Short Subjectives October 05 2005

Opening Friday

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· THE GOSPEL 2 stars. (PG-13) Atlanta filmmaker Rob Hardy wrote and directed this heavy-handed tale of an R&B star who returns to his estranged father’s church seeking redemption. Some soaring numbers from some of gospel music’s biggest stars and a charismatic performance from “The Wire’s” Idris Elba as an ambitious, media-savvy pastor provide the brightest spots in this unsubtle retelling of the prodigal son parable. — Curt Holman

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· EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED 4 stars. (PG-13) See review.

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· IN HER SHOES (PG-13) In this adaptation of the popular chick-lit novel, Cameron Diaz and Toni Colette play polar opposite sisters who bond when they meet the grandmother (Shirley MacLaine) they never knew they had.

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· MEMORY OF A KILLER (R) Called The Alzheimer Case in its native Belgium, this police thriller follows two police detectives on the trail of a ruthless murderer, despite the senior partner’s memory-impairing illness.

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· THUMBSUCKER 5 stars. (R) See review.

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· TWO FOR THE MONEY (R) Gambling and con games figure into this tale starring Matthew McConaughey as a former college football star whose skill at predicting the outcome of sporting events attracts the interest of Al Pacino’s hustling sports consultant. It sounds like the Pacino-Keanu Reeves dynamic in The Devil’s Advocate, only this time Pacino’s probably not literally Satan.

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· WAITING ... (R) This raunchy comedy stars Ryan Reynolds, Anna Faris and Justin Long as the restless, partying, sex-obsessed waitstaff of a chain restaurant called “Shenanigan’s.”

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· WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT (G) See review.

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Duly Noted

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· HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE 4 stars. (2004) (PG) In industrial-era Europe, a repressed shop girl becomes transformed into an elderly (but spunky) woman after getting embroiled with feuding wizards. Hayao Miyazaki, the world’s greatest living director of animated films, offers some wild, whimsical variations on themes similar to his Oscar-winning Spirited Away, in which another spellbound girl found romance, empowerment and outlandish monsters. At times, the rules of Miyazaki’s world can be confusing, but the director rightly appreciates that the magic of a story often lies in its mystery. $5 ($3 until 5 p.m.). Thurs., Oct. 6. Call for times. Cinefest, GSU University Center, Suite 211, 66 Courtland St. 404-651-3565. www2.gsu.edu/~wwwcft. — Holman

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· LENI RIEFENSTAHL: HER DREAMS OF AFRICA (2001) (NR) Ray Müller’s documentary follows legendary, 98-year-old German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl’s journey to find her friends in the Nuba tribe of the strife-ridden Sudan. Film Retrospective: Leni Riefenstahl. $3-$4. Wed., Oct. 12, 7 p.m. Goethe-Institut Atlanta, 1197 Peachtree St. 404-892-2388. www.goethe.de/atlanta.

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· LIGHTING THE SPACE: FILMS BY GORDON MATTA-CLARK AND ANTHONY MCCALL (NR) The first in a five-part series about the use of light in artists’ films features a program from 1970s “anarchitect” Gordon Matta-Clark and his visions of cities. Available Light. Fri., Oct. 7, 8 p.m. Eyedrum, 290 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Suite 8. 404-522-0655. www.eyedrum.org.

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· ON-OFF (NR) The second in a five-part series about the use of light in artists’ films features a program of historic and new works (from such artists as Chris Welsby and Hollis Frampton) that pointedly use the absence of light. Available Light. Fri. Oct. 7, 8 p.m. Eyedrum, 290 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Suite 8. 404-522-0655. www.eyedrum.org.

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· OFF TO WAR (NR) This public screening of the season premiere of the Discovery Times Channel’s original series follows the soldiers of the 39th Brigade of the Arkansas National Guard as they journey from Arkansas to Baghdad. Free. Tues., Oct. 11, 7 p.m. Hands on Atlanta, 600 Means St. 404-979-2876. www.handsonatlanta.org.

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· 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.

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· ROMA (2004) (NR) An exiled author regales a young journalist with 40 years of political and romantic adventures that span modern Argentine history. Latin American Film Festival. Free. Sun., Oct. 9, 3 p.m., High Museum, Hill Auditorium, 1280 Peachtree St. 404-733-4570. www.high.org.

