Due to the ever-changing nature of the movie biz, showtimes as they appear in any and all newspapers should always be double-checked with the theaters before setting off for a night at the flicks. Please call theater for times.
***image3***Designates items highlighted in this week's issue.
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The Departed***image6***
Martin Scorsese kicks the cop drama up a notch with his newest criminal masterpiece, filled with serious Hollywood acting machismo. Jack Nicholson (back to his classic
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
persona) plays a cunning and twisted crime boss. Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon star as talented undercover agents, but there is a mole in their midst. This psychological roller coaster ride packs a mean street punch.
Dreamcatcher, R, 150 min.
Employee of the Month
Jessica Simpson, Dane Cook and Andy Dick star in this flick filmed at Santa Fe's new Lowe's hardware store on Cerrillos Road. Simpson works hard playing the hottie while two fellow male employees try to impress her and the bosses vying for employee of the month honors and a chance at Simpson's love.
Dreamcatcher, UA South, PG-13, 103 min.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
Before heading out to Vietnam, two young men and their girlfriends take a road trip through Texas. B-list actors get chopped up by maniacs. Jordanna Brewster, recognizable from such works of art as
The Fast and the Furious
and
Annapolis
, gets first billing, which means the longest life in horror movies.
Dreamcatcher, R, 84 min.
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Bridesmaid
The newest collaboration between French new wave director Claude Chabrol and British crime novelist Ruth Rendell is being hailed by the New York Times as "deliciously twisted…deceptively understated and finally ferocious." When Philippe meets Senta at his younger sister's wedding, their attraction turns quickly to love, but her mysterious past raises serious questions about her true identity. Forced to prove his love in unimaginable ways, Philippe must decide if what she offers is real and worth the price.
CCA, NR, 110 min.
***image3***Factotum
Matt Dillon is far prettier than the real-life Charles Bukowski, but he has just the right amount of scumminess to pull off playing the author's alter ego, Henri Chinaski. Like Bukowski, Chinaski drinks his way across LA, into the beds of numerous women, while hating job after job and scheming ways to make money as a professional gambler. Chinaski isn't the kind of lovable character who comes to mind when we think indie flick, but he's got a certain hideous charm that makes you wanna buy the man another drink. With Lili Taylor and Marisa Tomei (see
).
The Screen, R, 94 min.
49 Up
If you've seen more then one of the films in Michael Apted's series, you're probably feeling a little old right now. The truth is that the man wasn't only chronicling the personal transformations of several people at seven-year intervals, he was capturing a phenomenon. Reality TV has nothing on Apted; his perceptive interviewing of the collective that has made up his case study for the past 49 years will blow you away.
The Screen, NR, 135 min.
***image2***Gabrielle
A celebrated adaptation by Patrice Chéreau of Joseph Conrad's short story
The Return
,
Gabrielle
delves into the world of the French bourgeoisie at the turn of the 20th century. Isabelle Huppert and Pascal Greggory star in this vision of a stylish marriage on the verge of collapse.
The Screen, NR, 90 min.
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House of Sand
Brazil's top mother-and-daughter duo, Fernanda Montenegro and Fernando Torres, play multiple roles in the period epic
House of Sand
. Set in the remote and beautiful desert of Maranhao, the film chronicles a woman coming to terms with the "labyrinth of sand" she is forced to inhabit. This film by Andrucha Waddington spans 60 years in an exploration of the universal need for love and a home to call one's own.
CCA, R, 114 min.
Kids First!: Doodlebops: Dance and Hops
Enjoy the raging, rockin' Doodles, Deedee, Rooney and Moe, as they send your dancing feet into orbit. The coolest preschoolers around get down at their practice pad and shake it up with lessons on empathy and sharing.
Santa Fe Film Center, NR, 86 min.
Lady of Guadalupe
Producer/director Diane Marron shows the utmost devotion in her new documentary that explores the history and myth of our Lady of Guadalupe. Marron will be here in the land of the Lady for both screenings.
Santa Fe Film Center, NR
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
A star-studded tribute to the life and music of songsmith Leonard Cohen. This "loving, extraordinary documentary by Lian Lunsin" boasts live performances by Nick Cave, Martha and Rufus Wainwright, and a duet between The Man Cohen and U2 frontman Bono.
CCA, NR, 98 min.
Lucky Star
Janet Gaynor plays Mary, a poor farm girl, who meets her true love, Tim, just as war breaks out and takes him away. Tim, of course, is hurt during battle and Mary is wooed by another man. A classic late-'20s love triangle ensues.
The Screen, NR, 90 min.
Morgan's Cake
Rick Schmidt, the do-it-yourself guru of indie filmmaking, teaches us a thing or two in this 1988 flick on how to avoid a draft. His 18-year-old protagonist, Morgan, has a pregnant girlfriend and lives in a tiny room with a crazy father and an apathetic mother. His life appears to be something many might consider running away from. In Morgan's head, however, his world is much better than war.
Santa Fe Film Center, NR, 87 min.
