September 25 2002

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 101, and Movie Clock, page 102, for theater information.

MadCat Women's International Film Festival

The sixth annual MadCat Women's International Film Festival plays through Sun/29. Venues are Artists' Television Access (ATA), 992 Valencia, S.F., and the PFA Theater, 2575 Bancroft, Berk. Most shows $7; for more information and a full schedule call (415) 436-9523 or check www.somaglow.com/madcat. For commentary, see the Sept. 4 issue of the Bay Guardian. All times p.m.

Thurs/26

PFA Program five: "The Odds of Recovery" 7.

Fri/27

ATA Program seven: "Altered Realities" 8.

Sat/28

ATA Program seven: "Altered Realities" 5.

PFA Program eight: "To Know Is Always Better" 7. Program Nine: "NYC, Just Like I Pictured It" 9:05.

Sun/29

PFA Program six: "Getting There" 5:30.

Opening

*Chaos Take advantage of the chance to see a film by Japanese horror director Hideo Nakata on the big screen before the Hollywoodized version of his hugely popular Ring opens next month. In Chaos, the director wields psychological unease with an expert hand, starting with what seems like a simple kidnapping and spiraling into a complicated scenario where characters and situations are not at all what they seem. The influence of Hitchcock (especially Vertigo) and new-school noir is obvious, with a femme fatale who fluidly changes identities and a twisty, complicated plot that jumps around in time. You'll probably guess the outcome before the hapless protagonist does, but still, Chaos is far more intriguing and suspenseful than most anything that passes for an "erotic thriller" on this side of the Pacific. (1:30) Four Star. (Eddy)

Das Experiment See "Psych Ward," page 43. (1:54) Lumiere.

*8 Women See "Numbers Game," page 43. (2:00) Clay.

In Praise of Love Touted as a "return to form," Jean-Luc Godard's latest will disappoint anyone expecting youthful energy: the film may have the 60s blues, but in this case "60s" refers to Godard's age, not the 20th century's. Death is no longer offhandedly depicted – it's pondered in tones of dread. He may return to the streets of Paris, but he still privileges philosophy over narrative: Balzac, Bresson, Weil, and Hugo aid him in building a convoluted, curmudgeonly mental maze. Technology is accused of erasing history, Steven Spielberg is charged with exploiting Schindler's widow, and America's titanic beauty is attacked for being nameless and amnesiac. As dreamlike cinematography shifts from black and white to color, the question "What is an adult?" is repeatedly asked. Though the clock seems to be winding down, an answer never arrives. (1:38) Opera Plaza, Rafael. (Huston)

*Lawrence of Arabia See Critic's Choice. (3:36) Castro.

Moonlight Mile After a young woman in the wrong place at the wrong time is murdered, her fiancé (Jake Gyllenhaal), mother (Susan Sarandon), and closed-off father (Dustin Hoffman) must pick up the pieces amid feelings of guilt, grief, and good intentions gone sour. Director Brad Silberling's autobiographical meditation on loss is a substantial leap from his deathly City of Angels and offers much in the way of grace notes. Some amazing performances (Gyllenhaal hits all of the right awkward notes, Sarandon bites into a meaty character with both subtlety and fangs) and a transcendental last shot help screen mourning become electric, which unfortunately makes the pandering moments designed for instant audience gratification (do we really need another slow dance in a crowded bar scene, or that cringe-inducing false courtroom epiphany?) stick out like sore thumbs. There's much to recommend, but one wishes this elegiac take on moving on had enough courage to dive headfirst into its touchy subject rather than simply stick its toe into the water then retreat. (2:03) Shattuck. (Fear)

Secretary Its special prize at Sundance earlier this year for "originality" only proved that for many people consensual dominance-submission is still a waaaaay exotic concept. If you're not so easily shocked, this will be readily seen for what it really is: an offbeat yet familiarly "quirky" romantic-comedy date flick. Adapted from a Mary Gaitskill story, Steven Shainberg's accomplished feature revolves around the gradual self-definition of Lee Holloway (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a jittery wallflower who's just gotten out of an institution for inflicting grievous bodily harm on herself. Determined to escape the clinging of an aging trophy-wife mom (Lesley Ann Warren) and the shadow of a too-perfect elder sister, Lee takes the first job offer she gets: secretary to attorney E. Edward Grey (neurotic yuppie archetype James Spader). Plagued by more than a few dimly glimpsed insecurities himself, he's alternately solicitous and harsh. But Lee finds his occasional (then frequent, then constant) "disciplinary" strictures exciting, even liberating – external humiliation frees her from her own tiresome demons, obedience perversely allowing her to become the person she'd never had the courage or confidence to be before. Smartly wrapping outré content in a deadpan veneer, with excellent lead performances, Secretary is a classic Cinderella story at heart – its non-p.c. progress admits without guilt that, yes, some women really do want a man to boss them around. (1:44) Bridge. (Harvey)

