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ATTENTION! Dae to MLK Holiday,
schedules an Incomplete.
PLEASE CALL AHEAD!
ANGELA'S ASHES (R) Based on the
best-selling memoirs by Irish author
Frank McCourt and directed by Alan
Parker, this grim drama depicts the
tough, impoverished life of an Irish
family living in the slums of the town of
Limerick in the 1930s. Starring Robert
Carlyle, Emily Watson and young new
comer Joe Breen. Opens Friday. {Call
ahead lor into).
ANNA AND THE KING (PG-13) Jodie
Foster and Chow Yun-Fat star in
director Andy Tennant* (EverAftei)
lengthy historical drama about the King
Of Siam and a British schoolmarm
determined *o "civilize* him. (Carmike)
ANY GIVEN SUNDAY (R) Director
Oliver Stone* lengthy and jarring
expose of American professional foot
ball in which a veteran coach (A!
Pacino) tries to talk some life into a
losing team, but clashes with a hotshot
third-string quarterback (Jamie Foxx)
and the ambitious daughter (Cameron
Diaz) of the team* late owner. Ai Pacino
is the perfect hot-headed loud mouth for
the role, but the film ioqs through an
endless series of shouting matches and
confusing (and violent) on-field action
sequences and ultimately fails to tran
scend the dich6-riddled "sports movie’
genre. (Beechwood, Carmike,
Commerce Drive-In)
THE BEST MAN (R)Taye Diggs.
Monica Calhoun. Morris Chestnut and
Nia Long star in this tight romantic
dramedy about a young novelist who
finds himself in hoi watei at his best
friend* wedding. (Mall Outside)
BICENTENNIAL MAN (PG) Robin
Williams is the robotic house servant
that interacts with four generations of its
wealthy family and shows signs of
curiosity, creativity, friendship and joy.
This overfy-sentimental dranWcomedy
begins as a thoughtful and funny explo
ration of the human condition in the
modem age, but concludes as a glum
study in mortality. With Sam Neill,
Oliver Plait and Embeth Davidtz.
(Beechwood. Carmike. Commerce
Drive-In)
THE BIG LFBOWSKI (R) 1998
Filmmaking sidings Ethan and Joel
Coen {Fargo) veer into bizarre comic
territory with this quirky and well-made
"mistaken identity" flick. Jeffrey "The
Dude* Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) is the
ultimate LA. slacker, until one day his
house is broken into aid his rug is peed
on by two angry gangsters who have
mistaken him for Jeffrey Lebowski (the
“big" one), a millionaire, whose wife
owes some bad people some big
money. The Dude becomes entangled in
a hilariously complicated plot when he
goes to visit the real Lebowski in order
to get some retribution for his soiled
rug. With John Goodman, Julianne
Moore, Steve Buscemi and Philip
Seymore Hoffman (see if you can spot
rock musicians Flea and ^mee Mann!).
Recommended. (Tate)
BLUE STREAK (PG-13) Martin
Lawrence is a crafty LA jewel thief who
poses as a hotshot detective in an
attempt to relocate a prized diamond
and accidentally becomes the hero of
the force in this amusing buddy
comedy. (Mall Outside)
THE BONE COLLECTOR (R) A serial
killer plays mind games with a paralyzed
forensics expen played by Denzel
Washington in this gory and highly
implausible Gothic crime thriller.
Angelina Jolie plays the rookie "with an
eye and ear for sniffing out clues’ who
follows her mentor* directions as me
ouo tries to track down the killer. (Mall
Inside)
THE CIDER HOUSE RULES (PG-13)
Director Lasse HallstrOm* screen adap
tation of John Irving* 1985 epic novel
is a quietly beautiful and touching tragi
comedy. Set during the WWII years, the
story follows Homer Wells (Toby
McGuire), a young man living in an iso
lated orphanage in the remote Maine
village of St. Cloud's. Under the gentle
guidance of Dr. Wilbur Larch (Michael
Caine), Homer learns the ins and outs of
obstetrics and gynecology as he is
schooled to take over the aging doctor*
role of aborting or delivering the
unwanted babies of the troubled wor. .en
who pass through the orphanage*
clinic. Swept away by a dashing young
ftyt/7 (Paul Rudd) and his girlfriend
(Chariize Theron). Homer abandons his
vocation to discover love, lust and the
darker side of life in the real world as he
spends a couple of seasons working in
an apple orchard near the coast. The
film version sacrifices the novel* most
comic characters and transforms this
tale into a simple story of a young man*
rediscovery of his allotted role in life.
(Melissa Link] (Beechwood)
DEUCE BIGALOW: MALE GIGOLO
(R) The ever faltering Rob Schneider
accidentally becomes a "male gigolo’ in
this truly horrible "comedy." (Carmike.
