Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 17, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba T Omorrow night expect to find local filmmaker Jaime Asmundson at the Calm Centre of a platform gallery release party for a did compilation of seven of his Short films counting a music video titled dirty undies vol. 1. The fare on View at cinematheque at 9 p. M. Will satisfy anyone doing an inventory of commodities found in typical underground movie fare Black and White footage Punk Rock soundtrack immoral behaviour deviant sexuality do it yourself aesthetics Check Check Check Check and Check. P l t a l p t a p l t e a l e t a e the los Zafiros music from the Edge of time cinematheque. Los Zafiros were a 50s band who were once referred to As the beatles of Cuba. This documentary examines the bands history through the eyes of two surviving members. The illusionist Grant Park. Aged Norton is Eisenheim a magician who has a relationship with a woman Jessica Biel who happens to be the intended of Crown Prince Leopold Rufus Sewell. The Prince exhorts Viennas chief inspector Paul Giamatti to expose Eisenheim As a fraud. Little miss Sunshine Globe Grant Park Polo Park. 14a a troubled family makes a Cross country journey to enter a seven year old into a Beauty pageant. Greg Kinnear and Steve Carell Star in this dysfunctional family comedy drama. Tibet a Buddhist trilogy cinematheque. An intimate portrait of exiled tibetan monks this film was originally released in the 70s and was recut from four hours to its current 134 minute running time. Now playing the following movies have been previously reviewed by free press movie critic Alison Gillmor unless otherwise noted. See to Days life & arts Section for Complete listings. The descent Grant Park Polo Park Towne. 18a six women go exploring a Cave system where they encounter a Breed of cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers. The women is. Creepy creatures stuff is handled with verve but the scariest moments Are the ones playing on Claustrophobia. A a a 1/ 2 reviewed by Randall King John Tucker must die Polo Park. Pm three High school girls discover they ave All been dating super popular Jock John Tucker Jesse Metca Feso they conspire to Render him und table. This Lazy mean spirited comedy is utterly reliant on Gross stereotypes. A a reviewed by Bob Strauss. Miami vice Kildonan place Odeon drive in Polo Park St. Vital. 14a director Michael Mann reboots his 80s to franchise. Gone Are the pastel colours Art Deco sets and Armani jackets. Instead Mann makes things super intense furiously Macho and utterly humourless. A a a monster House Polo Park. Pm the animation a Clever combination of motion capture and Chi looks Good As an old campfire tale gets unusually intense treatment As three kids investigate the spooky House across the Street. A a a a the night listener Towne. 14a a crisply tense Story of radio talk show Host Robin Williams who befriends a Young caller and turns Sleuth when he fears the boy May not be what he seems. A a a 1/ 2 reviewed by Randall King pirates of the Caribbean dead mans Chest Garden City Grant Park Kildonan place Polo Park St. Vital Towne. Pm a tedious convoluted followup to the rollicking 2003 adventure this instalment lacks the Swash and buckle. A a reviewed by Steven Rea pulse Kildonan place Polo Park St. Vital Towne. 14a College kids Deal with a supernatural computer virus. But despite some Creepy looking ghouls this techno horror flick remains Boring inscrutable and silly. A a scanner darkly Globe. 14a Richard links aters faithful rendition of Philip k. Dicks novel is More drug movie than Sci i movie. Keanu Reeves is a cop addict stuck in a netherworld of paranoia and fractured identity. His Story presented via rot scoped animation May stumble but it evokes Dicks perceptive skewed worldview. A a a a step up Grant Park Polo Park St. Vital Towne. Pm a Street dancer Channing Tatum serves Community service at an arts school where a dancer Jenna Dewan believes he has potential to be her partner. This formulaic teen movie is like Fame without the sex and nudity. A a 1/ 2 reviewed by Christy Lemire Talladega nights the Ballad of Ricky Bobby Grant Park Kildonan place Polo Park St. Vital Towne. Pm will Ferrell is the titular Lascar stud whose career goes off track when he is Defeated by a Gay French competitor Ali Gas Sacha Baron Cohen. The movie delivers its goods thanks largely to reliable straight actors. A a a reviewed by Randall King you me and Dupree Polo Park St. Vital. Pm newlyweds Matt Dillon and Kate Hudson have their wedded Bliss interrupted by wayward slacker Dupree Owen Wilson. Once past the Gross out gags this turns into a comedy As affable As Wilsonis tailor made oddball. A a a reviewed by Randall King. Cover / raunch Rock & outrage but Asmund songs cinematic output Isnit necessarily just a series of exercises in gratuitous rebellion. His work can be extremely personal. Indeed hers one of those filmmakers of whom it could be said that the More you know about him the More interesting his films Are. Take for example the second film on the did liquid lunch. Its about a businessman who willingly puts himself at the mercy of a Dominatrix from the newspaper classifieds. Seeking the Best Way to humiliate a quartet of clients the Dominatrix played by Jaime is own wife Karen Asmundson compels them to engage in a homosexual act thus inadvertently eliminating her own services when two of the men Are turned on by the exercise. Like most of Asmund songs films liquid lunch features outrageous Content in the manner of the transgressive likes of Asmund songs aesthetic outlaw heroes Richard Kern fingered and Nick Zedd Geek Maggot Bingo with a nod to Pioneer John Waters. And yet Asmundson is not himself a Bridge burning outlaw in the traditional sense. In fact three of his films Centre around Bravura performances from his wife his mom and his dad. How Many outlaw filmmakers do you know who make movies with their families and while were asking what is a happily married 25 year old Man doing making movies about alternative lifestyles Over the top violence hallucination and addiction the simple answer to that question is that the Montreal born Winnipeg raised Asmundson is the son of provocative local visual artist Graham Asmundson. My dads artwork is far More outrageous than anything Ive done Jaime says. Lately his work has been about dreams mixed with reality. But theress always been a lot of Gay themes in his work a lot of nudity and borderline pornography. I guess i get a lot of influence from that whether i like it or not he says. My dad came out to me when i was seven he says As he recalls seeing his father with his Boyfriend at a screening after he had separated from Jaime is Mother Carol Barton. I clicked that he was Gay and i did not even know what it meant but i kind of knew what it was he says. So the next Day my dad came Over and he was like i want to Tell you something about my sexuality and i was like i think i already know. Are you Gay a subsequently Jaime says i grew up in the Gay and lesbian Community. That was one of the Points in my life where my eyes were opened to the world and a lot of things just did not bother me anymore he says. Ive never had a problem in terms of identifying my own sexuality or respecting others so because of that Ive always looked for alternative sexuality in films. Attack of the 50 foot chihuahuas from outer space blow me the illusionist ;