Short Subjectives October 12 2005

Opening Friday

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· EL CRIMEN FERPECTO (NR) In Alex de la Iglesia’s dark comedy, a rivalry between department store employees leads to increasingly violent and complicated twists. Landmark Midtown Art Cinema.

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· DOMINO 1 star. (R) See review.

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· ELIZABETHTOWN (PG-13) See review.

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· THE FOG (PG-13) From the department of unnecessary remakes comes this retread of John Carpenter’s modestly entertaining 1980 thriller about a coastal town menace by sea-going spooks wreathed in fog. It stars Clark Kent from “Smallville” and the bitchy blonde from “Lost.”

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· GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK 5 stars. (PG) See review.

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· THE UNTOLD STORY OF EMMET LOUIS TILL 4 stars. (NR) See review. Landmark Midtown Art Cinema.

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Duly Noted

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· BRUSH UP YOUR SCHILLER (1990) (NR) A program of film adaptations of 18th-century playwright Friedrich Schiller begins with this documentary on the life and importance of the “German Shakespeare.” $3-$4. Wed., Oct. 19, 7 p.m. Goethe Institut Atlanta, 1197 Peachtree St. 404-892-2388. www.goethe.de/atlanta.

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· DIXIE FILM FESTIVAL (NR) This second annual festival of independent film features 37 films, including the work of 10 local artists vying for the Mason-Dixon Award for most promising Georgia filmmaker. The program includes Arthur Seidelman’s The Sisters, an adaptation of Chekhov’s Three Sisters starring Maria Bello; and Kitania Kavey’s “Smashing Stereotypes,” about Hollywood’s typecasting of an Asian actor. $10. Fri.-Sat., Oct. 14-15, call for times. Cinefest, GSU University Center, Suite 211, 66 Courtland St. 404-651-3565. www.dixiefilmfest.com.

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· FIRECRACKER (2004) (NR) Steve Balderson’s quirky drama stars Mike Patton and Karen Black, each in dual roles, as well as a supporting cast of real-life carnival “freaks” including the Enigma, Lobster Girl and George the Giant. Thurs., Oct. 20, 7:30 p.m. Landmark Midtown Art Cinema. 931 Monroe Drive. 404-872-5796.

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· GEORGE A. ROMERO’S LAND OF THE DEAD 2 stars. (R) Expect more gore in this unrated director’s cut from George Romero, who virtually invented the ultra-violent zombie flick with Night of Living Dead. Much of the film plays like second-string Mad Max, with tough commandos trying to protect a besieged human city from an army of increasingly intelligent zombies. If you’re not already a fan of the genre, you’ll find Land of the Dead a little too disgusting to stomach, but Romero’s sociopolitical consciousness remains intact. The film plays like a parable of the have-nots rising against the haves. And eating them. Mon., Oct. 17, 8 p.m. Regal Perimeter Pointe, 1155 Mt. Vernon Highway. — Curt Holman

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· HOTEL RWANDA 4 stars. (PG-13) Don Cheadle superbly portrays a middle-class Rwandan hotel manager who rescues hundreds of Tutsis during the country’s 1994 genocide. Irish filmmaker Terry George uses suspense film techniques to seize our attention for the film’s angry themes, holding the nations of the West directly responsible for their inaction during the massacres. Hotel Rwanda combines a compelling narrative with moral clarity better than any political film of the past year. $5 ($3 until 5 p.m.). Oct. 14-20, call for times. Cinefest, GSU Student Center, Suite 211, 66 Courtland St. 404-651-3565. www2.gsu.edu/~wwwcft. — Holman

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· INTIMATE STORIES (2004) (NR) This Spanish/Argentinian co-production depicts a series of delicate stories set against the windswept, epic emptiness of Patagonia. Latin American Film Festival. Fri., Oct. 14, 8 p.m. Woodruff Arts Center, Rich Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St.; Wed., Oct. 19, Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, 931 Monroe Drive. $5. 404-733-4570. www.high.org.

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· THE LIGHT SERIES (NR) The third in a five-part series about the use of light in artists’ films features a program of historic and new works from such artists as Lynn Marie Kirby, Luis Recorder, Saul Levine and Guy Sherwin. Available Light. Wed., Oct. 19, 8 p.m. Eyedrum, 290 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Suite 8. $5. 404-522-0655. www.eyedrum.org.

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· LOUISE ALONE THOMPSON PATTERSON: IN HER OWN WORDS (NR) Director Louis Massiah introduces his documentary about Louise Thompson Patterson, Civil Rights leader and longtime member of the Communist Party. Mon., Oct. 17, 6 p.m. Woodruff Library, Emory University, 540 Asbury Circle. 404-727-7620.

