UNUSUAL PAIRING OF RHINESTONES AND FUR.Byline: David Kronke Television Critic `Muskrat muskrat, North American aquatic rodent. The common muskrats, species of the genus Ondatra, are sometimes called by their Native American name, musquash. Lovely'' is a wonderful celebration of what seems in this age of ubiquitous outlet malls a dying scene: regional character. Filmmaker Amy Nicholson's documentary tells the story of the Dorchester County Dorchester County is the name of several counties in the United States:
Nicholson clearly became close with the people of Dorchester County, who revealed to her their hearts and secrets, their aspirations and eccentricities. Her film opens with regular guys from the community - presumably pre·sum·a·ble adj. That can be presumed or taken for granted; reasonable as a supposition: presumable causes of the disaster. competing muskrat-skinners - good-naturedly reading beauty-pageant rules: Don't wear tight, backless dresses, girls are warned; ``They call attention to a chubby back.'' (Too bad Nicholson didn't get pageant participants to read muskrat-skinning rules; that'd be worth at least an extra half-star.) Nonetheless, one participant explains that, when skinning muskrats, ``It's important to keep the eyes left in the hides'' because they'll be penalized pe·nal·ize tr.v. pe·nal·ized, pe·nal·iz·ing, pe·nal·iz·es 1. To subject to a penalty, especially for infringement of a law or official regulation. See Synonyms at punish. 2. for leaving the eyes in the ``meats.'' Evoking Christopher Guest For the Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, see . Christopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest (born February 5, 1948), is a British/American comedian, actor, writer, director, musician and Grammy Award-winning composer known as Christopher Guest. here is a given, but the woman in charge of mounting the pageant seems particularly to be a character out of ``Waiting for Guffman'' or ``Best in Show.'' ``I have to choreograph something -- that has no dancing in it,'' she opines Opines are low molecular weight compounds found in plant crown gall tumors produced by the parasitic bacterium Agrobacterium. Opine biosynthesis is catalyzed by specific enzymes encoded by genes contained in a small segment of DNA (known as the T-DNA, for 'transfer DNA') at one point, and at another, she warns her teen charges, ``Do not paint your toenails a bright color; it will make your feet look rather large.'' Nicholson mainly avoids condescending to her subjects except through a sequence that juxtaposes less-than-glamorous childhood photos of the participants with their pageant appearances while their mothers trumpet why they should win. The contests ends with finalists asked an environmental question, and you get a sense that there would be a whole other set of finalists had the question been asked earlier in the competition. Nonetheless, ``Muskrat Lovely'' is an entertaining and largely beguiling portrait of a local community imbuing itself with meaning. Despite what you might expect, you'll laugh with -- not at -- those portrayed. David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke(at)dailynews.com MUSKRAT LOVELY - Three stars What: ``Independent Lens'' documentary focusing on a small Maryland county Maryland County is the southern and easternmost county of Liberia's 15 counties and shares a border with Côte d'Ivoire. It is named after the state of Maryland in the United States. The county comprises some 5,350 km²., its capital city is Harper. running two contests concurrently: a muskrat-skinning competition and a beauty pageant. Where: KCET KCET Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (Japan) KCET Kamaraj College of Engineering and Technology . When: 10 tonight. In a nutshell: Funny yet affectionate portrait of a small-town festival. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: A beauty pageant and a wildlife-skinning contest figure prominently in the quirky ``Muskrat Lovely,'' tonight on KCET. |
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