Movies

FIGHTING ON AIR

It's unlikely many bad reviews will be written about the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. There will undoubtedly be plenty of cutely appropriate ones that announce that the movie is "kick ass." Hell, even The Onion might dredge up infinite praise for this truly unique blend of drama and martial arts.

This film is rather remarkable for many different reasons, some of the more obvious being its various action sequences, but credit is also due to its director and cast, and perhaps its odd authenticity.

The plot is centered around two love stories. Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) is a master warrior who is ready to lay his sword down and follow a different path in life. Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) is his long-time companion in battle and life. The two share an obvious but unrequited love for each other that is slowly beginning to surface. Then there is Jen Yu (Zhang Ziyi), a political heavy's daughter, and her outlaw lover Lo (Chang Chen). Their affair is volatile and passionate. These four warriors interact through a series of events that involve the theft of a Li Mu Bai's mysterious sword (Green Destiny), Jen's rebellious behavior, an evil warrior named Jade Fox, and some standard you-killed-my-master revenge-seeking.

Through its action sequences, the movie maintains a campy sheen while confidently strutting about the outskirts of badass with its roiled fight scenes that are as amazing as they are hard to track visually. Watching warriors leap in forty-yard increments while fluttering their feet like ballerinas should be a little silly, but in the context of this movie it's an elegantly gritty and welcome sight. They tiptoe up wispy tree trunks and float down water-falls, and it still looks tough.

The fight scenes themselves are furiously paced and peppered with vigor and heart. Perhaps this is because the fight scenes are just as important to the individual characters' growth and development as many of the conversations that they have with one another. As the main characters in particular battle each other at various points throughout the movie, there is the subtle sense that they are not necessarily trying to defeat their respective oppo-nents but perhaps striving to gain an understanding for their powers and dispo-sitions. The bulk of action films produced post-Matrix seem to draw in one way or another on the 360-degree rotating fight sequence, slow-motion bullet-dodge, or maybe even multiple kicks performed in one huge arcing leap, that The Matrix seemed to originate. And while The Matrix was undoubtedly groundbreaking as far as special effects go, the Wachowski brothers didn't invent all of that shit; a great deal of the fight sequences are a product of Hong Kong martial arts movies.

The "Fong Sai Yuk" films of the early '90s (starring the incomparable Jet Li) were heavy on "wire fu" action. Fight sequences filmed with the actors suspended by wires and bouncing off of hidden trampolines so that they might run on walls and perform multiple attacks in the air. While the action in the "Fong Sai Yuk" films is heavily exaggerated, the stunt choreography used in these films and other similar Hong Kong action films is an obvious influence on the Matrix's style.

So perhaps there is a gentle irony to the fact that Yuen Wo-Ping, who was the fight choreographer for The Matrix, also extended the same talents on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Wo-Ping honed his skills by working on all aspects of martial arts films in China. While many of his films have cult popularity in the United States, The Matrix may have been the first taste many westerners got of the style, while of course not really realizing what it was exactly that they had tasted. So now our mainstream audiences will get their dose of this flamboyant style of filmmaking with high doses of action submerged in taut drama in a skillful combination that should keep almost any viewer pleased.

This potent mixture is the work of Ang Lee, a director known primarily for dramas like Sense and Sensibility and The Ice Storm. Lee handles the subject matter expertly, paying attention primarily to the romantic and passionate aspects of the story so that the action blends in naturally as its own passionate and romantic force, creating a sense of balance that would seem unlikely for such a film.

Its two main stars-- Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh-- while not so well known in the States, are both huge stars world-wide. They both instill their roles with talent, credibility and freakish dedication, a feat readily matched, with minimal exceptions, by the rest of the cast.

This is a truly innovative and original film; it cannot be justly described, so just go and see it. A

--Josh Tyson

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon will play exclusively at the Mayan Theater starting Friday, December 22.

MOVE OVER OSCAR

Those pussy Oscar voters. They need three whole months to figure out what movies they liked, and require tons of lobbying from pandering studios and egotistical actors just to consider a flick. It's time to return movie awards to the humble beginnings of yore; it's time to pick favorites based on snap judgements and good old-fashioned gut feelings again. Here are Go-Go's picks for this year's best cinematic achievements. In March, we'll find out how many of these categories the Academy got right....

