UStlOUt 41
NOVEMBER 18 2005
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A gay detective (Vai Kilmer, right) helps a burglar-turned-actor (Robert Downey Jr.) research for a
role in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.
Harmony (Michelle Monaghan), a wannabe actress
a mother-daughter relationship with this film, which
who has surprising ties to his past and a shared love
won five awards at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival,
for pulpy 1950s detective novels. Soon, the trio is
including the Golden Camera for Best First Film. Or
plunged into a real murder mystery that threatens all
(Dana lvgy) is a high school student in Tel Aviv who
of their lives. As the bodies—and body parts—pile
lives with her mother (Ronit Elkabets), who has been
up, so do the eccentricities of die characters, until the
working as a prostitute for the past 20 years. With her
inevitable showdown with the bad guys, which doesn’t
mother’s health getting worse, Or desperately wants to
go exactly as planned.
find a way out of their living situation. She works hard
Written and directed by Shane Black, writer of
to save her mother and even follows her path into
Lethal Weapon and other '90s action films full of
prostitution, but in the end she rescues no one. Opens
smirking heroes and unbelievable action, Kiss is a
Nov. 18 at Hollywood Theatre. B-
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winking deconstruction of exactly the type of film that
H omemade M exican F ood
made him rich. The story is narrated by Downey in a
C hile V erde , T amales , D esserts and M uch M ore
■ D aily L unch S pecials ¡r ws •
snarky, self-referential style as he addresses the audi
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ence, letting them know that he knows he’s in a film
You won’t have to shop around much to find a bet
but that the story is somehow real anyhow. The narra
ter movie than this vapid adaptation of Steve Martin’s
tive device cleverly pulls viewers in from die start, as
best-selling novella. Martiii, who wrote and produced
do the three main characters’ various flaws, from
the film, stars as a 50-something, emotionally
Harmony’s promiscuity with everyone except the love-
detached millionaire who wins a trophy girlfriend in
smitten Harry, to Gay Perry’s nonchalance toward
the form of a young Saks retail babe (Claire Danes).
crazed violence, to Harry's unfortunate disability to be
Despite a heartfelt performance from our so-called
seriously injured at every plot point.
heroine, the doomed romance is totally unconvincing,
The postmodern humor and cliche tweaking could
instead of zippy dialogue and character development,
have backfired on Black if he wasn’t supported fully
we get lots of pointlessly pretty shots of perfume coun
by Downey, who wears the stress of his past few years
ters and L.A. skylines. C
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for his character, and Kilmer, who seems to be smirk
ing and sleepwalking even as he bull’s-eyes every tar
get he needs to hit. Gay Perry’s homosexuality is treat
Wilby Wonderful
ed fairly and funnily—not with camp, but as a defining
This dark comedy is the latest film from Canadian
characteristic that only matters to the story when it
director, writer, playwright and actor Daniel Maclvor.
matters to the dialogue.
Taking place over the course of a single day, the film
Kiss is one of the most enjoyable films I've seen
follows a cast of characters who are caught in momen
this year and merits multiple viewings. It's not playing
tary distress about life in the small island town of
in very many theaters, so catch it while you can. A
Wilby, Nova Scotia. Dan (James Allodi) secretly wants
—Andy Mangels
to kill himself because his wife left him. Brent (Maury
Chaykin) is a corrupt mayor, and Duck (Callum Keith
Or (My Treasure)
Director Keren Yesava achieves an unlikely look at
Remember World AIDS Day
Rennie) is a gav painter. A cop (Paul Gross) had an
affair years ago with a woman (Rebecca Jenkins)
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who returns unexpectedly with a
teen age daughter Meanwhile, he
can’t really understand what he
i
sees in Ins wife (Sandra Oh) am
j
more She is a busy real estate
<
si .J
broker, and all of the stories con-
nect through her work Wilhy is
/
T
WK
one of those traditional seeming
towns that is actually more social
ly progressive than it appears.
\Khen the day comes to an end.
the stories unwind
Imt not with
out a twist. Opens Nov. 25 at
A gay painter (Callum Keith Rennie, left) consoles a grieving
divorcd (James AUodi) in Wilby Wonderful.
Hollywood Theatre. A-
—YPB ©
Thurs Dec.nj
World AIDS Day