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· THE MYSTERY OF THE TRINIDAD (2003) (NR) The same screenwriter of Y Tu Mama Tambien penned this tale of the strife that erupts between siblings following the death of their womanizing father obsessed with a wrecked Spanish galleon. Latin American Film Festival. $5. Sat., Oct. 15, 8 p.m. Woodruff Arts Center, Rich Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St. 404-733-4570. www.high.org.

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· THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975) (R) The cult classic of cult classics, the musical horror spoof follows an all-American couple (Susan Sarandon and Barry Bostwick) to the castle of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry), a drag-queen/mad scientist from another galaxy. It’s all fun and games until Meat Loaf gets killed. Dress as your favorite character and participate in this musical on acid. Midnight Fri. at Lefont Plaza Theatre and Sat. at Peachtree Cinema & Games, Norcross.

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· 3-IRON (2004) 3 stars. (R) South Korean director Kim Ki-duk’s drama is an oddball flight of fancy about a pretty rebel on a motorcycle (Jae Hee) who squats in a succession of Seoul apartments while their occupants are away. He hooks up with a beautiful, physically abused married woman (Lee Seung-yeon) who joins him on his trespassing sleep-overs. In his eerily serene, quiet film, Kim Ki-duk’s lovers never speak to each other, though that is just one strange aspect of a curiouser and curiouser sugary-spooky story that feels like equal parts ghost tale and Hello Kitty. $5 ($3 until 5 p.m.). Thurs., Oct. 13, call for times. Cinefest, GSU University Center, Suite 211, 66 Courtland St. 404-651-3565. www2.gsu.edu/~wwwcft. — Felicia Feaster

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· URBAN MEDIAMAKERS FILM FESTIVAL (NR) The fourth annual festival for independent film professionals features film screenings, music video and film competitions, and awards presented to Tyler Perry, Queen Latifah and Hustle & Flow director Craig Brewer. Fri.-Sun., Oct. 14-16. Sheraton Buckhead Hotel, 3405 Lenox Road. 404-460-2793. www.umff.com.

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Continuing

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· THE ARISTOCRATS 4 stars. (NR) George Carlin, Gilbert Gottfried, Sarah Silverman, John Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg and scores of other comedians take turns telling — or commenting on — an old, notoriously offensive joke usually reserved for other comedians instead of their audiences. Depending on your tolerance for humor based on every imaginable human depravity, you might not always find The Aristocrats a funny gag, but this documentary (from Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette) earns some honest laughs while offering fascinating — and uncomfortable — insights into the minds of professional jokemeisters. — Holman

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· BROKEN FLOWERS 2 stars. (R) Cinema’s two reigning Zen masters of deadpan understatement, Bill Murray and filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, dial it back a little too far in this melancholy comedy. Murray’s aging Don Juan road-trips to see which of four ex-lovers (played superbly by Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange and Tilda Swinton) is the mother to the son he never knew. With such self-conscious tedium and heavy-handed symbols, Broken Flowers feels wasteful of its terrific cast, although Murray’s touchingly subtle work strikes some highly affecting chords in the last 15 minutes. — Holman

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· THE CONSTANT GARDENER 4 stars. (R) In this flashy, faithful adaptation of John Le Carré’s espionage best seller, Ralph Fiennes plays impressively against type as a meek diplomat in Africa investigating the murder of his activist wife (Rachel Weisz). Director Fernando Mereilles brings a similar intensity and eye for telling detail that marked sizzling City of God and makes The Constant Gardener one of the rare political thriller’s that’s actually about politics. Too many characters seem to exist simply for exposition instead of insight, but the film stirringly blends suspenseful paranoia, tragic romance and indignation at corporate misdeeds in the Third World. — Holman

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· CORPSE BRIDE 3 stars. (PG) A misunderstood young artiste (voiced by Johnny Depp) finds himself married to a half-skeletal dead woman (Helena Bonham Carter) in this stop-motion animated film co-directed by Tim Burton. The morbid animation style and Danny Elfman songs evoke memories of The Nightmare Before Christmas, but the thin story fails to measure up. Nevertheless, nearly every frame of Corpse Bride offers a clever, memorable image, and the comedy clicks in the last act when the dead reunite with the living. — Holman

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· DEUCE BIGALOW: EUROPEAN GIGOLO (R) In one of those inexplicable sequels to movies you can’t imagine anyone going to see the first time around, Rob Schneider plays a male ho tricked into whoring around Amsterdam. Bound to make you miss that “Fred Garvin: Male Prostitute” sketch from “Saturday Night Live.”