BEST PICTURE

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: See? Snap judgements. Seriously, though, this movie has it all, and is poised to do what The Blair Witch Project did ... take rousing art house success and ride a wave of publicity to major box office bucks. If things work out as they should, this beautifully delicate film (see review on page 12) could even capture a Titanic sized demographic: men love the action, women love the romance, and nobody can believe their eyes. Also nominated: American Psycho, Dancer in the Dark, Requiem for a Dream, Time Code.

BEST ACTOR

Giovanni Ribisi (Boiler Room): He was an absolute stand-out in a mediocre film, playing a determined youngster with such low-key intensity that the scenes between him and his on-screen father (the equally magnificent Ron Rifkin) positively sparkled with emotion. Playing a sales-man who can sell you up and down the river is no easy task; just ask Ben Affleck, who hyper-acted his own cameo in the movie with disgusting aplomb. Ribisi is a talent to be watched. Also nominated: Christian Bale (American Psycho), Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot), Chow Yun-Fat (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Geoffrey Rush (Quills).

BEST ACTRESS

Joan Allen (The Contender): White old men are still running the world, but at least Hollywood is allowing the possibility for change. Joan Allen plays Senator Laine Hanson in the political drama, The Contender. Her character is chosen to be the first woman vice president after the original VP passed away. Allen plays this role marvelously. She conveys a sense of strength under injustice that inspires the audience. Every step of the way, you can see Allen's attention to the detailed emotions of fear, confusion, anger and courage that this woman experienced. Not only would I say that Allen should receive the best actress award, but I'd also assert that she should run for president. We couldn't do worse than Bush anyway. Also nominated: Björk (Dancer in the Dark), Kirsten Dunst (The Virgin Suicides), Helen Hunt (Pay It Forward), Julia Roberts (Erin Brockovich).

BEST DIRECTOR

Mike Figgis (Time Code): Whether you think his experiment (showing four movies at once) worked or not, Figgis' Time Code had something most movies lack these days: balls. Asking an audience to participate in a cinematic experiment can be the kiss of death, and this experiment was the most lethal of all. Who would have thought channeling America's voyeuristic short attention span into a self-enclosed world of Hollywood ego would fly? Certainly not Figgis, and he had just the right touch to both succeed and poke fun at his conceit at the same time. Also nominated: Darren Aronofski (Requiem for a Dream), Stephen Frears (High Fidelity), Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), M. Night Syamalan (Unbreakable).

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS

Charlie's Angels: There's just one thing to say about the special effects in Charlie's Angels: they kicked butt! The girls had a challenge of trying to film fight scenes without any guns. This led to amazing, intricate choreographed fights throughout the whole of the movie. The posh movie stars were transformed into leaping, kicking, kung fu masters. Bullets were shot in slow motion, Indy race cars sped off of bridges and a naked Drew Barrymore was thrown out of a glass win-dow and left to dangle a good five stories up holding on to a sheet. Also nominat-ed: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, What Lies Beneath, X-Men.

BEST SOUNDTRACK

High Fidelity: For anyone who has seen the movie or read the book, they know that High Fidelity is a microscopic look into the segment of 20-somethings who live for music and music only. Is it any wonder, then, that this soundtrack is so great? With artists from the somewhat-obscure Beta Band to legendary Bob Dillan and Velvet Underground, this soundtrack plays like a mixed tape from your high school best friend's weird older brother. This is one of the best compila-tion CDs ever made. Also nominated: American Psycho, Dancer in the Dark, Groove, Requiem for a Dream.

--Elizabeth Beeson & Chris J. Magyar

DVD Report

RUN LOLA RUN

The plot of this movie is simple. Red-headed Lola (Franka Potente) has 20 minutes to locate 100,000 marks in order to save her boyfriend Manni's (Moritz Bleibtreu) life. Filmed in three 20-minute segments, Run Lola Run is a fast-paced, moving, often hysterical take on the notions of chaos and time and the little things that go wrong, (or right), in our everyday adventures that could totally change our lives. Run Lola Run gives two characters the opportunity to find out "what would have happened if I had only just..." There is so much going on in this movie that your eyes are jumping all over the place. Scenes cut from live action to anima-tion; slow motion and fast frame seg-ments happen without warning, not to mention the occasional dream/ death sequence.

