film

Film listings are edited by Cheryl Eddy. Reviewers are Robert Avila, Meryl Cohen, David Fear, Dina Gachman, Susan Gerhard, Dennis Harvey, Johnny Ray Huston, Patrick Macias, and Chuck Stephens. The film intern is Adam Wadenius. See Rep Clock, page 102, and Movie Clock, page 103, for theater information.

Opening

The Adventures of Pluto Nash Eddie Murphy plays a lunar club owner in this comedy set in outer space in the year 2087. (1:36) Jack London.

Blue Crush It's much like The Far Shore, see review below, except it's fictional, set in present-day Hawaii, and stars good-looking, ass-kicking chicks. What more do you want? (1:44) California, Century Plaza, Century 20, Jack London.

The Far Shore The proverbial search for the perfect wave was, for a time in the early 1970s, a way of life for then-teens Kevin Naughton and Craig Peterson (who was working for Surfer magazine while still in high school). The highlight of this doc by Gregory Schell, premiering at the Red Vic, is the vintage Super 8 footage of Naughton, Peterson, and other adventurous souls fearlessly taking on waves in Mexico, El Salvador, Africa, and even Ireland. Narration comes courtesy of present-day interviews with Schell's subjects, who have settled down a bit in their lives but have clearly not lost their love of surfing. The Far Shore paints the freewheeling-in-a-VW-van-through-the-jungle lifestyle in a nostalgic glow, and the negative memories (bandits, jungle rot, sharks) are recalled more as humorous anecdotes. Folks already enraptured by the cult of surfing will especially appreciate The Far Shore's reverential treatment of the sport and, especially, those who devote their entire existence to it. Schell will appear in person at the film's evening screenings. (1:00) Red Vic. (Eddy)*The Good Girl See Critic's Choice. (1:34) Act I and II, Embarcadero, Piedmont.

ivans xtc. Director Bernard Rose doesn't want you to see the truth about Ivan Beckman. No, he's much too busy touting him as an unfortunate victim of circumstances, in an effort to "expose" the party-hardy lifestyle of the tinseltown elite and force home the revelatory notion that yes, even movie moguls will die. However, it's pretty tough to look at a chain-smoking Hollywood talent agent with a wicked cocaine addiction and a penchant for hookers and feel sad that his sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll attitude has finally caught up with him; he's dying, you see, of lung cancer. Danny Huston (son of legendary director John) gives a solid performance as the rotten Ivan, but Rose never fails to spoil his best moments with a self-righteous opera soundtrack and amateurish dialogue (cowritten by Lisa Enos), which leaves many scenes feeling unbelievable and awkward. (1:32) Galaxy, UA Berkeley. (Wadenius)

*Much Ado about Something Was Shakespeare really Shakespeare, or just some Elizabethan schmoe fronting for a playwright (or playwrights) in need of an identity shield? The question is a more legitimate one than you might think, and Michael Rubbo's highly entertaining documentary, which starts out like a portrait of some lit-conspiracy quacks, turns into the filmmaker's own obsessive quest. Numerous theories have been bounced around since the mid-19th century, with scholars, amateur sleuths and a few fellow scribes (including Henry James and Mark Twain) suspecting everyone from Sir Francis Bacon to Queen Liz herself as being the canon's "real" author. But the most (admittedly very conjectural) evidence points toward Christopher Marlowe, who was far more esteemed as a dramatist and poet than William S. at the time, and who died in a mysterious bar fight before Shakes commenced writing his great works. Or did Marlowe in fact stage a faux death – a carousing governmental spy, anti-church subversive, and well-known homo, he had plenty of reasons for a quick exit – then flee to Italy, spending the rest of his life sending plays back home to be premiered by journeyman director-theater owner Shakespeare? This Australian doc provides a delightful time hanging out with various modern-day obsessives who think they know the truth. And in a Nick Broomfield-like development, the frequently on-screen Rubbo soon becomes a pretty singleminded conspiracy nut himself. (1:33) Roxie. (Harvey)

*Pépé Le Moko See "Pépé le Who," page 48. (1:32) Castro.

