18 發光的城市 A R O U N D T O W N FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2008 • TAIPEI TIMES OTHER RELEASES COMPILED BY MARTIN WILLIAMS Nights in Rodanthe Diane Lane and Richard Gere team up again after their Hero-worship marital troubles in Unfaithful. This time, their characters intertwine in a story with a message that is more taken to a whole new level optimistic. The pair, gorgeous but emotionally wounded, meet while staying on the east coast of the US and forge a relationship that challenges their perspectives on what lies ahead. Lane seems to be playing the kinds of roles that Diego Armando Maradona’s eventful life or soccer fans, Diego recounts how cocaine blighted his Diane Keaton was playing a decade ago, though with less receives sympathetic treatment ����in a �������lm that Armando Maradona needs recollection of important moments of slapstick, and her faithful fans will surely be lining up for F no introduction. For the his daughters’ childhoods. this one, as will Gere’s. This film is opening wide in the US offers little appeal to non-soccer fans uninitiated, the hero-worship that It’s difficult to see how the film in tandem with Taiwan. the short, barrel-chested, now portly, would have great appeal beyond soccer 40-something Argentine generates is fans as the “revolutionary” status Diego BY TONY PHILLips Rogue STAFF REPORTER amply demonstrated in Maradona by is accorded seems to extend no further Emir Kusturica. than attending some rallies, sporting Next up from the director of Not only is the eponymous tattoos of Castro and Che Guevara and the brutal Aussie horror opus Serbian-Bosnian director Kusturica spouting anti-US rhetoric. Wolf Creek is this critically clearly under his spell, but some Still, no matter what you feel about applauded mutant-croc-on- of the Argentine’s compatriots Maradona the man, if nothing else the the-loose sub-species of the are shown to have gone so far as film shows why he is widely regarded monster movie. The good news establishing a Church of Maradona, as one of the best, if not the best for less adventurous audiences albeit tongue in cheek. soccer player of all time. is that it goes for the scares In this documentary film we see a We are treated to repeated clips of and the thrills without shoving violence or gore down shrine to the great man, a “disciple” the “Goal of the Century” (from the their throats. Instead, Rogue opts for atmosphere, scenery, initiated into the church by reenacting same World Cup match in which he unconventional elements and just plain fun. An American the former Argentina captain’s “Hand scored his most infamous goal) where tourist visits Australia’s deep north and before too long of God” goal (when England’s nemesis he runs half the length of the pitch, he and his tour group are marked for dinner. Released punched the ball into the net in the breezing past England players as if in Australian cinemas, where it should be seen, but it 1986 World Cup quarterfinal) and a they weren’t there, before waltzing more or less went straight to DVD in the US. So much for couple marrying on a soccer field. past goalkeeper Peter Shilton to score. casting an American. The bride subsequently hitches up her Throughout the film, defenders wedding dress to punt a ball goalward are bamboozled and goalkeepers left before the groom scores into an empty looking like mugs as Maradona finds Genova net and embarks on a wild celebration. ever more outrageous ways of putting A car accident starts this film A child is seen reciting the Lord’s the ball in the net for Argentinos and leaves two girls without Prayer, but with the words changed to Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, their mother. The father (Colin pay homage to Maradona. Napoli and, of course, Argentina. Firth) then takes the stricken It’s not all laughs though, as we see After a clip of one particularly pair to Italy, where he has an Maradona rail against US President audacious goal we cut to Maradona academic job in the city of Director Emir Kusturica, George W. Bush, “a piece of human talking to Kusturica in the Belgrade the title and ... maybe things left, and soccer great garbage,” and revisit the Buenos Aires stadium where he scored it. He can get better for everyone. Diego Maradona struck slum where he grew up. In one of the describes how, having beaten a But the younger daughter starts to see visions of her up a warm relationship interviews interspersed throughout the number of players, he noticed the mother, the older daughter becomes rather less obedient in Maradona by Kusturica. film, he talks about how his addiction keeper had advanced far off his and Firth samples the local ladies as tensions build to a PHOTOS COURTESY OF