My Bounty Hunter
What would you get if you crossed
The Fugitive
with
The Big Lebowski
? Jefe is his name and corn-cob pipes are his game. Too bad he's being chased by two makeshift dot-commers-turned bounty-hunters for a crime we're not quite sure about. His colorful group of friends make for a fun selection of soulful cameos along the way-and the bounty hunters? If they could actually track anything, they'd know the market isn't too forgiving to a company called
bountyhunter.com.
Santa Fe Film Center, NR, 70 min.
The New One-Armed Swordsman
A cocky fighter gets his comeuppance and ends up having to hack off his own arm in Zhang Che's 1971 epic starring David Jiang and Di Long. After years of rebuilding his strength and dexterity by working as a waiter, the swordsman's warrior spirit is revived when his close friend is brutally killed. Flying fighter styles and searing swordplay make this a kung pow classic.
The Screen, NR, 94 min.
9/11: Press for Truth
A stirring chronicle of the fight to elicit the real story behind the terrorist attacks on America. This powerful and inspirational documentary follows the families of those affected by 9/11 and their ceaseless mission to find out why their loved ones died. The process is at times uplifting and at others excruciatingly painful. Their noble mission is tested again and again by bureaucracy.
Santa Fe Film Center, NR, 84 min.
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Nobelity
The glamorizing of the socially conscious documentary has many good fallouts. One of them is the fact that filmmaker Turk Pipkin could even get a film comprised completely of dowdy scientists to be shown in a theater. We are much better off for his success, as his subjects are anything but stuffy. Pipkin interviews some of today's most startlingly brilliant and passionate people in his attempt to salvage the planet for his children's children.
Santa Fe Film Center, NR, 85 min.
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Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Support the dynamic creativity of the gay and lesbian film genre by attending the Southwest Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, ending Thursday, Oct. 5. Don't miss the show-stopping
Follow My Voice: With the Music of Hedwig
,
Backstage
and
Fat Girls
.
Santa Fe Film Center, times and rating vary. See
for more information on individuals films.
Spirit Riders
An award-winning documentary exploring the role of the Lakota Indians in the world peace movement. The film chronicles the practice of ceremonial horseback rides as a means of healing and inspiration. Narrated by Peter Coyote, including interviews with Viggo Mortenson (
Lord of the Rings
,
Hidalgo
) and music by Bill Miller, Robert Mirabal, Keith Secola, Rick Allen and Lauren Monroe.
Santa Fe Film Center, NR, 90 min.
Stairways to Heaven: The Practical Magic of Sacred Spaces
A documentary exploring the space between the worlds: as in, ours and the next. Using ancient monuments (like Stonehenge, presumably actual size, not 18 inches tall or made of refrigerators), great Gothic cathedrals (with secret Templar messages hidden in them) and the fairly recent advent of crop circles, the "spiritual technology" of the ancients is revealed. We humbly predict this film will play in Santa Fe well into the next ice age.
Santa Fe Film Center, NR, 54 min.
All The King's Men
Columbia pictures casts its net for the upcoming award season with this star-studded remake of a triple-Oscar-winning 1949 film. Sean Penn fills the screen with charisma as Willie Stark, a cunning Southern populist who turns a corrupt government on its ear in his race for governor. Based on Robert Penn Warren's novel on the life of Louisiana Governor Huey Long, the film adaptation stars Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Mark Ruffalo, Patricia Clarkson, James Gandolfini and Sir Anthony Hopkins.
UA DeVargas, PG-13, 120 min.
Barnyard: The Original Party Animals
In this animated story of epic times at the farm, Otis (voiced by Kevin James) is a carefree jokester of a bovine (who enjoys activities like cow-tipping) until his father, the patriarch of the farm (Sam Elliott), is attacked by coyotes and Otis is forced to become a more responsible member of the barnyard community. Courtney Cox's vocal talents make an appearance as Daisy, Otis' lady love, and Danny Glover is Miles, the sidekick mule.
UA South, PG, 83 min.
The Black Dahlia
Brian De Palma's homage to noir twists the notorious murder of Betty Short and the corrupt world of LA policemen into a stylized package. Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson and Hilary Swank star.
UA DeVargas, R, 121 min.
Fearless
In his reportedly last action flick, Jet Li plays an amoral fighting master transformed by a great tragedy. Legendary fight choreographer Yuen-Wo Peng livens up the pretty period piece in which Li returns to fight the foreigners (including some Americans) who have taken over his hometown. Intended as a crossover film for Li,
Fearless
spends as much time watching him farm as fight, a decision about which his fans will surely have something to say.
UA South, PG-13, 104 min.
Flyboys
Director Tony Bill and cinematographer Henry Braham employ real WWI fighter planes, models and impressive CGI effects to depict the exhilarating and extremely dangerous world of the first airborne soldiers. The film follows a group of Americans who have volunteered to join the French in the then-strictly European war against the Germans. James Franco stars as an orphaned Texan lured by romantic notions into a war where his kind last an average of six weeks.
