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Modern
Romance MUST LOVE DOGS: Produced, written and directed by Gary David Goldberg. Based on a book by Claire Cook. Produced by Suzanne and Jennifer Todd. Executive producer, Brad Hall, Ronald G. Smith. Cinematography, John Bailey. Production design, Naomi Shohan. Editor, Eric Sears, Roger Bondell. Music by Craig Armstrong. Starring Diane Lane, John Cusack and Dermot Mulroney, with Elizabeth Perkins, Stockard Channing, Christopher Plummer and Brad William Henke. Warner Bros., 2005. PG-13. 98 minutes.
A pleasant, comic love story, Must Love Dogs is designed around unhappy, divorced Sarah (Diane Lane), but a clever Newfoundland named Mother Teresa and silver-tongued Jake (John Cusack) steal the show. Jake's a wannabe suitor whose passion runs an obstacle course beset with misunderstandings and booby traps. The dog is one of two 8-month old Newfies used in the film. Sarah comes from a large Irish family that throw a party for her but call it "an intervention." Their goal is to find a man for Sarah, now nearly a year divorced. (I love the elder relative who makes a point of telling Sarah she never liked her ex-husband, delicately crinkling her nose as if an unseemly smell had wafted into the room.) The big troublemaker is sister Carol (Elizabeth Perkins), who signs Sarah on at an online personals website. Sarah's dad, Bill (Christopher Plummer), is a widower with several girlfriends, including a ditzy dame with a heart-of-gold, Dolly (Stockard Channing). Sarah, who teaches young children in a private preschool, finds her interest piqued when one of her charges announces that his dad, Bob (Dermot Mulroney), and mom are separating. His mom says his dad is "incorrigible," the boy adds, which means "he likes other women." Sure enough, Bob is interested in Sarah, and a tentative romance blooms. I saw this film at Saturday night's sneak screening at Cinemark with an audience that laughed in all the right places and seemed pleased with the film. I'm easily swept along by the responses of a big crowd initially, but now, a few hours shy of two days later, I feel less enamored of the picture. The reason is simple: At every instance where the film could have taken an original and/or edgy risk, it didn't. The movie's sitcom-like banter and dramatic predictability waste Lane's unique abilities for nuanced performance. Worse, they weaken the film's central premise that Sarah is a desirable catch. Cusack makes everything about romance feel fresh, however, and he's been doing that since Say Anything, a film all young (and older) men should study. A big-time risk-taker, he was also seriously endearing in High Fidelity, a lovely offbeat romance. With a more open script, Cusack and Lane, along with Plummer and Channing, who are scene-stealing pros, could have turned this spun-sugar confection into a nutritional power bar. The plot and characters are derivative, a laughable truism in the new Hollywood of remakes of TV sitcoms. The sitcom I'm most reminded of here is the small screen hit, "Ally McBeal," which starred Calista Flockhart in her pajamas. Don't get me wrong. I loved hapless Ally. But I hold her responsible for the widespread and comforting habit that single, working women have adopted of coming home and putting on pajamas. "Ally McBeal" was full of clever exchanges of wit flavored by a bit of dirty sex talk about the love trials of a smart, desirable woman everyone wanted to fix up with a man. What charms in small doses at home over a period of time does not work out so well on the unforgiving big screen in one long dose. While Must Love Dogs doesn't always hit the mark, it probably will be a popular, commercially successful movie. There's pleasure to be had in Cusack's crackling intelligence, Lane's understated beauty, Plummer's resonant phrasing of an Irish poem, and Channing's comic delicacy with a 15-year-old suitor. Now playing at Cinemark and Cinema World, Must Love Dogs is a good way to pass the time on a hot summer evening.
Twenty-Four
Hours HEIGHTS: Directed by Chris Terrio. Screenplay written by Terrio and Amy Fox, based on her stage play. Produced by Ismail Merchant, Richard Hawley. Executive producer Paul Bradley. Cinematographer, Jim Denault. Production design, Marla Weinhoff. Costume design, Marina Draghici. Editor, Sloane Klevin. Original score by Martin Erskine and Ben Butler. Starring Glenn Close, Elizabeth Banks, James Marsden, Jesse Bradford and John Light. With Isabella Rossellini, Matt Davis, Andrew Howard, Eric Bogosian, Michael Murphy, Rufus Wainwright and George Segal. Sony Pictures Classics, 2005. R. 93 minutes. Producer Ismail Merchant's last film before his untimely death at age 68 on May 25, 2005 is this contemporary drama, not one of the historically rich, period pictures he and film partner James Ivory created for 44 years. Heights takes place in post-9/11 New York, and many characters are theater people — well-established directors, actors and producers as well as struggling students and aspiring actors.
