Cape No. 7

You’ve seen it hundreds of times - against all odds, adorable misfits make good. Let director Wei Te-Sheng convince you how such a tired plotline can be made fresh in the film Cape No. 7. Charming and utterly enjoyable, the 2008 Taiwanese blockbuster shows scenes of six mismatched small-town musicians who dream of making it big-time, intercut with episodic WWII romantic reveries. Somehow, everything's tied to a series of long-lost love letters that were never delivered. It sounds cluttered, but everything falls into place with precision and artful timing thanks to Wei's unadorned filmmaking. It's the shaggy-dog, lovable townies who propel the story and bring it alive in unexpected ways: Motorcycle mechanic Frog (Ying Wei-Min) drums on anything handy, irritable 80-year-old Uncle Mao (Johnny Lin) can't quite manage a modern guitar's intricate finger work, and little preteen Dada (Joanne Yang), church pianist, finishes every song with a nice amen. 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet. For information, call 713-639-7515 or visit www.mfah.org. $6 to $7.
Thu., July 30, 7 p.m.; Fri., July 31, 7 p.m., 2009