Local cinema theaters offer up diverse fare
Local cinema theaters offer up diverse fare
JAKARTA (JP): New to the theater this week is the story of a
robot who wishes to be human, which will bore even boys to tears.
But do not lose your head, there are plenty of other options to
keep you entertained. The following reviews and grades are by
Oren Murphy and Tam Notosusanto.
The Beach. Drama, 119 minutes; starring Leonardo DiCaprio,
Virginie Ledoyen, Tilda Swinton and Robert Carlyle. Directed by
Danny Boyle.
A young American backpacker, Richard (DiCaprio), heads to
Thailand and hears of a mysterious beach undiscovered by the
parasitic hordes of tourists. He finds the beach and discovers
the cost of the pursuit of unadulterated pleasure. Boyle
frequently diverges from Alex Garland's original storyline, but
remains true to many of its themes. The film lacks the book's wit
and freshness, but is worth a watch anyway. B (OM)
Bicentennial Man. Drama, 130 minutes. (see review above)
Boys Don't Cry. Drama, 118 minutes; starring Hilary Swank,
Chloe Sevigny, Peter Sarsgaard and Jeanetta Arnette. Directed by
Kimberly Peirce.
It is a misguided assumption that Swank was a shoo-in for the
Oscar thanks to her gender-bending role. She practically slips
under the skin of Brandon Teena, the real-life Nebraskan
youngster who successfully convinces everybody, including
herself, that she is a man. When her object of desire (Sevigny)
falls for her, Teena becomes even more steadfast in denying her
actual identity and follows her impulses instead, all the way to
the tragic end.
Director/cowriter Peirce manages to mold this fact-based story
into a powerful human drama, even though we wish she had gone
deeper into Teena's soul. B+ (TN)
Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo. Slapstick comedy, 90 minutes;
starring Rob Schneider and William Forsythe. Directed by Mike
Mitchell.
A fish tank cleaner, Deuce (Schneider), becomes a gigolo (or
man-whore as they refer to themselves in the film) to pay off
damage to an acquaintance's apartment. In the process of dating
all kinds of eccentrics, he meets the love of his life, but has
to struggle to show he really loves her. Mishaps and capers
ensue. It is stupid, but you will probably find yourself laughing
anyway. C (OM)
Sleepy Hollow. Gothic horror, 100 minutes; starring Johnny
Depp, Christina Ricci, Jeffrey Jones, Christopher Lee and
Christopher Walken. Directed by Tim Burton.
Not much in the film resembles Washington Irving's classic,
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, but it is an enjoyable film
nonetheless. Pathologist/detective Ichabod Crane (Depp) is sent
up the Hudson to investigate a series of decapitations by a
headless horseman in the small town of Sleepy Hollow.
Burton's film focuses on atmospherics over content, and
creates a landscape as stunning as it is creepy. Depp is
excellent as the faint-hearted detective. An often gruesome, but
very entertaining film. B (OM)