A&E // MOVIES
MAGIC LANTERNS
BUT FIRST, LET ME TAKE A SELKIE
A
ccording to Irish myth, a selkie is a seal capable of shedding its skin and becoming human — a variant of the mysterious mermaid, but with flippers instead of a tail. A selkie is also the focus of two wonderful movies I had the pleasure of revisiting this past week, one a mini-classic of sorts, the other (the more recent one) an overlooked delight. Both were filmed in Ireland and reflect, in different ways, the beauty and color of the land and the language. Let’s start with the latest first. Written and directed by Neil Jordan, Ondine is the story of recovering alcoholic Syracuse (Colin Farrell), his wheelchair-bound young daughter (Alison Barry) and a beautiful naked woman, Ondine (Alicja Bachleda), whom Syracuse snares one day in his fishing net. Taking the stranger into his home to care for her, Syracuse discovers a new world of possibilities. He could use some good luck, and Ondine seems to have brought it with her. For one thing, Syracuse’s nets are filled with fish, apparently attracted by her singing. For another, Syracuse is soon in love with her. Crippled by kidney disease, Syracuse’s daughter is entranced with the beautiful Ondine as well, convinced that she’s a selkie. Syracuse’s alcoholic ex-wife, however, is nonetoo-pleased by the stranger’s influence on her daughter and is anxious to bring Syracuse back into her own purview. Meanwhile, the parish priest (Stephen Rea), whom Syracuse consults in the confessional in lieu of an AA meeting, has no idea what to think. Featuring marvelously understated and unsentimental performances from its three leads, Ondine is a real charmer with genuine suspense in the third act, as Jordan’s script veers in an unexpected direction. To reveal more would be criminal. The Secret of Roan Inish (1994), meanwhile, is the Citizen Kane of selkie movies. Written, directed and edited by John Sayles, the film is an unabashed fairy tale for the proverbial children of all ages. Everything a typical Disney movie is not, Roan Inish celebrates the wonder and magic and, most important, the humanity of the selkie myth. Set shortly after World War II, the story centers on Fiona, a 10-year-old girl who, after the death of her mother and the disappearance of her baby brother at sea (adrift in his cradle), goes to live with her grandparents and young cousin, recently dispossessed of their family home on the remote island of Roan Inish. With an open mind and heart to stories of Ireland’s legendary past and the family’s apparent link to a selkie, Fiona embarks on a quest to find her baby brother and restore the family homestead on Roan Inish. Released more than 20 years ago, The Secret of Roan Inish is an experience ripe for re-discovery — one of those films that, like its themes of family and tradition and heritage, is truly timeless. Sayles, one of America’s best independent filmmakers, has executed a flawless blend of folklore, fantasy and realism that’s quite intelligent, visually stunning and emotionally fulfilling. That’s a heady blend indeed. Pat McLeod mail@folioweekly.com
28 | FOLIOWEEKLY.com | MAY 7-13, 2014
THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON DRUGS: What you see here is producer, comedian and marijuana user/advocate Adam Hartle interviewing a pot plant, and that’s as good an encapsulation as we could ever hope to write about the locally produced pro-weed documentary Mile High: The Comeback of Cannabis, which screens on May 14 at Sun-Ray Cinema in 5 Points and will make you wonder if maybe the folks at Partnership for a Drug-Free America don’t have a point.
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FILM RATINGS
GREEN GOBLIN THE VULTURE HOBGOBLIN HYDRO-MAN
OTHER FILMS
SUN-RAY CINEMA Finding Vivian Maier and Fading Gigolo are at Sun-Ray Cinema, 1028 Park St., 5 Points, 359-0049, sunraycinema.com. The Sound of Music screens May 11. Mile High: The Comeback of Cannibis runs May 14. TV series Cosmos is at 9 p.m., Mad Men 10 p.m. every Sunday; check for updates. — Marlene Dryden LATITUDE 30 MOVIES 300 Rise of an Empire and Need for Speed are screened at Latitude 30’s CineGrille Theater, 10370 Philips Highway, Southside, 365-5555, facebook.com/latitude30. — M.D. WGHF IMAX THEATER The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Island of Lemurs: Madagascar 3D, Great White Shark 3D and Born to Be Wild 3D are screened at World Golf Hall of Fame IMAX Theater, 1 World Golf Place, St. Augustine, worldgolfimax.com. — M.D.
