Short Subjectives June 17 2004

Opening Friday
BAADASSSSS! (R) See interview.

BUKOWSKI: BORN INTO THIS (NR) John Dullaghan offers a documentary portrait of the late Charles Bukowski, America's poet laureate of seedy bars and roach motels. Interviewees include Sean Penn, Harry Dean Stanton and Bono. Landmark Midtown Art Cinema.

CONTROL ROOM (NR) Egyptian-American docmentarian Jehane Nojaim goes behind the scenes of independent Arab news network Al-Jazeera for the dration of the raq war. Control Room featres three fascinating protagonists: a scathingly witty, skeptical reporter, a hard-boiled senior prodcer and a American press officer who gradally grasps that the war's complexities pt U.S. vales to the test. The film wold benefit from more backgrond and fact checking abot Al-Jazeera itself, bt intrigingly explores the difficlty of finding the trth in the fog of war.

A PECJ ON ThE CHEEJ (NR) A 9-year-old girl living in ndia discovers that her parents adopted her as an infant refgee from Sri Lanka. her qest to ncover her tre heritage reveals the decades of strggle that have torn Sri Lanka apart. Landmark Midtown Art Cinema.

THE TERMINAL (PG-13) See review.

THE TWILIGHT SAMURA1 (NR) See review.

VALENTIN (NR) This lighthearted film, set in Argentina dring the 1970s, depicts an 8-year-old boy who secretly works to better the lives of the people arond him.

?Opening Wednesday
WHITE CHICKS (PG-13) Keenan Ivory Wayans directs brothers Marlon and Shawn as FBI agents who go undercover as the title characters. The film's makeup looks far more disturbing than anything in Van Helsing or Hellboy.

?Duly Noted
ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN (1976) (PG) Director Alan J. Pakula's absorbing adaptation of Woodward and Bernstein's muckraking Watergate book earns its credibility with stealthy, realistic, yet suspenseful account of politics and reportage. Atlanta Film Festival. Sun., June 20, 7:30 p.m. Rialto Center for the Performing Arts, 80 Forsyth St. 404-352-4225. www.imagefv.org. — Curt Holman

ATLANTA FILM FESTIVAL (NR) Playing at area theaters through Sun., June 20, the 28th festival of film and video features more than 70 films and 100 shorts, with more international entries than ever before. Atlanta Film Festival, $4-$15. 404-352-4225. www.imagefv.org.

BABETTE'S FEAST (1987) (G) A humble Parisian housekeeper (Stephane Audran) to two Danish spinsters uses a financial windfall to cook a gourmet meal. This charming Best Foreign Film Oscar winner miraculously celebrates both spiritual and sensual pleasures. Marla Adams of Babette's Cafe presents a free food demonstration (with reservations required). Cinematic Feasts: A Celebration of Food and Film. Sat., June 19, 8 p.m. Woodruff Arts Center, Rich Auditorium. 1280 Peachtree St. $5. 404-733-4570. www.high.org. -- CH

BULLITT (1968) (PG) Steve McQueen's detective film lives up to its reputation for reinventing the cinematic car chase. Mondo Movie Nights. Sun., June 20. Dusk. Starlight Six Drive-In, 2000 Moreland Ave. $6. 404-627-5786. www.starlightdrivein.com.

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 Renee Zellweger's broad, amusing turn that won her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival. Thurs., June 17, 8 p.m. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. $7. 404-881-2100. www.foxtheatre.org. -- CH

ELVIS '68: COMEBACK SPECIAL (1968) (PG) Elvis Presley restored himself to the rock 'n' roll throne with this NBC special, digitally remastered with previously unseen footage. Mon., June 21, 7 p.m. Regal Perimeter Pointe, 1155 Mt. Vernon Highway. $12.50-$15. www.regalcm.com.

FARAWAY, SO CLOSE! (1993) (NR) Wim Wenders presents an unnecessary sequel to his delicate classic Wings of Desire, in which another angel considers switching his celestial status for humanity. Featuring Mikhail Gorbachev and Lou Reed. Wim Wenders Retrospective. Wed., June 23, 7 p.m. Goethe Institut Inter Nationes, 1197 Peachtree St., Colony Square. $4. 404-892-2388.

