Short Subjectives May 17 2006

Capsule reviews of recently released movies

By Unknown Author Wednesday May 17, 2006 12:04 AM EDT

Opening Friday

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· __THE CELESTINE PROPHECY (PG) In this adaptation of James Redfield’s best-selling novel, rainforest explorers discover ancient scrolls that could usher in a new age of human spirituality.??
· __THE DA VINCI CODE (PG-13) In this week’s other, bigger film based on a spiritually themed hit novel, Tom Hanks plays a symbolism expert who pieces together a worldwide, centuries-old mystery based on clues hidden in the work of Leonardo da Vinci. The film wasn’t pre-screened for critics at press time — could it be some sort of ... conspiracy???
· __OVER THE HEDGE 2 stars. (PG) See review.??
· __SEE NO EVIL (R) Pro-wrestler Kane stars in this violent thriller about a psychotic shut-in who stalks eight petty criminals in an abandoned hotel. Directed by the appropriately named Gregory Dark.??
· __SOMERSAULT 3 stars. (Not rated) See review.??
Duly Noted

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· __A DOULA STORY (NR) Alone, many of them never nurtured themselves, pregnant inner-city Chicago teenagers face terrible odds in the gripping documentary A Doula Story. Their champion is a former teenage mother herself, Loretha Weisinger, who helps her young charges prepare for motherhood, labor and the long road ahead as a “doula,” the Greek word for “birth attendant” in director Daniel Alpert’s awe-inspiring portrait of this guardian angel and superwoman. Free. Thurs., May 18, 7:30 p.m. Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site Screening Room, 450 Auburn Ave. 404-331-5190. www.imagefv.org. — Felicia Feaster??
· __JOHN AND JANE (2005) (NR) This documentary promises a humorous and unsettling portrait of India’s call-center industry and the ramifications of global outsourcing. Film Festival of India. Fri., May 19, 8 p.m. Woodruff Arts Center, Rich Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St. Free. 404-733-4570. www.high.org.??
· __NIGHT WATCH 3 stars. (R) Supernatural beings, vaguely like vampires, extend their centuries-long good vs. evil struggle to the twilight slums of modern-day Moscow in the first film of director Timur Bekmambetov’s trilogy. Between the convoluted occult rules and Bekmambetov’s excessive fondness for camera trickery, Night Watch should be an unholy mess. Against the odds, the film’s pulpy sense of energy and vision of grubby, hungover Russia give it a strange appeal, especially compared to the Underworld movies. Through May 25. Cinefest, GSU University Center, Suite 211, 66 Courtland St. $5 ($3 until 5 p.m.). 404-651-3565. www2.gsu.edu/~wwwcft. — Curt Holman??
· __PARINEETA (1953) (NR) In this Hindi film, an orphaned girl grows up with a budding young musician and the pair fall in love without quite realizing it. Wed., May 23, 7 p.m. Goethe Institut Atlanta, 1197 Peachtree St. $3-$4. 404-894-2388.??
· __RAINCOAT (2004) (NR) Two estranged lovers reunite 15 years later in this chamber drama that takes place on a rainy afternoon. Film Festival of India. Sat., May 20, 8 p.m. Woodruff Arts Center, Rich Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St. Free. 404-733-4570. www.high.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.??
Continuing

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· __AKEELAH AND THE BEE (PG) The spate of spelling bee films (Spellbound, Bee Season) continues with this tale of a girl (Keke Palmer) from Los Angeles attempting to compete in the National Spelling Bee. The cast includes What’s Love Got to Do With It? co-stars Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne.??
· __AMERICAN DREAMZ 2 stars. (PG-13) A befuddled U.S. president (Dennis Quaid doing a droll but superficial Dubya) and a reluctant suicide bomber (Sam Golzari) find themselves on a collision-course meeting via a televised singing contest clearly inspired by “American Idol.” Dreamz features likable performers (including Hugh Grant as the caustic, self-loathing host), quotable jokes and a clever wrap-up, but disappointingly goes after easy targets in predictable way s. Writer-director Paul Weitz (American Pie, About a Boy) consistently avoids opportunities to put some real teeth in his satire. — Holman??
