Stephen Fry wrote and directed this adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's Vile Bodies, one of the funniest books of the last century. The film brings to life a circle of Bright Young Things, members of a bohemian elite who flit from party to party and vow never to be boring (though they are often bored). Set between the two world wars, the story moves between fashionable London flats and English country houses. Adam (Stephen Campbell Moore), whose main preoccupation in life is scraping together enough money to marry Nina (Emily Mortimer) is something of an outsider, not being particularly wealthy. The characters are realists in romance, but cannot apply the same practicality to money, as they seek a rich and idle lifestyle lived mainly after midnight.

"An incredibly entertaining film with a magnificent cast ... a ball to watch." * * * ½ -- Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

  Imelda Staunton (Peter's Friends, Sense and Sensibility) was nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Vera Drake, who in 1950s Britain provided assistance to women facing back alley abortions. The film does not centre on the 'rightness' or 'wrongness' of abortion, opting to dramatize rather than preach. Drake — a kindly figure always ready to put the kettle on — keeps her sideline occupation a secret from her tight-knit family. She doesn't consider herself a criminal, although the service she provides is illegal. The secret implodes when one of the women she has 'helped' ends up in hospital and the investigation results in Drake's arrest. The once kindly chattering Vera becomes silent and frightened, bewildered by a dehumanizing journey through the judicial system.

"Leigh's ability to get the most compelling performances out of his actors — a quality that has defined his best movies (such as Secrets and Lies) — is in evidence here.... A stunningly real character portrait whose image will linger long after the movie has faded." * * * ½ -- James Berardinelli

"The film's greatest asset ... is Staunton's phenomenal performance as Vera." * * * * -- Adam Nayman, eye Weekly

  From the director and star of Amelie (Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Audrey Tautou) comes a very different love story: A Very Long Engagement, based on the acclaimed novel by Sebastien Japrisot tells the story of this young woman's relentless, moving and sometimes comic search for her fiancé, who disappeared during World War I. The film is set near the end of the war in France in the deadly trenches of the Somme, in the gilded Parisian halls of power, and in the modest home of an indomitable provincial girl.

"The barbarity of war and the implacable logic of revenge are softened by the voluptuous beauty of Jeunet's visuals and the magic of his storytelling." * * * ½ -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

  A romantic warrior breaks a beautiful member of a rebel army out of prison to help her rejoin her fellows, but things are not what they seem. Directed by Zhang Yimou (Hero, Raise the Red Lantern), the film lushly exhibits his characteristic vibrant use of colour and stylized choreography in a beautifully told story.

"Combines excitement, romance and astonishing physical beauty ... the plot, the characters, the intrigue ... are all splendid." * * * * -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Wednesday, March 30, 2 pm and 7:30 pm
The Merchant of Venice (PG)

(US/Italy/Luxembourg/UK, 2004)

  16th century Venice is brought to life by Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes and Lynn Collins in a must-see film adaptation of the Bard's enduring dark comedy. Michael Radford (Il Postino) is the first to bring the play, long dogged by controversy, to celluloid since the era of silent films. His version aspires to be not an anti-semitic story, but a story about anti-semitism. Pacino's Shylock is intense and unapologetic -- a man of feeling and deep wounds, who embraces and transcends the cruel caricature.

"Shylock is an intense, passionate character in a great play, and Radford's film does them justice." * * * -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

  The real-life story of Ramón Sampedro (Javier Bardem, Before Night Falls), a Spanish quadriplegic who fought a 30-year campaign in favour of euthanasia and his own right to die. Director Alejandro Amenábar (The Others) offers arguments to support both sides of this potentially charged issue, and lets viewers navigate with their hearts. A partly fictionalized ending brings speculation and mystery to Sampedro's death. In life, this articulate and impassioned man fought religious leaders, conservative activists, and his own brother's wishes, to realize his goal. He could not end his own life without enlisting the assistance of those who loved him, and thereby endangering their freedom. He wrote "I ... think that living is a right, not an obligation. Nevertheless, I have been obligated to tolerate this pitiful situation." Controversy exploded after Sampedro's death and the release of an open letter to Spanish authorities charged "It is not that my conscience finds itself trapped in the deformity of my atrophied and numb body; but in the deformity, atrophy, and insensitivity of your consciences."

"The Sea Inside is so far from a typical 'euthanasia' movie that it's startling. Whenever Hollywood tackles this subject, the melodrama and manipulation go into overdrive. Not here.... In what may well be the role of his career, Javier Bardem ... blows away the competition to give the most stirring and riveting male performance of 2004 (besting even Jamie Foxx's turn in Ray). " * * * ½ -- James Berardinelli

  Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle stars in the true-life story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who housed over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda. Rusesabagina is a Hutu, but his wife (Academy Award nominee Sophie Okonedo) is Tutsi and his children are threatened. As the horror of the genocide unfolds around his hotel, he calls in all the favours he is owed and summons all the tricks of an excellent hotel manager -- bribery, flattery, apology and deception -- to create a sanctuary. He is aided by Col. Oliver (Nick Nolte), a peacekeeper who found no peace to keep, and defied orders to do what he could to save lives, while the world looked the other way.

"A riveting drama ... about heroism and survival." * * * * -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

  The rotund Gérard Jugnot stars as Clément Mathieu, a comical figure who reluctantly takes a position teaching music at a foreboding school for delinquents. Mathieu is an aspiring composer, but his dreams of symphonic grandeur are constantly laid low by his gentle, self-doubting nature and his financial realities. Mathieu finds inspiration in his charges, and sets out to form a boys' choir. His counterpoint is the menacing principal Rachlin (François Berléand), a strong believer in corporal punishment. Where one adult tries to beat the boys down, the other tries to lift them up -- focusing especially on the young and gifted Pierre (Jean-Baptiste Maunier, who does his own singing). The result is an uplifting story with a soundtrack that has taken France by storm, and may spark the next music revival.

  In a small Irish town, John Joe McMahon (Bernard Hill) plots to win the annual Ceili music competition. His estranged brother Jimmy (Colm Meaney), who left his hometown in pursuit of women and money in Liverpool, returns with a coterie of Liverpudlians and who have their eyes on the prize. Andrea Corr of The Corrs plays John Joe's star fiddler, whose burgeoning romance with Jimmy's star flutist, Teddy (Being Julia’s Shaun Evans) unleashes age-old grudges and rivalries.

"'County Clare' is a real treat." -- Edward Douglas, ComingSoon.net

Wednesday, June 8, 7:30 pm
Saint Ralph (PG)

(Canada, 2004)

  The unlikely story of Ralph Walker (Adam Butcher), a ninth grader from Hamilton, Ontario who outran everyone's expectations except his own, in his bold quest for a miracle: to revive his comatose mother by winning the Boston Marathon. Coming of age in a strict Catholic school, Ralph is beset by schoolmaster Father Fitzpatrick (Gordon Pinsent), his mocking fellow students and a friend who doesn't understand him. His only ally is a priest who teaches philosophy instead of religious studies (Campbell Scott), and coaches track and field.

"I like to smile sometimes, though don't tell anyone - I don't want to loose my hipster scene points - and this one made me smile and want to hug and hi-five the unknown stanger beside me." -- Twitch