ATOM CINEMA to cocaine almost cost him his life. line. So, after feigning to unleash a climax. Director Michael Winterbottom’s latest movie has Kusturica pins his colors to the powerful shot, he scooped his foot passionate supporters, unlike his last film released here, mast at the beginning of the film, when under the ball to send it in a high arc the sexually explicit 9 Songs, which was censored (the he is described as the “Maradona of over the keepers head and into the sex, not the songs). No such fate for Genova, thankfully. cinema” and recounts how for gods all net before recounting with glee the is forgiven. expression of bemused amazement on The film makes little attempt at his opponent’s face. Chocolate even-handed treatment of its subject as At one point in the film Maradona A step up from Shaolin Girl, we see Maradona “the revolutionary” recounts an unusual way in which this is a Thai carnival of meeting then Cuban leader Fidel Castro he honed his extraordinary skills. He kickboxing mayhem; this time MARADONA BY KUSTURICA and sharing a platform with Venezuelan recalls playing soccer as a child at the hero is female — and President Hugo Chavez; Diego the every possible opportunity, even in the autistic. Snacking on chocolate DIRECTED BY: EMIR KUSTURICA family man with his parents, wife dark, which made playing in daylight will get her in the mood for and daughters (but not his shunned a breeze. violence, especially when a FEATURING: DIEGO MARADONA AND EMIR KUSTURICA illegitimate son); and sympathizing with Toward the end of the film, friend sets her up with victims the director at the sight of a bombed- Maradona expresses regret about who owe her ailing mother a lot of money. The trailer RUNNING TIME: 90 MINUTES out building in Belgrade. the devastating effects of his cocaine features a relentless series of matchups, which are intense Still, it’s not all rose-tinted, as addiction on himself and his family. enough to conclude that the heroine should stay away TAIWAN RELEASE: TODAY Kusturica has difficulty pinning the “Imagine what a player I’d have from dark chocolate if possible. From the director of Argentine down despite the film been if I hadn’t taken cocaine,” he Ong-Bak. The Chinese-language title is “Fatal Chocolate”; LANGUAGE: ENGLISH AND SPANISH WITH ENGLISH AND being two years in the making, and says. “What a player we lost,” he says perhaps the local distributor is trying to cash in on the CHINESE SUBTITLES a guilt-ridden Maradona painfully with a laugh. fear of imports from China with complimentary toxins. Le Rayon Vert City cinema weekend box office takings And now for the winner of this month’s Weird Release Award. (Sept. 20 and Sept. 21) Legendary French director Eric Source: Group Power Entertainment Corp Rohmer made this drama way back in 1986. As with most of his work, multiplex audiences will be left scratching their heads over this tale of a Parisian woman (Marie Riviere) who splits up with her beau, then spends the rest of the film struggling to communicate with almost everyone as she recoils from social agendas she would rather not satisfy. Showing exclusively at the Changchun theater in Taipei — an art house multiplex. Also Cape No. 7 Righteous Kill Hellboy II: The Golden Army 4bia Orz Boyz known as Summer. (海角七號) (世紀交鋒) (地獄怪客II:金甲軍團) (鬼4虐) (囧男孩) NT$19,915,934 NT$3,685,907 NT$2,777,272 NT$1,714,489 NT$1,688,777 he New York Film Festival As of yet, American filmgoers Nixon and the satire on American it was reported Tdefines itself as an annual have been reluctant to explore violence Natural Born Killers, said he on Wednesday. chance to take account of the state of contemporary foreign filmmakers wanted to shed some light on Bush’s Willis, best film as art. — even those who have amassed a true character and his story. known as the Last year’s story line was obvious large body of work, helped along by “Fifty million people voted for gun-toting enough: American filmmakers, from festival support and critical acclaim. him on two occasions,” Stone said. star of the Die Julian Schnabel to Wes Anderson, It’s an “improbable story” about a “He was in the same league for a long Hard films, is were making — and finding ways to simple man who somehow becomes time as [former US president] Ronald to begin filming distribute — some excellent movies. the most powerful leader in the world, Reagan, until he became so offensive.” on Three Stories What a difference a year makes. says director Oliver Stone about his In the much anticipated movie, About Joan This year’s festival — which opens new movie W a biopic of the current Stone revisits the tumultuous youth of next month, today with the US premiere of the which was financed outside of the US president.