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Outsiders,
Insiders JUNEBUG: Directed by Phil Morrison. Written by Angus MacLachlan. Produced by Mindy Goldberg, Mike S. Ryan. Executive producers Daniel Rappaport, Dany Wolf, Mark P. Clein, Ethan D. Leder. Cinematography, Peter Donahue. Production design, David Doernberg. Editor, Joe Klotz. Costume design, Danielle Kays. Original music by Yo La Tengo. Starring Amy Adams, Embeth Davidtz, Alessandro Nivola, with Ben McKenzie, Frank Hoyt Taylor, Celia Weston, Scott Wilson. Sony Pictures Classics, 2005. R. 107 minutes. Director Phil Morrison and writer Angus MacLachlan's wondrously strange film, Junebug, reminded me of the self-effacing work of documentary filmmaker Ross McEllwee (Sherman's March, Bright Leaves). Granted, all three grew up in North Carolina and have strong roots there. But moreover, there's a palpable weirdness about some Southern characters in their films, whom these filmmakers treat with a disarming, everyday acceptance.
The way the film opened surprised, even confused me. One after another, men come to stand facing the camera. Each bellows a holler, which goes on for a mercilessly long time. Hollering was once a way people communicated in the Appalachian hills, the hollows ("hollers"), of North Carolina. Now recognized as an art form, hollering has been "aestheticized by its appreciators, who have become its patrons and, often, its practitioners," Morrison notes, which nicely ties Junebug into the vagaries of "folk art" and patronage on many levels. Junebug is more than the return of "The Prodigal Son," but going home is an humbling experience. George (Alessandro Nivola) rediscovers his family's peculiarities when he brings his wife of six months, Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz), home to meet them. Well, actually, the couple came down from Chicago, where Madeleine is an art dealer specializing in "outsider" art, because she is trying to close a deal with an artist, David Wark (Frank Hoyt Taylor), who lives near George's family in North Carolina. Wark's a Civil War crank with a preacher-like booming baritone peppered with colorful turns of speech. His attitude marks him as way-outside what most people call ordinary, and his bloody, primitive paintings do nothing to change that opinion. Madeleine has no idea she's patronizing the artist, but he is a canny one and may. The filmmakers certainly notice but withhold judgment. Once honeymooners Madeleine and George arrive at his family's house, George makes himself scarce. Madeleine is immediately adopted by Ashley (Amy Adams), the guileless, pregnant wife of George's moody brother, Johnny (Benjamin McKenzie). Ashley is hungry for attention and so eager to have someone to relate to, she just about talks Madeleine's ears off. Madeleine is warm and loving with Ashley, Johnny and George's parents, thorny Peg (Celia Weston) and taciturn Eugene (Scott Wilson). This smart movie works its magic primarily through its characters and their relationships within the family. Adams steals the show as the irrepressibly good-hearted Ashley. The 2005 Sundance jury awarded Adams a special acting prize for her work here. By the end of the film, even Ashley's depressed, sometimes hateful husband, Johnny (McKenzie, TV's "The OC"), has come around to seeing what a gem she is. One of my favorite performances is Weston's wickedly addled matriarch, who tells everybody what to do all the time but hasn't a clue to what's up with her own sons. Her final scene with Nivola is priceless, and he handles it with just the right response. That there are many such moments in the film is to the filmmakers' credit. The pace is Southern, which may seem slow to us Northern types. Not much happens. But the family circle creates its own high and low tides, and the characters are moved by its lunar rhythms. The film is about the burden of carrying others' expectations. Madeleine and George are on the receiving end, but they are not flawless themselves. Nivola is the wonderful one upon whom his brother projects his hostility, while Davidtz plays the outsider with humanity and grace. She has the more complicated role, yet she allows us to see Madeleine's small, painful steps toward greater self-understanding. An exceptionally fine movie, Junebug opens at the Bijou this Friday. See it this weekend, with my very highest recommendations.
Gladiators MURDERBALL: Documentary film directed by Henry-Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro. Produced by Jeffrey Mandel, Dana Adam Shapiro. Executive producers Randy Manis, Jeff Sackman, Mark Urman, Micah Green. Cinematography, Henry-Alex Rubin. Based on an article by Dana Adam Shapiro in Maxim, Nov. 2002. Edited by Geoffrey Richman; Conor O'Neill. Original score, Jamie Saft. Music supervisor, Tracy McKnight. Animation, Damon Ciarelli, David Egan. ThinkFilm, 2005. R. 86 minutes. 2005 Sundance: Documentary audience award winner and jury prize for editing. Finally, a fast-moving, raucous, game film for jocks! The athletes profiled here are among the world's best, and some have the egos to prove it. They work out daily, are unapologetically competitive and kick ass on the court. Yet you have probably never seen their games. They play quadriplegic rugby, and they are hot!
