Film Dictionary: 09/01/2006

September 9, 2006

Seeing ''Snakes On A Plane'' in a movie theatre was like a screening of ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show''. Fans were waving rubber snakes, making rattle noises, and applauding furiously every time Samuel L. Jackson said something intense. Some of his lines actually weren't in the script. They originated in an anticipatory internet parody of the movie, and were added to the film long after the end of principal photography, during reshoots. It is probably the first known case of the film actually being co-written on the Internet, by its future fans. The blogs are taking over Hollywood! Needless to say, the film is great. It's campy to the extreme. Very funny, but also quite scary. Especially if you hate snakes. Predictably, the first victims of the snakes is a couple in a plane toilet. Their steamy attempt to join the ''Mile High Club'' is thwarted by an excited snake eager for a threesome. That scene, with Samantha McLeod, was also added in reshoots, due to intense pressure from bloggers. But the film also has a serious side to it. It is, quite clearly, an allegory about terrorism (it's no accident that it's being released just before the 5th anniversary of 9/11). The film was originally called ''Pacific Air Flight 121'' (a clear reference to ''United 93'') and it's quite obvious that the snakes refer to Islamic terrorists.

Inside Man (2006) ***

Excellent heist film with a memorable twist ending.

Offside (2006) ***

Excellent Iranian film about rebellious girls trying to sneak into a soccer stadium.

The Black Dahlia (2006) ***

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006) ***

Crank (2006) ***

Running Wild (2006) ***

South Korean film about a policeman unjustly framed for corruption.

X-Men 3: The Last Stand (2006) ***

The Host (2006) ***

Art School Confidential (2006) ***

Prenez vos places (2006) ***

Excellent Canadian comedy about two former students trying to make a movie. A low-budget bilingual film (half of its hilarious dialogue is in French, and the other half in English) with a very sophisticated sense of humor.

Shortbus (2006) ***

Hostel (2006) ***

Since its executive producers include Quentin Tarantino and Boaz Yakin (the director of excellent and underrated ''Fresh''), it was certain that Eli Roth’s ''Hostel'' would not be a run-of-the-mill horror flick. This is some twisted filmmaking, unrelentingly grim, daring and exciting. The plot is simple: three horny guys on a European safari find themselves in a mysterious hostel in Slovakia, where they meet suspiciously eager-to-please East European beauties. And then, they began to disappear, one by one. The film has an interesting three-act dramatic structure. First, it’s an erotic film, mostly set in Amsterdam’s brothels, unisex saunas and bedrooms. After eroticism, we get a nasty horror film, full of unbelievable torture and gore. And finally, we find ourselves in an exciting and suspenseful action movie, full of great chases and tense escapes.

Men At Work (2006) ***

Satiric Iranian drama about futility and wasted efforts.

Delivery (2006) ***

The Prestige (2006) ***

A rivalry between two magicians turns deadly. Ingenious and memorable.

Goya's Ghosts (2006) ***

Conversations With Other Women (2006) ***

World Trade Center (2006) ***

Very different from Oliver Stone's other films - no stylistic fireworks like in ''JFK'' or ''Natural Born Killers'', no left-wing perspective like in ''Salvador'', ''Platoon'' or ''Born On The Fourth Of July''. The film is based on real life stories of two Port Authority cops, Will Jimeno (Michael Pena) and John McLoughlin (Nicolas Cage), who got trapped when the towers collapsed and were rescued after a few hours. And the man who rescued them was Marine Staff Sergeant David Karnes. Played by Michael Shannon in the film, David Karnes is the main reason to see the movie. While the stories of the buried cops, while touching and very moving, are ultimately quite predictable, the story of David Karnes is simply incredible. He wasn't even in New York when the planes hit the towers. But he nonetheless left his job in Connecticut, put on his Marine Corps uniform, drove his Porsche to Ground Zero, and began searching the rubble after sunset (while other rescue workers were ordered out of the site). "United States Marines," Karnes began shouting "If you can hear us, yell or tap!". Will Jimeno heard him.