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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (April 7, 2006)
APRIL 7, 2006 justput film Basic Instinct 2 Lonesome Jim If your instincts are telling you to see this sequel for cheap thrills, do yourself a favor and ignore them. Sure, there are some unintentionally hilari ous moments involving 110 mph car sex and a wet and wild Jacuzzi brawl. For the most part, though, it’s a tedious and convoluted mess that’s bound to sweep this year’s Razzie Awards. Despite some nude scenes and belabored attempts to ooze sex appeal, Sharon Stone fails to titillate as novelist and sus pected murderess Catherine Tramell. But she looks like Meryl Streep compared to British actor David Morrissey, who has no charisma whatsoever in the pivotal role of Catherine’s psychiatrist. D + —Stephen Blair Actor Steve Buscemi directed this dramedy about a 27-year-old (Casey Affleck) who, after failing in New York as a writer, moves back in with his Midwest parents and falls in love with a nurse (Liv Tyler). The movie is painfully honest about average people’s lives, and that is what makes it not just funny but also heart wrenching to see. While the story isn’t completely revealed until the end, viewers will enjoy the humor, and I assume a lot of them will relate to the character and situations. Opens April 14. B —YPB Brick If you like the verbal storytelling of Dashiell Hammett novels, then you will like this movie, too. Rian Johnson’s writing/directing debut is an hom age to film noir set in a modem Southern California high school. A student’s (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) ex-girlfriend (Emilie de Ravin) vanishes, and he has to find the damsel in distress. Encountering fellow students with a lot of issues, he takes an interesting journey while learning more about himself. Richard Roundtree is impressive as the assistant vice principal. B —Yvonne P. Behrens Don't Come Knocking Written by and starring Sam Shephard and directed by Wim Wenders (Wings of Desire), this film tells the story of Howard Spence, a former Western movie star who, at the age of 60, has seen better days. Upon learning that he might have a child somewhere, he tries everything to find the person so his life won’t be completely meaningless. Along the search he discovers a whole life he has missed. Featuring wonderful performances by Jessica Lange and Tim Roth as well as screen veter ans Eva Marie Saint and George Kennedy. A- —YPB o, WORLD PREMIERE ITAMAR MOSES greeted by Lucky Number Slevin Scottish director Paul McGuigan (Wicker Park) really keeps us on our toes with this noirish comic thriller involving a case of mistaken identity, crime and revenge where nothing is as it seems. If you can stomach the bloody violence while people are get ting killed left and right, this film will keep you guessing until everything fits neatly together at the end. Featuring an incredible cast led by Josh Hartnett, Bruce Willis and Lucy Lui and supported by Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley and Stanley Tucci. B —YPB Take the Lead This drama from video director Liz Friedlander (R.E.M.’s “The Great Beyond”) is based on the true story of former professional ballroom dancer Pierre Dulane (Antonio Banderas), who volunteers to teach dance in New fork’s public school system. Yes, this sounds familiar to Mad Hot Ballroom, but it is a fascinating feel-good film. As in last year’s hit documentary, the urban kids (led by Rob Brown of Finding Forrester) are the stars of the movie, creat ing a completely new dance style blending ball room and hip-hop moves. A- —YPB Thank You for Smoking Christopher Buckley’s 2004 novel about a slick spokesman for the tobacco industry was a scathing indictment of corporate lobbyists and the influence they exert in Washington, D.C. The author’s pro tagonist is a member of the M.O.D. (Merchants of Death) squad, a semi-secret weekly lunch club that consists of him and fellow flacks for the National Rifle Association and the alcohol industry. While director Jason Reitman’s adaptation is provocative and interesting, ultimately Aaron Eckhart as the lead character is too mild-mannered for the satire to soar. B —Floyd Sldaver © German Formula Inc. 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