Short Subjectives October 21 2004

?Opening Friday
BRIGHT LEAVES (NR) See interview.

THE GRUDGE (PG-13) Japan’s Takashi Shimizu directs the Hollywood remake of his own Ju-on: The Grudge, a time-fractured ghost story about a haunted house that targets the innocent souls who enter it. Sarah Michelle Gellar of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” fame stars.

ROSENSTRASSE (PG-13) This moving — but slow-moving — “chick flick” about the Holocaust, directed by Margarethe von Trotta, depicts a mother and daughter who keep secrets for no reason, other than the screenwriters’ whim. The daughter (Maria Schrader) needlessly conceals her identity to learn about her mother’s past from the woman who adopted her in 1943 while Aryan women attempted to free their Jewish husbands awaiting deportation at a Berlin detention center. Lefont Garden Hills Cinema. — Steve Warren

STAGE BEAUTY (R) With romance, intrigue, humor and gender-bending for days, Stage Beauty is the movie the overrated Shakespeare in Love should have been. Billy Crudup stars as Ned Kynaston, London’s leading male diva in the 1660s until King Charles II (Rupert Everett) declares women can play women’s roles onstage and men can’t. Claire Danes shines as the woman who loves Ned (although he prefers men), takes over the roles he can no longer play and tries to butch him up for personal and professional reasons. As gender barriers continue to topple, Stage Beauty has a contemporary relevance without straining for parallels. — SW

SURVIVING CHRISTMAS (PG-13) A lonely yuppie (Ben Affleck) pays the new residents of his childhood home to “adopt” him for the holidays. James Gandolfini, Catherine O’Hara and Christina Applegate play members of his new family.

VERA DRAKE (R) See review.

?Duly Noted
BUSH’S BRAIN (NR) See review.

CHISHOLM ‘72: UNBOUGHT & UNBOSSED (NR) Shola Lynch’s documentary profiles Shirley Chisholm, who in 1968 was the first black woman elected to Congress, and in 1972, the first to run for president. Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m. Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site screening room, 450 Auburn Ave. Free. 404-352-4225. www.imagefv.org.

EYEDRUM FILM AND VIDEO NIGHT (NR) The gallery presents an evening of short works by local video and independent film artists. Oct. 27, 8:30 p.m. Eyedrum, 290 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. $3. 404-522-0655. www.eyedrum.org.

FAHRENHEIT 9/11 (R) Michael Moore’s fiery polemic about post-9/11 politics sheds more heat than light, but deserves attention for the questions it raises about some of the major issues of modern American history. Moore levels his trademark sarcasm at George W. Bush, but spends most of the film despairing over the economic forces that send young people into military service at the time of an unjustified war with Iraq. Despite its fuzzy reasoning and incomplete arguments (Moore never acknowledges Saddam Hussein’s blood-drenched human rights record, for instance), it remains one of the most urgent and explosive documentaries ever made. Thurs., Oct. 21, call for times. Cinefest, GSU University Center, Suite 211, 66 Courtland St. 404-651-3565. www.cinefest.org. — Curt Holman

THE FARMER’S PERJURY (1956) (NR) With a dynamic like a rural Romeo and Juliet, a young couple in love spend years trying to overcome the hatred that separates their respective families. The German Heimatfilm of the ’50s. Oct. 27, 7 p.m. Goethe Institut Inter Nationes, 1197 Peachtree St., Colony Square. $4. 404-892-2388.

HAVANA SUITE (2003) (NR) This dialogue-free documentary presents a day in the life of 10 Cubans, with native music accompanying their routine activities. Latin American Film Festival. Sat., Oct. 23, 8 p.m. Woodruff Arts Center, Rich Auditorium, 1280 Peachtree St.; and Oct. 27, 7:30 p.m. Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, 931 Monroe Drive. $5. 404-733-4570. www.high.org.

HIJACKING CATASTROPHE: 9/11, FEAR AND THE SELLING OF AMERICAN EMPIRE (NR) The Media Education Foundation produced this polemic about many of the same Bush administration critiques found in Fahrenheit 9/11, only with a straighter face. Thurs., Oct. 21, call for times. Cinefest, GSU University Center, Suite 211, 66 Courtland St. 404-651-3565. www.cinefest.org. — CH

KAMCHATKA (2002) (NR) Ricardo Darin of Nine Queens stars in this enigmatic Argentine drama about a family who goes into hiding for reasons unknown to the young sons. Latin American Film Festival. Fri., Oct. 22, 8 p.m. Woodruff Arts Center, Rich Auditorium, 1280 Peachtree St. $5. 404-733-4570. www.high.org.