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· 3-IRON 3 stars. (2004) (R) South Korean director Kim Ki-duk’s drama is an oddball flight of fancy about a pretty rebel on a motorcycle (Jae Hee) who squats in a succession of Seoul apartments while their occupants are away. He hooks up with a beautiful, physically abused married woman (Lee Seung-yeon) who joins him on his trespassing sleepovers. In his eerily serene, quiet film, Kim Ki-duk’s lovers never speak to each other, though that is just one strange aspect of a curiouser and curiouser sugary-spooky story that feels like equal parts ghost tale and Hello Kitty. $5 ($3 until 5 p.m.). Oct. 7-13. Call for times. Cinefest, GSU University Center, Suite 211, 66 Courtland St. 404-651-3565. www2.gsu.edu/~wwwcft/. — Felicia Feaster

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· TROPIC OF CANCER (2004) (NR) Not to be confused with Henry Miller’s famously profane book, this hallucinatory documentary examines the lives of families living off the land — and passing motorists — in the central Mexican desert. Latin American Film Festival. Fri., Oct. 7, 8 p.m. Woodruff Arts Center, Rich Theatre, 1280 Peachtree St. $5. 404-733-4570. www.high.org.

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Continuing

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· THE ARISTOCRATS 4 stars. (NR) George Carlin, Gilbert Gottfried, Sarah Silverman, John Stewart, Whoopi Goldberg and scores of other comedians take turns telling — or commenting on — an old, notoriously offensive joke usually reserved for other comedians instead of their audiences. Depending on your tolerance for humor based on every imaginable human depravity, you might not always find The Aristocrats a funny gag, but this documentary (from Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette) earns some honest laughs while offering fascinating — and uncomfortable — insights into the minds of professional jokemeisters. — Holman

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· BROKEN FLOWERS 2 stars. (R) Cinema’s two reigning Zen masters of deadpan understatement, Bill Murray and filmmaker Jim Jarmusch, dial it back a little too far in this melancholy comedy. Murray’s aging Don Juan road-trips to see which of four ex-lovers (played superbly by Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange and Tilda Swinton) is the mother to the son he never knew. With such self-conscious tedium and heavy-handed symbols, Broken Flowers feels wasteful of its terrific cast, although Murray’s touchingly subtle work strikes some highly affecting chords in the last 15 minutes. — Holman

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· THE CONSTANT GARDENER 4 stars. (R) In this flashy, faithful adaptation of John Le Carré’s espionage best seller, Ralph Fiennes plays impressively against type as a meek diplomat in Africa investigating the murder of his activist wife (Rachel Weisz). Director Fernando Mereilles brings a similar intensity and eye for telling detail that marked sizzling City of God and makes The Constant Gardener one of the rare political thriller’s that’s actually about politics. Too many characters seem to exist simply for exposition instead of insight, but the film stirringly blends suspenseful paranoia, tragic romance and indignation at corporate misdeeds in the Third World. — Holman

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· CORPSE BRIDE 3 stars. (PG) A misunderstood young artiste (voiced by Johnny Depp) finds himself married to a half-skeletal dead woman (Helena Bonham Carter) in this stop-motion animated film co-directed by Tim Burton. The morbid animation style and Danny Elfman songs evoke memories of The Nightmare Before Christmas, but the thin story fails to measure up. Nevertheless, nearly every frame of Corpse Bride offers a clever, memorable image, and the comedy clicks in the last act when the dead reunite with the living. — Holman

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· CRY WOLF (PG-13) A group of nasty prep-schoolers try to prank the campus with rumors of a serial killer — only to see their story start coming true. It’s one of those PG-13 thrillers, so don’t expect much sex or violence, just a radio-friendly soundtrack.

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· DEUCE BIGALOW: EUROPEAN GIGOLO (R) In one of those inexplicable sequels to movies you can’t imagine anyone going to see the first time around, Rob Schneider plays a male ho tricked into whoring around Amsterdam. Bound to make you miss that “Fred Garvin: Male Prostitute” sketch from “Saturday Night Live.”

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· THE DEVIL’S REJECTS (R) The wait is over: Musician Rob Zombie has written and directed another movie, taking up where House of 1000 Corpses left off. I guess House of 1001 Corpses wasn’t as good a title.

