Clackamas Print
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
■eatherheads’
;ick-off flies high
-timey football
a moment in the
’light in George
oneyys new quirky
antic comedy
len Conley
Print
i George Clooney’s first
)t in directing a comedy,
lerheads” will appeal to
ins oftell breeds. A strong
ith a good chemistry and
se makes up for what
be Considered a weak
and although sometimes
, it is! unique enough to
he audience captivated.
in 1925, the film docu-
the rise and legitimiza-
f the professional football
j. John Krasinski plays
: from George Clooney as
veet, if moderately clue-
Carter Rutherford, the
typical American golden
id war hero. Clooney por-
the older and far more
but ooviously charming,
f “Dodge” Connolly, the
ss andEnderhanded lead-
the Duluth Bulldogs. His
:ter is loosely based on
ill Hall of Famer Johnny
d” McNally.
times,Rhe athletic aspect
film lakes somewhat of
; seat to the plotline of
and Dodge vying for
mantic attention of Ms.
Littleion, a fast-talking,
Stic journalist played by
Zellweger.
; cinematography is an
tching, but slightly corny,
rack to the photographic
que of the 1920s. The
1 costume design is well-
and what it sometimes
a realism it makes up for
le sense of nostalgia it
l,s, bringing to mind the
easiesland underground
ubs of the period.
The actual sports scenes are least partially drunk throughout
reminiscent of the days before most of the scenes, so much so
Astroturf, Ashley Simpson in fact that it almost becomes a
half-time shows and wardrobe crutch, as if the writers decided
malfunctions, when men were that when there were no more
men, mud was mud and a high- witty lines to be said, eye
class playing field meant there lashes to be batted or punches
wasn’t a cow wandering along to be thrown, the best solution
the edges.
would be to put a bottle - or
The fast-paced and sardonic occasionally, in classic prohibi
repartee between Zellweger tion style, a preserves jar — to
and Clooney, and slapstick one’s lips.
style comedy, keeps the viewer
Clooney’s second attempt
amused even when nothing else at directing and starring in a
does.
film is a skilled and- somewhat
Although the movie is set in quirky take on the sports and
the era of prohibition, the char romance genre, and is, overall,
acters still manage to remain at a commendable success.
Artfculture 9
Children's author
J.K. Rowling testifies
in packed NY court
room, says Potter
encyclopedia is
‘theft’ of her work
larry Neumelster
The Associated Press
J.K. Rowling testified before a packed courtroom in a
lawsuit to block publication of a Harry Potter lexicon, tell
ing a judge that the book amounts to a “wholesale theft” of
nearly 20 years of her hard work.
“We all know I’ve made enough money. That’s abso
lutely not why I’m here,” Rowling told the judge in U.S.
District Court.
The British author sued Michigan-based RDR Books
last year to stop publication of Steven Vander Ark’s “Harry
Potter Lexicon,” claiming copyright infringement. Vander
Ark runs the popular Harry Potter Lexicon Web site, and
RDR wants to publish a print version of the site and charge
$24.95.
Rowling claims the book is nothing more than a rear
rangement of her own material and told the judge it copied
so much of her work that it amounted to plagiarism.
“I think it’s atrocious. I think it’s sloppy. I think there’s
veiy little research,” she testified Monday. “This book con
stitutes wholesale theft of 17 years of my hard work.”
She also said she has recently started work on her own
encyclopedia and plans to donate the resulting profits to
charity —- adding that she does not expect to complete it
for two to three years because she wants to do it right.
If Vander Ark’s lexicon is published, “I’m not at all con
vinced that I would have the will or the heart to continue
with my encyclopedia,” she said.
RDR’s lawyer, Anthony Falzone, in an opening state
ment defended the lexicon as a reference guide, calling
it a legitimate effort “to organize and discuss the compli
cated and very elaborate world of Harry Potter.” The small
publisher is not contesting that the lexicon infringes upon
Rowling’s copyright but argues that it is a fair use allow
able by law for reference books.
Rowling said she believed that a victory by Vander Ark
could damage the Harry Potter name and embolden imita
tors.
Rowling choked up when her lawyer, Dale Cendali,
asked what Harry Potter meant to her.
• “I really don’t want to cry because I’m British you
know,” the mother of three said. Then she added, “These
characters continue to mean so much to me over a long
period of time. It’s very difficult for someone who is not a
writer to understand what it means to the creator. The clos
est you could come is to say, ‘How do you feel about your
children?’ These books, they saved me.”
4/18 - “Forgotten Kingdom, rated PG-13, starring Jackie Chan and Jet
Li. An American teen is transported back in time to ancient China, where
he joins a crew of warriors to help free the king.
4/18 - “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” rated R, starring Jason Segal and Mila
Kunis. After a break-up with his girlfriend, TV sitcom star Sarah Marshall,
a depressed Peter heads to Hawaii to try his best to forget every detail of his
relationship.