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AMERICAN BEAUTY (R) 1999
American Beauty retains a corrosive
poignancy as it peeks behind the
petals of America's suburban rose.
Kevin Spacey won a second Oscar lor
his bitterly comic portrayal of Lester
Burnham, whose infatuation with his
daughter's friend (Mena Suvari) sparks
a welcome midlife crisis. Directed by
Sam Meades. Shows Thursday. 11/30
(Tate)
ANYTOWN, USA (NR) 2005 If you
enjoyed Athens's recent—and ongo
ing-mayoral campaign, you should
check out Bogota. NJ Two legally blind
candidates, one the reviled Republican
incumbent, the other a local football
hero, vie with an old Democrat coaxed
from retirement, while the campaign
manager of former Minnesota gov
ernor Jesse 'The Body’ Ventura
arranges things behind the scenes
Directed by Kristian Fraga Part of the
ACC Library’s iFilms series Shows
Thursday. 11/30 (ACC Library)
BABEL (R) In Babel, the director and
writer of Amoresperrosand 21 Grams
tgpk again at the mystery of the human
condition As a couple (Brad Pitt and
Cate Biancheti) ventures through deso
late Morocco, their two children have
been left in the care of their Mexican
housekeeper Concurrently, a Japanese
businessman and his rebellious deaf-
mute daughter are reeling from the af
tershocks of a wife and mother's death
Soon these lives will be touched by one
reckless act committed by two young
boys The bloody, painful collabora
tions of director Aleiandro Gonzalez
tnarntu and screenwriter Guillermo
Arnaga are exhausting—emotionally
and mentally—to watch but ambi
tiously well-intentioned is not synony
mous with well-conceived What we
rave with Babei is what Strother Martin
famously called 2 ‘failure to commu
nicate ‘ Though each of the tales could
occupy its own two-hour film, they
combine for a didactic slap in the face.
The further we get from the stories'
centers, the less gravity Babel retains.
It may all perfectly piece back together,
but you need to decide for yourself
whether or not the slight payoff is
worth the arduous two and a half hours
that precede it. (Beechwood)
BARNYARD (PG) Otis (Kevin James),
a carefree young Holstein, refuses
to settle down until his pops Ben
(Sam Elliott), gels otfed by a pack ol
coyotes Pretty creepy to behold and a
bit more serious than the preview lets
on. Barnyard is the slightest animated
kiddie flick ol the season (Georgia
Square 5)
BOBBY (PG-13) If not for writer-direc
tor-star Emilio Estevez's strong stable
ol actors (Anthony Hopkins. Freddy
Rodriguez. Joshua Jackson. Lindsay
Lohan. Elijah Wood. William H. Macy,
Sharon Stone. Demi Moore. Christian
Slater and Papa Sheen all deliver note
worthy performances), his not-really-
a-biopic would not have been nearly
as effective Estevez writes in clumsy
cliches; he directs with them, too The
film is cluttered with lar too many trite
actors (Nick Canr.on does not fare
well as a young activist; neither does
Ashton Kutcher as a considerate drug
gie) and one-dimensional characters
(racists, sexists, progressives, oh my 1 )
Still. Bobby, misted with earnest ideal
ism. successfully weaves its Kennedy
spell. Using archival footage (I'd have
traded three subplots for more of the
real Bobby). Estevez captures the royal
aura of idyllic perfection surrounding
the ill-fated Kennedy, who campaigned
against many issues still plaguing
us today (an unpopular war. illegal
immigration). Estevez believes we
need another Bobby By the end ol his
heavy-handed film, you'll solemnly nod
in agreement. (Beechwcod. Carmike)
BORAT (R) Armed to the teeth with
uncomfortable malapropisms and
anti-Semitism. Kazakhstan television
personality Borat Sagdiyev (Sacha
Baron Cohen) travels across the United
States, unmasking inner bigotry wher
ever he goes. Borat: Cultural Learnings
ol America tor Make Benefit Glorious
Nation of Kazakhstan plays its conceit
to the hilt. No comedian has so totally
created a three-dimensional. Ilesh-and-
blood character since Peter Sellers in
Being There. It's hilariously textbook
satire. Or is it? The film lacks a correc
tive purpose; the Cambridge-educated
Cohen serves a stinkingly hilarious
plate of mean-spirited, elitist anti
Thank God! I thought you were a terrorist.
populism. While I can josh about the
moral depravity of my American family.
I'll be damned if I need a supercilious
Brit calling Lady Liberty a whore With
Borat. Cohen isn't laughing with the us.
he's laughing at the us. a distinction
too fme lor an America as stupid as the
one he exposes fo make (Beechwood.
