A R O U N D T O W N 發光的城市 17 TAIPEI TIMES • FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 2008

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Compiled by Martin Williams

Meet Dave Loud and proud Eddie Murphy has struggled a little of late. Missing out on a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Dreamgirls, some say, because of the immense crudity By Ho Yi of his characters in Norbit, Murphy Staff reporter has chosen a better vehicle in Meet Dave. This is entirely appropriate because “Dave,” a strangely dressed man who turns up in New York one Zero Chou delivers day, is a vehicle, too — a spaceship, a realist portrait of in fact, containing tiny aliens. This is a fun movie for all ages that makes much better use of Murphy’s prodigious lesbian life in talent and without the flatulent humor and rubber suits Taiwan with the that have marked his films over the last decade or so. latest installation The Violin of her ongoing An unusual mixture of black- Rainbow Colors While all actors are fittingly cast, Chao Yi-lan and-white photography, music is Drifting Flowers’ most striking presence as and radicalism, The Violin project, which an attractive young tomboy. stars a real-life violinist, the 81-year-old Don Angel Tavira, comprises six films Photos courtesy of the 3rd Vision Films as a farmer and wandering about homosexuality couples, discrimination and AIDS musician who gets involved are addressed with sincerity and in the movement that attempted to oust a Mexican empathy. Both veteran actress Lu government 30 years ago. Scenes of brutality mix with a fter her 2007 movie Spider Yi-ching and the talented amateur subtle tale of cunning as the old violinist and his family Lilies (刺青), which won Sam Wang, a regular cast member attempt to turn the tables on the military. A last year’s Berlinale Teddy in Chou’s films, turn in affecting Award for Best Feature Film, performances that make audiences Zero Chou (周美玲) returns to the laugh and move them to tears at Memory big screen with Drifting Flowers the same time. In this Thai thriller, an (漂浪青春). Diego’s story articulates the overworked psychiatrist In contrast to the surrealistic life of a tomboy, a term used for at a Chiang Mai hospital is and metaphorical tones of Spider butch lesbians, through tracking referred a case of a little girl Lilies, Chou’s latest work is a the panic and confusion that an who appears to have been realistic and earnest portrait of alternative sexuality and identity abused. When he investigates, lesbian life in Taiwan, told through lesbian showgirl, prompts Diego and consequent familial and he discovers things are more three loosely connected stories. to embark on her life journey with societal pressures can cause. sinister than even that, with something supernatural The first story opens with two courage and a sense of hope. The plot may sound like an possibly preying on the child. There may be something deeply attached sisters, 8-year- 漂浪青春 In terms of storytelling, overused coming-of-age formula, even more sinister in store, too, given that the shrink old Meigo (Pai Chih-ying, 白芝 Drifting Flowers ( ) Drifting Flowers sees a but here it is part of the lesbian fails to stop himself from getting it on with the little 穎) and the beautiful, blind Jing significant improvement over community’s collective memory girl’s mother. Some viewers may sense The Sixth Sense (Serena Fang, 房思瑜), who works Directed by: Zero Chou (周美玲) Splendid Float (豔光四射歌舞團, that is rarely, if ever, given a in all of this, but at least Bruce Willis didn’t seduce as a nightclub singer, struggling to 2004) and Spider Lilies and is realistic cinematic representation. anyone (even if he was a ghost). make ends meet. Starring: Chao Yi-lan (趙逸嵐) as Diego, Serena Fang (房思瑜) as Jing, Chou’s strongest feature film A student at Taipei National When the butch accordionist Pai Chih-ying (白芝穎) as Meigo, Lu Yi-ching (陸奕靜) as Lily, Sam Wang to date. Though melodramatic University of the Arts’ (國立台北藝術 Diego (Chao Yi-lan, 趙逸嵐) (王學仁) as Yen, Herb Hsu (徐麗雯) as young Lily cliches sometimes dominate the 大學) theater department, newcomer The Room comes into their lives, Meigo first segment, the film’s overall Chao Yi-lan (趙逸嵐) is the film’s Running time: 97 minutes A struggling family goes from bad to experiences her first lesbian pace is smooth, and the garbled most striking presence and creates worse when a strange room appears in crush. But as Jing embarks on a Language: In Mandarin and Taiwanese with Chinese narrative construction of the a believable portrait of tomboys for their house in this Belgian flick from lesbian relationship with Diego, and English subtitles director’s previous works has Taiwanese queer cinema. 2006. With a failed composer father, Meigo’s affections quickly turn morphed into a focused and Chou uses a plebeian language his mistreated wife, a handicapped son into jealousy, which leads to the concise approach. to tell her protagonists’ stories, and an unhappy pregnant daughter sisters’ painful separation. to visit, Lily mistakes him for her rediscover the will to live. The film touches on various which belong to the pasts, vying for the most-dysfunctional- Chapter two belongs to Lily (Lu deceased lover Ocean. The final segment follows a aspects of homosexual life in presents and futures of countless family-member title, audiences will Yi-ching, 陸奕靜), an Alzheimer’s Yen, who is living with AIDS, younger Diego, who is confused, Taiwan and ingeniously weaves male and female homosexuals wonder if the mysterious room of the patient who struggles to cope has given up on life after leaving binds her breasts and struggles them together in a fluent narrative in Taiwan. The inhabitants of title is doing one victim a favor when with her disintegrating memory. his unfaithful boyfriend. Little by to accept her changing body and flow. In the second segment, Drifting Flowers are not rootless he disappears through its door. This film made appearances When Yen (Sam Wang, 王學仁), her little, the two wounded friends homosexuality. An encounter with issues such as gay marriage, abstractions, but real people who at various genre film festivals but has failed to stir up much husband of convenience, comes form a companionship and a young Lily, who is a self-assured welfare provision for elderly gay have hometowns and histories. interest since then. Starts tomorrow.

