16 發光的城市 A R O U N D T O W N FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2010 • TAIPEI TIMES

FILM REVIEW OTHER RELEASES Compiled BY Ian Bartholomew

9 Sock puppets. The cineplex. These two seemingly incompatible elements are brought together in 9, a post- apocalyptic survival story — enough already with the end of the world — featuring a bunch of cute rag dolls who inhabit a world of fierce feline machines. Directed by Shane Acker, a protege of Tim Burton, 9 presents the kind of richly fantastic world that is not a million miles from his mentor’s own Alice in Wonderland, which is currently playing at the cineplex. Highly praised as one of the more original productions in the increasingly overcrowded animation sphere, and featuring some top voiceover talent including Elijah Wood and Christopher Plummer, it nevertheless bows to the demands of conventional action flicks and the CGI magic- makers, somewhat diminishing its indie street cred.

The Lovely Bones This week’s other major release is Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones, in which the Lord of the Rings director melds supernatural fantasy, murder mystery and family drama into a far from seamless tale taken from Alice Sebold’s best-selling 2002 novel of the same name. The presence of Saoirse Ronan, who was Character so brilliant in Atonement (2007), is submerged beneath a blanket of special effects that attempts to create a cinematic image of heaven — always a dangerous thing to do. She plays Susan Salmon, a young girl who is murdered and watches as her parents and the police search for assassination her killer. As the search for the murderer goes nowhere, the Salmon family begins to disintegrate, under Susan’s sorrowful gaze. This delicate drama does not survive Jackson’s go-for-broke approach to spectacle despite its star-studded cast, which includes Rachel Weisz, Mark dge of Darkness is a remake Wahlberg, Susan Sarandon and Stanley Tucci. of a BBC television series E of the same name from 1985. The primary action has been A Good Husband (Kondo wa Aisaika) transferred from to Yet another literary adaptation, Boston, and the story necessarily this is a superior Japanese sped up from five-and-a-half hours tearjerker staring Etsushi Originally a BBC mini-series, to just under two. It has Toyokawa as Shunsuke ‘Edge of Darkness’ suffers from its in his first staring role since 2002 Kitami, a formerly successful (M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs), and photographer who has compacted Americanization the only reason for its existence lost his mojo, and Hiroko for the big screen seems to be a shortage of original Yakushimaru, his long- ideas on the part of the producers. suffering wife Sakura. Wife By Ian Bartholomew Gibson, like the show’s wants children; husband finds consolation for failing Staff Reporter nuclear weapons theme, has not career in the arms of other women. In the tradition of aged well. agenda. Another in this tradition with a strong dose of righteous Japanese wives, Sakura remains dedicated to Gibson plays Thomas Craven, that comes easily to mind is State indignation thrown in. It’s painting philandering husband. Finally, something snaps, and the a Boston cop of 30 years service. of Play (2003), which received by numbers, with the bad guys love she maintained for Shunsuke begins to fade. When His daughter, Emma, (Bojana a similar cinematic treatment in dark suits, and the conniving Etsushi realizes what he has lost, it may be too late to win Novakovic) is killed in a drive-by in a film, released last year, that politicians interchangeable with his wife back. Cue tissues. shooting that initially is believed starred Russell Crowe. Both film those featuring in any number of to have targeted her father. It adaptations suffer from grasping at similar movies. emerges that Emma was involved fast action to replace an intensifying For those who want to find Wedding Fever in Campobello (Maria, Ihm in a dangerous conflict with her buildup of character and mood. out what really happened, BBC Schmeckt’s Nicht!) employers, Northmoor, a privately It is the leisurely pace, and the Worldwide released the DVD of Racial stereotypes jump out run nuclear facility working for the digressions that it allows, that made the original mini-series last year. It of the closet for this German US government. Craven, in looking the television original so much fun. includes the whole 314 minutes of comedy in the manner of Meet for answers, only finds more and In the case of Edge of Darkness the six-part TV series, a bunch of the Parents. Jan is planning more questions. the brilliant part played by Joe extras, and a brilliant score by Eric on marrying girlfriend Sara, The film starts out as an Don Baker as Darius Jedburgh, Clapton and . The whose father, Antonio, is atmospheric thriller, with Craven the freewheeling CIA agent with comparison is a poke in the eye Italian. Worse yet, the wedding working through his relationship a tendency to philosophize about for film snobs who regard TV as a will take place in an Italian with his daughter (who appears God, golf and the good life, is sorely lesser art form. town with her father’s numerous family members in to him as an apparition) as he missed. Gibson’s vengeful father attendance. Antonio is possessive. Jan suffers from a host searches for the reason why her oeuvre is not big on humor, and of allergies. The Italians find Jan stuffy and unenthusiastic employers killed her. But the in the movie treatment, the name about the festivities. The hotel they are staying in provides atmosphere rapidly leaks out of the Jedburgh has been transposed to every discomfort. Though aimed squarely at a German narrative as the pace of the action a shadowy English fixer played by audience, Wedding Fever does boast a solid cast that picks up, and by mid movie, we Ray Winestone, who attempts to Edge of Darkness should give this well-worn slapstick a bit of gloss. have Gibson in the familiar role of a provide a sense of intrigue to the father out for vengeance (Mad Max, story. Alas, this task is too much for Payback, The Patriot). any one man, and eventually he too Directed by: The Shock Labyrinth 3D (Senritsu Meikyu 3D) The original mini-series, set in resorts to shooting first and asking Although it has the cachet the hey-day of ’s questions later. of helmer Takashi Shimizu, Starring: prime-ministerial reign, and the Whatever one might have who brought The Grudge thought about the lefty politics Mel Gibson (Thomas Craven), controversy of the acquisition Ray Winstone (Jedburgh), movies into the world, Shock of the original, it at least worked of the US-made Trident missile Danny Huston (Jack Bennett), Labyrinth 3D looks too much system, is part of a venerable within a recognizable political Bojana Novakovic (Emma like a gimmick to appeal to context, and the mystery Photos courtesy of CatchPlay tradition of British TV programs of Craven), Shawn Roberts hard-core horror fans. The vaguely left-wing sympathy about deepened with the involvement (David Burnham) film’s central setting is inspired government corruption and big of various amusing cameos that by the Labyrinth of Horrors attraction at Fuji-Q High Land money shenanigans. The sense of poked fun at players across the Running time: amusement park, a fact that does not inspire confidence. conspiracy is perfectly effective for political spectrum. For those 117 minutes The movie follows a group of teenagers, who take a friend its time and place, and the series, with no interest in the original to an old hospital, only to discover that it’ actually one big though far from perfect, earned a series, Edge of Darkness can be Taiwan release: labyrinth of horrors. Lots of killing and ghostly goings on. massive reputation for daring to considered a perfectly adequate Today Internet comments suggest that the main shock is how very push an anti-nuke, environmental nuts-and-bolts conspiracy thriller, little is achieved with 3D technology. FILM FESTIVAL Windows of opportunity Tailor-made for the country’s university students, the College Film Festival screens independent films at campuses nationwide

