mai ch 7. 2003 ■
A rarat
The uniquely talented Atom Egoyan
created cool yet moving studies of inter
personal relationships and environment—
encompassing queer characters with a rare
sensitivity and subtlety— in 1991s The
Adjuster and 1994’s Exotica. He attempts the
same in Ararat, a sprawling ensemble piece
involving the prcxluction of a film about
Turkey’s genocide of its Armenian citizens in
the early 20th century. Sadly, despite occa
sional glimmers of inspiration, Egoyan’s reach
exceeds his grasp here; the film’s overcrowd
ed, incoherent feel renders it a noble failure.
— Christopher McQuain
(Cg><g> B ringing D own the H ouse
What a shame Queen Latifah follows her
Oscar-nominated turn in Chicago by portray
ing a convict who loosens up a white lawyer
(Steve Martin) while he tries to clear her
record. Meanwhile, she has to deal with his
filthy colleague (Eugene Levy), racist neigh
bor (Betty W hite) and conservative client
(Joan Plowright, who gets stoned in one of
the film’s few amusing moments).
—Jim Radosta
& < & < £ > < & C onfessions of
a D angerous M ind
George Clcxiney makes a strong directorial
debut with this Lx>py biography of Gong Show
host Chuck Barris (Sam Rockwell), who says
the CIA reemited him as an assassin during
the 1970s. This far-fetched claim is handled
with brilliant ambivalence by ultra-creative
screenwriter Charlie Kaufman ( Adaptation).
—JR
T he G uru
This campy comedy— about an Indian
immigrant who poses as a spiritual sexpert—
has plenty of queer appeal: Adorable star Jimi
Mistrv played a gay dix:tor on the U.K. soap
EastEnders, it was directed by Daisy von Scher-
ler Mayer of Party Girl fame, and the musical
sequences are jubilantly choreographed. Still,
the formulaic script fails to consistently chan
nel all of the potential talent on hand.
-JR
art and the
spirit of a
long-buried
empire’s
tragic,
resilient peo
ple. Moving
fluidly through
time and space to an
elegiac conclusion, Russian
Ark was, with its huge cast and constantly
mobile camera, shot in one single, amazing
90-m inute take.
—C M
<£$>
<^>
<^>> <££>
What's popped
and what's flopped,
in a theater near you.
T he S afety of O bjects
Queer viewers will
be tempted to read the
latest from dyke direc
tor Rose Troche (Go
Fish, Bedrooms and Hall
ways) as a cautionary
tale about the horrors
of heterosexuality. Such
a parade o f bitter sub
urban families and their
godawful lives you’ve
never seen. Still, the
film’s episodic style,
mostly solid acting and
some edgy touches— a
T he gorgeous R ussian A rk was shot in one amazing 90-minute take
boy in love with a doll
and a disturbing quasi-
< & < & < £& < & ) R ussian A rk
molester angle— keep it consistently watch-
able, even when it’s sliding into bathos.
Director Alexander Sokurov takes us on
— Gary Morris
a dreamy journey through Russian history,
T H R E E
f r ie n d s
c o f f e
C o n v e rtin g P o rtlan d
O n e C u p At A T im e l
O PEN © D A Y S
Open until lOpm
201 S E 1 2 th
only it you’re really hungry
good effort, pass the salt
<?£>
<&> <£%> mmmm, tasty!
<g>
<gi
< & <£>
<&> 8et
<£%> (&> S pirited A way
T his instant classic by visionary anim a
tion director Hayao Miyazaki (Princess
M on on oke) follows a young girl who stum
bles upon a portal that pulls her into a fan
tasy world filled with spirits, ghosts and
other indescribable creatures. Because the
audience experiences this strange land
through her innocent eyes, the journey
becomes all the more fascinating and un
settling. If this film loses Best A nim at- ^
ed Feature to some Disney crap,
. \\
something is seriously wrong with
the Oscars.
—JR
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