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· THE DEVIL’S REJECTS (R) The wait is over: Musician Rob Zombie has written and directed another movie, taking up where House of 1000 Corpses left off. I guess House of 1001 Corpses wasn’t as good a title.

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· EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED 4 stars. (PG-13) Elijah Wood plays a Brooklyn writer who travels to the Ukraine in search of his past. Gogol Bordello frontman Eugene Hutz is divine as Wood’s flaky tour guide, who leads him on an initially loopy and then poignant journey to the Jewish shtetl his grandfather escaped during WWII. A fine, affecting first film from actor-turned-director Liev Schreiber. — Feaster

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· THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE 2 stars. (PG-13) A morally conflicted, atheist attorney (Laura Linney) defends a brooding priest (Tom Wilkinson) of negligent homicide in the wake of an unsuccessful exorcism. With an Oscar-caliber cast and a premise that blends courtroom drama with supernatural conflicts, this supernatural thriller promises scares and thoughtful content, and fails to deliver them both. You’d do better with a Halloween episode of “Law and Order” than Exorcism’s lame legal plot points and muddled spirituality. — Holman

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· FLIGHTPLAN 2 stars. (PG-13) On the heels of Red Eye comes this month’s aerial thriller. This one, about a widow (Jodie Foster) whose daughter disappears during an intercontinental flight, quickly begins its narrative descent and eventually explodes on contact, creating fireballs of flaws so massive, they obliterate entire theater auditoriums and even singe the concession stands. Foster’s performance deserves a better showcase — instead, she’s much like the lone suitcase that’s left on the baggage claim belt, circling wearily while surrounded by an atmosphere of indifference. — Matt Brunson

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· THE 40 YEAR-OLD VIRGIN 4 stars. (R) Can a sheltered, geeky electronics store employee (“The Daily Show’s” Steve Carell, who co-wrote the script) discover the joys of man-on-woman action, or will fate conspire comedically against him? This raunchy but surprisingly sweet comedy with a relaxed, engaging cast takes great pleasure in examining society’s sexual obsessions and the anxiety it engenders. It’s a little long, but like the cable cult-flick Office Space, it gets plenty of mileage from taking place in the same generic, chain-store America where must of us live, work and play. — Holman

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· THE GOSPEL 2 stars. (PG-13) Atlanta filmmaker Rob Hardy wrote and directed this heavy-handed tale of an R&B star who returns to his estranged father’s church seeking redemption. Some soaring numbers from some of gospel music’s biggest stars and a charismatic performance from “The Wire’s” Idris Elba as an ambitious, media-savvy pastor provide the brightest spots in this unsubtle retelling of the prodigal son parable. — Holman

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· THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED (PG) An amateur, working-class golfer (Holes’ Shia LaBeouf) takes on the defending British champion at the 1913 U.S. Open. Expect lots of triumphant, feel-good sports movie rah-rah.

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· IMAX THEATER — The Living Sea (NR): Humpback whales, golden jellyfish and giant clams star in this documentary about the diversity of undersea life, with music by Sting and narrated by Meryl Streep. Closes Fri., Sept. 30. Mystery of the Nile (NR): This IMAX adventure follows a small group of reporters and filmmakers as they travel 3,000 miles up the Nile River. Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets (NR): This exploration of one of America’s greatest natural wonders retraces the canyon’s history, from Native Americans to modern-day whitewater rafters. Fernbank Museum of Natural History IMAX Theater, 767 Clifton Road. 404-929-6300. www.fernbank.edu.

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· IN HER SHOES (PG-13) In this adaptation of the popular chick-lit novel, Cameron Diaz and Toni Colette play polar opposite sisters who bond when they meet the grandmother (Shirley MacLaine) they never knew they had.

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· INTO THE BLUE (PG-13) This thriller stars The Fast and the Furious’ Paul Walker and Sin City’s Jessica Alba as divers who run afoul of dangerous criminals when they discover a downed cargo plane on the ocean floor. (Hey, is this a remake of The Deep? Sure sounds like The Deep.)