This film by Dana Adam Shapiro, Jeffrey Mandel and Henry-Alex Rubin makes the viewer want to see the game played. The players fiercely wheel their custom-made, gladiator-like wheelchairs on a basketball court for four suspenseful, eight-minute quarters. They clobber into and knock over each other's chairs, sometimes spilling players onto the floor in a whirlwind of exciting play. Their goal is to move the ball past the crush of players and into the end zone to score. According to the film notes: "More mobile players handle the ball, while more impaired ones excel at defensive blocking. Each player is assigned a ranking, from .5 to 3.5, according to his upper–body mobility; team mobility rankings cannot exceed a total of 8." Despite its exhilaration for the sport, Murderball is more about the men who play it than the game itself. If the filmmakers' purpose here was to blow away preconceptions about people with spinal-cord injuries who have partial impairment of all four limbs, they will easily meet their goal with this film. But the film is also open and frank about the effect of such a major life shift from able-bodied to quadriplegic — depression, anger, self-pity, frustration, loss of independence. "The first two years are hell," one player said, recalling the shocking inability to perform the simplest tasks for himself. Because the quad rugby players are clearly over the hump, the film follows the course of a newly injured young man, Keith Cavill, through the transition from hospital to rehab to home. The men profiled in the film have fabulous stories to tell, and I will not spoil the film by sharing them. But put to rest any notion that these otherwise healthy, normal men do not have sex. They are proud that they do and will frankly tell you what they do and how. Their girlfriends seem equally straightforward. This is not an uplifting film about overcoming obstacles, it is a much more honest exploration of the powerful emotions and personal experiences of a number of strong personalities, who happen to be quadriplegic athletes. Here are some of the men you meet in the film: Mark Zupan graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in engineering and began training for the USA Paralympic Team. Zupan, voted player of the year in 2002, is now training for the 2008 summer Olympic games in Beijing. Zupan's rival, Joe Soares participated in 13 consecutive quad rugby US National Championships, is married, has two sons, and plays tennis and basketball as well as quad rugby. Bob Lujano is a quadruple amputee, due to a rare blood disease he contracted in 1979. He has played quad rugby for years and has accumulated many awards and medals. His motto: "No arms, no legs, no problem." Andy Cohn, 16 when he was injured, played all sports. He has played for Team USA for the last four seasons and was named Athlete of the Year in 2002. Scott Hogsett finished his degree in recreational therapy at Arizona State in 2000, and works as a peer-mentor at various hospitals in Phoenix. Recently married, he's also training for the Gold in Beijing. Keith Cavill's mother said he always loved anything with wheels. Since his accident in the summer of 2003, Cavill actively participates in therapy three days a week and is building strength and upper mobility to tackle Quad Rugby. He would like to be a motivational speaker. Opening at the Bijou this Friday, Murderball is an eye-opening, intimate portrait of a hard-hitting game that helps restores its players' sense of purpose. Very highest recommendations.
OPENING
OR RETURNING: Cry Wolf: Yet another teen horror flick, this one's about high schoolers who spread the rumor that a murdered woman found near their school was killed by "the Wolf," a serial killer. Then the lie comes true. Stars Julian Morris, Lindy Booth and Jared Padalecki. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Greatest Game Ever Played, The: Bill Paxton directs this story about a forgotten sports hero, an amateur golf player from a working class family, Francis Ouimet (Shia LeBeouf (Holes), who beats the world champion golfer (Stephen Dillane) in the 1913 U.S. Open. Also stars Elias Koteas, Peyton List, Peter Firth, Josh Flitter. Sneak 9/17 at 7:30 pm. Cinemark. Jericho's Echo: Iasraeli punk rock scene via interviews, live musical footage. Interesting perspective not usually found in mainstream media. NR. At 8 pm 9/15 at Diva; $5. At 11:35 pm 9/15, 16, 17, LateNite Bijou. Junebug: One of the year's best films, a strange, sweet film about a Southern family and the prodigal son who returns to visit, with his cultured wife of six months. Going home is an humbling experience. Stars Embeth Davidtz, Alessandro Nivolla and Amy Adams. Directed by Phil Morrison, and written by Angus MacLachlan, North Carolinians who get it just right. Very highest recommendations. R. Bijou. See review this issue. Just Like Heaven: Romantic comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo is set in San Francisco, where both claim a charming apartment is theirs alone. When she discovers she can walk through walls, they determine to solve the mystery. Directed by Mark Waters (Mean Girls, Freaky Friday). PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Lord of War: International arms dealer (Nicolas Cage) tries to stay ahead of an Interpol agent (Ethan Hawke), his competitors and his ruthless customers. Also stars Bridget Moynahan, Jared Leto, Ian Holm. R. Cinema World. Cinemark. Murderball: Documentary about quadriplegic rugby players and their intense competitive drive to be the world's best. With action footage on the court, intimate conversations about sex and unprecedented access to these strong personalities and their families, this is a great film. Very highest recommendations. R. Bijou. See review this issue. 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. Movies 12. Supercross: The Las Vegas Motorcross race figures in this story of two brothers whose father dies suspiciously. Cliché city. PG-13. Movies 12. Venom: Teens run for their lives through Louisiana swamps, chased by a creature with 13 evil souls. Strong horror, violence, gore. TV ads are cheesy, R. Cinemark.
