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Emotional
Complications
Looking for love in
the 'burbs.
By Lois
Wadsworth
L.I.E.: Directed by Michael Cuesta.
Written by Michael Cuesta, Stephen M. Ryder, Gerald Cuesta. Produced by Michael Cuesta,
Rene Bastian, Linda Moran. Editors, Eric Carlson, Kane Platt. Cinematography, Romeo
Tirone. Production design, Elise Bennett. Costumes, Daniel Glicker. Music, Pierre
Foldes. Music supervisor, Mark Wike. Starring Brian Cox, Paul Franklin Dano and Billy
Kay. With Bruce Altman, James Costa, Tony Donnelly, Walter Masterson, Marcia DeBonis
and Adam LeFevre. Lot 47 Films Release, 2001. NC-17. 97 minutes.
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Gary (Billy Kay) and Howie (Paul
Franklin Dano) are best friends..
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In his first feature film, director, co-writer and co-producer Michael
Cuesta takes on some of the medium's hottest taboos, depicting adolescent sexual
ambiguity, male teen prostitution and pedophilia in a light that is neither censorious
nor prurient.
The major characters are a troubled teen, Howie Blitzer (Paul Franklin
Dano); an older ex-Marine and pedophile, "Big John" Harrigan (Brian Cox);
and Howie's best friend Gary (Billy Kay), who whores. This frank but not graphic
treatment of sexuality is made more interesting by Cuesta's heterosexuality. Married
and the father of two, Cuesta moved back to the suburbs he grew up in to raise his
kids. He's made a refreshing, non-exploitative film about gay life.
The Long Island Expressway (L.I.E.) is a noisy, threatening fact
of life in the Suffolk County town of Dix Hills, where Howie lives with his dad (Bruce
Altman), who is absent even when he's present. Howie's mom died in a crash on the
L.I.E., which helps explain why Harry is drawn there again and again to take a heart-stopping
walk across the overpass hand-rail, high above lane-changing, speeding cars and trucks.
Howie's a quiet, unformed looking boy who hangs with three teen
toughs who break into houses and steal whatever they fancy. Howie just watches, but
he likes being accepted by the others, especially Gary, a pretty boy who tells Howie
he looks good. Even Howie's dad sees through Gary -- "he smiles too much"
he tells Howie -- but Howie likes him and plans to run away to California with him.
The breaking and entering gig goes awry one night when they are
inside a house Gary has cased. In the basement they find two vintage handguns belonging
to the decorated war veteran who's upstairs celebrating his aged mother's birthday
at that very moment. A sudden crash in the dark, and the sound of breaking glass
fills the basement. The boys scramble to get out before the owner catches them, and
they all escape. But Big John gets a pretty good look at them and tears a pocket
from one boy's jeans.
Big John tracks Gary, who lies about the theft of the guns and
points the finger at Howie. The older man persuades Howie to get in his car, where
he accuses him. Later Howie learns that Gary has left town without a word and that
Big John is interested in him.
Now here's the extraordinary thing about this movie. Despite Big
John's admission of his fondness for boys, he is never seen having sex with anyone.
Howie's greatest needs are not sexual; they are parental. Both see where the other
is vulnerable. The audience waits for something to happen, but out of this unlikely
relationship comes a different order of acceptance and love that is touching and
human.
It goes without saying that the delicate edge the film walks could
only be convincing if the principals were powerfully right for the roles. Cox gives
an uncanny performance here. Big John may be a monster, but Cox goes a long way to
show his decency as well. Dano's portrayal of a guileless boy searching for his identity
in a society devoid of love is hopeful. They take the film to moments of greatness.
Opening at the Bijou on Friday, the film is highly recommended.
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Teen
Angst
Targeting urban uniformity.
By Lois
Wadsworth
GHOST WORLD: Directed by Terry Zwigoff.
Co-written by Daniel Clowes, creator of the original comic book, and Zwigoff. Produced
by Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Russell Smith. Executive produced by Pippa Cross,
Janette Day. Cinematography, Affonso Beato. Production design, Edward T. McAvoy.
Editors, Carole Kravetz-Aykanian, Michael R. Miller. Costumes, Mary Zophres. Composer,
David Kitay. Starring Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson and Steve Buscemi. With Brad
Renfro, Illeana Douglas, Bob Balaban and Teri Garr. United Artists Films, 2001. R.
111 minutes.
One of the first bits of action onscreen is a wild dance scene
from an Indian musical on the television that prompts a similarly enthusiastic performance
from Enid (Thora Birch), who is otherwise a buttoned-down, sardonic, teen malcontent.