UA South, PG-13, 139 min.
The Guardian
After the
Waterworld
fiasco of 1995, it's surprising that anyone would let Kevin Costner near the water again. This time, instead of Dennis Hopper and his band of postapocalyptic gang members, he's got Ashton Kutcher as the thorn in his side. Costner plays the badass Coast Guard diver who doesn't want his thunder stolen by cocky rookie Kutcher. Yes, the plot is formulaic, but the stunts are cool, and moms and daughters can sigh together when Kutcher takes his shirt off for a swim.
Dreamcatcher, PG-13, 136 min.
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Half Nelson
Hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as "the first Oscar-caliber performance" of the year, Ryan Gosling stars as a teacher with a drug problem. He works at an inner-city junior high school, and his fervor for his students is matched only by his addiction to crack cocaine. His self-destructive behavior raises the eyebrows of one of his students, and the two become friends. In a world where there are no easy solutions, the pair embark on a road that could lead to either redemption or disaster.
UA DeVargas, R, 106 min.
Hollywoodland
Adrien Brody plays a medium-boiled investigator delving into Hollywood's upper crust to find the truth behind the death of TV's Superman (Ben Affleck). Diane Lane stars as the glamorous wife of the head of MGM and girlfriend to the late man of steel.
UA North, R, 126 min.
The Illusionist
Based on a short story by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Steven Millhauser. A magician, Eisenheim (Edward Norton), uses his unusual talents to woo his ill-fated childhood sweetheart, Duchess Sophie von Teschen (Jessica Biel), and derail the class system in Victorian Vienna. Upon returning from exploring the world, Eisenheim finds that Sophie, with whom he's still in love, is engaged to the Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell). Eisenheim strikes up an unlikely friendship with Chief Inspector Uhl (Paul Giamatti) in his quest to win back his lady love.
UA DeVargas, PG-13, 109 min.
Jackass: Number Two
If you happen to be lacking in scatological humor and depravity, please don't miss the return of
Jackass
. This second big-screen installment of the
Jackass
TV show promises its cast of burros will fall to uncharted lows to get a laugh. Go MTV films.
Dreamcatcher, UA North, R, 95 min.
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Little Miss Sunshine
A mixed bag cynical road trip that halfway morphs into a family situation comedy lovefest. While precisely stylized use of the camera evokes a boldness reminiscent of
The Graduate
or early Woody Allen, endearing moments are the glue holding this frequently cynical movie together. When the family finally arrives at its destination, the depiction of child pageant queens, at once disturbing and hilarious, is the cherry on top of this wild ride. The result is a climactic scene that is pretty near perfect: both laugh-out-loud surprising and endearingly inevitable. With Alan Arkin, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Abigail Breslin and Greg Kinnear.
UA DeVargas, R, 110 min.
Open Season
Ever wonder what happens when captive animals are released into the wild? Well, here's your chance to find out. Martin Lawrence provides the voice of Boog, a 900-pound grizzly bear who finds himself in the wild three days before hunting season. Completely naive to the ways of the wild, he's forced to rely on a mule deer named Elliot, played by Ashton Kutcher. With hunters on their trail, the animals prepare to fight back in this hilarious animated adventure.
Dreamcatcher, PG, 99 min.
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Quinceañera
Newcomer Araceli Guzman-Rico plays Maria, a girl who discovers
she's pregnant on the eve of her 15th birthday. Thrust out of her home, the teenager finds support and a home with her great-grand-uncle and gay cousin.
UA North, R, 90 min.
School for Scoundrels
Jon Heder (
Napoleon Dynamite
) is Roger, a dorky, mediocre meter maid
in New York City. Tired of always getting the short end of the stick, Roger joins a "top secret" confidence-building class taught by the aggressive and often inappropriate Dr. P (Billy Bob Thornton). Roger excels and soon builds up the confidence to ask out his dream girl, Amanda (Jacinda Barrett). His confidence flips a crazy switch in Dr. P's head, and the two square off to fight for Amanda's love.
Dreamcatcher, UA South, PG-13, 98 min.
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The Science of Sleep
The creative whims of former music video director Michel Gondry (
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
) find endless outlets in his new flick in which dreams and reality become one. Gael García Bernal (
Fidel
,
Y tu Mama Tambien
) stars as Stéphane, an artist who lives in his own mind. His weak grasp on the external world makes it difficult to win the heart of his neighbor Stéphanie, a toy maker played by the exquisite Charlotte Gainsbourg (see
).
UA DeVargas, R, 105 min.
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The War Tapes
Winner of the Best Documentary Award at the Tribeca Film Festival,
The War Tapes
follows three members of the National Guard stationed in Iraq during the 2004 insurgency. Director Deborah Scranton trained the soldiers to be their own film crew and chronicled the experiences of the group and their families over the course of a year. The hard-hitting facts of war, foreign policy and democracy are shared through first-person footage and video diaries of life on the front lines.
CCA, NR, 97 min.