Skins In this follow-up to his 1998 success Smoke Signals, Native American filmmaker Chris Eyre returns with an insightful yet frustrating work about rampant poverty and alcohol abuse on the Pine Ridge Indian reservation. Police officer Rudy Yellow Lodge (Eric Schweig) spends most of his nights locking up drunken residents – oftentimes including his older brother Mogie (Graham Greene). Tired of the violence that is slowly eating away at the community, Rudy takes matters into his own hands as a vigilante, applying swift justice to local delinquents. Aside from Rudy's behavior, the film is most troubling in that it raises important questions about the issues facing the residents of Pine Ridge, all the while failing to explore any solutions to these problems. Based on Adrian C. Louis's 1995 novel, the screenplay instead resorts to cheap sentimentality and a finale that, while intended as an act of liberation, comes across as inappropriate. Lead actor Schweig will appear in person at screenings Sat/28 (7:10 and 9:30 p.m.) in San Francisco and Sun/29 (5 and 7:10 p.m.) in Berkeley. (1:30) Embarcadero, Shattuck. (Wadenius)*Sweet Home Alabama See Movie Clock. (1:49) Century Plaza, Century 20, Jack London, Oaks, Presidio.

The Tuxedo Because multiple buddy action-comedies with Chris Tucker and Owen Wilson weren't enough, Jackie Chan had to go and make one with Jennifer Love Hewitt. (1:39) Century Plaza, Century 20, Grand Lake, Jack London.

Ongoing

Apollo 13: The Imax Experience (1:57) Metreon IMAX.

Austin Powers in Goldmember (1:36) Century 20, Kabuki, Metreon, Oaks, 1000 Van Ness.

Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever See Tiger on Beat. (1:30) Grand Lake, Kabuki, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness.

The Banger Sisters There's a genuine sadness to Bob Dolman's The Banger Sisters, and I'm not talking about the pseudo moment of self-discovery when Suzette (Goldie Hawn) realizes that sleeping with "zonked-out musicians" all her life has left her empty and unhappy. No, it's our own somber realization that not only is Hawn grasping at the frayed ends of her illustrious youth, but also for some reason she thinks she can re-capture it by following in the footsteps of daughter Kate Hudson (Almost Famous). After losing her bartending gig at an LA nightclub, the weathered Suzette ventures off in search of her long-lost friend Lavinia (Susan Sarandon), who, Suzette assumes, will most certainly dump her lavish lifestyle and successful family for another chance to go out and party like the good ol' days. Maybe it's just me, but two aging ex-groupies out flailing the night away to "Burning Down the House" is not a particularly appealing cinematic experience. (1:37) Century Plaza, Century 20, Empire, Grand Lake, Metreon, Orinda, 1000 Van Ness. (Wadenius)

Barbershop So much can happen in one day on the South Side of Chicago: so many changes, so many lessons learned, so many haircuts. Calvin Palmer (Ice Cube, who deserves meatier material) resents the fact that he had to take over his late father's barbershop, so he keeps dabbling in moneymaking scams and yearning to be free of the family business. When a slimy businessman offers Calvin a wad of cash for the shop, Calvin sells out and takes the bills. While all this is going on, two not-so-smart thugs are trying to pry open an ATM they stole the night before, which of course eventually ties into Calvin's woes and gives the story some momentum. The best scenes are those in which the characters who work and hang out at the barbershop (including Cedric the Entertainer and rapper Eve) sit around and jaw about everything and nothing. But the rest of Barbershop is weighed down by its too-obvious attempts to be deep and meaningful. (1:42) Century 20, Century Plaza, Grand Lake, Jack London, Kabuki, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness. (Gachman)

