AWCH Film Reviews -- May 2005

(Kirsten G) Opening May 5, 2005

Master of epics Ridley Scott (Black Hawk Down, Gladiator) takes on a new era of history in Kingdom of Heaven, a film that follows one man’s involvement in the 12th century Crusades. A French blacksmith, Balian (Orlando Bloom), emotionally scarred by the death of his wife and child, discovers that he is the son of a knight (Liam Neeson) and decides to accompany his father to Jerusalem in hopes that he can find some inner peace there. On the journey, he makes unexpected friends and enemies who cause complications once he arrives in the Holy Land. When the King himself asks for Balian’s help, Balian is forced to make difficult choices but finds that, in the end, perhaps he is worthy of his noble blood.

Much of the buzz around Kingdom has questioned the wisdom of releasing a film in this day and age whose central theme is the conflict between Christianity and Islam. While both sides can probably find things to both love and hate about this film, overall I thought Scott presented a balanced view of both Christians and Muslims and their beliefs. The script by William Monahan also touches on interesting philosophical questions about religion, loyalty, honor, and the “greater good”. The acting is excellent with especially strong performances from Bloom (who truly achieves “leading man” status with this film), Neeson, Jeremy Irons as the King’s advisor Tiberias, and David Thewlis as the Hospitaler. The film is also a joy to watch visually, with gorgeous cinematography and magnificent battle sequences, and not too many “wow” special effects scenes that distract rather than add to the story.

In fact, I liked just about everything in this film except the plot – a pretty important piece of the puzzle. Perhaps it was due to my lack of historical knowledge of the Crusades, but I had a lot of trouble following the story: figuring out who was who and why characters did what they did. I also had trouble understanding good portions of the dialogue (a problem shared by my German press colleagues, I think) due to some strong accents. Unfortunately, these two problems detracted quite a bit from all the positives mentioned earlier. In the end, I respect what the filmmakers were trying to accomplish, and I did enjoy the film, but I don’t think Scott quite achieved his goal of portraying heaven on earth.

(Shelly S) Opening May 5, 2005

Netto is a wonderful film made by German director Robert Thalheim. This movie is quite amazing in itself since it was his third semester project for film school. He takes the everyday life situation of one patchwork family living in Berlin. Thalheim used the music of the East Berliner Peter Tschernig, who sounds like Johnny Cash, throughout the movie. This music transmits a message to the characters that a generation is gone by but the words still ring true.

Sebastian is fifteen years old. His father he has not seen in years, and his mother is currently remarried, living in the suburbs, and is about to have a baby. Sebastian has a hard time accepting the new stepdad and baby soon to be, so he decides to seek out his real father. Living in Berlin, Marcel Warner is unemployed and still living in the same flat that Sebastian was born in. Angelika has moved on with her life where Marcel seems stuck. He always maintains a facade of having superior knowledge for special security services, but it looks unlikely that he will ever find a job since he has not received a real education. In actuality he goes on drinking binges, lives from paycheck to paycheck, and listens obsessively to the music of Peter Tschernig.

Sebastian announces to his father that he is moving in, that he needs his father now. This naturally overwhelms Marcel Warner since he wants his son to look up to him and to believe that he has made something of himself. They both struggle to find their appropriate roles in their new relationship. The father soon realizes that his son is smarter than him and has grown up in a different generation. The roles become reversed here, where Sebastian takes steps to help his father to find a job, rewrites his resume, and helps him buy a suit. Soon Marcel's self confidence is improving and in the end father and son find that they actually have a good time together and enjoy each other's company.

Although this film has a sense of humor, it never lets the audience forget the reality of this man’s plight. In the end he doesn’t get a job and naturally goes on a drinking binge exactly at the time Sebastian wants him to meet his new girlfriend. Toward the end Marcel, with gun in hand, runs to a nearby bridge and is contemplating suicide. In the background comes the music of Peter Tshernig. The song is Mein bester Kumpel ist und bleibt mein Vater. This film reflects the current ecomonic times and gives the unemployed of Germany a face.