· __AN AMERICAN HAUNTING 1 star. (PG-13) See review.??
· __ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL 1 star. (R) Hard to believe the man who brought us the heartfelt alienation of the R. Crumb documentary Crumb and the profound teen misanthropy of Ghost World has veered so badly off course in his blandly cynical adaptation of graphic novelist (and Ghost World collaborator) Daniel Clowes’s comic. Ostensibly following the growing disillusionment of an art school freshman (Max Minghella) with his conceptual-art centric NYC art school, in truth the film is just a sex-obsessed, wisecracking and out-of-date revisitation of the tone and quality of the crass teen sex comedies of the ’80s. — Feaster??
· __L’ENFANT 4 stars. (R) The socially conscious Dardenne brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre started as documentary makers, a sensibility and aesthetic they bring to the shaky camera work and fly-on-the-wall realism of their fiction films. This Palme d’Or winner at the Cannes Film Festival tracks an 18-year-old mother and her 20-year-old petty criminal boyfriend who are juggling new parenthood and a life on the streets. You feel like you are there on the streets with them, undergoing the same degradation and epiphanies and the effect is devastating. — Feaster??
· __FRIENDS WITH MONEY 4 stars. (R) Nicole Holofcener (Walking and Talking, Lovely & Amazing) brings her usual shrewdly observed, culturally astute read on modern anxiety to a group of Los Angeles friends worrying about aging, career, relationships and, yes, money. Frances McDormand, Jennifer Aniston, Joan Cusak and Catherine Keener lead this strong, woman-centric ensemble cast as sophisticated, privileged urbanites whose hip, busy lives as screenwriters and clothing designers don’t necessarily keep unhappiness at bay. — Feaster??
· __GOAL! THE DREAM BEGINS (PG) In this underdog sports drama, a young Mexican-American soccer player is recruited to play for England’s Newcastle United. They call it “football” there, you know.??
· __HARD CANDY 2 stars. (R) A lurid, increasingly brain-dead shocker about a pedophile (Patrick Wilson) trapped and tortured by a revenge-minded teen (Ellen Page), this one is I Spit on Your Grave-brand exploitation for the cyber age. Music video veteran David Slade initially has an admirable grasp on his characters and their kinky courtship, but soon loses his cool. By film’s end, Slade is trying to pass off his implausible, sensational thriller for some kind of feminist commentary, but nothing in the writing or direction warrants a deeper reading. — Feaster??
· __HOOT (PG) Logan Lerman plays a young man who moves from Montana to Florida and fights developers to protect an owl habitat. This family-friendly film is based on the book for young readers by Carl Hiassen, whose mystery novels strike comedic gold in depicting Floridian misbehaviors.??
· __ICE AGE: THE MELTDOWN (G) This sequel to the computer animated hit swaps the three-mammals-and-a-baby premise of the sequel for a Pleistocene romance between two mammoths (voiced by Ray Romano and Queen Latifah).??
· __IMAX THEATER Amazon (NR) This documentary traces the Amazon River from its source in the Andes mountains to the Amazon river basin and captures the beauty of its diverse wildlife. Through Aug. 18. Wild Safari: A South African Adventure (NR): This 5,000-mile journey from the lush grasslands of the Southern Cape to the desert expanse of the Kalahari tracks elephants, Cape buffaloes, rhinos, leopards and lions. Through June 2. Fernbank Museum of Natural History IMAX Theater, 767 Clifton Road. 404-929-6300. www.fernbank.edu.??
· __JUST MY LUCK (PG-13) When Lindsay Lohan’s lucky young executive shares a chance dance floor kiss with an unfortunate loser (Chris Pine), their “luck” reverses in this supernatural romantic comedy.??