FINDING NEMO (G) This computer-animated catch follows a meek, single-dad clown fish (Albert Brooks) as he journeys from the Great Barrier Reef to an aquarium in a Sydney dentist's office to save his son. The film's episodic format plays to Pixar's imaginative strengths, while the clever, airtight script doesn't rely too heavily on "fish out of water" puns. Scene-stealing voice actors include Willem Dafoe as a scarred angelfish planning a great aquarium escape and Barry "Dame Edna" Humphries as a shark called Bruce trying to kick the habit of eating his finny fellows. Wed., June 23, 7:30 p.m. Mick's Bennett Street, 2110 Peachtree Road. Free with dinner. 404-351-6425. — CH

GONE WITH THE WIND (1939) (NR) The nearly four-hour adaptation of Margaret Mitchell's historical novel remains mandatory viewing for Atlantans. The racial politics haven't aged well, but Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable still sell the film as one of the better examples of widescreen romantic epics. Coca-Cola Summer Film Festival. Sun., June 20, at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. $8. 404-881-2100. www.foxtheatre.org. -- CH

LA VIE PROMISE (NR) Isabelle Huppert of The Piano Teacher and 8 Women plays a prostitute who reluctantly renews ties with her long-lost daughter when they run afoul of gangsters. Peachtree Film Society. Tues., June 22, 7:30 p.m. Lefont Garden Hills Cinema, 2835 Peachtree Road. $7.50 ($6.50 for PFS members). 770-729-8487. www.peachtreefilm.org.

MOSTLY MARTHA (2002) (PG) This enjoyably slick morsel of German foodie-fluff concerns a perfectionist Hamburg chef, Martha (Martina Gedeck), who finds cooking can't solve all of her problems when both a recently orphaned 8-year-old niece and a spirited, love-drunk Italian chef suddenly enter her life. More hash-house cooking than haute cuisine, this one is a little overdone. Cinematic Feasts: A Celebration of Food and Film. Fri., June 18, 8 p.m. Woodruff Arts Center, Rich Auditorium. 1280 Peachtree St. $5. 404-733-4570. www.high.org. -- Felicia Feaster

PSYCHO (1960) (NR) Alfred Hitchcock's once notorious, now celebrated thriller turned a run-down California motel into a nightmare from the American subconscious. The plot twists, shifting sympathies and terrifying set pieces still put a stranglehold on the viewer. You may be able to leave the Bates Motel, but part of the Bates Motel will never leave you. Screen on the Green. Thurs., June 24, sunset. Piedmont Park meadow near 10th Street and Monroe Drive. Free. 404-878-2600. — CH

PUNKS (NR) This feature film chronicles the lives and music of black punk rockers. Fri., June 18, 8 p.m. Vinyl, 1374 W. Peachtree. $5. 404-867-3471.

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.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965) (G) The hills of Piedmont Park will be alive with the sound of you-know-what when Screen on the Green presents the classic Julie Andrews musical. Sound of Music sing-alongs have become trendy, so get your "Do-Re-Mi" working. Screen on the Green. Thurs., June 17, sunset. Piedmont Park meadow near 10th Street and Monroe Drive. Free. 404-878-2600.

SUPERVIXENS (1975) (NR) In this road movie from Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! director Russ Meyer, a fugitive encounters various women who all have one thing — make that two big things — in common. If you expect witty dialogue or clever plotting, you'll find it a bust. Mondo Movie Nights. Sun., June 20, dusk. Starlight Six Drive-In, 2000 Moreland Ave. $6. 404-627-5786. www.starlightdrivein.com.

WINGS OF DESIRE (1988) (PG-13) Bruno Ganz plays an angel who longs to be human in Wim Wenders' poetic fable that captures life's simple pleasures with almost aching delicacy. Goethe Institut Inter Nationes and Atlanta Film Festival. Sat., June 19, 4:30 p.m. Rialto Center for the Performing Arts, 80 Forsyth St. 404-892-2388. — CH

?Continuing
BON VOYAGE (PG-13) A group of frivolous French aristocrats (including Isabelle Adjani and Gérard Depardieu) don't let the Nazi occupation dampen their spirits in Jean-Paul Rappeneau's World War II lark.

