Film Clips for 5/31/2006

Opening:

The Break-Up (PG-13) Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Aniston, Joey Lauren Adams, Ann-Margaret, Jason Bateman. Pushed to the breaking-up point after their latest “why can’t you do this one little thing for me?” argument, art dealer Brooke (Aniston) calls it quits with her boyfriend, Gary (Vaughn), who hosts bus tours of Chicago. What follows is a series of remedies, war tactics, overtures and underminings, suggested by the former couple’s friends, confidantes and the occasional total stranger. When neither ex is willing to move out of the condo they used to share, the only solution is to continue living as hostile roommates until somebody caves. 106 minutes.

L’Enfant (The Child) (R) Jeremie Renier, Deborah Francois, Jeremie Segard, Fabrizio Rongione, Olivier Gourmet. Twenty-year-old Bruno (Remier) is a panhandler and petty thief in a small Belgian town who gets away with a lot because of his boyish good looks. When his 18-year-old girlfriend Sonia (Francois) gives birth to their child, Jimmy, Bruno plays the father role for a short time, but soon reverts to type, selling the baby on the black market. But when Sonia finds out, Bruno is compelled to undo his horrific act. The best thing about this gritty, documentary-style film, written and directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, is that they manage to make the viewer care about whether Bruno can be redeemed. 95 minutes. At Landmark’s Keystone Art Cinema. —EJO

The Proposition (R) Guy Pearce, Emily Watson, Ray Winstone, David Wenham, John Hurt. Newly arrived from England, lawman Capt. Stanley (Ray Winstone) is desperate to shield his wife (Emily Watson) from the brutalities of the 1880s Australian outback. After capturing two of three outlaw Irish brothers — Charlie (Guy Pearce) and Mikey (Richard Wilson) — Stanley offers Charlie an impossible choice: to save his younger brother Mikey from the gallows, he must hunt down his older brother Arthur (Danny Huston). A powerful, epic drama written by indie music icon Nick Cave and directed by John Hillcoat, previous collaborators on Ghosts … of the Civil Dead. 104 minutes. At Landmark’s Keystone Art Cinema.

Limited Run

Darwin’s Nightmare (NR) Oscar-nominated documentary that examines the ever-increasing strife between locals, suffering from the ravages of war in Africa, and those profiting from local fishing industries. The dusky blue waters of Lake Victoria stretch lazily across the Tanzanian plains, but beneath the placid surface, a massacre has taken place. In the 1960s, the Nile perch, an enormous variant of the American variety, was experimentally introduced into the lake and has wiped out practically all other life. Disastrous for local communities, the situation is a bonanza for the multinational factories that process and ship tons of perch abroad. Thus does globalization feed its lucrative foreign markets while the locals starve to death. 105 minutes. At Key Cinemas Beech Grove for one week only.

Quentin Tarantino Fest with Michael Madsen (R) Michael Madsen (Mr. Blonde) is the guest of honor at Hollywood Bar and Filmworks’ Quentin Tarantino Fest on June 2-4. The theater will screen Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill, with Madsen introducing the films, answering questions and signing autographs. For details go to www.filmworksonline.com or call 317-231-9250.

Tony Takatani (NR) Issey Ogata, Rie Miyazawa, Takahumi Shinohara, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Yumi Endo. Due to his Western name, Tony was shunned by other kids and spent a solitary childhood. Though gifted as an artist, his drawings lacked feeling, so as an adult, he carved a career as a technical illustrator. Then in middle age, Tony suddenly falls for a pretty young woman, Eiko Konuma, who visits him one day on business. Eiko is like an angel in Tony’s daily existence, and for the first time in his life, he feels connected to the outside world. However, Eiko does have one fault: She’s a clothing shopaholic. Confusion also begins to develop when it appears that Eiko has a double. 75 minutes. At Key Cinemas Beech Grove for one more week only.

First Run

Akeelah and the Bee (PG) Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, Keke Palmer, Jeff Marlow, Sara Niemietz. Precocious 11-year-old Akeelah Anderson (Palmer) and her brother live in a poor Los Angeles neighborhood with their world-weary mother, Tanya (Bassett). Akeelah has a gift for spelling and is urged to set the National Spelling Bee as her goal. Will there be hardships? Will the cute little girl realize her dream? Of course you know everything that is going to happen in this elaborate after-school special, but it really doesn’t matter. As films like Hoosiers have shown, even the most clichéd story can work with the right people behind it. Palmer is good enough to hold her own with Fishburne and Bassett. Contrived, but sweet and inspirational nonetheless. 112 minutes. —EJO

