16 發光的城市 A R O U N D T O W N FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, 2009 • TAIPEI TIMES

FILM REVIEW OTHER RELEASES hile the names of Federico Compiled BY Martin Williams Garcia Lorca, Salvador W Dali and Luis Bunuel are familiar to anyone with an The Time Traveler’s Wife interest in modern literature and Judiciously released on Chinese Valentine’s The importance of not being too the visual arts, their personal Little Ashes Day, this film stars Rachel McAdams and histories are less widely known Eric Bana, a loving couple cursed (or than those of artists of comparable blessed?) by the latter’s uncontrollable stature from Northern Europe. DIRECTED BY: Paul Morrison trips through time and space. As with the Little Ashes claims to tell the trio’s temporal hoppers in The Terminator, story, beginning with their years STARRING: Bana slips in and out of the space-time continuum absolutely starkers, as fashionable undergraduates in Javier Beltran (Federico which proves to be more humorous here than dangerous. Will true Madrid and tracing their emergence Garcia Lorca), love prevail in the end (or the beginning)? Critics saw through the as leading artistic figures in the Robert Pattinson (Salvador holes immediately, but uncritical, lovelorn audiences might have a earnest period preceding the rise of General Dali), Matthew McNulty heartwarming time, especially because the leads are winning. Francisco Franco and the execution (Luis Bunuel), Marina Gatell of Garcia Lorca. Though the subject (Margarita) ‘Little Ashes’ engages in a constant struggle matter is interesting, director Paul Let’s Fall in Love (尋情歷險記) to break out of the category of gay interest film and Morrison seems uncertain about RUNNING TIME: Also making use of Chinese Valentine’s Day what story he wants to tell and how 112 MINUTES is this up-close-and-personal Taiwanese make a credible stab at being a serious biopic he wants to tell it. documentary enjoying a proper release with The film opens with the arrival TAIWAN RELEASE: TODAY a new promotional campaign. Twenty-odd of the self-consciously artistic Dali married couples come under the spotlight By Ian Bartholomew at the Residencia de Estudiantes Staff Reporter with their relationship problems and in Madrid, where Garcia Lorca and weaknesses, together with the intriguing matchmaker-counselor whom Bunuel are already established as rather ridiculous Castilian-accented all of them share. From award-winning director Wuna Wu (吳汰紝), who members of the university’s artistic English, with Pattinson’s attempts had to solicit hundreds of small investors to get this film into theaters. avant-garde. Robert Pattinson, who sometimes verging on caricature. has attained a cult-like teenage Readings of Garcia Lorca’s poetry, girl following for his roles in the which play a prominent role in the The Forbidden Legend: Sex & Harry Potter and Twilight series, film, are delivered in Spanish with Chopsticks 2 (金瓶梅2：愛的奴隸) is clearly intended to provide the an English voice-over, a particularly Sweaty and kinky sex for its own sake is eye candy, and even manages to clumsy way of presenting poetry a rare bird on the Taiwanese big screen deliver a realistic portrayal of the in another language. Moreover, the these days. We haven’t had a soft porn newcomer’s mixture of arrogance readings are not even well integrated extravaganza since, well, the original Sex and diffidence amidst the self- into the story. Sporadic imagery & Chopsticks late last year. Japanese assured, if occasionally tortured, from Dali’s paintings feels similarly hardcore actresses Hikaru Wakana (with head still shaved), Kaera Garcia Lorca and Bunuel. out of place, and the inclusion of Uehara, Serina Hayakawa and Yui Morikawa secure another Hong Unfortunately, Pattinson can do the famous eyeball-slicing scene Kong work visa to tell, for the umpteenth time, the misadventures little else with the complexities of from the Dali-Bunuel collaboration, of barely robed courtesans. But tableware fetishists will likely feel Dali’s character, and consequently An Andalusian Dog, is clearly no misled all over again; the Chinese title (“The Golden Lotus 2: Slaves of appears a child among grown-ups, more than a ham-handed