March 5 2003

Chicken Rice War (CheeK, Singapore) The hilarious pinnacle of a 20-year feud between two families who own side-by-side chicken rice stalls is played to the camera with Hong Kong-style panache. While the Wongs and the Chans are busy thinking up schemes to discredit one another, the eldest Chan daughter and the eldest Wong son are falling in love during rehearsals for a college production of Romeo and Juliet. Director-writer CheeK's years at MTV Asia show in the film's slick camera work, editing, and sound design. Sat/8, 5 p.m., AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres; Mon/10, 8:45 p.m., AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres; March 12, 10 p.m., AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres.

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (Karen Johar, India) At the sugary center of this romantic confection in which very pretty people (Bollywood megastars Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, and Rani Mukherjee) sport dozens of high-trend outfits (who cares if DKNY, the Gap, Speedo, Polo, and Tommy Hilfiger didn't have logo shirts back in 1988, where the film spends more than half of its 184 minutes?) is a love triangle that plays out in flashback thanks to a letter sent to a daughter from beyond the grave. The device is a little too cute, as are several other tired gimmicks baked into the shallow plot. But the gorgeously charismatic performers, elaborately costumed dance sequences, and a cheery upbeat message may be enough to sustain you. Fri/7, 9 p.m., Castro Theatre.

Mango Soufflé (Mahesh Dattani, India) Mahesh Dattani turns his groundbreaking gay-positive play On a Muggy Night in Mumbai into a groundbreaking, if stagy, low-budget feature. Gay fashion designer Kamlesh (Ankur Vikal) throws a breakfast party to say good-bye to his friends. We're told he's leaving town because of a bad breakup, but there's more to his story, and as the party progresses, his heartbreaking secret is revealed. The film is often overly dramatic, but Dattani softens his message with large doses of flaming humor. Fri/7, 6:45 p.m., Castro Theatre.

YMCA Baseball Team (Kim Hyunseok, South Korea) Korea's first baseball team becomes a symbol of national pride during a very tense time in Korean history: the forced abdication to Japan in 1905. Even though first-time director-writer Kim Hyunseok uses the broad and daunting subject of nationalism as his theme, he manages to compress the film into a delightful and hilarious snapshot of quaint turn-of-the-century cultural practices and sentiments. This sweet and funny feature is spectacularly scored by Bang Jun-Seok (JSA, Tell Me Something) and perfectly performed by a virtual who's who of Korea's top character actors. Sun/9, noon, AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres; Tues/11, 7:15 p.m., AMC Kabuki 8 Theatres; March 16, 2:15 p.m., Camera 3 Cinemas.