Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, (Not yet rated, German release date: September 14.) In the streets of eighteenth-century Paris—teeming with rotting produce, corpses, and festering sewage—lurk the faintest hints of olfactory perfection. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw), born with a superhuman sense of smell, is keenly aware of these overwhelmed traces. He vows to track down the source and create a perfume even more successful than those he crafted during his apprenticeship with elite perfurmer Guiseppe Baldini (Dustin Hoffman). Born with no body odor whatsoever, Grenouille moves undetected throughout Paris in obsessive pursuit of his goal. He soon finds that the wafting path leads to the young virgins of the city and, ultimately, to murder. Tom Tykwer directs this adaptation of Munich resident Patrick Süskind’s very successful novel Perfume. With the rich sense of setting afforded by lush production design, a gripping narrative and seasoned actors tackling multi-layered roles, this excellent film offers little for critics to sniff at.
Bandidas (US-rated PG13, German release date: August 31.) American robber baron Tyler Jackson (Dwight Yoakam) is determined to squeeze some profit out of undeveloped Mexican lands, even if it means toppling a few farms or killing people along the way. Before long, two vigilante locals retaliate by plotting to rob Jackson’s banks and redistribute the money to the people he’s oppressing. European-educated Sara (Salma Hayek) and rough-neck cowgirl Maria (Penelope Cruz) are an unlikely duo that manage to save a few lives, convert a few bad guys, and go undercover as saloon girls during their crusade in the turn-of-the-century campo. Screenwriters Luc Besson and Robert Kamen are known for making derivative genre films, and this is clearly no exception. Visually, moreover, new directors Joachim Roenning and Espen Sandberg don’t move the script far from convention. Viewers who expect and delight in nothing more than horse chases, gun smoke and a few innocent catfights should catch these bandidas.
Confetti (German release date: September 7.)
Two nudists, a “physical dyslexic,” and a couple obsessed with tennis are the competitors in Confetti magazine’s search for England’s “Most Original Wedding.” British comedy stars Martin Freeman, Jessica Stevenson, Stephen Mangan, Felicity Montagu, and Rob Webb take it from there in this mockumentary in the spirit of Christopher Guest. Prior to filming, actors were sequestered so they could fully inhabit their characters. The result is an absolutely zany romp that still manages to be unnervingly realistic.
