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Show OCT26 RIO - THE REEL - RED - 2000 Get Lucky With 'The Girl on the Bridge' captures the life and culture of the areas and of the performers that still tour the world swallowing swords and contorting. His versatile use of music is also apparent. He even sneaks in some Turkish harem music which he puts in as many of his films as possible during a stop in Istanbul. The sequences are each unique, since it's hard to get woi k doing only the standard act. Variations range from a sheet in front of Adele, to Adele on a spinning wheel, sometimes with Gabor blindfolded. With each throw, there's a palpable chance of death. With eadi scratch on Adele, Gabor finds an excuse to suggest no fault of his own, and to convince himself there's still a supply of luck. The sequences are not spectacular because of the skillful exhibition, but because of the underlying emotions. A conventional film would build the knife sequences in order of difficulty, but Leconte and screen- - "The Girl on the Bridge" Paramount Classics Directed by Patrice Leconte Produced by Christian Fechner Screenplay by Serge Fry dm an Starring Daniel Auteuil, Vanessa Paradis (of four) knife-throwin- ty Jeremy Mathews Che's mj a depressed who has never had any lUCk. He's an aging professional knife-throw- who hangs around Paris bridges looking for suicidal women when he needs a new partner. The two coming together is the most charming arid inspired love story of the year if it can be called a love story. knife-throwin- The Girl on the Bridge" doesn't have its characters embrace in a long kiss, and words of love are never spoken. But as Gabor (Daniel Auteuil) tours with Adele (Vanessa Paradis), g g An After-- S chool a peesa L iimi iiMiimiM iwii'imMiii n'mi T hurling knives at her, it's clear that there's more going on than a professional relationship. Their work is important, however, and it's nice to see a film in which the characters' jobs actually affect the story. Frenchman Patrice Leconte, who is responsible for "Monsieur Hire," 'The Hairdresser's Husband" and "Ridicule" directed the film. It contains his trademark droll humor and witty dialogue. Leconte presents the odd material with a degree of seriousness. He simply displays strange events as he moves into supernatural absur-disallowing the audience to decide if what is on the screen is silly, instead of announcing a judgement or interpretation over a loud speaker. Dreujou's gorgeous black and white cinematography accents the mystic plot. Even without the story, "The Girl on the Bridge" would still be a pleasure to look at. It displays a world in which luck is both important and sustainable if one knows how to measure and use it. Luck is, understandably, an important factor in and Gabor and Adele have it. Gabor gets better bookings and regains his reputation. Adele multiplies their money at the roulette table. Gabor compares their luck to two halves of a torn dollar bill: worthless when separated. m Like their characters, Auteuil and Paradis fit together. Auteuil's has a crooked, sad face that accents his wish to hold onto luck becomes ("At 40, n n ml il fTO a kn'sf thrower imnniiii iimi'i and his partner. writer Serge Frydman recognize the importance of the events to the characters. The implied sexual energy is strongest when the partners are looking at each other, not when blindfolded. As Leconte's wit and enthusiasm toward filmmaking create sustained giggles of joy, "The Girl on the Bridge" looks at life through an odd and magical world. Such a world teaches viewers more than setany standard romantic-comedwork who with ordinary people up in an office that's used only for a backdrop. There's no way not to feel lucky while watching "The Girl on the y Bridge." Si if (of four) by LeCrand Rogers f only the specials 1p on PBS had this star power, the possibilities would be endless. e Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey delivers a perfect performance in "Pay It Forward," a Warner Bros, film that opened last Friday. He fills the shoes of Eugene Simonet a physically and emotionally scarred junior high teacher who has high hopes for his students. Simonet begins his class each year with the same message: Find what is wrong with the world and change it Although he doesn't expect much in the way of achievement, the teacher diligently professes his year-lonassignment Simonet is a complicated character, and Spacey emanates this complexity with agitating supeafter-scho- ol Two-tim- "Pay It forward'' bach a tear-jtrkb- stcry with th star tg g "Pay It Forward" is a story about a young boy who is convinced that "life is shit" He wants to make it better by helping people around him and asking them to help others in return. The story line is captivating and viH never leave you yawning. It begins four months before the young Trevor divinely creates his idea. Morh, the reporter, becomes the recipient of the positive effects of this "movement" He sets out to discover why and how such a wonderful thing has happened to him. As he gathers clues from other recipients, the story