BY LOIS WADSWORTH
Décor Heaven
DOWN WITH LOVE: Directed by Peyton Reed.
Written by Eve Ahlert and Dennis Drake. Producers Bruce
Cohen and Dan Jinks. Executive producers Paddy Cullen,
Arnon Milchan. Cinematography Jeff Cronenweth.
Production design, Andrew Laws. Costumes, Daniel Orlandi.
Editor, Larry Bock. Music, Marc Shaiman. Starring Renee
Zellweger and Ewan McGregor, with David Hyde Pierce,
Sarah Paulson and Tony Randall. Fox 200 Pictures and
Regency Enterprises, 2003. PG-13. 100 minutes.
I
approached this 1960s-era romantic
comedy with high hopes. Ewan
McGregor gave an inspired perform-
ance in Moulin Rouge both as an actor and
singer. He’s ingenious at projecting sinceri-
ty without hitting a single ironic note. I
loved Renee Zellwegger’s droll comic turn
in Bridget Jones’ Diary and wanted to see
more from-the-heart naturalism and less of
the iconic posturing of Chicago.
While McGregor and Zellwegger sing
one song together — “Down With Love”
— I would have felt closer connections to
the characters if each had sung at least one
solo. Screenwriters Ahlert and Dennis
Drake chose to rely instead on clever ban-
ter and smug conversation to carry the emo-
tion of the stars’ on-again, off-again rela-
tionship. The double entendre gets a vigor-
ous workout here, but the film doesn’t ful-
fill its potential as a witty battle of the sexes
because contemporary notions inflect the
humor and confuse the viewer.
Barbara Novak’s (Zellwegger) sexual lib-
OPENING OR RETURNING:
Blade Runner: Director’s cut
released last year of Ridley Scott’s
1982 futuristic adventure set in Los
Angeles is “now seen as a nightmar-
ish blueprint of the ‘80s and beyond,”
The NY Times notes. Harrison Ford
plays a cynical former cop on the trail
of deadly android replicants. With
Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Darryl
Hannah, Edward James Olmos. R. At 7
pm on 5/28 in 180 PLC, UO campus.
Free.
Boat Trip: Onboard a tropical cruise
ship Cuba Gooding Jr. and Horatio
Sanz discover that everyone else is
gay. From the trailer, you can see this
movie’s one-joke premise coming a
mile away, so don’t be surprised if
some of the “jokes” are homophobic.
R. Movies 12.
Bringing Down the House: Domestic
comedy starring Steve Martin and
Queen Latifa is directed by Adam
Shankman. PG-13. Movies 12.
Bruce Almighty: Jim Carrey, Morgan
Freeman and Jennifer Aniston star in
this tale of a at TV reporter, who has
a really bad day, rages against God
and receives more than he expected.
PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark.
Enjoy Your Bath: 1975 film by Eldar
Riazanov about a young doctor’s New
Year’s Eve misadventures., it’s called
“the Russian Miracle on 42nd Street.”
Special showing at 6:30 pm on 5/23 in
115 Pacific, UO campus. Free.
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.
Movies 12.
In-Laws, The: Andrew Fleming
directs Michael Douglas and Albert
Brooks as the reluctant fathers of the
bride and groom. PG-13. Cinemark.
Cinema World.
Italian Job, The: Mark Wahlberg
leads a heist that’s double-crossed by
one of his crew. Charlize Theron plays
a safe cracker and they plot revenge.
Also stars Edward Norton, Mos Def
and Donald Sutherland. PG-13. Sneak
at 7:30 on 5/24. Cinemark.
Kindergarten: Endearing tale of
young Russian street violinist during
WWII, who meets a variety of interest-
ing people throughout the USSR.
Directed
by
poet
Yevgeny
Yevtushenko, it stars Klaus Maria
Brandauer. At 6:30 on 5/28 in 115
Pacific, UO campus. Free.
Korean Film Fest: Chi-Hwa-Seon:
Directed by Im Kwon-Taek, this film
took best director award at Cannes
2002. It’s about a 19th century artist
eration is subverted by the silly bunny
coquette she plays to catch Catcher Block
(McGregor), who’s only pretending to be a
chaste astronaut with a Southern drawl.
