Y E A R i n R e v i e w 年度回顧 15 TAIPEI TIMES • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2008

By Ian Bartholomew and noah buchan today. The combination of theories found in North Road (建國啤酒廠), on the mega-digital Staff reporters Western theater and opera fused together screen at Taipei Arena (台北小巨蛋), in Taipei Art Theater in Taipei this year has achieved some in a theatrical spectacle that blended classical Park (中山美術公園) and at Zhongxiao Xinsheng notable heights and, unfortunately, some even Chinese and modern themes easily digestible by a MRT Station (捷運忠孝新生站), is an intentional more notable lows. The Jester (弄臣), a new contemporary audience. effort to put art before people who might not Beijing opera production by Vivien Ku (辜懷 It has been a very good year for traditional otherwise visit a museum, and to comment on 群) and Li Baochun (李寶春) that had its world arts, with a number of outstanding exhibitions how digital media pushes artistic expression in premiere at Novel Hall (新舞台) earlier this month, hosted by the National Palace Museum. Most our faces. won accolades from audiences for its technical notable among these was the Stunning Decorative The National Museum of History (國立歷史博 mastery and solid scriptwriting. Applause and Porcelains From the Chienlung Reign (華麗彩瓷: 物館) and its curators should be commended for Movies bravos started only minutes into the first act of 乾隆洋彩特展), which opened in October and runs producing one of the year’s most outstanding this adaptation of Verdi’s Rigoletto, a response to August next year. As you might expect from exhibits. They should also be booed for mounting A renaissance in the making that was in stark contrast to the ponderous ceramics devised especially for the admiration one of the worst. silence and dutiful clapping that marked some of one of the Qing Dynasty’s (1644-1911) most From the arrangement of the paintings by Ho Yi Japanese troops after Qing Dynasty China recent fusion productions. People walked away powerful and artistically sophisticated emperors, to the explanation of his works, the Chu staff reporter ceded to Tokyo under the Treaty at the end having been lifted up by the skill of the the exhibits absolutely overwhelm Teh-chun 88 Retrospective (朱德群88回顧展) Could it be possible that Taiwanese cinema of Shimonoseki in 1895, the film’s makers performance rather than being weighed down by with their artistry and admirably revealed why Chu is regarded as one is set for a renaissance? This year boded forgot that audience don’t take kindly to its burden of innovation. ornateness. of Taiwan’s pre-eminent masters of abstract well as young filmmakers delivered works history lessons that lack emotion. Far more traditional but equally successful expressionism. The exhibit diverse in content and style while polishing Television commercial and music video was Six Legends of Lan Ting (蘭庭六記) by their storytelling competencies to attract director Leading Lee’s (李鼎) debut feature My Lanting Kun Opera Troupe (蘭庭崑劇團), a relative rather than distract audiences. So Called Love (愛的發聲練習) unfortunately newcomer to Taiwan’s traditional art scene, In genre cinema, novice director Cheng reinforces the common notion that when a which played at Novel Hall in August. The main Hsiao-tse (程孝澤) turned heads with his music video director turns his or her eye to draw of this production was the outstanding debut feature Miao Miao (渺渺), a tale the big screen, the end product will likely turn performance by Wen Yuhang (溫宇航), who of adolescent romance. Up-and-coming out to be all looks and no content. is best-known in the West for his starring director Tom Shu-yu Lin (林書宇) caught Beset with pretentious dialogue, an role in the 19-hour 1999 Lincoln Center the attention of both audiences and critics aimless story, forced plotlines and stiff production of The Peony Pavilion (牡丹 with his coming-of-age, autobiographic tale performances, the film would undoubtedly 亭). It is performances like these that give Winds of September (九降風), which is set in Take care, the Golden Raspberry Award, if substance to talk of a kun opera revival, mid-1990s Taiwan. Taiwan’s film industry had one. especially as an international performance A disciple of Taiwanese New Wave The reputation of commercial directors medium similar to Italian opera. cinema, actor-turned-director Niu -zer’s was eloquently restored thanks to seasoned On the debit side of the ledger, productions (鈕承澤) award-winning debut effort What On television commercial director and such as National Taiwan College of Performing From left to right: Stunning Decorative Porcelains From the Chienlung Reign, Mackay — The Black Bearded Bible Man and Six Earth Have I Done Wrong?! (情非得已之生存 cinematographer Chung Mong-hong (鍾孟宏) Arts’ (國立臺灣戲曲學院) The Plum Blossom Fan Legends of Lan Ting. photos courtesy of npm and ntch 之道), a mockumentary in which the director and his debut feature Parking (停車). With (桃花扇) became a byword for how badly the plays himself, won many plaudits. years of experience in making commercials integration of Western and Chinese opera can turn Veteran filmmaker Chang Tso-chi 張作驥( ) behind him, Chung used richly colored out. The Western-style score performed by the returned to the