Enid and her best friend, Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson), have just graduated from
high school, and they wander around for a few days making fun of everyone and everything
in sight. In following up a prank phone call, they track the eccentric Seymour (Steve
Buscemi) to a garage sale, where Enid buys a long-playing record album of the blues
from him.
While Rebecca takes a job serving caffeine to an undeserving public
and begins to grow up a bit, Enid continues to meander aimlessly. Listening to the
blues puts Enid into a dreamy half-awareness of her own isolation and disaffection.
She needs inspiration to survive the summer school art class she has to take. The
teacher (Ileana Douglas) is hilariously pretentious and hostile to Enid on sight.
She trashes the inventive cartoons Enid draws in her sketch book and praises the
inane concoctions of another student. But thanks to Seymour, Enid learns something
about pop culture art.
This is the basic set-up, and a series of episodes ensue that raise
more questions than they answer. Enid wants Seymour's attention, but can she make
Seymour love her 4 or at least have sex with her 4 before she succumbs to ennui?
Why doesn't Enid get a job so she can get an apartment with Rebecca? Will Enid find
art, and if she does, will art save her? Ultimately, the question comes to be: Can
teen angst fuel an entire movie?
The narrative thread is comic book-like, in that each action takes
place and then is over, and the next happens, as if from frame-to-frame. Cinema uses
actors' faces and bodies to express emotions that move the story forward fluidly,
while Enid's dammed up rage and frustration here limit that movement. Too much cynicism
is as boring as too little.
Zwigoff's 1994 documentary about graphic artist R. Crumb was controversial
because it revealed the cartoonist's family's madness. Enid and Seymour have depth,
and Zwigoff avoids cliché by casting Birch and Buscemi to play them. Both
actors deliver, Buscemi with understatement and Birch through vulnerability. Unlike
traditional movies, Daniel Clowes' cult comic and Zwigoff's film show us a lot about
Enid and Seymour's inner lives. The film has moments that transcend its limited scope.
Critics and others who like the film more than I do seem to find
it a unique expression of individuality over conformity. And it certainly is, put
next to most Hollywood teen flicks that underestimate their demographic target. But
having recently seen Jim McKay's illuminating Our Song about three girls growing
up in a much less forgiving world than Enid's, she just feels spoiled to me.
Ghost World is now in its second week at the Bijou, so catch
it soon. Recommended for its strong performances and celebration of the benignly
eccentric.
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OPENING
OR RETURNING:
Films open the Friday following date of EW publication unless
otherwise noted.
Heist: David Mamet's caper film stars Gene Hackman, Rebecca Pidgeon, Danny
DeVito, Delroy Lindo, and Sam Rockwell. Hackman's a pro who thinks his wife (Pidgeon)
is messing around with the assistant (Rockwell) to his fence (De Vito). Time to spring
the trap. R. Cinema World. Cinemark.
L.I.E.: Michael Cuesta's beautifully directed and acted story about male
teen sexuality in the suburbs stars gifted newcomer Paul Franklin Dano with the superb
Ian Cox as a pedophile. No graphic sex. Highly recommended. NC-17. Bijou.
Life as a House: Irwin Winkler's tearjerker about an architect (Kevin Kline)
who learns he's dying. He asks his rebellious teenage son (Hayden Christensen) and
his estranged wife (Kristin Scott Thomas) to help him build a new house. R. Cinemark.
Musketeer, The: Action adventure based on Alexandre Dumas classic is directed
by Peter Hyams stars Catherine Deneuve, Mena Suvari, Stephen Rhea, Tim Roth and Justin
Chambers. Xin Xin Xiong, choreographer of Once Upon a Time in China, orchestrates
fight sequences. PG-13. Movies 12.
Porn 101: Films by Adult Film Goddess and feminist Annie Sprinkle. At 8
pm on 11/9 in 180 PLC. $2 students/$3 gen. public.
Princess Diaries, The: Directed by Garry Marshall, this comedy about a
S.F. teen who finds out she's a princess stars Anne Hathaway, Hector Elizondo, Julie
Andrews, Robert Schwartzman and Heather Matarazzo. G. Movies 12.
Raisin in the Sun, A (1961): Daniel Petrie directs Sidney Poitier, Diana
Sands, Claudia McNeil, Ruby Dee, Ivan Dixon, Loouis Gossett Jr. and John Fiedler
in Lorraine Hansberry's outstanding story of a black family in 1960s Chicago trying
to make a better life for themselves in a previously all-white neighborhood. Don't
miss. At 7 pm on 11/14 in 180 PLC. Free.
Rush Hour 2: Brett Ratner returns to direct Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker
as detectives who travel to Hong Kong, LA and Vegas looking for a master criminal.
Also stars Zhang Ziyi (Crouching Tiger, The Road Home). PG-13. Movies 12.
