42
jflusl 6, 2004
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^ anh the
L ittle C hinese S eamstress
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When you’ve got it, flaunt it, and Sijie
Daie does. The Chinese novelist hired him
self to direct this adaptation of his novel about
two 1970s teen-agers put to hard labor in a
remote mountain village to purge them of
Western influences under Maoist doctrine. The
daughter of the local tailor and a trunk full of
banned books complicate the “re-education.”
Plays Aug. 13 to 15 at Guild Theatre.
— Lisa Bradshaw
C atwoman
r
Not the worst comic book movie ever
filmed, Catwoman is still an embarrassment
to all involved. Halle Berry saves the
world from killer face cream (no, real
ly) in this disjointed flick that makes
the Batman television series seem
restrained. Mildly diverting for the
first half, it stumbles into camp for
part two. Hissable and missable.
— Andy Mangels
Beautifully shot but somewhat lazily edited,
this is still a sure-fire cure for the summertime
blockbuster blues.
— Jim Radosta
H arold & K umar G o
to W hite C astle
John C ho and Kal Penn have the doobious
distinction of starring in the first-ever Asian
stoner flick, which— believe it or not— is actu
ally pretty good. Director Danny Leiner
(D ude, W here’s My C ar?) takes these slackers
on a bizarre road trip that includes raccoon
wrestling, skewered stereotypes and an un
flattering cameo from Doogie Howser, M .D .
himself, Neil Patrick Harris.
-JR
<&><££><& C ollateral
*
Tom Cruise continues to flex his
acting muscles in this smart, charac
ter-driven thriller from director
Michael Mann (Heat, The Insider). He
plays Vince, a mthless hit man who
enlists a distressed cabbie (Jamie
Foxx) to drive him around Los Ange
les on a one-night killing spree.
H o u rs:
M - F 9:00 7 00pm
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C losed S u n d a ys
• One of Only 200 Fem ale Owned
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GM Auto Dealers in the Nation
REVO LU TIO N
-
888 -
Documentarians Joe Berlinger and Bruce
Sinofsky (Paradise Lost: The Child Mur
ders at Robin Htxxl Hills) have crafted
an intimate behind-the-scenes look at
the near-meltdown of one of heavy
metal’s biggest bands. We not only get
a front-row seat to their creative
process in the studio but also their
intense sessions with a “performance
enhancement coach.” W ho knew
headbangers were so sensitive?
-JR
O pen W ater
Enjoy the true story of a couple left
adrift in the middle of the ocean after a
scuba diving mix-up. There’s one
funny moment where the two love
birds are bitterly fighting about their
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• Fam ily Owned Since 1936
Taking the title of
Isaac Asimov’s famous
tale (and little else),
this film features Will
Smith in another of his
patented smart-ass, tough-
detective roles, this time vs. excel
lent CG I robotic creations trying to take
over the earth. Surprisingly, the movie doesn’t suck
as badly as one might expect, though the process
by which the mystery is solved is badly contrived.
— AM
Where the Hecfc is Hubbard?
Canby
Hubbard”
Chevrolet
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Woodbum
bottom of the bag
only if you’re really hungry
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good effort, pass the salt
mmmm, tasty!
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get the big tub o’ com
relationship at sea— the rest centers on the
slow psychological torture of watching sharks
casually eat them alive. A great date movie if
your date is afraid of water, sharks or the exis
tential poetry of imminent oceanic doom.
— Evan James
T he S tory of th e
W eeping C amel
In Mongolia’s Gobi Desert, a nomadic fami
ly helps with the delivery of a baby camel. The
mother refuses to nurse the calf, and all
attempts to bring the two together fail. Days
pass, and the calf becomes weak despite being
bottle-fed. At last, the family calls on tradition
and hires a musician to play the Mongo
lian violin for mother and baby. The
results of this brilliant and moving
documentary will stun any viewer.
— Nadia Ali Maiwandi