director’s chair after a five- tableaux and unusual camera movements Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra (台北愛樂管弦樂團) year hiatus with his sober human drama Soul and framings for a blackly comic Kafkaesque under the energetic direction of conductor Liao of a Demon (蝴蝶). journey into the lives, pasts and memories Hsiao-ling (廖曉玲) managed to constantly trip up Female directors also produced of a mosaic of characters who seem to be performers, denying them the natural rhythms of increasingly mature works. Director Singing trapped in a dilapidated apartment building Chinese opera. Chen’s (陳芯宜) second feature God Man that is frozen in time. One of 2008’s biggest productions was Dog (流浪神狗人) tells an allegorical tale of Last but by no means the least, award- undoubtedly CKS Cultural Foundation’s flagship contemporary Taiwan and firmly establishes winning playwright, novelist and director production of Mackay — The Black Bearded Bible The arts Chen as a name to keep an eye on. Yang Ya-che’s (楊雅喆) debut feature Orz Man (黑鬚馬偕) that premiered at the National Berlinale-winning director Zero Chou (周 Boyz (囧男孩) is a reminder of how little Theater late last month. Unfortunately, despite a 美玲) diverged from her usual surrealistic attention has been paid to children’s film sterling performance by Thomas Maglioranza in and metaphorical approach to storytelling in Taiwanese cinema. From a well-written the title role, and a splendid stage design by Lukas and painted a realistic and earnest portrait script, witty dialogue and imaginative Hemleb, the flimsy script and flaccid pacing let of lesbian life in Taiwan in Drifting animation sequences to two amazingly the production down. Looked at in the context Flowers (漂浪青春). lovable and talented child actors, the film has of the many experimental operas that have been And of course, let’s not forget Cape No. all the elements to prove that a tale about the produced in recent years, one can see that the in 2008 7 (海角七號), the highest-grossing Chinese- whimsical and fantastic world of childhood money and the high level support for Mackay language film ever screened in Taiwan, can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. — The Black Bearded Bible Man has certainly (Con)fusion, plot twists and ancient traditions which as the overly sanguine media paid off in the quality of the presentation. What proclaims, single-handedly revived a local is missing is a creative sensibility to direct these At the Taipei Fine Arts Museum (台北市立美術 showed how the Western tradition of landscape filmmaking industry that had been in the resources to make something more satisfying than 館), one of the most interesting exhibits was Form, painting and Chinese calligraphy informed Chu’s doldrums since the early 1990s. a bald narrative of a worthy life. Ideas, Essence, Rhythm: Contemporary East Asian works in a manner that didn’t overburden the In the light of the progress made last Tainaner Ensemble’s (台南人劇團) K24 Chaos, a Ink Painting (形‧意‧質‧韻 ─ 東亞當代水墨創作邀請 viewer. The explanations, which were concise year, Taipei Times is abandoning the best-of six-hour, six-act whodunit play within a play that 展). This show examined the relationship between and scattered throughout the gallery, provided format and lists in the five most memorable incorporates Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and modern ink painting and traditional Chinese necessary context for styles of art that are often (good and bad) films of the year. employs a plotline similar to the television series aesthetics and the conceptual trends that are impenetrable. The top accolade goes to Cape No. 7. Alias, opened to packed houses at the beginning driving a new generation of artists. The 96 works A Drop in the Ocean: Modern Contemporary Like all blockbusters before it, Cape No. of the year. It may seem strange to combine a on display, by artists from Taiwan, China, Japan Chinese Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition 7 is not an excellent work of filmmaking. love story using elements from a spy serial, but and , dispel any idea that ink painting (滄海一粟—近現代書畫展), ought to have been an The story offers nothing new and the way Tsai Po-chang’s (蔡柏璋) script made an admirable is a thing of the past. Works range from the hyper- excellent opportunity to educate the public about director Wei Te-sheng (魏德聖) chooses to attempt and for the first two acts he pulled it off. kinetic manga imagery of Mise Natsunosuke’s the long and revered Chinese tradition of ink tell it can be best described as adequate. But Both staging and acting were tight and the story My God — Tiananmen (My God — 天安門) to the painting and calligraphy. What was presented unlike most commercial directors in Taiwan, intricate and intriguing. But interest began to wane ultra-minimalist calm of Yan Shanchun’s (嚴善錞) instead was an exhibition of 300 works from as far Wei is a competent storyteller who has a in the fourth act, or “episode,” as Tsai calls them, Searching for West Lake in My Dreams (西湖尋夢). back as the Tang Dynasty that was barely more fine command of the vernacular and is adept because the script tried to incorporate too many The Taipei Biennial also featured in a big way edifying