40
» January 1ÍL 2002
DIVERSIONS
A lix O ls o n
b a c k in to w n
0
^ f c jt Writes 1999 National
[■Poetry Slam Champion Ahx
RPO lson is coming to town for a
free show Jan. 22 in Room 238 of
Portland State University’s Smith
Memorial Center. If you’re familiar
with Olson, you’ll he there. If
you’re not, get your ass to the gig
because you’ve never seen any
thing like this before.
Olson isn’t shy about spilling her
mind. Before evening’s end, you’ll
know how she feels about racism,
homophobia and oppression in gen
eral. You won’t be confused about
her stance on capitalism after you
hear “America's on Sale,” and you’ll
be amused and amazed at her slam
musician style. The poet’s twisting,
tumbling, rhyming rhythm
demands your attention.
A New York native, the 25-
year-old Olson has been entertain
ing audiences throughout the
United States and the world for
Alix Olson slams patriarchy, homophobia and racism
several years. She has been fea
tured at an impressive array of
venues and events, including Sym
E r o t ic a lly ta s ty
phony Space with Pete Seeger and Michael
TPlred of the current slew of blockbusters at
Moore, the HERE Performing Arts Festival,
I chain-store theaters? A deliciously tense
the Lambda Literary Conference, the National
I homoerotic thriller from French filmmaker
Lesbian Summit and the Netherlands’ Interna
and author Bernard Rapp awaits you at Clin
tional Poetry Festival.
ton Street Theater Jan. 25 to 31. A M atter o f
Olson’s PSU show is sponsored by the
T aste (U ne A ffaire d e Q out), his second full-
Women's Resource Center and Queers and
length feamre, is a reminder of what great cine
Allies. She also is appearing 8:30 p.m. Jan. 24
ma is all about.
at the Meow Meow Club. 527 S.E. Pine St. It’s
Bernard Giraudeau (Water Drops on Burning
an all-ages show: bring $7 to get in.
Rocks) portravs Frédéric Delamont, a wealthy
— Page Morrison
businessman with extraordinarily refined and pre
P la y b a ll!
cise dining habits. He finds in young luncheon
he always active
waiter Nicolas (Jean-Pierre Lorit) the attitude and
Rose City Soft-
palate needed to become his personal “taster.”
bail Association
This uncommon business relationship
(RCSA ) is extra busy
quickly becomes personal, as Nicolas learns his
this year as the North
boss not only wishes him to taste his food but
American Gay Amateur Athlet
to have exactly the same preferences, feelings
ic Alliance World Series is being held Aug. 18 to
and desires— for food and otherwise. In a very
25 in Portland. That's exciting news for the sports
short time, Nicolas realizes he should bail on
group
as well as queer businesses, as teams and
the obsessive older man but continues to be
their supporters will be coming in from all over
excited by his unpredictability and enthralled
the continent. It’s almost like Pride in August.
with the extravagant lifestyle.
The World Series week is chock-a-block
Homoeroticism abounds in this tightly writ
with activities such as the Miss Gay World
ten, sadomasochistic game. Even as Frédéric
Series Pageant, Portland Spirit River Cruise, a
tries to convince Nicolas’ estranged girlfriend
Spirit Mountain Casino event, a talent show
(why do straight girls keep getting dumped on
and, of course, opening and closing cere
lately? See: The Fluffer) that he’s “never fancied
monies. Participants will get a chance to visit a
boys,” he watches and controls Nicolas’ every
variety of Portland-area fields and stadiums.
move, which is taboo enjoyment to the
As you might well imagine, this kind of inter
younger man. And, of course, the filmmakers
national
event takes a heck of a lot of planning,
were smart enough to cast very fetching lead
work and fund raising. To that end, anv and all
ing actors.
enthusiastic volunteers are invited to contact the
Taste is a quietly disturbing little movie.
group to see where help
The seeming
is needed. This
simplicity of
includes those of you
the matters at
who want to play on or
hand belies
to sponsor a team.
the precision
One group specifi
with which
cally
recruiting mem
the story
bers right now is Team
unfolds. Rapp
Quest, an athletic and
employs the
exercise program tor
extradiegetic
people affected by
tactic of
chronic and life-
revealing the
challenging illnesses,
harrowing
including HIV/A1DS.
conclusion as
It promotes healthy
the film’s first Homoeroticism and obsession mark A M atter o f T aste
living and eating but
scene, which
mostly fun, stressing die only requirement is that
successfully creates 90 minutes of foreboding.
people
do the best they can.