An American Haunting (PG-13) Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, Rachel Hurd-Wood, James D’Arcy, Matthew Marsh. This is the kind of ghost story that will make you sleep with the lights on. The film is based on a documented haunting in Tennessee from 1817 to 1821 that centered on the Bell family, known as the Bell Witch Haunting. However, the movie offers its own angle. Not only do we see the Bell family (particularly young Betsy) tormented by unseen forces, but also the screenplay posits a reason for the haunting. Instead of dwelling on imagery to psyche you out, the filmmakers let the story do its job. Spooky stuff. 91 minutes. —Lisa Gauthier

Art School Confidential (R) Max Minghella, Sophia Myles, John Malkovich, Jim Broadbent. The latest from writer Daniel Clowes (Ghost World) and director Terry Zwigoff (Crumb, Ghost World, Bad Santa) is a tepid satire set in an art school. Naïve freshman Jerome (Minghella) tries to make his mark — and get laid — with little success. Along the way, we learn that many people connected with art are primarily in it for the money, especially the art students. Shocking, isn’t it? We also learn that all too often, gimmicky art gets more attention and praise than sincere, well-done traditional fare. Shocking! The movie also includes a subplot about a serial killer. This allows the filmmakers to try to build to an absurdist climax that underlines the cynicism coursing through the production. Art School Confidential is entertaining for a while, then tiring and finally just tedious. 102 minutes. —EJO

The Da Vinci Code (PG-13) Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Alfred Molina, Ian McKellen, Jean Reno, Paul Bettany. On the surface, The Da Vinci Code is a chase film. Tom Hanks plays a scholar on the run with a mysterious French accomplice (the enchanting Audrey Tautou), avoiding dark and menacing forces that Hanks must understand in order to survive. There is potential here for a cinematic cocktail but director Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman apparently believe they need to load the story with Dan Brown’s alternative version of Christian history. This means that nothing happens in the film without a lot of explaining, including historical re-creations of scenes from crusades to witch hunts. At times it feels as if the movie stops for messages from the History Channel. 149 minutes. —David Hoppe

Deep Sea 3D (G) Narrated by Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet. A corker, one of the best IMAX movies ever. Filmed over the course of a year, the production introduces viewers to an absolutely incredible array of undersea creatures. Remember the first time you saw the cantina scene in the original Star Wars? Welcome to the underwater version, only the life forms here are even weirder than the freaky denizens of that sci-fi gin joint. What you will see here is far more alien than anything George Lucas ever cooked up. And, thanks to some very effective 3D photography, these alien entities appear to be floating about as close to your face as this newspaper is right now. 40 minutes. At the IMAX Theater in the State Museum. —EJO

Friends With Money (R) Jennifer Aniston, Catherine Keener, Frances McDormand, Joan Cusack. This enjoyably low-key film doesn’t have much of a plot. The impressively cast film, written and directed by Nicole Holofcener (Lovely and Amazing), visits a group of female friends in Los Angeles. Three of them are married and well-to-do, while the fourth isn’t. Three of them are unhappy to varying degrees, while the fourth seems relatively content. Holofcener’s screenplay doesn’t build to a climax; it just chugs along for a while, then stops. But it works, thanks to the great cast and the way Holofcener creates a sense of intimacy that allows us to become invested in the characters, even when they aren’t particularly likeable. 88 minutes. —EJO

Inside Man (R) Denzel Washington, Christopher Plummer, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Willem Dafoe, Chiwetel Ejiofor. Spike Lee’s new movie about a bank robbery is an utterly forgettable retread full of great actors doing very little with very little. Dafoe is in it and he does nothing! Yet, people seem to love this flash-filled film. Maybe it’s because the story, written by a first-time screenwriter, has the advantage of being more original than a remake of the Pink Panther. —Jim Walker

Just My Luck (PG-13) Lindsay Lohan, Chris Pine, Samaire Armstrong, Carlos Ponce, Bree Turner, Faizon Love. Ashley (Lohan) is a young professional just out of college. She also happens to be the luckiest woman in the world, who has lived a super-charmed life and has always taken her good luck for granted. When she kisses a handsome stranger (Pine) at a costume party, Ashley accidentally swaps her good fortune for his horribly bad luck, and her charmed life turns into a living hell. 103 minutes.