Not only does this DVD look really good but it calls attention to the tremendous amount of work involved in the creation of the original 35mm film. Editing is smooth, color is authentic to the kind of indoor/ outdoor filmmaking that was going on here. Informative and funny, the audio commentary by writer/ director Tom Tykwer and Franka Potente is a nice change of pace from some of the more egocentric commentaries we've gotten bored with in American DVD releases. Potente and Tykwer seem genuinely fond of each other and fond of this movie and are excited and eager to present it to an American audience. There is also an interesting music video featuring Potente.

The interactive menu is easy to use, while the audio set-up was only slightly confusing for someone who hasn't watched very many movies with so many language and sound options. This disc is a must have for any film buff and is well worth the investment.

--Amy Morrison

102 Dalmations [G] We didn't really need the liveaction update of 101 Dalmations, so why must we suffer through a sequel? Starring: Glenn Close, Gerard Depardieu. Directed by: Kevin Lima.

The 6th Day [PG-13] Ahnold in da future as a clone of Ahnold. Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert Duvall, Tony Goldwyn, Michael Rapaport. Directed by: Roger Spottiswoode.

Almost Famous [R 2h] Instead of going to summer camp, a young boy goes on tour with a rock band. Starring: Billy Crudup, Kate Hudson, Patrick Fugit, Frances McDormand. Directed by: Cameron Crowe.

Bait [R 1h 59m] Stupid crook wins everybody's heart by being stupid. Starring: Jamie Foxx, Kimberly Elise, David Morse, Doug Hutchison. Directed by: Jason Fuchs.

Bamboozled [R 2h 15m] Spike Lee tries to make blackface funny. Starring: Damon Wayans, Jada Pinkett Smith, Savion Glover, Tommy Davidson. Directed by: Spike Lee.

Bedazzled [PG-13] Remake involving a sexy devil and dumb geek. Starring: Elizabeth Hurley, Brenden Fraser. Directed by: Harold Ramis.

Best In Show [PG-13 1h 30m] Spinal Tap for dog shows. Starring: Christopher Guest, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Fred Willard. Directed by: Christopher Guest.

Billy Elliot [R 1h 40m] Coal miner's son takes ballet lessons. Starring: Jamie Bell. Directed by: Stephen Daldry.

Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 [R] More woods, less shaky camera stuff. Starring: Erica Leerhsen, Jeff Donovan, Tristen Skyler, Stephen Turner. Directed by: Joe Berlinger.

Bounce [PG-13] Is this a movie about Affleck and Paltrow's life? Starring: Ben Affleck, Gwyneth Paltrow, Natasha Henstridge, Jennifer Grey. Directed by: Don Roos.

Bring It On [PG-13 1h 32m] Cheerleaders fight to the death in biki-nis! Only without the death. Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Gabrielle Union, Jesse Bradford. Directed by: Peyton Reed.

Broken Hearts Club [R 1h 34m] A chick flick for gay men. Starring: Dean Cain, Timothy Olyphant. Directed by: Greg Berianti.

Charlie's Angels [PG-13] One big tease -- you mean they can't use guns and don't get naked? Puh-leeze. Starring: Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu, Bill Murray. Directed by: McG.

Contender [R 2h 6m] A chick wants to be vice-president, but she's had too much sex. Starring: Joan Allen, Gary Oldman. Directed by: Rod Lurie.

Dancer in the Dark [R 2h 20m] Bjork goes blind and crazy all at once, but she still sings. Starring: Bjork, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, Peter Stormare. Directed by: Lars von Trier.

Digimon: The Movie [G 1h 30m] Do they even bother translating these into English anymore? Starring: Bad Drawings. Directed by: Bad Cartoonist.

Dr. T & the Women [R 2h 1m] Richard Gere plays a gynecologist -- insert hamster joke here. Starring: Richard Gere, Helen Hunt, Liv Tyler. Directed by: Robert Altman.

