The Alienation in Urban Taipei in Tsai Ming-liang's Film Essay

The Alienation in Urban Taipei in Tsai Ming-liang's Film - Essay Example (Rivire, 1999, p 81) As he moved to Taiwan at the age of 20 years and chose film direction as profession his filmmaking style-both in terms of the plots and portrayal of characters-largely reflected the sense of alienation experienced by him in youth days as emigrants in Malaysia and the initial and subsequent impressions about the microcosmic and paced worlds of large urban centers rushing headlong toward emotionless and cruel uniformity. Reality probing was a favorite with Tsai from these early years. "I think European films are closer to me because they are about modern life and ordinary, modern men," Tsai told Nanouk Leopold. "And I have the idea they are more realistic, true to life." (Nanouk, 2002) Tsai began with TV dramas (1989-'91) and went to make a TV documentary, about AIDS (My New Friends, 1995), and some features, notable and well known among them being: Rebels of the Neon God (1992), Vive l'Amour (1994), The River (1996), and The Hole (1998). All of these features are set in backdrop of modern day Taipei and have remarkable branding with the primary issue of metropolitan loneliness and isolation. These exceptional and highly critically acclaimed films whose constant refrain reverberate with the reality of emptiness and nothingness in today's urban lives as central theme, invariably leave characters isolated in lonely madness pursuing routine without making much meaning of the numerous developments happening around them in fast paced metropolitan worlds. His above films set in clearly that the protagonists are mesmerised and confused by half grafted Western values in the pursuit of a modern capitalist lives, in fast paced transformation facing their societies which are now torn with occidental and oriental contradictions. The apparent conflicts between age-old Eastern values and traditions and the fast paced West aping civilization and the telling impact of such conflicts on urban dweller of today in term of heightening alienation has been portray ed with startling clarity in these films. This paper examines in detail the sense of alienation portrayed in the above mentioned films of Tsai Ming-liang's. Alienation in The HoleThe Hole catches action in the events that are supposed to have taken place in penultimate days of the year 1999, when an unexplained and mysterious end-of-the-millennium virus affliction with which causes people to behave like cockroaches has compelled the government to quarantine (and stop servicing) large sections of Taipei metropolis. Two characters - played by Lee Kang-sheng and Yang Kuei-mei - live in one apartment complex on flats located on successive floors, and a plumber's fault instead on mending a leak results in a gaping hole between the flats which is the main cause of concern and distress for theses two central actors. The film's landscape is writ with urban desolation and commences in a ramshackle movie theater exhibiting a non decrepit show with little attendance. The backdrop is equally desolate in that it is night and raining hard with not a soul on deserted streets of Taipei. All these i.e... the

Strickland vs. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984) Research Paper

Strickland vs. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984) - Research Paper Example He said that his lack of ability to support his family caused the stress. While the attorney was preparing for the hearing, although he spoke with the defendant about his background, he failed to ask for a psychiatric evaluation of the defendant, to seek a presentence report or to look for character witnesses. His decision of not presenting evidence concerning the emotional state and character of the defendant reflected his judgment that as to such matters, relying on the plea colloquy for evidence was advisable in order to avert the State from carrying out a cross-examination on the defendant as well as presenting its own psychiatric evidence. The article further states that the reason behind the defense attorney not requesting a presentence report was that it would have included the criminal history of the defendant, which would in turn undermine the claim that he did not have any considerable prior criminal record (1). Finding no extenuating circumstances that would make it rule otherwise, the trial court pronounced a death sentence on the defendant. The defendant, following the exhaustion of his state court remedies, filed a habeas corpus petition in a federal district court in Florida. He challenged the death sentence arguing that there had been a violation of his Sixth Amendment right for the reason that during the sentencing proceeding, his defense counsel had not represented him effectively/adequately. Subsequent to an evidentiary hearing of the defendant’s claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, the District Court denied relief. Although the Florida’s federal district court rebuffed the petition, the defendant appealed in the United States’ Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which reversed it holding that according to the Sixth Amendment, criminal defendants had a right to receive plausibly effective help from the counsel given the totality of the