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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us July 28, 2005 Trio of indie films lights up the Varsity By Chris Honoré Tidings reviewer There are three indies currently playing at the Varsity Theatre that are small gems. “March of the Penguins,” a remarkable film, will certainly run for more than a couple of weeks; however, “Dear Frankie” and “Saving Face” will likely have a short run and if you love movies that tell complex and interesting stories, with characters that captivate, then don’t let the latter two slip away. “Dear Frankie” “Dear Frankie” focuses on a 9-year-old boy, Frankie (Jack McElhone), who is deaf, and who leads a fugitive existence with his mother, Lizzie (Emily Mortimer) and his grandmother, Nell (Mary Riggins). They are on the run for reasons that are, while not sinister, tragic and are slowly disclosed as the film progresses. Having little that is constant in his life, other than his mother and grandmother, Frankie writes letters to his absent father who he believes is away at sea, a merchant mariner. Twice monthly he receives in return an epistle from a distant and exotic seaport. The correspondence is Frankie’s lifeline to a relationship that has grown dear, even essential. His father is someone with whom he carries on a type of heartfelt dialogue, sharing his most closely held thoughts and aspirations. In his room, Frankie has a map of the world and in it are stuck countless pins with small red flags showing where his father’s ship, the H.M.S. Accra, has been. But it is Frankie’s journey that is telling, and it is the depth of his commitment that is so profoundly moving. “Dear Frankie” is a wonderfully constructed movie, well-written, and nicely acted by a strong ensemble, led by McElhone and Mortimer. Typical of English films (actually it is Scottish), the narrative builds slowly and the director, Shona Aeurbach, is never afraid to let the camera to linger; it’s all about the moment. There are many unexpected moments in this tender and surprising film. And while it is tempting to explain more about the plot, suffice it to say that part of the enjoyment of watching this fine movie is seeing it unfold in three seamless acts having no clear sense of what will happen next. “Saving Face” “Saving Face” is a wonderful, humorous movie about a second generation Chinese woman, Wil (Michelle Krusiec), who is also a 28-year-old medical resident at a Manhattan hospital. She is bright, living alone, and unmarried. It is the mission of her very traditional mother, Ma (Joan Chen), to find a nice Chinese husband for her daughter. What is not anticipated is that Wil comes home from the hospital to her midtown walkup and finds her mother sitting on the stoop, waiting. As it turns out, Ma is pregnant (Wil’s father is long ago deceased) and refuses to tell who the father is. It is a nice role reversal and makes for some interesting dialogue and tension. Ma, as it turns out, has decided to move in with Wil. Wil’s grandparents, Ma’s parents, are deeply traditional, first-generation immigrants from mainland China, and, of course, scandalized. Soon the entire Chinese enclave knows. The father insists that he will lose face and his daughter must marry as soon as possible. Suddenly the search for a suitable husband focuses on Ma and not Wil. And so the film evolves. It is filled with fine acting, and examines not only Ma’s seemingly untenable situation, but Wil’s sexuality when she meets Vivian (Lynn Chen), an attractive ballet dancer. This is a sweet movie and enjoyable to the final frame. “March of the Penguins” First things first: “March of the Penguins” is a stunning film. It accomplishes exactly what all good documentaries should, and that is take the audience to a place that they have never ventured before and, while there, broaden and enlighten and shift their view of the world. It is set in Antarctica, a place of stark and severe beauty where no living cells can be found and temperatures drop to 70 degrees below zero, where the wind can blow over 100 miles per hour and the blindingly white ice-covered landscape stretches for miles in all directions. That is where we will watch one of the most improbable migrations imaginable, that of the emperor penguin, as it leaves its home in the sea in early March and sets off to its mating ground some 70 miles away. Walking on legs ill-suited for the journey, using an internal compass that has evolved over the millennia, they march in long lines, sometimes sliding on their stomachs, moving ever onward toward the distant horizon. And when they arrive at their destination, a flat plain protected to the north by an archipelago of dark islets and to the South by the looming cliffs of the continent, they set about the ritual of finding a mate. Soon the female will produce one egg and the couple will join together in a well-choreographed effort to keep the egg warm through the harshest winter imaginable and then feed and raise the small chick that eventually hatches. All the while, the forces of nature will conspire against the survival of first the egg and then the chick. How the egg and the fledgling prevail is a story of remarkable luck and commitment, tender and touching and sad, for in this, the most formidable of climates, many will fall away. Eggs will freeze as will chicks (it takes only seconds), and those penguins that are too old, or who have become separated from the rookery, will die and then