*Biggie and Tupac English documentarian Nick Broomfield's Biggie and Tupac contains no smoking gun, no film or video footage of the murder of Christopher Wallace (Notorious B.I.G.) in Los Angeles, or the Las Vegas killing of Tupac Shakur after a Mike Tyson heavyweight championship bout. What Broomfield (Kurt and Courtney) does possess is a novel filmic approach, a signature method of inserting and implicating himself as part of the madness his movies investigate. Coming across like a Robin Leach who muckrakes the rich and famous, Broomfield has always been up-front about the tabloid commercialism of his subject matter. But the comedy and complicity of Biggie and Tupac are underscored by an earnest respect for the titular figures that is new to Broomfield's work. By the end of the movie, Broomfield makes Wallace's and Shakur's talent and personalities, their broken bond, and lost lives, palpable. (1:47) Roxie. (Huston)

Blue Crush (1:44) 1000 Van Ness.

The Bourne Identity (1:53) 1000 Van Ness.

The Business of Fancydancing (1:43) Four Star.

City by the Sea (1:48) Century 20, Kabuki, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness.

The Four Feathers Semi-greatness, or at least competency, is to be expected from director Shekhar Kapur after the excellent Elizabeth, but The Four Feathers can boast one good battle scene and little else, saddled as it is by a horrific screenplay and a passel of unsympathetic characters. After a tiny bit of soul-searching, a British officer (Heath Ledger) resigns rather than be shipped to a messy battleground in the Sudan. He's promptly branded a coward by his pals and his beloved (Kate Hudson). After a tiny bit more soul-searching, he heads to Africa to redeem himself, growing the world's fastest beard and befriending the world's most cliched "noble savage" character (Djimon Hounsou, a compelling actor who deserves way better). Anyone who calls this overblown, wannabe-important flick an "epic" – and anyone who wants to see a similarly camel-laden military adventure done a zillion times better – should forgo this poor excuse and seek out the masterful Lawrence of Arabia during its current 40th anniversary revival. (2:03) Century Plaza, Century 20, Empire, Jack London, Kabuki, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness. (Eddy)

*Full Frontal (1:47) Four Star.

*The Good Girl (1:34) Embarcadero.

His Secret Life Turkish director Ferzan Ozpetek (Steam: The Turkish Bath) left his country for Italy in the 1970s, and his films tend to be explorations of outsiders, whether they're expats, gay men, women, or marginalized eccentrics. His latest follows the subdued Antonia (Margherita Buy), who loses her husband, Massimo, in a tragic car accident and soon after finds a note written on the back of a painting to Massimo from a mysterious lover. Shocked out of her grief, Antonia tracks down Massimo's paramour, and finds out her husband was involved with another man, Michele (Stefano Accorsi), for seven years. Antonia soon finds that she needs Michele and his unconventional group of friends, and her real growth as a woman, and as a person, begins with their presence in her life. It's too bad that the writing, and the incredibly disjointed editing, don't do justice to a potentially intriguing story. On a hopeful note, Buy plays a sexy, intelligent older woman – the kind of role that is, unfortunately, increasingly on the fringes. (1:45) Opera Plaza, Shattuck. (Gachman)

How I Killed My Father A successful doctor (Charles Berling) is given a letter informing him that his father (Michel Bouquet), who had abandoned his family decades earlier, has just passed away in Africa. Later that same evening, the father suddenly appears at his son's house for an extended stay, wherein the patriarchal figure proceeds to puncture the doctor's frail façade of a perfect life bit by control-issue-driven bit. Fans of ye olde European art house enigma flicks will find themselves happier than pigs in slop trying to discern Freudian fantasy from neurotic fact, while actress-turned-director Anne Fontaine (Dry Cleaning) lays wreaths at the altars of maestros past (an Ophuls gliding camera here, an angular Bergmanesque duality homage there) along possibly patricidal psychological-thriller pathways. Her willingness to blur reality lines serve to incite analysis rather than confusion, however, and what at first seems little more than a dysfunctional family portrait turns into an enthralling case study as its layers are peeled off one by one. (1:40) Lumiere. (Fear)

*I Am Trying to Break Your Heart (1:32) Galaxy.

Igby Goes Down (1:38) Century 20, Galaxy, Metreon.

