Also this issue: Elusive Certainties Ararat explores the journey from truth to fiction, and back. -Cindy Fuchs Lonely Planet A trip to outer space turns inward in the haunting Solaris. -Sam Adams His Story: History Atom Egoyan on plumbing his own past for Ararat. -Cindy Fuchs Screen Picks -Sam Adams Continuing Repertory Film Showtimes

November 27-December 3, 2002

movie shorts

New

ADAM SANDLER’S EIGHT CRAZY NIGHTS

I’m so damn funny!

Here’s some more Hanukkah Song!

Gimme some candy!

(AMC Andorra; Bridge)

ARARAT

See Cindy Fuchs’ review and interview with writer/director Atom Egoyan on p. 29. (Ritz Five)

BOLLYWOOD/HOLLYWOOD

(No review.) A haiku:

It’s bilingual fun!

Bollywood songs, English words

and no sense at all.

(Bryn Mawr)

EL CRIMEN DEL PADRE AMARO

The most remarkable thing about Carlos Carrera’s melodrama is that it managed to win the condemnation of the Catholic Church despite being based on a novel more than 125 years old -- which just goes to prove that the Church hasn’t developed an ounce of public-relations cunning in the last century and a quarter. If it hadn’t been for the Church’s condemnation, it’s doubtful this soapy fare would’ve been a hit even in its native country, despite the presence of Y Tu Mamá También hottie Gael García Bernal in the lead; this tale of inflamed passions and covert sin is pulp-novel stuff. It doesn’t help that by recent standards, Bernal’s Padre Amaro is practically a piker when it comes to church corruption -- sure, he breaks his vow of chastity and sells out a fellow priest who’s gone to help campesinos in the mountains against his bishop’s will, but if that makes him a bad priest, it doesn’t make him a horrible person. Really, the Catholic Church has worse things to worry about.--Sam Adams (Ritz East; Ritz 16)

EXTREME OPS

(No review.) A haiku:

So we're like skiing?

And these bad guys are all like

“Dude, you're gettin' killed.”

(AMC Andorra)

SOLARIS

See Sam Adams’ review.

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THEY

(No review.) A haiku:

Don't get me wrong, Wes:

I am, as they say, pro noun,

But They is no Them.

(Cinemagic)

TREASURE PLANET

Oh, the crimes that are committed in the name of literature. No doubt the folks who made this outer-space travesty of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island did so in the name of introducing kids to the original story, but like most such patronizing attempts, it grossly underestimates its audience’s intelligence, as well as overestimating its ability to be manipulated. Crap rock music and a location transplant do not excitement make, especially when leaving the story intact means making Long John Silver a robot with an electric eye patch (que?) and having the young Jim scrape space barnacles off the ship’s hull. Purists will balk at the fact that Long John’s parrot is now a perky shape-shifting blob, and fans of pirate impressions will bemoan the absence of a single “Arrr, Jim lad” -- he calls him “Jimbo” instead. You’d think Titan A.E. would’ve taught people that a few impressive effects aren’t enough to pull younger viewers in -- that takes real imagination, which has unfortunately been forced to walk the space plank. --S.A.(AMC Andorra)