disappear in the snow and ice. Life is unforgiving and unsentimental. The emperor penguins’ march from the sea to its mating grounds and then back has been taking place for thousands of years. It reveals in intricate detail the irrefutable power of instinct, of astonishingly complex and highly adaptive behavior which is deeply imbedded in the genetic makeup of the birds. But what makes “March of the Penguins” so powerful and so touching is due in great part to what the audience brings to the moviegoing experience. What the filmmakers realize and play on brilliantly is the inclination of humans to anthropomorphize so many of the animals with whom we share the planet. And the emperor penguin is perfectly suited to just such a projection. They stand upright, have arms (actually flippers), long, graceful necks and interesting faces. When they mate they’re monogamous, if only for one year. They form a family unit, dedicated to caring for the egg and then raising their small chick. Hence, it is easy to call the film a love story, and attribute to the penguin the qualities of fidelity, courage, and commitment — as if they had a choice. And it is the concept of choice that is critical here. Clearly what we are watching is behavior that has evolved over thousands of years, which has deviated very little. What the penguins do they do because they can do no less. Why they leave the sea, a milieu to which they are supremely well adapted (an emperor penguin can dive to depths of 1,400 feet and hold its breath for more than 15 minutes), and march inland is inexplicable. And if the penguins thought about it, they would certainly find another way. But again, they do what they must, devoid of reflection or even emotion as we define it. In other words, this is not a love story and the small chick peeking out from between the legs of its father is not the Beaver. No matter what Morgan Freeman, the film’s sonorous narrator, says. From the first frame “March of the Penguins” dazzles and fascinates. In a word, it is breathtaking. You can almost hear the audience say, collectively, “Who knew?” and rightly so, for no filmmaker before Luc Jacquet has ever captured these animals as they make this surprising and revealing pilgrimage. This is an amazing movie; one not to be missed. Bad News Bears A former minor league baseball player is lured back to the game as a coach to the losingest team in Little League. Billy Bob Thornton, Greg Kinnear, Marcia Gay Harden. PG-13 for rude behavior, language throughout, some sexuality and thematic elements/114 min. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Charlie Bucket comes from a poor family, but things may change for him when he finds one of five gold tickets hidden in chocolate bars. The ticket allows him, as well as the children who find the other tickets, to take a tour of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Directed by Tim Burton (“Edward Scissorhands”, upcoming “Corpse Bride”); Starring Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore. PG for quirky situations, action and mild language/115 min. Howl’s Moving Castle A teenage girl working in a hat shop is literally swept off her feet by a wizard, then turned into a 90-year-old woman by a wicked witch in this fantasy anime. Directed by Hayao Miyazaki (“Spirited Away”) Voice Talents of Emily Mortimer, Christian Bale, Jean Simmons, Lauren Bacall, Billy Crystal, Blythe Danner. PG for frightening images and brief mild language/119 min. The Island Inhabitants of a seemingly utopian society learn that everything about their lives is a lie. When they learn the true reason for their existence, they escape to literally meet their makers. Directed by Michael Bay (“Pearl Harbor,” “Armageddon”) Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johannsen, Djimon Hounsou, Steve Buscemi, Michael Clarke Duncan PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sexuality and language/138 min. Mad Hot Ballroom A profile of several children and their journey into the world of ballroom dancing. The 11-year-olds go from reluctantly participating to preparing to competing in citywide finals. PG for some thematic elements/105 min. Must Love Dogs A newly divorced pre-school teacher cautiously rediscovers romance with the enthusiastic but often misguided help of her well-meaning family. Diane Lane, John Cusack, Dermot Mulroney, Elizabeth Perkins, Stockard Channing, Christopher Plummer. PG-13 for sexual content/98 min. Sky High The son of the world’s most legendary superheroes is enrolling in a high school for power-gifted students — tomorrow’s superheroes. But Will has no superpowers, and has been relegated to studying to be a sidekick. Kurt Russell, Michael Angarano, Kelly Preston, Bruce Campbell. PG for action violence and some mild language/98 min. Stealth The Air Force engineers a self-piloting fighter plane with artificial intelligence, and are shocked when their creation begins attacking on its own authority. Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx, Sam Shepard, Joe Morton, Richard Roxburgh. PG-13 for intense action, some violence, brief strong language and innuendo/121 min. Wedding Crashers A pair of “divorce mediators” spend their weekends crashing weddings in search of Mrs. Right…for a night. Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson, Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams R for sexual content/nudity and language/120 min. 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