Metro Pulse Online: Movies, Past &Amp; Future

Armed only with his mysterious mental connection to the feral minds of studio executives, the Movie Guru reveals just how good or bad this week's new releases will be:

The Barbarian Invasions (R)
Seventeen years after his acclaimed The Decline of the American Empire, writer/director Denys Arcand delivers the sequel. Remy (Rémy Girard) is diagnosed with a terminal illness, and his estranged son Sebastien (Stéphane Rousseau) flies to Montreal to take care of him. In his own efficient, business-like way, Sebastien arranges for his dad’s old friends and lovers to come to his bedside for hours of reminiscing.
Prediction: The film, critically praised for its blend of laughter and pathos, won awards at Cannes for Best Screenplay and Best Actress. But it’s also been accused of being overly intellectual and contrived. Hey, it’s French.

Dawn of the Dead (R)
In this remake of George A. Romero’s 1978 original, a mysterious plague wipes out the population but causes the dead to rise from their graves. A few survivors (including Sarah Polley, Mekhi Phifer and Ving Rhames) hide out in a shopping mall to try to save their skin...from being eaten by the zombies. Eww.
Prediction: Zombie movies were made cool again by Danny Boyle’s creepy and apocalyptic 28 Days Later. But that film was a grainy, digital homage to the originals; a glossy remake might not have the same zing.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (R)
Based on everyone’s favorite post-breakup fantasy, this script by Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) presents Lacuna, Inc., a company that can surgically remove pesky memories of disastrous relationships. In this case, it’s the mental images of ex-boyfriend Joel (Jim Carrey) from the mind of Clementine (Kate Winslet). When Joel finds out she won’t be thinking of him anymore, he opts for the same procedure. But sweeping their tumultuous times together from his memory isn’t as easy or desirable as he originally suspected. With a fabulous cast of Tom Wilkinson, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood and Kirsten Dunst.
Prediction: This movie will further the genius of Charlie Kaufman and launch the popularity of hypnotherapy for expunging exes from irritated memory banks everywhere.

Taking Lives (R)
Angelina Jolie plays an FBI profiler who uses “unorthodox” methods to track down serial killers with weird fetishes. Using her pouty lips and curvy hips in ways that Mulder and Scully could only dream about, Special Agent Scott pursues a killer who assumes the identities of those he has killed. Ethan Hawke plays the jumpy key witness and possible suspect; Kiefer Sutherland reprises his ubiquitous bad-guy persona.
Prediction: A creative and well-executed suspense thriller is an anomaly in the film industry. A stellar cast and eerie score by Phillip Glass give this one chilling potential.

Christ, There’s More

Although the Access Hollywoods of the world have already bled Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ dry of much of its controversy, the film (as of this writing) is still on top at the box office. Many remain shocked that a foreign language film about Jesus could amass such a fortune. But Gibson’s cash cow is hardly the first time the Nazarene carpenter has visited the silver screen.

In 1961, Nicholas Ray directed King of Kings (NR), an epic narrated by both Ray Bradbury and Orson Welles. What sets King of Kings apart from other films about Jesus is that it isn’t really about the itinerant preacher at all. Rather, Jesus is a supporting character. The rebellion of Jewish malcontents against Rome, the decadence of Herod’s court, and the imprisonment of John the Baptist take up much of the screen time.

This approach provides much-needed historical context that Gibson’s movie lacks. But when you finally do get to Jesus, you have little idea of who he is or why you should care. When the story tries to play catch up, it feels fake. The Sermon on the Mount, for instance, becomes a soundbite-crammed catchall, with much of the dialogue taken out of context. It also doesn’t help that Jesus, with his pale white skin and deep blue eyes, looks more like a displaced albino surfer than a Middle Eastern Jew.

Jesus of Montreal (R, 1989) is another offbeat approach to the passion. In it, a ragtag acting troupe update a church’s annual Passion play. Jesus becomes the illegitimate son of a Roman soldier and the crucifixion takes place with Christ naked and turned sideways (an accuracy Gibson neglected despite his love of historical bloodbath). The church does not approve and asks that the play be changed. Soon the actors find themselves becoming more like the characters they play, especially Daniel, the actor portraying Jesus. Eventually tragedy strikes. But death doesn’t hold Daniel down. Jesus of Montreal is a fascinating retelling of the story of Jesus and a criticism of institutionalized power.

—Lloyd Babbit