(Alyssa C) Opening May 5, 2005

This is the story of a community of orphaned refugee children on the northern Iraqi border, struggling with both the growing pains of adolescence and the reality of living in an impoverished minefield on the brink of war. Their 13-year-old leader, a loveable character nicknamed Satellite for his technical talents, is charming and self-confident. He is the village handyman, the workforce organizer, the salesman and trader, the town crier and even the English teacher. With charisma but not always grace (what teenage boy can be entirely graceful?), he conceals his weaknesses by being macho but not aggressive. Satellite finds himself with a terrible crush on a mysterious newcomer to the camp, Agrin, a beautiful girl with an armless older brother who has a talent for premonitions. After suffering a brutal rape at the hands of Iraqi soldiers, she now has a two-year-old son. Agrin has endured more suffering than any person, let alone a child, should have to bear, and this tormented soul has begun to lose the will to live. Because her son is a constant reminder of her pain, she repeatedly attempts to abandon him in life-threatening situations. In one instance, Satellite, never one to back down from danger, rescues the boy, whom Agrin has tied to a tree in the middle of a minefield, but Satellite’s foot is badly injured when a mine explodes. As the war begins and Saddam is toppled, Satellite must deal with the realization that not everything is under his control. But he is above all a survivor, and we are left with the impression that he will not succumb to the misery.

In the faces of these young, inexperienced actors, director Bahman Ghobadi portrays the unimaginable resilience of children and the ability of the human spirit to persevere and hope. The cinematography is breathtakingly simple – the picture of innocence itself – and the acting and direction are superb.

(Becky T) Opening May 5, 2005

Every morning Jacobo goes to his messy, outmoded stocking factory in Montevideo, the capitol of Uruguay. His assistant Marta (Mirella Pascual) is already there, waiting for him to unlock the door. She does the bookkeeping, makes the coffee, directs the two female employees about their tasks and is the heart of the company. He helplessly struggles to fix a bookshelf. Life changes when his cosmopolitan brother Hermann visits for a delayed Jewish memorial service for their deceased mother. In anticipation of Hermann’s visit, Jacobo asks Marta to pretend to be his wife and move into his apartment. Hermann is full of unsolicited suggestions on modernizing the stocking production. Perhaps Jocobo wishes to deflate any suggestions on his marital happiness and therefore needs a temporary proxy wife. Hermann, of course, has a wife, children and a flourishing business back home in Brazil. After the ceremony, Hermann takes the two of them to the seaside for a weekend vacation. The stiff sea air does nothing for Jacobo’s morose demeanor, but Marta perks up and enjoys nice clothes, fine dining, swimming, and conversation. She observes the tenderness of a honeymooning couple (the husband is played by Daniel Hendler, who won best actor for El Abrazo Partido last year at the Berlinale). Upon their return to the city, Jacobo is due for a rude surprise. “Whisky” is the word that people say in order to smile when being photographed. The story unrolls slowly as you become drawn into the film to care about the two brothers and Marta. For this film, directors Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll won the Un Certain Regard prize at the 2004 Cannes film festival.

(Kirsten G) Opening May 12, 2005

Writer/director David O. Russell (Three Kings) has tackled quite a theme in his first film in five years, I ♥ Huckabees: the essence of existence itself. The film is billed as an “existential comedy” that is “all about what it’s all about”. Huckabees starts by introducing (amid a string of profanity – be forewarned!) environmental activist Albert Markovski (Jason Schwartzman of Rushmore), who is convinced that a series of coincidences involving a tall African man are the key to understanding what life is all about. In order to decipher the meaning of the coincidences, he consults a pair of existential detectives (Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin), who follow him around to see if clues in his daily life can lead to the answer. They soon encounter Brad Stand (Jude Law), a corporate executive with the Huckabees store chain with whom Albert has had some run-ins, and Brad’s girlfriend and Huckabees spokesmodel Dawn (Naomi Watts). As Albert and the detectives dig deeper, they assign him a buddy, Tommy (Mark Wahlberg), who is also struggling with the meaning of life, but soon both Tommy and Albert start to lose faith in the detectives and in the fact that there is any hope in life…

In some ways, Huckabees is a classic social satire – railing on materialism, corporate culture, greed, wastefulness, and many of the other things wrong with contemporary American culture. But what is unique about this film is its ability to make the audience feel like a character in the film, asking the same questions as Albert and Tommy and flipping back and forth between positive and negative outlooks on life as often as they do. All the actors are great in their roles, and though the themes are deep, the comedy helps lighten the mood. Not everyone will ♥ Huckabees, but for those who enjoy a little philosophy with their films, it’s the place to be.