Diana Lee (Glenn Close) is a force to be reckoned with onstage. She is a fiercely iconoclastic actor, critic and teacher but also a woman of a certain age who is aware she will not be this larger-than-life persona forever. Her husband is straying with an ingenue, and it looks more serious than usual. The only person Diana cares about is her daughter, Isabel (Elizabeth Banks). A pensive photographer, Isabel is a month away from marrying her attorney fiancé, Jonathan (James Marsden), but mother's not happy about the match. A London journalist, Peter (John Light), comes to Manhattan to interview men who modeled for an upcoming photographic exhibit by Benjamin Stone, who does not appear in the film. But the audience learns that Stone indeed may be the "sick fuck" former model Jeremy (singer Rufus Wainwright) tells Peter he is. Meanwhile, Jonathan doesn't return Peter's calls, and Isabel grows curious. Actor Alec (Jesse Bradford) auditions for a role in Diana's next show. Moved by the young actor's naturalistic performance, Diana impulsively offers to introduce him to some people and invites him to her party later that night. Alec quickly learns the only way to respond to Diana's invitations is to say "I'd love to" and try to mean it. Alone at Diana's party because Jonathan is off consulting a family friend, Rabbi Mendel (George Segal), Isabel ends up in the kitchen with a visiting painter from Wales (Andrew Howard), who offers to walk her to her subway. Isabel doesn't catch his name, and he won't make small talk. Instead, he challenges Isabel's passivity, her photography, her relationships. He asks questions she's not prepared to answer. Various secrets are revealed in the film's finale, which, like the stage production Heights originally was, reaches for resolution. Whether the movie's dramatic efforts are fully realized remains unanswered for me. I would have to see the film a second time. But I do like seeing Glenn Close in a rich, complicated role that's closer to the villain she played in Dangerous Liaisons than to Disney's Cruella DeVil. It's very hard to make an authentic character study with so many major and minor players. Simply reducing the number of characters might have given writer/director Chris Terrio more confidence in directing his first feature film. Playwright Amy Light, in her first screenplay, also needed to further develop Isabel, who only begins to come into her own at movie's end. Eliminating Alec and giving Jonathan more awareness of his inner conflicts might clear up some of the picture's awkwardness. Despite flaws, Heights is always watchable and entertaining. People in their twenties trying to figure out what the world wants from them and what they want from it may not pose the most profound or difficult of life's puzzles, but each of us must make the journey. Heights opens at the Bijou on Friday, July 29, with strong recommendations.
