chile pages
opening this week
CHEATIN’ Star-crossed lovers Jake and Ella meet cute in a bumper-car collision at a carnival in the Midwest in this surreal envisioning of life’s ups and downs. When Jake succumbs to the wiles of another woman, Ella seeks the help of a disgraced magician whose dangerous soul machine allows her spirit to enter into the bodies of Jake’s lovers in an effort to win him back. With no cast to credit, director Bill Plympton’s dialogue-free, animated tale of romance and deceit is a compelling comedy of horrors as Jake and Ella seek to find the magic of true love. The hand-drawn animation is a welcome sight in this Pixar-dominated age of animation. Cheatin’ is a psychedelic, mindbending, and enchanted look at jealousy, fidelity, and young love with a great soundtrack to boot. Not rated. 76 minutes. Jean Cocteau Cinema, Santa Fe. (Michael Abatemarco)
CHILD 44 Tom Hardy plays a disgraced MGB agent in Stalin-era Soviet Union who is tasked with solving a series of grisly child murders in an empire that doesn’t acknowledge such crimes exist. Gary Oldman and Noomi Rapace co-star. Given the setting and subject matter, it’s difficult to tell who this movie is for, but the cast is undeniably strong. Rated R. 137 minutes. Regal Stadium 14, Santa Fe. (Not reviewed)
COOL HAND LUKE Few cinematic images are more iconic than the figure Paul Newman cuts in this 1967 anti-establishment film: handsome, cocksure, half-slouching, with fire sparkling in his blue eyes. He plays a man who is sent to prison for cutting the tops off parking meters while drunk. There, he earns the respect of his fellow inmates (including the leader, played by George Kennedy, who won an Oscar for the role) and fights the system again and again. This film, a rite of passage for cinephiles, makes one wish modern movies had more of these kinds of roguish, smirking, humanistic, and defiantly individual heroes. Rated PG. 126 minutes. The Screen, Santa Fe. (Robert Ker)
MOMMY Canadian wunderkind Xavier Dolan swept Quebec’s top film awards, and he shared a Cannes Jury Prize with his fifth feature. It focuses on the relationship between Steve (Antoine Olivier Pilon), a troubled, charismatic, sometimes violent teenage boy, and his mother, Die (Anne Dorval), a fiftyish adolescent who can’t quite cope with either her son or her age. Completing the odd triangle is a neighbor, Kyla (Suzanne Clément), a high-school teacher on furlough because of her own neuroses. Kyla befriends Die and tries to help Steve. Casting its shadow over the film is an epigraphic, fictional Canadian law that allows a parent to commit a troublesome child to an institution. Dolan’s work is sometimes abrasive and shrill, but it also can be very affecting and insightful. Not rated. 139 minutes. In French with subtitles. Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe. ( Jonathan Richards)
MONKEY KINGDOM The latest documentary from Disneynature follows a young monkey as it grows up and fights for survival in an elaborate simian society in the ancient ruins of Southeast Asia. Tina Fey narrates. Rated G. 81 minutes. Regal Stadium 14, Santa Fe. (Not reviewed)
PAUL BLART: MALL COP 2 The Oscar season begins early this year, when Kevin James once more grows out his mustache and hops aboard a Segway to regale us all with the adventures of Paul Blart, mall cop. This time, the action spills out of the food court and over to Las Vegas. Rated PG. 94 minutes. Regal Stadium 14, Santa Fe; Dream Catcher, Española. (Not reviewed)
THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE John Huston’s 1951 black-and-white film adaptation of Stephen Crane’s Civil War novel is considered a butchered masterpiece by some and a slow-moving misfire by others. In truth, it’s somewhere in between — a solid portrayal of the fear, courage, and comradeship soldiers face under fire. MGM had no faith in the movie and cut it to pieces. It’s one of the first films to inspire a “makingof” account — Lillian Ross’ book Picture. The film includes some haunting imagery and strong performances, including by World War II hero-turned-actor Audie Murphy as the main protagonist. Presented by Santa Fe Opera. 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 21 only. Not rated. 69 minutes. Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe. (Robert Nott)
REEL NEW MEXICO The monthly series showcasing independent films with a New Mexico connection continues with Made on Route 66, a compilation of clips from movies shot on or around the storied highway. 6:45 p.m. Friday, April 17, only. Not rated. Vista Grande Public Library, 14 Avenida Torreon, El Dorado. No charge (Not reviewed)
THE TALES OF HOFFMANN This 1951 film reinterpretation of the Offenbach opera, created by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the team responsible for the twisted classic ballet film The Red Shoes, has been newly restored. To call it the first lip-syncing music video (on film) is to do an injustice to the radical idea that dancers should be cast to play almost all the roles instead of singers. With silent-movie-style acting, an edited Offenbach score, and sets that flow like a dance, the result is a mind-blower, as over-the-top and visually bizarre as movies come. The cast includes ballet luminaries Moira Shearer, Frederick Ashton, Léonide Massine, Robert Helpmann, and Ludmilla Tchérina. Not rated. 128 minutes. Jean Cocteau Cinema, Santa Fe. (Michael Wade Simpson) See review, Page 46.
