Slapstick Kicks Martial Arts Action-Filled Laughs Abound in ëShaolin Soccerí by Ky N. Nguyen ìShaolin Soccerî is a riotous action-comedy updating the mundane sports underdog story with fanciful martial arts movements. Actor-writer-director Stephen Chow has long been a big star in Hong Kong, where ìShaolin Soccerî has become the biggest box office hit in history. Chowís over-the-top slapstick scenarios are in the vein of Jackie Chanís broad comedy. On the street, crippled former soccer star Fung (Man Tat Ng) runs into poor Shaolin kung fu follower Sing (Chow), who wants to spread the Shaolin movement. Fung gets the inspiration to incorporate kung fu into his soccer. He coaches a team comprising of Singís fellow down-and-out classmates and along the way, finds time for a romantic interest in sweet bun maker Mui (Vicki Zhao). ìShaolin Soccerî is played just for laughs, requiring some suspension of disbelief. Given that, the thrilling ìMatrixî-style action sequences are sure to captivate the viewer. At times, the scenes parody well-known Western movies such as ìFace/Off,î ìSaving Private Ryan,î ìJurassic Parkî and ìE.T.î ìShaolin Soccer (Siu Lam Juk Kau)î (English; 87 min.) opens Friday, Aug. 15. A Lifetime of Atonement ìThe Magdalene Sistersî brutally captures a shameful moment in the history of Ireland and the Catholic Church. Director Peter Mullan first made his reputation in the cinema as an intense actor, notably for Ken Loachís ìMy Name Is Joe.î As with his previous ìOrphans,î Mullanís latest directorial effort is just as emotionally honest and harrowing. In 1960s Ireland, four ìfallen womenî are placed in the Magdalene Sisterhoodís laundries to atone for their alleged sins. Their crimes included having illegitimate children, being a victim of rape and incest, and acting as a ìtemptressî to teen-age boys. Theyíre essentially sentenced to a lifetime of slavery and abuse from the nuns and priests in charge. The detailed screenplay and heartfelt acting relay the pain and suffering felt by wards of the church. Mullanís assured pacing keeps the viewer thrust fully in the place and time without feeling too overwhelmed. ìThe Magdalene Sistersî (English; 119 min.) opens Friday, Aug. 15. Godardís Love Poem ìA Woman Is a Woman,î Jean-Luc Godardís third film, was his first in color and Cinemascope. In actuality, itís a love poem to Anna Karina, his striking Dutch leading lady and wife. Godardís work is still very accessible with more than sufficient narrative for any seasoned art house patron, and his widescreen spectacle is an entertaining musicalóalthough not the sort made in Hollywood. A stripper named Angela (Karina) prances through Paris in choreographed fashion. She decides that she wants to be a motheróimmediately. Her live-in boyfriend ...mile (Jean-Claude Brialy) isnít ready for fatherhood, but her doting friend Alfred (Jean-Paul Belmondo) will certainly help. Godardís use of the wide frame is stunningófor example, panning back and forth across the frame to show the distance between Angela and ...mile. Master cinematographer Raoul Coutard lovingly photographs Paris in 1961, and the erratically thunderous soundtrack features a Charles Aznavour song and a Michel Legrand score. A former film critic, the auteur makes witty references to FranÁois Truffaut, Cyd Charisse, Gene Kelly, Bob Fosse, Belmondo and himself. ìA Woman Is a Woman (Une Femme Est une Femme)î (French with subtitles; 84 min.; scope) opens Friday, Aug. 15, at the AFI Silver Theatre. Spaghetti Western American actor Clint Eastwood became an international star based on his trademark stoic performances in Sergio Leoneís trilogy of spaghetti westerns, culminating in ìThe Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.