novambflf 1. 2002
A bandon
bunch of
other
unique,
complex
characters
who come in
and out of his
messed-up life: his caus
tic mother (Susan Sarandon),
despicable brother (Ryan Phillippe), JAP
girlfriend (Claire Danes) and questionable
mentor (Jeff Goldblum). A n incredible
debut for writer/director Burr Steers.
-J R
What's popped
and what's flopped,
in a theater near yon.
Writer/director Stephen
Gaghan shows a fraction of the flair
for storytelling he demonstrated pen
ning Traffic in this boring thriller about
an aimless detective (Benjamin Bratt)
investigating a college student (Katie
Holmes) who is being stalked by her ex-
boyfriend (Charlie Hunnam of the U.K.
Queer as Folk). Like The Sixth Sense, the
ending comes as a big surprise but
proves to he too little, too late.
— Jim Radosta
A u to Fo cus
dud, bottom of the bag
<C^> <& > only if you’re really hungry
< ^ i <& >
good effort, pass the salt
mmmm, tasty!
< & < £ > < & JACKASS THE MOVIE
<g> <£> < g> < £ > <g> get the big tub o’ com
Video killed the TV star in th*is
unsettling hiopic about Hogan's Heroes actor
and homemade pom addict Bob Crane
(Greg Kinnear)— a sad, voyeuristic E! True
Hollywood Story dramatization. My major
gripe is th at the ending— much like the
unsolved murder that ended C ranes life— is
abrupt and unsatisfying.
— JR
a £%>
<§> < g > B ow ling for C olumbine
Rather than jumping on an anti-gun
soapbox, renegade filmmaker Michael Moore
instead delves deeply into the roots of the
problem: W hy the hell do so many A m eri
cans shoot each other? His evaluation reveals
a country immersed in hateful xenophobia,
corporate dom ination and paralyzing fear. O f
course, one can’t help hut wonder whether
a great deal of that paranoia stems from watch
ing documentaries like this.
-J R
H eaven
Heaven is hell. Cate Blanchett certainly looks
good as a bald-headed bomber, and her puppy
eyed boytoy Giovanni Rihisi is equally fetching.
But they’re trapped in a ponderous movie that
tries vainly to inject pathos into its tired tale of
lovers on the lam. Blanchett completists and
fans of Euro-angst are Heaven’s only hope.
— Gary Morris
<£&<&> I gby G oes D own
A sort of counterculture coming-of-age
story about a juvenile delinquent (Kieran
Culkin, channeling Robert Downey Jr.) and a
Sure, 1 could go on and on about how this
big-screen version of M TV’s “don’t try these
stunts at home” program hardly qualifies as a
movie. 1 could chastise these dudes for the utter
lack of respect they show their digestive systems,
their bodies, their fellow human beings. But why
bother? It’s strangely entertaining, and the homo-
phobic subtext (can you say “anal fixation”?)
makes it worth the nausea.
— JR
(&<£&<&><££> S ecretary
Finally— a movie about B/D/S/M that doesn’t
play it for comic relief or as a freaky perversion.
Maggie Gyllenhaal and the constantly under
rated James Spader are Oscar-worthy as a
secretary and boss respectively crossing the
boundaries of the professional. As she learns to
do it right, he struggles with notions of the
immoral. You’ll keep waiting for the film to
screw it all up, but it never does. See it.
— Lisa Bradshaw
<&> 0 > ^
W hite O leander
A teen girl (A lison Lohm an) enters the
ridiculous foster care system after her murder
ous mom (M ichelle Pfeiffer) goes to jail. Sur
prisingly unsentim ental for an O prah Book
Club adaptation, director Peter Kosminsky’s
film is filled with memorable characters and
strong performances, especially Robin W right
Penn and Renée Zellweger as two flawed
guardians. How refreshing to see a chick
flick that isn’t polluted by Hollywood
fakes like Sandra Bullock and
'
Ashley Judd!
-J R
c a s t a g na
v /i y
/ ?
/
'/ (
y*
castagna
dinner Wednesday through Saturday • 231.7373
café castagna
next door to the restaurant
dinner tuesday through Sunday • 231.9959
1752 se hawthorne boulevard
FOR A GREAT STEAK, LOOK FOR
THE REVOLVING STEAK SIGN
illliff*.. ^
EXCEPT IN BEAVERTON,
WHERE THE CITY
WOULDN’T LET US
HAVE ONE
küJT " S o il
s * ° ffa m ilie s
stnce 1946. "
S c u fU n A
Our rewiring steak .sign has become a landmark in Portland.
A sign o f quality. Where you know you can get a great steak
dinner at a fair price. Unfortunately, we couldn 1 get that same
sign in Beaverton. But honestly, we 're not that hard to find
105th & SE Stark • 503-252-4171
~
OLD COPITTBT m CHEW
home o f the 72 oz. steak
Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy at Griffith Dr. - 503-
f\ l&
T o
503 288-4169
2716 NE MLK
7am-2pm Mon-Fri, 8am-3pm Sat-Sun
ftll
( Q r t *X
ftll
u ic fa i, Joe)
1