Short Subjectives September 11 2003

?Opening Friday
CABIN FEVER (R) Five college students see their post-exams mountain getaway ruined by a pesky attack of the flesh-eating virus in Eli Roth’s first film, which benefits from a nasty sense of humor and a slow-burning mood of paranoia. Cabin Fever lacks the innovation of recent horror flicks like 28 Days Later or The Blair Witch Project, and the last 15 minutes fall apart even more completely than the dripping, disintegrating heroes, but Roth proves an attentive student of early Sam Raimi and David Cronenberg. --Curt Holman

THE CUCKOO (PG-13) Near the end of World War II, a pacifist Finnish sniper, a disgraced Russian captain and a widowed Lapp reindeer farmer converge and try to overcome their differences despite having no common language.

THE GATEKEEPER (R) Juan Carlos Frey writes, directs and stars in this message-driven suspense film about a U.S. Border patrol agent who moonlights for a right-wing vigilante group to keep out illegal immigrants by any means possible.

MATCHSTICK MEN (PG-13) A con artist (Nicolas Cage) afflicted with obsessive-compulsive tics gets a new outlook on life when he meets the teenager daughter (Alison Lohman) he never knew he had. Cage’s twitchy, showy performance feels like a technical exercise, but the affectionate give-and-take of the father and daughter holds the film together. Like many other recent con man movies, Matchstick Men means to bamboozle the audience, but even if you see through its tricks, the film’s central relationship is strong enough to keep you from feeling swindled. --CH

MONDAYS IN THE SUN (R) Javier Bardem of Before Night Falls stars in Fernando Leon de Aranoa’s depiction of the plight of Spain’s unemployed shipbuildiers.

ON-LINE (R) On-Line opens a window into the on- and off-line pitfalls of the dating lives of two friends (Josh Hamilton and Harold Perrineau) who run an erotic video chat website. A “Hey, It’s That Guy” supporting cast and a quasi-edgy script clash with fabricated computer interfaces and shaky digital camerawork, making the film feel as hollow and uncontrolled as most websites. --Andrew Stewart

ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO (R) Robert Rodriguez’s third film in the El Mariachi trilogy shows signs of wear and tear. Antonio Banderas returns as the gunslinger / musician with revenge on his mind as he goes after the general planning to assassinate Mexico’s president. But the outrageous gunplay and ironic violence borrowed from Hong Kong films has now become as tired as old-style Hollywood action formula and Rodriguez’s indie irreverence has soured into cynicism in this cryptically plotted, banal mayhem. --Felicia Feaster

?Duly Noted
BARAN (2001) (NR) Majid Majidi writes and directs this sweet-natured tale of an Iranian teen who’s irresistibly drawn to a young Afghan he works alongside at a Teheran building site. Iranian Film Today. Sept. 5, 8 p.m., Woodruff Arts Center, Rich Auditorium. $5. 404-733-4570. www.high.org.

CITY OF GHOSTS (R) Feeling like Apocalypse Now meets any classic ’40s noir, Matt Dillon’s directorial debut is drenched in atmosphere, but also riddled by the often nonsensical developments of its labyrinthine plot. Dillon stars as a crook running from the Feds and a stateside insurance scam, who follows his criminal boss, Marvin (James Caan), to Cambodia. The mysterious Marvin dwells in Kurtzian decadence and sarong in Phnom Penh, where he engineers another grand scam that may be his undoing. Peachtree Film Society. Sept. 16, 7:30 p.m. at Lefont Garden Hills Cinema, 2835 Peachtree Road. $7.50 each ($6.50 for PFS members). 404-266-2850. www.peachtreefilm.org. --FF

THE DEVIL’S GENERAL (1954) (NR) This thriller derives from the life of Ernst Udet, the most successful German fighter pilot to survive WWI, as he uncovers a mystery in the Nazi-era Luftwaffe. Post-War German Classics. Sept. 17, 7 p.m. Goethe Institut Inter Nationes, 1197 Peachtree St., Colony Square. $4. 404-892-2388.

