A R O U N D T O W N 發光的城市 17 TIMES • FRIDAY, AUGUST 29, 2008

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Compiled by Martin Williams It’s no easy matter to find yourself in the The Unknown Woman Brutality against women and children looms large in this feature from 2006 directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, who made the much-loved Cinema Paradiso. A Ukrainian ex-sex slave has a mysterious mission that involves ingratiating her way new China into the home of a family whose young daughter has a strange affliction. Critics were split on the Hitchcockian elements, but uniform ‘’ is a in praise for lead actress Kseniya Rappoport, who steamy indictment plays the strange former slave with a sick agenda. The Village Voice — much more moralistic these days, of a society in it seems — castigated the parents of the child who which money is the played the daughter. See the film to see why. Italian measure of all things title: La Sconosciuta. Boys Over Flowers: Final By A.O. SCOTT NY Times News Service, New York Lost in Beijing ran into trouble with the Yet another adaptation of a authorities because of its steamy content manga-cum-TV series, this and less-than-glowing picture of modern- follows the adventures of een from the perspective of a day Beijing. Photos courtesy of Haile Films a young Japanese woman window washer who is one of whose relationship with a S the main characters in Lost in will save his marriage, and the more spunky and rich member of 蘋果 Beijing ( ), the Chinese capital than 100,000 yuan he will pay Ping- her high school has evolved is an endless vista of glassy high- guo and An-kun for their trouble from rivalry to romance. rises. Closer to the ground, in the will assuage his guilt and help the Their preparations for lyrical documentary montages that young couple toward a better and marriage are interrupted 李玉 frame Li Yu’s ( ) modern urban more prosperous life. by the dastardly theft of an melodrama, the city is a hive of Though the film’s emotional obscenely expensive tiara human work and pleasure seeking. tone is blurry — toward the end presented to her by her fiance’s family. The “flowers” There are tango clubs and dive it swerves away from farce and of the title refer to the boys who ran the school bars, car dealerships and open-air back toward anguish — its social where they met and who feature in this story; in this markets, nouveau riches in their criticism could hardly be more clear. “final” episode, however, it appears that romance, Mercedes-Benzes and homeless The metropolis it depicts is one in jetsetting and tiara-hunting are able to conquer silly people stretched out on benches. which money is the measure of all obsessions such as male bonding. Variety reported There are, at last count, value, and in which every human that the film knocked the new Indiana Jones something like 17 million stories in relationship can be reduced to a installment off the top of the Japanese box office 范冰冰 this naked city, and Li, who wrote ), who works at the Gold Basin transaction, a deal. Ping-guo and when it opened in June. the screenplay for Lost in Beijing Massage Palace rubbing the feet of An-kun, industrious young people with Fang Li (方勵), relates a tale tired businessmen and deflecting from a Northeastern province, are that is at once representative of their roving hands. Her boss, Mr 蘋果 unsurprisingly overwhelmed by Shaolin Girl 梁家輝 Lost in Beijing ( ) the social and economic tensions Lin (Tony Leung Ka Fai, ), is a this way of life, but so, in their own This is a Japanese film exec- afflicting 21st-century China and rough character as yet unpolished by way, are Mr and Mrs Lin. Jin, one of 李玉 utive produced by Stephen ripely, improbably melodramatic. money, an unapologetic gambler and Directed by: Li Yu ( ) ’s finest actresses, and Leung, Chow (周星馳) that tries to The director and her cast work in womanizer. One afternoon he finds a durable star of the Starring: Tony Leung Ka Fai (梁家輝) as Mr Lin, (范冰冰) as ride on the coattails of his a rough, naturalistic style, but the Ping-guo passed out in his office, cinema, rescue their characters from Ping-guo, Tong Da Wei (佟大為) as An-kun, (金燕玲) as Mrs Lin Shaolin Soccer from a few narrative offers both the pleasures and his attempt to take advantage easy caricature. years ago. The difference and the limitations of old-fashioned of her turns from a clumsy pass into Running time: 112 minutes The other actors are also very is that the hero is a heroine class-conscious pulp. In spite of its a rape. An-kun, who happens to be good — Fan’s blend of toughness Taiwan release: Limited release today and tomorrow and that lacrosse (!), not raw, explicit moments, the film is at washing the window of Mr Lin’s and delicacy places her in a soccer, is the motivating heart a sturdy morality tale about office and witnesses the assault rich tradition of Chinese screen sport that revitalizes her innocence and corruption, wealth — this is what I mean by improbable pregnant, Lost in Beijing begins her revenge on her husband by heroines — and, along with the family’s martial arts school and want, sex and power. — tries first to attack the older, a curious, not entirely successful sleeping with An-kun, even as Mr city itself, they help give Lost in as evil homes in. There are An-kun (played by Tong Da more powerful man and then to transition from melodrama to Lin starts to see his own possible Beijing a human complexity that actors from China and Hong Kong thrown into the 佟大為 Wei, ), the window washer, is blackmail him. domestic comedy. Mrs Lin (Elaine paternity as a neat solution for cuts against the schematic artifice pot, but Taiwanese audiences should be able to spot 金燕玲 married to Ping-guo (Fan Bingbing, When Ping-guo discovers she’s Jin, ), who is infertile, takes everyone. The baby, he reasons, of its story. the difference in quality within minutes — then ask for their money back when they realize that Chow is not the director, as local advertising implies.