He’s really a wolf, a suave, bachelor play-
boy who wants to add Barbara to his little
black book, and then publish an expose of
her sell-out in Know magazine, where he
works as a writer. Instead of making the
characters more lovable, their deceit makes
Catcher too knowing and Barbara becomes
brittle, even desperate.
Barbara pals around with Vicki Hiller
(Sarah Paulson), an editor at her publishing
house. The all-male board under the leader-
ship of its chairman (Tony Randall) decides
to dump Barbara and her manifesto for
women, Down With Love. But Vicki gets
Barbara a television appearance, and the
book catches fire. Catcher’s pal, Peter
McMannus (David Hyde Pierce), is also his
boss at Know magazine. You don’t have to
be a palm reader to see that Peter and Vicki
are destined for each other. But it’s a lot
more fun watching them get there than
observing Catcher and Barbara swap repar-
tee. Thank God, Hyde Pierce steals every
scene he’s in with his neurotic, fussbudgety
insecurities. He’s good.
The film’s success is its look, which is
smashing. From various stage sets to the
décor, hairstyles, fashions, colors and sleek
who lived life fully. Korea’s natural
landscape before WWII is pictured. At
noon on 5/24 at Bijou. Nowhere to
Hide, acclaimed 2000 Korean film
noir by director Lee Myung-Se, is
about Korean homicide detectives.
Stylish, with atmospheric settings,
critics say. At noon on 5/25 at Bijou.
Laurel Canyon: Frances McDormand
plays an L.A. record producer who still
smokes pot, drinks and is what The
NY Times calls “a proud, post-hippie
roustabout who is not about to be
anybody’s doormat.” Her lifestyle
doesn’t go over big with her Harvard
Medical School graduate son, played
by Christian Bale. Written and direct-
ed by Lisa Cholodenko (High Art). R.
Bijou.
Princess Bride, The: One of the truly
memorable films of its genre, Rob
Reiner’s 1987 fairy-tale adaptation
stars Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin,
Robin Wright, Wallace Shawn, Peter
Falk, Andre the Giant and Chris
Sarandon. With cameos by Billy
Crystal, Carol Kane and Peter Falk.
Mark Knopfler’s song took ‘87
Academy Award. Ironic humor and
great dueling scenes make it a real
crowd pleaser. PG. LateNite Bijou.
Talk to Her: Pedro Almodóvar’s film
about two men who take care of two
comatose women — and the compli-
cated inter-relationships that develop
— exceeds expectations to become
the most interesting and resonant
film of the year. Very highest recom-
mendations. 2002 Academy Award
for Almodóvar’s original screenplay.
R. At 7:30 pm on 5/27 in 115 Pacific,
UO campus. Free. Online archives.
What a Girl Wants: Teen Amanda
Bynes is “trying to fit in, born to stand
out.” She wants a fairy tale relation-
ship with her absent dad and is tired of
living with her unconventional mom,
played by Colin Firth and Kelly
Preston. Oliver James plays her love
interest. PG. Movies 12.
Films open the Friday following
date of E W publication unless
otherwise noted.
See archived reviews at
www.eugeneweekly.com.
CONTINUING:
Adaptation: Director Spike Jonze
and writer Charlie Kaufman blur
boundaries between reality and fic-
tional representation. Nicolas Cage
plays Charlie Kaufman, stuck while
writing a screenplay of Susan
Orlean’s book, The Orchid Thief.
Meryl Streep gives a fabulous, comic
turn as Orleans, and Chris Cooper’s
an avid orchid collector. 2002
Academy Award to Cooper. Very
highest recommendations. R. Movies
12. Online archives.
Anger Management: Adam Sandler
plays a man who must undergo anger
management. His shrink, played by
Jack Nicholson, moves in with him.
Also stars Marisa Tomei. PG-13.
Cinemark.
Bend It Like Beckham: Soccer-
crazy girls in London suburb drive
their respective families crazy
because they’d rather play soccer
than think about marriage and shop-
ping. Warm-hearted, generous film is
likely to be a big hit. Get onboard
early and enjoy!. Highly recommend-
ed. PG-13. Bijou. Online archives.