Carmike)
CASINO ROYALE (PG-13) See Flick
Skinny How well does new 007 Daniel
Craig wear the famed tux’ Pretty damn
well Chronicling Bond's first assign
ment as a Double 0. Casino Royale
charts very highly, and so does its new
Bond Bond 20. a reset ol the 40-year-
old cinematic franchise, is as explosive
as the high octane Brosnan films, dark
as the Daltons, and heartrending as On
Her Majesty$ Secret Service. I'll need
another film to confirm my assess
ment , but Craig is the best Bond since
Connery. He exemplifies the Bond ot
Fleming's novels Gone are the frivo
lous. featherweight Bonds Director
Martin Campbell crafts an even more
stylish, streamlined—it longer—film
than Goldeneye Every fight in Cas>no
Royale includes the most vicious
listicuffs ever seen in a Bond film The
physicahty of the tree-running stunts
is exhaustmgly exciting Still. Bond is
no longer a veteran of the Double 0
ranks, he tails to perform with anything
nearing his usually slick perfection and
feckless arrogance nearly dooms him
I don't know where the Bond franchise
is headed, but I do know nobody's
done it better than Casino Royale and
Daniel Craig m a long, long time.
(Beechwood, Carmike. Highway 17
Theatres)
DECK THE HALLS (PG) This purport
ed comedy holds little appeal tor adults
not saddled with children eager to see
any new piece ot big-screen holiday
crap Is there a human being lett alive
who has yet to learn the lesson about
the true meaning ol Christmas? A
holiday dictator. Steve Finch (Matthew
Broderick, whose Buetter- fueled
goodwill is mere fumes), feels his new
neighbor, obnoxious little car salesman
Buddy Hall (Danny DeVito), is trying
to out-decorate him when Buddy lights
his house up to be seen from space
The slapsticky competition that ensues
is only slightly less funny than the
actual words coming out ol the actor's
mouths (Ills not as if anyone* actually
acting; they’re just reading scripts.)
Busty little Christian comedienne
Kristin Chenoweth deserves better
than wile roles in unfunny family film
hell—the plaa Kristin Davis (The
Shaggy Dotf has been since lights
went out in the ("Sex and the City *
Subtle and destructive as a nuclear
hammer, this sex-obsessed family flick
just might make the year-end Worst
ol List. Here* hoping (Beechwood,
Carmike. Highway 17 Theatres)
OtlA VU (PG-13) D6fA Vu is your
standard Jerry Bruckheimer dish First,
hire a chef with a proven track record
of successfully overcooking his meals
(Tony Scott) Then select a topnotch
piece of beef (Denzel Washington)
Marinate the beef in a complicated
sauce reminiscent of other highly
successful entrees Toss in a mix of
vegetables, some green (Paula Patton)
and some seasoned (Val Kilmer. Jim
Caviezel) Be sure to overcook Take
care not to bum the dish, but under
no circumstances should it taste like
anything you'd ever eat again. This sci
Ii/ action/ romance is never as tricky
as it thinks it is. but it* not a bad way
to spend an evening, either. ATF agent
Doug Carlin (Washington, who I am so
over until he signs on to a film worthy
of his wasted talent) joins a top secret
government task force, led by Kilmer,
to stop the explosion tv:* currently
investigating from ever happening
The Hick tries to blow some scientific
mumbo-jumbo up the audience's col
lective ass. but it* too boring and com
plicated Ignore the science, enjoy the
action. Seeing Vu once isn't bad.
but I hope the feeling never returns
(Beechwood. Carmike)
FLICKA (PG) Katie (Alison Lohman)
hopes breaking wild mustang Flicka
can prove her ranch handiness to dad
dy (Tim McGraw). Lohman is always
impressive, even if her career choices
oddly seesaw between adult and in
nocent Flickas no stud, but sometimes
all a family needs is a steady work
horse (Georgia Square 5)
FLUSHED AWAY (PG) Expecting
Aardman Animations' first lutly-CGI
feature to be as emotionally engag
ing and stupendously entertaining as
Wallace and Gromit is unfair, it's still
better than most cartoons, though
After being flushed from his plush
home, ‘society mouse’ Roddy (v. Hugh
Jackman) enters an ingenious under-
London world, which he and pal Rita
(v Kate Winslet) battle the villainous
Toad (v lan McKellan) Directors Sam
Fell and David Bowers and tneir five
screenwriters are a clever bunch, cre
atively using household flushables to
power life in rodent city (Beechwood.