BREAKIN' ALL THE RULES (PG-13) Daniel Taplitz' amusing relationship comedy has a plot like a sitcom written by Shakespeare. Jamie Foxx writes a handbook on breaking up, then accidentally steals Gabrielle Union from his cousin (Morris Chestnut) and gets mixed up in his boss' (Peter MacNicol) romance with gold-digger Jennifer Esposito. You won't remember it tomorrow but it's a fun date movie while it lasts. --Steve Warren

THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK (PG-13) What began as a lean, mean tale of survival in Pitch Black has been blessed/cursed with a budget that allows for impressive visual effects, a mess of mythology and a plot in which Vin Diesel's antihero gets to save the universe from imperialists — an allegory that will play better abroad. Didn't Diesel go from Next Big Thing to Same Old Thing in record time? --SW

COFFEE & CIGARETTES (R) Over the past two decades in between his feature film projects quintessential New York indie Jim Jarmusch has been making a series of short films in which a variety of music and film personalities, including members of the Wu-Tang Clan, Cate Blanchett, Iggy Pop and Tom Waits act out slice-of-life moments over a cup of joe. Though viewers will undoubtedly choose their favorite moments amongst a mixed bag in this anthology film, these quirky shorts work in wonderful tandem. Jarmusch shows how much can be revealed in life's little in-between moments, and the power dynamics and insights that can emerge over a simple coffee break. --FF

THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW (PG-13) Director Roland Emmerich's gloriously stupid old-school disaster movie strikes the perfect balance between laughable dialogue and big-budget weather porn money shots. Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal number among the hapless humans contending with sudden cyclones, tidal waves and even wolves. The film warns against global warming in its portrayal of a sudden, devastating ice age, but its preposterous science will only discredit the environmental causes it means to advocate. --CH

GARFIELD (PG) This cinematic hairball wastes the voice talent of Bill Murray as the computer-generated title character, "a happy, fat, lazy cat" who loves lasagna and rescues a dog-nap victim like a hundred Dalmatians. The other animals are real, except for their mouth movements, while the humans (Breckin Meyer, Jennifer Love Hewitt) were obviously desperate for work. The witless script might have been written 50 years ago and wouldn't have been funny then, either. --SW

HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (PG) J.K. Rowling's student wizard (Daniel Radcliffe) faces down werewolves, ghoulish Dementors, the adolescent blues and a crazed prison escapee (Gary Oldman) in this third year at Hogwarts. Alfonso Cuaron takes over directing duties from Christopher Columbus to provide by far the best and most textured Harry Potter film yet. The film's heart lies not in its magical effects but in the touching teacher-student relationship between Harry and Professor Lupin (David Thewliss), which you could call a kind of Undead Poets Society. --CH

IMAX THEATER: Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees (NR) As much about the lady as the animals she's studied for more than 40 years, this pleasant but unexciting film features more observation than information about an extended family of Tanzanian chimps and their baboon buddies. Johnny Clegg's music is a plus. Through July. (SW) Ghosts of the Abyss (G) James Cameron heads back to the subject that made him "king of the world," only this time he tackles the Titanic in a documentary format. The director employs all the state-of-the-art technology at his disposal to travel underwater and take us inside the legendary shipwreck. (Matt Brunson) Fernbank Museum of Natural History IMAX Theater, 767 Clifton Road. 404-929-6300. www.fernbank.edu.

KILL BILL VOLUME 2 (R) When the Bride (Uma Thurman) announced her plan to kill Bill in last fall's first volume of Quentin Tarantino's revenge epic, who expected her to talk him to death? Tarantino trades swords for words in the second part, which plays like a deliberately-paced, character-driven commentary on the kind of shlocky films he celebrated in Volume 1. Darryl Hannah's glam, one-eyed assassin and a flashback to '70s-style kung fu training provide kitschy kicks, but the emphasis rests on Thurman and David Carradine's soft-spoken, drawn-out conversations of a love gone wrong. --CH

LIFE OF BRIAN (1979) (R) Let's go to the stoning. In Monty Python's genial satire on religious fervor, Graham Chapman plays a nobody in Nazareth who's mistaken for the Messiah. After fervor of The Passion of the Christ, Brian's 25th anniversary reissue as welcome as dirty joke following a blood-and-thunder sermon. It's not as consistent as Monty Python and the Holy Grail and doesn't take full advantage of Brian's predicament for comic fodder, but it still contains brilliant bits, including a speech-impeded Pontius Pilate and a grammar-obsessed Roman centurion. --CH

LOVE ME IF YOU DARE (R) Eight-year-old sociopaths Julien and Sophie sublimate their mutual affection in a game of Dare that continues until they're 35, becoming progressively more adult. Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet star in Yann Samuell's first feature, which — on its own terms — qualifies as one of the most romantic films ever made. At Lefont Garden Hills. --SW