Cowboy Bebop: Dubbed English ver-
sion of animated tale of four Bebop
bounty hunters on the trail of a ter-
rorist in the Martian city of Alba City
in 2071. R. Bijou. Online archives..
Daddy Day Care: Eddie Murphy and
Jeff Garlin lose their jobs and can’t
afford day care for their sons, so they
open their own facility. Comedy
directed by Steve Carr also stars
Anjelica Huston, Steve Zahn and
Regina King. PG. Cinema World.
Cinemark. PG.
Down With Love: Peyton Reed re-
invents the look and feel of a 1962-
era Doris Day, Rock Hudson musical
with Renee Zellwegger and Ewan
McGregor. Also stars David Hyde
Pierce, Tony Randall and Sarah
Paulson. Entertaining froth. PG-13.
Cinema World. Cinemark. See review
this issue.
Holes: Adventures digging holes at
Camp Green Lake for Stanley, who
comes from a strange family that’s
been cursed for generations.
MERRICK MORTON. FOX 2000, REGENCY ENTERPRISES, 2003
Vintage Froth
BARBARA NOVAK (RENEE ZELLWEGGER) AND CATCHER BLOCK
(EWAN MCGREGOR) HAMMING IT UP IN THE ULTIMATE NEW YORK PAD.
look of the automobiles and textured fab-
rics, this movie expresses the richness of
the dream of 1962. It’s elegant and futuris-
tic but doesn’t have a single idea in its pret-
ty little head. While Todd Haynes’ Far
From Heaven acknowledged the darker
side of the era, looking deeper than its
beautifully detailed surface, director Peyton
Reed sticks strictly to the frothy, light-as-a-
breeze ‘60s here. After the success of
Chicago, Reed knows what viewers like.
What bad timing, though. When I went to
Embarrassingly,
Jon
Voight,
Sigourney Weaver and Tim Blake
Nelson co-star. PG. Cinema World.
Cinemark. Online archives.
Hours, The: Complex, critically
acclaimed film directed by Stephen
Daldry stars Nicole Kidman, Julianne
Moore and Meryl Streep. Based on
Virginia Woolf’s novel, Mrs. Dalloway,
and Michael Cunningham’s novel.
Inner lives, daily experiences of three
strong women. Also stars Ed Harris,
Stephen Dillane, Claire Danes,
Miranda Richardson and John C.
Reilly. Very highest recommenda-
tions. 2002 Academy Award to
Kidman. PG 13. Movies 12. Online
archives.
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.
R. Movies 12.
Identity: Ten travelers caught in a
rip-snorter of a storm seek refuge at
a creepy motel in the desert, and
sure enough they begin to die.
Directed by James Mangold, stars
John Cusack, Ray Liotta and lots of
screaming women. R. Cinemark.
Jungle Book 2: Same song, second
verse from Disney. Voices include
John Goodman, Haley Joel Osment,
Phil Collins. G. Movies 12.
Kangaroo Jack: Taking mob money
to Australia, two New York doofuses
loose it to a kangaroo. Stars Jerry
O’Connell,
Anthony
Anderson,
Christopher Walken and Dyan
Cannon. David McNally directs. PG.
Movies 12.
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
Guy Thing, A: Selma Blair, Julia Stiles and Jason Lee star in this film
directed by Chris Koch. Lee’s character has to iron out the truth to tell his
fiancé (Blair), but doesn’t seem to know himself. PG 13.
Love Liza: Todd Louiso directs Philip Seymour Hoffman and Kathy Bates
in a somber tale. Hoffman’s wife, Bates’ daughter, has just committed sui-
cide, and he can’t snap out of his grief. Depressing. R.
National Security: Martin Lawrence and Steve Zahn star as LAPD
wannabes who end up as security guards, yet still manage somehow to
nab the bad guys. PG 13.