CONTINUING: Aristocrats, The: Paul Provenza directs this obscene talent show where about a hundred comics tell the same filthy joke, an oldie from at least early vaudeville, in which unspeakable acts are performed. Each skit is original, while the joke remains. Comic talents include Paul Reiser, Jake Johannsen, Chevy Chase, Whoopi Goldberg, Gilbert Gottfried, Kevin Pollak, Bob Saget, Robin Williams, Erik Cartman, Jon Stewart and Sarah Silverman. Film has been banned by some theaters. Caution: Not for the faint of heart. NR. Cinema World. 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. Movies 12. Online archives. Bewitched: Nora Ephron (You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle) directs this story about the remaking of the classic 1960s sitcom "Bewitched" starring Will Ferrell as Darrin and Nicole Kidman as Samantha. Best when it's a sweet love story but always watchable. PG-13. Movies 12. Online archives. Broken Flowers: Bill Murray plays a man who looks up all his ex-girlfriends, searching for a son he might have fathered. Jim Jarmusch's minimalist film is touted as his most accessible yet, which would be good news for most filmmakers but not for this iconoclast. Also stars Julie Delpy, Jeffrey Wright, Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, Tilda Swinton. R. Bijou. Online archives. Brothers Grimm, The: Terry Gilliam directs this tale of the legendary brothers who brought fairytales to the world, Will Grimm (Matt Damon) and Jake Grimm (Heath Ledger). Set in the Napoleonic countryside, the brothers have to wrestle with the demons and magical characters their imaginations have brought to life. Also stars Jonathan Pryce, Lena Headey, Peter Stormare and Monic Bellucci. PG-13. Cinemark. Constant Gardener, The: Directed by Fernando Meirelles (City of God) and adapted from a John Le Carre novel, this thriller also stars the excellent Rachel Weisz (pronounced Vice) and the ever masterful Ralph Fiennes, playing a career diplomat who plunges into the mystery of his wife's murder. He uncovers a world-wide pharmaceutical industry criminal conspiracy. Also stars Danny Huston, Bill Nighy. One of the best of 2005. R. Cinema World. Cinemark. Online archives. Dark Water: Psychological thriller directed by Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries) stars Jennifer Connelly as a young mother starting a new life with her daughter in an apartment that takes on a sinister life of its own, including persistent leaks of dark water. PG-13. Movies 12. Exorcism of Emily Rose, The: Scott Derrickson directs this unusual film, which incorporates horror with a compelling courtroom drama. Stars Laura Linney as an ambitious attorney, Jennifer Carpenter as a murder victim. With Tom Wilkinson, Colm Feore, Campbell Scott and Shohreh Aghdashloo. PG-13. Cinema World. 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. Movies 12. Forty-Year Old Virgin: Andy Stitzer (Steve Carell) has lived a life of involuntary chastity, and his friends are determined to do something about his state. Directed by Judd Apatow, the film stars Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd and others. R. Cinema World. Cinemark. Online archives. Four Brothers: After their mother is murdered, four brothers reunite to avenge her death. From John Singleton, the director of 2 Fast 2 Furious, this disappointing film stars Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin, Garrett Hedlund, with Terrence Howard. R. Cinemark. Online archives. Herbie, Fully Loaded: More hijinx and shennanigans from that animated, but so unlike Christine, VW bug, Herbie as he heads to NASCAR. Starring Linsay Lohan and Justin Long. G. Movies 12. Longest Yard, The: Lots of world-class athletes from NFL players to kick-boxers and wrestlers star along with Adam Sandler, Burt Reynolds and Chris Rock in this comic tall tale of a group of diverse inmates who team up to play against their guards. PG-13. Movies 12. Madagascar: Computer-animated comedy stars voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith as animals who escape from the Central Park Zoo for a big city adventure. But they are captured and put on a ship headed for Africa, where they must survive in the wild. Directed by Eric Darnell (Antz) and Tom McGrath ("The Ren and Stimpy Show"). PG. Movies 12. Man, The: Through a case of mistaken identity, law enforcement officer Samuel L. Jackson ends up with the hapless Eugene Levy. Les Mayfield directs this action, crime comedy. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. 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. Cinemark. 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. Movies 12. Online archives. Red Eye: You've all seen the trailer: Rachel McAdams is horrified to learn that her father has been kidnapped and the monster (Cillian Murphy) who's in on it is seated right next to her on a red eye to Miami. Directed by Wes Craven. PG-13. Cinemark. Transporter 2, The: Former Special Forces operative (Jason Statham) must find the kidnapper who took a boy from the wealthy family he works for. Written and produced by Lu Besson, directed by Louis Leterrier, film also stars Alessandro Gassman, Amber Valetta, Mathew Modine and Kate Nauta. PG-13. Cinemark. 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.
MOVIE
THEATERS Bijou
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