New movies this weekend offer a variety of genres
Although holiday movie releases are a month away,
a number of promising pictures are coming soon
BY AMY LICHTY
PULSE EDITOR
Four new movies will hit theaters
this weekend: a touching comedy, a
drama based on true-life, a computer
game-inspired action flick and a psy
chological thriller.
"Shopgirl," a modern-day love story
based on Steve Martin's best-selling
novella of the same name, stars Martin,
Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman
caught in a love triangle. Mirabeile
(Danes) is a "plain Jane" aspiring artist
who must work at the lonely glove
counter at the Saks Fifth Avenue in
Beverly Hills in order to make ends
meet It's there that she meets Ray
Porter (Martin), a much older, much
richer fifty-something ready to sweep
her off of herfeet But Mirabelle is also
being pursued by Jeremy (Schwartz
man), a simple bachelor lacking the
dignified status and the loaded wallet
that Porter can provide. What will her
heart want in the end? (Rated R)
"North Country" also opens this
weekend. Based on a true story from
the late 70s, Charlize Theron plays
Josey Aimes, a working divorcee who
must return to her hometown in Min
nesota to support her children. Aimes
begins working in an iron mine, but
soon finds thatthe attention from the
male miners is anything but welcome.
Aimes attempts to stand up for herself,
but the women she works with fear los
ing their well-paying job in a time when
jobs were difficult to find. Aimes finds
herself caught in a war of words and
the focus of national attention after fil
ing a sexual harassment suit against
the mine owners, putting her family's
future in jeopardy. (Rated R)
"Doom," a computer-game-in
spired alien-fighting action film star
ring The Rock and Karl Urban blasts
its way onto the big screen this week
end. After something goes terribly
wrong at a remote scientific research
station on Mars, the Rapid Response
Tactical Squad — hardened Marines
armed to the teeth — must go in and
show the alien enemy who is boss.
Their orders: Nothing gets out alive.
But will they? (Rated R)
"Stay" is also heating theaters this
Friday. This thriller stars Ewan McGre
gor, Naomi Watts and Ryan Gosling.
Gosling plays Henry Letham, a dis
traught young man who announces to
his psychiatrist Sam Foster (McGre
gor), that he plans to commit suicide in
three days. Letham begins predicting
the future and Foster's world turns up
side down when the world between
the living and the dead becomes
blurred. (Rated R)
alichty@dailyemerald.com
Grizzly Man: A sad, strange tale of man and beast
Filmmaker Werner Herzog's documentary of bear
enthusiast Timothy Treadwell ends with latter's demise
BYTREVOR DAVIS
PULSE REPORTER
"I will die forthese animals," Timo
thy Treadwell repeats three times. And
he means it.
The new documentary "Grizzly
Man" portrays Treadwell's summers
— most of them alone — spent in the
Alaskan wilderness with grizzly bears
and other animals.
Treadwell can be found in bizarre
scenes interacting with animals as if
they were humans.
For his time spent at Katmai Na
tional Park and Preserve on the
Alaska Peninsula, he appeared on
the "Late Show with David Letter
man." The late-night show foreshad
owed Treadwell's demise: "Is it go
ing to happen, that we read a news
item one day that you have been eat
en by one of these bears?"
He was eventually killed by the very
beasts he protected, along with his
girlfriend Amie Huguenard in October
2003. (More information on Huguenard
is not provided in the movie because
her family was unwilling to talk.)
Film
maker
Werner
Herzog
creates
a movie
"Is it going to happen, that we read a
news item one day that you have been
eaten by one of these bears?"
David Letterman | The Late Show with David Letterman
mixed with interviews with people
who knew Treadwell best, raw
footage taken by Treadwell and
commentary by Herzog. The movie
plays outto be part Discovery Chan
nel-like nature documentary, part
character examination with inter
views and analyses in between.
Throughout the movie, Treadwell in
terviews bears and gives them names
sucn as Mr.
Chocolate.
Tread
well's char
acter ab
sorbs the
audience — his nutty but admirable
attitude toward the bears is so strong
he naturally captivates. He may not
have known he would have an audi
ence, but his ache for fame plays out in
front of the camera.
At one point he's even fascinated by
a bear excreting. "It just came from
her butt!" he exclaims as he points to
Wendy's poop. Moments like these
provide insightto his colorful behavior.
Treadwell's footage sometimes
serves as a confessional — he was,
after all, typically alone. He even con
fides that he is good in bed and that he
wishes he were gay.
Treadwell's video is fascinating be
cause he often gets too close. One of
the most powerful images in the movie
is of two bears duking it out for a fe
male bear, ending with torn fur from
GRIZZLY, page 11
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