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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (March 27, 2003)
OPENING OR RETURNING: Basic: War thriller stars Samuel L. Jackson as an elite commando offi- cer who disappears on a mission and John Travolta as a rogue DEA agent. Also stars Connie Nielsen, Giovanni Ribisi, Taye Diggs; directed by John McTiernan. R. Cinema World. Cinemark. Core, The: Jon Amiel directs this adventure to the center of the earth. Scientists played by Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank and Bruce Greenwood journey deep into the earth to detonate a device to reac- tivate the planet’s core. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb: Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 classic, quintessential Cold- War black comedy stars Peter Sellers in three roles; Sterling Hayden as an unforgettable crack- pot general; Slim Pickens as a bomb-riding pilot; George C. Scott as a very nervous militarist; and Keenan Wynn at his most hapless. Written by Terry Southern, Peter George and Kubrick. NR. LateNite Bijou. Guerilla Brigade (Russia, 1939): Rarely seen Ukranian epic about Russian/Ukranian solidarity during the Russian Civil War is directed by Igor Savchenko. In Russian with English subtitles. At 7:15 pm on 4/2 in 115 Pacific Hall, UO. Free. Head of State: Chris Rock directs, co-writes and stars in this tale of a D.C. alderman who runs for the presidency. Also stars Bernie Mac, Dylan Baker, Robin Givens, James Rebhorn. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Pianist, The: Winner of the Cannes Best Picture award, this critically acclaimed film is based on the life of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish Jew, composer and pianist. When the Nazis invade, he finds sal- vation in his art. Directed, produced by Roman Polanski, it stars Adrien Brody as Szpilman. Highest recom- mendations. 2002 Academy Awards to Polanski, Brody and Ronald Harwood’s adapted screen- play. R. Cinemark. Online archives. Sacco and Vanzetti (Italy, 1971): Well regarded film directed by Guilliano Montaldo about two Italian immigrant anarchists tried and executed for murder in 1920s America. Case was controversial at the time and still is. Title song sung by Joan Baez. PG. At 7 pm on 4/2 in 180 PLC. Free. Trials of Henry Kissinger, The: The facts in Alex Gibney and Eugene Jarecki’s compelling, thought provoking documentary film are based on declassified gov- ernment documents. The opinions are largely based on a long associa- tion with these facts. Interviews with a large number of Kissinger apologists as well as many who have written about him, including Christopher Hitchens who calls Kissinger “a war criminal.” Very highest recommendations. NR. Bijou. See review this issue. Twenty-fifth Hour: Spike Lee’s film tracks the regrets of a mid- level heroin dealer on his last day of freedom and explores the limits of friendship. Edward Norton has only 24 hours before he’s due in prison for the next seven years. Also stars Rosario Dawson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry Pepper, Anna Paquin and Brian Cox. Highly recommended for its realistic depic- tion of regret, which suffuses the film and raises it to a higher level. R. Movies 12. Online archives. Way Home, The: From S. Korea comes this tale of a spoiled boy from the city who’s sent to live with his aged grandmother in a tiny vil- lage. He surprises himself by caring about her. PG. Bijou. What a Girl Wants: Teen Amanda Bynes is “trying to fit in, born to stand out.” Also stars Colin Firth and Kelly Preston. PG. Sneak at 7:30 pm on 3/29. Cinemark. Films open the Friday following date of E W publication unless otherwise noted. See archived reviews at www.eugeneweekly.com. CONTINUING: Agent Cody Banks: Teen action adventure stars Frankie Muniz as an undercover CIA operative, Angie Harmon as his boss, and Hilary Duff as girlfriend. PG. Cinemark. Boat Trip: Onboard a tropical cruise ship Cuba Gooding Jr. and Horatio Sanz discover that every- one else is gay. From the trailer, you can see this movie’s one-joke prem- ise coming a mile away, so don’t be surprised if some of the “jokes” are homophobic. R. Cinemark. Bringing Down the House: Domestic comedy starring Steve Martin and Queen Latifah is direct- ed by Adam Shankman. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Catch Me If You Can: Steven Spielberg and Leonardo DiCaprio have fun in this tale of Frank Abagnale Jr., an actual con man of the 1960s who successfully passed himself off as a pilot, a doctor and a college professor and forged mil- lions in checks before he was 21. Christopher Walken plays his father, and Tom Hanks plays the F.B.I. agent determined to capture him. Highly recommended. 