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La
Bute Sans Bite
Dreary sex in the city.
By Lois
Wadsworth
SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK: Written and
directed by Edward Burns. Produced by Margot Bridger, Edward Burns, Cathy Schulman,
Rick Yorn. Cinematography, Frank Prinzi. Editor, David Greenwald. Costumes, Catherine
Thomas. Music consultant, Laura Ziffren. Starring Edward Burns, Rosario Dawson, Dennis
Farina, Heather Graham, David Krumholtz, Brittany Murphy and Stanley Tucci. Paramount
Classics, 2001. R. 100 minutes.
 |
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Maria (Rosario Dawson) and Tommy
(Edward Burns)..
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Edward Burn's fourth feature limps along listlessly, rather like the
producer, director, writer and actor's screen persona, Tommy. While Tommy grew up
in Queens, he's bent out of shape by his real estate agent, Annie (Heather Graham),
who calls him an "outer-borough guy." She grew up on the Upper East Side.
Tommy's now a television producer who wears designer clothes to look at huge lofts
with great interior light and views of the city. He delivers a long speech about
his family's blue collar credentials making him the real New Yorker.
This sequence illustrates some of what's wrong with Burns's script
and directing. Because Annie is unhappy in her marriage to a chauvinist, womanizing
dentist named Griffin (Stanley Tucci), she's insensitive to Tommy, who is pedantic
and defensive. Burns is too self-absorbed as an actor to create a real character
out of Tommy, so nothing he does or says ever feels authentic. Graham plays Annie
as way too chipper to be married to such a jerk as Griffin and too naive to be a
big city girl.
Griffin is one of the least likable characters in awhile. He is
petulant, full of impotent rage, and insecure about his sexual abilities. He's married
to Annie, having an ongoing affair with 19-year old Ashley (Brittany Murphy), and
dating Maria (Rosario Dawson, the only actor in the film who brings genuine warmth
and thoughtfulness to her character). Impossible! This oily, whiney dork is not likely
to have even one lover, much less these three beauties.
Likewise, Benjamin (David Krumholtz) is a four-star loser who wears
a hideous doorman uniform and carries his guitar around. He used to be married to
Maria highly improbable! but he wanted a divorce, which he now regrets. Pitifully,
he tries to get back with Maria, but she has too much sense. Then he notices Ashley,
who is a waitress in a Greenwich Village cafe. Young Ashley, you will remember, is
Griffin's mistress.
Finally, the hapless Tommy is also at the mercy of Carpo (Dennis
Farina), the star of his smarmy television show. Carpo's a practicing misogynist
who gives Tommy crude advice about personal hygiene and women. Carpo isn't as offensive
as Griffin only because he's brazen about his self-indulgence.
Give me the bracing cynicism of Neil La Bute any day. His Friends
and Lovers from 1998 is still a great little film about many of the same issues
class, misogyny, sexual insecurity, ennui but the characters are darker, the
script beautifully written and directed, and the acting's peerless.
In Burns's shaky marriage/lover dance, changing partners is a given
story line, but his underdeveloped or overwritten characters are so uninteresting,
who cares? Maria is the exception; the rest are entirely forgettable. Sidewalks
opens Friday at the Bijou.
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OPENING
OR RETURNING:
Films open the Friday following date of EW publication unless
otherwise noted.
Behind Enemy Lines: John Moore directs this military drama,
which has Gene Hackman as a naval officer and Owen Wilson as the hot dog pilot who
sees where the bodies are buried in a war-ravaged country. He's shot down, and some
soldiers are after him. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark.
From Hell: The Hughes brothers' tale of 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. Movies 12.
Idiots, The: Lars Von Trier's (Breaking the Waves)
1998 film never played Eugene. At 8 pm 11/30 in 180 PLC. $2 students/$3 general.
Iron Monkey: Vintage '93 Hong Kong action picture directed
by Yuen Wo-Ping, who choreographed The Matrix and Crouching Tiger,
is a comedy action film well worth your time. Stars four good kung fu fighters: Yu
Rong-Guang as a doctor who's also the Iron Monkey; Donnie Yen as a fellow herbalist;
Jean Wang as the assistant; and Tang-Sze-Man as the herbalist's son. Highly recommended
entertainment. PG-13. Movies 12. See review.
Man Who Wasn't There, The: The Village Voice says
the Coen brothers noirish vision of small-town Americana is "gorgeously photographed
in luminous black-and-white and doused in phony melancholy." The New York
Times characterizes it as "a Robert Bresson version of a James M. Cain story."
