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. B
—YPB ©
film era and reached into the swingin’ ’60s, the
gallons of blood and pus, and even a lipstick-lesbian
cop whose arrest record makes others look bad, so
WbridBeat
Soul
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