Splash

Ondine

Neil Jordan’s movies are all about identity—about who a person is, who other people think a person is, and whether that person is able to recognize who they actually are. The most obvious example is The Crying Game, of course, but you see the same themes repeated in Butcher Boy, Breakfast on Pluto, even in the tepid Interview with the Vampire. And it’s on display once again in his latest effort, Ondine, which stars Colin Farrell as Syracuse, a lonely fisherman who scoops a gorgeous woman out of the sea.

You’re probably thinking, Of course, it has to be Colin Farrell playing the recovering alcoholic. And of course Ondine (Alicja Bachleda, Farrell’s real-life squeeze), the woman who comes up in his nets, has to be staggeringly beautiful, and of course Syracuse’s wheelchair-bound (of course she’s in a wheelchair) daughter Annie (Alison Barry) thinks she must be a selkie, a mermaid-like creature. Of course, of course, of course. But that’s the thing about classic stories—there’s so much in them that already seems familiar. And Jordan—whose best work is on small films like this—knows that. He turns what sounds like a cliché into something real and, perhaps, slightly magical, as Syracuse hides Ondine in his mother’s old house and the small fishing community where he lives starts to learn that he has a very unusual house guest.

So, is she really a mermaid? She can’t be, right? Because, as we all know, mermaids aren’t real. But that’s the thing about Ondine—which is very, very far away from Tom Hanks and Darryl Hannah in Splash, thanks to Jordan’s sharp direction and Christopher Doyle’s uncharacteristically smudged cinematography: There’s something that feels magical about this movie, and whether or not you believe this lovely woman is a mermaid, you find yourself hoping she is—that the best explanation for everything is the one that’s least likely.

Opening

A-Team: So, they remade the ’80s TV show with Liam Neeson as Hannibal, Bradley Cooper as Face, the guy from District 9 as Murdock and a UFC wrestler as Mr. T. It’s like we’re all being punished for a crime we did not commit.

Holy Rollers: Based on a true story, Rollers stars Zombieland’s Jesse Eisenberg as a Hasidic Jew whose fall from religious grace begins when he starts smuggling ecstasy into New York City.

The Karate Kid: So, they remade the ’80s teen movie with Jackie Chan as Mr. Miyagi and Jaden Smith—son of Will—as Ralph Macchio. Wax on, indeed.

Looking for Eric: A postman whose life is falling apart starts taking advice from the former football (soccer) player Eric Cantona. Who only exists in his head. Directed by British auteur Ken Loach.

My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?: Werner Herzog directed and David Lynch produced this very strange film inspired by a murder that took place in San Diego more than 30 years ago. See our review on Page 25.

The Red Shoes: The classic 1948 film about ballet is playing in matinées at the Ken Cinema. Take your daughter. Hell, take your son, too.

Solitary Man: Michael Douglas is great as Ben Kalman, an aging car-dealership magnate so busy chasing women that he can’t keep his life together. The story feels fairly inevitable, but the great supporting cast includes Susan Sarandon, Jenna Fischer, Mary Louise Parker and Danny DeVito.

One Time Only

Big: Tom Hanks is so utterly appealing in this film that it’s almost possible to forgive Bosom Buddies and Cast Away. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 9, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma. Free.

Film on Tap: Music: The San Diego Film Festival hosts an evening of live music followed by short films on the theme of—you guessed it—music. Free, but a $10 donation gets you beer, a snack and a raffle ticket. Starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 9, at Beach at the W Hotel.

Army of Darkness: Before he made so much money making so many Spider-man movies, Sam Raimi excelled in horror-comedies like this one. Bruce Campbell reprises Ash, his Evil Dead character, fighting the undead in 1300 A.D., armed with his shotgun, his chainsaw hand and his wicked sarcasm. Screens at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 9, at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in Escondido. Free.

Double Indemnity: Nice noir. Billy Wilder’s classic stars Fred MacMurray as an insurance man hoodwinked by Barbara Stanwyck into killing her husband for the money. Screens at 8:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday, June 10 and 11, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.

An American in Paris: They don’t make musicals like they used to, and they don’t make stars like Gene Kelly anymore, either. He’s a WWII vet living in Paris, trying to make it as a painter. If that doesn’t work out, he can always fall back on singing and dancing. Screens at 8:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, June 12 and 13, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.

Tampopo: Sexiest movie about noodles, ever. Part of the Oceanside Museum of Art’s Culinary Cinema Series, the film includes a full meal. Make reservations, though. The film starts at 6 p.m., followed by dinner, on Saturday, June 12.

The Evil Dead: The movie that launched Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell upon the world. Screens at midnight, Saturday, June 12, at the Ken Cinema.

Pearl Diver: Two sisters who are haunted by their mother’s murder, which took place 20 years ago, are forced to deal with things when a farming accident brings them together. Screens at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 14, at the Central Library, Downtown. Free.

Law-Abiding Citizen: Jamie Foxx is a Philly D.A. trying to stop sociopath Gerard Butler from blowing stuff up from his jail cell. Screens at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Monday, June 14, at the Birch North Park Theatre.

(500) Days of Summer: A terrific film starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel. It’s a date movie, sure, but it’s all about a break-up. So, you know, be forewarned. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 16, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma. Free.

