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KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN (M) Director: Bill Condon (Dreamgirls) Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Diego Luna, Tonatiuh. There is an unconventional pedigree to Kiss of the Spider Woman that is worth bearing in mind before choosing to attend. This intriguingly strange combination of confronting drama and glamorous fantasy started life as a best-selling novel in the 1970s. Then came an acclaimed, multi-Oscar-nominated screen adaptation (starring William Hurt) in the 1980s, which went on to inspire a hit Broadway musical version in the 1990s. The collective DNA of all three earlier works is very much present in this new version, though it is the songbook from the Broadway production that ultimately holds a dominant sway here. As does the casting of Jennifer Lopez, who sings, dances and struts through the bulk of Kiss of the Spider Woman’s many melodic interludes. However, it must be pointed out that while Lopez has star billing, she is not a driving force for the main storyline. In fact, all of Lopez’s scenes unfold in a movie-within-a-movie fantasy quite at odds with the grim reality of the real tale being told. Sounds overly complicated? You bet it is. Lopez plays Ingrid Luna, a celebrated screen star of yesteryear who lives on vividly in the memory of two inmates stuck inside a notorious prison in Argentina. Both have been jailed for earning the wrath of a vicious political regime: Valentin (Diego Luna) for his beliefs, and his cellmate Luis (Tonatiuh) for being gay. This grimy, grey concrete facility has a reputation for looking the other way while most of its residents die a slow and needless death. So to cope with the relentless futility of their situation, Luis and Valentin regularly revisit a famous old movie musical that once starred the great Ingrid Luna. Each evening, they recount the splendidly silly plot and reimagine the sparkling song sequences. These are the only moments in which a glimmer of hope remains for this doomed duo. The dramatic component of Kiss of the Spider Woman is relatively successful, if only due to the deep commitment Luna and Tonatiuh bring to their roles. While the relentless razzle-dazzle of the Lopez scenes serves a basic purpose as both light relief and heavy contrast, the movie in general becomes oddly unbalanced (and arguably, unmoving) as time wears on. Kiss of the Spider Woman is cinemas now. GOOD FORTUNE (M) General release. If you were ever trying to scheme up a way to catapult Keanu Reeves as far away as possible from his John Wick persona, then something like Good Fortune would definitely fit the bill. In this unfailingly amiable comedy, Reeves plays Gabriel, a trainee angel who has been sent to Earth to learn more about how to best to help mere mortals like us. Our heavenly hero is only permitted to intercede in situations where people are texting while driving, so it is perfectly understandable he would like to expand his skills. However, when Gabriel defies all orders from above to intercede in the lives of two LA citizens – wealthy tech tycoon Jeff (Seth Rogen) and impoverished delivery guy Arj (Aziz Ansari) – nothing less than an ungodly mess is made. What follows is a modern remix of the Jimmy Stewart classic It’s a Wonderful Life, with Gabriel causing much mayhem (and a decent amount of mirth) by swapping the bank balances of his two charges to supposedly teach each a valuable lesson. However, with Jeff and Arj proving to be very slow learners, the bumbling Gabriel faces the prospect of being kicked out of the afterlife forever. Reeves is a surprisingly good (and consistently amusing) fit for his uncharacteristic role, and holds his own well alongside two experienced funnymen in Rogen and Ansari. A pleasing diversion that does not outstay its welcome. REGRETTING YOU (M) General release. Hollywood is only getting started with what will be an exhaustive cinematic mining of the collected works of mega-popular author Colleen Hoover. Within the next five years, the market will be flooded by a torrential downpour of weepies not seen since the heyday of the similarly prolific Nicholas “The Notebook” Sparks. While the recent Hoover adaptation It Ends With Us (the one that sparked much post-release angst for its star Blake Lively) turned out better than anyone hoped, the new effort Regretting You simply gets worse with each passing minute. A tangled, mawkishly melodramatic plot is wound around the problematic relationship of an overcautious mother, Morgan (Alison Williams), and her mildly rebellious daughter, Clara (McKenna Grace). Both are reeling from a family tragedy that has sparked a multitude of trust and truth issues for the pair. Each retreats into the realm of unexpected romance, with the newly widowed Morgan slowly bonding with her newly single brother-in-law Jonah (Dave Franco), while Clara catches the eye of high-school heart-throb Miller (Mason Thames). As careful as this sudsy soap opera strains not to offend or challenge, there is an overwhelming blandness to the production (particularly when it comes to the piffling performances of Williams and Franco) that will rapidly get on the nerves of those who don’t buy Hoover’s books. For more entertainment news and reviews, click here.
