January 18–25, 2001

movies

Screenpicks

Kubrick on the set of 2001.

The week in repertory film, TV and video.

by Sam Adams

2001: A Space Odyssey

(Tue., Jan. 23, 7:30 p.m., 8711 Germantown Avenue, www.armcinema25.com/ tuesdaynights.html)

With the theatrical rerelease of Stanley Kubrick’s phantasmagoric space opera possibly delayed until the end of the year (and a rumored 70mm-only policy that might prevent it from coming to Philadelphia altogether), the Chestnut Hill Film Society’s presentation has become something of an exclusive. Though you’d imagine the 16mm prints of this one have seen quite a bit of use over time, at least they’re running it in Panavision, so you’ll get some of the scope Kubrick intended.

Courage Under Fire

($29.98 DVD)

Something of an overlooked gem, Edward Zwick’s 1996 Gulf War Rashomon was marketed as an action movie and largely treated as such. But Courage Under Fire is mostly dedicated to the aftermath of war, rather than getting off on the adrenaline of a firefight. Lt. Colonel Nat Serling (Denzel Washington, in one of his rare vulnerable performances) plays an Army officer who mistakenly fires on one of his own tanks in the Gulf, killing several of his own men (although the Army won’t let him say so). He’s transferred to a desk job, where he’s tasked with investigating Capt. Karen Walden, a killed-in-action helicopter pilot (Meg Ryan) who’s slated to be the first female recipient of a Medal of Honor for combat. While the Army wants to rubber-stamp Walden’s nomination as a quick public relations fix, Serling starts tripping over inconsistencies as he interviews the men under her command. While the film builds to a disappointingly jingoistic climax (funny how much more latitude three years’ distance gave Three Kings in terms of sympathizing with the Iraqis), Courage sneaks in some fairly pointed criticisms of military cover-ups, most tellingly the long-standing policy of covering up deaths from "friendly fire." (A memorable scene in Oliver Stone’s Born on the Fourth of July makes a similar point.) An old-style Hollywood liberal, perhaps the Stanley Kramer of our times, Zwick (who also directed Glory and The Siege) makes large-scale message movies whose politics sometimes get swallowed by their sweeping theatrics. But Courage effectively peels backs the layers of lies surrounding Walden’s death, building to a horrifying truth far more unsettling than the usual blockbuster fare. On his commentary track, Zwick mostly steers clear of politics, but he does provide some interesting insights into Washington’s acting process. Watch also for Matt Damon’s breakthrough performance as one of Walden’s crew, a man whom guilt (even more than his drug addiction) has hollowed out and left wasted.

Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror

($24.99 DVD)

If you’re planning on seeing Shadow of the Vampire next weekend, better start doing your homework now. Though you needn’t have seen F.W. Murnau’s 1922 original in order to enjoy Shadow’s hypothetical making-of tale, it can’t hurt, and anything that sends you scurrying back to one of the touchstones of silent film is a good thing. (You’ll have a much greater appreciation of Eddie Izzard’s parody of his character’s borderline-terrible acting, at least.) Murnau’s film hasn’t aged well in all respects, but Max Schreck’s performance as the titular bloodsucker is one for the ages, and Murnau’s chiaroscuro imagery laid the groundwork for a good percentage of the vampire films that were to follow.

Cecil B. Demented

($24.98 DVD)

John Waters has become a better raconteur than he is a filmmaker, and while there’s little if anything to recommend about this massively ham-handed film, Waters’ commentary track is as entertaining as the film is flaccid. It’s a little odd to hear the lack of malice with which he talks about "Melanie" (Griffith, the starlet who’s abducted by the film’s eponymous cinema terrorist), but hearing him talk about how he convinced Waters regular Patricia Hearst to participate in what often plays like a parody of her own ordeal is priceless. Plus, who knew Baltimore’s favorite son hated crabcakes so much?