î Donít miss a chance to see Leoneís Cinemascope scenes on the wide screen at the AFI Silver Theatre. No television can do justice to the sweeping imagery. The Bad (Lee Van Cleef) is a bounty hunter in search of unclaimed gold. Eastwood plays the Good, who partners with the Ugly (Eli Wallach)óa wanted criminalóin an ongoing scam. The Good turns in the Ugly for a reward, only to save him from the hangmanís noose before moving on to the next town to repeat the act. Eventually, all three are seeking the gold. The three leads are all distinctive and memorable actors, each in their own way. Visually, the movie is great fun, created by Leoneís extreme shots showing the vastness of the desert and closeups of the charactersí eyes. Ennio Morriconeís legendary throbbing score propels the action along. ìThe Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Il Buono, il Brutto, il Cattivo)î (English; 180 min.; scope) opens Friday, Aug. 22, at the AFI Silver Theatre. Live-In Help With ìThe Housekeeper,î French director Claude Berri (ìLucie Aubrac,î ìManon of the Spring,î ìJean de Floretteî) does a spectacular job of portraying the devilish details of a love relationship. The audience never knows whatís coming next in this lively romantic comedy. After his wife leaves him, an embittered 50-year-old man (Jean-Pierre Bacri) hires a 20-year-old housekeeper (...milie Dequenne) to put his home in order. He finds she is totally inexperienced but offers expertise in other services, eventually moving in when sheís forced to leave her boyfriendís home. Bacri and Dequenneís distinctive performances underscore the differences in their May-December relationship. Berriís casual yet precise direction creates a light ambiance that lifts the standard story line, and the movieís change in setting from Paris to the coast of Brittany picturesquely reflects the development of the protagonistsí shifting relationship. ìThe Housekeeper (Une Femme de MÈnage)î (French with subtitles; 91 min.) is now playing at Visions Cinema/Bistro/Lounge. Russian Econ 101 Russian director Pavel Lunginís ìTycoonî is no ìCitizen Kaneî or ìThe Godfather,î but it does provide a timely and engaging account of the birth of Russian capitalism. Itís loosely based on the story of real-life ìoligarkhî Boris Berezovsky, who was recently requested for extradition to London. The story follows the rise of Platon Makovski (Vladimir Mashkov), a brilliant intellectual who leaves academia to become an oligarch and leader in the Russian Mafia. He devises quasi-legal financial schemes that make him the richest man in the country, with vast clout in both business and politics rivaling that of the government. The breezy visual style of ìTycoonî gives a light touch to the serious business at hand. Mashkovís charismatic portrayal reinforces that levity. The filmís immediate energy partially compensates for its lack of narrative cohesiveness. ìTycoon (Oligarkh)î (Russian with subtitles; 123 min.) is now playing at Visions Cinema/Bistro/Lounge. Repertory Notes The American Film Institute (AFI) Silver Theatre showcases the color films of late Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, including the theatrical release of his last screenplay, ìThe Sea Is Watching.î Other August programs include Italian director Sergio Leoneís spaghetti westerns, a retrospective of French actor Alain Delon, and the theatrical release of Canadian director Guy Maddinís silent ballet film ìDracula: Pages From a Virginís Diaryî ((301) 495-6700, www.afi.com/Silver). The AFI National Film Theater at the Kennedy Center presents Second Chances, providing theatrical releases for festival favorites: Olli Saarelaís ìAmbushî (Finland, Aug. 1 to 7), Anders Thomas Jensenís ìFlickering Lightsî (Denmark, Aug. 8 to 14), and Julio Medemís dazzling ìTierraî (Spain, Aug. 15 to 21) ((202) 833-AFIT, www.afi.com/nft). The Freer Gallery of Art concludes its popular annual Hong Kong film series. Highlights include the rarely screened ìDays of Being Wildî (Aug. 15 and 17) by Wong Kar-wai and the action hit ìFull-Time Killerî (Aug. 1 and 8) by Johnny To and Wai Ka-fai ((202) 357-2700, www.asia.si.edu/events/films.asp). Ky N. Nguyen is the film reviewer for The Washington Diplomat.