(Becky T) Opening May 12, 2005

Five people create their own paradise in Jena, a town in former Eastern Germany. Jeanette (Stefanie Stappenbeck) lives alone with her son, 10-year-old Louis (Luca de Michieli, who is a beautiful child). She is a gardener’s assistant and helps Harry keep up the soccer grounds. Harry is also a volunteer soccer coach with little respect from his beer guzzling team. Louis is lonesome for an extended family and in spite of his mother’s antipathy toward relatives, convinces her to take him on her motor bike to a nearby town to visit the grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins. For no apparent reason Jeanette creates a new riff in the family relationship, scoops up Louis and returns to their simple home. He draws pictures and wishes for a better life. She imagines that the neighbor Philipp loves her, although he has a wife and child.

Whether dissatisfactory relationships, immaturity and lack of money make up a paradise is questionable, but they certainly reflect the lives of many people all over the world. You can almost imagine God watching these people struggle, like mice in a laboratory. However, like mice, these people learn and there is hope in the end. The grandma comes to her grandson; Jeanette lets go of her fantasy world to recognize her real love. In spite of there being some unexplained loose ends such as where is the father of Louis, why has Jeanette quarrelled with her mother, and what does Jeanette see in the soccer players, this is a fairly good, first full-length attempt by director Marco Mittelstaedt who filmed on location in Jena.

(Kirsten G) Opening May 12, 2005

In a story of prejudices and their consequences, Israeli director Eytan Fox’s Walk on Water follows Mossad agent Eyal (top Israeli actor Lior Ashkenazi) in his attempts to find an elusive Nazi criminal. Posing as a tour guide, Eyal accompanies the German’s grandson Axel (Knut Berger) on a trip through Israel where he visits his sister Pia (Caroline Peters), who is living on a kibbutz. Eventually, Eyal’s search takes him to Berlin, where he not only learns more about the Germans he has grown up despising, but more about himself.

Water does a good job of demonstrating the role the past still plays in the lives of young Israelis and Germans, for better or for worse. The film not only touches on Israelis’ feelings about Germans and vice versa, but also explores how the strained Israeli and Palestinian relations may have grown out of reactions to the Holocaust. Although the film’s ending is a bit over-the-top (and generated several questions at the press conference after the film’s screening at the 2004 Berlinale), the acting is good, the scenery is interesting, and the themes are universal.

(Adele R) Opening May 12, 2005

In June 2002, the Israelis began construction of a “security fence” between the Israeli and Palestinian territories. Originally it was to follow the “Green Line” established after the 1967 war, but the Israelis often bend the line, in their favour, and accumulate land that should be on the other side. They refer to this new division as the “seam line”. The wall divides villages, families, Palestinian farmers from their farmland and, yes, Arabs from Jews.

The documentary follows the construction of the wall, in many places 16 foot high reinforced concrete, and in other places an electronic fence. In both cases there is a no man’s land, heavy coils of barbed wire, guard towers and soldiers with loaded guns. To Germans it is all very familiar. The occasional passages through the wall are opened capriciously when it suits the Israelis and those Palestinians with work permits on the Israel side have great difficulty getting to work. People breach the wall constantly wherever possible and at risk to their lives, of course.

Simone Bitton speaks both Hebrew and Arabic fluently, and she interviews people on both sides of the wall. All the men and women she speaks to deplore it; no one finds that it brings security; all fear the eternally divisive quality of the barrier. In this film, only the Israeli Defense Minister is unequivocally in favor. Bitton herself, in a video conference with a psychiatrist in Gaza, says she feels she is going mad. The psychiatrist says, “No Simone, you are normal; it is the others who are abnormal. Anyone who thinks this wall is a good idea is abnormal. Our world is now controlled by extremists on both sides and you, who are normal, are caught in the middle.”