In Shifting Sands: The Truth about UNSCOM and the Disarming of Iraq This new doc by former United Nations weapons inspector (and ex-Marine intelligence officer) Scott Ritter studies why weapons inspection in Iraq has become an increasingly tense issue since the Gulf War. The United States – which, despite an agreement to the contrary, kept economic sanctions against Iraq in place even after the United Nations special committee declared Iraq more than 95 percent disarmed – comes across as exceedingly sinister, willing to override the wishes of the U.N. for its own selfish purposes. On the other hand, the film notes that Saddam Hussein's refusal to allow inspectors access to certain locations is a clear indication of his priorities – he'd rather keep whatever weapons he might have hidden away, rather than comply with the U.N. and clear the way for the sanctions against his poverty-stricken people to be lifted. Somewhat dry and saddled with its own baggage (though not revealed to the viewer, the film was largely funded by an alleged pro-Saddam Iraqi American), In Shifting Sands isn't quite the open-and-shut excoriation of the U.S. government it would like to be. However, its insider perspective on such timely subject matter makes it well worth a look. (1:32) Roxie. (Eddy)

*Italian for Beginners (1:39) Orinda.

*The Last Kiss Writer-director Gabriele Muccino's The Last Kiss, a tender look at the realities of growing up and settling down, is also a modernized take on the traditional Italian sex comedy. Less about raw lust (though there's no shortage here) than about the restlessness that permeates contemporary relationships, the film ultimately paints love as a state of perpetual confusion and repeatedly asks whether it is ever possible to recognize happiness once you've found it. Muccino accomplishes this through the interwoven stories of a group of college buddies on the verge of hitting 30: Carlo (Stefano Accorsi, also of the Italian import The Son's Room) is secretly petrified of marrying his pregnant girlfriend, Paolo (Claudio Santamaria) can't seem to get over his domineering ex, and Alberto (Mario Cocci) is beginning to question the value of an endless string of one-night stands. Well-structured and well-acted, The Last Kiss deftly canvasses the gamut of human emotions, from the joys of childbirth to the dizzying fear that somehow, somewhere, a better life is passing us by. (1:44) Embarcadero. (Cohen)

Mad Love (1:57) Opera Plaza.

*Mostly Martha (1:47) Embarcadero.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2:01) Galaxy, Metreon.

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

One Hour Photo A lonely SavMart photo developer (Robin Williams) who's been obsessing over a "perfect" suburban family has taken to stalking their house, collecting their snapshots, building shrines, etc. When photographic evidence points to a possible infidelity within his idealized clan, things move from uncomfortably creepy to downright ugly. Director Mark Romanek wears his music-video past on his sleeve, imbuing his bloodlessly perfectionist compositions and color-coded set-design schematics (warm amber for the family's house, bland and banally sterile for the lunatic fringe mindset) with the self-conscious air of a still-life painter used to working within three-minute formats. Fighting for eye-space is Williams, already deep into his summer-of-discontent phase with Insomnia and hell-bent on proving that his real strength is less manic shtick than tour de force unravelings. Stuck amid arty Dutch angles and smooth Steadicam lolling, it's still Williams' blank stare and needy grin that steals the show, frazzling viewers' nerves long before the film dutifully cuts to the bone. (1:38) Century Plaza, Century 20, Embarcadero. (Fear)

Possession (1:42) Kabuki.

*Quitting Zhang Yang's multilayered film tells the true story of onetime "thug idol" Jia Hongsheng (recently seen in Suzhou River, playing himself here), who at the height of his fame starred in B movies with titles like Silver Snake Murders and Weekend Lover. In 1992, while appearing in the play Kiss of the Spider Woman (also directed by Zhang), he tried drugs for the first time. (If you've seen Corey Haim's E! True Hollywood Story, you know what happened next.) Quitting begins as the 29-year-old Jia's parents (played by his real-life parents, veteran theater actors) move into the Beijing apartment he shares with his workaholic sister (played by his real-life sister). Through flashbacks and interviews with acquaintances (again, playing themselves), we learn more about Jia's transformation into the hostile, argumentative, erratic, and paranoid person we see in the film's present tense. Though it's completely drawn from life, the film never feels like a reenactment – many scenes between Jia and his parents are painfully raw, and it's a testament to their abilities as actors that they can so vividly bring what was clearly a nightmarish time in their lives to the screen. (1:52) Four Star. (Eddy)

*Read My Lips (1:55) Galaxy.

*Rivers and Tides (1:30) Opera Plaza.

