RhvttimReviews
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Red Hot ’60s
Neil Simon’s The Last of the Red Hot
Lovers premieres at the Lord l.eehrick
Theatre Co. /PAGE 16
Let’s go to the movies
Area movie houses offer a broad
range of cinematic moods and movie
magic/ PAGE 19
Volume 100, Issue 24
The latest film about Oregon runner Steve
Prefontaine was screened in Eugene last
weekend and will bit theaters later this month
By Amy Boytz
Oregon Daily Emerald
The red carpet isn’t
rolled out for just any
one, but then again,
Tom Cruise isn’t just
anyone.
Last Friday, the mega-star
was in town to attend the Eu
gene screening of “Without
Limits, ” the story of legendary
University of Oregon runner
Steve Prefontaine.
Cruise, clad head-to-toe in
black, greeted swarms of
coach Bill Bowerman. Also ap
pearing were co-producer Wag
ner, executive producer/co
writer Kenny Moore and
director/co-writer Robert
Towne.
Prefontaine, who attended
the University from 1969 to
1973, was famous for his aggres
sive, strong-willed attitude and
rock-star charisma.
To capture the essence of Pre
fontaine on film would be diffi
cult. But this film comes close.
The movie, filmed almost ex
clusively at the University dur
screaming
fans and
flashed his
million-dollar
grin often, de
spite the
buckets of
rain.
Cruise does
not star in
“Without
Limits” — he
produced it,
Without Limits
Directed by Robert Towne
*TYPE:Drama
■ CAST: Billy Crudup,
Donald Sutherland, Monica
Potter
i RATING:
ing the sum
mer of 1996,
beautifully de
picts the cam
pus. Watch for
footage of
many Univer
sity students
and faculty in
bit parts. It has
a believable
screenplay
that portrays
along with Paula Wagner of
Cruise/Wagner Productions.
“Without Limits” follows “Mis
sion: Impossible," the compa
ny’s first production.
But what drew Cruise to Pre
fontaine’s story?
“A lot of people feel inspired
by human accomplishment,”
Cruise said.
Along with Cruise, actor Don
ald Sutherland also attended
the premiere. Sutherland (“The
Dirty Dozen,” "Ordinary Peo
ple,” “A Time to Kill”) plays
former Oregon track and field
the intensity of Prefontaine,
Bowerman and the art of run
ning.
But what is most remarkable
about Without Limits is its cast
ing. Billy Crudup (“Sleepers.”
“Inventing the Abbotts”) plays
Prefontaine perfectly. To pre
pare for the role, he studied
hours of Prefontaine’s races on
film to emulate Pre’s every arm
motion, head turn and crowd
pleasing gesture. Crudup spent
additional time on the track
Turn to PREFONTAINE, Page 17
OREG01
Actor Billy Crudup runs in front ot Hayward Field fans as Steve Prelontaine in a scene from ‘Without Limits.'
Courtesy photo
‘Urban Legend’ comes out flat, lacks
scares and spice
‘Urban
Legend’
links a
talented
cast to a
unique
concept, but
it fails to
inject new
scares
By Michael Burnham
Oregon Daily Emerald
Recipe for a hip 1990s horror flick :
• One or more costumed killers with cre
ative license to hack up hapless victims
• A young, attractive and well-scrubbed
cast of rising stars
• A female lead, who must be able to use
her wits and kick some serial killer butt
• Lots of blood, cleavage and college stu
dent stereotypes
• A catchy premise
NOTE: a suspenseful plot is optional
If that’s the formula for a contemporary
horror film hit, then Phoenix Pictures’ lat
est production, “Urban Legend,” will no
doubt be a success.
The premise for directing newcomer
Jamie Blanks’ film has the makings for a cin
ema cash cow: urban legends, or modern
day folk tales of semi-plausible mishaps,
start to come true at a pretentious New Eng
land college. The film falls flat as Blanks
fails to inject suspense into a choppy, pre
dictable plot. But if you don’t mind a brain
less and gory whodunnit, this film is sure
to please.
“Urban Legend” pulls together a cast of
skin blemish-free characters that includes
Jared Leto from “Prefontaine”; Robert En
glund from “Nightmare on Elm Street”;
Joshua Jackson from television’s “Dawson’s
Creek”; Rebecca Gayheart from “Scream 2”
and Noxzema commercials; and Alicia Witt
from television’s “Cybill.”
The film’s mayhem begins when red
headed heroine Natalie (Witt) begins to find
her friends dying in ways that eerily shad
ow urban legends. As Natalie’s friends and
Turn to ‘URBAN LEGEND,’ Page 20
(A)urtesyj)bot()
Actress Tara Reid, who plays the disc jockey ot a campus sex advice show, has a
grisly encounter with a hooded serial killer in ‘Urban Legend.’