Short Subjectives August 06 2008

OPENING WEDNESDAY

BOTTLE SHOCK (PG-13) Bill Pullman and Alan Rickman star in this film, based on a true story, about a struggling California wine seller who changes the wine industry with a remarkable chardonnay.

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS (R) See review.

THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2 (PG-13) This sequel finds best friends Tibby, Carmen, Bridget and Lena reunited after a year away at college and struggling to keep in touch against the odds. Based on the series of novels by Ann Bradshare.

Opening Friday

AMERICAN TEEN (PG-13) See review.

HELL RIDE (R) Quentin Tarantino presents writer/director/actor Larry Bishop’s spaghetti-Western-style action thriller about the Victors — a group of vengeful bikers — and their rival gang, the 666ers.

MAN ON WIRE (PG-13) See review.

TUYA’S MARRIAGE (NR) Tuya (Yu Nan), a Mongolian desert herder, is forced to legally divorce her loving, disabled husband and seek a wealthier man when a back injury makes her unable to support her family.

Duly Noted

BIG, LOUD & LIVE 5 The 2008 Drum Corps International’s World Championship Quarterfinals come to the big screen in theaters around the country in this one-night special event. Thurs., Aug. 7. Prices and locations vary. www.fathomevents.com.

CINEMAMA!!! The film series shows films every Thursday night and includes popcorn, pillows and drinks. July’s theme is documentaries. Free. 8 p.m. New Street Gallery, 2800 Washington St., Avondale Estates. cinemama.org.

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. Midnight, Fridays at Plaza Theatre, and Saturdays at Peachtree Cinema & Games, Norcross.

THE WILL TO SURVIVE: THE STORY OF THE GULLAH/GEECHEE NATION Screened as part of “Movies with a Mission,” this documentary tells the story of the isolated Gullah/Geechee people. Thurs., Aug. 7. Free. 6 p.m. APEX Museum, 135 Auburn Ave. www.sankofaspirit.com.

Continuing

BRIDESHEAD REVISITED 3 stars Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode), an art student at Oxford, discovers old family manor house Brideshead to be a pope-worthy repository for classical artwork, and, in its own way, a stronghold for Catholicism. Julian Jarrold directs a smart and compelling version of Evelyn Waugh’s 1945 novel, which tempered the author’s trademark satirical cynicism with compassion. -- Curt Holman

CHRIS & DON: A LOVE STORY 3 stars Filmmakers Guido Santi and Tina Mascara profile the enduring relationship between British writer Christopher Isherwood and the much younger Don Bachardo, who went from being practically a boy toy when they met to a flourishing portrait artist. The story is told through archival interviews with and readings by the late Isherwood and interviews with the surviving Bachardy, as well as quaint animation taken from their illustrated love letters. --David Lee Simmons

CSNY: DÉJÀ VU 3 stars (R) Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s tour documentary, shot during the group’s aptly named 2006 Freedom of Speech Tour, deftly blends the band’s anti-war sentiment with a fond appreciation of the troops’ sacrifices. The delicate balance undercuts the notion of protest as unpatriotic, and instead underscores the value of dissent. Unfortunately, the movie’s a little light on the band’s interpersonal dynamics, and instead settles for an early observation by David Crosby of Young as a “benevolent” dictator. We see too many group hugs, and not enough creative collaboration. — Simmons

THE DARK KNIGHT 4 stars (PG-13) Director Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to Batman Begins features such sharp conflicts, gritty locations and breathless action scenes that the flamboyant hero and villain costumes seem almost superfluous. The late Heath Ledger’s creepy, charismatic turn as the anarchic Joker could have earned the actor a second career playing movie bad guys, while Aaron Eckhart’s portrayal of district attorney Harvey Dent, the “white knight” of crime-ridden Gotham City, gives the film the dimensions of classic tragedy. As Bruce Wayne, Christian Bale doesn’t seem to mind being upstaged. — Holman

ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD 4 stars (G) Werner Herzog combs Antarctica’s icebergs and underwater marvels in another existential meditation on the tensions between man and nature. The film underscores Herzog’s enduring existential crisis — that man’s importance is infinitesimal when set against the backdrop of nature. It’s not long before we realize that the “end of the world” referred to in the movie’s title isn’t just a geographical location, but man’s fate as well. — Simmons

GONZO: THE LIFE AND WORK OF DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON 3 stars (R) Documentarian Alex Gibney applies the same scrutiny to the complicated issues that fueled his previous work, including the Oscar-winning Taxi to the Dark Side, and applies it to that most complicated of journalists, Hunter S. Thompson. Though there have been plenty of works on Mr. Gonzo over the years, this one feels the most comprehensive, with a range of interviews of family, friends and (perhaps best of all) his enemies. — Simmons