DOWNSTREAM FILM FESTIVAL (NR) The 2003 Downstream Film Festival features 40 documentary, experimental and narrative shorts and feature films include such off-kilter highlights as the crusading killer whale documentary Lolita: Slave to Entertainment, the atmospheric biopic-rockumentary You Think You Really Know Me: The Gary Wilson Story and the kooky, locally-produced short musical “Petunia.” Sept. 12-21. The Decatur Ballroom Plaza (and other venues), 1121 Commerce Drive,. $5 per screening, $75 for a 10-day pass. 770-998-2288. www.downstreamfest.com.

FROM THE ASHES (NR) Deborah Shaffer’s documentary focuses on 10 artists (including Jane Hammond and Lisa David) who lived or worked in downtown Manhattan, and whose lives were dramatically affected by the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. The assumption is that these artists will be uniquely sensitive and eloquent on the changes wrought by the attacks. Instead, for the most part (Laurie Anderson and Pat Oleszko are noticeable exceptions), these artists engage in a revoltingly self-absorbed interpretation of the events, many of them unable to see past their own noses in contemplating the tragedy. Sept. 11, Cinefest, GSU Student Center, Suite 211, 66 Courtland St. $5 ($3 until 5 p.m.). 404-651-3565. --FF

MAROONED IN IRAQ (2001) (NR) Not a critique of the current U.S. foreign policy, Bahman Ghobadi’s film depicts a group of Iranian Kurd musicians traveling across Iraq to stay ahead of Saddam Hussein’s anti-Kurd forces. Iranian Film Today. Sept. 6, 8 p.m., Woodruff Arts Center, Rich Auditorium. $5. 404-733-4570. www.high.org. --FF

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 Meatloaf 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.

STANDING ON MY SISTERS’ SHOULDERS (NR) This winner of the 27th Atlanta Film Festival Audience Award documents the key efforts of women in Mississippi’s civil rights movement. IMAGE Film & Video Center. Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m. Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, 450 Auburn Ave. Free. 404-352-4225. www.imagefv.org.

THRONE OF BLOOD (1957) (NR) Akira Kurosawa reimagines Macbeth in feudal Japan and uses the country’s Noh theater traditions instead of blank verse. Yet it’s cinema’s most haunting adaptation of the Shakespeare tragedy, thanks in no small measure to Toshiro Mifune as an overreaching warlord and Isuzu Yamada as his scheming wife. Japanese Film Festival: A Tribute to Akira Kurosawa. Sept. 17, 7:30 p.m. Emory University, 205 White Hall. Free. 404-727-6761.

?Continuing
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. At times the film’s use of animation and word balloons feels like self-conscious gimmickry, but 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. --CH

CAMP (PG-13) At times raucous and entertaining, but more often ridiculous, this cheesy comedy was inspired by the real life upstate New York camp where budding thespians like Jennifer Jason Leigh learned to emote. Camp puts a knowing gay-culture gloss on the cornball Meatballs-genre in its tale of gay boys, shy girls and four-eyed black kids who come together each summer to express their mutual adoration for show tunes and jazz hands. At Landmark Midtown Cinema. --FF

DICKIE ROBERTS: FORMER CHILD STAR (PG-13) The last David Spade film, Joe Dirt, was an irreverent throwaway with a few hilarious moments, but here he dips his toes in the dangerous waters of family-oriented, heartwarming comedy. He plays a waning child star who hires a “normal” family to experience the childhood he never had. The film’s only wit comes from Spade’s trademark sarcasm and from cameos by actual former child stars like Emmanuel Lewis and Leif Garrett. Everything else faintly reeks of pandering and misguided ambition. --Andrew Stewart

DIRTY PRETTY THINGS (R) This is not the finest moment for director Stephen Frears (High Fidelity, Dangerous Liaisons). Based on an interesting premise about a kidneys-for-passports black market operated from a seedy London hotel, this Hollywood-style thriller centers on a principled African immigrant determined to expose the ring. A bland romance between the principled former doctor (Chiwetel Ejiofar) and a Turkish immigrant (Audrey Tautou) weighs the film down. Frears emphasizes thriller clichés over a sustained examination of the feelings of immigrants. At every turn, Things promises something meaningful, and never delivers it. --FF