Small Town Folk City cinema weekend box office takings What appears to be a jokey (Aug. 23 and Aug. 24) attempt at English Gothic Source: Group Power Entertainment Corp ends up the butt of poor reviews and occasional gushing praise across genre Web sites. Various innocent morons enter the town of “Grockleton” in rural England only to find various dangerous morons waiting for them with sharp implements. Shot with little money, Folk relies on a degree of cultural familiarity Mamma Mia! The Mummy: Tomb of the The Dark Knight Cape No. 7 The Strangers for its humor. That, together with its restricted rating, (媽媽咪呀！) Dragon Emperor (神鬼傳奇3) (黑暗騎士) (海角七號) (陌路狂殺) means it will struggle to last more than a week in NT$6,649,567 NT$5,482,145 NT$2,336,977 NT$1,523,573 NT$883,742 theaters here. Starts tomorrow.

rad Pitt and George concerns that Venice, which faces Plain with Kim Basinger Hari Puttar, slated to open Hong Kong-style action sequences. named after the codename for a Clooney hit the red carpet stiff competition from the Toronto and Charlize Theron and The in cinemas on Sept. 12, is the “In my movie, I added many plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler B on Wednesday with their film festival starting next month Wrestler, with Mickey Rourke in story of a young boy fighting two elements that Hong Kong action concocted by senior German latest movie Burn After Reading, and the Rome film festival in the lead role. criminals who are trying to steal movies do best — human combat, military officers during World War a satirical comedy by Oscar October, was struggling to secure Italy and Japan loom large over a secret formula devised by the action, flying cars,’’ Chan said. II. Cruise plays ringleader Claus winners the Coen brothers, top titles and talent. the rest of the 21-film competition, boy’s scientist father. Chan added that he had no von Stauffenberg. which opens this year’s Venice Mueller, who with his team with four and three movies In China, Warner is planning problems doing a remake. The film’s original release date film festival. saw around 3,000 films, which respectively. Two of the Japanese to release Connected, a remake “What the world lacks most has been postponed to Dec. 26 The actors lead the list of A-list were whittled down to 55 in the offerings are animation films, of the 2004 New Line Cinema is good stories. If there’s a story from July 4 this year. star power to the 11-day event official selection, said the lighter including Ponyo on Cliff by the Sea thriller Cellular starring Kim that investors think will work in — Agencies which features everything from Hollywood studio presence by cult director Hayao Miyazaki. Basinger, on Sept. 25. The film is the market and that I like, I don’t obscure Asian art house cinema to was partly down to the 14-week Hollywood’s Warner Bros, being made in conjunction with think there’s anything wrong with Hollywood heavyweights. writers’ strike that ended in which owns the rights to the Chinese partners. Cellular is remaking it,’’ Chan said. Although there are five US films February, and added: “American Harry Potter movies, is suing about a kidnapped woman who Twelve movie extras are in the main competition lineup cinema is very much at the center an Indian production company makes a random mobile phone seeking US$11 million in of 21, they all represent lower- of the program.” whose new film is called Hari call for help. damages from Tom Cruise and budget, “independent” The US lineup includes Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors, the Connected changes the setting his production company after cinema as opposed to Jonathan Demme’s studio said on Wednesday. to Hong Kong and switches the suffering broken bones, cuts the big studios, Rachel Getting The studio had started cast to Chinese-speaking actors and bruises in the filming of which are not Married, starring proceedings against the makers — Hong Kong’s Louis Koo (古天樂), World War II picture Valkyrie in Venice Anne Hathaway and of Hari Puttar over similarities to China’s (劉燁) and Taiwan’s in Berlin last year. this time . The the international film and literary Hsu (徐熙媛). The extras were injured on around. other US films in phenomenon, said Warner Bros While Hollywood has remade Aug. 19, 2007, when the side Festival the main contest spokeswoman Deborah Lincoln. Asian movies for years — Martin panel of a period German director are all by lesser- The producers of Hari Puttar Scorsese’s The Departed and army truck burst open as it Marco known or first-time said they had registered the title the horror films The Ring and drove around a corner in Mueller directors, including more than two years ago and the The Grudge are based on Asian central Berlin. brushed aside The Burning film bore no resemblance to the movies — Connected is billed A lawyer for the extras Harry Potter franchise. as the first Chinese remake of a said on Tuesday that witness “All I can say is that the title is Hollywood movie. statements indicated the not at all similar to Harry Potter Hong Kong’s Benny Chan (陳 truck’s side panel had not and nor is our story line,” said 木勝), who directed New Police been properly secured. Munish Purii, chief operating Story (新警察故事) and Rob-B- Cruise was not on the officer of the film’s producers, Hood (寶貝計劃), says Connected set at the time. Mirchi Movies. improves on Cellular by injecting Valkyrie is

Right: , widely known in Taiwan as Big S, will feature in a remake of the Hollywood feature Cellular. Left: Brad Pitt, left, and George Clooney were the men of the moment at the opening day of the Venice Film Festival. Photos: Agencies and Taipei Times