MARCH 21, 2008 juStpUti47
The Witnesses presents a disturbingly realistic picture of the confusion and trauma of the early
years of AIDS.
astonishingly good as a soldier who goes AWOL
Evolet (Camilla Belle), who has been kidnapped
when he returns to his home in Texas and the
by warlords. The weird accents and plain dialogue
military extends his tour of duty on the day he’s
set to retire. Ahhie Cornish, Joseph Gordon-
are sometimes a strain, but ultimately the movie is
entertaining and should be seen on the big screen
Levitt and former male model Channing Tatum
rather than DVD. B-
deliver raw and memorable performances. Apart
—Yvonne P. Behrens
from a few ill-advised forays into cinema vérité,
Peirce proves that her long hiatus from filmmak
The Witnesses
ing hasn’t diminished her uncanny eye for detail
or her compassion for misfits and struggling work
nesses, which opens March 21 at Hollywood The
ing-class Americans. Opens March 28. A-
atre. This is not unexpected from André Téchiné,
—SB
Excellent acting is the hallmark of The Wit
the director of Wild Reeds, but it’s especially note
worthy in this fast-paced, emotionally intense
Taxi to the Dark Side
AIDS drama set in France, circa 1984. The film
Last month this disturbing documentary scored
maker has said he wanted to chronicle the pan
an Oscar upset over the higher-profile films Sicko
demic as it began in France, and The Witnesses
and No End in Sight, and it’s easy to see why: Alex
Gibney presents an airtight case against the U.S.
does so admirably.
government for engaging in unforgivable acts of
into thinking that justice was served by incarcer
youth ready to experiment with his sexuality,
a plan that doesn’t exclude anonymous sex in the
city’s parks. He’s picked up by a charming older
ating a handful of soldiers who were just following
doctor, Adrien (Michel Blanc), who becomes
orders. Be warned: These images and accounts are
obsessed and introduces him to a married couple.
both haunting and infuriating. Opens March 28
The husband saves Manu from drowning, and the
at Cinema 21. A
two begin an intimate relationship that Manu
brutally ends when he comes down with “the dis
ease” and tries to shut himself off from the world.
torture in the Mideast, then fooling the public
—Jim Radosta
10,000 BC
Manu (Johan Libéreau) is an alluring gay
This is the core plot of the film, but it fails
(Independence
to capture the mix of beauty and terror that per
Day) takes us way back in time with this epic
vades it. Several vivid subplots, a kind of candor
adventure tale. Through good special effects,
with characters that presents flawed people non-
nice cinematography and predictable storytelling,
judgmentally and a disturbingly realistic picture of
10,000 BC offers an escape into a time when
the confusion and trauma of those early years of
mammoths lived on Earth and tribes believed in
AIDS make this a superior addition to Téchiné’s
spirits and myths. The hero of this story, D’Leh
filmography. A
Director Roland Emmerich
(Steven Strait), sets out to rescue his beloved
—Gary Morris ©
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