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Puppy Love
- 1. 62 T HE I M P R O P E R EditedbyMeghanKavanaugh Advice to Contributors Submit film listings by mail to “Calendar: Movies” or by email to movies@improper.com. Include address, phone number, date, time, price, nearest T stop and a brief description. Deadline is four weeks prior to publication. Listings not accepted over phone. ReviewsbyBrettMichel Cinderella HHHDisneyguaranteedaudiences wouldshowupfordirectorKennethBranagh’slive- actionremakeoftheir1950animatedhitbypreceding itwitha7-minutemini-sequeltothe2013animated smashFrozen.Butlikemostfollow-ups,thisshortis aletdown.So,hownicethatthemaineventissucha pleasantsurprise.Whilenotamusicalretelling(sure todisappointsomeDisneyphiles),it’sneverthelessa worthytribute.StarringDowntonAbbey’sLilyJames asthewould-beprincess,thislatestinDisney’srecent spateofflesh-and-bloodreconfigurationsofitsani- matedclassicsfeaturesastandoutperformanceby CateBlanchettasamoremoderninterpretationof Cinderella’sstepmother,LadyTremaine.Unsurpris- ingly,sheattemptstostopherstepdaughterfromslip- pingherperfectlyfittingfootinsidethefamedglass slipperandwinningtheheartofherPrinceCharming (GameofThrones’RichardMadden).Whatissurpris- ing,however,isthatTremaineistheonlywomanin thekingdomnottotryonthecrystallinepump.Acul- turedwomanhopingtoprovidestabilityforherfam- ily,andshedoesn’teventrytoclaimaplaceasthenew queen?Thisisafairytale!(AtBostonCommon,Fen- way,AssemblyRowandinthesuburbs.) Clouds of Sils Maria HHH 1/2 Youmaynot knowhisname,butknowthis:OlivierAssayasis oneofourgreatestlivingdirectors.The60-year- oldFrenchmancontinuestobuilduponanamazing filmographyseenbyfewintheU.S.withhislatest, achallengingdramaaboutactingthatcomments oncelebrity,gossipcultureandyoung,overprivi- legedstarlets.Talkytoafault,itfeaturesspectac- ularactingturnsbyOscarwinnerJulietteBinoche asMariaEnders,anagingactressjustpastthepeak ofherinternationalcareer,andKristenStewartas herpersonalassistant,Valentine.That’sright,Twi- light’smopeybrunetteisoneofthefilm’smany slydelights,offeringameta-commentaryonher ownpersonainaproductionthatrecallsBerg- man’schamberdramas,morespecifically—and fittingly—Persona.Don’tlaugh:Stewartbecame thefirstAmericantoeverwinaBestActressCésar (France’sOscar)withthisperformance,which buildsuponherrecentcriminallyunheraldedwork inStillAliceandthelittle-seenCampX-Ray.Butthis isBinoche’sshow.AsMaria’srelationshipwithVal- entineincreasinglyechoesthatoftheleadsinthe playshe’srehearsing,Assayascommentsnolonger, allowingustointerprethismasterfullyambiguous ending.(AtKendallSquare.) PUPPY LOVE Manypeoplewouldrathernotrelivetheirawkward teenageyears.Butinembracingandexploringthetumultuousyearsofadolescence, directorFernandoEimbckehasfoundhiscinematicsweetspot.Inhislatestfilm,Club Sandwich,athick-as-thievesmotherandson,PalomaandHéctor,arepushedapart byablossomingromancebetweenPaloma’sno-longer-so-littleboyandthespunky Jazmínduringsummervacation.PlayingattheHarvardFilmArchiveonApril27, thefilmclosesoutaseriesontheMexicanfilmmaker’sworkandfeaturesavisitfrom Eimbckehimself.AndbesuretocatchEimbcke’sotherteenangst-inducedflicks, LakeTahoeandDuckSeason,screeningonApril24-27. /HannahLanders Danny Collins H1/2“Thefollowingiskindof basedonatruestory,”readstheonscreentextatthe startofthismaudlinmessofamovie,beforeit’squal- ifiedwiththewords“alittlebit.”AlPacinoembar- rasseshimselfmorethanusualasthetitlecharacterin thedirectorialdebutofscreenwriterDanFogelman, whopullsdoubledutyaswriterofthisshamelesstrea- cle,whichfollowshisscriptforLastVegas,afilmthat offeredcrummyrolesfornolessthanRobertDeNiro, MichaelDouglas,KevinKlineandMorganFreeman. Fogelman’snothingifnotconsistent.DannyCollinsis anaging1970srockerwhowearsagirdlewhilecroak- inghissignaturehit,“Hey,BabyDoll,”whichsounds likeasongNeilDiamondmighthavecomeupwith, butnothingatalllikesomethingpennedbytheinspi- rationforCollins,BritishfolksingerSteveTilston. LikeCollins,though,Tilstondiddiscoverahandwrit- tenfanletterfromJohnLennonnearly40yearsafter itwassent,butit’sherethatrealityendsandFogel- man’sschmaltzyfictionbegins,promptingCollins to“embarkonaheartfeltjourney,”accordingtothe pressnotes.Don’tbelieveit.Notevenalittlebit.(At CoolidgeCorner,WestNewtonandinthesuburbs.) The Divergent Series: Insurgent HHThis dystopianborebasedonthemiddleinstallmentof VeronicaRoth’syoungadultnovelsonceagainstars ShaileneWoodleyasKatniss...err,Tris,andTheoJames as,um,Four,placingthemintheruinsofwhathadbeen Chicago.Tris,herbrotherCaleb(AnselElgort)and FourhavebeenhidingfromJeanine(KateWinslet), butwhenthevillain’strigger-happytroopsfindthem, thetriomanagetoescapeonaspeedingtrain,with Fourleapinginfrontofit,likeSuperman.Andwhynot? EventhoughtheDivergentserieshasbeenpackagedas aprogressivegirl-powershowcase,thisfilmbackpedals onmuscularfeminismasitshiftstheactionfocusonto Four,whosavesTrismorethanonce.Wediscoverthat Tris’motherdiedinthepreviousmovienotonlypro- tectingherdaughter,butalsotryingtokeepatotemic LED-bedazzledbox(appearingnowhereinthenovel) fromfallingintoJeanine’shands—whichitdoes,any- way.CalebhelpfullytellsTris(andconfusedreaders ofthebook)thatitcontainsaVeryImportantMessage fromtheFounders—whichcanonlybeaccessedvia Trisandhersuperbvirtualrealityvideogameskills.Or something.(AtAssemblyRow,BostonCommon,Fen- way,Somervilleandinthesuburbs.) Ex Machina HH 1/2 Manyviewersofthisscience fictionthriller,thedirectingdebutofAlexGarland, writerofDannyBoyle’s28DaysLaterandSunshine, willmispronouncethetitleofthismovie,oblivi- oustoitsorigins.Thisisprobablyforthebest,since Garland’sscriptisn’tnearlyassmartasheseemsto thinkitis.Ostensibly,thisisafilmaboutthemost advancedartificialintelligenceevercreated.Toobad writer/directorSpikeJonzeexploredthisconceptfar moreeffectivelytwoyearsagowithhisOscar-win- ningscriptforHer,whichfeaturedamanfallingin lovewiththeoperatingsysteminhiscellphone.That OSwasvoicedbyanunseenScarlettJohansson,while here,theAIisvisiblyembodiedbyAliciaVikanderas Ava.CalebSmith(DomhnallGleeson),aprogrammer