Possession See "Hold the Syrup," page 48. (1:42) Jack London, Orinda.

*24 Hour Party People See Movie Clock. (1:57) Embarcadero, Shattuck.

What to Do in Case of Fire Judging from the opening salvo of Berlin riot footage and Super 8 home movies on how to make a homemade bomb, you'd think this German import might be Deutschland's answer to Trainspotting's adrenaline nihilism chic. Then the narrative kicks in, and one's hope goes the way of all scheisse. A group of grown-up anarchist punks who've mostly given up "the cause" must reunite when one of their crude explosives goes off 15 years too late. Some seized film footage implicates the whole collective, so naturally, the group must infiltrate the local police precinct and dispose of the evidence. Director Gregor Schnitzler stacks the deck in the argument of selling out versus buying in, turning the activists into greedy corporate fat cats and frumpy housewives while making the still idealistic hero an immature but hunky pinup. It's ironic, too, that for a film centering on being idealistically "true," Fire's post-MTV, post-advertising sleek style subverts all notions of radical politics into fashion-shoot consumer-friendly blockbuster tripe. (1:41) Lumiere, Shattuck. (Fear)

Ongoing

*Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (3:02) Act I and II, Four Star.

Austin Powers in Goldmember All the usual suspects are back as Austin Powers (Mike Myers) tangles with Dr. Evil (Myers), new foe Goldmember (Myers), and even his long-absent dad, fellow spy and ladies' man Nigel Powers (Michael Caine). After an incredible opening sequence that's probably the highlight of all three Powers films, Goldmember settles into the familiar routine of sight gag followed by (or, more likely, combined with) outrageous toilet humor. There's not much of a plot here, and the jokes don't always hit, but it must be said that the ones that do (even the retreads of gags from Powers past) are easily funnier than anything else out there right now. (1:36) California, Century Plaza, Century 20, Empire, Grand Lake, Jack London, Kabuki, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness. (Eddy)

*Baran (1:34) Galaxy.Blood Work Blood Work is really only a so-so thriller, with a few too many iffy elements, including a laughable romantic subplot, Paul Rodriguez overload, and a ridiculously obvious villain – hmm, the movie's nearly over and we don't know the killer's identity yet, but there's this big name actor who, thus far, has only appeared in a minimal supporting role – but, damn it, Clint Eastwood is so frikkin' cool, it's hard not to cut the director-star some slack on this one. Eastwood plays former FBI hotshot Terry McCaleb, who was felled by a bad ticker while chasing the elusive "Code Killer." Two years later, after a transplant, McCaleb is approached by the sister (Wanda de Jesús) of the murdered woman who donated his new heart. Sis wants McCabe to help find the killer, and much to the disgust of his doctor (Anjelica Huston), the still-ailing McCaleb jumps at the chance to get back into the crime-solving groove. Even though you'll probably figure out the murderer's motive and identity long before McCaleb does, Blood Work is appealing enough fare for fans of Eastwood's laid-back charm. (1:50) Century Plaza, Century 20, Grand Lake, Kabuki, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness, Orinda, Shattuck. (Eddy)

The Bourne Identity (1:53) Century 20, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness.

Breaking the Silence (1:31) Four Star.