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· THE EXORCISM OF EMILY ROSE 2 stars. (PG-13) A morally conflicted, atheist attorney (Laura Linney) defends a brooding priest (Tom Wilkinson) of negligent homicide in the wake of an unsuccessful exorcism. With an Oscar-caliber cast and a premise that blends courtroom drama with supernatural conflicts, this supernatural thriller promises scares and thoughtful content, and fails to deliver them both. You’d do better with a Halloween episode of “Law and Order” than Exorcism’s lame legal plot points and muddled spirituality. — Holman

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· FLIGHTPLAN 2 stars. (PG-13) On the heels of Red Eye comes this month’s aerial thriller. This one, about a widow (Jodie Foster) whose daughter disappears during an intercontinental flight, quickly begins its narrative descent and eventually explodes on contact, creating fireballs of flaws so massive, they obliterate entire theater auditoriums and even singe the concession stands. Foster’s performance deserves a better showcase — instead, she’s much like the lone suitcase that’s left on the baggage claim belt, circling wearily while surrounded by an atmosphere of indifference. — Matt Brunson

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· THE 40 YEAR-OLD VIRGIN 4 stars. (R) Can a sheltered, geeky electronics store employee (“The Daily Show’s” Steve Carell, who co-wrote the script) discover the joys of man-on-woman action, or will fate conspire comedically against him? This raunchy but surprisingly sweet comedy with a relaxed, engaging cast takes great pleasure in examining society’s sexual obsessions and the anxiety it engenders. It’s a little long, but like the cable cult-flick Office Space, it gets plenty of mileage from taking place in the same generic, chain-store America where must of us live, work and play. — Holman

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· FOUR BROTHERS 3 stars. (R) The adopted sons (two white, two black) of a slain Detroit woman seek the truth about their mother’s death. This lo-fi urban thriller from John Singleton may be heavy-handed and silly, but it captures the spare, edgy fun of cult blaxploitation films far better than the director’s own remake of Shaft. Atlanta’s Andre Benjamin of OutKast fame comports himself comfortably as the most respectable of the title siblings. — Holman

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· THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED (PG) An amateur, working-class golfer (Holes’ Shia LaBeouf) takes on the defending British champion at the 1913 U.S. Open. Expect lots of triumphant, feel-good sports movie rah-rah.

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· IMAX THEATER — The Living Sea (NR): Humpback whales, golden jellyfish and giant clams star in this documentary about the diversity of undersea life, with music by Sting and narrated by Meryl Streep. Closes Fri., Sept. 30. Mystery of the Nile (NR): This IMAX adventure follows a small group of reporters and filmmakers as they travel 3,000 miles up the Nile River. Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets (NR): This exploration of one of America’s greatest natural wonders retraces the canyon’s history, from Native Americans to modern-day whitewater rafters. Opens Sat., Oct. 1. Fernbank Museum of Natural History IMAX Theater, 767 Clifton Road. 404-929-6300. www.fernbank.edu.

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· INTO THE BLUE (PG-13) This thriller stars The Fast and the Furious’ Paul Walker and Sin City’s Jessica Alba as divers who run afoul of dangerous criminals when they discover a downed cargo plane on the ocean floor. (Hey, is this a remake of The Deep? Sure sounds like The Deep.)

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· JUNEBUG 4 stars. (R) This deeply charming, tender story about a Southern homecoming, bristles with honest observation and wit, much of it transmitted by Amy Adams as a pregnant Southern ball of fire. George (Alessandro Nivola) and his sophisticated new wife, Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz), head from their Chicago home to visit his folks in North Carolina where they find a South defined by close, unspoken family ties and no small amount of heartbreak, as captured by first-time director Phil Morrison and screenwriter Angus MacLachlan. — Feaster

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· JUST LIKE HEAVEN 2 stars. (PG-13) In sort of an undead Goodbye Girl, the intangible specter of a workaholic doctor (Reese Witherspoon) haunts the depressed, slobby hunk (Mark Ruffalo) who sublet her apartment. Witherspoon and Ruffalo improve on overly familiar material and Jon Heder, who played the title role in Napoleon Dynamite, has a small, scene-stealing role as a slacker psychic. If you’ve ever seen a Meg Ryan movie, you won’t find much new here. — Holman