2002 Academy Award nom for John Williams’ original score, Walken. PG- 13. Movies 12. Online archives. Chicago: Broadway spectacular directed by Rob Marshall stars Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones as killer dames behind bars who compete for tabloid cov- erage. With Queen Latifah, John C. Reilly and Richard Gere. 2002 Academy Awards for best picture, supporting actress Zeta-Jones, art direction, sound, editing and cos- tumes. PG 13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Online archives. Daredevil: Marvel Comic’s Man Without Fear is directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Stars Ben Affleck as the masked vigilante, Jennifer Graner, Michael Clarke Duncan, Colin Farrell, Joe Pantolliano, Jon Favreau and David Keith. PG-13. Movies 12. Dreamcatcher: Buddy reunion camping trip horror film from Lawrence Kasdan, based on Stephen King’s book, stars Morgan Freeman, Donny Wahlberg, Damian Lewis, Timothy Olyphant, Jason Lee, Thomas Jane and Tom Sizemore. R. Cinema World. Cinemark. Evil Dead II (1987): Sam Raimi’s bloody horror film has achieved cult status as a slapstick send-up of the terror genre. R. LateNite Bijou. Final Destination 2: More teenag- er with near-death experiences that end in actual death experiences. A.J. Cook stars as Kimberly, a car crash survivor who is stalked by Death. R. Movies 12. Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets: Again directed by Chris Columbus, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) try to uncover a dark force terroriz- ing Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. G. Movies 12. Online archives. Hot Chick: Verbally abusive cheer- leader wakes up in the body of Rob Schneider. Yikes! Directed by Tom Brady. PG-13. Movies 12. How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days: Magazine columnist Kate Hudson and ad agency professional Matthew McConaughey try to get the other to fall in love, but things go awry. High-energy romantic comedy. PG-13. Cinemark. Hunted, The: Tommy Lee Jones plays a retired special-ops trainer and Benicio Del Toro is his former student, now an ace assassin gone bonkers. Directed by William Friedkin (The Exorcist). R. Cinemark. Just Married: This honeymoon from hell is directed by Shawn Levy and stars Ashton Kutcher, Brittany Murphy and Christian Kane. PG-13. Movies 12. Life of David Gale, The: Suspense drama directed by Alan Parker stars Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet and Laura Linney. Death penalty opponent on death row claims he was framed to reporter. The truth will not set you free. Not recom- mended. R. Movies 12. Online archives. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: Directed and re-imagined by Peter Jackson, part two of J.R.R. Tolkien’s trilogy continues. New characters, a surprise return and great battles. Director Peter Jackson’s second masterpiece. Very highest recommendations. 2002 Academy Awards for sound editing, visual effects. PG-13. Cinemark. Online archives. Maid in Manhattan: Ralph Fiennes is a well-off politician staying at a swank New York hotel. Jennifer Lopez is a single-mother maid working there. He sees her dressed in a guest’s clothing and falls for her, like Richard Gere fell for Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. Not too enlightened nor original an idea. PG-13. Movies 12. Old School: From Road Trip, Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn try to recapture the fun of their college years by starting their own off-campus frat house. R. Cinemark. Piglet’s Big Movie: Disney animat- ed film features the whole Winnie- the-Pooh gang looking for Piglet, who has disappeared. Songs by Carly Simon. G. Cinemark. Cinema World. Punch-Drunk Love: Paul Thomas Anderson’s comedy is about an LA businessman (Adam Sandler) who blindly follows a woman he loves (Emily Watson) to Hawaii. Also stars Luis Guzman and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Highly recommended for excellent performances. R. Movies 12. Online archives. Quiet American, The: Directed by Phillip Noyce (Rabbit-Proof Fence), this adaptation of Graham Greene’s novel is set in 1952 Saigon during the French Indochina War. Michael Caine plays an English journalist; also stars Brendan Fraser. 