*Full Frontal The movies with which Steven Soderbergh has achieved his long-overdue commercial breakthrough (Erin Brockovich, Traffic, Ocean's Eleven) have not been among his most exciting artistically, so at the very least, Full Frontal comes as reassurance that he's committed to making an oddball "little" feature every so often, no matter how many Oscars pile up around the big projects. Though concisely written by Coleman Hough, Frontal flies closer to Dogma and Mike Figgis's vid-flicks (not to mention Soderbergh's own little-seen Schizopolis) with its technical and cast improvisation. Principal characters looping in and out of one another's radar during one pivotal L.A. work day/night are brittle corporate personnel exec Lee (Catherine Keener), who's on the edge of leaving sad-sack husband Carl (David Hyde Pierce); her sister Linda (Mary McCormack), a masseuse likewise unlucky in love; two movie stars (Julia Roberts, Blair Underwood) glimpsed on the set and in faux excerpts from their sappy new romance; and powerful film producer Gus (David Duchovny), whose splashy 40th birthday party provides the vehicle for an inspired all-paths-converge climax. Though Frontal covers ground familiar from too many prior films, from Welcome to L.A. through The Player, and so on, its ambiguous mix of caustic, surreal, sympathetic, and warily romantic flavors is never less than engaging. And the cast is so terrific they often elevate this "little" experiment into a realm of major satisfaction. (1:47) Presidio, Shattuck. (Harvey)

*Gangster No. 1 (1:45) Galaxy.

Happy Times Zhang Yimou is not your typical Chinese director. The son of anti-Communist parents and a product of the Cultural Revolution, his films have been known to take jabs at the Chinese establishment, both overtly (as with the epic To Live) and metaphorically (as in the Academy Award-nominated Raise The Red Lantern). His latest film, however, is billed simply as a carefree comedy about life in the big city. The offbeat story follows Zhao, a kind-hearted, aging bachelor, through a string of misguided schemes intended to land him a wife. When Zhao finds himself entrusted with a would-be fiancée's blind, adolescent stepdaughter, his search for love takes on strange new meaning. True to its billing, the film is sweet and humorous – though in an understated fashion not often found in American cinema – but it still can't escape the social commentary that comes part and parcel with Yimou's unique brand of storytelling. (1:56) Four Star, Rafael. (Cohen)

K-19: The Widowmaker (2:18) Century 20, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness.

*Karmen Geï A joyous burst of sheer energy, this Senegalese update of the opera Carmen has bisexual Karmen (the spectacularly self-assured Djeïnaba Diap Gaï) a charismatic semi-criminal adventurer in modern-day Dakar. Racking up conquests hither and yon, she eventually meets the traditional fate at one jealous suitor's hands. But this production is so vividly alive to Karmen's own unrepentant joie-de-vivre that that "upright" citizen's grudge seems more unjust than ever. Deliciously costumed, designed, scored, and choreographed, the quasi-musical loses some steam as its narrative grows more somber. Still, this is one of the most purely enjoyable features to come out of Africa in years. (1:24) Balboa. (Harvey)

*The Kid Stays in the Picture Robert Evans, who became Hollywood's numero-uno golden-boy producer thanks to a string of hits (Rosemary's Baby, The Godfather, Chinatown), only to have his empire's shag carpeting pulled out from under him, understands the movies' power to make or break personal mythology better than anyone. Today he's got a new one to sell you: his own. And oh, it's a doozy. Evans lived a life that seemed straight out of a movie, or one that seemed destined to become one someday. That day has come with The Kid Stays in the Picture, which charts Evans's three-act rise, fall, and phoenix-like return to the limelight as only an autobiographical testimony can – it's first-personal, skewed, and voyeuristically fascinating beyond belief. Filmmakers Brett Morgen and Nanette Burstein (On the Ropes) use Evans's comprehensive personal archive of photos and a 3-D animation program called After Effects to construct a visual equivalent to Evans's aural acid-trip down memory lane. Paired with Evans's own narration, delivered in his velvet mumble of a voice, the result is less a documentary than sheer delirium. (1:31) Shattuck. (Fear)