Commerce Drive-In)
DOGMA (R) Director Kevin Smith
{Chasing Amtf pokes fun at the elabo
rately structured Catholic Church in this
wild and often vulgar comedy about
angels and the afterlife. Two fallen
angels try to sneak back into heaven
after discovering a legal loophole, but a
descendant of Jesus Christ ;s tapped by
God* wise-cracking minions and two
homy, pot-smoking prophets to avert
certain disaster. (Mall Inside)
DOUBLE JEOPARDY (R) Ashley Judd
and Tommy Lee Jones star in this brittle
crime drama about a wrongfully con
victed wife who sutlers through an
amazingly frustrating series of terrible
circumstances. Starts Friday. (Mall
Outside)
DOWN TO YOU (PG-13) Much like
the mediocre television sitcom world it
so obviously emulates (or maybe it* the
other way around), the current romantic
"high school comedy" trends on the big
screen are gradu^ing somewhat into to
their college years. The latent ^fe-leen
sex/romance involves a hunky dork
(Freddie Prinze, Jr.) and a reluctant babe
(Julia Stiles) who may or may not hook
up. With Selma Blair, Henry Winkler and
Shawn Hatosy. Opens Friday.
(Beechwood)
END OF DAYS (R) Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Satx’el Byrne and
Robin Tunney star in this goofy super
natural thriller from director Pete r
Hyams {TheRelid). Not recommended.
(Mall Outside)
THE END OF THE AFFAIR (R)
Director Nerl Jordan {In Dreams,
Interview with the Vampird) brings
Graham Greene* novel of love, lust and
sacrifice to the big screen. Ralph
Fiennes and Julianne Moore are ex
lovers reunited by his obsession with
the abrupt end of their affair two years
earlier. Opens Friday. (Beechwood)
FIGHT Cl UB (R) Edward Norton and
Brad Pitt star in one of the most chal
lenging and black-humored films of last
year. Equally as naueatmg as it is clever.
(Georgia Theatre)
“FLICKER" (Quality Warehouse) The
weekly series sponsored by the local
film society continues with a Monday
evening screening of several 8mm films
including The House 01 Frankenstein,
The Chipls Vacation, Farmer Alfalfa and
When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth
among possible others.
GALAXY QUEST (PG) Director Dean
Parisot (Home Fries) not only makes
sport of the entire B-grade sci-fi genre,
he pokes fun at the genre* obsessive
fans as well in this surprisingly enter
taining spoof. In an inspired blend of
fantasy and reality, several actors from a
cheesy TV show are mistaken for heroes
by kindly aliens and embark on a reai-
lile space mission. Starring Sigourney
Weaver. Tim Allen, Alan Rickman, Tony
Shalhoub and Daryl Mitchell.
(Beechwood, Carmike)
GIRL, INTERRUPTED (R) A some
what melodramatic but simple story
about mental health and self realization.
Winona Ryder is
a 17-year-old New England girl "inter
rupted" by a bout with clinical depres
sion. Set against the tumultuous late
1960s, the film follows her as she strug
gles to find her place in the world and to
understand her condition. The doctors
diagnose her with "borderline person
ality disorder" and send her to a mental
facility (one expert tells her. "It* the best
place for someone like you."). As she
befriends a group of eccentric young
women—led by' a cold-hearted, eccen
tric "liter" named Lisa (Angelina
Jolie)—in the ward, the lines between
"crazy" 2nd "noimal" become blurred.
She nearly gives up on confronting her
condition and drops anchor in the platr.
but with help from some of the more
sensitive authorities (Whoopie Goldberg
and Vanessa Redgrave), she finds the
strength to start climbing out. The role
is custom-made for Ryder, delivers
a fine performance, but the film never
quite strikes an emotional chord. Based
on the book by Susan Kaysen. Directed
by James Mangold (Copland, Heavy).
(Beechwood. Carmike)
THE GREEN MILE (R) A well-con
structed, slow-moving, supernatural
cinematic fable about redemption and
forgiveness from director Frank
Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption.
Tom Hanks is the head guard at a
* Louisiana penitentiary who looks after
convicted killers awaiting execution in
the electric chair. His life changes after
he encounters an enormous convicted
murderer (Michael Clarke Duncan) who
seems to possess a supernatural gift for
performing small miracles. The great
cast includes David Morse, Michael
Jeter, Doug Hutchison and Dabbs Greer.
Highly recommended. (Beechwood,
Carmike)
HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (R)
Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen, Taye
Diggs and Peter Gallagher stai in a
goofy “haunted house' movie. (Mall
Inside)
THE HURRICANE (R) See Movie Pick.
(Beecnwood, Carmike)
THE LIMEY (R) A fantastic crime
thriller that focuses instead on broader
themes such as revenge, redemption
and mortality. Veteran British actor
Terence Stamp is a tough ex-con from
England seeking the truth &out his
estranged daughter. He becomes con
vinced that Terry Valentine (Peter
Fonda), an aging music industry insider
with a blinding smile and a wormy
demeanor, is the culprit. The action
unfolds with Soderbergh* stylish quick
edits, flashbacks and multiple shots
within scenes. (Tate)
MAGNOLIA (R) According to writer-
director Paul Thomas Anderson*
(Boogie Nights) extraordinary cinematic
expenment. life is exceptionally arbitrary
and coincidental. Life isn't short; it*
long and painful. Strange things happen
all the time. Set in the often plastic
world of modem Los Angeles, this
lengthy drama bounds back and forth
between several intertwined stories cut
multiple audio tracks and sudden visual
edits cluttering the way. It* a bizarre
film—sort of a Short Cuts on hallucino
gens—that shifts suddenly between
emotional extremes (tragedy and
sorrow, vulgarity and sensitivity). It
compares and contrasts the world of
adults to the world of children—both of
which look incredibly dysfunctional in
Anderson* camera eye. The excellent
ensemble cast includes William H.
