Short Subjectives January 29 2004

Opening Friday
THE BIG BOUNCE (PG-13) See review at right.

THE PERFECT SCORE (PG-13) Six stressed-out high schoolers (including Lost in Translation’s Scarlett Johansson) plot to pilfer the answers to the Scholastic Aptitude Test in this MTV-produced caper comedy.

THE STATEMENT (R) In 1988 a judge (Tilda Swinton) and mysterious hit men target war criminal Pierre Brossard (Michael Caine). Norman Jewison’s film attacks unscrupulous politicians and the Catholic church for aiding collaborators, but The Statement works better as a French travelogue than a drama. With too many roles (mostly Brits playing French) to follow in a needlessly complex plot, the result doesn’t live up to the actors, the director, writer Ronald Harwood and the story they had to tell. At Regal UA Tara Cinema.--Steve Warren

THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE (PG-13) See review.

YOU GOT SERVED (PG-13) This hip-hop musical centers around a dance contest and features Lil’ Kim, Jarell “J-Boog” Houston, DeMario “Raz-B” Thornton, Dreux “Lil’ Fizz” Frederic and, inevitably, Steve Harvey.

?Duly Noted
AMERICAN SPLENDOR (R) Harvey Pekar’s comic book American Splendor holds a mirror up to his mundane life as a Cleveland file clerk. Filmmakers Shari Stringer Berman and Robert Pulcini hold a mirror to the mirror and create dizzying reflections in a film that features the real Pekar as narrator and a superbly cast Paul Giamatti playing him. Berman and Pulcini justifiably focus on the tension between the real Pekar and his comic book persona, and Hope Davis delightfully captures the bohemian quirks of Pekar’s neurotic but loving third wife. Jan. 30-Feb. 5. Cinefest, GSU Student Center, Suite 211, 66 Courtland St. $5 ($3 until 5 p.m.). 404-651-3565.--Curt Holman

THE ANIMATION SHOW (2003) (NR) Animator Don Hertzfeldt and “King of the Hill’s” Mike Judge present this evening of animated shorts with a high ratio of gems to duds. Highlights include Tim Burton’s delightful Vincent Price homage “Vincent,” Mike Judge’s minimalist doodle “Office Space” (inspiration for the film of the same name) and Hertzfeldt’s Oscar-nominated “Rejected,” one of the most brilliantly twisted artifacts of the 20th century. Jan. 29. Cinefest, GSU Student Center, Suite 211, 66 Courtland St. $5 ($3 until 5 p.m.). 404-651-3565.--CH

CRUMB (1994) (R) Ghost World director Terry Zwigoff previously plumbed the depths of alternative comics with his intriguing portrait of underground cartoonist Robert Crumb. Zwigoff looks at every facet of Crumb’s life and work, from his sexual peccadilloes and dysfunctional family to his mixed reception in the high art world, and does justice to the complexities of the creative process. Jan. 30-Feb. 5. Cinefest, GSU Student Center, Suite 211, 66 Courtland St. $5 ($3 until 5 p.m.). 404-651-3565.--CH

DAYS LIKE THIS (NR) Though unfocused and often oddly slapstick, this Paul Thomas Anderson-style drama strives to be a profound study of modern alienation in its tale of an aging door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman (Kjell Bergquist) who observes the dysfunctional doings of the tenants in a crowded Swedish apartment building. Films at the High: The New Faces of Swedish Cinema. Jan. 31, 8 p.m., Woodruff Arts Center, Rich Auditorium. $5. 404-733-4570. www.high.org.--Felicia Feaster

EYEDRUM OPEN SCREENING NIGHT (NR) The gallery applies the “open-mic night” concept to this evening of work from fledgling filmmakers as well as “found” programming like weird home movies, period infomercials and other oddities. Jan. 28, 8 p.m. Eyedrum. 290 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. $3. 404-522-0655. www.eyedrum.org.

FILMMAKERS OF TOMORROW (NR) IMAGE Film & Video Center presents the short works from the 15- to -19-year-old students of the MEDIA Project. Jan. 29, 6:30 p.m., Atlanta Fulton Public Library, One Margaret Mitchell Square. Free. 404-352-4225. www.imagefv.org.

IN THIS WORLD (NR) Welcome to Sarajevo director Michael Winterbottom presents a documentary-style drama about two Afghan refugees who embark on a clandestine odyssey from Pakistan to London. Sundance Screening Series. Feb. 4. 7:30 p.m., Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, 931 Monroe Drive. $8 ($6 for IMAGE members). 404-352-4225. www.imagefv.org.