Pianist, The: Best Picture award at Cannes 2002, this critically acclaimed
film is based on the life of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish Jew. A composer
and pianist, he survives Poland’s six-year occupation by the Nazis.
see Down With Love last Sunday, the ticket
taker clearly expected to see a ticket for the
Matrix but caught himself before he waved
me on to one of its theaters. These two
films couldn’t be more different from each
other in style, look and story — one dark,
brooding and active; the other sunny, bub-
bly and dashing. Each has something for
the audience, but both are forgettable.
Down With Love is now playing at
Cinemark and Cinema World in two the-
aters.
ew
Lizzie McGuire Movie, The: Disney
comedy about a girl on a class trip to
Italy who is mistaken for an Italian
pop star. Stars Hillary Duff, directed
by Jim Fall. PG. Cinemark.
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 char-
acters, a surprise return and great
battles. Director Peter Jackson’s sec-
ond masterpiece. Very highest rec-
ommendations. 2002 Academy
Awards for sound editing, visual
effects. PG-13. Movies 12. Online
archives.
Matrix Reloaded: Second chapter
brings Neo (Keanu Reeve), Trinity
(Laurence Fishburne) and Trinity
(Carrie-Anne Moss) closer to solving
the enigma but also puts them in
greater danger. Written and directed
by Andy and Larry Wachowski, it also
stars Hugo Weaving, Jada Pinkett
Smith and Gloria Foster. R. Cinemark.
Cinema World. See review this
issue.
Mighty Wind, A: Christopher Guest’s
(Best in Show) pseudo-documentary
narrative about a folk music reunion
show of folk is one of his craftiest
satirical offerings, critics say. Stars
the usual suspects: Eugene Levy,
Parker Posey, Bob Balaban. Harry
Shearer, Michael McKean and Guest
himself. PG-13. Cinemark. Online
archives.
Old School: From Road Trip, Luke
Wilson, Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn
try to recapture the fun of their col-
lege years by starting their own off-
campus frat house. R. Movies 12.
Phone Booth: Colin Farrell, Kiefer
Sutherland, Forest Whitaker, Katie
Holmes and Radha Mitchell star in
Joel Schumacher’s thriller. R. Movies
12. Online archives.
Piglet’s Big Movie: Disney animated
film features the whole Winnie-the-
Pooh gang looking for Piglet, who
has disappeared. Songs by Carly
Simon. G. Movies 12.
Rivers
and
Tides:
Andy
Goldsworthy Works with Time:
Splendid documentary by Thomas
Riedelsheimer about famous Scottish
sculptor Andy Goldsworthy. He
makes site-specific art from found
natural objects. Accessible to anyone
who has ever been a child. A visual
treat, it’s the most beautiful film of
the year. NR. Bijou. Online archives.
Shanghai Knights: Jackie Chan and
Owen Wilson are out to settle a score
in Victorian London in this comedy
directed by David Dobkin. PG-13.
Movies 12.
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. Movies 12.
X-Men 2: The next link in the evolu-
tionary chain? Directed by Bryan
Singer, stars Patrick Stewart, Hugh
Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry,
Famke Janssen, James Marsden and
more, lots more. PG-13. Cinemark.
Cinema World.
Bijou Art Cinemas (686-2458)
Cinema World 8 (342-6536)
Cinemark 17 (746-5202)c
Movies 12 (741-1231)
Directed and produced by Roman Polanski, with Adrien Brody as Szpilman.
Both won 2002 Academy Awards, as did Ronald Harwood for adapted
screenplay. Very highest recommendations. R. Online archives.
Recruit, The: Al Pacino and Colm Ferrell star in this story about the inner
workings of the CIA. Also with Bridget Moynahan, and directed by Roger
Donaldson. PG 13.
Talk to Her: Pedro Almodóvar’s film about two men who take care of two
comatose women — and the complicated inter-relationships that develop —
exceeds expectations to become the most interesting and resonant film of
the year. Very highest recommendations. 2002 Academy Award for
Almodóvar original screenplay. R. Online archives.
Next week: About Schmidt, Animatrix, Bent, Bitter Moon, Black
Hawk Down Deluxe Edition, Cry the Beloved Country. Die Another
Day, Empire Records Remix, The Guru, Invincible, South Park,
Unsung Heroes.
MAY 22, 2003 21