Macy, Philip Seymore Hoffman, John C.
Reilly, Tom Cruise, Jason Robards and
Julianne Moore. Highly recommended
for those who like a challenge.
(Carmike)
MAN ON THE MOON (R) Jim Carrey
portrays late performer Andy Kaufman
in this ambitious biopic. The story
oounces from Kaufman* awkward
childhood and early days as an enter
tainer through his tenure as ‘I Jtka" on
"Taxi," his increasingly dangerous
‘character stunts" and pranks and his
obsession with the wrestling world in
Memphis. Those unfamiliar with
Kaufman may find themselves lost by
the time wrestler Jerry Lawler and
blank-faced "actress" Courtney Love
appear on the screen, but others will
love this Danny DeVito and Paul
Giamat: are excellent as Kaufman* han
dlers. Directed by Milos Fomun
(Amadeus. People vs. Larry Flynt).
Cautiousty recommended. Ends
Thursday. (BecJhwood, Carmike)
NEXT FRIDAY (R) Peep this; Ice
Cube* shows his scary ass with this
lame and ugly-minded sequel to 1995*
entertaining bood comely Friday. This
time around, the monstrous bully Debo
(Tommy "Tiny" Lister, Jr.) busts out f jail
and comes looking for his nemesis.
Craig (Ice Cube). Craig* dad (John
Witherspoon) helps him escape from
the inner city to the suburbs where his
cousin Day-Day (Mike Epps) and Unde
Elroy (Don Curry) are living comfortably
off of Lottery winnings. This is a low-
biow comedy full of unfortunate, exag
gerated stereotypes in which blacks are
snifttess thieves high as kites of weed;
Hispanics are violent, sexist criminals;
women are whores, vandals and
vengeful psychos and adults are either
sexually perverted, filth-smeared idiots
or both. Skip this. (Beechwood)
PLAY IT TO THE BONE (R) Woody
Harrelson aid Antonio Banderas star in
this flashy-fooking sports comedy as
two over-the-hill boxing pals who jump
at the sudden chance to fight in a mid
dleweight championship bout of ques
tionable validity. The two take a road tnp
from LA to Las Vegas and tangle with
two fiery chicks (Lolita Davidovich and
Lucy Lu) along the way. Directed by Ron
Shelton (Tin Cup). Opens Fnday. (Call
ahead for info).
POKEMON: THE FIRST MOVIE (G)
Based on the hugely popular cartoon
series and trading card phenomenon,
this bizarre animated feature follows the
‘pocket monster" creatures and their
human "trainers" as they confront a
confused, superpower Pokemon clone
with a chip on its shoulder. The main
feature is preceded by a gratmg 20-
minute short entitled Pikachu's
Vacation. (Mall Inside)
RUNAWAY BRIDE (PG-13) A scruffy
journalist (Richard Gere) tracks down a
beautiful woman (Julia Roberts) famous
for leaving nearly a dozen grooms-to-be
at the alter. What do you know? They fail
in love! There* little spark to this
generic romantic comedy, despite the
reunion of the Pretty Woman alums.
(Mall Inside)
SENSE ANO SENSIBILITY (PG)
1995. Director Ang Lee* award-winning
screen adaptation of Jane Austen* novel
set in 19th century England about two
very different, newly-impoverished sis
ters. The stellar cast includes Emma
Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman,
James Fleet, Tom Wilkinson and Hugh
Grant. (Athens-Clarke Library)
SLEEPY HOLLOW (R) Johnny Depp
and Christina Ricci star in Tim Burton*
creepy adaptation of Wahington Irving*
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. (Georgia
Theatre)
SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS (PG-
13) "It takes a rare thing; a true turning
point to free oneself of obsession," says
one crusty character in director Scott
Hicks' (Shind) visually impressive and
complex drama. Based on David
Guterson* best-selling novel in which a
post-WWII reporter (Ethan Hawke)
covers the murder trial of the husband
of a Japanese-Ameriuan woman (Youli
Kudch) he once loved, the film focuses
less on crime and romance and more on
the prejudices and the confusion of the
post-war Zeitgeist in America. Unfolding
mostly in flashback sequences, it* a
film with many layers and subtleties.
Hicks' cinematic glimpses of vast
snow-covered landscapes, lire, fog, rain
and smoke both intensify and distract
from the sad theme, vrtiile veteran actor
Max Von Sydow* stunning performance
as the wise defense attorney is worth the
price of admission. (Beechwood)
STUART LITTLE (PG) An amusing but
light kid* flick. This silty and peculiar
"fairy tale" comedy otters lessons about
family loyalty and the sense of
belonging. Stuart is a dapper Write
mouse (voiced by Michael J. Fox) who
gets adopted by a strangely naive New
D FLAGPOLE JANUARY 19, 2000
