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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 18, 2004)
Courtesy Zach Braff and Natalie Portman star in the quirky but uneven new film, “Garden State," which will open Friday at the Bijou Art Cinemas. GARDEN STATE continued from page 13 home for the first time in nine years and stays with his dis tant, concerned father (Ian Holm). That his mother, a para plegic who drowned in the bathtub, might have commit ted suicide weighs over both of them in every scene they share. While in town, Andrew meets up with old friends with out telling them what he's been doing or why he's back (they all think he's a famous actor now, when in fact he works at a Vietnamese restaurant). He visits a doctor to get some odd headaches examined and we find out the rea son for his sleepy personality and numb attitude: He's been heavily medicated since he was nine and is only now letting it clean out from his system. While at the hospital, he meets compulsive liar and pet lover Samantha (Natalie Portman) and the walls of detach ment begin to break down. From this point on the film goes through a couple of the motions of a romantic comedy, but it never goes all out for it; Andrew and Sam's relationship is heartfelt but is presented in a refreshingly easygoing manner. Throughout all of this, BrafF presents us with odd behav ior and quirky details. His characters are eccentric in an everyday sort of manner, such as the stoner/gravedigger who speaks fluent Klingon, or the woman who sings a nasal high-pitched version of Lionel Ritchie's 'Once, Twice, Three Times a Lady" at the mother's funeral. The problem is that the quirks don't sync well with the drama and Braff doesn't seem sure what he's trying to accomplish by set ting them side by side. The actors also don't seem to know what tone to set from scene to scene, sometimes being oddball and endur ing, sometimes deathly serious. This is more an indictment of the direction rather than the acting, because, as the writer and director, Braff should know what kind of movie he wants this to be. The dialog is often stiff and cumber some and characters too often talk like people are sup posed to talk, as opposed to how people actually talk. As it stands, "Garden State" is worthwhile for what works, even though it is marred in its mistakes and indul gences. Braff could grow into being a major talent. He's got the potential, but he just needs the maturity. Tyannyburg@dailyemerald.com BAND continued from page 14 ing “multifaceted." Not only is it a fun break from the academic overtone that controls the lives of law students, it also "encourages students to retain the interests they had before entering law school — those interests are very important in enriching their lives," Paris said. "CITE" BUSTER BROUGHT TO YOU BY FORMER POLICE OFFICERS SAVE HUNDREDS ON TICKETS! SAVE THOUSANDS ON INSURANCE! SAVE YOUR DRIVERS LICENSE! THIS MANUAL IS GUARANTEED TO HAVE INFORMATION YOU WON’T FIND IN ANY OTHER CITATION MANUAL! ALL FOR LESS THEN 1/2 THE COST OF 1 TRAFFIC TICKET SPECIAL PRICE! $39.99 SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER TO: CITEBUSTER, 901 BRUSTCHER RD #D-131 NEWBERG, OR 97132 OR VISIT WWW. CITEBUSTER. COM The Garden Weasels will play Fri day at Agate Hall at 8 p.m. for the an nual Welcome (Back) to Law School party, sponsored by Phi Alpha Delta. Bjerre and Aoki are also in a jazz band with third-year law students Sean Bannon, Emily Schoonmaker and Sean Martin, called the Sophisti cates. Formed just this last year, the So phisticates have already seen their share of success, Bjerre said. Finish our pizza with a Screaming Orgasm. The only pizza joint in town with a fuii-service bar. 790 East 14th Ave. • 344-4471 Both bands have played a number of different events and expect to con tinue doing so through the school year, Bjerre said. "It's not just a law school thing. We play everywhere," Bjerre said. '[But] we do have day jobs and we're not go ing to give them up." Meghann M. Cuniff is a freelance reporter for the Emerald. TOT (S^utkentic Mzeek Cuisine Zurich • inner • Catering ^ When your budget says you should stick to Ramen... but your stomach craves real flavor. 0V* Superb quality, affordable prices and an incredible environment. Catch the Breeze on 13^ and Kincaid for an easy ride to the market. 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