Kinky Boots (PG-13) Linda Bassett, Josh Cole, Gwenllian Davies, Joel Edgerton, Chiwetel Ejiofor. From the makers of Calendar Girls. Charlie Price (Edgerton) faces the impending shutdown of the shoe factory his family has owned for generations. Just when he feels that all is lost, he has a chance encounter with Lola (Ejiofor), a flamboyant transvestite cabaret star. Lola’s desire for stylish, kinky boots for herself and her colleagues provides hope for the factory and its employees. Director Julian Jarrold explores what happens when two outcast dreamers finally figure out how to stand up for themselves … in thigh-high leather stilettos. Based on a true story. 106 minutes. At Landmark’s Keystone Art Cinema.

Mission Impossible III (PG-13) Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Keri Russell, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bahar Soomekh, Laurence Fishburne, Billy Crudup. The third installment of the action franchise, directed by J.J. Abrams (Lost, Alias), is packed with jazzy stunts and close-ups of steely-eyed Tom Cruise, who reprises his role as secret agent Ethan Hunt. Actually, that may be an overstatement, as it implies there is a character that must be recreated. Actually, Cruise just does what he usually does. Philip Seymour Hoffman contributes a creepy, but one-note performance as the bad guy. OK for what it is, but there is nothing here you haven’t seen before. 126 minutes. —EJO

Over the Hedge (PG) Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, Wanda Sykes, William Shatner. Funny, cute, ordinary cartoon. RJ the raccoon (Willis) has one week to replace the cache of junk food he stole from Vincent the bear (Nolte) or else. To get the job done, he cons a group of other animals to help him snag goodies from the humans living in the suburbs. The computer-animated comedy from Dreamworks features none of the magic of films like Toy Story, Finding Nemo or The Incredibles, but compared to recent offerings like Chicken Little or The Wild, it looks pretty good. If that sounds like I’m damning the movie with faint praise, well, thanks for noticing. 84 minutes. —EJO

Poseidon (PG-13) Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas, Emmy Rossum, Jacinda Barrett, Richard Dreyfuss. Cheese-fest, folks. Start the death pool early to get the most out of this flick. A loose re-make of The Poseidon Adventure from the 1970s, this version has none of the staying power of the original. Special effects start out strong, but kind of peter away as the movie wears on. Granted, there are a couple of scenes that will have you on the edge of your seat, but after a while, it becomes impossible to suspend disbelief any longer without incurring serious damage to your psyche. Take it as an opportunity to laugh with your friends on the way home. 99 minutes. —Lisa Gauthier

Roving Mars (G) A giant-screen IMAX visualization of an amazing story that is still going on. On the surface of the planet Mars right now — right this very second — there are two manmade robotic vehicles capable of navigating the rocky surface. Powered by solar panels, they explore the red planet, sending information back to eager scientists on Earth. Steve Squyres, lead science investigator at the NASA/Jet Propulsion laboratory, provides commentary for the 40-minute Disney film, recounting the fascinating story of the building, launching, landing and tasks of the space rovers Spirit and Opportunity. The film uses extensive computer animation to present the travels of the separately-launched rovers. Especially fascinating are segments depicting the separation stages following the launches and the complicated — and quite cool — landing procedures. 40 minutes. At the IMAX Theater in the Indiana State Museum through June 8. —EJO

RV (PG) Robin Williams, Jeff Daniels, Cheryl Hines, Kristin Chenoweth. At first glance, a light comedy about a family man trying to break out of the rat race and bond with his wife and kids. The Monro Family hits the road in an RV so Dad (Williams) can preserve his job and his family’s lifestyle. With lots of physical comedy, poop jokes, precarious run-ins with feral animals and high/low culture clashes, RV is a gag reel with a moral about family togetherness. Upon closer inspection, it’s a commentary on the end of convenience. 98 minutes. —AL

See No Evil (R) Glen Jacobs, Michael J. Pagan, Tiffany Lamb, Penny McNamee, Craig Horner. A group of youths from a juvenile corrections facility are assigned to renovate an old hotel over the weekend and end up being terrorized by a crazed serial killer who dwells on the upper floors. 84 minutes.

The Sentinel (PG-13) Michael Douglas, Kiefer Sutherland, Eva Longoria, Kim Basinger, Martin Donovan. Thriller. A secret service agent (Douglas) is having an affair with the first lady. When another agent assigned to the White House is murdered, the agent becomes a suspect in what may be a plot to assassinate the president. 108 minutes.

Silent Hill (R) Radha Mitchell, Sean Bean, Laurie Holden, Deborah Kara Unger, Kim Coates. The eerie and deserted ghost town of Silent Hill draws a young mother (Mitchell) desperate to find a cure for her only child’s illness. Unable to accept the doctor’s diagnosis that her daughter should be permanently institutionalized for psychiatric care, Rose flees with her child, heading for the abandoned town in search of answers — and ignoring the protests of her husband. It’s soon clear this place is unlike anywhere she’s ever been. It’s smothered by fog, inhabited by a variety of strange beings and periodically overcome by a living “darkness” that literally transforms everything it touches. As Rose begins to learn the history of the strange town, she realizes that her daughter is just a pawn in a larger game. 120 minutes.

