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SHACKLETON'S ANTARCTIC ADVENTURE Taking a break from functioning as one of the world's largest science classes (thanks to titles like Blue Planet and Dolphins), Discovery Place's OMNIMAX Theatre instead becomes one of the world's largest history classes with its presentation of a real-life event that has also been the subject of approximately a dozen recent books, a newly discovered documentary from 1919, a recently produced documentary that will come to town in January (courtesy of the Charlotte Film Society), and an upcoming feature film starring Kenneth Branagh. With a standard IMAX running time of 40 minutes, this invariably feels like the Reader's Digest version of this incredible true story, but between Kevin Spacey's sturdy narration and some choice archival footage, it provides a solid introduction to the saga. In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton attempted to become the first man to cross the Antarctic continent; instead, his ship the Endurance became trapped in -- and eventually crushed by -- the packed ice in the Weddell Sea. Yet even faced with bleak circumstances that continued to darken, Shackleton took extraordinary measures in an effort to lead his crew of 27 out of their frozen prison and back to civilization. The setting allows the filmmakers ample opportunities to dazzle viewers with breathtaking shots of this gorgeous region, but the real drawing card is the vintage footage shot by Frank Hurley, a photographer who was part of Shackleton's expedition back in the day.
SHALLOW HAL The unfortunate preview for this winning romantic comedy, which makes the enterprise look like two hours of fat jokes, couldn't be more misleading; actually, most of the fat jokes have been crammed into that trailer, allowing the rest of the movie to make its case as a sympathetic tale about getting past surface appearances. Of course, I don't mean to give the impression that viewers should amble in expecting the all-inclusive humanity of a Frank Capra feature, as this Farrelly Brothers picture has its PG-13 share of raunchy gags and morally dubious asides. But as was the case with the siblings' There's Something About Mary, there's actually a tender love story at the center of all the sophomoric shenanigans. Jack Black plays the title role, a nerd who's spent his life trying to date gorgeous women clearly out of his league. Hal's only interested in physical beauty, but a chance encounter with self-help guru Tony Robbins (playing himself) changes all that. "De-hypnotized" by Robbins, Hal can now only see people as they truly are on the inside; this in turn allows him to fall for a large woman with a large heart. Hal sees a svelte beauty (Gwyneth Paltrow au naturel), while everyone else sees the 300-pound reality (Paltrow in a convincing fat suit); this works just fine until Hal's equally shallow friend (Jason Alexander) contemplates breaking the spell. Black's performance is a delight, retaining his character's goofball persona while also showing us the blossoming adult underneath, but Paltrow's empathic contribution is also key. Incidentally, this was filmed here in Charlotte, and under the eye of Oscar-winning cinematographer Russell Carpenter (Titanic), the city has never before looked so appealing on screen.
SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK With Woody Allen's best filmmaking days behind him, it appears that fellow New Yorker Edward Burns has elected to pick up the slack when it comes to crafting romantic fables set in the Big Apple. Sidewalks of New York frequently plays like an homage to Allen's Annie Hall, right down to the direct lift of at least one gag, a framing device in which people speak directly toward the camera, and even a central character whose name is Annie. But with Annie Hall, Allen fashioned one of the all-time great comedies; with this sputtering tale, Burns has made a movie that can't even hold a candle to his own first effort, 1995's The Brothers McMullen. Wholly engaging but never particularly insightful, the film follows the fortunes of six characters: 29-year-old TV producer Tommy (Burns) is interested in dating 20something teacher Maria (Rosario Dawson), who's divorced from 20something doorman Benjamin (David Krumholtz), who's pursuing 19-year-old waitress Ashley (Brittany Murphy), who's having an affair with 39-year-old dentist Griffin (Stanley Tucci), who's married to 29-year-old Annie (Heather Graham), who suddenly becomes interested in -- yep -- Tommy. And standing outside of this game of musical chairs is Tommy's middle-aged friend Carpo (Dennis Farina in a laugh-out-loud performance), a self-satisfied sleazoid whose heartwarming advice to Tommy is to spray cologne on his balls before a big date ("Women love it," he insists). The cast is apt, but the character dynamics aren't always convincing. 1/2