Keroro the Movie 3 Keroro, better known to English- speaking manga/anime fans as “Sgt City cinema weekend box office takings Frog,” is one of the more bizarre (Aug. 9 and Aug. 10) Japanese animated characters to gain Source: Group Power Entertainment Corp a following. The slovenly leader of a failed invasion force from a faraway planet, Sergeant Keroro makes do with wasting his time in between errands for a nice, ordinary Japanese family, despite having a team of crack soldiers at his call. In Part 3, Keroro and the gang end up at the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu on holiday, only to encounter strange forces that produce an “evil” Keroro who also wants to conquer Earth and kidnaps the “good” Keroro’s hosts. Now there’s a dilemma for The Mummy: Tomb of the The Dark Knight WALL-E Wanted Made of Honor the “good” Keroro. Screens with a Keroro short entitled Dragon Emperor (神鬼傳奇3) (黑暗騎士) (瓦力) (刺客聯盟) (新郎不是我) Warrior Kero’s Announcement! The Battle of the Warring NT$31,174,348 NT$4,591,730 NT$2,383,288 NT$1,731,163 NT$867,680 State Pekopon.

coalition of disability “continuation of the horrifying Variety reported that the film Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler, groups blasted Ben Stiller’s portrayal of disabled characters in version would be a romantic featuring Mickey Rourke as a A latest movie Tropic entertainment.” comedy about the boss of a washed-up pro wrestler, are Thunder on Tuesday, slamming “AAPD is also disgusted at champagne company. among the highlights at this year’s the spoof war film’s repeated use the use of the word ‘retard’ George Clooney has snapped New York Film Festival. of the word “retard” as “disgusting numerous times in the movie and up the film rights for a book based The festival announced its and appalling.” promotional items for the film,” on the detention and trial of 28-film lineup on Wednesday, The American Association of the group said. Osama bin Laden’s driver, it was including a restored print of People with Disabilities (AAPD) AAPD president Andrew reported on Wednesday. Max Ophuls’ 1955 classic Lola said in a statement it had rallied Imparato, who met with studio Daily Variety said it was not Montes. The 46th annual event, disability groups urging a boycott backers Dreamworks last week to clear what role Oscar-winning run by the Film Society of of the film, which is released in discuss the movie, slammed the actor-director Clooney would take Lincoln Center, will be held Sept. North America theaters later film after viewing it on Monday. in the project, which will be based George Clooney has bought the book rights 26 to Oct. 12. this week. “Both the use of this word on book The for a film about the detention and trial of Jonathan Mahler’s The opening-night film is Protesters demonstrated and the appalling portrayal of an Challenge. Salim Ahmed Hamdan, above, a former The Class, Laurent Cantet’s at the Los Angeles intellectually disabled character in The story spotlights the efforts documentary-like drama about driver for Osama bin Laden. Photo: AP premiere of the film this movie are incredibly damaging of US Navy lawyer Charles Swift a year at a rough French high on Monday, which to people with intellectual on Wednesday. and Georgetown law professor school. It won the top prize at this was attended by Meet disabilities,” Imparato said. Swank, an Academy Award Neal Katyal to secure a fair trial year’s Cannes Film Festival. the Parents, Night at the “Although the movie is winner for Boys Don’t Cry and for Salim Hamdan, who was last The New York festival closes Museum and Zoolander considered satire, this depiction Million Dollar Baby could star week sentenced to less than five with The Wrestler, in which actor-director Stiller. of a person with intellectual in a screen adaptation of Mireille years in prison. Rourke plays a former wrestling The associated has disabilities is far from funny.” Guiliano’s hit 2004 lifestyle tome, The sentence was later star now relegated to the bush taken aim at Tropic Dreamworks has defended Daily Variety reported. described by Swift as a “stunning leagues of his sport. Thunder for depicting the film, insisting the humor is Guiliano, a former executive rebuke” to the government’s case Changeling, based on a true a caricature of an intended to lampoon actors rather with champagne company Veuve against Hamdan. Prosecutors had story, is about a single mother intellectually disabled person than people with disabilities. Clicquot, scored a hit with her demanded the Yemeni be jailed whose 9-year-old son disappears — Simple Jack — played by Tropic Thunder, which also book, subtitled The Secret of for 30 years, portraying him as a in Los Angeles in 1928. Months Stiller’s character, an egotistical stars Jack Black and Robert Downey Eating for Pleasure which offered cunning al-Qaeda warrior. later, police bring her a boy who Hollywood star seeking awards. Jr, follows the fortunes of a group insights into how French women According to Variety, Clooney claims to be her son, but she Although Stiller has said of actors who are sent to make a manage to stay slim despite could direct, write and star in doesn’t believe him and sets out the sub-plot is intended as war film only to find themselves in enjoying calorie-rich staples such the film. The report said Clooney to unravel the mystery with the a satire on Hollywood, the the middle of a real-life conflict. as pastries and wine. was considered a perfect choice help of a local minister played by associated described it as a Two-time Oscar winner Hilary The book reached top spot to play the role of the idealistic John Malkovich. Swank has bought the rights for on the New York Times non- lawyer Swift. Other prominent directors Ben Stiller is drawing flak for his new a film version of the best-selling fiction bestseller list and has sold Clint Eastwood’s Changeling, at the festival include Steven film’s repeated use of the word “retard.” book French Women Don’t Get more than two million copies starring Angelina Jolie as the Soderbergh, Mike Leigh and photo: bloomberg news Fat, entertainment press reported worldwide to date. mother of a missing boy, and Wong Kar Wai (王家衛). — agencies