MIRROR, MIRROR|C“This is my story,” insists Julia Roberts’ Evil Queen at the beginning of Mirror, Mirror. It’s a bizarre assertion to anyone familiar with the Snow White folklore, and one which director Tarsem Singh’s re-telling refutes on its way to a happy ending. Still, the listless path employed to get to “happily ever after” leaves Singh’s sumptuous yet spiritless movie far more suited to the vain queen than the do-gooder princess. Her scenery-chewing antics mean Roberts just never feels evil enough, but her enthusiasm proves well-suited for the film’s lavish sets
✚ REPERTORY FILM ANDREW’S VIDEO VAULT
THE SALT OF LIFE|B Gianni Di Gregorio stars as a hapless man who’s been all but discarded by everyone around him. Determined not to end up among the gaggle of old men who spend their days in idle chitchat outside of a corner store, Gianni becomes determined to spark up a romance with any one of the nubile young women he seems to be surrounded by. As his half-hearted flirtations falter one after another, Gianni increasingly sees himself reflected in all the other “old men with dogs” whose paths he crosses during his daily walks, doomed to a fate of doddering invisibility. —S.B. (Ritz at the Bourse) TITANIC 3D A haiku: Draw me like one of your French girls, but in 3D so my boobs look huge. (Not reviewed) (Pearl, UA Riverview)
WRATH OF THE TITANS|CSam Worthington returns as Perseus,
The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St., armcinema25.com. Rubber (2010, France, 82 min.), about an abandoned tire that comes to life and goes on a telekinetic murder spree, and Death Bed: The Bed That Eats (1977, U.S., 77 min.), about a possessed canopy bed that consumes those who sleep on it, comprise Andrew McElhinney’s April doublefeature installment. Thu., April 12, 8 p.m., $10.
AWESOME FEST The Balcony, 1003 Arch St., 215-922LIVE, theawesomefest.com. The Room (2003, U.S., 99 min.): This flawridden cult classic was once described as the Citizen Kane of dreck. Sat., April 14, 10 p.m., $8.
CINEMATHEQUE INTERNATIONALE L’Etage, 624 S. Sixth St., cinemathequeip.com. Persona (1966, Sweden, 85 min.): As a nurse takes care of a mute actress, their identities merge. Sun., April 15, 7 p.m., $10.
International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 267-765-9700, flaff.org. Found Memories (2011, Brazil, 98 min.): A traveling photographer offers the promise of permanence to elderly villagers. Fri., April 13, 7 p.m., $30.
easy. Sun., April 15, 8 p.m., free. She’s Gotta Have It (1986, U.S., 84 min.): Spike Lee’s low-budget breakthrough is a brazen portrait of female sexuality. Wed., April 18, 8:30 p.m., free.
MEDIUM RARE CINEMA Broad Street Ministry, 315 S. Broad St., regrettablesincerity.com. School on Fire (1988, Hong Kong, 107 min.): After reporting gang violence, a young girl is caught between criminal thugs and resigned law enforcement. Thu., April 12, 7 p.m., $5.
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NOMAD PIZZA 611 S. 7th St., 215-238-0900, nomadpizzaco.com. Rosemary’s Baby (1968, U.S., 136 min.): Mia Farrow’s got a baby on the way, and her creepy neighbors aren’t making pregnancy
citypaper.net ✚ CHECK OUT MORE R E P E R T O R Y F I L M L I S T I N G S AT C I T Y PA P E R . N E T / R E P F I L M .
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David Gelb’s gorgeous and deeply moving doc dissects culinary titan Jiro Ono, the pushing-90 chef whose Michelin-starred Tokyo restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro, is considered the best place for sushi on the planet. Leaning on sleek time-lapse footage and elegant close-ups to compound the intricacies of Jiro’s every measured motion, Gelb shoots with so much respect and artistic clarity that Jiro’s incredible standards of selfdiscipline are not noted so much as gilded. “Ultimately, simplicity leads to purity,” the chef says of his job, a deceptively straight-ahead view from someone who not only loves, but lives his work. —D.L. (Ritz at the Bourse)
Gareth Huw Evans’ movie focuses on the pow-pow combat between a Jakarta SWAT team and the swarm of killers they unearth during a raid. The Muslim/Chinese main character is a standard moral center, the guy who makes the right decisions and makes them work. He’s handsome and quietly charismatic; the bloody cuts on his face only enhance his striking cheekbones. He’s not conflicted about his Muslim faith, he’s built on it. —C.F. (UA Riverview)
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the agenda | food | classifieds
JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI|A+
THE RAID: REDEMPTION|A
the demigod son of Zeus (Liam Neeson) whose empathy, heroism and wonderful hair make him the ideal candidate to protect humanity from the oversights of its dumbass deities. Director Jonathan Liebesman does well with an augmented budget, upping the visual blow-by-blow considerably to make up for Clash of the Titans’ much-maligned post-production 3-D. But not even some well-timed humor from and the requisite cameo from mecha-owl Bubo can endear this emotionally empty entry to admirers of the 1981 campfest that started it all. —D.L. (Pearl, Roxy, UA Riverview)
a&e
JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME|BJeff (Jason Segel), a 30-year-old bongripping manchild, thinks about life for a living, telling the audience from go that he believes there’s a connective spiritual channel flowing through all people and all things. His older brother, Pat (Ed Helms), is the opposite of immaterial, obsessed with the Porsche he purchased behind the cold back of his wife. Segel, who possesses some rooted (if predictable) dramatic game, works well with Helms, who riffs on the flawed-perfectionist mold established in The Hangover and The Office.And while getting there is fun, the movie’s third act is cheesy and unnecessary, legitimizing Jeff’s idle philosophies in the most unsubtle manner possible. —D.L. (Ritz at the Bourse)
and ornate costumes. Even at its most trite, Singh’s cinematic fairy tale consistently gives audiences something magical to look at. —Michael Gold (Pearl, UA Riverview)
the naked city | feature
story. The early scenes are the film’s most effective, lent urgency by Ross’s restless, hand-held camera. The Games themselves actually slow the pace after the chaotic, brutal opening moments, with the stakes never seeming high enough and interesting avenues never adequately explored. Still, as Katniss Everdeen, Jennifer Lawrence crafts a compelling character, one who’s welcome amidst the usual summer noise. —S.B. (Pearl, UA Riverview)