Beyond the Sea

• TESTED

One of America’s greatest performers, Bobby Darin lived a rags-to-riches life. He worked his way from shady nightclubs to his dream destination, The Copacabana, where he wowed crowds with "Splish Splash," "Mack the Knife" and other hits. He was a marvel at singing, songwriting and performing â€" stealing the hearts of fans everywhere despite the suffering in his own hear.The chameleon-like actor Kevin Spacey is best known for playing pyschopaths (in Seven and The Usual Suspects) and capturing a creepy mid-life crisis in American Beauty--but surprisingly, playing crooner Bobby Darin, Spacey does some snappy dancing and top-notch singing. Beyond the Sea puts Darin's life through a bit of a kaleidoscope: While singing Darin's most memorable hit, "Mack the Knife," Darin suddenly stops the show, revealing that he's not at a nightclub, but in the middle of a s! hooting a scene about his life as a nightclub performer. Why has he stopped? Because he's just seen himself as a young boy, peering from behind a curtain. Such self-conscious narrative twists recur throughout the movie, turning Darin's fight for fame and respect into a love story between his adult and childhood selves. Sandra Dee (Kate Bosworth, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!), a hugely popular movie star in her own right, was supposedly the love of Darin's life, but she never holds his attention as does his childhood self (played by newcomer William Ullrich). It's a striking metaphor for the narcissism that drives such success-hungry entertainers. But despite (or perhaps because of) the complexity of the telling, the events never grip your emotions; though Darin's life featured hits galore and a few soap opera twists, his story lacks the seductive charm of his nighclub show. Also featuring Bob Hoskins, John Goodman, Brenda Blethyn, and Greta Scacchi. --Bret Fetzer!

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Cairo Time

• CAIRO TIME (DVD MOVIE)

A married magazine editor falls for one of her husband's old acquaintances while vacationing in Cairo in this romantic drama from writer/director Ruba Nadda. Juliette (Patricia Clarkson) is a magazine editor who is happily married to Mark (Tom McCamus), a Canadian diplomat. Their kids are all grown up, and they've planned a three-week vacation in Cairo together when Mark gets delayed in the Palestinian territories and Juliette is left to navigate the Egyptian capitol alone. In order to ensure his wife's safety until he arrives, Mark asks his former security officer and longtime friend Tareq (Alexander Siddig) to be her guide though the city. He never imagined that they would fall in love, but the more time Tareq and Juliette spend together the more difficult is becomes for them to deny their intense attraction to one another.Patricia Clarkson, who brightens just about a! ny movie she's in, is positively luminous in Cairo Time. The plot of the movie barely exists: Juliette Grant (Clarkson, The Station Agent, Pieces of April) goes to Cairo to meet with her husband, a U.N. diplomat held up in Israel. At loose ends, she wanders the city and spends time with a friend of her husband's, Tareq (Alexander Siddig, Syriana, Deep Space Nine), with whom an understated but undeniable attraction forms. But Cairo Time isn't about plot--it's a wonderfully delicate examination of cultural differences and human connection across them. Both Clarkson and Siddig are superb; both are thoroughly grounded actors, and their firm grasp of their characters allows them to capture very quiet emotions that have a surprising impact. Director Ruba Nadda, who is a Canadian of Arab descent, has a skillful sense of rhythm and a keen eye for both human detail and magnificent landscapes. Cairo Time is a beautiful movie, romantic ! and melancholy, gentle and tart, subtle but deeply satisfying.! --Br et Fetzer

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