Scarecrow: A Soviet-era Russian film set among school kids in a provincial
river town has been compared to Lord of the Flies. At 6:30 pm on 11/14 in 115 Pacific
Hall. Free.
Shallow Hal: In the Farrelly brothers new film, Jack Black plays a neurotic
womanizer who gets hypnotized into seeing women's inner beauty. He sees right through
Gwyneth Paltrow's fat suit. The Farrellys never pass up an opportunity for some mean-spirited
humor. PG-13. Cinemark, Cinema World.
Tin Drum, The: Volker Schlondorff directs and co-writes this adaptation
of Gunter Grass's novel about a German child who wills himself to stop growing in
response to the rise of of the Nazis. Unforgettable, brilliant movie. R. At 7 pm
on 11/13 in 122 Pacific Hall. Free.
CONTINUING
America's Sweethearts: Directed by Joe Roth stars Catherine Zeta-Jones
and John Cusack as famous Hollywood couple breaking up. Also stars Julia Roberts.
Movies 12. PG-13
American Pie 2: Same cast 4 Chris Klein, Jason Biggs, Mena Suvari, Seann
William Scott, Eddie Kaye Thomas 4 now directed by J. B. Rogers. R. Movies 12.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire: Disney animated tale directed by Kirk Wise and
Gary Trousdale. Voices include Michael J. Fox, James Garner and Leonard Nimoy. PG.
Movies 12.
Bandits: Bank robbers Billy Bob Thornton and Bruce Willis visit bank officers,
stay overnight, and get them to open the safe the next morning. They both fall for
kidnap victim, housewife Cate Blanchett. Barry Levinson directed. PG-13. Cinemark.
Cats and Dogs: Inside look at pet wars at home while grown up people are
at work. Kitty (Sean Hayes, voice) has grandiose plans other critters want to stop.
Live-action comedy directed by Larry Guterman also features animatronic, computer-generated
action. PG. Movies 12.
Corky Romano: Corky (Chris Kattan) is a kindly veterinarian who gets drawn
into becoming an F.B.I. agent to help out his long-lost Mafia boss father (Peter
Falk), who's being investigated. PG-13. Cinemark.
Domestic Disturbance: In Harold Becker's drama, John Travolta discovers
that his ex-wife's new husband is a con man, and Travolta's 11-year old son has seen
him murder someone. Also stars Vince Vaughn, Teri Polo and Matthew O'Leary. PG-13.
Cinemark. Cinema World.
Don't Say a Word: Based on Andrew Klaven's novel, film is about a child
psychiatrist (Michael Douglas) who tries to save his daughter from a kidnapper by
getting critical information from a disturbed patient. Gary Fleder directs. R. Movies
12.
From Hell: The Hughes brothers' Jack the Ripper's grisly Whitechapel murders
are not the only distressing moments in this dark portrait of London's underbelly,
circa 1888. Johnny Depp is a compromised investigator who "chases the dragon"
and has visions. Robby Coltrane's the assistant who hauls him out of opium dens.
Also stars Ian Holm, Katrin Cartlidge and Heather Graham. Fascinating but not cheery.
R. Cinemark. Cinema World.
Ghost World: Terry Zwigoff's highly acclaimed film, loosely adapted by
Zwigoff and Daniel Clowes from Clowes' comic book, stars Thora Birch (American
Beauty) and Scarlett Johannson as disaffected teens, Steve Buscemi as the bitter
adult who befriends them. With Brad Renfro, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban and Illeana Douglas.
R. Bijou.
Glass House, The: Psychological nightmare stars Leelee Sobieski as an orphaned
girl (and her brother) taken in by her parents' best friends(Diane Lane and Stellan
Skarsgard). PG-13. Movies 12.
Joy Ride: Scary road trip about a practical joke turned lethal stars Paul
Walker and Steve Zahn, who play brothers, and Leelee Sobiesky. John Dahl directs.
R. Movies 12.
K-PAX: Ian Softley (Wings of the Dove) directs Jeff Bridges, who
plays a psychiatrist, and Kevin Spacey's the patient who says he's from another planet.
The good doctor notices changes for the better in the other mental ward patients.
PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark.
Last Castle, The: Rod Lurie directs Robert Redford as a defrocked general
in a maximum security military prison and James Gandolfini ("The Sopranos")
as its corrupt warden. R. Cinemark.
Monsters Inc.: From Pixar, the creators of Toy Story, comes a new
computer-animated feature about a scare factory, Monsters Inc., and its top monster,
Sulley (voice of John Goodman). Also voices of Billy Crystal, James Coburn, Jennifer
Tilly, Steve Buscemi and Mary Gibbs. G. Cinema World. Cinemark.