Road to Perdition (1:59) 1000 Van Ness.

Satin Rouge Each night in a small Tunisian town, a cabaret filled with jovial male patrons comes to life when bejeweled belly dancers take the stage. The allure of such a sensual underworld is unimaginable to Lilia (Hiyam Abbas), a widowed seamstress who divides her time between sewing, cleaning, and worrying about her rebellious teenage daughter. That is, until she stumbles upon it while snooping into her daughter's love life. What follows is a much needed tour of self-discovery for Lilia. Unfortunately, her metamorphosis, while uplifting, is disappointingly slow and predictable. The film, by writer-director Raja Amari, is partly redeemed by its many belly dancers, whose fluid movements and rapid-fire gyrations are quite enchanting, and by the breathtaking Tunisian cityscapes. There is also something to be said for touting an image of feminine beauty that celebrates women as they exist in nature, folds, love handles, and all. (1:40) Balboa, Rafael. (Cohen)

*Signs (1:46) Century 20, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness.

Spirited Away A little girl and her parents stumble across an "abandoned amusement park!" (No, it's not Euro-Disney.) After her folks eat some magical food and literally turn into pigs, the girl goes through the looking glass into a world of talking animals, hungry ghosts, cute boys who are really dragons, and one pissed-off, gigantic toddler. Like the best fables, grand anime sensei Hayao Miyazaki's (Princess Mononoke) fantasy epic is both charmingly childish and a feverish nightmare. Why Miyazaki's work is getting the red-carpet treatment from the House of Mickey is almost as mystifying as the film's scattershot "plot"; whether Disney is hoping to court a homegrown generation raised in the light of the Sailor Moon or is just altruistically giving a mainstream release to a complete, if barely comprehensible, work of imagination is one for the ages. Regardless of mouse-eared intentions, Spirited Away is one undeniable visual experience that may require viewers to simply give up following the story, sit back, and just enjoy the acidic trip. (2:04) Kabuki, Metreon, Piedmont, Shattuck. (Fear)

Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (1:45) Century 20, Oaks.

Stealing Harvard (1:23) Century 20, Kabuki, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness.

Swimfan (1:26) Century 20, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness.

*Tadpole (1:17) Balboa, Orinda.

*13 Conversations about One Thing (1:42) Balboa, Red Vic.

Trapped(1:39) Century Plaza, Century 20, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness.

*24 Hour Party People Manchester-based label Factory gave the world Joy Division, the Happy Mondays, and the seeds of rave culture via its sister club Hacienda and was renowned as much for its owners' bad business sense and drug-fueled burnout as for its stark, minimalist sound. 24 Hour Party People seems destined to cement the collective's rightful place in the pantheon, but any notion of genuflection or pedestal polishing quickly gets pissed on. Laden with one of the cinema's most unreliable narrators in the form of Factory impresario Tony Wilson (Steve Coogan) and brimming with pop art detritus filmmaking (punky Super 8 comfortably cuddles with druggy D.V.), the film is less concerned with facts than with Factory's mythos as a beautiful supernova failure. Director Michael Winterbottom (Wonderland) incorporates Lester-like giddiness, deconstructive asides, and even actual participants from the era (keep an eye out for Mark E. Smith and Howard DeVoto) to correct the film when it "gets it wrong," still, any glitches are overrun by the film's gleeful willingness to jettison narrative and biopic concerns in order to hook viewers on a feeling. (1:57) Lumiere, Orinda.

XXX (2:00) Century Plaza, Century 20, Metreon, 1000 Van Ness.

Rep picks

The Balcony His hands trembling with the effects of old age, Israel Becker sits in his Tel Aviv apartment, reciting text from a play he once perfomed some 50 years ago. It's too bad there aren't more of these intimate glimpses into the life of the 83-year-old painter, actor, and filmmaker, whose autoboigraphical feature Long Is the Road won him numerous accolades from the Jewish community, including having a street named after him. Director Ruth Walk certainly tries to dig into Becker's past in this 2000 doc, yet her wandering attention span and repetitive imagery barely penetrate the surface. She crams so much material into so little time (a meager 54 minutes) that the major events of Becker's life are momentarily touched on and then dismissed without detail. The film plays like a rough draft of a memoir, with many elements still in need of a good fleshing out. (:54) Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. (Wadenius)