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· LORD OF WAR 2 stars. (R) A good idea badly executed, this drama about an international arms dealer (Nicolas Cage) is immediately doomed because writer/director Andrew Niccol can’t resist soft-pedaling his odious central character. And while Niccol rightly feels that the easy procurement of weapons — not to mention the resultant casualties of war (usually women and children) — is an important issue that requires further discussion, he would have had more success had he placed his data in the context of compelling entertainment. Instead, he merely uses numbing voice-over narration to pile on the statistics and crunch the figures. By the time the movie ends, we’re more primed to take a pop quiz than take a stand. — Brunson

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· MARCH OF THE PENGUINS 2 stars. (G) This French documentary, a kind of inferior, nonflying version of Winged Migration, concerns the annual migration of Antarctica’s emperor penguins from their bachelor digs across inhospitable climes to their mating grounds. The doc features adorable birds, cloying, hard-to-take narration from Morgan Freeman and the not exactly original assessment that nature is cruel. — Feaster

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· PROOF (PG-13) 2 stars. Director John Madden’s film joins Gwyneth Paltrow’s Sylvia and that other bug house drama Girl, Interrupted in the sorority of films about beautiful, tortured women that give paltry indications of what that pain feels like. Paltrow has delivered the actorly goods in previous work such as Shakespeare in Love, but her mumbling monotone becomes irritating as a too-easy shorthand for depression. Her golden girl radiance could have used a brown rinse to convince us she is the self-defeating, shut-in math genius worried that she may have inherited her brilliant father’s (Anthony Hopkins) propensity for mental illness. — Feaster

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· ROLL BOUNCE (PG-13) The artist known as Bow Wow stars in this coming-of-age comedy set primarily in a 1970s roller rink. If you’ve been longing for a throwback to the era of Roller Boogie, this is your chance.

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· THE THING ABOUT MY FOLKS (PG-13) For this week’s family road trip comedy, Paul Reiser wrote, produced and stars in this schmaltzy project about a son trying to patch things up between his bickering parents (Peter Falk and Olympia Dukakis).

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· TRANSPORTER 2 (PG-13) Jason Statham reprises his role as a former Special Forces operative who kicks ass, takes names and transports stuff. Here he must rescue a pair of kidnapped twins, so think The Pacifier without the laughs. Assuming The Pacifier had laughs.

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· 2046 4 stars. (R) Obsessive Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai crafts a sort-of-sequel to his art-house hit In the Mood for Love. Replacing unconsummated romance with unattached intimacy, 2046 proves an equally lush but more complex study in style and mood, as Tony Leung’s dissolute writer becomes involved with some of Asia’s most beautiful women, most prominently Crouching Tiger’s Zhang Ziyi as a heartbroken call girl. Rather than try to decode all of the director’s post-modern plot twists, you’ll have a more satisfying time bathing in the film’s voluptuousness. — Holman

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· UNDERCLASSMAN (PG-13) Drumline’s Nick Cannon plays a streetwise L.A. cop who goes undercover at an elite private school. Presumably Martin Lawrence was too old for the role. The cast includes Cheech Marin, Kelly Hu and Ian Gomez.

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· AN UNFINISHED LIFE 2 stars. (PG-13) A gruff cowboy (Robert Redford) who still blames his daughter-in-law (Jennifer Lopez) for his son’s death isn’t thrilled when she shows up uninvited with her young daughter (Becca Gardner) in tow. It’s good to see Redford playing a character who’s more ornery than iconic, and the impressive Gardner provides a boost to every scene in which she appears — she especially blossoms opposite Morgan Freeman, cast as Redford’s trusty companion. Yet the camaraderie between the Redford and Freeman characters isn’t always convincing — it plays like an inferior version of the Freeman-Eastwood tag team in Million Dollar Baby — while the heavy-handed moralizing leads to all the expected climaxes and conclusions. — Brunson

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· WEDDING CRASHERS 2 stars. (R) Jeremy (Vince Vaughn) and John (Owen Wilson) spend their weekends crashing weddings in a search for Ms. Right Now, but trouble strikes when the two guys end up falling for their prey. Although Wilson and Vaughn provide loads of snappy banter, Crashers just can’t seem to consistently sustain the laughs. Ultimately, the film comes across as a great setup without a satisfying punch line. — Carlton Hargro