HIFF SPRING FEST
Music tracks landscape across Outback

• East meets West, Bollywood-style
• Billiards as a metaphor for life
• Bad things happen to thugs, pigs

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

"The Tracker," a film from Australia, is about the hunt across the Outback for an Aborigine accused of murder.

The film has a decidedly political stance. The characters are nameless and identified by roles they have in society: The Tracker (David Gulpilil), The Fanatic (Gary Sweet), The Veteran (Grant Page), The Accused (Noel Wilton) and The Follower (Damon Gameau). There's little dialogue, lots of vast visual landscapes, and sufficient violence, except that when there's bloodshed, the director portrays the acts through a series of vivid paintings by artist Peter Coad.

"The Tracker" deals with the hunt for an Aborigine fugitive accused of murdering a woman. The search party includes three whites and the Aborigine tracker of the title, who is mysterious. There are emotional entanglements, challenges and questions, mostly about race and discrimination. Gulpilil is wonderful as the central figure, and the environment is very much a "character," much as the bush was a vital part of another Australian feature, "Rabbit Proof Fence." Information: 528-3456, ext. 18.

East meets West, Bollywood-style

•	'Bollywood/Hollywood' 6:30 p.m. tomorrow Signature Dole Cannery Unrated; suitable for all audiences

This one, from director Deepa Mehta, maintains the Indian element, but the story is based in her hometown, Toronto. It is crammed with cinematic conventions popular in American films and it boasts a likeable cast that play their roles — all cliched "types" — to the hilt.

It's light-hearted fare for the Hawai'i International Film Festival's Spring Film Festival, now under way.

The central character, Rahul Seth (played by Rahul Khanna), is of marrying age, and he wants to keep his mother happy by wedding the right girl. In Bollywood fashion, there's periodic music, so Rahul sings, early on, "Life is so empty without you."

He thinks he's in love with Kimberly (Jessica Pare), a Caucasian pop star, who is far too outgoing for his very conservative mother (Mausami Chatterjee) and grandmother (Dina Pathak). Pathak, who died before the release of this film, is the most biased character, but has the best lines, like "Expectations are like mother's milk: essential."

Essentially a cross-cultural, cross-generation comedy, "Bollywood" projects these very familiar character types, and more.

Sue Singh (Lisa Ray) is a Spanish hottie whom Rahul meets in a bar. She, of course, is of the wrong ethnicity, and she has a past.

Rahul's sister and brother get involved in the mating game.

Even the chauffeur — Rahul has a limo, and a driver, which is darn good for a dotcom-type in Toronto — has a take on the situation.

The movie is frothy fun, with female impersonators (stay for the end-title closing tune — a delight!), balcony dancing, balcony proposals and more. It's cultural kitsch, blending Eastern tradition with Western values, resulting in a sometimes hokey, but nonetheless hilarious love letter about courtship, familial values and self-identity.

Billiards as a metaphor for life

•	'Poolhall Junkies' 9 p.m. Monday Signature Dole Cannery Unrated; adult language, mature theme

It boasts Mars Callahan, a star who also wrote and directed the film. Callahan portrays Johnny, a skillful pool player who has a shady mentor.

It compiles a roster of familiar names: Rick Schroeder ("The Champ" youth who last starred on "N.Y.P.D. Blue") as Brad, an up-and-coming challenger to Johnny; Chazz Palminteri as Joe, the pool mentor of Johnny; the late Rod Steiger as Nick, a barkeep who sees all and knows all; and Christopher Walken as Mike, who chews his scenes in most of his cameos, delivering a message about how lions rule the savannah.

The movie explores the virtues of loyalty and independence, faith and commitment, honor and truths using the microcosm of the pool hall as the blanket and the pool table as the battle front.

There's a bit of romance, too, with Alison Eastwood as Tara, Johnny's girlfriend who wants him out of the world of hustling, and a round of family bonding, with Michael Rosenbaum as Danny, Johnny's kid brother, who takes a wrong turn and needs to be rescued from the jailhouse.

The climactic high-stakes pool match is predictable, though its denouement is a bit of a surprise, especially since Johnny challenges Brad with a bruised hand.

What the film ultimately depicts is that there's no place for cowards; everyone can be a lion, a king of the jungle, to go in for the big kill, as Mike insinuates in his take of the big match.

For nonpool shooters, the "choreography" of the balls sinking into the pockets might be a quiet thrill. Can't say, for real, if all of the shots are real, but if it's hokum, it's nonetheless entertaining stuff.

Bad things happen to thugs, pigs

•	'Dirty Deeds' 9 p.m. Tuesday Signature Dole Cannery Unrated; adult themes and language; some violence

It skips and jumps from Vietnam to Sydney to Chicago, with mafioso elements galore.

As part of the Hawai'i International Film Festival's Spring Film Fest, the indie feature does fit the motif of being daring and different and worthy of a peek. But there's an uneven streak to the whole business: is this a war film or a gangster trip? A comedy with dramatic undercoat? It tries for everything, but the results are checkered.

The cast is peopled with legit talent: Bryan Brown as a Sydney crime honcho named Barry Ryan, who has a big bark and a corrupt gambling operation; Toni Collette as Sharon, his wife, who is high on remaining the top cookie in his life; John Goodman as Tony Testano, a rough and tough Chicago mobster with an increasingly tarnishing reputation; Sam Neill as Ray, a crooked cop who tries to maintain a facade of fairness; Sam Worthington as Darcy, the nephew of the Ryan couple and a Vietnam vet eager to find work where he can give the orders; and Kestie morassi as Margaret, Barry's on-the-side paramour who has both attitude and aspirations; and Felix Williamson as Sal Cassella, a mobster peer of the Testano character, who shoots before he talks.

The international scope, and the multicharacter plot, give the movie a big-flick look and feel, but the ride is coarse and bumpy.

The film may be remembered, unfortunately, for a wretched pig-shooting sequence in the Aussie outback, which is rather hard to take, even if one presumes the hogs weren't really hurt. Ruthless gangland-style murder also runs rampant — high on discomfort, low on restraint.