Mulholland Drive: David Lynch's neo-noir fantasy about Hollywood set in
a nebulous time-frame stars Naomi Watts, Laura Harring and Justin Theroux. The first
two-thirds is a love story between women, while the last third contains more typical
Lynchian plot convolutions and role-switches. Highest recommendations. R. Bijou.
See review.
On the Line: The Village Voice says: "Head for the hills"
as two-fifths of 'N Sync 4Lance Bass and Joey Fatone 4 make their acting debut in
Eric Bross' "romantic comedy." PG. Cinemark.
One, The: A dual role for Jet Lin who straddles parallel universes - one
where he's good, the other where he's evil. A rogue agent is loose in multiple universes
and must be stopped. Also stars Delroy Lindo. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World.
Planet of the Apes: Re-imagining of 1968 original by Tim Burton has great
makeup and quicker-witted, stronger apes who act more like real ones. Tim Roth is
hilarious as the menacing chimpanzee who wants to kill all humans. Stars Mark Wahlberg,
Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Clarke Duncan, Paul Giamatti and Roth. PG-13. Movies
12. See review.
Riding in Cars with Boys: Drew Barrymore stars in Penny Marshall's film
about a woman who wants to be a writer but ends up with a baby at 15 and a junkie
husband. Based on a true story. With Steve Zahn and Brittany Murphy. PG-13. Cinemark.
Cinema World.
Score, The: This Frank Oz action movie stars Robert De Niro as a career
criminal who breaks his own rule to take an unknown (Edward Norton) as partner on
a heist. Also stars Marlon Brando, Angela Bassett. Great acting. R. Movies 12. See review.
Shrek: Computer-animated fairy tale (by DreamWorks' Pacific Data Images,
makers of Antz) stars Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow.
Entertaining and funny for kids and grown-ups. PG. Movies 12. See
review.
Thirteen Ghosts: Joel Silver and Robert Zemeckis produced this special
effects remake of a 1960 horror film. It stars Tony Shalhoub, Embeth Davidtz, Matthew
Lillard and the spirits of 13 murder victims. R. Cinemark.
MOVIE
THEATERS
Use the links provided below for specific show times.
Bijou
Art Cinemas
Bijou Theater 686-2458 | 492 E. 13th
Regal
Cinemas
Cinema World 342-6536 | Valley River
Center
Springfield Quad 726-9073 |
Cinemark
Theaters
Movies 12 741-1231 | Gateway
Mall
Movies before 12:30 are Sat. Sun. only. $1.50 all shows all days.
Cinemark 17 741-1231 | Gateway Mall
NEW RELEASES
ON VIDEO:
Releases subject to change. Available the Tuesday following date of
EW publication, sometimes sooner:
America's Sweethearts: Directed by Joe Roth as a spoof on Hollywood's
publicity industry, a famous Hollywood couple played by Catherine Zeta-Jones and
John Cusack) try to fool movie critics on a junket that they're still together. Also
stars Julia Roberts, Billy Crystal, Hank Azaria. Stanley Tucci, Christopher Walken,
Alan Arkin and Seth Green. PG-13.
Bride of the Wind: Bruce Beresford's gorgeous period piece about the life
and times of Alma Mahler. A classical composer in her own right, as well as an independent
woman, she moved in a world of Vienna's privileged elite. Stars Sarah Wynter. Beautiful
cinematography, majestic music, prosaic screenplay. R. See
review.
crazy/beautiful: John Stockwell directs this high school drama starring
Kirsten Dunst as the sexy, rich daughter of a California congressman and Jay Hernandez
as the poor Hispanic boy she loves. PG-13. See
review.
Diary of a Sex Addict: Erotic drama about a man who leads an ordinary life
as husband and father but has a secret life where he trolls for sex. Stars Rosanna
Arquette, Natassja Kinski and Michael Des Barres. Joseph Brutsman directs. R.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: Angelina Jolie plays the video game action heroine,
and Simon West directs. Also stars Jon Voight and Iain Glen. PG-13.
Osmosis Jones: Directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly with others, this live
action/animated comedy goes inside the body to the sites of the most yucky sites.
Stars Bill Murray, Molly Shannon and the voices of Chris Rock, David Hyde Pierce
and Laurence Fishburne. PG.
Point Man, The: Kerry Fox and Christopher Lambert star in this spy action
thriller set in the Middle East directed by John Glen. R.
Shatter: Low-budget zombie cult thriller. NR.
Next week: Apocalypse Now Redux, Best of "Friends", The Breed,
Cement, The Enemy, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Keepin' It Real, The Matrix Revisited,
Planet of the Apes, Planet of the Apes Complete TV Series, The Pornographer, Strange
Justice, Stuart Bliss and Uncorked.
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