2002 Academy Award nomination for Caine. Highly recommended. R. Bijou. Online archives. Rabbit-Proof Fence: Based on the true 1931 story of three young, Australian Aboriginal girls who are kidnapped but escape white control to make a 1,200 mile-trek home while pursued by authorities. Directed by Phillip Noyce, this New Releases on Video Releases subject to change. Available the Tuesday following date of EW publication, sometimes sooner. See archived movie reviews at www.eugeneweekly.com Crime of Father Amaro, The (El Crimen del Padre Amaro, Mexico, 2002): Directed by Carlos Carrera, this sensational soap- opera dishes out the melodrama, with Gael García Bernal (Y Tu Mama Tambien) as a young priest not immune to the charms of a devout teen, played by Ana Claudia Talancón. Created a huge stir in Mexico for its unflinch- ing portrait of the church and its clergy as corrupt. Mexico’s nominee for best foreign language film at the 2002 Academy Awards. R. Fahrenheit 451: Francois Truffaut’s brilliant 1966 adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s sci-fi clas- sic about a future in which books are banned, and reading is subversive. Stars Julie Christie as a bibliophile and Oskar Werner as a fire- man who takes books to F451 — the tempera- ture at which paper burns. Four-star film. DVD includes commentary by Christie, a making-of documentary and a discussion with Bradbury. Not rated. courageous film stars Everlyn Sampi, David Gulpilil and Kenneth Branagh. A true walkabout, it has beautiful performances, empathic direction and dramatic cinematog- raphy by Christopher Doyle. Highest recommendations. PG. Bijou. Online archives. Tears of the Sun: Bruce Willis is a Navy SEAL sent to rescue a US citi- zen who runs a mission, but she (Monica Bellucci) won’t leave her charges. Directed by Antoine Fuqua. R. Cinema World. Cinemark. Two Weeks Notice: Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock star as a very, very rich man and his lawyer. When she quits, and he replaces her with Alicia Witt, she reconsiders. Written and directed by Marc Lawrence (The Out-of-Towners). PG-13. Movies 12. View From the Top: Bruno Barreto directs this 1960s era com- edy about a girl’s dream of becom- Far From Heaven: Director Todd Haynes and cinematographer Edward Lachman deliv- er an exceptionally beautiful, emotionally res- onant film. Excellent performances by Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis Haysbert and Patricia Clarkson. 2002 Academy Award nominations include Moore, Haynes’ original screenplay, original score, cinematography. DVD includes commentary by Haynes, making-of documentary, Q&A with Moore and Haynes and Sundance Channel’s Anatomy of a Scene. PG-13. Very highest recommendations. Online archives. Hysterical Blindness (HBO, 2002): Mira Nair directs Uma Thurman and Juliette Lewis as working class girls in 1980s New Jersey, and they are the real thing. It’s about the difficul- ties of staying best friends when you’re in your twenties, and daily life has its disap- pointments. Also with Gena Rowland and Ben Gazarra. Highly recommended. Perez Family (1995): Stars Marisa Tomei, Alfred Molina, Anjeclica Huston and Trini Alvarade. Red Dragon: Anthony Hopkins returns as the cannibal, serial killer in this tired retread directed by Brett Ratner. Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Harvey Keitel, Emily Watson, Mary-Louise Parker and Philip Seymour Hoffman flesh out the cast. R. Secretary: Totally original story of a mutual- ing a first-class international flight attendant. Stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Christina Applegate, Mark Ruffalo and Candice Bergen. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Wild Thornberrys, The: Animated film about a girl who talks to and understands animals. She goes to Africa with her parents, nature film- makers, and her best friend, a chimp. Voices include Lacy Chabert, Rupert Everett, Marisa Tomei, Tim Curry, Brenda Blethyn, Lynn Redgrave and Obba Babatunde. Directed by Jeff McGrath and Cathy Malkasian. 2002 Academy Award nomination for Paul Simon’s origi- nal song. PG. Movies 12. Bijou Art Cinemas (686-2458) Cinema World 8 (342-6536) Cinemark 17 (746-5202)c Movies 12 (741-1231) ly satisfying but offbeat workplace relation- ship stars the excellent Maggie Gyllenhaal as a troubled but game secretary and James Spader, whose E. Edward Grey is not the right boss for just anyone. Sexual hijinks from the dark side, Steven Shainberg’s non-traditional sex comedy is highly recommended. R. Truth About Charlie, The: Jonathan Demme’s remake of Charade (1963) stars Thandie Newton and Mark Wahlberg. She’s a recent widow discovering her dead husband’s secrets. Three of his former associates are after her. Wahlberg plays a mysterious man who wants to help her. PG-13. Online archives. Wild Thornberrys, The: Animated film about a girl who talks to and understands animals. She goes to Africa with her parents, nature filmmakers, and her best friend, a chimp. Voices include Lacy Chabert, Rupert Everett, Marisa Tomei, Tim Curry, Brenda Blethyn, Lynn Redgrave and Obba Babatunde. Directed by Jeff McGrath and Cathy Malkasian. 2002 Academy Award nom- ination for original song. PG. Next week: Dream for an Insomniac (1998), Harry Potter (April 11); Moonlight Milel; Star Trek: Nemesis; Three Colors: Blue, White and Red; and Walking with Cavemen. MARCH 27, 2003 19
