the
event
ins ected: film
15
dogma starring:
released: showing at:
matt damon ben affleck linda fiorentino alan rickman salma hayek out now uci riverside
You will no doubt have heard about Dogma from coverage of the wonderfully hysterical reaction 1t has caused in America . Blasphemous is one of the less extreme words that has been thrown at Kevin Smith 's comedy about two renegade angels (Damon and Affieck), banished to earth for centuries, who try to re-enter Heaven, an act wh1ch could have calamitous consequences for the rest of mankmd. Linda Fiorentino plays Bethany, a woman suffering crisis of fa1th. She 1s vis1ted by God's messenger Metatron (Aian Rickman ) and told that only she can save humanity by stopping them. So far so preposterous, but here lies the point. Dogma, like relig1on Itself, is so far-fetched as to be enjoyable. And while it has found much cnticism from the Catholic Church for being ungodly (FiorentJno's character works in an abort1on centre) Dogma manages not to deconstruct religion but to reinterpret it, albeit in a totally unconventional way. There is nothing actually offensive in the film, mdeed many of the concepts are quite old-hat. God is a woman (60s feminism) and Jesus was black (how quaint). Luckily, though, Smith deals with these ideas in a light-handed way, never rammmg them down the audience's throat but passing over them lightly w1th a deft comedic touch. it begs me to question whethe r, like most would-be censors (those bastions of tolerance the American relig1ous
lobbyists), Dogma 's critics have not paid the ticket price and actually seen 1t. Which is a shame, for what we have here is a film of remarkable wit with stars aplenty. Damon and Affleck, whether or not you like their particular brand of buddy buddy acting, are very effective in their respective roles. Gone are the angels of Charlton Heston's heyday, mstead replaced by some mean bastards intent on a killing spree before they return to Heaven . Similarly F1orentino, who has not had a better role since The Last Seduction which, with a cast of th1s ca libre, is no mean feat. One can only imagine who would have been cast had this been a big studio film. Sandra Bullock? Julia Roberts? God knows. Speakmg of God, she bears a striking resemblance to a certam Canad1an 'singer' fond of airing her various neuroses in public. Yes, lad1es and gentlemen, for those of you who haven't seen God (and there are a fair few) she is, in fact, Alanis Morrissette. This IS testament to Dogma's ability as a piece of entertainment 1n that she doesn't bring the film crash1ng down around 1ts ears. The reason? Morrissette 1sn 't even g1ven a chance to speak, so 1f this is the reason you have been using for not seeing Dogma then th1nk aga1n. In fact. she is actually rather effective. Divine intervention? Who knows? Adam Chapman
american beauty starring:
released: showing at:
kevin spacey annette bening thora birch january 24th uci riverside
Every once 1n a while there comes a film that transcends its medium and ceases to be a film at all, and mstead exists as not only a work of art but also as some kind of spmtual experience. These films are an extreme ranty, often 1gnored by audiences and multiplexes alike yet are treasured by the few that do see them; films like The Thin Red Line, The Shawshank Redemption and The Graduate. American Beauty deserves to be counted with these films, and has also managed to unshackle 1tself from certain box office doom by garnering some of the best reviews in recent memory. As a result Sam Mendes' directorial screen debut has notched up a very healthy seventy million dollar haul in the U.S. alone. A figure that could poss1bly top the $100 million mark 1f 1t tnumphs at thiS years Academy Awards. a prospect that seems entirely likely. Kev1n Spacey headlines a wonderful ensemble cast
that also Includes Annette Ben1ng, Lone Star's Chns Cooper, Thora Birch and the incandescent Mena Suvan 1n a Joyously complicated story that centres on Kevin Spacey's desperate attempts to climb up from the emoliOnally bankrupt p1t of h1s life and recla1m his happmess. Of course that is JUSt one thread of thiS nch tapestry but to detail the plot 1n 1ts entirety would be to spo11 the surprise (as so many reviews tend to do) and would also take more words than this page contains. American Beauty has been likened to Todd Slondz's 1999 film Happiness. it IS true that both films attempt to deconstruct the mores of m1ddle Amenca but whereas Happiness was a cynical movie revellmg in its ability to make the viewer uncomfortable, American Beauty IS a lyncal JOurney through the rehabilitation of a man's soul. it 1s a warm, po1gnant experience that IS both h1lanous and
tragic. The film 1s also a v1sual extravaganza, yet 1t does not have to resort to garish special effects. Instead gorgeously obv1ous 1mages are framed w1th subtlety, the most notable example being a sequence where Spacey lies 1n bed as a single rose petal gently floats from somewhere above him onto h1s face. That s1ngle petal IS JOined by dozens more and soon Spacey lies. literally, on a bed of roses. The whole sequence IS filmed at half pace, but not QUite slow mot1on, wh1ch g1ves the scene a surreal almost fa1ry tale like quality. D1rector Mendes. who pnor to th1s was best known for directing Nicole Kidman 1n the stage play The Blue Room, clearly deserves the credit for 1mbumg the dialogue 1ntens1ve action with a unique visual fla1r. However a spec1al ment1on must go to Annette Ben1ng who, 1n her performance as Spacey's emotionally crumbling Wife, looks likely to g1ve N1cole K1dman a run for her money comes Oscar
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mystery men
J<>i
starring:
released: showing:
time yet th1s is Spacey's film. Some may argue that Spacey merely plays the same character again and again but 1f you're type cast as a multi-layered, emot1onally complex, deeply flawed mdiv1dual, soaked in charisma who is as comfortable spout1ng page after page of d1alogue at a single time as you are handlmg phys1cal act1ng, then you must be , doing something nght. And here Spacey runs the gambit allowing every emot1on 1nto h1s performance with what appears as gratuitous ease. H1s is a truly hypnotic performance even 1f he 1s very nearly upstaged by a dancing plastiC bag. Although that sounds qu1te Irreverent 1t IS true to say that a plastic bag gives one of the most touching moments in film h1story. We need more films like this to be made, but if there IS noth1ng like 1t made again at least we've got A/ex McGregor this one.
greg kinnear ben stiller william h macy out now uci riverside
When Champ1on City's super-hero Capta1n Amaz1ng (Greg Kmnear) gets captured by Casanova Frankenstein (Geoftrey Rush) it is left up to Roy (Ben St1ller), Jeftrey (Hank Azana) and Edd1e (a nghtly embarrassed look1ng W1lliam H. Macy). a tno of blue-collar workers with not so special talents. to save the day. Roy turns 1nto Mr Funous (he gets angry), Jeftrey 1nto the Blue Rajah (throws forks) and Edd1e becomes The Shoveller (he hits people w1th a spade). All very amus1ng I'm sure. Perhaps I m1ssed the po1nt, but 1t IS very rare that I feel the urge to walk out of a film half way through and I feel utter pa1n when I think of the "'expenence "'. Wh1le
amusing (and I use the term extremely loosely) in parts, the film, Initially at least, does work as a parody of the genre as a whole but ends up turn1ng 1nto exactly the type of mov1e 1t 1s supposed to be sat1nsing. Part1al redemption comes 1n the shape of Janeane Garofalo as The Bowler (You w1ll have not1ced a trend here ... she bowls) but apart from this, everyone mvolved should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves and go back to makiing proper films. A definite no go area people . Under no circumstances touch this w1th a barge pole. Not even a special Mr Bargepole type one. Adam Chapman
the event, wednesday, january 19, 2000
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