NOW SHOWING
2 STATES Not Rated Love is universal – and so is in-law trouble, apparently. In this Bollywood rom-com-dram, Krish (Arjun Kapoor) meets Ananya (Alia Bhatt) at college. They fall in love, much to the dismay of their families, who are cultural polar opposites. The couple wants to show everyone it’s the real thing. In Hindi. — M.D. ANAAMIKA Not Rated The Indian thriller stars Nayanthara-Sekhar Kammula as a woman trying to find her husband amid chaos in Pakistan. In Hindi. — M.D. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 **@@ Rated PG-13 This one’s gotten all kinds of fanboy guff for more than a year now, with complaints ranging from an overstuffed cast of villains (Spider-Man 3, anyone?) to the allegedly cheap, cut-sceney look of the FX to the utter unreality of casting a black actor in the role of a guy who throws thunderbolts from his body. (Don’t worry, kids: Cliven Bundy understands your concerns, even if the rest of us are more concerned that Jamie Foxx’s take on Max Dillon seems to owe a lot to Jim Carrey’s Edward Nygma in Batman Forever.) Sure, there’s a precedent for comics flicks sacrificing story to ensemble, but really – was anybody holding out for that solo Rhino flick? Maybe Marc Webb has committed a colossal blunder in rushing toward a Sinister Six movie and maybe he hasn’t – and maybe we should all just judge for ourselves. — Steve Schneider
BEARS Rated G Disney takes us on a fascinating documentary voyage into the world of those cuddly, hirsute homosexuals just looking for love and acceptance in … oh, wait. It’s about actual bears. With claws and stuff. Toughing it out in Alaska. Hey, that could be interesting, too. Remember, they can see Russia! John C. Reilly narrates. — S.S. BRICK MANSIONS Rated PG-13 The late Paul Walker’s penultimate film takes place in “a dystopian Detroit,” which has to be the redundancy of the month. But dig this: It’s not just any old dystopian Detroit like you see on the news or in a Robocop movie, but a walled-off dystopian Detroit that’s a holding cell for the area’s most dangerous criminals. Helluva creative spin, right? Unless you count that the flick is a remake of the French District B13, which as The Guardian pointed out, was in turn “wantonly ripped off from John Carpenter’s Escape From New York.” But hey – at least it’s not a sequel! Costars David Belle and RZA. — S.S. CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER ***G Rated PG-13 Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), aka Captain America, hasn’t had time to cope with after-effects of one-way time travel, via cryonic sleep, from the 1940s to the 2010s, but he’s starting to face his disconnect. Costars Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson. And Stan Lee! — M.D. DIVERGENT Rated PG-13 Beatrice Prior (Shailene Woodley) is labeled a Divergent, a group of misfits considered so dangerous that their destruction is being plotted. So she hooks up with another outcast – Four (Theo James), who’s really just one person. Costars Kate Winslet, Ashley Judd and Zoe Kravitz. — M.D. DRAFT DAY Rated PG-13 Here in J-ville, we love Draft Day – every year, there’s a chance to get some awesome players added to our already awesome Jaguars roster. Dream on, River City. Costars Kevin Costner, Chadwick Boseman, Jennifer Garner, Deion Sanders, Aaron Goldhammer and Chris Berman. — M.D. FARMLAND Not Rated The documentary describes the American farming tradition, how it’s evolved and how those who carry on are able to survive. It’s an eye-opener for the food-clueless among us, which is, you know, pretty much everyone. — M.D. FINDING VIVIAN MAIER ***@ Not Rated • Sun-Ray Cinema Vivian Maier was a photographer in the last half of the 20th
century, but few knew it. She shot street scenes and people while also nannying for wealthy Chicago and New York City families. Her work was unearthed by the documentarian and historian John Maloof, the film’s co-director. — M.D. GOD’S NOT DEAD Rated PG Josh Wheaton (Shane Harper) is a college student having trouble in philosophy class. Professor Radisson (Kevin Sorbo) doesn’t believe there is a God, shaking Josh’s faith. Costars Dean Cain and Willie Robertson. — M.D. THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL **G@ Rated R Director Wes Anderson guides a great ensemble in this, The Twee-est Story Ever Told, including Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Bill Murray, the adorable Bob Balaban, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson. The com-dram, about Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes), concierge of an elegant European hotel, is largely told by the 1960s version of lobby boy Zero Moustafa (F. Murray Abraham) about his time at the hotel and the madcap adventures he and Gustave had. — M.D. A HAUNTED HOUSE 2 Rated R If you’re in the mood for a sendup of supernatural verité, you might want to think about saving your cash for a while instead of blowing it on Marlon Wayans’ latest round of colon jokes masquerading as genre parody. It’s your choice, of course. I’m just saying that, sometimes, the devil you know is still a dickweed. — S.S. HEAVEN IS FOR REAL Rated PG Have you noticed that this seems to be the season of the beatific death-where-is-thy-sting story? On TV, you’ve got your Resurrection, which offers the helpful reassurance that your Uncle Max who farts at the Thanksgiving table will be keep on coming back even after his ticker craps out from all that breading. And in the theaters, you’ve got Heaven is For Real, a Greg Kinnear pay-it-upward vehicle based on the best-selling book about a kid who died for a bit and came around bearing all sorts of details about the Great Beyond. Personally, I prefer my tales of life after death to star zombies and vampires, but I understand why there need to be other-side stories for people who will only accept immortality if it follows in the tradition of Jeebus. Still, what I wouldn’t pay to see Dead is Dead and That’s Your Lot, starring Ricky Gervais and financed by the Atheist Alliance of America. — S.S. JODOROWSKY’S DUNE ***@ Rated PG-13 Alejandro Jodorowsky, the iconoclastic director of hallucinatory surrealist films El Topo and The Holy Mountain, gets the full-on fanboy documentary treatment as director