GRIND (PG-13) Everyone should have an adventure the summer after graduating high school. Most high school graduates are too intelligent for Grind, but it’s aimed at their younger brothers. Four buddies (Mike Vogel, Vince Vieluf, Adam Brody and Joey Kern) chase their dream from Chicago to Santa Monica in this movie about wannabe professional skateboarders, made by wannabe professional filmmakers. Viewers young enough to enjoy it may find the movie and its message original; for the rest of us it’s the same old Grind. --SW

THE HOUSEKEEPER (PG-13) Jean de Florette director Claude Berri offers a sexy tale about a middle-aged husband (Jean-Pierre Bacri), abandoned by his wife, who pulls his life together thanks to his young housekeeper (Emilie Dequenne). At Landmark Midtown Cinema.

IMAX THEATER: Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure (NR) The greatest survival story of the 20th century lends itself to IMAX treatment. Kevin Spacey narrates Sir Ernest Shackleton’s attempt to cross Antarctica by dogsled without his usual sarcasm but without overselling it either. The visuals combine Frank Hurley’s original photographs and film footage, which retain amazing clarity, with recreations of the original expedition. Through Dec. 6. 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. For all the time, money and effort involved the result should have been better. The Stomp cast is augmented by a dozen acts representing the sounds that have influenced them, performing for about two minutes each. You have to wait for the closing credits for information about what you’ve been seeing and hearing, other than the locations. Through Feb. 6. Fernbank Museum of Natural History IMAX Theater, 767 Clifton Road. 404-929-6300. www.fernbank.edu. --SW

JEEPERS CREEPERS 2 (R) Far superior to the original installment, this flick is basically a grab bag of crazy. And therein lies its success. In the first 10 minutes alone, the tone meanders through Americana, loss, teen angst, homoeroticism, and racial tension before crash landing into a truly enjoyable creature feature. Ostensibly, the leads are some bland teen models portraying average High School students, but The Creeper, rendered by actor Jonathan Breck and some nifty CGI, is the real body-part-swallowing star of the show. It’s a mess, but a fun and exciting mess that unabashedly delivers scares, laughs and serious harpooning action. --Steve Yockey

JET LAG (R) A mediocre trifle of class warfare rendered as romantic comedy, Daniele Thompson’s (La Buche) film, written by her son Christopher stars Juliette Binoche as a tarty beautician escaping an abusive relationship and Jean Reno as a harried frozen foods executive who meet during a transit strike at the Charles De Gaulle airport. At Marietta Star Cinema. --FF

LE DIVORCE (PG-13) A shrewd, tasty little comedy about the cultural divide between America and France, this Merchant/Ivory production concerns Roxy (Naomi Watts), an American poet in Paris, who discovers Old World sexism in the French legal system when her husband deserts her for his mistress. Kate Hudson is her sister, dispatched from Santa Barbara to look after the newly pregnant Roxy. While Roxy stews, Isabel (Hudson) begins an adulterous affair with a right-wing politician and falls in love with French social customs involving lingerie, sex, Hermeès handbags and haute cuisine. --FF

THE MAGDALENE SISTERS (R) Actor/director Peter Mullan’s film is hyperbolic and at every turn rigged to inspire outrage. But it is also a highly effective, darkly engrossing condemnation of the checkered history of religious abuses of power. The drama takes place at one of Ireland’s “Magdalene Asylums,” which operated from the 19th century until 1996 as a virtual prison for girls accused of “moral crimes” ranging from being raped, to out-of-wedlock childbirth to flirtatiousness. Mullan’s women-in-prison formula follows three young girls who are nearly destroyed by the sadism of the nuns who oversee their work in the asylum’s grueling laundries. At Lefont Garden Hills Cinema. --FF

MARCI X (R) Lisa Kudrow plays Marci, a Jewish-American Princess suddenly saddled with running her father’s controversial record company. Rapper Damon Wayans’ new release incurs the wrath of Sen. Christine Baranski, but he and Marci hit it off and get it on. The costumes are more consistently hilarious than Paul Rudnick’s hit-and-miss script, which operates on the premise that comedies don’t have to make sense. There are enough solid laughs in Marci X for a good movie. It’s too bad they’ve been wasted on this one. --SW

