Love a splendored, spiteful thing at films

Love a splendored, spiteful thing at films

JAKARTA (JP): A story of a mother who knows best and a
daughter who knows better, and a forbidden love in films
currently playing at local cinemas might amuse moviegoers this
weekend.

The following reviews and grades are by Rayya Makarim (RM),
Oren Murphy (OM) and Tam Notosusanto (TN).

Anywhere but Here:; Comedy/drama, running time 114 minutes;
starring Susan Sarandon, Natalie Portman, Eileen Ryan, Ray Baker,
John Diehl. Directed by Wayne Wang.

Adele is a restless, flamboyant woman, who wants the best for
her grounded, angry teenage daughter, Ann. But all Ann wants is
to go to college and get away from her overbearing, possessive
mother.

Well-acted, well-written and sensitively directed by Wang, who
manages to work Sarandon and Portman beautifully together to
reach a range of emotional keys that blend comedy with drama.
Graded B (RM)

The Astronaut's Wife. Psychological thriller, 109 minutes;
starring Johnny Depp, Charlize Theron, Joe Morton, Clea DuVall,
Samantha Eggar and Donna Murphy. Written and directed by Rand
Ravich.

A woman suspects that her returning astronaut husband is
bringing something home from outer space. Just the kind of story
that Mrs. John Glenn will undoubtedly enjoy. Ravich apparently
wants to do a tribute to Rosemary's Baby, with everything from
the plot to lead star's Theron cropped hair made similar to the
looks of the 1968 classic. But it's more a case of imitation than
inspiration. Graded C+ (TN)

Life is Beautiful (La Vita e Bella). Comedy-drama, 116
minutes; starring Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio
Cantarini, Marisa Paredes and Horst Buchholz. Directed by Roberto
Benigni.

This Italian Oscar winner begins as a mere screwball comedy
with the unoriginal plot of a guy (Benigni) who defies all odds
to get a girl (his real-life spouse Braschi). Then it becomes
something else as the film takes on the grim atmosphere of a Nazi
concentration camp. Benigni ran the risk of presenting comedy
that is offensive in trivializing the most horrifying atrocity of
the 20th century. Instead, he comes up with an inspiring tale
that celebrates the human spirit. He deserves every single one of
the awards he garnered. Graded A- (TN) Note: Shown in Italian
with Indonesian subtitles only.

Stigmata. Supernatural thriller, 103 minutes; starring
Patricia Arquette, Gabriel Byrne, Nia Long and Jonathan Pryce.
Directed by Rupert Wainwright.

A woman learns not to accept oleh-oleh from South America. The
young, atheist hairdresser begins to display signs of stigmata
soon after receiving a rosary as a souvenir from her mother in
Brazil. A priest from the Vatican is sent to investigate. The
movie has the style and depth of a long music video and bumbles
its way through Catholic mysticism. Graded C (OM)

The Wings of the Dove. Period drama, 101 minutes; starring
Helena Bonham Carter, Linus Roache, Alison Elliott and Charlotte
Rampling. Directed by Iain Softley.

Adapted from a Henry James novel, this Oscar-nominated film
tells of a woman (Bonham Carter) whose love for her working-class
boyfriend (Roache) is forbidden by her family. When a terminally
ill American rich girl (Elliott) is enamored by the boyfriend,
the woman comes up with a plan that is both vengeful and all-too-
human. As we go through this exquisite film, we find how things
are not simply black and white. The film benefits from a stellar
cast, particularly from Bonham Carter's superbly nuanced
performance. Graded A- (TN)

Three Kings. Action-adventure, 114 minutes; starring George
Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube and Spike Jonze. Directed by
David O. Russell.

American soldiers serving in the Gulf War find a map of Sadam
Hussein's hidden bunkers hidden in the backside of a captured
Iraqi soldier. A treasure hunt for stolen gold bullion ensues in
which the soldiers find themselves over their heads and
questioning the legitimacy of their involvement in the Gulf. An
unconventional script and quirky directing make this one of the
most original films of the year. Graded B+ (OM)

She's All That. Teen comedy, 95 minutes; starring Freddie
Prinze Jr., Rachael Leigh Cook, Matthew Lillard, Kevin Pollak,
Kieran Culkin and Anna Paquin. Directed by Robert Iscove.

George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion gets relocated to an American
high school, where the school's Mr. Popular (Prinze) makes a bet
with his buddies that he can turn the most infamous dork (Cook)
into a prom queen. Long before we get to the climactic prom
night, we know that he and everybody else will be blown away by
the makeover results. There isn't much surprise, and humor is
sparse. But the petite Cook reminds us of a younger, more fiery
Holly Hunter. Graded C (TN)

The Bone Collector. Detective story, 118 minutes; starring
Denzel Washington, Angelina Jolie, Queen Latifah, Michael Rooker
and Ed O'Neill. Directed by Phillip Noyce.

Washington is a paralyzed forensics veteran who joins forces
with Jolie's brilliant rookie cop to solve a series of gruesome
murders meticulously set up by an ingenious, diabolical killer.
Effectively chilling, this film apparently derives some of its
gory inspiration from the likes of The Silence of the Lambs; in
particular, the scene where the lead chomps off another man's
face (although here it's in self-defense). Graded B (TN)