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993) (PG) The skeletal lord of Halloween gets a serious case of Christmas spirit and decides to replace Santa Claus, with chaotic results, in this stop-motion animated musical produced by Tim Burton. With more big laughs and fewer downbeat Danny Elfman songs, it could be a genuine classic, but as is, it offers such visual delights that nearly every frame qualifies as a work of art. Fri.-Sat., Oct. 22-23, midnight. Landmark Midtown Art Cinema, 931 Monroe Drive. — CH

NO QUARTER: UNLEDDED (NR) In 1994, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant reunited to unleash Led Zeppelin rock anthems like “Kashmir” and “When the Levee Breaks” at concerts in the Middle East and Europe. For its 10th anniversary, the concert film gets a special theatrical presentation. Oct. 26, 9:30 p.m. Regal Perimeter Pointe 10, 1155 Mount Vernon Highway. $12.50-$15. www.bigscreenconcerts.com.

ROBBIE LAND: NEW FILMS (NR) Atlanta-based artist Robbie Land presents an evening of his “personal experiments” filmed over the past four years. Fri., Oct. 22, 8 p.m. Eyedrum, 290 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. $5. 404-522-0655. www.eyedrum.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. 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.

SHAOLIN SOCCER (NR) Barely released in Atlanta, this long-shelved but uproariously funny Hong Kong sports comedy deserves a second look (or even a first). Director Stephen Chow plays a poor-but-lovable kung fu expert who teams with a washed-up soccer coach to turn a handful of losers into soaring super-athletes. The film’s hilarious slapstick sight gags suggest a dream-team collaboration of Crouching Tiger, The Matrix and “The Three Stooges.” Oct. 22-28, call for times. Cinefest, GSU University Center, Suite 211, 66 Courtland St. 404-651-3565. www.cinefest.org. — CH

URBAN MEDIAMAKERS FILM FESTIVAL 2004 (NR) The third annual Urban Mediamakers Film Festival features screenings of short films, music videos, animation, television programs and documentaries, including Unprecedented, an updated version of the documentary about the 2000 election. Thurs.-Sun., Oct. 21-24 at Lab 601 Digital Post, 621 North Ave., and other locations. $15-$60. 770-345-8048. www.urbanmediamakers.com.

?Continuing
AROUND THE BEND (R) Michael Caine, Christopher Walken and Josh Lucas star in this indie dramedy about the men of four generations who uncover their family secrets.

BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS (R) In this satiric social x-ray of London’s Jazz Age glitterati, comic obstacles impede a too-cool pair of socialites (Stephen Campbell Moore, Emily Mortimer) en route to matrimony. Writer-director Stephen Fry (best known from the BBC’s “Jeeves & Wooster”) adapts Evelyn Waugh’s novel Vile Bodies with a snappy pace and splashy look that evoke our modern-day, “Access Hollywood” obsession with celebrity. The young actors expertly assay the period’s lost generation, while screen vets like Peter O’Toole steal scenes as upper class twits. — CH

CRIMINAL (R) First-time writer-director Gregory Jacobs scores with a faithful, if not quite as fresh, remake of the Argentine con-man drama Nine Queens. When a seasoned swindler (John C. Reilly) takes an amateur con artist (Diego Luna) under his wing, a high-stakes con falls directly into their laps. Reilly’s precise performance deepens the twisty, fast-paced film into a character study of a grasping operator forced to face up to his past misdeeds. — CH

END OF THE CENTURY: THE STORY OF THE RAMONES (NR) You don’t have to be a Ramones fan to appreciate this documentary, only someone interested in youthful alienation, the whims of the record industry, rock history, the underground music scene of the ’70s, anti-image making or glitter rock. This depressing yet wonderfully engaging documentary covers it all via the seminal but financially overlooked group who never shake the outsider status that dogged their punk progress from Queens to indie music adoration. — Felicia Feaster

THE FINAL CUT (PG-13) The basic premise raises interesting questions but there are no interesting answers in this latest memory-erase movie, written and directed by Jordan-born Omar Naim. Future technology allows computer chips to be implanted in unborn children that will record everything that person sees. When they die, an editor fashions the survivors’ favorite parts into a glossy memoir. An expert cutter, the appropriately named Hakman (Robin Williams) fights both his own demons and anti-implant activists, but there’s no real payoff to reward your attention. — SW

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (PG-13) Surprisingly, Friday Night Lights entertains audiences who don’t care about sports nearly as much as it delights high school football fans. In 1988, Odessa, Texas, stands behind the Permian Panthers but supports Coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) only as long as they win. When star player Derek Luke suffers injuries in the opening game, things look bleak until a third-string junior moves up to replace him. The story gets melodramatic, especially through Tim McGraw’s over-the-top character, but for the most part it earns its cheers and tears. — SW

HEAD IN THE CLOUDS (R) This 1950s-style, Hollywood-glossy romantic epic is as shallow as the characters it tries belatedly to make us care about. Don’t expect art and you may enjoy it. Guy (Stuart Townsend) falls for free-spirited Gilda (Charlize Theron) when she bursts into his Cambridge dorm room in 1933 and never gets over her, despite her lack of political consciousness. Penelope Cruz plays Gilda’s “protégée” (nudge nudge, wink wink), who shares Guy’s ideals. Head in the Clouds runs too long on too little momentum but may be perfect for a generation that wants their romance heavy on sex and light on emotional involvement. — SW