Carmike)
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION (PG-
13) One thing's lor sure Christopher
Guest's mockumentaries aren't gelling
any funnier The fourth, a lampooning
ot L A., is still smarter and snappier
than most aborted comedies Guest
and co-writer Eugene Levy pointedly
skewer Hollywood* buzz making the
movie rather the logical way around.
It's just that Consideration is chortle
worthy. not gut-busting Filming an
alrocious Southern-set tragedy. Home
ior Purim. about a dying Jewish
matriarch and her estranged daughter,
three actors (Catherine O'Hara. Harry
Shearer, and Parker Posey) contract
undeserved Oscar lever A reunion of
Guest's comically talented extended
family—Levy. Fred Willard. Michael
McKean. Jennifer Coolidge. John
Michael Higgins. Jane Lyncn. Ed
Begley Jr.. Bob Balaban, Michael
Hitchcock and Jim Piddock—allows
Higgins the opportunity to capture a
little limelight as pan-Choctaw publi
cist Corey Tate (would you be surprised
he goes by JoJo at home?) Career
criminal Willard, a cluetessly ass-inme
Hollywood ’news' show host with a
faux-hawk and an earring, doesn't leave
much of scenic value lor his peers,
but Ricky Gervais is disappointingly
ill-used If you Ye worn out your DVDs
ot Gutfman and Best in Show, consider
a trip to the multiplex It you're a Guest
virgin, don't make Consideration yoo<
first. (Carmike)
THE FOUNTAIN (PG-13) See Movie
Pick (Beechwood)
MOVIE LISTINGS
Theater schedules often change after our deadline. Please call ahead.
ACC LIBRARY (706-613-3650)
Anytown USA (NR) 7:00 (Th. 11/10)
BEECHWOOD (706-546-1011)
B«chwood's new schedule was unavailable at press time,
lutings are only accurate through Th 11/30 Please visit
«rww flagpole com lor updated information
Babei (R) 8:15
Bobby (R) 6:50. 9:45
Borat (R) 5:30. 7:45. 9:50
Casino Royale (PG-13) 4:30. 8:30
Deck the Halls (PG) 5:15. 7:30. 9:45
D*Ji Vu (PG-13) 3:55. 6:55. 9:50
Flushed Away (PG) 5:45
The Fountain (PG-13) 5:25. 7:40, 9:55
Happy Feet (PG) 4:15. 7:15. 9:45
The Santa Claus 3: The Escape Claus (G) 4:15. 7:00.
9:30
Stranger Than Fiction (PG-13) 4:10. 7:10. 9:35
Tenacious D: Pick of Destiny (R) 4:40, 7:25, 9:40
CAAMJKI 12 (706-354-0016)
Bobby (R) 12:05. 4:05, 7:05. 9:55 (new times F. 12/1:
12:00. 2:30. 5:00. 7:25. 10:00)
Borat (R) 1:05. 3:05. 5:05. 7:05. 9:25
Casino Royale (PG-13) 12:30, 3:45. 7:00, 10-10
Deck the Halls (PG) 12:30, 2:40. 5:00, 7:30. 10:00
D*Ji Vu (PG-13) 12:45. 4:00, 7:00, 9:50
Flushed Away (PG) 1:00, 3:05. 5:10. 7:15. 9:20
For Your Consideration (PG-13) 12:05. 4:05, 7:05,
9:55 (no 7:05 show W. 12/6)
Happy Feet (PG) 12:00. 2:35. 4:50. 7:15. 9:40
Let's Go To Prison (R) 12:30. 3:20, 5:30. 7:40. 10:00
(ends Th. 11/30)
The NatMty Story (PG) 1:00, 3:10. 5:20. 7:30. 9:40
(opens F. 12/1)
The Prestige (PG-13) 1:30. 4:20. 7:10. 10:00 (ends
Th. 11/30)
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (G) 1:00.
3:15. 5:30, 7:45. 10:00
Stranger Than Fiction (PG-13) 1:10, 4:10. 7:10, 9:45
(new times F. 12/1: 1:10. 7:10)
Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny (R) 12:15, 2:30.
5:00. 7:20. 9:50 (new times F. 12/1: 4:10, 9:45)
Turistas (PG-13) 12:10. 2:25, 4:45. 7:10. 9:30 (opens
F. 12/D
GEORGIA SQUARE 5 ( 706-548-3426)
Georgia Square Five’s new schedule was unavailable at
press tune listings are only accurate through Th. 11/30.
