BREEZY ROMANCE `YESTERDAY' TAKES PEEK AT TOMORROW.Byline: Glenn Whipp Daily News Film Critic Magic realism magic realism, primarily Latin American literary movement that arose in the 1960s. The term has been attributed to the Cuban writer Alejo Carpentier, who first applied it to Latin-American fiction in 1949. , British wit and romantic fantasies get the ``Sliding Doors'' treatment in ``Twice Upon a Yesterday,'' a breezy delight about second chances that understands the psyche as well as it does the heart. Its main character, Victor (Douglas Henshall Douglas James Henshall (born 19 November 1965), sometimes credited as Dougie Henshall, is a Scottish actor. He is currently known for his lead role in ''Primeval. Douglas Henshall was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He grew up in Barrhead and attended Barrhead High School. ), is a lovable lout Lout - Lout is a batch text formatting system and an embedded language by Jeffrey H. Kingston <jeff@cs.su.oz.au>. The language is procedural, with Scribe-like syntax. , a starving actor sharing a London flat with his smart, beautiful girlfriend Sylvia (Lena Headey Lena Headey (born on 3 October, 1973, in Bermuda) is a British actress. Biography Her father, a British police officer, was sent to train police in Bermuda where Headey was born. The family returned to Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, when she was eight years old. ). They've been together for several years, much to the chagrin of Sylvia's friends who think she can do better. Watching Victor dry his underwear in the microwave, you can see their point. Victor is also sleeping with another woman, an actress. Sensing something is wrong, Sylvia confronts him. Victor confesses and is summarily dismissed from the apartment. ``Perhaps I loved him too much,'' Sylvia laments. Probably not. Victor, though, realizes that he didn't appreciate a good thing when he had it and tries to win back Sylvia's love. But, she has moved on to another man, Dave (Mark Strong), who is everything Victor wasn't. (Example: He actually listens when she tells him about her day.) All seems lost until Victor runs into a couple of Spanish garbage men straight out of ``Don Quixote.'' These Quixote and Sancho Panza Sancho Panza is a character in the novel Don Quixote written by Spanish author Don Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in 1602. Sancho acts as squire to Don Quixote, and provides comments throughout the novel, known as sanchismos figures cast some sort of a spell and Victor finds himself transported nine months back in time (he wakes up in the middle of the Notting Hill Carnival Notting Hill Carnival is an annual event which takes place in Notting Hill, London, England each August, over two days (Sunday and the following bank holiday). It has continuously taken place on the streets of Notting Hill since 1965[1]. - how's that for synergy?), before his affair and before Sylvia removed him from her life. That's the set-up and first-time director Maria Ripoll, working from a screenplay from Spanish novelist Rafa Russo, deftly blends the surreal touches with the emotional reality of the relationships. The story has a Latin feel straight out of Gabriel Garcia Marquez Gar·cí·a Már·quez , Gabriel Born 1928. Colombian-born writer known especially for his novel One Hundred Years of Solitude (1967). He won the 1982 Nobel Prize for literature. story, which actually mixes quite well with the self-effacing, dry wit of its talented English leads. The best thing about the film's second-chance scenario is the way it takes several unexpected and intelligent twists. Trying to turn himself into the perfect man, Victor loses much of the unkempt charm that made him so attractive. But he learns a lesson or two in the process, which captivates another beautiful woman, Louise (Penelope Cruz). Could Victor go back in time only to fall for another woman? It's one of the movie's many intriguing possibilities. ``Twice Upon a Yesterday'' is the rare movie where you actually watch characters grow and discover themselves. Much credit belongs to the creative team of director Ripoll and writer Russo, who display a strong sensitivity to the film's relationships. The acting is also uniformly good, with Cruz again establishing herself as an actress worth watching. You simply can't take your eyes off her. You'll feel the same about everything in this delightful movie. THE FACTS The film: ``Twice Upon a Yesterday'' (R; language, brief sex scene). The stars: Lena Headey, Douglas Henshall, Penelope Cruz. Behind the scenes: Directed by Maria Ripoll. Screenplay by Rafa Russo. Released by Trimark Pictures Trimark Pictures Inc., was a production company formed by Mark Amin in 1985 and was the parent company of Trimark Holdings Inc. Formerly Vidmark Entertainment, Trimark Pictures specialized as a small studio, producing and distributing theatrical, independent, television and home Running time: One hour, 32 minutes. Playing: UA Warner Center in Woodland Hills; Laemmle's Playhouse Cinemas in Pasadena; Beverly Connection in Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. ; Landmark's Westside Pavilion in West Los Angeles
Our rating: Three and one half stars. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Starving actor Victor (Douglas Henshall) and his beautiful girlfriend, Sylvia (Lena Headey), are - to put it mildly - having relationship difficulties in ``Twice Upon a Yesterday.'' |
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