attempt at Love”) is more faithful to what’s on show. especially when compared to Javier shock tactics. Additionally, Morrison Beltran’s nuanced interpretation of fails to adequately delve into the Garcia Lorca’s growing awareness political and cultural forces driving Largo Winch of his homosexuality. Beltran’s the prevailing mood of iconoclasm, At last, a live-action movie based on a portrayal of Garcia Lorca strives for content to rely on throwaway images comic book that isn’t Japanese. Largo the muted elegance and bitterness of fascist atrocities and caricatures Winch stands to inherit a fortune from of Merchant Ivory Productions’ of stuffy old art professors in their a tycoon who rescued him from an 1987 film Maurice, with which it oak paneled rooms. Little Ashes is orphanage. But money like that doesn’t shares many thematic similarities. instead more interested in the theme come easily if Daddy’s ruthless business In addition to the complexities of of romantic betrayal and the ensuing partners have designs of their own, including offing the man and juxtaposing Dali and Garcia Lorca’s rift between Garcia Lorca and Dali, preparing the same for his son. A mixture of office intrigue and tentative progression towards an estrangement partly engineered, globetrotting action, this French effort is something different for a homosexual relationship with according to Morrison, by Bunuel. people who think they’ve seen everything. Spain’s spiral into violent and Little Ashes gives these romantic intolerant fascism, Morrison also entanglements precedent over attempts to examine the trio’s compelling storylines such as Dali’s Rookies: Graduation artistic work. betrayal of his own genius and the And so, back to a movie based on a Unfortunately, this exploration motivation behind the execution of Japanese manga. A bunch of good- of the aesthetic is mostly window the politically neutral Garcia Lorca. for-nothing punks regain self-respect dressing and does not serve any As such, while Little Ashes and team spirit after their charismatic real purpose. The film also fails in engages in a constant struggle to high school teacher shapes them into its use of language. Little Ashes break out of the category of gay a formidable baseball team. This is a is an English film about Spanish interest film and make a credible theatrical follow-up to a TV series based on the popular manga series artists and, to provide the proper stab at being a serious biopic, it Rookies. But unless you’re a baseball tragic or swoon at the sight of local color, all characters speak in never quite achieves its goal. “bad boys” with trendy shocks of hair and perfect skin, this attempt The cast of ‘Little Ashes’ is easy on the eyes, at inspiration won’t mean a pitcher’s mound of beans. The Bad News but sometimes hard on the ears. Bears it ain’t.  photos courtesy of Sky Digi Entertainment Four Minutes A German film from 2006, Four Minutes is also an inspirational movie, but with sobriety, depth and darkness. A dangerous new prisoner (played by the much-admired Hannah Herzsprung) at a women’s correctional facility turns out to be a very talented piano player, catching the eye of the prisoners’ aging music teacher and sparking heat in different directions. The film climaxes with the minutes of the title in a killer performance. Filled with surprising brutality, poignance and energy, this is a hands-down must-see for musicians, especially piano students who feel chained to their instruments.

Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens Made for PBS in the US as part of the series American Masters, this documentary on the iconic photographer FILM REVIEW is about three years old but could still be of interest. Packed full of celebrities, politicians and other recognizable faces, the story concentrates on Leibovitz’s craft and success rather than A love story in silence the controversies in her action-packed life. It’s not clear why the film would be released here now; Leibovitz is, after all, only in the news because of financial woes. Directed by the subject’s sister, who clearly Blatant product placement for the Taipei City Government mars an otherwise enjoyable boy-meets-girl tale likes her. Starts tomorrow.