· __KINKY BOOTS 3 stars. (PG-13) After the Price shoe factory goes bankrupt, its timid owner (Joel Edgerton) stumbles, literally, into a kinky-boot clad drag queen (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who helps spice up the business. Rote lessons about identity and second chances ensue, but it is Ejiofor (convincing as both a man and a woman,) who completely steals the show, elevating this otherwise humdrum and obvious story into something, well, kinky. Unlike the gender of its hero, the moral of this British burlesque is unmistakable — behind every great man is a woman — even if she turns out to be a man. — Allison C. Keene??
· __LA MUJER DE MI HERMANO (R) A restless housewife (Mexican soap opera star Barbara Mori) begins an affair with her husband’s brother in this steamy, Spanish-language erotic thriller.??
· __THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE 4 stars. (R) Mary Harron, director of I Shot Andy Warhol and American Psycho, explores more extremes of gender politics in this deceptively lighthearted biopic of the 1950s’ “Pin-Up Queen of the Universe.” Gretchen Mol superbly captures the mixed feelings of the devout Christian sex goddess as she becomes an erotic fantasy figure. Though presented (mostly) in sleek black and white comparable to 1950s cautionary films, Bettie Page emphasizes the gray areas in the morality of kinks. — Holman??
· __ONE PERFECT DAY (NR) In this Australian film, a musician undergoes a journey of self-discovery in Melbourne’s dance/rave music scene.??
· __POSEIDON 3 stars. (PG-13) In this remake of 1972’s The Poseidon Adventure, a giant wave overturns an ocean liner and a ragtag group of passengers (including Kurt Russell and Josh Lucas) band together to survive. Twice the explosions, twice the bodies and twice the peril does not equal twice the fun, but The Perfect Storm director Wolfgang Petersen still provides thrills by going enthusiastically overboard. — Keene??
· __THE PROMISE 2 stars. (PG-13) The most expensive film in Chinese history, this mythic, operatic tale of love and fate relies on lavish visuals that manage to be lush and laughable all at once. The knotty love story features a cursed beauty, a proud general, a preening villain and a slave who can run (unconvincingly) like the Flash, but The Promise mostly offers acre upon acre of kitsch. You watch, jaw agape, at such sights as warriors wearing red pompoms or the supersonic man-on-man piggyback rides and marvel how anyone (including some respectable critics) have taken it seriously. — Holman??
· __RV 2 stars. (PG) In RV, Robin Williams merges his patented humor with a recognizably human character — it’s just a shame the vehicle that carries this engaging performance doesn’t offer a smoother ride. Instead of looking at the tug-of-war between career and home, the movie reveals an obsession with labored slapstick and potty humor, meaning we get tiresome scenes in which Williams’ character falls down hills or finds himself covered head-to-toe in fecal matter. By the end, the crudity is so excessive, it makes National Lampoon’s Vacation look as sophisticated as The Accidental Tourist. — Matt Brunson??
· __THE SENTINEL 2 stars.(PG-13) Michael Douglas plays Harrison Ford and Kiefer Sutherland co-stars as Tommy Lee Jones in this slick thriller that tries to put one over on the audience but ends up only fooling itself. An appropriately constipated Douglas plays a Secret Service agent wrongly suspected of attempting to assassinate the U.S. President (David Rasche); it falls to his colleague and former friend (Sutherland) to track him down. The script runs out of steam long before the physically fit actors in the cast, leading to a string of unsatisfactory resolutions and tedious action set-pieces. Director Clark Johnson doubtless planned to deliver a hand-wringing thriller filled with unexpected twists and turns, but even good intentions can find themselves caught in the line of fire. — Brunson??