*Lilo and Stitch (1:25) Century 20, Grand Lake.*Lovely and Amazing Catherine Keener (Being John Malkovich) is at the top of her game in the latest from writer-director Nicole Holofcener (whose first film, Walking and Talking, also starred Keener). Keener plays Michelle, a would-be artist and onetime homecoming queen who's the eldest daughter in a family that also includes Brenda Blethyn as the about-to-be-lipo'd mom, Jane; Emily Mortimer as Michelle's self-conscious actor sister, Elizabeth; and the wonderfully sullen eight-year-old Ravin Goodwin as Jane's adopted daughter, Annie. All of the women have major issues – in one memorable scene, Elizabeth's obsession with her appearance inspires her to ask a movie star (Dermot Mulroney) she's just slept with to evaluate her naked body, part by part. But it's Keener who steals the show, playing a character who's real-life complex enough to be fully unlikable at times, pathetically endearing at others. Unlike a certain Ellen Burstyn-Sandra Bullock movie that came out earlier this year, the razor-sharp Lovely and Amazing takes a gloves-off approach to the relationships between mothers, daughters, sisters, and female friends, with the fearless Keener leading the charge. (1:31) Albany. (Eddy)

Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat (1:44) Century Plaza, Century 20, Jack London, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness.

Master of Disguise (1:20) Kabuki, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness.

Me Without You Childhood "best friends forever," trendy and impetuous Marina (Anna Friel) and bookish Holly (Michelle Williams of Dawson's Creek) can't be friends without one ruining the other's life. The pressures of the relationship take two-plus decades to work themselves out, and the film darts, often way too quickly, in and out of years – through young adulthood, failed and semisuccessful relationships, and even a religious conversion – sketching out the girls' lives, together and ripping apart. The best scenes follow the two to college, where, to a soundtrack of Depeche Mode, Adam Ant, and Scritti Politti, Holly finds politics and Tarkovsky, Marina finds coke and excellent vintage dresses, and they both find themselves in bed with smarmy professor Kyle MacLachlan. Written and directed by Sandra Goldbacher (The Governess), Me Without You wants to examine those early unhappy, important friendships many of us suffered through, but its clipped pace keeps blurring the emotional details. (1:47) Four Star. (Lynn Rapoport)

Men in Black II (1:28) Century 20, Kabuki, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness.

*Minority Report (2:25) Century 20, Kabuki, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness.

*Monsoon Wedding (1:54) Balboa, California.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding A shrinking wallflower raised amid over-the-top extroverts, Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos) awakens from her 30-year funk after one look at lanky hunk Ian (John Corbett). She gives herself a makeover and a new career and duly snares Mr. Right. Trouble is, his family is as WASPy as they come, while hers – well, suffice it to say that parents Gus (Michael Constantine) and Maria (Lainie Kazan) are so ethnocentric that their suburban house is outfitted to look like the Parthenon. Wacky culture-clashing ensues. Adapting Vardalos's autobiographical stage monologue for the screen, director Joel Zwick (a TV veteran all the way back to Laverne and Shirley) doesn't do much to elevate the material above elongated-sitcom status – though if the howling response from a largely Greek American audience at a preview screening is any indication, this agreeable, predictable comedy has at least one demographic in its pocket. (2:01) Galaxy, Piedmont, Shattuck. (Harvey)

My Wife Is an Actress (1:33) Clay.

Mysteries of Egypt (:39) Metreon Imax.

Nijinsky (1:32) Opera Plaza.

*Notorious C.H.O. (1:45) Opera Plaza.

*Read My Lips (1:55) Galaxy, Oaks.

*Rivers and Tides (1:30) Rafael, Roxie, Shattuck.

Road to Perdition (1:59) Century Plaza, Century 20, Grand Lake, Kabuki, Metreon, Oaks, 1000 Van Ness.

Sade (1:40) Lumiere.

*Sex and Lucía (2:08) Rafael.

Siddhartha (1:25) Rafael.