And every minute counts.
T
Connelly is stunning as the supportive wife.
Director Ron Howard uses clever techniques to
help us understand the couple’s suffering.
-JR
<£> £§>
What's popped
and what's flopped,
in a theater
near you.
<£> A li
You know what it’s like when you return
from the video store with the wrong movie?
T h a t’s how this boxing biopic made me feel.
“W ait a minute, I didn’t rent
M alcolm X, The Hurricane
and W hen We W ere Kings'."
Yet all three of those movies
covered similar material
much better than
director/co-writer Michael
Mann ever could. Great per
formances are wasted in his
narrow yet interminable
focus on a life story that has
yet to reach its final chapter.
—Jim Radosta
dud, bottom of the bag
<g> only if you’re really hungry
<JO)
(Q ! good effort, pass the salt
mmmm, tasty!
<£}<(£><£><$><£> get ^ e big tub o’ com
wrote this magical tale of a young woman
(Audrey Tautou) whose fanciful imagination
leads her to commit random acts of kindness
but who forgets to follow her heart along the
way. During her adventures the adorable
Am élie even turns the
head of a butch female
admirer.
-JR
A mélie
Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Deli
catessen) directed and co-
W ho can turn the world on with
a smile?
<& >{£><&
A B eautiful
M ind
Russell Crowe gives
another Oscar-worthy per
formance as a brilliant
mathematician who over
comes schizophrenia to win
the Nobel Prize. Ed Harris
plays a government official
who needs to borrow this
tortured cranium to crack
Commie codes, and Jennifer
T he B usiness of S trangers
Stockard Charming and Julia Stiles play,
respectively, a middle-aged corporate she-warrior
and her mysterious protégé. The two become
embroiled in a dubious revenge scheme that
opens the door to sparring, solidarity and palpa
ble sexual tension between them. Imagine the
misanthropy and mistrust of a David Mamet or a
Neil LaBute applied to a more directly feminist
theme, and you’ll get an idea of what
writer/director Patrick Stettner is up to here.
— Christopher M cQuain
s g i i ^ ^ T H E L ord of the R ings
Possibly affected by overhype and ballyhoo,
this epic comes off somewhat disappointing.
Dialogue is unoriginal, characters are pre
dictable, and three hours is half an hour too
much. As a simple adventure story, however,
it mostly delivers: beautiful, rolling hills, stun
ning Middle Earth architecture, big scary half
dead guys in black and extraordinarily cute
hobbits. O f course, the effects are mesmerizing
(best giant octopus ever), and our friend Sir
lan McKellen is smashing as the wizard Gan-
dolf. If you can get past all the female charac
ters (two) as pale, waifish tokens of goodness
and romance, it’s worth a matinee.
— Lisa Bradshaw
T he R oyal T enenbaums
Director Wes Anderson (Rushmore) twirls
Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Gwyneth
Paltrow and Ben Stiller through a lighthearted
drama regarding an absentee father’s attempt to
reconcile with his offspring, who are spending
their adult lives recovering from childhood
genius. The actors are given unusual, affection
ately written characters to work with. But
Anderson’s attention to detail is the real star; his
is a style both precise and unpretentious. As an
added bonus, Paltrow is allowed a quick lesbian
kiss before the credits roll.
— CM
' T he S hipping N ews
Kevin Spacey seems bored in this screen
adaptation of E. A nnie Proulx’s novel, and
even good performances from Julianne
Moore, Judi D ench (as a proud old lesbian)
and C ate Blanchett are wasted in the hands
of director Lasse Hallstrom (T h e C ider H ouse
R ules). T h e film is so blandly ingratiating as
to be forgettable.
-C M
- Q V anilla S ky
Jacob's Ladder meets The Matrix in Cameron
Crowe’s startling romantic thriller. Tom Cruise is
a wealthy girl magnet (quite a stretch) who finds
true love with charming artist Penèlope Cruz
only to make a fatal error with his “fuck buddy,”
Cameron Diaz, which changes his life in ways
he, nor the audience, can quite figure out. Is he
dreaming, fantasizing or just plain crazy? Amus
ingly, Cruise delivers the familiar “Look, I’m
straight, OK?”— onscreen this time. Occasional
ly bogged down in sentimentality, but Cruise and
Cruz make the sparks fly.
— LB