Please visit www flagpole com tor updated information
Barnyard (PG) 5:25. 9:45
Flicka (PG)*4:00, 7:00
The Grudge 2 (PG-13) 4:05. 7:05, 9:30
The Guardian (PG-13) 5:00, 9:00
The Marine (PG-13) 7:35
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (PG-13)
5:15, 9:15
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (PG-
13) 9:45
NWY 17 DtfVHN THEATERS (706-213-7693)
Casino Royale (PG-13) 8:00
Deck the Halls (PG) 8:00
The Nativity Story (PG) 8:00 (opens F. 12/1)
Saw HI (R) 8:00 (ends Th. 11/30)
TATI CENTIR THEATER (706-542-6396)
American Beauty (R) 8:00 (Th. 11/30)
Little Miss Sunshine (R) 3:00, 5:15. 7:30. 9:45 (F.
12/1-Su. 12/3)
THE GRUDGE 2 (PG-13) H* Of
ficial. Horror is doomed The second
Americanized Grudge Irom director
Takashi Shimizu redirects the arbitrary
arjer of Kayako, the croaking, coal
eyed ghost who was murdered by a jeal
ous hubby, from Sarah Michelle Cellar,
the heroine of the original Grudge, to
her sister. Aubrey (Amber Tamblyn.
looking more and more like Marcia Gay
Harden). (Georgia Square 5)
THE GUARDIAN (PG-13) Too physi
cally damaged and mentally scarred to
return to the water, gallant Ben Randall
(Kevin Costner) is transferred to the
extremely elite ’A’ School, where
the attrition rate ot potential Rescue
Swimmers, like cocky Jake Fischer
(Ashton Kutcher). is over 50 percent
As a by-the-numbers military training
(lick, The Guardian doesn't dissatisfy,
though it would've been more intrigu
ing had it broken ranks. (Georgia
Square 5)
HAPPY FEET (PG) Mumble the pen
guin (effectively voiced by Elijah Wood)
takes an eye-popping, breathtaking
journey from dropped egg to societal
savior Happy Feet taps out a fresh
rhythm to which you can dance when
it* not delivering pat lessons on reli
gious intolerance and environmental
destruction A rather documentarian
opening marches these penguins
smack into a rather red-nosed sam
pling of my favorite holiday song/ stop-
motion animated special Not until the
Amigos, led by the infectious Ramon
(Robin Williams), does the cold Happy
Feet thaw somewhat Thinking visually,
the musically gitled Happy Feet fails fo
act narratively (Beechwood, Carmike)
LET'S GO TO PRISON (R) It
Hollywood adopted California* three
strikes rule. Thomas Lennon and
Robert Ben Garant (Taxi, The Paotter)
could lace life imprisonment tor writing
this criminally unfunny screenplay
Let's Go to Prison, adapted Irom Jim
Hogshire* You Are Going to Prison, a
how-to for surviving life in the poky,
crams in all the tacts and figures to
effectively txing down the present judi
cial system, Lut fails to properly make
light of wha’ happens once a guy's
mired in it Ends Thursday (Carmike)
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (R) This
Sundance crowd-pleaser's dark ray
ol sunshine doesn't disappoint A
dysfunctional family piles into their VW
van to get sweet, hopeful Olive (Abigail
Bresiin) to the Little Miss Sunshine
pageant. It's no wonder Sunshine was
such a festival hit However. I can
no longer tell my jaded, disaffected
hipster families apart Shows Friday.
12/1-Sunday, 12/3 (Tate)
THE MARINE (PG-13) Amidst a horde
ot humdrum fights and explosions,
real-life wrestler John Cana* John
Triton cheats death while attempting
to rescue his wile (Kelly Carlson) Irom
murderous thiel Rome (Robert Patrick)
A weekly installment of “Smackdown 1 ’
pdtks more humor and excitement
than this frozen slab ol beef (Georgia
A THE NATIVTiY STORY (PG) I'm
pretty sure you know the story Boy
meets girl Girl gets immaculately
knocked up by the Supreme Being
I guess the producers were court
ing controversy (no publicity* bad
publicity) when they hired Thirteen
director Catherine Hardwicke to film
the pre-Jesus life ot Mary and Joseph
The added bonus ot 16-year-old
star Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale
Rider) becoming pregnant—out ot
wedlock, natch —was just icing on the
cake Written by Mike Rich (Finding
Forrester, The Rookie, Radid) Opens
Ffiday (Carmike Highway 17 Theatres)
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:
DEAD MAN'S CHEST (PG-13) Will
Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth
Swann (Keira Knightley) must retrieve
the compass ol Captain Jack Sparrow
(Johnny Depp) for a power-hungry
16 FLAGPOLE.COM • NOVEMBER 29, 2006
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