NEW RELEASES
CHARLOTTE FILM SOCIETY Movies begin this Friday at the Manor and continue the following Friday at Movies at Birkdale. Call 414-2355 for details.
* THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE Luis Bunuel’s classic conversation piece from 1972 — an Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film — is yet another wry attack on the capitalist mindset, as a smug group of friends repeatedly attempts to get together for dinner, with frustrating results. A bookend picture to go with Bunuel’s 1962 The Exterminating Angel, this exercise in surrealism gets more twisted — and more pointed — as it progresses. 
1/2
* THE ROAD HOME World-class moviemaker Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern) is working in a minor key here, spinning a slight if enjoyable yarn about a Chinese man reflecting on how his parents first met. This 1999 feature’s greatest assets are its dazzling use of color (a staple in the director’s work) and a pre-Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon performance by the lovely Zhang Ziyi, cast as Mom in the flashback sequences. 1/2
* Also: LUMUMBA, about the slain African prime minister, and THE VERTICAL RAY OF THE SUN, a Vietnamese feature about three sisters and their various relationships. (Unscreened)
LIGHT FACTORY FILM SERIES Screening will be held at 7:30pm this Friday at the Visulite Theater. Call 333-9755 for details.
* SONGCATCHER Why a motion picture with such deep Carolina roots failed to receive a proper run at any of Charlotte’s regular movie houses is a complete mystery, and a rather disgraceful one at that (kudos to Light Factory film coordinator Wendy Fishman and her crew for providing this showing). In circulation since 2000, the same year it snagged a special jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival, writer-director Maggie Greenwald’s often lovely, always lyrical drama frequently plays like O Brother, Where Art Thou? without the self-conscious winks, as it relates the tale of an early-20th-century musicologist (Janet McTeer) who moves to the Appalachian Mountains (filming took place around Asheville) and decides to record the traditional ballads long preserved by the locals. The film’s first half is so terrific, it’s a shame the second part goes haywire with all manner of hoary melodramatic devices. Still, the music is wonderful (Iris DeMent and Taj Mahal turn up in small parts), and the performances (most notably by Pat Carroll and Emmy Rossum as musically gifted mountain folk) outstanding.
CURRENT RELEASES
BLACK HAWK DOWN This adaptation of Mark Bowen’s account of the 1993 military operation in Somalia that left several Americans dead is being given the Oscar push, but the truth is that the film adds precious little to the long line of war pictures that have come out of Hollywood over the last century. On the contrary, the movie seems to exist in a bubble, hermetically sealed off from the emotional pull that helped define most of the great war flicks. From the start, this fails to provide much historical or political context to its proceedings, yet even more detrimental is that none of the key contributors — director Ridley Scott, producer Jerry Bruckheimer or novice screenwriter Ken Nolan — deemed it important to place any stock in their cast of characters. Obviously, Scott et al wanted to recreate the wartime experience in all its shell-shocked urgency rather than fashion a more traditional (read: narrative-driven) movie, but Saving Private Ryan managed to accomplish both objectives without any compromises. Some familiar actors pop up here and there, but for the most part, the unflagging sound and fury make it impossible to identify or empathize with these characters as individuals, since their primary function seems to be to serve as an anonymous slab of American fortitude.
BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF Movies that adopt an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach are often maddening messes, but this French import is reminiscent of countless other films and yet still manages to retain its own swagger of originality. With a first half that plays like Sleepy Hollow, a second half that begs comparison to From Hell, and elements of Jaws, The Last of the Mohicans, The Company of Wolves and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon scattered throughout, this delirious experience covers most bases and makes at least a cursory stab at the few it misses. In 18th century France, a naturist/philosopher (Samuel Le Bihan) and his Iroquois companion (Mark Dacascos) are sent by the royal court to investigate a series of slayings in the French countryside. The creature responsible is reportedly a monstrous wolf, but as the pair investigate, they discover that several of the locals may know more about the affair than they’re admitting. This one’s got it all: martial arts, political intrigue, tender romance (between Le Bihan and Rosetta‘s Emilie Dequenne), steamy sex scenes (between Le Bihan and Malena‘s Monica Bellucci), and a snapping, snarling, bloodthirsty beast.
THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO Disney’s live-action films frequently have all the flavor of a Styrofoam cup (see Snow Dogs below), but occasionally the studio manages to deliver a robust retelling of a cherished classic. In the tradition of their winning 1994 take on The Jungle Book, this latest version of Alexandre Dumas’ novel is an old-fashioned crowd-pleaser that makes the most of its compelling storyline. Jim Caviezel, generally that most somnambular of actors, turns out to be a good choice to play Edmond Dantes, the good-hearted seaman who’s wrongly incarcerated for 13 years, escapes from prison, reinvents himself as a nobleman, and coldly seeks revenge on those who betrayed him. Memento‘s Guy Pearce is all snaky insouciance as Dantes’ former friend, while Traffic‘s Luiz Guzman is up to his usual scene-stealing ways as Dantes’ no-nonsense sidekick (though this modern man seems as out of place in this period setting as would an SUV). In this pumped-up era, it’s refreshing to come across an adventure tale that’s free of rapid-cut edits, a blaring modern score and Matrix-style action scenes. Savor it while you can.
GOSFORD PARK Ever since the magnificent one-two punch of 1992’s The Player and 1993’s Short Cuts, Robert Altman has been struggling as a filmmaker, so even though this ambitious effort doesn’t rank with his greatest hits, it’s still potent enough to qualify as his best work in years. A stronger opening might have elevated it even more: After all, when a movie attempts to juggle 30 characters, it’s imperative that the filmmakers establish each and every one of them from the get-go. As it stands, some initially fuzzy relationships and obscure identities lead to some early stumbling blocks, and it’s only after a half-hour that everything falls into place. From there, the film is largely a delight, weaving comedy, drama and even a dash of intrigue (in the form of a second-act murder) into its look at the members of a shooting party gathered at an English estate in 1932. Altman is renowned for his all-star casts, and here he has assembled one of the best: Helen Mirren, Emily Watson, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, and Croupier‘s Clive Owen are just a few of the crack thespians flourishing under the director’s steady command.
I AM SAM Has there been a more shameless movie released over the past year than this wretchedly written melodrama? In the most blatant lunge at an Oscar since Al Pacino’s repugnant turn in Scent of a Woman, Sean Penn gives a cringe-inducing performance as a mentally challenged man who raises his daughter Lucy from birth until the age of seven (she’s played by Dakota Fanning, who’s so adorable she immediately melts away all traces of cool-eyed critical detachment). But at this age, Lucy’s intelligence level now matches that of her father, so here come the social workers to rip Lucy away and place her in foster care. Michelle Pfeiffer is quite good in the worst role of her career — the harried attorney who takes Sam’s case and becomes a better person simply by knowing him — and it’s her contribution, as well as those of a fine supporting cast (Dianne Wiest, Mary Steenburgen, Richard Schiff, Laura Dern), that prevents this from landing a bomb rating. A couple of years ago, Penn publicly criticized Nicolas Cage for selling out as a serious actor; now here he is, making a picture about as bad as any on Cage’s recent resume. There’s a saying about people in glass houses throwing stones; at this point, Penn might want to reinforce his walls with adamant. 1/2
THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES Playing like a discarded X-Files episode yet based on a 1975 book by John A. Keel, this finds director Mark Pellington mining the same air of uneasiness that made his Arlington Road such a prickly treat. Yet while this new endeavor isn’t as tightly scripted as that earlier effort, it does demonstrate how good direction and convincing performances can goose a project that otherwise might find itself mired in hokum. Billing itself as “based on true events,” this stars Richard Gere as John Klein, an ace reporter and grieving widower who finds himself mysteriously drawn to a West Virginia town that’s been privy to various unexplained occurrences. With the help of the local sheriff (Laura Linney), Klein tries to piece the puzzle together, only to conclude that the town itself is headed for major disaster — and that his late wife (Debra Messing) may be trying to communicate with him from beyond the grave. Gere’s conviction and Pellington’s atmospherics count for a lot, but the repetitive nature of Richard Hatem’s script prevents the movie from ever reaching its full potential: The mystery doesn’t deepen as much as it keeps skating along the surface. 1/2
ORANGE COUNTY Numerous stars — among them Kevin Kline, John Lithgow and an unbilled Ben Stiller — turn up in Orange County, and their participation makes one wonder if they signed on to curry favor with Lawrence Kasdan (whose son Jake directs the film) or to get in the good graces of Tom Hanks (whose son Colin stars in the film). Surely they weren’t attracted to the material itself, a largely tepid tale that wavers uncomfortably between being a crude teen flick and a sharp-edged comedy of errors. Hanks plays Shaun Brumder, a bright kid who’s considered a shoo-in at Stanford until his guidance counselor (Lily Tomlin) mails off the wrong transcripts, thereby resulting in his rejection. Determined to clear matters up, Shaun decides to visit the campus in person, accompanied by his supportive girlfriend (Schuyler Fisk) and his perpetually stoned brother (Jack Black). Considering this is one of the first releases of the new year (generally indicating bottom-of-the-barrel fare), it’s amazing that this thing is not only tolerable but occasionally displays flashes of innovation — unfortunately, not nearly enough of them to counter either the trivial pursuit of a plot (with a cringe-inducing wrap-up) or the smattering of been-there-done-that bodily function gags.
SNOW DOGS Stars often follow up their Oscar-winning performances with an embarrassment or two — take the case of Shirley MacLaine, whose first film after winning for Terms of Endearment was Cannonball Run II — but Jerry Maguire victor Cuba Gooding Jr. can’t seem to put the brakes on his career skid: This bow-wow is just the latest in a steady stream of turkeys that also includes What Dreams May Come, Rat Race and Pearl Harbor. Gooding’s a charismatic actor but also an unrepentant ham: I haven’t seen the art of shameless mugging endorsed this wholeheartedly since the heyday of Jerry Lewis (or possibly even Joe E. Brown). Here, he lets out screech after screech and takes pratfall after pratfall in a dorky Disney comedy about a Miami dentist who inherits an Alaskan snow dog team. With the notable exception of Babe, Hollywood’s FX wizards still haven’t mastered the technique of anthropomorphizing animals: As in last summer’s Cats & Dogs, seeing canines wink and talk is more creepy than cute, and the gnawing feeling is that these creatures would be more at home in an Omen sequel than a typically bland family film from Disney. 1/2
This article appears in Feb 9-15, 2002.