300 with Rifftrax: The Artists Formerly Known as Mystery Science Theater 3000 provide running commentary to Gerard Butler’s abs. Screens at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 16, at Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens in Escondido. Free.

Now Playing

Splice: Guillermo del Toro served as executive producer to Vincenzo Natali’s creature feature. Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley are scientists who splice human DNA with a whole lot of other stuff. The result is Dren, a being that’s equal parts sexy and scary.

The City of Your Final Destination: The latest Merchant-Ivory joint is about a young academic desperate to write a biography of a recently deceased Uruguayan novelist. Anthony Hopkins is in it, of course.

Get Him to the Greek: Jonah Hill and Russell Brand reprise their Forgetting Sarah Marshall roles, as P. Diddy tasks Hill with wrangling the rock star (Brand), who has fallen off the wagon, to his next gig.

Killers: Katherine Heigl is an average girl, and Ashton Kutcher is the super-assassin she falls for. Naturally, this movie was not screened for critics.  

Marmaduke: Owen Wilson is a giant dog. And he voices Marmaduke, too.

Metropolis: Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent film is one of the most important pieces of cinema ever. Two years ago, a version surfaced in Argentina containing 30 minutes of scenes that went missing decades ago. This is that restored cut. Ends June 10 at the Ken Cinema.

Micmacs: The latest from Amelie director Jean-Pierre Juenet is about a collection of French misfits taking on some of the planet’s most nefarious arms manufacturers via ingenious inventions and Juenet’s now-familiar visual style. It looks great and its heart is in the right place, but it’s shallower than it could be. See our review on Page 23.

Raajneeti: A Bollywood political thriller that caused all kinds of controversy when it was released in India.

Bears: Which one is smarter than your average? In IMAX at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park.

Africa: The Serengeti: Guilty pleasure: That Toto song. In IMAX at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center.

The Little Traitor: An 11-year-old boy strikes up an unexpected friendship with chubby English Sergeant Alfred Molina in 1947 Palestine. Ends June 10 at La Jolla Village Cinemas.

The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time: Jake Gyllenhaal’s pecs star in the video-game adaptation.

Sex and the City 2: A must for the fans, a miss for the rest of us.

180 South: In 1968, Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins made their way to Patagonia via surf, ski and sail. In this film, adventurer Jeff Johnson retraces their journey. Opens Saturday, May 21, at La Paloma Theater in Encinitas.

Harry Brown: The loutish youths in Michael Caine’s housing project learn the hard way that they’ve fucked with the wrong military-trained pensioner.

Shrek Forever After: One of the greatest Happy Meal marketing schemes finally comes to an end.

Just Wright: NBA player Common has to choose between the long-term three-point shot of Queen Latifah and the slam-dunk of her shallow best friend Paula Patton. Either way, he scores.

Letters to Juliet: Amanda Seyfried is an American tourist in Italy who gets way into Shakespeare.

Robin Hood: Did you see Russell Crowe on Letterman the other night? He looks more like Friar Tuck than Robin Hood. Still, Ridley Scott always makes good-looking movies.

Babies: When a man and a woman love each other very much, the man puts his—no, wait. This documentary, which follows four kids from their first minutes outside the womb, comes after all that.

Iron Man 2: Was the first one entertaining? Yes. Is it overrated? Yes. Are we psyched for No. 2? Yes.

Please Give: Catherine Keener has collaborated with Nicole Holofcener on all four of her films, and this one is one of their best. Keener’s a New Yorker married to Oliver Platt, selling mid-century furniture they buy from the apartments of old people who have died, consequently experiencing inescapable midlife liberal white guilt.

Exit Through the Gift Shop: Legendary prankster street artist Banksy’s first film is a brilliant take on art and its nature. It may sound stuffy, but it’s engaging, insightful, funny and subversive—and smarter than anything else you’ll see this summer. Run, do not walk, to see this one.

The Secret in Their Eyes: This Argentinean thriller won the Best Foreign Language award at this year’s Oscars. It’s good, spanning decades and the relationship between a federal prosecutor and the boss with whom he’s infatuated.

City Island: Andy Garcia and Juliana Margulies play a married New York couple whose family is falling apart around them—but more in a dramedy way than a tragedy way.

Kick-Ass: The worst thing about Kick-Ass is the trailer, which makes it look, well, cute. Actually, this is the hard-R, brutally violent, viciously funny comic-book movie you’ve been waiting for, assuming you’ve been waiting for an adorable 11-year-old girl who kicks ass and literally takes no prisoners.

Date Night: Steve Carell and Tina Fey are a married couple struggling through their weekly date night. They’re both so funny, but neither has starred in a movie that’s as good as his or her TV show.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo: Thriller about a male journalist and a female hacker hired to solve the 40-year-old disappearance of a member of a Swedish crime family.

Hubble: Leonardo DiCaprio lends his pipes to this IMAX film, which uses CGI and real footage to take a close look at Saturn’s rings. Just stay away from Uranus. At the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park.

Dolphins: It’s only a matter of time before they tell us, “So long, and thanks for all the fish.” In IMAX at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park.

The Greatest Places: This IMAX adventure features seven locales, which range from Greenland’s icebergs to the enormous waterfall at Iguazu. Screens at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show: The camp classic continues its ongoing run, Fridays at midnight at La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas.