an entertaining hodgepodge of comedy and romance, glossed up with A-lister charm and a blitz of publicity. But the filmmaking delivered by some of its creators barely passes muster and hinders the wannabe blockbuster from living up to its star-studded ambitions.
Jiu Ba-dao (九把刀), also known as Giddens, a best-selling blogger, writer and cultural pundit, applies his talent in literature to filmmaking in his story about a young man’s dying wish to look after the woman he loves long after he’s gone. The narrative glides smoothly and turns from the fun, loving moments between the lovers to a more melancholy tone, though the film could use some trimming to tighten things up a bit.
Both Fan and Megan Lai (賴雅妍), who plays the girlfriend, are well cast as the young couple and turn in naturalistic performances that help make the opening scene in which the two frolic with toy lightsabers look cute.
In terms of technique, music video director Chen Yi-xian’s (陳奕先) tale about the stuntman and flight attendant is the most professional looking of the four. Pop idols Ruan and Tzeng are on top form, appearance-wise. The former has matured into a charismatic soup opera actor and young heartthrob. Chen presents his thin subject matter, lovers’ bickering and reconciliation, in images that are pleasing to look at, but which lack narrative punches.
The segment about an awkward girl’s search for Mr Right feels more like a variety show than a film. Aiming for goofy humor and exaggerated hilarity, veteran entertainer Mickey Zi-jiao Huang (黃子佼) calls on a legion of showbiz luminaries to make surprise guest appearances that raise the level of entertainment and fun. The lineup includes “godmother of television” Chang Hsiao-yen (張小燕), former idol and actor Alec Su (蘇有朋), Ken Chu (朱孝天) of F4, boy group Lollipop (棒棒堂), established actress Lu Yi-ching (陸弈靜) and Makiyo, who are possibly the hottest gas pump girls on screen to date.
But as the exaggerated humor repeats and becomes overused, the picture grows tedious and feeble toward the end.
Vincent Wen-shan Fang (方文山) is the weakest link in the quartet. His story isn’t engaging, while actors Lan and Liu struggle embarrassingly with the lead characters, which they portray as dreadfully lifeless. VIEW THIS PAGE
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
Despite the intense sunshine, we were hardly breaking a sweat as we cruised along the flat, dedicated bike lane, well protected from the heat by a canopy of trees. The electric assist on the bikes likely made a difference, too. Far removed from the bustle and noise of the Taichung traffic, we admired the serene rural scenery, making our way over rivers, alongside rice paddies and through pear orchards. Our route for the day covered two bike paths that connect in Fengyuan District (豐原) and are best done together. The Hou-Feng Bike Path (后豐鐵馬道) runs southward from Houli District (后里) while the
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at
Mirror mirror on the wall, what’s the fairest Disney live-action remake of them all? Wait, mirror. Hold on a second. Maybe choosing from the likes of Alice in Wonderland (2010), Mulan (2020) and The Lion King (2019) isn’t such a good idea. Mirror, on second thought, what’s on Netflix? Even the most devoted fans would have to acknowledge that these have not been the most illustrious illustrations of Disney magic. At their best (Pete’s Dragon? Cinderella?) they breathe life into old classics that could use a little updating. At their worst, well, blue Will Smith. Given the rapacious rate of remakes in modern
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