OPENING
OR RETURNING: American Astronaut: Part of the Free Form Film Festival, the film was written, directed by and stars Cory McAbee on an Homeric intergalactic journey. A black-and-white, space western musical, the movie also stars Rocco Sisto and Gregory Russell Cook. Music by the Billy Nayer Show. Late NiteBijou, 8/4 only. Free Form Film Festival: A program of short films from around the world includes work by Brian Dewan, Van McElwee, Tyrone Davies, Daniel Bohm and Eugene locals Daniel Helia and Carl Diehl. At 8:30 pm on 8/3 at DIVA. $5. Heights: Glenn Close, Elizabeth Banks, James Marsden, Jesse Bradford and John Light star in an ensemble drama that covers 24-hours in the lives of post-9/11 New Yorkers. Watchable and entertaining, the film is strongly recommended for its performances, especially Close. R. Bijou. See review this issue. In the Realm of the Unreal: The art of Henry Darger is notable in its own right, but its discovery in his one-room Chicago apartment after the reclusive janitor died was a complete surprise to the art world. Jessica Yu's exquisite film is an homage to "Darger's startling universe of innocence and pain, showing how he forged magic out of the bleakest of lives." Verify time on 8/3, "P.O.V." on OPB, cable channel 10. Must Love Dogs: Directed by Gary David Goldberg, a television sitcom director, pic stars the fabulous Diane Lane as a divorcée beginning to date again. Co-stars John Cusack, Dermot Mulroney, Christopher Plummer and Elizabeth Perkins. Sure to be a popular, commercial, romantic comedy. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. See review this issue. Office Space: Comedy about a worker who figures out how to quit in such a way that the bosses promote him to keep him. Another revenge movie for the raging '90s. Directed by Mike Judge, based on his "Sat. Night Live" routine, flick stars Ron Livingston and Jennifer Aniston. R. Plays at midnight on 7/29, 7/30 only. Movies 12. Sky High: Son of superheroes The Commander (Kurt Russell) and Jetstream (Kelly Preston), poor Will (Michael Angarano) must go to Sky High, an elite high school, where he battles a nasty gym coach (Bruce Campbell), a bully, teen angst, parental expectations and girl problems. Wow! PG. Cinema World. Cinemark. Stealth: Commanding officer Sam Shepard orders test pilots Jamie Foxx, Josh Lucas and Jessica Biel to bring an AI-based auto-pilot onboard. Then the machine turns renegade and takes over, right, like in Kubrick's 2001. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. T-Rex and Roxy Music Circa 1971: The Best of MusikLaden (German TV classic show, early 1970s) is a double feature including T-Rex, the progenitors of the glam-rock movement and Roxy Music, forerunners of the art rock movement. LateNite Bijou.
CONTINUING: Bad News Bears: New take on 1976 comedy of same name about a grizzled former minor league baseball player recruited to coach inept Little League team to a championship. Directed by Richard Linklater (Before Sunset), film stars Billy Bob Thornton, Greg Kinnear and Marcia Gay Harden. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Batman Begins: Christopher Nolan (Insomnia, Memento) directs an all star cast to bring you the story of how young Bruce Wayne (Christopher Hale) becomes the Dark Knight. Also stars Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Katie Holmes. PG13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Online archives. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Tim Burton's reimagining of Roald Dahl's perennial children's favorite dark chocolate treat stars Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka with Freddie Highmore, his child co-star from Finding Neverland, along with Helen Bonham Carter. Loved it! Highest recommendations. PG. Cinema World. Cinemark. Online archives. Devil's Rejects, The: Reunion of the homicidal members of the Firefly family (from House of 1000 Corpses) directed by musician Rob Zombie. Stars William Forsythe, Bill Moseley, Sheri Moon Zombie, Sid Haig. Traditional horror, macabre humor and suspense. R. Cinemark. Fantastic Four: Marvel Comic's superheroes, transformed by cosmic rays while on an outer space mission, battle the evil powers of Doctor Doom. Directed by Tim Story, movie stars Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon. PG_13. Cinemark. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Irreverent sci-fi comedy based on the late Douglas Adams' cult novel follows the adventures in space of the most ordinary man in the world, Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) and his best friend (Mos Def). Directed by Garth Jennings, film also stars Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel, John Malkovich, Warwick Davis, Helen Mirren, Thomas Lennon, Anna Chancellor, Alan Rickman and Bill Nighy; with Stephen Fry as the narrator. Great fun! PG. Movies 12. Online archives. Hustle & Flow: Starring Terrence Howard (Crash, Ray) as a Memphis pimp with a conscience who becomes a rapper, this indie film written and directed by newcomer Craig Brewer was a big ($9 million) hit at 2005 Sundance. With Anthony Anderson, Isaac Hayes, Paula Jai Parker and Ludacris. R. Cinemark. Island, The: Michael Bay directs Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johanson in an action thriller, futuristic