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· JUNEBUG 4 stars. (R) This deeply charming, tender story about a Southern homecoming, bristles with honest observation and wit, much of it transmitted by Amy Adams as a pregnant Southern ball of fire. George (Alessandro Nivola) and his sophisticated new wife, Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz), head from their Chicago home to visit his folks in North Carolina where they find a South defined by close, unspoken family ties and no small amount of heartbreak, as captured by first-time director Phil Morrison and screenwriter Angus MacLachlan. — Feaster

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· JUST LIKE HEAVEN 2 stars. (PG-13) In sort of an undead Goodbye Girl, the intangible specter of a workaholic doctor (Reese Witherspoon) haunts the depressed, slobby hunk (Mark Ruffalo) who sublet her apartment. Witherspoon and Ruffalo improve on overly familiar material and Jon Heder, who played the title role in Napoleon Dynamite, has a small, scene-stealing role as a slacker psychic. If you’ve ever seen a Meg Ryan movie, you won’t find much new here. — Holman

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· MARCH OF THE PENGUINS 2 stars. (G) This French documentary, a kind of inferior, nonflying version of Winged Migration, concerns the annual migration of Antarctica’s emperor penguins from their bachelor digs across inhospitable climes to their mating grounds. The doc features adorable birds, cloying, hard-to-take narration from Morgan Freeman and the not exactly original assessment that nature is cruel. — Feaster

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· MEMORY OF A KILLER (R) Called The Alzheimer Case in its native Belgium, this police thriller follows two police detectives on the trail of a ruthless murderer, despite the senior partner’s memory-impairing illness.

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· PROOF 2 stars. (PG-13) Director John Madden’s film joins Gwyneth Paltrow’s Sylvia and that other bug house drama Girl, Interrupted in the sorority of films about beautiful, tortured women that give paltry indications of what that pain feels like. Paltrow has delivered the actorly goods in previous work such as Shakespeare in Love, but her mumbling monotone becomes irritating as a too-easy shorthand for depression. Her golden girl radiance could have used a brown rinse to convince us she is the self-defeating, shut-in math genius worried that she may have inherited her brilliant father’s (Anthony Hopkins) propensity for mental illness. — Feaster

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· ROLL BOUNCE (PG-13) The artist known as Bow Wow stars in this coming-of-age comedy set primarily in a 1970s roller rink. If you’ve been longing for a throwback to the era of Roller Boogie, this is your chance.

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· THE THING ABOUT MY FOLKS (PG-13) For this week’s family road trip comedy, Paul Reiser wrote, produced and stars in this schmaltzy project about a son trying to patch things up between his bickering parents (Peter Falk and Olympia Dukakis).

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· THUMBSUCKER 5 stars. (R) An endearing, lo-fi angst-fest about a kid (Lou Taylor Pucci) who at 17-years-old is still sucking his thumb, this adaptation of Walter Kirn’s novel is also an insightful vision of a world where hypnosis and pharmaceuticals are the pathways to success, though they can’t hide the mess the world is in. Boasting a sublime cast including Tilda Swinton and Vincent D’Onofrio as the thumbsucker’s equally damaged parents and Vince Vaughn as a dingy debate coach, Thumbsucker manages to go deep and provide some pretty scathing commentary on American life without being glib or cruel about it. — Feaster

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· TRANSPORTER 2 (PG-13) Jason Statham reprises his role as a former Special Forces operative who kicks ass, takes names and transports stuff. Here he must rescue a pair of kidnapped twins, so think The Pacifier without the laughs. Assuming The Pacifier had laughs.

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· TWO FOR THE MONEY (R) Gambling and con games figure into this tale starring Matthew McConaughey as a former college football star whose skill at predicting the outcome of sporting events attracts the interest of Al Pacino’s hustling sports consultant. It sounds like the Pacino-Keanu Reeves dynamic in The Devil’s Advocate, only this time Pacino’s probably not literally Satan.

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· AN UNFINISHED LIFE 2 stars. (PG-13) A gruff cowboy (Robert Redford) who still blames his daughter-in-law (Jennifer Lopez) for his son’s death isn’t thrilled when she shows up uninvited with her young daughter (Becca Gardner) in tow. It’s good to see Redford playing a character who’s more ornery than iconic, and the impressive Gardner provides a boost to every scene in which she appears — she especially blossoms opposite Morgan Freeman, cast as Redford’s trusty companion. Yet the camaraderie between the Redford and Freeman characters isn’t always convincing — it plays like an inferior version of the Freeman-Eastwood tag team in Million Dollar Baby — while the heavy-handed moralizing leads to all the expected climaxes and conclusions. — Brunson

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· WAITING ... (R) This raunchy comedy stars Ryan Reynolds, Anna Faris and Justin Long as the restless, partying, sex-obsessed waitstaff of a chain restaurant called “Shenanigan’s.”

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· WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT 3 stars. (G) Inane inventor Wallace (voiced by Peter Sallis) and his silent, sensible dog Gromit take on an oversized rabbit-monster before their town’s beloved vegetable competition. Compared to Chicken Run and the Claymation duo’s short films, Were-Rabbit’s script feels thin and puns feel forced, but the film’s brilliant set-pieces wittily lampoon horror film clichés. — Holman