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42 J
may 16. 2QÛ2
I dentity
Don’t let the presence of John
Cusack, Amanda Peet and Rebecca De
Momay make you think this is any more
than a typical horror flick with B-movie
twists that have no more shock value than
a fair episode of The Tu/ilight Zone. Sure, an
unseen murderer stalks 10 people stranded
hy a rainstorm at a remote motel, hut don’t
expect a teen slasher movie, which would
have at least shown lots more flesh.
— Timothy Krause
A knowledge of the first film is essential to
Reloaded, which is full of sound and fury signi
fying... something. The film is essentially
filled with cool FX sequences followed hy
quasi-philosophical doublespeak infodump,
repeated and repeated until the cliffhanger
ending. Effects are nice— sometimes even
thrilling— though nothing revolutionary. But
the theoretical rhetoric will likely have many
audience members uttering a Keanu Reeves-
esque “Huh?”
— Andy Mangels
tunity for satire,
especially in light
of the country’s
j
recent re
surgence of
peaceniks. At least
Jennifer Coolidge and
Fred Willard keep things
interesting, stealing every scene
they’re in.
ptpp ttf
and w hat's (lopped,
in a theater near you.
dud, bottom of the bag
—Jim Radosta
R aising V ictor V argas
< £> < & A M ighty W ind
£§> <&> L aurel C anyon
Dyke director Lisa Cholodenko (High
Art) puts together another beautiful epistle
on sexuality, creativity and
responsibility. Frances McDor-
mand is surprisingly perfect as a
free-spirited mom whose bound
aries are tested when she becomes
attracted to her son’s fiancée
whilst simultaneously boffing a
young rock ’n’ roller. Laurel
Canyon is awash in natural light,
needed humor and a staunch
refusal to judge or simplify.
— Lisa Bradshaw
T he M atrix
R eloaded
The first Matrix was revolu
tionary in its special effects and
fairly self-contained as a story.
T h is folk music spoof from writer/
director Christopher Guest (Waiting for
Guffm an, Best in Show) misses a ripe oppor-
Writer/director Peter Sollett’s charming indie
tells the story of a homy teen-ager from the
Lower East Side (Victor Rasuk) pursuing an
independent girl (Judy Marte) while enduring
the rants of his conservative grand
mother from the Dominican Repub
lic (Altagracia Guzman). Well acted,
touching and unbearably realistic.
-JR
t he
S hape of T hings
Writer/director Neil LaBute’s (In
the Company o f Men) adaptation of
this interesting off-Broadway play is a
bit rough— as evidenced by long,
rather awkward takes— but the four
young actors reprise their stage roles
beautifully. Nerdy college student
Adam (Paul Rudd) falls in love with
edgy art major Evelyn (Rachel Weisz)
and begins to change in ways that
disturb his friends (Gretchen Mol
only if you’re really hi
good effort, pass
mmmm, tasty!
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big tub o’ com
and Frederick Weller). All four, particularly
the feminist Evelyn, are complete stereotypes;
still, the confusing and constant feeling of
dread works perfectly, and the shocking (if
abrupt) ending will keep you awake nights.
— LB
X 2 : X-M en U nited
Feared by mankind, the mutant X-Men
must go underground when their home is
attacked by a crazed military officer with a plan
to wipe out all mutants. The various superpow-
ered characters— both heroes and villains—
rally to stop him. There’s less gay allegory than
in the 2000’s X-Men, but this is an exciting and
intelligent action movie with fine perfor
mances and special effects. And lots
of tight leather costumes!
— AM