· __SCARY MOVIE 4 2 stars. (PG-13) Anna Faris and Regina Hall reprise their roles yet again for this irreverent, but mostly crude, send-up of pop culture, particularly horror movies. Some potentially clever moments of parody fall flat by lampooning material that’s long past its expiration date, especially gags involving a certain Scientologist actor and daytime talk show host. Even moments like Dr. Phil (the real one) severing his own foot (the wrong one) in a send-up of Saw II couldn’t save this farce. Like an old joke that’s been told too many times, the Scary Movie franchise should have been severed after its third installment. — Keene??
· __SILENT HILL (R) Despite the protests of her husband (Sean Bean), a frightened mother (Radha Mitchell) takes her gravely ill daughter to the otherworldly ghost town of Silent Hill in search of a cure. This style-drenched horror flick was written by Pulp Fiction co-scripter Roger Avary.??
· __SIR! NO SIR! 4 stars. (NR) Former Atlanta-based director David Zeiger (The Band, “Senior Year”) offers an illuminating, revisionist history of the Vietnam War in his timely documentary with relevance to the Iraq War. Contrary to the widely held belief that it was those dirty hippies who spit in returning vets’ eyes and composed the primary resistance to the war, Zeiger corrects the historical record by documenting the massive outcry of returning Vietnam vets who saw firsthand the horrors and atrocities of war and spoke out against the misguided, corrupt cause. In anti-war coffee shops and an enormous underground press, these GIs — from West Point elites to front line grunts — faced arrest and scorn to help turn the public tide against the war. — Feaster??
· __STICK IT (PG-13) A rebellious young gymnast (Missy Peregrym) throws off-balance an elite gymnastics program run by a legendary trainer (Jeff Bridges).??
· __SOPHIE SCHOLL: THE FINAL DAYS 3 stars. (NR) German national heroine Sophie Scholl (Julia Jentsch) and her brother, Hans (Fabian Hinrichs), were part of a small anti-Nazi resistance group, the White Rose, that defied the authorities by leafletting Munich University with anti-Hitler propaganda, an act of treason that ultimately led to a show trial and a death sentence. The Edukators’ Jentsch brings dignity and fortitude to her portrait of Scholl, who refused to let her sex save her from her brother’s fate and demanded to be punished for her crime just as a man would, defying stereotypes of female weakness and the Nazi consignment of women to compliant baby factories. — Feaster??
· __THANK YOU FOR SMOKING 4 stars. (R) Aaron Eckhart of In the Company of Men plays Nick Naylor, a proudly unprincipled tobacco lobbyist who tries simultaneously to be a professional liar and a good father. Smoking takes palpable delight at the double-speak of the spin industry — Nick claims that lobbyists like him stick up for “little guys” like loggers, sweatshop owners and land mine developers — and features many hilarious set pieces. As Nick weighs being a good role model to his son (Cameron Bright), the film never cops out by giving him a bogus change of heart, and he takes pride in his lack of integrity. — Holman??
· __UNITED 93 3 stars. (R) Director Paul Greengrass and a cast of relative unknowns (including air traffic controllers playing themselves) re-create the hijacking of United Airlines Flight 93, as well as the first response to the Sept. 11 attacks on the ground. Greengrass handles explosive material with taste and respect to create a visceral experience that places audience members in the seats alongside terrorists and hostages alike. Greengrass’ approach, however, also causes the ordinary heroes to blur together, so the undeniably harrowing film has surprisingly little staying power. — Holman??
· THE WILD 1 star. (G) Comparisons to Dreamworks’ similar (and superior) Madagascar prove unnecessary to point out the myriad shortcomings of The Wild, which manages to be abysmal on its own terms. Apart from the impressively lifelike CGI animation, everything about this toxic toon is intolerable, especially the sidekicks who accompany Samson the lion (voiced by Kiefer Sutherland) as he leaves the comforts of the New York zoo to search for his wayward son in a faraway jungle. Nigel the koala (Eddie Izzard) rates a special mention, emerging as the most loathsome animated character since Martin Short’s insufferable robot in Treasure Planet. — Brunson