NATIONAL LAMPOON’S VACATION (1983) (R) The only good entry in the Vacation series finds family man Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) enduring calamities in his effort to bring his family to Wallyworld. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself barking along to the “Holiday Road” song. Jan. 28, 7 p.m., Mick’s Bennett St. 2110 Peachtree Road. Free with dinner. 404-355-7163.--CH

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 Marietta Star Cinema.

WE FORGOT TO GO BACK (2000) (NR) In July director Fatih Akin offers an hour-long documentary about his fisherman father’s aspirations to return to his native Turkey. Screening with other short films, including Akin’s “Weed.” Young Turkish-German Cinema. Feb. 4, 7 p.m. Goethe Institut Inter Nationes, 1197 Peachtree St., Colony Square. $4. 404-892-2388.

?Continuing
AILEEN: LIFE AND DEATH OF A SERIAL KILLER (NR) A timely addendum to Charlize Theron’s sympathetic biopic Monster, Nick Broomfield’s second documentary on Florida prostitute and serial killer Aileen Wuornos delving into the unimaginable horrors of her childhood. Broomfield’s painful, compassionate film — despite some slippage into questionable tactics — offers a polemic against a death penalty meted out by vote-mongers like Florida governor Jeb Bush to people too mentally incompetent, poor and degraded to protect themselves. Deeply unpleasant but required viewing. At Landmark Midtown Art Cinema--FF

ALONG CAME POLLY (PG-13) What might have been a funny movie relies on body emissions for nearly all its laughs. Ben Stiller pees, pukes and poops his way through the role of Reuben, a conservative insurance risk assessor whose wife, Lisa (Debra Messing) runs off with a scuba instructor on their honeymoon. Reuben hooks up with Polly (Jennifer Aniston), his total opposite, but then along comes Lisa again. Stiller is Stiller, Aniston is very good and Philip Seymour Hoffman steals the picture, but it’s petty theft.--SW.

BIG FISH (PG-13) On his deathbed, a colorful Southerner (Albert Finney) tells his fanciful life story to his skeptical son (Billy Crudup) in Tim Burton’s latest tribute to the imagination. With Ewan McGregor radiantly playing Finney’s younger self, the tall tales that dominate the film are comic, magical and appropriately “Southern.” Only the present-day scenes with the humorless son drag on the film’s otherwise delightful pageant of witches, giants and misguided poets.--Curt Holman

THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT (R) “Punk’d” star Ashton Kutcher plays a scruffy college student who tries to save the life of his long-time sweetheart (Amy Smart) by traveling in time to change their childhood and alter the future — for the worse. The film’s thoroughly unpleasant first hour puts children, babies and dogs in violent jeopardy to serve its vague theme about repressed memories, but some cleverness emerges in its time-travel twists and special effects.--CH

CALENDAR GIRLS (PG-13) A real event inspired this inevitable distaff version of The Full Monty, when middle-aged members of a Yorkshire women’s club posed nude (tastefully) for a calendar to raise money for charity. A contrived story has been built around the incident with formulaic obstacles and no overriding concept beyond making a commercial movie. Helen Mirren and Julie Walters ensure it won’t be a total loss. With a little tit, a little titillation and nothing to offend anyone, it’s the feel-good movie of — well, at least the 108 minutes it takes to unfold.--Steve Warren

CHASING LIBERTY (PG-13) It Happened One Night begat Roman Holiday, which begat this tale of a pampered princess busting loose and falling in love. As the daughter of President Mark Harmon, Mandy Moore starts her Roman holiday in Prague, aided by cute Matthew Goode, an undercover Secret Service agent who keeps her safe while giving her the illusion of freedom. The scenery kicks the plot’s ass at every turn, although senior agents Jeremy Piven and Annabella Sciorra fall in love more entertainingly than their younger co-stars..--SW

COLD MOUNTAIN (R) The English Patient’s writer-director Anthony Minghella loses his way trying to bring Charles Frazier’s civil war odyssey to life. Jude Law and Nicole Kidman never strike sparks as would-be-lovers separated by the war between the states, and Minghella stoops to crude means to manipulate his audience, rather than find a consistent tone. On the plus side, the film features a truly Homeric opening battle, a wrenching, well-crafted episode with Natalie Portman and a broad but amusing Renee Zellweger angling for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.--CH

THE COMPANY (PG-13) Robert Altman’s frustratingly diffuse portrait of the labor and egos behind the seemingly effortless work of Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet feels like the director working at half-power. Neve Campbell (who has a dance background) is the young corps ballerina, whose stage mother pushes her daughter to break out of the rank-and-file. Altman does manage to capture the nitty-gritty details of a career in dance, which includes waiting, frustration, injury and sacrifice. But his portrait feels incomplete and random, like a commercial for what could have been an interesting film.--FF

