Rating: NNNNN
New releases
amazons and gladiators (2001, Columbia TriStar), dir. Zachary Weintraub w/ Nichole M. Hiltz, Patrick Bergin. The success of Gladiator and TV’s Xena means straight-to-video rip-offs like this are hitting the shelves. Busty newcomer Hiltz stars as amazon babe Serena, who seeks revenge against the Roman general (Bergin) who murdered her mother. A deadly amazon shouldn’t sound like a California high school dropout, which is exactly how Hiltz comes across. Bergin, who was once an up-and-coming movie actor, has fallen on hard times, and it shows in his dreadful turn as the twitchy Roman. NN
Big-screen rating: N/A
the brothers (2000, Columbia TriStar), dir. Gary Hardwick w/ Morris Chestnut, Bill Bellamy. Four pals — Chestnut, Bellamy, D.L. Hughley and Shemar Moore — get together to shoot hoops and discuss their romantic entanglements. Unlike the very earnest The Woods, this black urban comedy takes a nasty, sarcastic look at relationships, and it almost works. It ain’t high art, but there are some laughs. NN
Big-screen rating: NN (IR)
deeply (2000,Odeon), dir. Sheri Elwood w/ Kirsten Dunst, Lynn Redgrave. Sullen teen Claire (Julia Brendler) moves to a remote maritime island where a cranky writer (Redgrave) tells her the story of a cursed girl (Dunst) who drove the fish away from the surrounding waters. The first half of the film unfolds like a wonderful Celtic fairy tale, but then Elwood switches gears and focuses on a predictable teen love story that lessens the enchantment. Dunst gives an overzealous turn as the island outcast, but surprisingly, the usually hammy Redgrave gives a restrained performance. NN
Big-screen rating: Elwood chooses to plod. NN (JH)
possible worlds (2000, Odeon), dir. Robert Lepage w/ Tilda Swinton, Tom McCamus. McCamus stars as a man who slips back and forth between alternative versions of his life, all of which include a love affair with Swinton. The idea is intriguing, but Lepage is like a hesitant painter who makes small, barely discernible brush strokes. This story needs bold inventiveness, and Lepage’s gossamer touch underwhelms the story as well as us. NN
Big-screen rating: Lepage composes pretty scenes but he forgets to create suspense. NN (KL)
Also this week
Head Over Heels
The Trumpet Of The Swan
Upcoming
August 7
Chocolat, The Mexican, 3000 Miles To Graceland, Vatel
August 14
Blow Dry, Enemy At The Gates, 15 Minutes, Josie And The Pussycats
DVD pick of the week
akira (1988, Pioneer), dir. Katsuhiro Otomo w/ voices of Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki. Heir to Blade Runner and father to The Matrix, Akira is the most influential Japanese film since The Seven Samurai. Otomo turned a long-running futuristic comic strip into a breakthrough anime film, legendary for its splatterfest violence and breathless plot. Motorcycle gang boy Tetsuo suffers government experiments, becomes a psychic warrior and wreaks orgiastic revenge. High carnage vies with classic teen angst, all of it boldly animated in painstaking detail. Extras: Standard Edition fortunately includes option of subtitles or dubbed audio, plus translation of the film’s graffiti Limited Edition two-disc tin includes Otomo interview, documentary, glossary, trailers and more than 4,500 production stills. 124 minutes. NNNNN
CAMERON BAILEY