MASKED AND ANONYMOUS (PG-13) Like other vanity projects, this Bob Dylan co-written opus has the stink of narcissism all over it. The same magnetic but self-absorbed aura that established the cult of Dylan in Don’t Look Back remains in this post-apocalyptic political allegory with very little to truly say. Dylan is a washed up singer attempting to resurrect his career with an ill-conceived benefit concert. The stars who signed on — including Jessica Lange, Jeff Bridges, John Goodman and Mickey Rourke — might have thought they’d find safety in numbers but get an overburdened sinking ship. At Landmark Midtown Cinema. --FF

THE ORDER (R) Director Brian Helgeland reunites three of his actors from A Knight’s Tale — Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon and Mark Addy — for one of those supernatural/ecclesiastical thrillers about a priest (Ledger) tracking down an occult evil-doer. Apart from The Exorcist, are these movies ever good?

QUAI DES ORFèEVRES (1947) (NR) A saucy little masterpiece of French crime fiction, Henri-Georges Clouzot’s prize-winner at the 1947 Venice Film Festival paints an unforgettably dank portrait of the Parisian post-war underground. The fates of hoods, music hall singers and taxi drivers intertwine when jealous husband Maurice (Bernard Blier) is accused of offing the man (Charles Dullin) believed to have bedded his cream-puff wife Jenny Lamour (Suzy Delair), a dishy chanteuse. Not to be missed for either its cynicism or for the rays of human warmth that manage to penetrate Clouzot’s noir vision. At Madstone Theatre Parkside. --Felicia Feaster

THE SECRET LIVES OF DENTISTS (R) A dentist’s (Campbell Scott) suspicion that his wife and dental partner (Hope Davis), is having an affair provides the dramatic heart of Alan Rudolph’s film. Scott avoids confrontation in hopes of saving the marriage but has to fight his dark side, represented by the shit-stirring, ever-present fantasy figure of disgruntled patient Denis Leary. A comic interlude when the flu hits the couple and their three daughters goes on too long and the original momentum is never regained. Though it’s not Rudolph’s crowning achievement it still beats a real trip to the dentist. At United Artists Tara Cinemas. --SW

STEP INTO LIQUID (NR) The pictures are worth thousands of words, but that doesn’t stop surfilosophers from adding thousands more in Dana Brown’s continuation of the work of his surfer documentarian father, Bruce Brown (the Endless Summer movies). Well timed to appeal to extreme sports fans, Liquid highlights new wrinkles (tow-in surfing and foil boards) and old, wrinkled (and some younger) surfers in locations from Chile to Vietnam to Wisconsin. Gnarly, dude, but next time shut up and surf. At Landmark Midtown Cinema. --SW

SWIMMING POOL (R) A standoffish English mystery writer (Charlotte Rampling) and her publisher’s trampy French daughter (Ludivine Sagnier) become mismatched roomies in Francois Ozon’s psychological thriller. The actresses give emotionally and physically revealing performances (Ozon seems besotted with Sagnier’s lithe form) and the titular pool becomes a supple symbol of the human psyche. The thought-provoking final twist can’t compensate for some routine ideas about releasing inhibitions or the film’s lack of confidence with its melodramatic turns. Swimming Pool spends too much time splashing around in the shallows. --CH

THIRTEEN (R) Former production designer Catherine Hardwicke makes her impressive, volatile directorial debut in this girl-focused anti-Kids focused upon the complex relationships that back-drop teenage self-destruction. This lacerating, powerful tale of a good girl (Evan Rachel Wood)’s descent into drugs, sex, shoplifting and self-mutilation under the faster-pussycat guidance of wild girl Evie (Nikki Reed) was based on Reed’s own damaged California childhood in the fast lane. Hardwicke’s smart direction gives it a sense of social urgency. --FF

28 DAYS LATER (R) Trainspotting director Danny Boyle helms a stylish piece of schlock as a handful of normal humans contend with an epidemic that has turned England’s populace into raging berserkers. The last act’s detour into Lord of the Flies territory dilutes some of the film’s finely-drawn tension, but it still proves a smart throwback to the end-of-the-world flicks of the 1970s. A four-minute, darker “alternate” new ending has been added to all prints, following the closing credits. --CH