TRUE STORY James Franco and Jonah Hill quit clowning around to play across from each other in this thriller, which is based on true events. Hill plays Michael Finkel, a New York Times writer who is disgraced when he is caught fabricating a story. Soon after, he finds himself in the kind of situation you can’t make up when a killer (Franco) assumes his identity. Rated R. 100 minutes. Regal DeVargas, Santa Fe. (Not reviewed)
UNFRIENDED Cyberbullying and teen suicide have been two big topics of conversation lately. This horror film tackles both issues by attempting to squeeze scares out of a story in which an online chat group is haunted by a friend who the members thought was dead. Rated R. 82 minutes. Regal Stadium 14, Santa Fe; Dream Catcher, Española. (Not reviewed)
WHITE GOD Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó uses a dog’s life as a savage metaphor for the oppression and brutalizing of the poor and powerless in a Europe where xenophobic hostility is on the rise. It is a movie that ought to come with a warning sticker, lest animal lovers wander in expecting The Incredible Journey. It begins as a girl-and-her-dog story, but it doesn’t take long before we get hints that this will not be a warm and fuzzy tale. Teenaged Lili (Zsófia Psotta) and her beloved Hagen (played by sibling dogs Luke and Bodie) are separated, and the movie is clearly headed toward their reunion, but the route it takes is unexpected and harsh — and the destination is bittersweet at best. Rated R. 119 minutes. In Hungarian with subtitles. The Screen, Santa Fe. ( Jonathan Richards) See review, Page 44.
now in theaters
CINDERELLA Director Kenneth Branagh tackles the famed fairy tale, shooting it as an all-ages costume drama devoid of singing mice. Lily James plays the title character, Richard Madden is Prince Charming, Cate Blanchett plays the wicked stepmother, and Helena Bonham Carter is the fairy godmother. Rated PG. 112 minutes. Regal Stadium 14, Santa Fe; DreamCatcher, Española. (Not reviewed)
DANNY COLLINS Al Pacino is the title character, an aging rock star who has been coasting by on his old material for years. When his manager (Christopher Plummer) discovers a never-seen letter of encouragement from John Lennon to Collins, the singer is inspired to write his own songs and tend to his personal life once more. Annette Bening co-stars. Inspired by folk singer Steve Tilston’s story. Rated R. 106 minutes. Regal DeVargas, Santa Fe. (Not reviewed)
FURIOUS 7 This long-running franchise began with fairly simple street racing as The Fast and the Furious and now includes a star-studded cast that travels the globe using wildly implausible methods to combat terrorists, shadow armies, elaborate hacking schemes, and more. The formula works, as each film seems more successful than the last. This entry is the first for Kurt Russell, Djimon Hounsou, and Jason Statham (discounting an uncredited cameo), but the last for Paul Walker, who died during filming and is given a touching send-off. The film is more of the same — revenge, family, bad jokes, and vroom vroom — but bigger than ever. It runs a bit long, and the series has always had third-act struggles (How do you go over the top of over the top?), but, as ever, fans get their money’s worth. Rated PG-13. 137 minutes. Regal Stadium 14, Santa Fe; DreamCatcher, Española. (Robert Ker)
GET HARD One of the hottest comics of the 2000s (Will Ferrell) teams up with one of the hottest comics of the 2010s (Kevin Hart) for this prison film. Ferrell plays a white-collar criminal who finds himself in the big house, where he forms an unlikely friendship with an inmate (Hart) who helps him get by, with often wacky results. Rated R. 100 minutes. Regal Stadium 14, Santa Fe; DreamCatcher, Española. (Not reviewed)
HOME An alien named Oh (voiced by Jim Parsons) arrives on Earth and meets a human named Tip (Rihanna). He turns her set of wheels into a hover car, and they go on a road trip around the world. This comedy from DreamWorks Animation looks vaguely like Lilo & Stitch, only with fart jokes and Steve Martin as an alien who delivers lines like “Give daddy some sugar.” Rated PG. 94 minutes. Screens in 3-D and 2-D at Regal Stadium 14, Santa Fe. Screens in 2-D only at DreamCatcher, Española. (Not reviewed)
