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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 11, 1999)
Cf) 03 rJj P fTZ O T3 U o§ i. ^ <D O C o 0) a> O £ LU 484-1244 25 Roses for $14W ifr? ##g ^i5 coupon in and Save an extra $1 007814 0* Now Open iN The Rcc Center Fresh Juices, Smoothes & Gourmet Gofe 546-1100 ThE "ReaI Squeeze" on campus (We Accept Competitor's Coupons) r UO School of Music World Music Series presents SREDETS: Bulgarian folh flusic Ensemble Beautiful slow melodies, exciting dance rhythms, and Rom (Gypsy) music. Participatory folk dance for everyone following the concert! Friday, Nov. 12 • 8 p.m. AGATE HALL—18th & Agate St. $10 Gen. Admission, $8 Students & Seniors, available at the door. For more info, call Mark Levy at 346-2852 flbira Hate of Zimbabwe “The Soul of Flbira” Music and dance of the Shona people of Zimbabwe. Pre-concert lecture demonstration at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13 • 8 p.m. BEALL HALL—961 E. 18thAve. $10 General Admission, $8 Students & Seniors, available at the door. PLUS: Shona Music & Dance Workshop Sunday, Nov. 14, 3 p.m., Room 178 Music • Tickets $10/$8 •_Movie Reviews [ courtesy of October Films “Black Cat, White Cat” has been called Felliniesque thanks to its colorful, larger-than-life characters. The movie centers around a group of gypsies who live on the banks of the Danube River. The story, about three generations of men, gamblers and hustlers, centers on the themes of “love at first sight” and longtime friendship. The film earned Bosnian-born writer/director Emir Kus turica the Silver Lion Award for Best Director at the 1998 Venice Film Festival. “Black Cat, White Cat” is currently playing at the Bijou Ait Cinemas, located at 492 E. 13th Avenue. Living in someone else’s shoes ■ “Being John Malkovich” explores society’s obsession with Hollywood-style life with a comedic flair Being John Malkovich Starring John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich. Directed by Spike Jonze. By Jack Clifford Oregon Daily Emerald We’ve all played the game of “If you could be anyone else, who would it be?” The name John Malkovich probably hasn’t passed many lips in response, but writer Charlie Kaufman apparently believes that the enigmatic actor is a damn good answer, hence the new movie “Be ing John Malkovich. ” Kaufman and director Spike Jonze have taken that body-swap ping question and created the weirdest, wildest and wackiest movie since the 1992 French film “Delicatessen.” The pair has also found a fresh and unique way to exploit the beaten-to-death pop culture mantra, “Andy Warhol said everyone will have 15 min utes of fame.” The movie’s plot centers on four main characters: the eponymous one, of course; a veterinarian named Lotte Schwartz (a frizzy haired Cameron Diaz), who has a soft spot for a chimp named Elijah; Maxine (Catherine Keener), a wisecracking woman with a nose for moneymaking schemes; and Lotte’s husband Craig (John Cu sack), who works hard at his hob by of puppeteering, yet has to suf fer indignities such as being told he’s not sexually attractive be cause he still plays with dolls. Using the art of puppetry as a foundation, a home base in a way, Kaufman and Jonze get their movie to lift off like a spaceship once the portal to John Malkovich is discovered, and moviegoers can only ooh, ahh and laugh uproari ously at the trippy sights. At first, the on-screen travelers are limited to Craig and Lotte, who are in a battle to woo the oh-so not-smitten-with-either-one Max ine. Until they inhabit John Malkovich’s being, that is, then Maxine can’t get enough of them. Once the potential for financial gain is realized, thanks to Maxine’s more rational side, literally every one wants to take the ride. That’s when the movie really gets strange. In a scene that ranks as one of the best ever filmed, Malkovich takes a journey to be, well, himself. And you thought this guy played some odd roles in his past movies. This film couldn’t have been made without John Malkovich’s presence, which isn’t meant to point out the obvious — after all, the movie is called “Being John Malkovich.” The implication here is that no other fairly mainstream actor, male or female, could make viewers believe that something like this, as absurd as the idea is, might happen to him or her. “Be ing Jodie Foster”? No. “Being Johnny Depp”? Nope. Even “Being Kevin Spacey” doesn’t sound right. Only Malkovich fits the role and the story of how Jonze talked him into filling it would probably make a pretty decent movie, as well. Back to this movie, however, which also sort of loses track about two-thirds of the way through. Although Orson Bean does a nice turn early on in the movie as Craig’s boss, Mr. Lester, his even tual importance to the plot and in creased screen exposure starts to drag the film down a bit. In addition, when we lose Cu sack’s sad sack Schwartz to Malkovich’s inner self, the movie is set adrift without its anchor. Cu sack as an actor just keeps getting better and his role here continues that progress. Diaz and Keener are above aver age in their portrayals as Lotte and Maxine, who end up representing one of the movie’s deeper themes about gender identity and how confusing the entire issue can be. Mary Kay Place, in a smaller, more comedic role, works well as a sec retary with an ear for mala propisms. On the whole, this flick is just one laugh after another. Yet, when you leave the theater, it will have you thinking about such ideas as our culture’s insidious love affair with all things celebrity-oriented and society’s search for immortality. From a pop culture perspective though, the film is just one treat af ter another, especially with its sometimes quick star cameos. So forget “Who Wants to Be a Mil lionaire,” because “Being John Malkovich” is the coolest fad around. “Being John Malkovich” plays at the Bijou Art Cinemas.