(Adele R) Opening May 19, 2005

This is a lovely French film, with a beautiful, talented, young actress; scenic French countryside; sadness in the middle and a happy end. It is a film with a slow, contemplative pace, filling the screen with the lush, enchanting Lola Naymark as Claire. The premise of the film is questionable and never satisfactorily answered: a young girl gets pregnant and decides, with enormous effort and emotional cost, to keep it a secret. Why the secrecy in this day and age?

Claire (Naymark) has left her supermarket job after colleagues begin to notice her weight gain and finds an assistant’s job with Mme. Melikan (Arianne Ascaride), an embroiderer for Haute Couture, Claire’s dream job. To explain her ballooning body, Claire floats a rumor that she has cancer and is on steroids. Mme. Melikan, who lost her son through a motorcycle crash, is suicidal. Eventually Claire is able to help her find new reasons to live. A romance develops between Claire and the brother of her best friend that is promising, but unresolved, at the film’s not unpredictable end.

(Osanna V) Opening May 19, 2005

First-time feature film Australian director Cate Shortland brings us a coming-of-age drama starring Abbie Cornish (One Fine Day). The movie has already earned numerous awards and recognitions.

Beginning to discover her own sexuality, Heidi (Cornish) makes a move on her mother's boyfriend and gets caught in the act. Understandably, her mother is upset. The sixteen year old decides to leave home and head for the ski resort of Jindabyne in New South Wales, where she tries to make herself a new life and new friends. She gets a job at a drug store and rents a small apartment from a friendly motel owner. Hanging out at the local night scene, she meets Joe (Sam Worthington), the son of a wealthy farmer, and manages to seduce him quickly enough; but the relationship is erratic and hinders neither of them from experimenting in other areas. It is the motel owner who finally convinces Heidi to contact her mother and go home.

While the cinematography and acting in this movie was good, I can't say I was terribly excited by the story. The opening scenes that lead to Heidi leaving home are brief and hardly reflect a background dramatic enough to explain her attitude towards life and relationships. While it may certainly be representative of a certain segment of our current society, it does not give any real insight into why it is so. Consequently I did not feel much empathy towards the main characters.

(Kirsten G) Opening May 19, 2005

The Force is finally with George Lucas in Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, the last film of the second Star Wars trilogy. Though I found Episode I and II disappointing, Episode III gets the series back on track. The action starts from the get-go with a hair-raising chase scene between Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), both piloting small jet fighters, and hundreds of ships belonging to the Separatists, led by Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) and (new computer-generated character) General Grievous. The Separatists have captured the Republic’s Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), and the Jedi are sent to free him. But once they succeed, things start to go wrong. The Chancellor’s power continues to grow, which worries the Jedi Council, especially when the Chancellor asks that Anakin be his personal liaison to the Council. Anakin also has other things weighing on his mind: his secret wife, Senator Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman), and her pregnancy. In his struggle to bury his worries for Padmé and his feelings that the Council doesn’t trust him, Anakin begins to find the Dark Side appealing . . .

Amazingly, the fact that most viewers will already know the outcome of the story of Episode III doesn’t hurt the film. In fact, it heightens the tension. Most of us fans have sat through hours of Star Wars films wanting to know one thing: why does Anakin turn to the Dark Side? Thankfully, Episode III provides both a plausible and thought-provoking explanation. Lucas not only weaves some interesting bits of philosophy (and a couple of jibes at U.S. politics, believe it or not) into his screenplay, but he also does a wonderful job tying up all the loose ends heading into Episode IV (the original Star Wars film). Sets, costumes, cinematography, music, and even acting all provide a smooth transition between the two films.