*Signs Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan's Signs centers on a Pennsylvania farmer and former man of the cloth, Graham Hess (Mel Gibson), who wakes one morning to find mysterious circles in his cornfield. Before long, Graham and his kids – 10-year-old Morgan (Rory Culkin) and 5-year-old Bo (Abigail Breslin) – and his brother, failed baseball pro Merrill (Joaquin Phoenix), are thrust into circumstances as terrifying as they are enigmatic. Anyone who's seen The Sixth Sense knows that Shyamalan likes to insert clues that point the way toward the film's final twist; though still an effective technique, with the heavy-handed Signs his touch has become less subtle. Thought-provoking, if obviously trying to be so at times, Signs skillfully reuses the Sixth Sense ploy of slowly drawing the film's subtext to the forefront of the "scary" story. Some corny, distracting factors shadow the finale a bit, but Shyamalan is definitely in his element here. (1:46) Century Plaza, Century 20, Coronet, Empire, Grand Lake, Jack London, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness, Orinda. (Eddy)

Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (1:45) Century Plaza, Century 20, Jack London, Kabuki, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness. (Wadenius)

*Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2:22) Century 20, 1000 Van Ness.

Stuart Little 2 (1:18) Century 20, Kabuki, Metreon.

*Sunshine State (2:21) Balboa.

*Tadpole There was a brief time in the '70s when, if your only contact with American society was through contemporary film and literature, you'd swear that the United States was mostly composed of New York's Upper East Side. Gary Winick's Tadpole would, in a perfect world, restore the inhabitants of that occasionally grainy-lensed, sometimes Gershwin-soundtracked cultural gestalt to center stage. Fifteen-year-old budding intellectual Oscar Grubman (Aaron Stanford), nicknamed "Tadpole," comes home from boarding school to celebrate Thanksgiving with his history professor dad in Manhattan. His main interest in the holiday homecoming, however, involves a monster crush he's nursing for his middle-age stepmother (Sigourney Weaver). Complications arise when Oscar's seduction by his stepmom's best friend (Bebe Neuwirth) threatens to derail his own Oedipal courtship. Shot in dusty-looking digital video and focusing on a precocious teen pining for an older woman, it's tempting at first to dismiss Tadpole as a low-rent Rushmore. But the hyperintelligent writing and wit overcomes the cruder, clumsier technical moments to make this upper-crust comedy of manners the freshest sex farce in ages. (1:17) Albany, Piedmont. (Fear)

XXX Tattooed malcontent Xander Cage (Vin Diesel from The Fast and the Furious) spends his days pulling off outlandish, extreme stunts – until a matter of national security arises, and Agent Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) recruits Cage for a mission no conventional operative has been able to complete. America's newest secret agent soon sets about infiltrating Anarchy 99, a diabolical Russian gang angling for world domination. The fact that the story rips off every spy movie ever made is irrelevant here, and XXX is entertaining enough to justify its flagrant fouls, which include a few too many gratuitous shots of chicks in wet bikinis. This is a movie whose success depends on the audience gasping a collective "Holy shit!" when Cage gets out of another tight spot with effortless, fearless aplomb, outrunning the Colombian army, an avalanche, hails of bullets, and so on. For its lead, XXX should serve as the tipping point to introduce the term "a Vin Diesel movie"; for movie fans unimpressed by pretty boy action heroes like Ben Affleck, XXX signals the welcome return of the muscle-bound, '80s-style one-man army. (2:00) Century Plaza, Century 20, Empire, Jack London, Kabuki, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness, Shattuck. (Eddy)

Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars When David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust takes the stage in D.A. Pennebaker's Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, there's little pomp and circumstance – the music just starts. It's a curious anti-moment, considering the theatricality of Bowie's persona at the time. (It's also a sign that director and performer aren't in sync, collaboratively or combatively.) The movie's chief problem is that Pennebaker's direction isn't comfortable making love with Ziggy's ego. Sure, the camera watches when the star flashes his sinewy legs and perky ass, and it's gazing nearby as a series of spangled and striped costumes are placed on and peeled off his snow-white-tanned starving child physique. The sole moment of intimacy, a conspiratorial look (during "Watch That Man"), is strictly business. Revived for the 30th anniversary of Ziggy's "death," Ziggy Stardust – a grainy visual record and erratic sound mix of a sporadically terrific concert – does not rank as one of the classic rock-docs of its era. (1:31) Castro. (Huston)

Rep picks

*Promises (1:46) Balboa.