By Ho Yi Staff reporter KJ (音樂人生) As athletes from around the world prepare The poster for this Hong Kong for the Deaflympics, scheduled to open in documentary says it all: a boy sitting Taipei on Sept. 5, a group of pop idols and alone in an auditorium. The boy is “KJ,” a film professionals have assembled a feature Hear Me brilliant pianist with a bright future in store, film to coincide with the event. Helmed 聽說 though the film covers much wider, and by up-and-coming director Cheng Fen-fen occasionally darker, ground, which makes (鄭芬芬), Hear Me (聽說) tells an enjoyable DIRECTED BY: it an ideal companion to Four Minutes. With respected director Ann Hui boy-meets-girl story, but adds a twist to the Cheng Fen-fen (鄭芬芬) (許鞍華) as consultant, this study of individual genius in a society that classic tale by introducing hearing-impaired STARRING: tends to stifle it has the stamp of quality. Six years in the making, KJ is characters and making extensive use of Eddie Peng (彭于晏)as Tian Kuo, screening exclusively at the Wonderful Cinemas complex in Taichung. sign language. ivy Chen (陳意涵) as Yang Yang, The film opens with a swim team michelle Chen (陳妍希) as hsiao Peng training for the upcoming Deaflympics. Planet Raptor Hearing-impaired Hsiao Peng (Michelle RUNNING TIME: Made for TV, Planet Raptor is a galactic Chen, 陳妍希) is one of the team’s best 109 MINUTES sequel to the unscreened-in-Taiwan swimmers. Her younger sister Yang Yang Raptor Island and features a bunch of (Ivy Chen, 陳意涵) drops by the pool RUNNING TIME: heavily armed humans doing battle with every day to support her, all the while Mandarin, Taiwanese and Pop idols Ivy Chen and E�ddie�������� Peng delive������r gr���at�i�f�yin���g pe���rf�o��rm�an��c�es����� in Hear Me. photo courtesy of iFilm International various dinosaur-like creatures. Truth be working odd jobs so that Hsia��������������o��������� Peng can sign language with Chinese and English subtitles told, it all looks like a video game, but it is concentrate on her training. Taiwanese filmmakers often lack. Though as Kuo’s parents. less than six degrees of separation from Sam Raimi and the Evil Dead Also a pool regular, Tian Kuo (Eddie TAIWAN RELEASE: many audience members may not be Supported by Taipei City’s Department series. Stars Steven Bauer and Ted Raimi. Screening at the Baixue Peng, 彭于晏), a happy young man, delivers 台北市文化局 TODAY familiar with sign language, the main of Cultural Affairs ( ) and the theater in Ximending. lunchboxes to the athletes and is soon form of communication between the two Taipei Organizing Committee of the 21st attracted to the equally cheerful Yang protagonists, Hear Me’s carefully scripted Summer Deaflympics, Hear Me is less a Yang. The pair communicate through sign narrative, comic relief and genuine movie about sportsmanship and the world Good language and develop deep feelings for lovelorn Kuo does not give up on their emotional resonance quickly render this of the hearing-impaired than a lighthearted Viggo Mortensen is a literature professor one another. budding romance. While his patience and language barrier unimportant. romance featuring young pop idols. The whose fictional treatment of euthanasia Things take a turn for the worse, determination eventually win the girl’s The film also earns extra points for its promotional motivations behind the movie brings him to the attention of Nazis who however, when, after a late night date with heart, Hear Me’s ending is anything but well-cast group of actors. Though Peng become all too obvious at certain points, a need a professional apologist for breeding Kuo, Yang Yang comes home to discover predictable. risks being typecast as a happy-go-lucky, prime example being the director’s portrayal policies. The good professor subsequently, that Hsia�����������������������������o������������������������ Peng has been hospitaliz�ed������ for As demonstrated in her feature film good-natured guy, he stands out with his of Taipei as a city filled with extreme and reluctantly, climbs the ladder of regard smoke inhalation caused by a fire next debut, 2007’s Keeping Watch (沉睡的 lovable antics and impressive comedic cyclists, skateboarders, street musicians and and opportunity among monsters. Unlike Eastern Promises, Mortensen door. Blaming herself for the accident, 青春), award-winning scriptwriter and 羅北 timing. Theater veteran Luo Bei-an ( flamenco and hip-hop dancers, all of whom suffered poor reviews for his performance of a weak man succumbing Yang Yang decides to stop seeing Kuo. director Cheng possesses the skill to 安 ) and Golden Horse-winning actress Lin congregate in the outdoor squares of the to the banality of evil, as did the film generally. Based on the play. Despite Yang Yang’s resistance, the tell a story gracefully, a talent young Mei-hsiu (林美秀) make adorable sidekicks upscale Xinyi District.