Dude Where's My Car? [PG-13] In the parking lot at the 7-11, pothead. Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Seann William Scott, Jennifer Garner. Directed by: Danny Leiner.

Dungeons & Dragons [PG] Is there a sav-ing throw against cheesy movies? Starring: Thora Birch, Jeremy Irons, Marlon Wayans. Directed by: Courtney Solomon.

Emperor's New Groove [G] An animat-ed buddy comedy in South America? Again? Starring: David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt, Patrick Warburton. Directed by: Mark Dindal.

The Exorcist-- The Version You've Never Seen [R] Don't be fooled by the long title-- it's just the original with eleven more minutes added on. Starring: Linda Blair. Directed by: William Friedkin.

Fantasia 2000 [G 1h 15m] Dancing flamingos, Noah's duck, flying whales, and other fun things to watch on acid. Starring: James Earl Jones, Quincy Jones and Angela Lansbury. Directed by: James Algar.

George Washington [NR 1h 30m] Kids in North Carolina deal with their dead friend. Starring: Donald Holden, Candace Evanofski. Directed by: David Gordon Green.

Girl Next Door [NR 1h 22m] Everything you wanted to know about a porn star if you're afraid to ask. Starring: Stacy Baker. Directed by: Christine Fugate.

Hard Day's Night [NR 1h 25m] Fresh print on an old classic. Starring: The Beatles. Directed by: Richard Lester.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas [PG 1h 42m] I wouldn't touch it with a 39 1/ 2 foot pole. Starring: Jim Carrey, Molly Shannon, Christine Baranski, Jeffrey Tambor. Directed by: Ron Howard.

Into the Arms of Strangers [PG 2h 2m] Yet another documentary about the Holocaust. Starring: Judi Dench. Directed by: Mark Harris.

The Kid [PG 1h 44m] Bruce Willis has an inner child that's fat and annoying. Starring: Bruce Willis, Lily Tomlin and Spencer Breslin. Directed by: Jon Turteltaub.

Kippur [PG] A peek inside the Yom Kippur War. Starring: Tomer Russo, Liron Levo. Directed by: Amos Gitai.

La Buche [NR 1h 47m] Starring: Sabine Azema, Emmanuelle Beart. Directed by: Daniele Thompson.

Ladies Man [R] I repeat, there should be a law against big-screen adaptations of "Saturday Night Live" skits. Starring: Tim Meadows, Will Ferrell, Tiffani-Amber Theissen, Billy Dee Williams. Directed by: Reginald Hudlin.

The Legend of Bagger Vance [PG-13] Supernatural golf caddie-- every Republican's wet dream (except he's black). Starring: Matt Damon, Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Bruce McGill. Directed by: Robert Redford. Directed by: Reginald Hudlin.

Legend of Drunken Master [R 1h 42m] Yet another Jackie Chan import. Starring: Jackie Chan, Ti Lung. Directed by: Lau Ka Leung.

Little Vampire [PG] Kids can suck blood too. Starring: Jonathan Lipnicki, Richard E. Grant. Directed by: Uli Edel.

Lucky Numbers [R 1h 48m] Who knew the state lottery could be rigged? Starring: John Travolta, Lisa Kudrow. Directed by: Nora Ephron.

Meet the Parents [PG-13 1h 47m] Never marry a woman whose father is Robert DeNiro. Starring: Robert DeNiro, Ben Stiller, Teri Polo, Blythe Danner. Directed by: Jay Roach.

Men of Honor [R 2h 9m] The Navy's first black master diver has to put up with DeNiro. Starring: Robert DeNiro, Cuba Gooding Jr., Charlize Theron, Aunjanue Ellis. Directed by: George Tillman Jr.

MVP: Most Valuable Primate [PG 1h 33m] A chimp that plays hockey. Starring: Kevin Zegers, Jaimee Renee Smith, Hairy Primate. Directed by: Robert Vince.

Non-Stop [NR 1h 22m] Three losers are running from the yakuza. Starring: Tomoro Taguchi, Diamond Yukai, Shinichi Tsutsumi, Sabu. Directed by: Sabu.

