decamber fi, 2002 »,
astute exploration of genre and narrative.
A nalyze T hat
— Christopher McQuain
Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal
reprise their roles as mobster and psychi-
ist from 1999’s hilarious Analyze This,
weak results. Clumsy transitions, a ludi
crous finale (CHiPs has staged better action
sequences) and downright bad acting (stick
to hosting the Oscars, Billy) make this
shrink session a memory I’d rather suppress.
R eal W omen H ave
C urves
WhaTs popped
and what's flopped,
io a thaatop map you.
F rida
—Jim Radosta
D ie A no th er D ay
James Bond, 40 years older and homier,
shows no signs of losing his stamina in this
20th installment of the spy series. Halle
Berry’s lack of charisma as generic Bond babe
Jinx is more than redeemed by snarling vil
lain Gustav Graves (played by Toby
Stephens, Maggie Sm ith’s son) and M adon
na’s cameo as a fencing instructor.
A t least it looks good. Director Julie Taymor’s
take on the life of die famous painter and her hus
band, Diego Rivera, has loads of visual pizzazz,
effortlessly evoking the feel, color and sounds of
Old Mexico. But the overwrought acting and soap
opera script are in constant battle with the film’s
more thoughtful impulses. Frida (Salma Hayek)
was a hellcat in real life, but here she’s the dreaded
cliched Latin spitfire brawling in cantinas, noisily
swapping tongue with the fetching Ashley Judd
and generally screaming and carrying on. Edward
Norton apparently rewrote the script—more evi
dence that actors should be barred from becoming
screenwriters.
Alternatively bitter
sweet and hilarious is this
first movie from archaeolo
gist-tumed-filmmaker Patricia C ar
doso about Mexican immigrants and their first-
generation daughters. America Ferrera makes an
unforgettable debut as A na, an 18-year-old who
wants to go to college but whose m other (Lupe
Ontiveros of Chuck & Buck) has serious plans for
her to work in her older sister’s sweatshop. Cross-
generational issues, body image and culture
clashes all collide in a refreshingly unforced way.
dud, bottom of the bag
(£§>
only if you’re really hungry
<£^>
good effort, pass the salt
<&<££><&><£& mmmm, tasty!
— Lisa Bradshaw
— Gary Morris
R oger D odger
get the big tub o ’ com
nifer Beals ( Flashdance) and Elizabeth Berkley
(Showgirls).
H arry
P otter a n d the
C hamber of S ecrets
-J R
<^> <5£i> <£%>
l37
F ar from H eaven
I grew tired of this
lame series w ithin the
first hour of last year’s
Sorcerer’s Stone. The
sequel finds our young
wizard accused of
attempted murder,
chased by gigantic spi
ders and haunted by a
ghostly diary— yet bland
actor Daniel Radcliffe never once manages to
convey any sense of peril or joy. Hokum pocus.
Julianne Moore gives yet another brilliant
performance, this time as a well-off 1950s
housewife dealing with her husband’s homosex
uality and her community’s homophobia and
racism in queer Portland filmmaker Todd
Haynes’ virtually flawless homage to the
“women’s pictures” of the period. Each cine
matic detail— the music, the framing, the dia
logue, the lighting— is a precise replica, allow
ing the film to be appreciated both for its own
considerable merits and as an intellectually
Remember Campbell
Scott from the 1991 Julia
Roberts tearjerker Dying
Young? T hat title nearly
could’ve served as his
career epitaph; fortunate
ly, the Singles star has
made a welcome come
back as a wannabe ladies
man who tries to teach his
teen nephew (Jesse
Eisenberg) the ropes.
W riter/director Dylan
Kidd also deserves major
credit for the witty banter, unexpected twists and
brilliant casting of legendary screen vixens Jen-
—JR
S olaris
You gotta love Steven Soderbergh’s moxie.
The renegade director follows up the experi
mental dud Full Frontal with, of all things, a
remake of a 1972 Russian film about a widower
(George Clooney) who runs into his wife’s
ghost (Natascha McElhone) in outer space.
Hypnotic ruminations on existence ensue.
Although Soderbergh’s all-killer, no-filler edit
ing style might keep mainstream audi
ences from squirming in their seats, it
ultimately simplifies an otherwise
complex quandary.
—JR.
-J R
4 : . Ac. 4 P A ,
/ ■
* / ■ • •
■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ I
o
C
____
X
X
castagna
Hs i a n Ca f e
Curries. Noodles. Dumplings.Cocktails and More
<jCe (Oiótro ¡^tjontose
/? T
g
■
301 S £ . W or risen
O pen
Hsian street food in all its glory "
- -
^ ò in n e r:
W illa m e tte W e e k
r
^even o ò c u ji a 1 4 Leh
_ S a
n -O liu r. Òp.m. -2 a m.
3 h .& S 2
ij ^
,,
i
i
bP . m. - 4 a . m
.
acCuncL *}ì]on. -Ori. 11:30-2
6801 S.E. N iluiaukie flue |.l:Jlj '|IJ|>!"ll
P ortlan d Ph: 2 3 0 -0 7 3 8 SuuddliS!,' J
~i
- S
i —
503.234.1324
castagna
dinner Wednesday through Saturday • 231.7373
café castagna
next door to the restaurant
dinner tuesday through Sunday • 231.9959
( j i f t C 4ertipuales~O vailaJle
m ontane. citase arch. com
1752 se hawthorne boulevard
FOR A GREAT STEAK, LOOK FOR
THE REVOLVING STEAK SIGN
A
EXCEPT IN BEAVERTON,
WHERE THE CITY
WOULDN’T LET US
HAVE ONE
*
ki n .
f
l Our revolving steak sign has become a landmark in Portland
"“it 4 sign o f quality Where you know you can get a great steak
™ dinner at a fair price. Unfortunately, we conldn t get that same
sign in Beaverton. But honesth. we 're not that hard to find
105th & SE Stark
•
* ng a ll
* * * °ffam ilies
since 1946 ■ *
S a q le ú
OLD C0P1TCB7 KITCHEN
home o f the 72 oz. steak
503-252-4171 - Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy at Griffith Dr. - 503-644-1492
................... ...
1
.......... .. "■
—
Salci/
f f ta /ta /i
New
Fall/Winter
M enu
t_ fft/w a u A ie
<£
G S ótve//
6 0 3 - 2 3 6 - 6 t i h 'ó
c u b a n cre o le c u is in e y c a n t in a c u b a n a
to fo to . .sa/a/>òs/n>. co rn
~ 503 w burnside ~
I