of Trevor's project plays off of each story the reporter encounters. The most intriguing aspect of the movie is watching these entertaining stories meet in the present With all of the talent incorporated into one film, one would wonder why it feels so hokey. Maybe it was the generic roles of interaction, romance, and alcoholism as the evil plaguing the American family the latter is an important issue, but we must all admit we've heard that one. No stories are new it's just the way they're told that brings new light to us all For all of its flavor, you might just find yourself sniffling at tear-jerkin- lt Osment Jay Morh ("Go," "Jerry Maguire") doesn't veer far from his usual role witty, overzealous smartass as a reporter living in LA He plays a scene with legendary film actress and poorly cast Angie Dickinson as a homeless, elderly woman. Dickinson was unconvincing as a senior citizen. The cameo by Jon Bon Jovi was He came on ridiculously talent-lesto the screen with no depth and no convincing emotion for the part of a alcoholic father. With Dickinson and Bon Jovi in mind, it appears the casting director was going for name recognition as if Spacey, Hunt and Osment weren't enough. The choice to set this story in Las Vegas was genius what better place to view the world as utter "shit" and then attempt to change hard-knock- Academy Award winner Helen Hunt, as Arlene McKinney, plays alongside Spacey as the recovering alcoholic mother of Trevor, played by Haley Joel Osment Hunt also fills her role to a tee especially in one particular scene, which may be accredited to the make-u- p crew. Anyway, just one close-ushot of her in the morning with a terrible hangover truly strikes fear into the hearts of the p sober. Osment can act incredibly beyond his age so much so that it reflects th his character, Trevor. This, along with the boy's intuitive acting talent, is just an added bonus to the role. Trevor is a young boy with a simidea. The ple, but truly saint-lik- e begging-for-forgivene- Hunt and Qtmtnt por of Spscey. added a touch of desert scenery beauty, hope, and overall comfort, to the city, and a smooth accompaniment to the moral of the film. character responds to his teacher's (Spacey) assignment with intense volition, not what you see in an Osment renders average a heart-feperformance, alongside a number of hilarious comic interludesif there is any Oscar coming out of this film, it should go to s, s. riority. tiW'fih E -- g uw bttxsen Vanessa Paradis plays Adelt in a love story - 1 "Pay It Forward" Warner Bros. Directed by Mimi Leder and Oliver Stapleton Produced by Mary McLagen and Jonathan Treisman Screenplay by Catherine Ryan Hyde and Leslie Dixon Starring Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, Haley Joel Osment earth-shatteri- I:." " K ss teacher-to-stude- teacher-to-moth- it, Director Mimi Leder used the , Vegas Strip as a contracting backdrop for the poor, borderlme-white-tras- h condition of the McKinney s. Many of the shots portrayed the suffocating effect of the overwhelming casinos on the other hand, the nt er the end cmm.":';'"V!". Jean-Mari- e knife-throwin- knife-throw- knife-throwin- mi "Dancer in the Dark" A Fine Line Release Directed by Lars Von Trier Produced by Vibeke Windelov Screenplay by laws Von Trier Starring Bjork, Catherine Beneuve, DavM Meise very now and then a film comes along that, upon exiting the theatre, makes every thing in the real world feel more g like a movie than actual reality. Colors feel more vivid, and even walking feels fake, as though you are on one of those moving sidewalks in an airport "Dancer In the Dark" is one cf those film? . The film stars Icelandic singer- - ' composer Bjork as Selma, a Czech immigrant factory worker in the Pacific Northwest Selma has a secret: She is slowly going blind. Catherine Deneuve plays Kathy, Sebna's friend and L, T&C .and so constancy tries to protect Selma from injuring heiself. Selma works long monotonous hours at the factory in. order to save up enough money for her son to have an operation to save his sight. Unfortunately Sehna swaps secrets with her neighbor Bill he is afraid 1 r; his wife will leaye him all discovers once she their money is gone due to i. mufhrn, mm 1 mJtiJb&k her frantic shopping. The Istlandte Bjork end famoui r'rtnch next day, the $2,000 Selma acUtss CaihtriM Vec.tuve tar i's thi fitce!y moving had saved vanishes. ttrHnt.r in the Purfe." The result is a down Director Lars Von Tri enses ward spiral for Selma arid a very musical sequences tturoxxghout the dark diniaxThe film becomes a film to illustrate Splrna's fantasy series of tragedies som e believable and others totally out In left see DANC&R peg R12 field. L7T . & mm, eratic"). sirtgir-vempQ- Paradis skillfully portrays her human qualities and expresses a delicate pathos regarding her sexual addiction. The actors' chemistry adds strength to both perfor"i mances. As the partners travel on the French and Italian Rivieras, Leconte n x SjprU't tharacttr has a gtttstie iitbam and te goi ig blind. Kathy is initially the only other person who knows of Sclma's disease itr |