than wallpaper. Apart from a brief four- at creating lifelike characters and weaving diverse plots into the story. Though the jokes and at TFAM this year, presenting many interesting paragraph introduction, there were no explanations them together into a feel-good movie about plot twists remained throughout, the production works by young contemporary artists. This year the about the exhibit’s purpose. Although a title and ordinary people. would have been better served if he had solved the show, which opened in September, was curated artist for each work were given, there were no However, the future is not as rosy as first mystery three hours earlier. by Manray Shu (徐文瑞) and Vasif Kortun, who dates or clues as to why these works were deemed appears if aspiring filmmakers still have to The Scholar and the Executioner (秀才與劊 extended the scope of the exhibition from the worthy of viewing. The curators of this exhibit, it finance their movies by digging deep into 子手) demonstrated that playwright and theorist museum to include locations across the city. seems, would have benefited from walking through their own pockets, as Wei did before he Huang Weiruo (黃維弱) is one of the top theater The use of non-museum spaces, including the exhibit on Chu Teh-chun (朱德群) before became famous. professionals working in the Chinese language projects based at the Beer Brewery on Jianguo mounting their own. A view widely circulated among local directors is that to make a local hit, one’s choices are either a youth drama starring (陳冠希) serves as a symbol of trends private client from more public mortification, pretty-faced idols or a warmhearted story over the past year and, perhaps, what to expect hurriedly declared to the press that Wong’s period about the beauty and history of Taiwan and in 2009. For those of you who have been living in had just been a little bit late. This was despite its people, as best exemplified by last year’s outer space recently, some 1,300 explicit images the fact that Chen herself had announced the hit Island Etude (練習曲) and, to a lesser were stolen from Chen’s computer showing pregnancy earlier. extent, Cape No. 7. the star and at least half a dozen The pregnancy-obsessed media also Blue Brave: The Legend of Formosa celebrities — (鍾欣桐), Bobo Chan declared a bump watch on Cecilia , the in 1895 (189五) is, however, where that From top: Cape No. 7, Orz Boyz and My So-Called (陳文媛), Mandy Chen (陳育嬬), (張 aforementioned subject of Edison Chen’s nude sentiment goes terribly wrong. A feeble Love. photos courtesy of ARS Film Production, 柏芝) and Chiu Ching-yu (趙頌茹), to name a few portraiture and wife of Wong’s ex account of the Hakka militias’ resistance to  1 Production Film and Zoom Hunt International Productions — in various sexual poses and posted on the (謝霆鋒). Rumors had also circulated that Cheung Internet. In the resulting “sex scandal,” Chen had suffered a miscarriage, but Sing Tao Daily 星島日報 fled overseas amid moralizing by the media and News ( ) speculated that Cheung might Ballet lovers had the chance to see a authorities and rumors that he is on the ’s be knocked up again after one of their intrepid star in the making in June when 21-year- hit list (HK$500,000 for either hand). Predictably, reporters spotted her in a convenience store old Daniil Simkin appeared with the 2008 the fallout of the scandal included Chen losing loading up on five cups of noodles, three cans International Ballet Star Gala ahead of several endorsements and promising that he of some unspecified foodstuff, two boxes of his first season with the American Ballet would step out of Hong Kong’s entertainment chocolates and three big bags of potato chips. Theater (having jumped from the Vienna industry forever. Perhaps Cheung was just seeking comfort food Opera Ballet). He may look waif-like, but If half a million Hong Kong dollars is the — it must be tough when the entire world is his outstanding technique, combined with price for one of Chen’s hands, in Taiwan the Celebrity scandals don’t come juicier than Edison Chen’s your gynecologist (especially if they have Chen’s amateur photography shenanigans. Photo: Taipei Times a sense of playfulness, served to remind going rate for someone’s life is NT$3 million. photos for reference). Dance audiences that dance can be as exhilarating At least that was the sum disgraced entertainer After a widely reported string of flings with to do as it is to watch. And it’s not often 洪其德 Hung Chi-te ( ) offered the family of a mixed-race models last year, pop idol David Tao Taipei dance lovers get to feel that they are 陶 Newcomers and old masters woman he killed in Kenting in February while ( 喆) garnered further attention from the tabloids ahead of New York audiences. driving under the influence. This marks a when he fell off the wagon. After a bender at By Diane Baker The final newcomer provided an early steep decline of NT$5 million compared to the uber-trendy Barcode lounge in Taipei’s Xinyi Staff reporter Christmas treat for dance lovers, as dancer/ the previous year when (林曉培) paid District to celebrate the beginning of 2008, Tao’s Shino Lin There were so many good performances choreographer Lin Wen-chung’s (林文中) the family of the victim she