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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 20, 2007)
APRIL 20. 2007 jUSt|OUt,39 film Coffee Date great French director Jean Renoir (eulogized by Orson Welles as “the greatest of all directors”) tried his hand at a reimagining of the classic tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, updating it for French television in the 1950s. Jean-Louis Rarrault I dominates the film with an amazing he is sent to a small British village, where he’s partnered with the bearish Nick Frost. But when mysterious “accidental" murders begin, it’s up to the mismatched cops to break out the really big guns and start kick ing ass, taking names...and recovering lost swans. Amusing and unpredictable, Hot Fuzz also plays up the homoerotic under tones of cop movies, playing Frost and Pegg more as un requited boyfriends than police partners. Explosions, death by model village, dry British come dy and uniformed men in love with each other...Hot Fuzz will be an enjoyable night at the movies. A —AM In this surprisingly likable indie—surprising because it’s practically a textbwk of gay clichés— 35-year-old straight man Todd is tricked by his obnoxious roommate brother into an Internet blind date with “Kelly," who Txld assumes is a girl but is actually a gay man. Nonetheless, the two hit it off, sharing a passion for the movie Amadeus, among other things, and Txld decides to repay his brother split-personality performance, and by pretending he’s turned gay. To thabend, Txld and his characterization of the Hyde Kelly waltz provocatively back to Txld’s apartment character—who moves with a sort and terrorize bro with fake orgasms coming from the of alcoholic-stray-cat swagger; preys bedroom. Of course, the scheme backfires, and soon on women, children and cripples; Txld can’t convince anyhxly that he’s not gay and < and looks like a cross between romantically involved with Kelly. He spends the 2007 Bob Dylan and a werewolf entire film trying to counter the shrill demands of co with a bad toupee—is the stuff that, workers, neighbors and his neurotic mom that he in this country, Oscars are made of. come out of thi closet and be “out and proud!” Opens April 20 at Living Room Eventually he starts questioning himself, and Kelly is Theaters. B- al! too willing to help him here, hoping in the —Tony LeTigre process to transition from friend to boyfriend. Everything's Gone Green This storyline, expanded from a short film by writer/director Stewart Wade, is at first glance a stan Canadian director Paul Fox Pathfinder dard gay farce, with lots of comic confusion among teamed with writer Douglas Coupland It’s the perfect date movie— rhe characters and a seemingly endless series of plot (Generation X) for this quiet gem if your date is Vlad the Impaler. twists as Txld tries desperately, and to some extent about a young man whose life Director Marcus Nispel infuses at Kelly’s expense, to re-establish his straight changes after he loses his job and his this Viking legend with the same credentials. But the chemistry between the two girlfriend at the same time, starts gruesome eyesores, cheesy “epic” stars gives unexpected heft to the drama and working for the lottery and engages in soundtrack and cheap make-you- distracts from the nonstop references to Barbra a money-laundering scam. Opens jump tactics with which he Streisand and Judy Garland; the screaming queens April 27 at Hollywtxxl Theatre. B + saturated his offensively un and fag hags at every turn; and, more egregiously, —Yvonne P. Behrens necessary 2003 remake of The scenes of straight characters grimacing and twitch Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Daniel Emotional confusion ensues when a straight man (Jonathan Bray, left) is ing nervously around gay people. Fracture Pearl’s silvery, mixinwashed tricked into a blind Coffee Date with a gay man (Wilson Cruz). Handsome Wilson Cruz, famous for My So~ It’s the thinking man’s thriller: cinematography does something Called Life, is so endearing as Kelly that we soon nuanced, believable, but a bit lacking in kinetic subplot. Death Proof is numbing in its first third to counteract the clunky acting, flailing plot and forget rhe stereotype he’s playing. His ability to energy. Anthony Hopkins’ thespian virtuosity until the action revs up with Kurt Russell as depressingly relentless violence—but not nearly convey Kelly’s strength and vulnerability, particu makes up for too many close-ups of his aging fore a homicidal stuntman who uses his car as a murder enough. Bring a btxik and a flashlight. D larly given his arguable role as a mere vehicle for head and creepily translucent eyes. All quibbles weapon. In its latter part, the film picks up —TL TxJd’s self-discovery, keeps us connected to the aside, Fracture is surely better, and less predictable, considerably, with the introduction of the utterly film. Jonathan Bray also excels as the questionable Perfect Stranger than most films of its genre. Best quote: “Even the electrifying Zoe Bell, aided by a trash-talking straight. Coffee Date wins points too for its often broken clock gets to be right, twice a day." And Tracie Thoms and a subdued Rosario Dawson. This suspenseful thriller directed by James Foley snappy script (Kelly talks about his “dating rampage”) Ryan Gosling is not only hot, but also a good Tarantino clearly made the film as a love letter to (The Chamber) is the first movie to be filmed at and bright cinematography that nicely captures the actor. B + Bell and Russell, who deserve the director’s crush. “ground zero" since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Halle glamorous gay ghetto of West Hollywtxxl. A quarter of funny/gory faux trailers completes the —TL Berry plays journalist Rowena, who investigates Opens April 20 at Hollywtxxl Theatre and package. B the brutal killing of her friend Grace (Nicki Lynn Grindhouse —Andy Mangels screens 3 p.m. April 22 at Salem Cinema; for Aycox). Just before the murder, she told Rowena details visit www.salemfilmfestival.com. B + Two films in one, Grindhouse includes Planet about meeting Harrison Hill (Bruce Willis) via Terror by Robert Rodríguez and Death Proof by Hot Fuzz —Gary Morris an online chat room, which leads Rowena to get an The creators and stars of the excellent Shaun of undercover job at his company to find Grace’s Quentin Tarantino. The former is a brainlessly The Doctor's Horrible Experiment the Dead are back in theaters to turn “buddy cop enjoyable gore-filled zombie movie that has little murderer. While some elements of this psychixlrama In 1959, late in a career that began in the silent movies” on their ears. Simon Pegg plays a London actual logic, a smoking-hot Rose McGowan, are familiar and predictable, the ending is not. 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