Nurse Betty [R 1h 40m] Woman takes her soap opera obsession to a new level by landing a role. Starring: Renee Zellweger, Morgan Freeman, Chris Rock, Greg Kinnear. Directed by: Neil LaBute. Pay it Forward [PG-13 2h 4m] A whole slew of Oscar winners learn to love. Starring: Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, Haley Joel Osment, Jay Mohr. Directed by: Mimi Leder.

The Perfect Storm [PG13 2h 12m] My first reaction to the movie was, "you dopes, just move and stop fishing before you die." Starring: George Clooney, John C. Reilly and Mark Wahlberg. Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen.

Proof of Life [R] Pesky hostages are always needing someone to come along and rescue them. Starring: Russell Crowe, Meg Ryan, David Morse. Directed by: Taylor Hackford.

Quills [R 2h 3m] The Marquis de Sade's final days in the looney bin. Starring: Geoffrey Rush, Joaquin Phoenix, Kate Winslet, Michael Caine. Directed by: Philip Kaufman.

Solas [NR 1h 38m] The Spanish equivalent of American Beauty. Starring: Paco De Osca, Antonio Dechent. Directed by: Benito Zambrano.

Solomon and Gaenor [R 1h 41m] Forbidden love in Wales. Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Nia Roberts. Directed by: Paul Morrison.

Tigerland [R 1h 41m] Nothing says love story like Louisiana boot camp. Starring: Collin Farrell, Clifton Collins Jr. Directed by: Joel Schumacher.

Time fo Drunken Horses [NR 1h 20m] Sick kid screws up the plans of Iranian smugglers. Starring: Ayoub Ahmadi, Rojin Younessi. Directed by: Bahman Ghobadi.

Two Family House [R 1h 44m] A how-to guide for those who want the cabaret in the privacy of their own home. Starring: Michael Rispoli, Kelly MacDonald. Directed by: Raymond De Felitta.

Venus Beauty Institute [NR 1h 45m] French beauticians don't take kindly to turn-ing 40. Starring: Nathalie Baye, Bulle Ogier. Directed by: Tonie Marshall.

Vertical Limit [PG-13] When will famous actors stop getting stuck up on K-2? Starring: Chris O'Donnell, Robin Tunney, Scott Glenn, Bill Paxton. Directed by: Martin Campbell.

The Watcher [R 1h 33m] Will cops and serial killers ever learn to get along? Starring: James Spader, Keanu Reeves, Marisa Tomei. Directed by: Joe Charbanic.

Weekend [NR 1h 37m] Things go crazy in the south when a houseguest comes to town. Starring: D. B. Sweeney, Deborah Unger, Gena Rowlands, Jared Harris. Directed by: Brian Skeet

What Lies Beneath [PG-13 2h 6m] Your partner is guaranteed to jump into your lap at least four or five times. Starring: Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer. Directed by: Robert Zemeckis

What Women Want [PG-13] Women want Mel Gibson? And all this time men thought it was Brad Pitt. Starring: Mel Gibson, Helen Hunt, Marisa Tomei, Mark Feuerstein. Directed by: Nancy Meyers.

What's Cooking? [PG-13 1h 46m] Guns, lesbians, adultery, and Thanksgiving. Starring: Kyra Sedgwick, Julianna Margulies. Directed by: Gurinder Chadha.

Woman On Top [R 1h 33m] That's right boys, she cooks, and that title means what you think it does. Starring: Penelope Cruz. Directed by: Fina Torres.

Wonder Boys [R 1h 52m] That Michael Douglas movie about a professor is coming back. Starring: Michael Douglas, Robert Downey Jr., Tobey Maguire, Frances McDormand. Directed by: Curtis Hanson.

The Yards [R 1h 45m] Double-crossing and intrigue in the subways. Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, James Caan, Faye Dunaway. Directed by: James Gray.

Yi Yi [NR 2h 53m] Three hours of com-puter geek life. Starring: Elaine Jin, Wu Nianzhen. Directed by: Edward Yang.

You Can Count On Me [R 1h 49m] Unexpected houseguest makes worlds go crazy. Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Laura Linney, Rory Culkin, Matthew Broderick. Directed by: Kenneth Lonergan.