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Home , Anne Fletcher, Bandslam, Felix Chong, Louis Koo

16 發光的城市 A R O U N D T O W N FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2009 • TAIPEI TIMES FILM REVIEW There and back again, in a shell

By Ian Bartholomew Staff Reporter and star in The Proposal, directed by Anne Fletcher. Photo courtesy of BVI Taming of the savage boss

When her visa expires, an alpha female sets her sights on marching her assistant up the aisle, before melting in his arms

By MANOHLA DARGIS NY Times News service, New York

lame the heels. In her new movie, The Proposal, Sandra Bullock, playing a Type A (rhymes with) witch, totters B around in a pair of exquisite high heels, the kind that elongate the legs and give a woman’s derriere the gentle backward thrust familiar from fertility figurines. The character, a no-nonsense, no-smiling publishing executive, otherwise favors an aerodynamic look (pencil skirts and ponytails), but the heels betray her. They throw a curve into her straight line and force her to tilt, sway and wobble. She might be the mistress — the harsh and exacting mistress — of her universe, but she’s clearly been prepped Turtle: The Incredible Journey is the first cinematic venture by the Save Our Seas Foundation. Photo courtesy of Swallow Wings Films for a fall. Like most Hollywood romantic comedies these days, The Proposal is all about bringing a woman to her knees, quite literally in this case. The simple premise is partly telegraphed in the advertising tag line, “Here comes the bribe,” which evokes wedding bells and desperation. One the storming of the Normandy unsentimental story told by the day at the office, Margaret Tate (Bullock), a Canadian who’s ‘Turtle: The Incredible Journey’ follows beaches. Thousands of baby pictures and the facts dispensed let her visa expire, suddenly finds herself scrambling for a the life of a loggerhead turtle from its turtles fall victim to crabs or are by Richardson are fascinating, and way to stay in the US and the big New York office where dive-bombed by cormorants, one can only gasp in amazement she rules with an iron fist clutching a designer bag. She birth in Florida and trek across the killed in their first minutes of life. at long tracking shots of giant finds the means to her salvation, yes, in more ways than Turtle: The The images are spectacular, the schools of fish in a feeding frenzy, one, in the pleasant form of her assistant, Andrew (Ryan Atlantic to its return 25 years later survival rate shockingly low, and deadly fields of jellyfish, sharks Reynolds), a beleaguered Guy Friday who slavishly attends Incredible Journey Miranda Richardson works far and whales on their globetrotting to many of her needs. he denizens of the deep, televisual quality, though some too hard to give the visuals even odysseys and the strings of lowly A stud-in-waiting, Andrew will soon be attending to in all their mystery, often of the spectacular underwater DIRECTED BY: greater oomph. Sargassum weed floating along the Margaret’s other desires, of course. Overlong story short: T make for fascinating cinematography would be Nick Stringer If anything, Turtle: The Gulf Stream, which plays such a Margaret blackmails Andrew into a sham marriage proposal cinema. All the way from Jacques diminished if only seen on the Incredible Journey’s weakest crucial role in the lives of many in exchange for a promotion. He agrees, though only after Cousteau to Finding Nemo small screen. WITH THE VOICE OF: point is this striving for an marine creatures. making her kneel on the sidewalk. They fly to a cute little (2003) by way of Jaws (1975) and The film takes a look at Miranda Richardson epic quality, with the voice- Above all else, Turtle: The town in Alaska, where she discovers his family lives on National Geographic Channel the life of a loggerhead turtle, over sometimes adopting the Incredible Journey does one its own island in a mansion picturesquely surrounded by documentaries, the ocean has from its birth on the beaches of RUNNING TIME: breathless tones of the television thing right. It preserves, and mountains. You can’t see Russia from the front door, but provided an abundance of material Florida through its journey along 81 MINUTES commentator. One also wonders even deepens the sense of awe there are loads of amenities, if remarkably no visible hired for filmmakers. The ocean, we the Gulf Stream, years of danger whether the film poster, with we feel at the mystery of life. help. Mom (Mary Steenburgen) and Dad (Craig T. Nelson) are told, is endlessly delightful, in the wilderness of the Sargasso RELEASE: a loggerhead turtle gliding While it doesn’t shy away from are on hand, as is Grandma Annie (Betty White), the resident fascinating, terrifying and above all Sea, and arrival at the breeding TODAY directly toward the camera, is sentimentalizing the life of the unfunny old-lady kook who’s about to turn 90 and could use mysterious in its power. grounds of the Azores before referencing a very similar image loggerhead turtle, it also is a little face time with a big pillow. Turtle: The Incredible Journey returning to the place of its birth used in promotions for Finding perfectly up front about the cruel You know the rest is the first cinematic venture by 25 years later to lay eggs and set Nemo. This is clearly a film challenges turtles and other ocean because you’ve seen the Save Our Seas Foundation and the wheel of life turning anew. despair and hope.” The opening that is not missing anything in creatures face on the road to (and read) it many times is helmed by Nick Stringer, who The director takes this scene, shot from a very low the book of publicity tricks to adulthood, and hopefully makes before. After nestling in the has directed numerous nature story and gives it a somewhat angle, in which the baby turtle draw its audience. That said, the us cherish these creatures and bountiful bosom of family programs for the likes of the melodramatic treatment. As the fights its way out of its shell shoehorning of a storyline and our shared environment a little bit and some unexpected naked THE PROPOSAL National Geographic Channel. publicity material states, the and clambers the few long