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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 1, 2005)
) ) ► 44 Ju>t aut ’ aprü1. 2ÛÛ5____ _____ FILM ......... ▼........... SUNDAY, MAY 8 REVIEWS After Midnight AMY RAY FAMILY OUTING FEATURING JODY BLEYLE Mc.W NAMINS CRYSTAL BALLROOM TO^BF2.V-’-w.v.wAMaM»afi5s£^iSa D A N C l Depending on your tolerance for incessant movie references that range from the Lumière brothers to François Truffaut, you will find After Midnight (opening April 8 ar I lollywixx] Theatre) either endearing or cloying. Conjuring up memories of Cinema Paradiso, this Italian romantic comedy is a visual tribute to the city of Turin and its Museum of Cinema. The vaulted recesses, staircases and windows set the stage for custodian Martino to offer asylum to rhe sensuous Amanda, who, spellbound by rhe museum, must eventually decide between her macho car-stealing boyfriend and the dreamy Buster Keaton-like Martino. A —Yvonne P. Behrens The Ballad off Jack and Rose making schemes, from spending their last dime on hundreds of “Clappers” (Tupperware-style containers) for resale to operating an ill-fated sausage cart in Buenos Aires’ industrial waste land. As Lili becomes increasingly unhinged, Ramon dons drag to work as a live-in maid, complete with tacky uniform and Mrs. Doubtfire wig. This uneasy mix of farce and pathos makes some subtle points about what it takes to survive in an impossible situation. Screens 7 p.m. April 7 and 16 at Guild Theatre as part of the Northwest Film Center’s Global Lens showcase. B —Gary Morris j Millions Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) spreads his wings with thjs charming story of siblings who come across a suitcase full of money and debate whether to spend it on need or greed. It’s worth the price of admission just to see the benevolent broth er’s (Alexander Nathan Etel) imaginary con versation with pot-smoking Clare of Assisi, the patron saint of television. A- —Jim Radosta Arthur Miller’s daughter Rebecca directs her brooding hubby, Daniel Day-Lewis, in this compelling but uneven story about a suspicious ly close father-daughter relationship. Jack—an ardent environmentalist with heart problems— and teen-ager Rose live alone on a former island commune. Their bond reaches its break ing point when Jack invites his girlfriend Miss Congeniality 2: (Catherine Keener) and her sons to live with Armed and Fabulous them. The first half-hour is plodding and pre For unknown reasons, Hollywood, despite tentious, but strong acting and some interesting sexual perversions redeem the picture just when j its preponderance of queers, usually portrays gay Upcoming PABA Events y Mb Wednesday, April| 13.11:30am 1^n Governor Hotel, Billiard Rooin 614 SW 11 th (btwn Morrison & Alder) Food by Jake's Catering, Cost $19! ($23 at the door) Speaker: Kathy Oliver Diedrich Bader, Regina King and Sandra Bullock perpetuate offensive stereotypes in Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous. "Getting Our Kids off the Streets” it threatens to fizzle out completely. With tunes by Bob Dylan and Nina Simone. B- —Stephen Blair After Hours Downfall from Outside In Wednesday, April 20, 6-8prn Location TBA! Save the date! Check the website in April. Biz Builders I Tuesdays 7-8:30am I jackman joe 1111 NW 16th (at Marshall) Biz Builders II Thursdays 7 8:30am Jazzercise Fitness Center 1847 E Burnside PORTLAND AREA BUSINESS ASSOCIATION , .iivic into <it Your GLBTChamber ofCommerce _ www.paba.com Sin City Like Sam Raimi, whose indie cred (Evil Dead 2) earned him big-budget projects (Spider- Man 2), director Robert Rixlriguez has worked his way up the ladder from 1992’s $7,000 El Mariachi to the Spy Kids franchise and now’ this ambitious adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novels. The visuals are stunning and the cast is perfect—especially Mickey Rourke as Marv, a hulking misanthrope avenging the death of his one tme love—so it’s too bad the women are all helpless hcxikers and the violence brings new meaning to the word “gratuitous." B- —JR The Upside off Anger Oliver Stone vets Joan Allen (Nixon) and Kevin Costner (JFK) relish the roles of a life time as, respectively, a recently dumped mother of four and an ex-baseball pro turned stoner talk radio