I HEART HUCKABEES (R) A “screwball sophistry” could describe this fast-talking, deep-thinking comedy from Three Kings director David O. Russell. A frustrated environmental activist (Jason Schwartzman) finds himself torn between the forces of order, represented by Lily Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman’s “existential detectives,” and a sexy, nihilistic French intellectual (Isabelle Huppert). Huckabees tests your tolerance for deadpan whimsy but pays off with persistent laughs and relevant commentary on suburban sprawl and celebrity-obsessed corporate culture. — CH

LADDER 49 (PG-13) It’s Backdraft for post-9/11 America. Firefighter Joaquin Phoenix recalls his years of hijinks and heroism in the Baltimore Fire Department while waiting for Chief John Travolta’s men to rescue him from a burning building — or not. It couldn’t be more formulaic. You’ll recognize several clichés from old war movies, but here the enemy is fire. Without a fraction of the edge of Denis Leary’s Rescue Me series on FX, Ladder 49 unfolds like a Lifetime movie for men. Our brave firefighters deserve a better tribute. — SW

THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (R) The man who would grow up to be a violent revolutionary and the star of every counterculture’s T-shirt, Ernesto “Che” Guevara, receives some emotional backstory in Brazilian director Walter Salles’s earnest but lightweight film. Before he took up firearms, Che traveled with best friend through South America, and discovered the kind of poverty and injustice his bourgeois Argentinean upbringing denied. Bernal and the scenery are beautiful but this bio-picture lacks the fire in the belly its radical subject deserves. — FF

RED LIGHTS (NR) A good, old-fashioned taut thriller in the Hitchcock mode, Cedric Kahn’s nimble little story of a bickering husband and wife driving from Paris to Bordeaux takes confidence from the director’s assured hand and the pathetic, little-man rage of Jean-Pierre Darroussin playing a nobody married to a goddess (Carole Bouquet) who discovers his manhood on the road. — FF

SHARK TALE (PG) A too-obvious message movie about keepin’ it real and accepting “different” children, this computer-animated undersea comedy has its share of laughs but is no Shrek or Finding Nemo. It lands all the fish puns Nemo threw back, some in the name of product placement. (Kelpy Kreme Doughnuts, anyone?). Amid such fine voice actors as Will Smith, Renee Zellweger and Jack Black, Martin Scorsese, of all people, turns out to be the breakout talent. — SW

SHAUN OF THE DEAD (R) A put-upon English bloke (co-writer Simon Pegg) gets so caught up in his girlfriend and roommate problems that he scarcely notices the apocalyptic zombie crises happening around him. Writer-director Edgar Wright rises above the undead genre’s schlocky traditions with a first act of comic genius. The intensity of the zombie-siege sequences runs contrary to the film’s deadpan comedy, but its rapid pace, hilarious ensemble and inventive action scenes make it a splatter classic. — CH

SHALL WE DANCE (PG-13) Only subtlety is lost in the translation of the 1997 Japanese film about a contented married man (Richard Gere) who becomes happy when he takes ballroom dancing lessons from Jennifer Lopez. This remake, directed by Englishman Peter Chelsom, seems so thoroughly American it’s surprising how little was actually changed. The lack of communication between Gere and wife Susan Sarandon doesn’t ring true, while Audrey Wells’ screenplay manages to be both deeper and more frivolous than the original. We’ll show the Japanese they can’t beat us at either end of the emotional spectrum! — SW

SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW (PG) When giant flying robots attack cities around the world, Gwyneth Paltrow’s sassy reporter teams with Jude Law’s heroic mercenary to find the suspected evil-doer. Filmmakers shot actors in front of blue screens and digitally filled in all of the stunningly detailed backgrounds. But Sky Captain falls into the trap of the Star Wars prequels by paying more attention to the digital effects than the slow-moving story and underdeveloped characters. — Heather Kuldell

TAXI (PG-13) Jimmy Fallon’s fender-bending cop flags down Queen Latifah’s speed-demon cabbie to pursue four ber-hot bank robbers, led by supermodel Gisele Bundchen. As both a big-screen funnyman and a police officer, “Saturday Night Live’s” Fallon comes across like a Gen X Jerry Lewis, so his antics to redeem himself prove neither amusing nor desirable. Queen Latifah emerges with her sexy confidence intact, but Taxi runs down so many buddy-flick clichés that it deserves a traffic ticket as a movie violation. — CH

TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE (R) See review.

THE YES MEN (R) A pair of brainy, tech-savvy artists/activists who call themselves Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno created a series of brilliant pranks. Most recently they masqueraded as World Trade Organization representatives at international conferences, where their madcap speeches legitimizing human slavery and human waste fashioned into Third World hamburgers solicit an unexpected response from businessmen. While the activism is uproarious and spot-on, the film can feel like an incomplete homage — a laborious vivisection of methods that work best as whisperings of dissent and hit-and-run satire. — FF