This is Spinal Tap, Shattuck, Friday and Saturday, midnight. On a scale of one to ten, This is Spinal Tap rates an eleven. And if you didn’t get that joke, you haven’t seen the parody that put all “rockumentaries– in their place. Comments?
The Rules of the Game, Rafael, Friday through Wednesday. I know; everyone else 
considers this one of cinema’s great masterpieces –“an immensely important influence on many filmmakers (one can hardly imagine Robert Altman’s career without it). And yes, I’ve read all about its deep and important commentary on the class system and the institution of marriage. But all I see is a modest comedy of manners without much comedy and nothing exceptional to say about our manners. For me, Grand Illusion remains Renior’s masterpiece. Comments?
Flying Down to Rio, Stanford, Saturday and Sunday. This moderately entertaining Dolores del Rio musical wouldn’t be worth a second glance if RKO hadn’t cast a new-to-the-movies Broadway hoofer named Fred Astaire as male lead Gene Raymond’s buddy, and experienced supporting actress Ginger Rogers as Astaire’s girlfriend. Astaire and Rogers dance one number together and trade a handful of quips, but no one came out of the theater raving about Raymond and del Rio. On a double-bill with The Bitter Tea of General Yen. Comments?
Little Children, Roxie, opening Friday. 
Good films don’t have to tell you what a character is thinking or feeling; you sense it from the dialog and the performances. But Todd Field and Tom Perrotta didn’t trust their characters or their actors (which is too bad because the cast couldn’t have been better) and filled Little Children with detailed and annoying narration. Every time the story and performances build dramatic tension, Will Lyman’s omnipotent voice destroys it by telling you what everyone is thinking and why they’re doing what they’re doing. Things improve after the halfway mark–“there’s less narration, giving you a chance to truly appreciate the good performances–“but there’s still the overabundance of subplots and some unbelievably idiotic character behavior. Comments?
Blood Diamond, Roxie, opening Friday. Good intentions aren’t enough. Writer Charles Leavitt and director Edward Zwick try to deliver an exciting thriller and teach us something important about the diamond industry’s horrible toll on African lives. But Blood Diamond is too predictable, too ineptly written, and too preachy to work as a thriller, and a bad thriller doesn’t make for good education (unless, of course, the lesson is How Not to Make a Thriller). I did learn one important lesson from Blood Diamond: Jennifer Connelly is capable of giving a bad performance–“all she needs is lame dialog and an unbelievable character. Comments?
Bayflicks 