That being said, Episode III does have its downsides. As in all of the Star Wars films, the emphasis is less on acting and more on special effects (though the acting is far better in this film than in Episode I and II). While the effects are amazing, I thought there were too many of them, and it got confusing trying to keep track of which planet the action was happening on at any given time. There are over 2,200 visual effects shots in Episode III, and while that is a truly amazing feat, it does make one wonder if all those shots were really necessary. Still, Episode III is a fitting end to the series. As The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson has said, “Star Wars smashed open the possibilities of what film could actually do.” I’m happy to report that Lucas has ended his saga in a way that will satisfy fans and inspire filmmakers for years to come.

(Adele R) Opening May 19, 2005

This film is another example in the suddenly pervasive “true story” genre. In this case, however, there is a chance that the film reflects reality more than most. The script’s author, Anthony Fingleton, was himself the protagonist, a young man whose desperate efforts to please his domineering and denigrating father remained an impossible goal even after he came home with nearly every championship he could win as a swimmer in Australia. The movie was directed by Russell Mulcahy, best known to American audiences for thrillers such as Ricochet with Denzel Washington.

Geoffrey Rush, as the brutally insulting father Harold Fingleton, is relentlessly despicable to his second son, Tony. But Rush seems too elegant and refined to be believable as a longshoreman on the wharves of Brisbane, drinking beer with his muscled, macho sidekicks or taking on the police in strike battles. Nonetheless, the actor breaks your heart with his sneering remarks and cold blooded disregard of the young boy so eager for his father’s approval. As Tony (Jesse Spencer) grows older, Harold pits him against his brother John (Tim Draxl), nearly destroying their relationship, along with Tony’s self-confidence. But the young man triumphs, despite Harold’s downward spiral into alcohol, brutality and a last, devastating betrayal.

Tony’s strength comes in part from his mother’s unwavering support and as Dora, Judy Davis is superb. Her performance allows us to accept Dora’s allegiance to her husband despite his unforgivable behavior, and see him as she does – a man in the grip of his own fears of weakness and failure. It appears that Tony’s very nature exacerbated those fears.

The film, painful to watch, is ultimately disappointing and its “uplifting message” has to be spelled out in a voiceover at the end – always a bad sign.

(Becky T) Opening May 26, 2005

Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff) leaves his self-imposed exile as waiter and small-time actor in Los Angeles to fly to New Jersey (known as the Garden State) for his mother’s funeral. At home he faces ghosts from the past including old high school classmates and his distant father (Ian Holm). He visits a psychiatrist to renew a prescription only to learn that his medicine was never necessary. This is just the beginning of small discoveries about himself which lead to signs of a more optimistic future. Before this happens, we meet the odd characters in the town such as former classmate Mark (Peter Sarsgaard) who collects Desert Storm trading cards and digs graves at the Jewish cemetery; his main income is the sale of jewellery stolen from the corpses. Another classmate, newly rich from the sale of his invention: silent Velcro, lives in an empty mansion. The class troublemaker has turned policeman and tries to arrest Andrew on his vintage motorbike. In the doctor’s office Andrew meets Samantha (Natalie Portman, who finally has a role in which she proves that she can act). She recognizes him as the “retarded” person in a TV series. They fall in love over the small graves in the family pet graveyard while burying Jelly, the hamster. Sam says, “I can’t believe you aren’t really retarded.” Andrew says that his mother’s paralyzing accident was due to his bad luck “with a piece of plastic.” Sam believes in the uniqueness of the moment, such as standing above a gulch near the ark of a man who is the “guardian of the infinite abyss.” In the end, 26-year-old Andrew realizes that “the house you grew up in isn’t your home any more.”

Zach Braff (writer, director and lead actor) tells the story with such humor that he is being compared to Dustin Hoffmann and the film is being compared to coming-of-age movies like The Graduate. Perhaps he looks a bit like Hoffmann, and there is a swimming pool scene, but his film needs no comparison. It is wonderful on its own. No matter whether you agree with the ending or not (sufficient for young romantics, but old cynics like me would prefer the second option), the rest of the film is so delightfully full of familiar people and throw-away quips, you want to see it again or, even better, visit your own hometown to discover long-forgotten weirdos as well as yourself.