Stick It (PG-13) Jeff Bridges, Missy Peregrym, Vanessa Lengies, Tarah Paige. Haley Graham (Peregrym) is a rebellious 17-year-old who is forced to return to the regimented world of gymnastics after a run-in with the law. A judge sentences Haley to her ultimate nightmare: attending an elite gymnastics academy run by legendary hard-nosed coach Burt Vickerman (Bridges). Haley’s rebellious spirit and quick-witted banter shakes things up at the strict school. She discovers an unexpected ally in the form of her new coach and learns respect is a two-way street. Ah, but what about the big match? 105 minutes.

Thank You for Smoking (R) Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, Cameron Bright, Adam Brody, Sam Elliott, Katie Holmes, David Koechner, Rob Lowe, William H. Macy. Smart, snappy R-rated comedies that aren’t about overgrown frat boys trying to get laid do not come along very often, so please take note of Thank You for Smoking, an exceptional satire for grown-ups. Based on the novel by Christopher Buckley, the story of Nick Naylor (Eckhart), a charismatic lobbyist for the tobacco industry, is focused and very funny. Eckhart is wonderful as a master of the art of persuasion who truly loves his work. “The beauty of an argument is that if you argue correctly, you’re never wrong,” he tells his son, and he almost makes us believe him. 92 minutes. —EJO

United 93 (R) David Rasche, Ben Sliney, JJ Johnson, David Alan Basche, Cheyenne Jackson. The third feature about the hijacked plane that crashed in the Pennsylvania countryside on Sept. 11, 2001, following two well-done TV productions. Writer-director Paul Greengrass (Bloody Sunday) brings a bigger budget and a slightly more immediate feel to his theatrical recreation. The most interesting thing about his approach is what he leaves out. The two earlier productions devoted time to the passengers that made phone calls and the people they called, but Greengrass does not offer even a glimpse of the recipients of the calls. Moreover, he mostly avoids even identifying the passengers by name. The focus is on the group rather than the individuals — everybody matters the same. We watch as a group of strangers come to realize that they are aboard a suicide flight and that they have to do something. Regardless of the occasional reality tweak, United 93 succeeds as a gripping recreating of one nightmarish part of what is probably the worst day in American history. 111 minutes. —EJO

Water (PG-13) Lisa Ray, Seema Biswas, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Waheeda Rehman, John Abraham, Sarala. A little girl finds herself unceremoniously left at a widow’s ashram, the youngest member of a community of dispossessed women. Water is the story of what happens to her — and to some of the older women who take her in. Deepa Mehta’s film borders on magical realism. While the film is primarily told from a child’s point of view, it deftly encompasses the lives of an entire ensemble, giving it an exceptional emotional richness while also evoking an India in the early stirrings of social revolution. This is a transcendent work of art. 114 minutes. At Landmark’s Keystone Art Cinema. —David Hoppe

The Wild (G) Voices of Kiefer Sutherland, James Belushi, Greg Berg, Don Cherry, Greg Cipes. Computer-animated comedy-adventure from Disney (NOT Disney/Pixar, just Disney) that sounds a lot like a cross between Madagascar and Finding Nemo. When a lion cub (Cipes) is mistakenly boxed up and shipped from the New York Zoo to the wild, his father (Sutherland) and assorted animal buddies break out to rescue him. Janeane Garafalo, William Shatner and Eddie Izzard also provide voices. 85 minutes.

X-Men: The Last Stand (PG-13) Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Anna Paquin, Kelsey Grammer. I opened my review of the last X-Men movie by saying, “As The Empire Strikes Back is to Star Wars, so is X2: X-Men United to X-Men.” After watching X-Men: The Last Stand, I now add: And X3 pretty much falls into place as the Return of the Jedi of the series. It tries too hard. The movie is so overstuffed that it must short shrift plotlines, ideas and characters. The score comes on too strong and some of the dialogue sounds like an outsider’s idea of how comic book characters should talk. It lacks finesse and it draws much of its power from the strength and momentum of the first two films. I could go on. But the bottom line is that, regardless of its problems, I had a great time. X3 is fast-moving, exciting and occasionally shocking. I laughed, I cried (well, almost) and, afterwards, I let out a sigh of relief because new series director Brett Radner didn’t wreck the series. 104 minutes. —EJO