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FILM
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SUNDAY, MAY 8
REVIEWS
After Midnight
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D A N C
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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
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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