(Patricia R) Opening May 26, 2005

Hungarian-born French graphic novelist Enki Bilal has created a science fiction-fantasy film from a series of three graphic novels called the Nikopol trilogy. It is one of the first films to use an entirely digital backlot, a technique often used for TV and video. Actors are shot in front of a blue and green screen, like TV weathermen with the same drawbacks. His comic book 32 Decembre was the top selling book in France in the summer of 2003.

As with most cartoon storyboards, the plot is limited, the characters two dimensional and the dialogue limited to what can fit in a small bubble. Not encouraging, but I was curious to see what creative minds are imagining the future to be. Again, not encouraging.

Place. New York City. Time. 2095. Plot. Egyptian God Horus with the body of a human on serious steroids but with the head of a bird descends into the city from a hovering pyramid. He has only seven days to inhabit the body of a human and impregnate a woman. (I think I had to read a poem like that in college about Leda, the swan, her shuddering thighs and Agememnon dead. The progeny of that bizarre mating started the Trojan War which led to the end of ancient mythology and the beginning of Modern History.) Nothing quite so dramatic here.

Stage Directions. Enter hero Nikopol (Thomas Kretchman), released from cryogenics a year early. He is anti-eugenics, the process of creating beings from organs of mixed sources, an evil corporate profit scheme. Enter woman Jill (Linda Hardy), biologically only three months old and with amnesia, but a mutant body fantastic enough to please even a God. Her doctor (Charlotte Rampling) is also fascinated by her, but only for professional reasons, of course.

Action. Horus enters Nikolpol's body without his permission and proceeds to have his way with Jill, several times. Meanwhile a strange gooey red thing tries to kill Jill. Escape in 50s looking car that can fly through the desolate and abandoned city. Pretty much end of story.

I never did like comic books – especially science fiction. I preferred Mad Magazine.

(Karen P) Opening May 26, 2005

Sam (Rory Culkin) is once again picked on by the school bully, George (Josh Peck). Sam confides in his big brother, Rocky (Trevor Morgan), about the recent incident. Sam expresses his frustration, anger and honestly questions why bullies seem to enjoy torturing others. Sam and Rocky decide that their response should be revenge but only harmless and playful. They think that this is necessary to put George in his place. They really believe that if George is aware of what he is doing, it will cause him to think about it and stop his bad deeds. Rocky rallies his own friends to join in on the prank. They agree to rumble and work together to plot the plan. As the plan takes on a life of intense exhilaration, Sam has forgotten all about his Saturday date with best friend, Millie (Carly Schroeder). In order not to disappoint her, he encourages her to join the gang at the river for a day of fun. However, unbeknownst to Millie, part of this day is payback time for George. This Stand by Me style of narrative begins with a harmless idea to realize a rightful revenge. Of course, harmless pranks never begin with a negative thought of tragedy and in this case it is no different.

This film and its unpredictable trail of events unfold into a narrative that will captivate your full attention. Every aspect of this production is tight. It fits together like hand and glove, and you would not expect this quality of a film from a first time screenplay writer and director. The list of festival awards for this film is long but not surprising, including the Humanitas Award 2004 Sundance Prize.

The latest statistics from the American Medical Association propose that one out of every ten students (in public schools) has been the victim of violent bullying, and that up to 15% of all American teens have participated in the act of bullying someone else. This issue of bullying is growing in many social circles and is becoming more extreme and more violent.

Jacob Aaron Estes, Mean Creek writer and director says, “Like many people, I have come face-to-face with all kinds of bullies throughout my life. The good news is that one of these bullies changed my life, inspiring the heart of the story behind Mean Creek. I wanted to explore the bully as a human being rather than just the typical bad guy.” Estes takes this serious social issue and effectively creates an environment where the modern day teen exemplifies the use of integrity to make hard core choices that will affect the rest of his life. Hmm! Does any of this have a bearing on what kind of parenting skills under which they grew up? I believe so! In my opinion, without the proper guidance and communication with older or wiser people that have encountered crisis in life, one is pretty stuck on oneself. Questions like, “How do I forgive someone who has wronged me?” or “How do I forgive myself for the wrong I have done?” when one is consumed with only caring about himself, does not deal appropriately with sound moral judgment. In this story, Estes manages to focus on what is really important in the life of the teens in the film, relates it to teens of today and connects it moral decency. An awesome job well done!