and the clear narration make this an more. Extensive information about slapstick with Andrew, It is, therefore, no surprise that film has “all the elements of a deadly meters out to sea, brings excellent film for the whole family. the film can be found at www. Margaret melts. He mans the film has something of a great epic: suspense, adventure, to mind Saving Private Ryan and Despite the film’s faults, the saveourseas.com/turtlefilm. the ramparts, she lowers her DIRECTED BY: defenses. He thrusts, she Anne Fletcher parries. He chops wood and Compiled BY Martin Williams loses his shirt. She loses STARRING: OTHER RELEASES her cellphone and ditches Sandra Bullock (Margaret the heels. He rescues her, Tate), Ryan Reynolds (Andrew scooping her out of the Paxton), Mary Steenburgen First Snow water after she falls from (Grace Paxton), Craig T. Nelson On His Majesty’s Secret Service (Joe Paxton), Betty White If you crave a mixture 大內密探靈靈狗 a boat. She shivers and Good notices for this ( ) (Grandma Annie), Denis O’Hare of squeaky-clean inter- smiles and tears up as she movie about a bunch (Mr Gilbertson) and Malin ethnic teen romance and The Chinese title talks about her tragic past, of kids who enter a Akerman (Gertrude) family drama, there’s no suggests a follow-up revealing the sad little girl high school rock band beating First Snow (also to the 1996 who’s long been hidden competition were not RUNNING TIME: known as, ahem, Virgin costume court comedy behind the cruel disguise of enough to make money 大 108 MINUTES Snow). Korean immigrant Forbidden City Cop ( a sensationally successful in the US. Some blamed 內密探零零發 鹿 Lee Jun-ki bumps into , retitled professional adult. Ding- poor marketing, but 鼎大帝 TAIWAN RELEASE: incredibly sweet Aoi Miyazaki a couple of times and for its Taiwan dong the witch is soon dead whatever the case, here is a show with attractive 周星馳 TODAY they fall in love. The real drama of the flick comes release) featuring superstar Steven Chow ( ) and in her place, well, here young folks who make the most of their differences from the latter’s wretched home life, which leads to at the beginning of his directorial career and the comes the bride. and pull off something special. Shares a star with 劉嘉玲 the question: Why do aberrant movie families always delightful Carina Lau ( ). Sadly, critics said this The director marshaling , but don’t let that make you 王晶 produce daughters who are as pure as the driven Wong Jing ( ) production lacks star power and all these cliches and stereotypes is Anne Fletcher, whose last reach for the cable guide. Aimed at youngsters, snow? Set in Kyoto, which doesn’t hurt. momentum and could do with more technical smarts. gig was the similarly obnoxious . Working from but informed by a love of rock music new and old, is an imperial guard who gets caught up in a script by Peter Chiarelli, Fletcher betrays no originality Bandslam is sure to grow on audiences. a competition to marry off the emperor’s daughter; from behind the camera and not a hint of visual facility. The farce follows. For the faithful there are movie opening scenes, including shots of Andrew rushing through references, anachronistic and gay panic gags, silly Overheard (竊聽風雲) the streets while balancing coffee cups, are right out of The The Milk of Sorrow stunts and clunky props. The cast includes Taiwan’s Devil Wears Prada, minus the snap. The scene in which (無間道) 徐熙媛 大 A Spanish-Peruvian Barbie Hsu ( , better known as S) in the Margaret runs around naked is borrowed from Something’s co-writer-director Alan co-production, this Carina Lau role. Gotta Give, though here the point isn’t that desirability Mak (麥兆輝) and co-writer is a strange slice of transcends age but that at 44, Bullock still has an amazing (莊文強) contemporary neurosis body. The rest of the movie looks like many industrial return with another tale and historical burden The Code entertainments of this type: it’s decently lighted and as lived of crime and compromise. in present-day Lima. A A Japanese nightclub in as a magazine advertisement. Stalwart leading man dying woman sings of singer in Shanghai has Bullock, who excels at playing spunky, is as appealing (劉青雲) joins her molestation by terrorists, and after she departs a tattoo that contains as usual, but the role proves as awkward as those heels. Louis Koo (古天樂) and (吳彥祖) as intel her traumatized daughter is found to have lodged a the code to a stash of (Reynolds is equally likable, though more decorative than agents who cross to the dark side, but their plan to potato in her private parts to protect her chastity. treasure left behind by anything else.) She’s always been better in fundamentally make a quick profit leads to a nightmare of cover-ups Later, the daughter works her way back into the the Japanese during independent roles that allow her to grab the wheel (Speed) and murder. This flick is notable for securing a release world — courtesy of new friendships and a beautiful the war, and the heroic and take the spotlight (the Miss Congeniality flicks), an in China without having its ethical gray zone excised. singing voice. The title refers to the breast milk of a Detective Office 5 and its debonair staff must independence that persists all the way through the last- More importantly, the public and critical response in persecuted mother that by legend harms a daughter’s recover the treasure, led by enterprising Detective act coupling. She can smile as brightly at a man as well as Hong Kong was very positive. Koo also stars in the psychological well-being; the original Spanish title, 507 (Kikunosuke Onoe, Kaidan). Handsome to the next leading lady, though, like all genuinely big female other, much more lowbrow Hong Kong release of the La Teta Asustada (“the frightened breast”), is rather watch, but Variety moaned about unnecessary stars, she’s really more of a solo act. Certainly she’s no week, namely ... more direct. The film won several festival awards, complexity and sobriety, while IMDb lists no less shrew in need of taming. She’s just another female movie including the Golden Bear. than seven directors. star in need of a vehicle that won’t throw her overboard for sexist giggles and laughs.

TT-980904-P16-IB.indd 1 2009/9/3 10:13:11