THE COOLER (R) Director Wayne Kramer takes a humorous premise — a man so unlucky that a Vegas casino pays him to jinx (or “cool”) more fortunate gamblers — and inexplicably treats it as the stuff of serious drama. The film features tender, insightful bedroom scenes and substantial acting from Maria Bello, Alec Baldwin and William H. Macy in the title role, but its morality tale of honor in Vegas gambling dens never convinces. If The Cooler were a bet, you wouldn’t take it.--CH

GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING (PG-13) Exquisitely photographed by cinematographer Eduardo Serra in beautiful homage to 17th century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer, this captivating film is also true to the covert personal and political issues that backstoried classical oil painting. Director Peter Webber’s calm, subtle, but fascinating adaptation of Tracy Chevalier’s best-selling work of historical fiction, speculates on the class and sexual issues that might have informed Vermeer’s (Colin Firth) creation of one of his greatest works, “The Girl with a Pearl Earring,” using a humble, virginal housemaid (Scarlett Johansson) as his muse.--FF

HIGH TIMES POTLUCK (NR) The doobie-themed magazine High Times presents this comedy about a mobster (Frank Adonis) who succumbs to refer madness. Co-starring Jason Mewes (of Jay and Silent Bob fame), Frank Gorshin and, inevitably, Tommy Chong. At Landmark Midtown Art Cinema

HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG (R) Its melodramatic, grandiose conclusion is an odd match with its previous flat-line rhythm, but the grim House of Sand and Fog is greatly enhanced by Ben Kingsley’s memorable performance as an Iranian immigrant who battles with a depressed woman (Jennifer Connelly) over her former house by the sea. Connelly’s zombie-like, unengaging performance, as well as the film’s emotionally mismatched first and second half, account for its inability to work, despite some interesting content.--FF

IMAX THEATER: Pulse: A Stomp Odyssey (NR) This world music sampler with the emphasis on percussion was filmed on five continents by the creators of the stage musical Stomp. The Stomp cast is augmented by a dozen acts representing the sounds that have influenced them, performing for about two minutes each. For all the time, money and effort involved the result should have been better. Through Feb. 6. Roar: Lions of the Kalahari (NR) The “circle of life” plays out in the Botswana desert in an unusually focused IMAX documentary, as two male lions fight for domination over a water hole. Kudos to Tim Liversedge, a rare filmmaker with the balls to set his camera in the middle of a pride of lions. Don’t always believe what the narrator tells you and juxtaposed shots appear to show. Just be amazed by what you actually see. Through Apr. 30 Fernbank Museum of Natural History IMAX Theater, 767 Clifton Road. 404-929-6300. www.fernbank.edu.--SW

IN AMERICA (PG-13) My Left Foot director Jim Sheridan builds his partially autobiographical tale of an Irish immigrant family on sweetness and sentiment, but without sugar-coating or safety nets. Samantha Morton and Paddy Considine give emotionally complex performances as the parents dealing with the death of their youngest child, while their two daughters find their first year in New York to be thrillingly exotic. Musical choices like “Do You Believe in Magic” overemphasize the themes of miracles, but In America feels like an honest attempt to transform painful personal experience into an accessible artistic catharsis.--CH

THE LAST SAMURAI (R) Edward Zwick’s samurai epic falls short of its potential with the miscasting of Tom Cruise as boozing, battle-weary soldier hired to help put down an insurgency (led by the charismatic Ken Watanabe) in 19th century Japan. The film’s last act, with its lavish battle scene, lives up to its ambitions, but Cruise never conveys the haunted gravitas of his role, and only emphasizes the overly simplistic, romanticized screenplay.--CH

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (PG-13) The final chapter of director Peter Jackson’s sprawling adaptation of Tolkein’s trilogy feels less like a self-contained film than the crescendo of a single, nine-hour fantasy epic. By alternating between the spectacular battle scenes of a war film and the terrifying suspense of a horror movie, King’s intensity builds to a nearly unbearable pitch, while its close attention to character earns its profound feelings of release and closure. Admittedly exhausting, the three films join the company of The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars and other classics of imaginative cinema.--CH

LOST IN TRANSLATION (R) Director Sofia Coppola’s (The Virgin Suicides) much-anticipated second film brings together Bill Murray and indie flick ingénue Scarlett Johansson as accidental tourists in Tokyo. Both insomniacs at crisis points in their marriages, the two start a unique friendship that takes through from karaoke clubs to titty bars in a soft-focus search for connection and meaning. Coppola strings together enough tiny brilliant moments to overcome the film’s nearly absent plot and produces a sophomore effort almost as sparkling as her first.--TB

