Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 3, 2007)
AUGUST 3, 2007 jUStlOUt 37 film Arctic Tale Caravaggio, in the service of stories about mysteri ous characters in absurd (often sexually strange) situations. Detractors, put off by Tsai’s glacial pacing, tend to run for the exit. I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone won’t change anybody’s mind. But for adventurous viewers, this beautifully shot, heartfelt film about a homeless man and a paralyzed guy, both being lovingly (and sometimes sexually) attended by, respectively, a male Bangladeshi guest worker and the beleaguered daughter of a mean “boss lady," will surprise and captivate. Opens Aug. 3 at Living Room Theaters. A —Gary Morris Director Sarah Robertson’s film fits perfectly with the timely discussions about global warming. Make no mistake—this is not a nice little children’s documentary. Arctic Tale has two parts, narrated beautifully by Queen Latifah with breathtaking cinematography, that realistically show the hard fight for survival involving a walrus and her calf and a polar bear and her cub. Although the film is funny at times and will touch the viewer’s heart, it uses dramatization in other parts and hopefully be another wakeup call that we have to do something to preserve our planet. Opens Aug. 10. A —Yvonne P. Behrens The Real Dirt on FarmebJohn Becoming Jane With Pride & Prejudice, Jane Austen proved that even 200 years ago, most first novels are semi- autobiographical. But director Julian Jarrold has crafted a film about Austen that’s devoid of the passions and wit that infuse her novels. Anne A flamboyant farmer struggles to save his soil in Hathaway (The Devil Wears Prada) mumbles her The Real Dirt on Farmer John. way through, and James McAvoy as the love inter est of Becoming Jane is simply unbecoming. C Brooklyn Rules —Floyd Slclaver Michael Corrente’s entertaining movie tells the story of three friends who grew up in Brooklyn in The Bourne Ultimatum the 1980s and how their choices affect each other’s Matt Damon returns as Jason Bourne, the lives. Desperately trying to get away from his moralistic government hit man who only wants to Scooby-Doo image, Freddie Prinze Jr. does a decent find out the truth about his past before disappear job as the good guy. Brooklyn Rules has all the clas ing, but the government that spawned him wants sic ingredients of a mob movie. Opens Aug. 3 at him dead before he finds out their secrets. Director Hollywixxl Theatre. B Paul Greengrass (United 93) stages an action film —YPB that is so visceral and realistic that when punches are thrown, you might duck. Taut and engaging I Don't Want to Sleep Alone from start to finish, this is an extended chase film, The movies of gay Taiwanese director Tsai and an excellent chase film at that. A- Ming-liang tend to inspire one of two reactions. —Andy Mangels Fans see visual tableaux worthy of Vermeer and John Peterson isn’t gay, although you’d never know it from his effeminate manner and his pen chant for cross-dressing. Riding a tractor with a boa wrapped around his neck, he looks more like a glam rock icon than a organic farmer who plies his customers with bell peppers and broccoli. This enjoyable, folksy documentary by Taggart Siegel follows Peterson from his childhood on a Midwestern farm to the present, with tales of fam ily tragedies and financial woes along the way. The most interesting scenes take place in the late 1960s, when Peterson turned the farm into an agricultural artist’s colony of sorts. Opens Aug. 10 at Hollywood Theatre; Peterson and Siegel will answer questions after screenings during opening weekend. B + —Stephen Blair Rescue Dawn Werner Herzog wrote and directed this movie version of his 1997 documentary Little Dieter Needs to Fly about a U.S. soldier (Christian Bale) whose plane is brought down over Laos during a secret bombing mission in 1966 and who faces torture and starvation at a prison camp in the jungle. The movie is about survival of the body and the mind. Steve Zahn and Jeremy Davies lead a brilliant supporting cast, and the cinematography is wonderful, underlined by a beau tiful score from Klaus Badelt. A- —YPB The Simpsons Movie Stanley Kubrick Retrospective Throughout the lion’s share of August, the Northwest Film Center presents a retrospective of the late, great Stanley Kubrick. As one of America’s greatest independent film mavericks, he stands in the company of Orson Welles, Robert Altman and the British-born Alfred Hitchcock. Whitsell Auditorium will celebrate his legacy by screening all 12 of his feature films: famous opuses like A Clockwork Orange and Dr. Strangelove alongside early works such as Spartacus and The Killing, made before Kubrick broke entirely with the studio system to work as an independent producer. For a complete schedule visit www.nwfilm.org. —Tony LeTigre Walking to Werner Crazy for Kubrick? Then don’t miss the Northwest Film Center's retrospective featuring these loony fellows: from left, Jack Nicholson in The Shining, Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange and Vincent D'Onofrio in Full Metal Jacket. eatingout eatingout eatingout eatingout eatingout eatingout Comfortable Atmosphere et fe Breakfast an JL unch Bar snacks: 4-6 and 9 til closing. WEST o CAFE k SW 12th & Jefferson Street weskafepdx.tom S03.227.8189 2338 NE Alberta 8338 N. LoTMBaRÒ 503-247-1066 503-288-8299 www.francispeslaupanf.com Evening ood weekend pciu <nq ovoiloble Free wifi Inspired by Werner Herzog’s walk from Munich to Paris in 1974 to see a dying friend, nontraditional documentarian Linas Phillips takes off in the summer of 2005 to walk 1,200 miles from Seattle to Los Angeles to meet the legendary film maker in person. Following Phillips' encounters on the road—inter spersed with engrossing e-mails and voicemails from Herzog—will leave a huge impression on the audience. What an incredible journey! (Opens Aug. 4 at Hollywood Theatre. A —YPB © eatingout Quality Food > At V oup S epvice l'.vcry 11) i n g's made from scratch including t lie Li t e li ii p! 1 An experience of Star Wars proportions for Duff-swilling, Ralphie Wiggum-quoting cult members occurred July 27. Church of Yellow swung its doors open and The Simpsons devotees paid for a meal they’d received at no cost for nearly 20 years. Despite the irrelevance of a review for a film that fanatics have already seen twice—judging from record box office reports— The Simpsons Movie delivered. More than a quadruple-sized episode, it offered stunning animation without CG pizzazz; a promise that obscure characters have a moment of screen time; and more innuendo than your reli able Sunday pastime. Sequel? A + —Jaymee R. Cuti eatingout ’
