Nicole Kidman (left) and Jennifer Jason Leigh play dysfunctional sisters in Margot at the Wedding.
parents meet a child’s coming out with denial,
confusion, coldness—rarely love. In one especially
tragic case, lesbian Anna hangs herself a few
months after her mother, Mary Lou Wallner, says,
“I will never accept that in you.”
Fortunately, people can change, and the film
shows this, tracing the journey of rejecting parents
as they do the hard work of learning about homo
sexuality—which is shown as a process of de
programming themselves from their religion’s
homophobia. Wallner’s self-education after her
daughter’s suicide leads her to PFLAG and un
compromising activism. The parents of gay teen
Jake Reitkan get arrested as they protest outside
Focus on the Family. Tonia Poteat’s mom and dad
continue to grapple, but there’s clear progress.
The film samples f<x)tage of a number of
Christian crazies—James Dobson, Jimmy Swaggert,
Jerry Falwell—but uses actual scholars to set the bib
lical record straight. “Abomination,” we learn, meant
“a ritual wrong” in ancient times, not a “moral sin,"
while Leviticus’ supposed prohibition of homo
sexuality is better understood as an argument for
procreation by a nation desperate to grow. In an
entertaining, Michael Moore-like sequence, cartoon
characters give a brisk summary of theories of why
homosexuality exists.
Now playing at Hollywood Theatre, For the
Bible Tells Me So builds in power as we get to know
the five families intimately. That it also expertly
debunks the church’s cynical anti-gay viewpoints
adds dimension to this brilliant documentary. A
—GM
The Golden Compass
This beautifully filmed, well-acted adaptation of
Philip Pullman’s speculative fantasy novel is anoth
er victim of the difficulty of adapting a subtle, com
plex novel to cinema—namely, the thoughtful
nuance of that anti-authoritarian young-adult sci-fi
adventure is set aside in favor of showy visuals and
simple, straightforward characterizations. Our
adolescent heroine Lyra is plucky and fearless; Mrs.
Coulter (skillfully, inevitably portrayed by Nicole
Kidman) is elegantly terrifying; there are flying
witches, pirates and animal companions; and the
Kingdom of the Bears is full of serious ass-kicking.
In that—and the visuals and story remain
brilliant—it’s flashy, breathless fun. B
—Jemiah Jefferson
Hear and Now
Written and directed by Portland filmmaker
Irene Taylor Brodsky, Hear and Now is a complicat
ed yet intimate memoir of her deaf parents’ deci
sion to receive cochlear implants—an innovative
surgery to restore hearing. Spliced with Super 8
family film footage, Here and Now surpasses expec
tations of a sterile portrayal of the controversial
medical procedure. Instead, Brodsky surprisingly
offers a chronicle of her parents’ experience with
the implant and a testament to their love and lives.
Filled with humor and countless poetic devices,
Here and Now is an accessible narrative that won
the 2007 Sundance audience choice award for best
documentary. Opens Dec. 7 at Cinema 21. A-
—Jediduih Chavez
The Last Winter
It takes its time establishing itself, but once it
does, this film grows into a fine example of intense,
compelling psychological horror. A small, tight-knit
research team at the Arctic Circle is disnipted by the
presence of a new environmental scientist, studying
the effects of global warming on the ancient
pennafrost, and as the temperature rises, the uncan
ny raises its hideous head. Ron Perlman and James
LeGros head up an excellent cast in this low-budget,
independent horror gem. It doesn't rely on gore for
its terrors; imagination and the characters’ jealousy
and secret resentments paint a more gruesome
picture. Opens Dec. 14 at Hollywood Theatre. A
120 N.W. Third Avenue Portland. Oregon 97209 503-224-3285 • www.hobospdx.com • Gift Certificates Available
-JJ
Margot at the Wedding
Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale)
wrote and directed this film about two sisters,
Margot (Nicole Kidman) and Pauline (Baumbach's
wife, Jennifer Jason Leigh). Family relationships
and history begin unfolding when Margot and her
son, Claude, arrive for Pauline’s wedding to the
unemployed Malcolm (Jack Black). 1 thought the
film was more dark than funny. While dysfunction
al relationships can sometimes make great charac
ter studies, I really did not like most of these
people. Wait for the DVD to come out. C
—YPB
The Mist
I haven’t read the 1980 horror novella by
Stephen King on which this atrocious film was
based, but let’s hope it’s a case of “the book was
better.” Then again, people who enjoy this sort of
dreck probably don’t care much about character
development, verisimilitude or convincing
dialogue. The plot concerns a group of stereo
typical small-town folks trapped in a grocery store
by a mysterious and murderous fog that has
enveloped the town. The Mist is certainly
quotable, but for all the wrong reasons. “The next
time I need a friend like you, 1’11 squat and shit
one out,” hisses one of the two-dimensional char
acters, a religious nutjob played by Marcia Gay
Harden. Unfortunately, the same could be said of
this film. D
—Tony LeTtgre ©
PORTLANDS PREMIER
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