INSURGENT The 2014 sci-fi film Divergent was a modest success, but it has enough fans for this sequel, released almost one year later. To the uninitiated, the plot may seem like nonsense, but admirers of the first film and the book series on which it is based will get it. Rated PG-13. 119 minutes. Screens in 2-D only at Regal Stadium 14, Santa Fe. (Not reviewed)
JAUJA The latest film from Argentine director Lisandro Alonso (Liverpool) is a dreamlike Western that follows a man (Viggo Mortensen) through the Patagonian wilderness on a quest to find his missing daughter. Shot in the 4x3 aspect ratio of pre-widescreen cinema and with vibrant colors that pop from the screen, this is one unusual, fantastic-looking film. The plot may confound viewers through its absurdist twists, but it’s a contemplative work of cinema that is hard to forget. Not rated. 109 minutes. In Spanish and Danish with subtitles. The Screen, Santa Fe. (Robert Ker)
KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE The spy movie shifts away from the gritty realism of Jason Bourne and Daniel Craig’s James Bond and back to the spirit of the 1960s secret-agent men in this colorful, over-the-top caper by director Matthew Vaughn. Taron Egerton plays an aimless kid who is recruited into an elite spy organization by Harry Hart (Colin Firth) and soon finds himself trying to stop a harebrained scheme by billionaire mastermind Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson). This is a satisfying, energetic, irreverent romp that is full of ideas. The MVP award goes to costume designer Arianne Phillips. Rated R. 129 minutes. Regal Stadium 14, Santa Fe. (Robert Ker)
KUMIKO, THE TREASURE HUNTER Kumiko, a solitary dreamer, believing the stash of money Steve Buscemi’s character buries in the movie Fargo really exists, sets off on an adventure from her home in Tokyo to Minnesota to seek it out — but money troubles and language barriers threaten to disrupt her plans. Wrapped in a stolen blanket and armed only with her treasure
map, compass, and a copy of Fargo, she braves the harsh winter snows on her quest. Loosely based on an urban legend surrounding Takako Konishi, a Tokyo office worker who committed suicide in 2001, David and Nathan Zellner’s fable is full of humor and laced with fantasy, a moving story about chasing one’s dreams. Not rated. 105 minutes. In English and Japanese with subtitles. Jean Cocteau Cinema, Santa Fe. (Michael Abatemarco)
THE LONGEST RIDE The latest romance based on a Nicholas Sparks book (The Notebook) is this weepie that intertwines two tales of potentially doomed love. Britt Robertson plays a young woman who, just before moving to New York, meets a strapping bull rider (Scott Eastwood) who teaches her how to buck a bronco (in scenes more suggestive than anything in Fifty Shades of Grey). They’re inspired by an old-timer (Alan Alda) who shares his own story of romance. Rated PG-13. 139 minutes. Regal Stadium 14, Santa Fe; DreamCatcher, Española. (Not reviewed)
MERCHANTS OF DOUBT Robert Kenner’s absurdly entertaining and deeply troubling documentary exposes some of the techniques used by polluting industries to con the public into believing that science is hokum, climate change is an opinion, and up is down. Pioneered by Big Tobacco, these tools of misdirection and misinformation are now used by corporate interests to create public doubt in the cynical calculation that every day regulatory legislation can be stalled is another day to fatten the bottom line. Merchants of Doubt is loaded with devastating material, but it also manages to keep its style and its mood entertaining. PG-13. 96 minutes. Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe. ( Jonathan Richards)
REVENGE OF THE MEKONS This is the story of how the Mekons — the ultimate cult band and critics’ darling — came together as students in Leeds in 1977 and how they’ve kept going through the years, remaining true to their vision and consistently producing inspiring work. Mekons fans will appreciate the interviews with various members past and present and the stage footage through the decades — including some extremely rare clips of early shows. Fans of the band should bring a friend or two to try to expand the cult following just a little. Not rated. 96 minutes. Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe. (Steve Terrell).
THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL The whole gang is back — most notably Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and Bill Nighy — for another stay in the hotel for retired Brits in India. This time, Richard Gere brings an American twist to the proceedings, getting a few of the women all atwitter. Rated PG. 122 minutes. Regal DeVargas, Santa Fe. (Not reviewed)
SEYMOUR: AN INTRODUCTION A chance meeting with the remarkable musician Seymour Bernstein inspired actor Ethan Hawke to direct this intimate and beguiling documentary. Bernstein withdrew from a serious career as a concert pianist when he decided that touring did not make him happy, and devoted himself instead to teaching, contemplating, and loving music. He strews nuggets of wisdom without being self-conscious or pompous about it. Bernstein is the sort of elder sage anyone would benefit from spending time with, and viewers cannot help but derive inspiration from their exposure to this kind, sensitive, compassionate soul. No music lover should miss the opportunity — nor should anyone else. Rated PG. 84 minutes. Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe. ( James M. Keller)
WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS This mockumentary features the daily lives of vampires living together in Wellington, New Zealand. Viago (Taika Waititi), Deacon ( Jonathan Brugh), and Vladislav ( Jemaine Clement) argue over the standard of cleanliness in their vampire den and go out for nights on the town. At about 85 minutes, the film is nearly too long, but it maintains its appeal through absurdity and sheer charm. Written and directed by Waititi and Clement (the HBO series Flight of the Conchords), Shadows presents vampires bumbling along and doing their best. Not rated. 86 minutes. Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe. (Adele Oliveira)
WHILE WE’RE YOUNG Ben Stiller and filmmaker Noah Baumbach, who collaborated so memorably on 2010’s Greenberg, re-team to explore the bittersweet complexity of middle age once more. This time, Stiller and Naomi Watts play a married couple whose lives are shaken up when they befriend a couple in their mid-twenties (Adam Driver and Amanda Seyfried). Rated R. 97 minutes. Regal DeVargas, Santa Fe. (Not reviewed)
WILD TALES Writer/director Damián Szifron dissects and cauterizes modern Argentine society with this Oscarnominated black comedy anthology of six stories connected by a common theme: revenge. Some of the episodes make their point with economy and an almost surgical precision. Others drag on. The tales grow increasingly darker in mood, until sometimes it’s hard to see the comedy through the pessimism, and some of the material is not for the faint of heart. Cinematic revenge, served cold or hot, is always satisfying, and Szifron takes us through a wild assortment of flavors and seasonings. Rated R. 122 minutes. In Spanish with subtitles. Regal DeVargas, Santa Fe. ( Jonathan Richards)
WOMAN IN GOLD Helen Mirren plays Maria Altmann in this art-world thriller, based on true events. More than 50 years after a 1907 portrait of Altmann’s aunt is taken from her husband by the Nazis during World War II, their niece teams up with an American lawyer (Ryan Reynolds) to fight the Austrian government for her inheritance. The painting in question is Gustav Klimt’s iconic Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I. Rated PG-13. 109 minutes. Regal DeVargas, Santa Fe; DreamCatcher, Española. (Not reviewed)
other screenings
Center for Contemporary Arts, 505-982-1338 4 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. Sunday, April 19: Santa Fe Jewish Film Festival presents Above and Beyond. Jean Cocteau Cinema, 505-466-5528 Lunch Hour; Royal Shakespeare Company: Love’s Labour’s Won. Regal Stadium 14 Opens Thursday, April 23: Little Boy. The Screen, 505-473-6494 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 22: Run Free: The True Story of Caballo Blanco. 7 p.m. Thursday, April 23: The New York Film Critic Series presents The Water Diviner with a simulcast Q& A with star Russell Crowe.