MAN ON FIRE (R) John Creasy (Denzel Washington) doesn't say much about himself, but you've seen enough movies to recognize a burned-out drunk seeking redemption right off the bat. He's hired as bodyguard for Dakota Fanning in Mexico City, and she re-humanizes him before she's kidnapped and he sets out for revenge. Brian Helgeland's screenplay leaves serious questions if you stop to think about it, but director Tony Scott ensures you won't, keeping the film well paced and visually exciting with some amazing montages. --SW

MEAN GIRLS (PG-13) "Saturday Night Live"'s Tina Fey puts a salty, fun spin on the pop psychology book about cutthroat girl cliques Queen Bees and Wannabes in her Heathers-esque screenplay about a home schooled nerd-turned-hottie (Lindsay Lohan) who attempts to infiltrate the A-list girl clique the Plastics. The usual teen girl comedy stereotypes are here — like the nearly slasher film sense of rage directed at the Plastics queen bee — but Fey has enough been-there perspective and shrewd attentiveness to the absurdities of the form to make it all work. --FF

SAVED! (PG-13) Director Brian Dannelly may think he lassoed himself some first-rate gonzo satire, but this drama of hypocritical Christian high school students toothlessly mimics the biting wit of Alexander Payne (Election). The unfunny dramedy tippy-toes to avoid outright blasphemy in depicting the out-of-wedlock pregnancy of a good girl (Jena Malone) after she tries to "cure" her boyfriend of homosexuality. The only real relief from this airless morality lesson is a wry performance by Macaulay Culkin as a paraplegic student flirting with his wild side and a hilarious turn by Martin Donovan as Pastor Skip, a hip hop-spouting youth minister — the 2004 version of the guitar-strumming, Jesus-is-just-alright Sixties pastor. --FF

SOUL PLANE (R) With so many funny people — and Tom Arnold — aboard you'd expect a lot more than Soul Plane delivers. What could have been a black Airplane! settles for being Friday at 30,000 Feet, with about one percent wit to 99 percent crude, vulgar and mostly sexual humor. Several of the actors have done better airline material in their stand-up routines than what they're given here. --SW

SPRING, SUMMER, FALL, WINTER... AND SPRING (NR) This critically-acclaimed Korean film depicts life at a Buddhist temple in five seasonal vignettes than span decades and convey both the serenity of Zen contemplation and the power of earthly temptations.

THE STEPFORD WIVES See review.

SUPER SIZE ME (NR) Shocked at the growing number of obese American children and adults, New York filmmaker Morgan Spurlock wondered if fast food was to blame. Using himself as a guinea pig, he tested his hypothesis by eating nothing but McDonald's morning, noon and night and got an engorged liver, major weight gain and a serious health crisis in return. Like Michael Moore's personality-driven muckraking documentaries, Spurlock's jolly approach to depressing material ensures that it will be multiplex-accessible, even if the results are more lightweight and disposable. --FF

TROY (R) Everyone has an Achilles' heel in Wolfgang Petersen's high-testosterone spectacle loosely based on Homer's Iliad. The full-scale, widescreen war between Greece and Troy thrilling narrows to a duel between two souls: steadfast, doomed Hector (Eric Bana) and arrogant, conflicted Achilles (Brad Pitt). At times Troy suffers from the bloat-for-bloat's-sake of a DeMille epic, yet the flawed protagonists make the film far more complex and engrossing than Gladiator. --CH

VAN HELSING (PG-13) Bram Stoker's elderly vampire hunter becomes a buff, gadget-toting action figure (played by Hugh Jackman). Writer-director Stephen Sommers blows a fortune in computer effects to desecrate our memories of Dracula, The Wolf Man and the Frankenstein monster. Overblown and dimwitted in every respect, Van Helsing unintentionally reaches heights of comedy and camp undreamed of by The Rocky Horror Picture Show. --CH

YOUNG ADAM (NC-17) In post-WWII Scotland, Ewan McGregor plays a young laborer living side by side with a husband (Peter Mullan) and his bitter, unhappy wife (Tilda Swinton) on their river barge. The nearly simultaneous discovery of a young woman's body in the river and the beginning of Swinton and McGregor's torrid affair creates a vortex of sex and death which gives the film its exquisite, unshakable gloom. --FF??