Film Reviews

MARIE ANTOINETTE  See film feature

THE MARINE WWE champion John Cena plays a Marine so elite he can uncover al Qaeda fortresses in Iraq. But as those who’ve seen Cena beat up Vince McMahon know, he has a problem with authority. Discharged from the service and fired from his first civilian job for getting in a fight, he’s on a nice peaceful vacation with his wife (Kelly Carlson) when he runs afoul of a gang of diamond thieves led by Robert Patrick. A lengthy chase through the apparently alligator-infested swamps of South Carolina ensues. As an action hero, Cena’s no Rock, though he could be the next Roddy Piper, except for the fact that he appears to have taken his catch phrase “You Can’t See Me” too literally, becoming a peripheral player in his own movie. Patrick and henchman Anthony Ray Parker dominate, the latter hilariously recounting childhood traumas involving rock candy. Tongues are planted firmly in cheek; it’s impossible to endorse a full-price ticket, but fans of campy action should check this out. (Citywide) (Luke Y. Thompson)

One big happy family?

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THE PRESTIGE See film feature (Citywide)

RUNNING WITH SCISSORS See film feature (Citywide)

SLEEPING DOGS LIE A movie with a premise and an ad campaign promising sexual outrageousness, Sleeping Dogs Lie turns out to be rather tame, give or take a few shots of dogs pooping. Written and directed by comedian Bobcat Goldthwait, the film tells of the lovely Amy (Melinda Page Hamilton), a grade school teacher who foolishly admits to her fiancé (Bryce Johnson) that one night back in college she had an appallingly intimate encounter with her dog. He freaks, as do her parents, who get the news from Amy’s bitter, meth-addicted brother (Jack Plotnick, working hard). It takes Goldthwait about half the movie to get to all this, and once he does, things turn fairly serious. So much so that one realizes that the filmmaker is attempting a grown-up look at the impact of secrets on family life. That’s admirable enough, and the director’s principals, including Colby French as Amy’s co-worker, give solid, committed performances. Yet Amy’s sin never for a second rings true, and eventually grows tiresome. Goldthwait’s filmmaking has certainly improved since his so-bad-it’s-funny feature debut, Shakes the Clown, but next time out, he may need to admit to himself that he’s outgrown the adolescent humor that made him famous. (Sunset 5; Monica 4-Plex; Playhouse 7; Galleria Stadium 16) (Chuck Wilson)

. . . SO GOES THE NATION From its riveting opening to its gripping conclusion, . . . So Goes the Nation is arguably the most intelligent, kinetic analysis of the modern election process since The War Room. Documentary filmmakers James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo take us back to the contentious final weeks of the 2004 presidential campaign as George W. Bush and John Kerry battled for Ohio’s decisive 20 electoral votes. Aided by hindsight — not to mention interviews from a bevy of influential strategists, including both parties’ national-committee chairman and campaign manager — Nation replays the contest with a mostly unbiased, always electric urgency, as if the outcome hasn’t yet been decided. While Beltway wonks will happily devour the behind-the-scenes anecdotes, even the average viewer will be swept up by the cold-blooded candor of these political operatives, who nonchalantly evaluate their candidates as well-honed products to be sold to voters. As a counterpoint to these professional campaigners, Nation also takes us into the lives of Bush and Kerry volunteers. The eager idealism evident on both sides adds up to a multifaceted portrait of the people who make up our divided electorate. With its mixture of thoughtful insight and cinéma vérité authenticity, Nation makes it clear that elections are ultimately an intermingling of heart and head, of strongly felt passions and virtuoso tactics. Kerry supporters might be hoping for a sad-eyed memorial to his failed presidential bid, but the filmmakers have done the Democrats a more meaningful service: This is an instructive recap of how close they came to winning and a brutal assessment of what went wrong. (Regent Showcase) (Tim Grierson)

TIDELAND And now for something completely different from Terry Gilliam. Shot during the prolonged postproduction wrangling over The Brothers Grimm, this adaptation of Mitch Cullin’s novel smacks of a big “fuck you” to the studio suits. Produced by the famously hands-off Jeremy Thomas on Gilliam’s tightest budget in a long while, Tideland features what the MPAA accurately describes as “bizarre and disturbing content, including drug use, sexuality and gruesome situations, all involving a child.” Alone in a decrepit prairie farmhouse after her junkie parents embark on a permanent vacation, 10-year-old Jeliza-Rose (Jodelle Ferland) lets her fertile imagination run amok. And why not, when her only companions are witchy, glass-eyed taxidermist Dell (Janet McTeer); four disembodied Barbie heads; Dell’s lobotomized brother, Dickens (Brendan Fletcher); and a talking squirrel? Curiouser and curiouser: Several animated dream sequences suggest a Baptist Svankmajer, a prolonged disemboweling scene involves the flatulent corpse of a well-known movie star, and then there’s a disturbingly sexualized episode in which Jeliza-Rose entreats Dickens to take her upstairs and show her his “special secret.” If the content sounds extreme, the treatment is wilder still. Only Gilliam would swing a wide-angle lens about on a Steadicam for two hours. This Southern Gothic Alice in Wonderland is not for the faint-hearted, to be sure, yet amid the swaying chaff there are moments of piercing grace and beauty when we’re reminded of the lost, lonely child at the heart of this tale. If nothing else, it’s liberating to see one of cinema’s unrepentant fantasists going out on a limb like this and cutting loose. (Nuart) (Tom Charity)