HANCOCK 3 stars (PG-13) Will Smith plays hilariously against his slick megastar image as John Hancock, a superhero with Kryptonian powers who’s nevertheless a drunken, surly jerk who causes more problems than he alleviates. The first hour or so of Hancock has a great deal of fun with its premise, which satirizes superheroes and misbehaving celebrities, and gives Hancock an amusing foil in Jason Bateman’s idealistic publicist (now there’s a contradiction in terms). The last section throws logic, humor and audience goodwill out the window, and no one catches the movie when it falls. — Holman

HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY 3 stars (PG-13) Wisecracking outcast demon Hellboy (Ron Perlman) and his ghostbusting pals try to stop a pissed-off prince (Luke Goss) of mystical beings from waging war on the human race. Pan’s Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro may be a visionary filmmaker, but isn’t much of a juggler, and here he takes on more themes, subplots and running gags than he can handle. With Hellboy II, he’ll have to settle for offering one of the most outlandishly stylish screen fantasies ever made. -- Holman

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL 3 stars (PG-13) The latest Indy flick embraces the franchise’s nostalgia for itself, but the sentimental streak seems justifiable given the 19-year interim between chapters. It isn’t exactly a fresh film adventure — an automotive chase through the jungle feels like an undisguised retread of Raiders of the Lost Ark’s truck chase. But Crystal Skull comes across not as lazy, but laid-back, as though the filmmakers have too much confidence to panic about trying to top the earlier films, or compete with their younger selves. -- Holman

KUNG FU PANDA 4 stars (PG) In fairy-tale, talking-animal China, a fat panda named Po (voiced by Jack Black) is improbably chosen to be the all-powerful “Dragon Warrior.” The studio that gave us the Shrek movies downplays the pop references and body-function humor for a satisfying CGI action/comedy that features a splendid visual design and surprisingly exciting fight scenes, including a chopstick fight between Po and his diminutive teacher (voiced by Dustin Hoffman). — Holman

MAMMA MIA! 3 stars (PG-13) The songs of 1970s Swedish supergroup ABBA inspire this musical, which trades sequins and disco for the sun and sand of a gorgeous Greek isle. A bride-to-be (Amanda Seyfried) invites the three men who may be her father (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgård) to her wedding, without the knowledge of her single mother (Meryl Streep). The dads can’t sing at all, and choreography is practically nonexistent, but the catchy melodies and Streep’s upbeat portrayal should give the film plenty of appeal to women of a certain age. Christine Baranski steals the show with a saucy rendition of “Does Your Mother Know.” — Holman

MONGOL 4 stars (R) Russian director Sergei Bodrov traces the rise of Temudgin (Japanese actor Tadanobu Asano), better known to history as Genghis Khan, in this sweeping, exciting period piece nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. — Holman

THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR 3 stars (PG-13) In post-WWII China, retired treasure hunters Rick and Evelyn O’Connell (Brendan Fraser and Maria Bello) must stop resurrected Chinese Emperor Han (Jet Li) from finding Shangri-la, becoming immortal and raising an unstoppable army of terra-cotta warriors. -- Holman

UP THE YANGTZE 5 stars (NR) This fascinating documentary combines spectacular images with intimate stories by showing the flooding of the Yangtze River as an example of China’s industrial growing pains. — Holman

THE VISITOR 3 stars (PG-13) Writer/director Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent) continues his examination of people who have lost their rhythm in life with his story about a college professor (“Six Feet Under’s” Richard Jenkins) who is snapped out of his funk when he becomes involved with two charming illegal immigrants (Haaz Sleiman, Danai Guirira). -- Simmons

WALL-E 4 stars (G) “WALL-E,” a lonely, trash-compacting machine that might be the last entity on Earth, pursues his love for a sleek, feminine robot to the titanic starship that contains the human race. Some audiences may be put off by the film’s sharp-edged satire of consumer culture, but WALL-E, like its robotic namesake, should last another 700 years. — Holman

WANTED 2 stars (R) A miserable young accountant (Atonement’s James McAvoy) discovers that his long-lost father belonged to an ancient “Fraternity” of assassins with magic hitman powers. The film features enough outlandish money shots to make it a hit (Angelina Jolie’s sexuality qualifies as its own special effect), but Wanted’s insolent attitude caters to just the kind of white-collar douchebags the film pretends to make fun of. — Holman