By Ho Yi campus that provides students The festival will screen 10 on the Internet. Staff reporter access to non-Hollywood flicks. Taiwanese films later this year. “Cinema is a good way of It’s not easy for students from The pair wanted to build on the Organizers make the event as understanding our world. We hope schools outside Taipei, where the campus cinema’s success. flexible and inclusive as possible students can appreciate all these majority of the country’s more In 2008, the university’s Film to accommodate different tastes different movies and develop a than 150 colleges are located, to Studies Center (電影文化研究室), and academic interests. habit of watching them,” Chen said. see films that are not made in led by Lin, and Cinema Taiwan “For example, Taiwanese All the festival’s screenings Hollywood. They may need to Film (中映電影), where Chen movies draw more interest from are free. trek to the capital to catch a film serves as the CEO, together Taiwanese literature student Colleges and universities festival or independent movie initiated the first College Film clubs and departments of Chinese interested in hosting the festival deemed unworthy for release Festival (大學生影展), which tours literature,” Chen said. “We were can contact Ms Chiang (江) at outside the capital, where the the country’s campuses screening surprised at the diversity of Cinema Taiwan Film, a company number of art-house moviegoers is independent movies. these groups and their interest in that founded online film magazine said to be prohibitively small. More than 35 institutes of This year’s College Film Festival will screen wanting to work with us. These Fun Screen (放映週報) in 2005 and Seven years ago, Lin Wen-chi higher education signed up for 11 movies from seven countries. range from the schools’ libraries, whose services include organizing (林文淇), a professor of film at the festival, whose year-round general education departments or film festivals and workshops Photos courtesy of Cinema Taiwan Film National Central University (國立中 program screens films about extracurricular centers.” for schools, private companies 央大學) in Jhongli (中壢), and Chen subjects ranging from human countries, grouped under four Bashir, a stunning animation that and When You Come Down From Chen initially thought film clubs and government institutions, at Te-ling (陳德齡), a then-recent rights and media ethics to gender themes, was expanded to include revisits the 1982 Lebanon War; A Heaven, a tale about a man whose would be the most interested, (02) 2776-0542. graduate from the university’s and ethnic issues. two new sections: world cinema Map for Saturday, which follows job entails removing vagrants he said, but many have closed For more information about Department of English, built a This year’s edition, which and locally produced films. a backpacker’s trek across four from a French city during the down because of the widespread the festival, visit film.ncu.edu. movie theater on the university’s comprises 11 movies from seven The lineup includes Waltz With continents through 26 countries; Christmas holidays. availability of mainstream movies tw/college.