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APRIL 4 - 10, 2006 |
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BEE SEASON (dir: Scott McGehee / David Siegel, PG-13) – Here’s the complex story of an emotionally distant family trying to compensate by immersing themselves in Kaballah, preparing for a spelling bee, and practicing to be concert violinists. Perhaps an evening of beer and Everybody Loves Raymond might work better. |
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*BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (dir: Ang Lee, R) – Since watching this movie, I’ve been spending a lot of time making out with button-down shirts. Well, hugging them mostly, then draping them over the passenger seat and chatting with them on the way to Mexico. | |||
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CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA (dir: Harmage Singh Kalirai, Not Rated) – If you see only one movie this week about the love-that-knows-no-name and forbidden cultural boundaries, you should probably see BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. But if you see two, check out this one: it’s a British comedy about the same thing, only it involves gay marriage and an Indian family. |
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THE CHRONICLES OF
NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH & THE WARDROBE (dir: Andrew Adamson, PG) – I know people complain about the overt religious theme to this film, but my biggest problem with it was Tilda Swinton’s ice-rasta look. And the battle scenes were too RETURN OF THE KING. Aside from being completely derivative, though, it’s pretty faithful to the book. |
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DEATH TUNNEL (dir: Philip Adrian Booth, R) – Wanna know what happens when you put five complete strangers in an abandoned, diseased hospital? They stop being polite, and start getting dead. |
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DIRTY (dir: Chris Fisher, R) – Clifton Collins Jr., last seen in CAPOTE as murderer Perry Smith, tries to shake the typecast by playing a former gang member turned LAPD tough. Also starring actor of the century, Cuba Gooding Jr. | |||
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#FAR SIDE OF THE MOON (dir: Robert Lepage, Not Rated) – French-Canadians love their cosmonauts. Or so says this philosophic comedy about two brothers (both Robert Lepage, in the best dual-role performance since Nic Cage in ADAPTATION) who have taken very different paths in life. |
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THE LAST PLACE ON EARTH (dir: James Slocum, PG-13) – Billy Dee Williams! And if you could possibly need another reason to see this romantic road-movie indie flick, it’s also got the kid who played Bobby Briggs on TWIN PEAKS in his first role in years. | |||
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LITTLE MANHATTAN (dir: Mark Levin, PG) – Here’s the sweet coming-of-age story of an oversexed 11-year-old with commitment issues. It’s like a male, prepubescent SEX IN THE CITY, which is fitting because it stars Cynthia Nixon as the sassy mother. |
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NEW YORK DOLL (dir: Greg Whiteley, PG-13) – What do you do when you’re the bassist for the most debauched, drug-addled glam-rock band of the Seventies and all you have to look forward to is being in Buster Poindexter’s back-up band? You become a Mormon. | |||
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NIGHT WATCH (RONDA NOCTURNA) (dir: Edgardo Cozarinsky, Not Rated) – The last thing this store needs is another movie called NIGHT WATCH (bringing the total up to 4), but this suspenseful drama about a street hustler in Buenos Aires has won numerous film festival awards, so we’re happy to have it. |
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^THE PRESIDENT'S LAST BANG (dir: Sang-soo Im, Not Rated) – Witness the messiest political assassination in recent history, when South Korea’s dictatorial president is dispatched in the name of democracy in 1979. Virtuosic camera-work and a pitch-black sense of humor highlight what happens when high office conspirators have more ideals than brains. | |||
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USHPIZIN (dir: Giddi Dar, PG) – In what sounds kind of like a funny version of the Book of Job, an Orthodox couple in Israel have their faith put to the test when a bag a money shows up on their doorstep, followed soon after by two very uninvited guests (or “ushpizin”). | |||||
| * = Greg's pick of the week ^ = Bart's pick of the week | ||||||