ran over while taxi driver dropped him off at a nearby police in dance this year (and a handful of not so showed a highly polished jewel of a work wasted behind the wheel. Blame it on the global station because the sozzled star was unable to good) that it was difficult to pick one or two — Small — for his new company WCdance. economic downturn. recall where he lived. winners. But in looking back, it was very In the second category — old master 阮經天 Actor Ethan Ruan’s ( ) virile member Tao became a little too friendly with the clear rather than one or two outstanding — there was really only one contender, has done rather better by him despite his own Pop authorities, engaging in amiable antics such as shows or performers, it was really two despite a strong showing by Lin Hwai-min’s propensity to flaunt it about the gossip rags. The high-fiving officers, making incessant small talk, categories that came to mind in the “if you (林懷民) yin-yang combination Whisper of long running saga of his rumbustious sexual and fawning over cops who just wanted the missed these you really missed out” sense: Flowers, and that was the Paul Taylor Dance marathons with the mysterious “Joanna” and his inebriated star to stand still. The lively display of newcomer and old master. Company. It was a delight to see Taylor’s on-again, off-again relationship with “official” drunkenness even included addressing the Next Now the newcomers were not fresh-faced work, through his hand-picked dancers, after 許瑋甯 girlfriend Tiffany Hsu ( ) did nothing to magazine paparazzo who had been called to grads; some have been working on their craft so many years. The sheer physicality of his reduce his pulling power, and the soap opera To record the silly scene as “bro.” professionally for more than a decade. But dancers and the cerebral twists and turns of 命中注定我愛你 楊 Love You Is My Destiny ( ) in which Guatemalan-Taiwanese model Liz Yang ( this year they embarked on new ventures Taylor’s choreography were both a revelation 莉思 he stars continued to achieve stellar ratings. Stop ), one of Tao’s many rumored sweethearts, that showed promised of even greater things and a reminder of what he has contributed to Pop Stop has also shown a good deal of promptly claimed that they were “just friends” to come. the dance world over the past 54 years. Let’s interest in two of 2008’s most high-profile after the farcical episode. The year started with a bang: dancer just hope Taipei won’t have to wait another weddings. The first was that of Terry Gou (郭台 Finally, this year’s roundup would not Sheu Fang-yi (許芳宜) and choreographer 20 years to see the company again. 銘), head of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻 rigorously kept at telephoto length. be complete without mentioning the Beijing Bulareyaung Pagarlava (布拉瑞揚) launched 海精密), and dancer Delia Tseng (曾馨瑩), which Lau’s best friend (王菲) had less to Olympics, which presented an ideal venue for A- celebrate this year. The Hong Kong media broke their reconstituted company LAFA & Artists took place in August. Delia is something of a step listers to show off their patriotism. Entertainment with the breathtaking 37Arts show in out into a rabid and somewhat tasteless frenzy 成龍 down from former Gou marriage prospects, which big shots including ( ), January. Sheu is a supernova on stage and when gossip rags reported in September that the 劉德華 王力宏 陳慧琳 have included the queens of the Chinese-language ( ), Wang Lee-hom ( ) Kelly Chen ( ) with 37 Arts, Bulareya showed he could 劉嘉 pop chanteuse had miscarried what would have 章子怡 entertainment industry such as ( and Ziyi ( ) all expressed their support deliver a work every bit as intense as his 玲 關之琳 been her second child with husband Li Ya-peng ), Rosamund Kwan ( ), and supermodel Lin for China’s authoritarian regime by bearing the leading lady’s performances. 林志玲 (李亞鵬). Some newspapers speculated that the Chi-ling ( ), but as Tseng is nicknamed Doggy Olympic torch (a ceremony invented by the Nazis In March it was the turn of 20-something (狗狗), she may well have qualities that even Next 39-year-old Wong’s “advanced age” might have for the 1936 Berlin Olympics to promote Aryan choreographer Huang Yi (黃翊). His Body, magazine has avoided speculating about. contributed to the miscarriage or that it might ideals) and singing songs with schmaltzy titles Sound (身音) for Cloud Gate 2 was a actually have been an induced abortion after 北京， Former Gou prospect Lau decided that good such as Beijing, Beijing, I Love Beijing ( revelation, with its incredibly imaginative use Wong’s doctor discovered that the fetus had some 北京，我愛北京 張藝謀 looks and charm beat a bulging pocket book and ) at director Zhang Yimou’s ( ) of the dancers’ own movements and amazing settled for heartthrob Tony Leung Chiu Wai (梁朝 sort of “abnormality.” less-than-creative closing ceremony. costumes — by designer Yang Yu-teh (楊妤德) 偉). The couple were also married in August at a Wong’s manager Chen Jia-ying (陳家瑛), in a — Complied by Ian Bartholomew, — to create the score. Cloud Gate 2’s Body Sound. photo courtesy of liu chen-hsiang ceremony in Bhutan from which the press where move no doubt designed to save her notoriously Noah Buchan, Catherine Shu and Ho Yi