LOVE DON’T COST A THING (PG-13) This African-American remake of Can’t Buy Me Love finds Nick Cannon as geeky as Patrick Dempsey was. The high school senior blows his savings and chances for a scholarship in exchange for having Paris (Christina Milian) pose as his girlfriend to propel him into the in crowd at school. Cannon was good in Drumline, where he went through college. Now he’s back in high school. Draw your own analogy. The Ebonic title is far from the worst thing about this movie, which proves money can’t buy you talent.--SW

MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD (PG-13) Russell Crowe lightens up to play Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe), captain of the HMS Surprise as he matches wits with a bigger, faster French ship in this Napoleonic-era nautical adventure. Director Peter Weir stays faithful to the spirit of Patrick O’Brien’s novel, one of a beloved series that promotes maritime procedure over swashbuckling plot. The film’s impeccable approach to detail will appeal more to History Channel fans than the general movie-going audience, but it boasts exciting set-pieces and a colorful cast of character actors.--CH

MONSTER (R) Like Boys Don’t Cry, this biopic of female serial killer Aileen Wuornos will be remembered less for its script that its unforgettable central performance. Charlize Theron not only submerges her considerable beauty beneath sun-ravaged make-up, she gets beneath Wuornos’ skin to find the self-loathing that erupts in violence towards men. As former hooker Wuornos murders her johns to support her manipulative girlfriend (Christina Ricci, back in form), she sees herself as akin to the heroine of a exploitation revenge movie. Theron and Ricci’s acting keep Monster from sinking to that level.--CH

MYSTIC RIVER (R) A continuation of the fixations with masculine strength, vengeance and the violent extremes that have defined Clint Eastwood’s directorial and acting career. Sean Penn, a vast improvement on Eastwood’s typically wooden action heroes, is a grieving father determined to punish whoever murdered his 19-year-old daughter. Eastwood’s emotionally fraught film is hardly the masterpiece it’s been made out to be, often weighed down by a ponderous, conventional police investigation plot and a tendency to spell out his aims in canned dialogue and elementary exposition. But as a sustained treatment of male grief and insight into Eastwood’s auteurist fixations, Mystic River is undeniably fascinating.--FF

THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED (NR) This engrossing, real-life political thriller details a coup d’tat in April 2002 Venezuela which the filmmakers insinuate, was encouraged by the Bush administration. American officials were threatened by President Hugo Chvez’s Marxist policies. In the kind of fluke that might have been dreamed up by a Hollywood screenwriter, two Irish filmmakers Kim Bartley and Donnacha O’Briain just happened to be making a documentary in Chvez’s presidential palace the coup occurred, so they captured everything on film. At Landmark Midtown Art Cinema--FF

SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE (PG-13) Cast to type, Jack Nicholson plays a celebrity bachelor who only dates women under 30, but falls for the fiftysomething mother (Diane Keaton) of his latest conquest-to-be (Amanda Peet). When Jack and Diane put aside the script’s opposites-attract contrivances, they’re irresistibly charming. With its appreciation of older women, the film’s heart is in the right place, but as the plot meanders for more than two hours, the thing that’s gotta give is our patience.--CH

TORQUE (PG-13) This new school action movie zooms past The Fast and the Furious in kinetic visuals but lags behind it in plot and characterization. Ford (Martin Henderson) is a biker with two buddies and a babe (Monet Mazur), who’s caught between two drug-dealing biker gangs and the FBI. The actors, the machines, even the scenery strike more poses than Madonna in the process of telling the story, which appears to have been put together by a computer.--SW

21 GRAMS (R) Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s (Amores Perros) drama is an anguished meditation on the mess and guilt left behind when a tragedy unites three disparate strangers. A grieving drug addict (Naomi Watts), an ex-con turned Jesus freak (Benicio Del Toro) and a gravely ill man (Sean Penn) waiting for a heart transplant find their lives intersecting in a film that recalls the tapestried existential angst of Magnolia. The film features a genuinely tortured, magnetic turn by Del Toro, whose fascinating character should have had his own movie. 21 Grams is overburdened by its melodramatic meltdowns and actorly moments that spell out the traumas in far too broad gestures.--FF

WIN A DATE WITH TAD HAMILTON! (PG-13) If you want to pretend the last 50 years never happened, you’ll enjoy this retro comedy about a wise but not worldly gal (Kate Bosworth) from an idealized Middle America who finds herself torn between a city feller (Josh Duhamel) and the sweet homeboy (Topher Grace) who secretly loves her. Robert Luketic’s tribute to naiveté is better than the average January release, but proves a disappointing follow-up to Legally Blonde.--SW