hi…
been here in taiwan for a few months…
trying to locate independent films… sick of hollywood blockbusters…
which theatres have showings/screenings of quality films?
or where may i buy dvds such as whalerider…etc?
thanks…ciao,
sophie
Whalerider looks good. I saw a trailer on a DVD I rented the other night. This site says its out on DVD on Jan. 19.
I think that movie (whale rider) will be coming to Taiwan. I saw trailers and posters for it at Warner Village. Very soon… me thinks.
Oh… also, my GF borrowed a DVD of Ichii the Killer (Gory cult Japanese flick) from a friend of hers that said he bought it from a guy who has a small shop near the train station that sells lots of hard to find/rare/different movies (they might be of the affordable variety as well 
. I know that’s kind of vague but perhaps someone else knows where this mysterious shop is and can post an address.
Spot Theater, Taipei’s art house theater on ZhongShan N. Rd, north of the Nanjing intersection. Comfortable seats, quality films, coffee, bookstore, beautiful architecture all in one location. Only drawback: small screen.
Cool. I haven’t been there yet, but here’s their link:
And this page of their website lists current features and showtimes:
Whale Rider comes on tonight. It will be playing at The Scholar at 176 Changchun Rd, the Xinxin Jinghua on Linsen N Rd behind the Grand Formosa Regent, Warner Village, and Cinemark (Breeze).
One word of warning: there is a movie distributor in town that hands out large batches of free tickets to teachers, resulting in long lines of teachers and their children in front of the theater. I know Whale Rider is one of their movies, but I’m not sure if their tickets are valid in all of the theaters mentioned above.
Good cinemas for independent films and non-Hollywood fare are the Majestic in front of Ximen MRT station, and the Juese (sorry, don’t know its English name). When you walk out of the Ximen MRT station’s main exit, you have an Eslite building (which includes the Majestic) in front of you. Walk into the street to the right of that building, and then take the first street on the right at the roundpoint. The Juese should then be on your left side.
Remember, of course, that movies do not have English subtitles, so if you go and see say a German or an Indian, you’ll be dependent on either the Chinese subtitles or your understanding of the original language. I recently saw the excellent German comedy “Goodbye Lenin” at the Majestic but I don’t know if it’s still on.
Majestic is a great theater for indy films. The movie group saw a few movies there and I love it!!!
So check it out!! The price is reasonable and great seating… but remember, to bring a jacket with you. It is awafully cold in there.
[quote=“MiakaW”]Majestic is a great theater for indy films. The movie group saw a few movies there and I love it!!!
So check it out!! The price is reasonable and great seating… but remember, to bring a jacket with you. It is awafully cold in there.[/quote]
Where is Majestic?
As mention, Majestic is located right next to XiMending. If you take the MRT to XiMen Stop and take your self to exit 4 (which is where XiMenDing’s walkway starts and meeting point for most people) and Majestic is right next to McD. It should be right in front of you when you exist. 
a few good indy films…
- 21 Grams (with Benicio Del Toro)
- Big Fish (Ewan McGregor)
- Ghost World (Ms. Birch)
…to be cont’…
Yes "Ghost World is definitely worth a look. I was really surprised at how much I liked this film. Scarlet Johannson who stars alongside Bill Murray in the new Sofia Coppola film “Lost In Translation” is also in “Ghost World”.
Kissing Jessica Stein is pretty good as well…
Saw Secretary the other day and all I have to say is… WOWOWOWOW
[quote=“MiakaW”]a few good indy films…
- Big Fish (Ewan McGregor)
[/quote]Does he get his “purple lightsaber” out in this one too ?
thank you for those that replied… i am very excited to check out spot…
now i’ll just need to find places that spin uk break/dub/acid jazz with minimal smoking; great quiet cafe that sell chai tea; a bookstore with large selection of english books (not teaching materials); meet the creative underground scene; places that explore metaphysics (meditatiion, sound therapy); yummy organic vegetarian retaurants… and i will be very very grateful…
if you know any or (dare i wish) ALL the places mentioned above… please let me know/ contact me…
will be in taiwan for a while and am interested in exploring this place with as little adventures into ktv/mall-hood as possible…
thanks a lot, sophie
[quote=“sophie”]…great quiet cafe that sell chai tea[/quote]I haven’t found any chai tea but rather chai coffee! Somewhere across the South China Sea there was a transformation from tea to coffee!
[quote=“sophie”]…great quiet cafe that sell chai teameet the creative underground scene; places that explore metaphysics (meditatiion, sound therapy); yummy organic vegetarian retaurants… and I will be very very grateful…
if you know any or (dare I wish) ALL the places mentioned above… please let me know/ contact me…
will be in Taiwan for a while and am interested in exploring this place with as little adventures into ktv/mall-hood as possible…[/quote]I can understand your desire for home comforts, and new-agey things of all sorts, the good and the baloney, are becoming popular here. (I recommend the Taiwanfun website for some good info on organic/vege restaurants and all sorts of other interesting stuff; taiwanfun.com/ ).
But I hope that you don’t limit the range of experiences you might have here. There’s nothing wrong with a good night at KTV, and things like that could be a good way of making friends with Taiwanese girl friends, for example.