Screen Scenes

  Universal Pictures Tara Reid,
Rachel Leigh Cook and Rosario
Dawson in "Josie and the Pussycats."

“Josie and the Pussycats” Starring Rachael
Leigh Cook, Tara Reid and Rosario Dawson Directed by Deborah Kaplan
and Harry Elfont

There’s a great moment in “Josie and the
Pussycats” when Rachael Leigh Cook ““ as the plucky,
titular heroine ““ gets a look of utter self-disgust at
becoming nothing but a product-pimp. Of course, the three kitties
don’t know that their music is being used to brainwash
mindless teenagers into buying all sorts of products and trends.
But in real life, like it or not, these actresses’
babe-alicious charms are the only packaging that will draw young
and old to this cinematic production. Based on a 1963 spin-off from
the “Archie” comic-book, this hybrid of
“Charlie’s Angels” and “Austin
Powers,” re-introduces aspiring songwriter and guitarist
Josie McCoy and her two girlfriends ““ Valerie Brown (Dawson)
and Melody Valentine (Tara Reid). The three small-town Riverdale
denizens eat, sleep and breathe rock-star dreams. With this
21st-century face-lift, the drab, beige leopard costumes are gone,
as well as Val’s tambourine (now she electrifies on bass).
The film also revives Alan M., Josie’s crush and fellow
struggling musician. Also present are Alexander, the
Pussycats’ idle and flaky manager and his sister, Alexandra
““ who provides a comic foil as she tries to undermine Josie
by sinking her claws into Alan M. Their vision of playing outside
of the garage and the local bowling alley suddenly takes off when
Wyatt (a sardonic Alan Cumming),a greasy record agent, signs the
girls to a contract with MegaRecords. The Pussycats and their
friends are soon flown from the provincial haven of Riverdale to
the big city ““ which is represented by a dark, seedy
conglomeration of materialism and brand-name obsession. Soon, the
band is primped and paraded around for magazine covers, photo
shoots and the radio. Within one outlandish week, Josie and the
Pussycats are already climbing up the billboard charts. Val and
Melody start getting suspicious at their rags-to-riches success.
They become even more so upon meeting the self-absorbed CEO of
MegaRecords, Fiona (Parker Posey). The female equivalent of Dr.
Evil, Fiona secretly uses bands on her label to carry subliminal
messages (uttered by Mr. Moviefone) in their music in order to
carry out her plan for world domination. Soon, she devises a scheme
to end the Pussycats with a VH1 “Behind the Music”
bang. One reason why bringing back this ’70s cartoon kitsch
works is because of the leading ladies. By themselves, each actor
fares decently. Cook doesn’t seem that different from her
“She’s All That” persona ““ an independent
and counter-cultural belle. Reid stays true to the comic’s
version of drummer Melody and plays the adorable, animal-loving
ditz. But at times her sunny demeanor borders on annoying. Still,
in their scenes together, the sex kittens prove that there’s
power in three. They achieve “Charlie’s Angels”
rapport, but with less cleavage. Aside from the babe quotient,
plenty of guys make significant appearances in the film. Seth Green
and Breckin Meyer (“Road Trip”) are two of the four
guys who comprise the hot boy band Dujour. Their over-the-top
Backstreet Boys-esque dancing is a source of hilarity in itself.
Also, Carson Daly makes a self-teasing cameo. And yes, isn’t
it cute when Reid, Daly’s off-screen fiancee, gushes at the
idea of being able to meet and touch Carson on “Total Request
Live.” What mainly keeps this movie about a band who wears
long tails and ears for hats from falling into the litter box heap,
was its tongue-in-cheek approach. More than just a fluffy comedy
with bubble-gum songs, the movie pokes fun at the needs of people
““ particularly teen-agers ““ to have the most chic and
trendy fashions, lingo and music. Although the camp level exceeds a
maximum at times, the audience will feel guilty but pleased to
embrace “Josie and the Pussycats” in the end as the
next “It” girls.

Terry Tang Rating: 6

“Journey into Amazing Caves” Directed by
Stephen Judson and Greg MacGillivray

Hanging from a mountain by a single string with the possibility
of plummeting to death may be a bit too exhilarating for many, but
for the women in “Amazing Caves,” it’s all part
of a day’s work. Narrated by Liam Neeson, the new IMAX film,
“Journey into Amazing Caves,” brings the adventures of
two female spelunkers exploring the depths of caves on land, in ice
and underwater to audiences all over the country. In “Amazing
Caves,” the audience follows expedition leaders, Nancy
Aulenbach and Dr. Hazel Barton, as they journey into caves around
the world. The film takes viewers to South America and Greenland
where the two explore different caves looking for microorganisms,
called extremophiles, that live in extreme conditions deep within
the earth. The extremophiles are used to find new cures for human
diseases. Sweeping aerial shots of landscapes, in addition to
incredible underwater camera work, awe the audience as the film
makes good use of the multi-story high IMAX screen, presenting a
huge perspective that enables the audience to actually feel as
though they are a part of the caving expedition. Narrated by
acclaimed actor Liam Neeson (“Schindler’s List”),
the film is both educational and entertaining. As the audience
listens to Neeson’s voice-over telling viewers about the
caves, running scenes of rivers and mountains push the
audience’s imagination to the limit. More than just a
documentary merely showing caves around the world, “Amazing
Caves” tells a larger story of the adventures that the two
female cavers have while exploring them. By presenting the film
from their perspective, the film becomes more personal, allowing it
to become more than just a 40-minute, wide-screen feature on caves.
Aulenbach, an adventurer and explorer, has been around caves since
she was 3 years old and is a schoolteacher in Georgia when
she’s not caving. Adding to the breathtaking scenes,
“Journey into Amazing Caves” features the music of rock
group The Moody Blues. With two new songs written for the film
“We Can Fly” and “Water,”the film also
features orchestrations of their other popular songs, such as
“Nights in White Satin” and “Ride My
Seesaw.” Produced by MacGillivray-Freeman films,
“Amazing Caves” is the third installment of the 10 part
Great Adventure series produced by the company. The second
installment of the series, “Dolphins” which was
released into IMAX theaters last fall, was nominated for an Academy
Award for Best Documentary Short. “Amazing Caves” is an
exhilarating romp around the world that will take the
audience’s breath away. Amazing cinematography and
storytelling help to make this story larger than life. Though
viewers may be hesitant to take a death-defying leap over a cliff,
held back by only a string, experiencing “Journey into
Amazing Caves” is the next best thing.

Jacqueline Maar Rating: 9