fable of two residents of a carefully controlled environment who discover shocking news about their reality and their fate. PG-13. Cinemark. Kicking and Screaming: Will Ferrell and Robert Duvall as rival youth soccer team coaches. Directed by Jesse Dylan, film also stars Mike Ditka and Kate Walsh. PG. Movies 12. Land of the Dead: The master of zombie movies, George Romero, brings us another wacky gore-fest in which the undead have taken over the world, closing in on the living holed up in a walled city. Stars Simon Baker, John Leguizamo and Dennis Hopper. R. Movies 12. Lords of Dogtown: Written by Stacy Peralta, a former skateboarder himself, this is the commercial, fictionally enhanced version of his outstanding documentary, Dogtown and the Z Boys, about the Venice, California kids who combined the moves of surfing with the art of skateboarding. Stars Emile Hirsch, Victor Rasuk, John Robinson; directed by Catherine Hardwicke. PG-13. Movies 12. March of the Penguins: Documentary director Luc Jacquet's film chronicles the oft-repeated survival of the species in the wind-strewn wilderness of Antarctica. Film tracks a pair of Emperor Penguins across continent. Includes intimate scenes of the big birds mating. The female lays one egg, passes it to the male and takes off for a three months round trip to the sea and food. Meanwhile, the male penguins don't eat but focus exclusively on keeping the eggs alive for the gestation period. G. Bijou. Monster-in-Law: Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez duke it out verbally in this comedy directed by Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde). Also stars Michael Vartan and Wanda Sykes. PG-13. Movies 12. Mr & Mrs Smith: An action adventure romantic comedy thriller about a bored married couple (Angelia Jolie and Brad Pitt) who is surprised to learn that they are assassins hired to kill each other. Directed by Doug Liman (Bourne Identity). PG-13. Cinemark. Online archives. Perfect Man, The: Mark Rosnan (A Cinderella Story) directs Heather Locklear and Hilary Duff in this romantic comedy about a teenager inventing the "perfect man" for her single mom. PG. Movies 12. Rebound: Martin Lawrence plays a jaded, benched college basketball player who takes on teaching the fundamentals of the game to the hapless players at a junior high school. Directed by Steve Carr, also stars Breckin Meyer. PG. Movies 12. Robots: Chris Wedge's amusing tale of a robot lad who dreams of being an inventor. This creative world of mechanical beings is never dull because these endearing, pieced-together, talking tin cans convey comfort and safety. Voices by Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry, Robin Williams, Mel Brooks, Amanda Bynes, Stanley Tucci, Greg Kinnear. Not preachy, but a good teaching tale about differences. Warmly recommended. PG. Movies 12. Online archives. Sahara: Penelope Cruz, Matthew McConaughey and Steve Zahn team up to look for a long-lost Civil War battleship that protects a secret cargo. PG-13. Movies 12. Sin City: Based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller and directed by Miller, Robert Rodriguez (and "special guest director" Quentin Tarantino), film stars a host of players including Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Elijah Wood, Bruce Willis, Benicio Del Toro, Clive Owen and Josh Hartnett. Highly recommended for style. R. Movies 12. Online archives. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: The long-awaited final episode in George Lucas's series stars Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman. From Village Voice reviewer Ed Halter: "Lucas packs his latest with physics-defying deep-space dogfights and zhoozhing lightsaber battles, frequently cutting back and forth between two simultaneous melees on separate planets, deploying his signature Flash Gordon wipes." PG-13. Movies 12. Online archives. Unleashed: Jet Li stars as a "human pit bull" raised by a Scottish guardian (Bob Hoskins), who runs underground matches. Morgan Freeman is a blind piano teacher who changes Li's life. R. Movies 12. War of the Worlds: Directed by Steven Spielberg, this retelling of H.G. Well's seminal sci-fi adventure thriller about an invasion of Earth by Martians, as seen through the eyes of ordinary people played by Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin, Miranda Otto, and Tim Robbins. Riveting, challenging and moving; very highest recommendations. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Online archives. Wedding Crashers: Hyper pranksters Owen Wilson and Vince Vaghn star in this throwback to a rowdier time in movies. Things go well for the boys until they meet up with Rachel McAdams and Isla Fisher and their parents, Christopher Walken and Jane Seymour. R. Cinemark. Cinema World. Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, The: Nonfiction narrative feature film about a flock of wild parrots who co-exist with native species to make San Francisco's waterfront and gardens their territory. Mark Bittner is the gentle, observant man who feeds, cares for and studies the birds. Judy Irving is the filmmaker. Outstanding film, with very highest recommendations. PG. Bijou. Online archives.
MOVIE
THEATERS Bijou
Art Cinemas Regal
Cinemas Cinemark
Theaters
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