host. But the real star of the show is writer/director Mike Binder (HBO’s The Mind of the Married Man), who not only displays a sharp gender awareness but also steals scenes as Costner’s womanizing producer. A —JR Walk on Water O N A l R 1332 W BURNSIDE, PORTLAND, OREGON ALL AGES • TICKETMASTER OUTLETS 7PM DOORS, 8PM SHOW Luncheon scionable cruelties visited on Muslim and Sikh women during and after the 1947 partitioning of Pakistan from India. A —YPB men offensively as mincing and effeminate stereotypes. Miss Congeniality 2 is no exception and, for that reason alone, worth missing. Sandra Bullock is eminently likable, but she’s hampered by a script that’s silly and a story containing holes wider than a hula h<x>p. Most of the supporting cast has been miscast, particu larly Regina King as a tough (lesbian?) FBI agent. Heather Bums as Miss United States seems to be channeling Joan Cusack. Director John Pasquin and writer Marc Lawrence have worked mainly in television, and it shows. C —Floyd Sklaver Sure, this German feature about Hitler’s final days in April 1945 is violent and upset ting. But, in a sick sense, it’s deeply enjoyable because it allows us to watch some of history’s most vile characters squirm and suffer in the confines of an aesthetically revolting bunker. Largely based on the memoirs of Hitler’s secre tary, Traudl Junge, Downfall (now playing at Cinema 21) is a convincing fusion of historical Silent Waters facts and educated guesswork. The brilliant Bruno Ganz portrays Hitler as a feral animal Now showing at HollywixxJ Theatre, this with nothing left to do but shout futile orders first full-length feature from feminist at his henchmen. The explosive combat scenes writer/director Sabiha*Sumar gradually evolves in the streets of Berlin will rattle you long after from a dreamy portrait of niral life in the you leave the theater. A Pakistani Punjab during the 1979 rise of funda —SB ; mentalism under Gen. Zia Ul-Hag to a bmtal history lesson. Ayesha, a middle-aged mother Lili’s Apron harboring a secret, struggles to protect the con Ramon loses his job as a ctx)k when the science of her son, swept up in Islamic nation boss decides canned fixxl is cheaper. His wife, alism. This film is a moving, sociologically fas Lili, is a maid who gets fired for incompetence. cinating drama and an indictment of gender In desperation, they fix on a variety of money based oppression—in particular the uncon Eytan Fox’s previous film was the highly regarded Yossi & Jagger, but it would be a shame if only fans of that film saw this one. Perhaps the single standout of last year’s Portland Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, Walk on Water represents a quantum leap for the director. It’s hard to imagine anyone wringing anything fresh out of the Nazi thriller genre, but Fox manages to. Rigidly repressed Eyal (Lior Ashkenazi) is a hit man for Mossad on a mission to find an ancient Nazi being hidden by his family. In the prix:ess, he meets the war criminal’s gay grand son, “German peacenik” Axel (Knut Berger), and granddaughter Pia (Caroline Peters), a kib butzim who has suffered from her family’s her itage and wants nothing to do with them. Eyal’s pursuit of the old man by getting to know Axel and Pia becomes a process of awakening to his own humanity. Fox balances the suspense elements with striking characterizations, richly conveyed through fine performances by the three princi pals. Shot in Israel and Berlin, Water shows a major talent at work, and part of its success is due to the complexity of both its queer and straight characters. A —GM Whisky This droll and charming Uniguayan film snagged the International Critics’ prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. Jacobo, a reserved and solitary man who runs a sock factory, asks his loyal female assistant to pose as his wife when his estranged younger brother comes to visit. The scheme seems simple enough, but emotional hazards arise when the trio take a trip to the seaside. The turtle-paced opening scenes feel interminable, but co-directors Juan Pablo Rebella and Pablo Stoll soon hit a mes merizing stride. Screens 7 p.m. April 1 and 2 and 9:30 p.m. April 16 at Whitsell Auditorium as part of the Northwest Film Center’s Global Lens showcase. A- —SB JFJ
