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THRItl Ht PANIC ROOM (15) 112min coco
lODlE
FOSTER
A great director divining gold from pulp
David Fincher is Orson Welles. Well, obviously not; he doesn’t share the latter’s profligacy for weight gain and huge cigars for one thing, but there is an uncanny similarity in these two men’s career trajectories. The influence of Fincher’s second film Se7en on recent US cinema is as undeniable as that of Citizen Kane on post-war Hollywood. The Game and Fight Club were exercises in form in the same way The Magnificent Ambersons and Journey into Fear were for Welles. And now we have Fincher pulling a Lady From Shanghai, namely the act of a great director divining gold from pulp.
When Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her daughter Sarah move into a beautiful Manhattan apartment, they are informed of the house’s unique ‘panic room’ - a safe place to hide in case of emergencies. Meg and Sarah have use for that room sooner than they think, on the first night when three house thieves come a calling.
Between David Koepp’s pristine script, Darius Khondji and Conrad W. Hall’s whirlygig camerawork and Fincher’s slow riser direction this is deliciously watchable. Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto and Dwight Yoakam hit their marks as the three incompetent thieves who are kind, stupid and psychotic, respectively. It is the set, however, that steals the show. It is difficult to think of another film in which a domestic enclave takes such a beating during the course of the movie and still emerges looking so classically cinematic. There is also an uncredited vocal performance by Nicole Kidman in this film. See if you can spot it. (Paul Dale)
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THE COMPLETE JAM
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PSVCZ- lO OCE'CAt FISHER AND OTHER STORIES
(15) 103mm .000
“Fantastic.
say Eisher
adaptatror‘ o‘ a Hr." HensleiI r‘oxe
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arthoug" tee/as a sr‘oot out. tr:dr:<:ent'a.es to" the most ear". on ‘arn r'erat-e'tshrps ar‘d seenes ot :rornes’. (:11, V/hreh rs no! to sa‘. :1 lf‘ anythrng other f’létl‘. deep", unsettlrng. It starts ‘.'.’l't?‘. the death of a toddler and graduates to the krdnapprr‘:g of another ehrld. all fine .'.’l‘~‘l(} at ..ft "1; IrrITI'K to earner r;r‘:ld abuse. And .'.'nat's drs'...r‘r;.ng rs the sheen of nor'nal he'ras.'ro.rr tf‘at <:o‘.ers; up thrs; 'r'eadtul seerrarro. tt‘e trte adu.ts so eas. and
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ANlMAl ION ICE AGE (U) 77min coco
Asrde tron: the ohlrgaton,’ ho'ne-spun nioralrt‘, -- ‘.‘rorkrrtg together as a tearn. ‘.'rerghrng up ‘farnrly' loyalty and the rrnportanee of dorng the rrght thrng etr: lee/lge rs a genurnels, funny anrnrated adventure ahout three 'nrsntatehed (:r‘eatures brought together hs, a t'.'rrst of fate.
Mannr. a mood, rna'r‘n‘otlr. Syd. a takatrxe sloth. and Drego. a srnrster' sa'ore toothed tzger set lltt?’l‘.t;(}l\.’(3f3 trte task of r‘etar‘n ng a ha't‘an hair, to rts nerd. On tne t'te, eneounter’ all krnds of ot)s'.a<:les. reeluslrrzg a tear of (var, (Z()'l‘tl‘£ll‘.(l() tark'.'.or1do-<los,who
through therr o'.'.'r‘. rneptrtuue heeo'r‘e extrnr:t before our perj, eyes. on a Journe', that generates; laughs as '.'.'e|l as ur'a'r‘atrr: tensron. lFox Vl lS and DVD r’etarlr lCather‘rne Bro'r‘lej,. gAIICINE &
PAULETTE (PG) 78min 0000
RlllIItltff/RIIIIL‘IIC
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A oeeplg, rnox'rng drama from l lolland about the reratronshrp l>et‘.'.'een t‘.'.'o sisters. Paulette rAnn Petersen» o‘.'.'ns a theatrrr:al prop shop and harlrours the hope to one day he ltrg In her |o(:al operatrr: s;o<:ret\.. ller (St) ,ear old arrtrstrr: srster Paulrne rl )ora nan der (iroerr rs thrust lr[)(1l‘.
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'lhrs su'reet trln‘. xeers he! .'.’(3(}l‘. eorr‘edy and guret tragedy and
rr‘anages to (:ort‘reg. over
the (:ourse of Its nee, short runnrng trrne. the dystunetronal tender heart of one agerng ehrldless fantrls, unrt. A r‘en‘ar‘kahle a<;hres.'en‘ent and a delreate treat. Kleer‘.ex trssues are a neeessrty. tor thrs one. rColurrthra 'lrrstar Vl l8 and DVD rental and retarlr rPaul Daler
HORROR
QUEEN OF THE DAMNED
(15) 97min .0
~ \
QUEEN or run DAfiflED
A sernr segue? to //‘.'e,' five {Cr/trout}. sahstrtutrng los‘ (Zr‘trsse '.'.'rth Stuart lo‘.'.'nser‘d rr‘ the Lestat role 'llt)'.'. a hard roekrn' super‘star‘r. though perhaps 'r‘ost notahle for stav'r‘r'rg r’\al.fi.ah. krlled rn a plane (:rash 'r‘rrl shoot. as the tztular ‘.'lla!n. Hut ado son‘e ()(‘rl trggeri. poker; draft In her hrother to trll rn the
noeal parts «does an‘,one
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It's oh‘. rous a wad of easfr ‘.'.'as th'o-.'.n at tnrs
project. so ho‘.'.' (to'r‘e .t looks; so a'sfateur'? (Zrap l X. had rizalogae and ‘.'.'ooden azttrng. At least rts not horrng. (us urrrntentrs>nallj, ea'r‘o. r\".'arner VHS and DVD rental and retarlr
'llenrx Nortl‘ur‘orer
<X)l.li DY llllill l i lt SHOWTIME (12) 91 min 000
Deteetrxe Sergeant Mitch Preston Holtert De Nrro and Patrol Ottrrier lr‘e‘. Sellars :l drlre l\.«’ltrrph§.‘ are towed to (our ar‘ rnr:ongruous partnersal l::' a rearst‘. l\" show; m telexrsron producer (Ihase llenxr allene Hassor. l ollo‘.-.rng
P'estrin's .rssaet on ("re
of her (:arnerarnen. Ren/r demands the reluctant Preston's Ilt\’()l\.’(3'll(}lt’. '.'.rhen she applres pressure on hrs (:hrei to make the authentre. streetpatrollrng eop shox'r rather than sue the- department.
Although relyrng on explosrons and rneessant (:ar' ehase scenarios. as the n‘ovre progresses. the good (:op had (:op. hlaek gu‘, u'rhrte gus, drtterenees are thankfull; never explorted. \"~.’here rt reallfi.’ seores rs that :t's iunns, and entertarnrng. De Nrro (:on‘tortal)l';. plays the role of the strarght-laeed serrous eop and Eddre Murphy rs at ease playrng the s.'.'rse(:ra(:krng Joker. r\"‘.’ar‘ner VHS and DVD rental and r‘etarlr 'Catrrona Shearer.
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