(Alyssa C) Opening May 26, 2005

It’s a good bet that any woman can identify with the characters in this film. But which one? Are you the bride, trying to find your place in a new family, or are you the mother-in-law, with your longtime role as matriarch threatened by some new gal in your son’s life? (If you’re a man, you’re lucky to claim blissful ignorance of the "subtle" struggles for alpha-female dominance within a family.)

The match-up is a worthy one: Viola, played by the legendary Jane Fonda, who with this film makes her return to Hollywood after 15 years, versus Charlie, played by Jenny-from-the-block Jennifer Lopez, one of the current reigning princesses of romantic comedy. The story, while predictable, is delightfully carried along by the often enough laugh-out-loud dialog and the zany antics brought on by the sheer desperation of the battling beauties. And beautiful they are! Jane Fonda has apparently never stopped working out, and in spite of the many fat jokes aimed at her in the course of the film, J. Lo just glows. Over the top in its ridiculousness but charming in its simplicity, Monster-In-Law is an everyday feel-good chick-flick. There’s no deep message here, but then, that’s why it’s called entertainment. The extra half star is earned entirely by Elaine Stritch’s portrayal of Viola’s mother-in-law!

(Becky T) Opening May 26, 2005

Chucky and Tiffany come to life in the backroom of a Hollywood film set to meet their child Glen-Glenda (double name since sex is indeterminable). G-G has run away from his sadistic English ventriloquist (whom even the rats hate) to search for his real parents, who, like him, were “made in Japan.” The three of them impregnate B-movie actress Jennifer Tilly (played by herself, she also provides the voice for Tiffany) with Chucky’s sperm, and twins are born: one good and one evil. Before that happens we endure at least eight bloody murders complete with severed heads. Chucky and Tiffany discuss the responsibility of raising a child and whether they should mend their ways because, according to Tiffany, “violence is bad; it’s an addiction which can be cured in a 12-step program.” Chucky contradicts her, “It’s a hobby, I need it to relax. I don’t have a problem with killing. I am the most notorious slasher in history.”

Chucky fans should have some special ID in order to recognize each other. Who are these people? There must be enough of them, probably whole fan clubs, since this is the fifth Chucky movie since 1988. Chucky is a doll covered with Frankenstein-like scars in his face after being sloppily stitched together. His wife Tiffany Rae with make up, long hair, and décolleté looks like Tammy Faye Baker, in case you remember that hapless wife of a fire-and-brimstone TV pastor. Now they have a punk child with identity problems who seeks the warmth of a family nest. Tame enough as ugly dolls in their boxes, they develop an amazing violent energy when brought to life. This version by director Don Mancini also features musician/actor Redman and Tony Gardner. Go at your own risk for 88 minutes of gross senselessness, filthy language, bad jokes, and a confusing ending which promises a sequel.

(Thelma F) Opening May 26, 2005

Yasmin is a truly moving portrait of the Pakistani community in the U.K. post 9/11. Simon Beaufoy, who also wrote the screenplay for The Full Monty, is experienced in depicting social problems in England and with Yasmin tells the story of a young woman (Archie Panjabi who acted in East is East and Bend it like Beckham), a non-religious, second generation Pakistani who does her own thing while also attempting to please her traditional, religious family. Her life is a culture clash. She has a job as a social worker, goes to pubs with her colleagues, but, on the other hand, marries an imported Landsmann to respect her family's wishes.

But then the attack on the World Trade Center alters her world as much as any true believer. All Muslims become suspect and subject to interrogation. Her colleagues avoid her. Although Yasmin has always thought of herself as a Brit of Pakistani background, this abruptly changes when narrow-minded English people see her as a Pakistani immigrant residing in England. And although she does criticize the radical movement of other young Muslims like her own brother, this change in attitude pushes her back to her cultural roots (headscarf, visits to the mosque, etc.).