Sounds good to me. Stars Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, James Gandolfini,
Michael Badalucco, Scarlett Johansson and Tony Shalhoub. Bijou.
Serendipity: Destiny has them meet by chance in a department
story, and fate parts them right away. Now it's 10 years later, and John Cusack and
Kate Beckinsale try to find each other again. Directed by Peter Chelsom. PG-13. Cinemark.
Sidewalks of New York, The: Young adults changing partners
in New York dance to a roundelay only they can hear. Not the finest moment for writer,
actor, director Ed Burns. Stars Heather Graham, Rosario Dawson (who's great), Stanley
Tucci and Denis Farina, for laughs. R. Bijou. See
review.
Texas Rangers: Called "a genuine actual Western"
by The New York Times, this movie is set in post-Civil War Texas when the
Texas Rangers, a frontier police force, was created to keep what laws there were.
Stars include Dylan McDermott. Steve Miner directs. Cinemark.
CONTINUING
American Pie 2: Same cast Chris Klein, Jason Biggs, Mena
Suvari, Seann William Scott, Eddie Kaye Thomas 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. Movies 12.
Black Knight: Martin Lawrence stars in Gil Junger's comedy
about a theme park called Medieval World with a portal that opens into England of
the 1300s. You know who crawls through and has to live by his wits. PG-13. Cinemark.
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.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Early reviews say
it is utterly faithful to J.K. Rowling's book, which can either be a good thing or
not. Stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane and more.
Directed by Chris Columbus. PG. Cinema World. Cinemark. See review.
Hearts in Atlantis: Anthony Hopkins and Hope Davis star
in Scott Hicks' late-1950s adventure drama. Written by William Goldman, based on
Stephen King's novel. PG-13. Movies 12.
Heist: David Mamet's too-clever caper film stars Gene Hackman,
Rebecca Pidgeon, Danny DeVito, Delroy Lindo, Ricky Jay and Sam Rockwell. Hackman,
Lindo and Jay are top-notch; plot is pedestrian. R. Cinema World. See review.
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.
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.
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.
See review.
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.
Out Cold: Guys on snowboards. Comedy adventure flick stars
Jason London and a lot of other people you won't know. Snowboard champions perform
daring stunts. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark.
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.
Rat Race: Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr. and other desperate
folks make fools of themselves looking for a $2 million jackpot hidden somewhere
in New Mexico. Directed by Jerry Zucker of Airplane! fame. PG-13. Movies 12.
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.
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. Early reviews say the Farrellys
are uncharacteristically good humored. Hmmm. PG-13. Cinemark, Cinema World.
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.
Spy Game: Robert Redford is a CIA officer who mentors Brad
Pitt in this spy thriller directed by Tony Scott (Enemy of the State). Also
stars Catherine McCormack. R. Cinemark. Cinema World.
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:
American Outlaws: Les Mayfield (Flubber) directs Colin Farrell, Scott Caan, Ali
Larter in a youth Western about the James Gang. Tag line: Bad is Good Again. No,
but crap is still crap. PG-13.
Cora Unashamed: Television movie based on Langston Hughes'
story stars the great Regina Taylor, with C.C.H. Pounder and Cherry Jones. It's a
good representation of small town life for an African American woman during the Depression.
NR.
Execution of Justice: Made for the small screen, this docudrama
is about the assassination of San Francisco elected officials George Moscone and
Harvey Milk by "Twinkie defense" killer Dan White. Stars Peter Coyote,
Tim Daly. R.
Ghosts of Mars, John Carpenter's: Set in a future where
64,000 earthlings work on Mars, the movie pits policewoman Natasha Henstridge and
the planet's number one criminal, played by Ice Cube, against ancient Martian warriors.
R.
Pearl Harbor: Over hyped WWII drama that critics have correctly
drubbed and audiences largely ignored. Director Michael Bay and producer Jerry Bruckheimer's
$135 million WWII epic stars Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale. Forgettable.
PG-13. Online archives.
Summer Catch: Romantic comedy directed by Mike Tollin stars
Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jessica Biel. PG-13.
Next week: The Basket, Following, Four Dogs Playing Poker,
Druids, Heartwood, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Jurassic Park III, Lost and Delirious,
The Mists of Avalon, Orfeu, Rush Hour II and The Score.
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