BY LOIS WADSWORTH
ALEXANDER BELENKIY. HERMITAGE BRIDGE STUDIO, 2001.
Unbroken Time
Splendid Artifice
RUSSIAN ARK:
Directed by Alexander Sokurov.
Visual concept and principal image design, Alexander
Sokurov. Written by Anatoly Nikiforov and Sokurov.
Produced by Andrey Deryabin, Jens Meuer, Karsten Stoter.
Cinematography, Tilman Buttner. Costumes, Lidiya Kriukova,
Tamara Seferyan, Maria Grishanova. Composer, Sergey
Yevtushenko. Choreographer, Galy Abaidulov. Production
design, Yelena Zhukova, Natalia Kochergina. With Sergey
Dreiden, Maria Kuznetsova, Leonid Mozgovoy, Mikhail
Piotrovsky and David Giorgobiani. Wellspring Release, 2002.
NR. 96 minutes.
T
his film has received a great deal of
press, because it was shot in one take
— one 96-minute long, uninterrupt-
ed shot on high-definition video — and
later transferred to 35-mm film. Filmmaker
Alexander Sokurov’s achieves cinematic
history. Famously, another Russian film-
maker who could make the same claim was
Sergei Eisenstein, who developed a theory
of montage he used with electrifying results
in the rhythmic editing of The Battleship
Potemkin (1925), with its Odessa Steps
sequence.
Maybe, as I did, you read the first reviews
of Ark when it opened at the New York
Film Festival last September and have wait-
ed eight long months to see what the buzz
is about. Or perhaps you’ve always wanted
to visit St. Petersburg’s treasury of
European and Russian art and culture, the
Hermitage, or maybe you’re a student of
Russia.
With all due respect to Russian Ark’s
OPENING OR RETURNING:
Asoka (2001): Hindi action romance
directed by Santosh Sivan. Plays at 7
pm on 5/30 in International Lounge,
EMU, UO campus. Free. R.
Basic: War thriller stars Samuel L.
Jackson as an elite commando officer
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. Movies 12.
Brother (Russia, 1997): Example of
Russian New Wave, directed by Alexi
Balabanov. A brother returns from the
army to join his brother in the violent
underworld of St. Petersburg. Plays at
7:15 on 6/4 in 115 Pacific, UO campus.
Free.
Finding Nemo: Pixar (Toy Story)
presents this computer-animated fan-
tasy of two fish, Marlin and his son
Nemo, who get separated in the Great
Barrier Reef. Written and directed by
Andrew Stanton (A Bug’s Life), with
voices by Albert Brooks, Ellen
DeGeneres, Willem Dafoe, Geoffrey
Rush, Allison Janney. G. Cinema
World. Cinemark.
Gangs of New York: Martin
Scorsese’s bloody epic set in mid-
1800s N.Y. stars Leonard DiCaprio and
Daniel Day-Lewis as rival gang leaders.
Co-stars Cameron Diaz, John C. Reilly
and Jim Broadbent. One of 2002’s
great films, with many Academy
Award nominations. Very highest rec-
ommendations. R. Movies 12. Online
archives.
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.
Movies 12.
Italian Job, The: Mark Wahlberg
leads a heist that’s double-crossed by
one of his crew. Charlize Theron plays
a safecracker in this cool revenge
movie. Also stars Edward Norton, Mos
Def and Donald Sutherland. Highly
recommended for its pure entertain-
ment value. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema
World. See review this issue.
Read My Lips: Jacques Audiard
directs Emmanuelle Devos and
Vincent Cassel in this accomplished
comic film noir, The first half is a work-
place comedy, the last a crime thriller,
and it all works. Highly recommended.
NR. At 7:30 p, on 6/3 in 115 Pacific, UO
campus. Free. Online archives.
Russian Ark (Russia, 2001): Cineastes
who have heard about this film for
achievement, this single-take film is chock-
full of Russian cultural and historical refer-
ences, many of which are obscure. Like the
references, inside these vast, stately build-
ings are luxuriously appointed rooms and
galleries that are dark in places. History
buffs and art lovers may be interested in the
architecture, paintings, drawings and fur-
nishings, but the figures from history who
haunt the film are largely unidentifiable. I
didn’t recognize Peter the Great, but I did
understand the plight of Catherine the
Great, who needed to pee while meeting
with a brood of little children — hers? — in
the Winter Palace, the part of the buildings
where the Russian rulers lived.
Unlike Rivers and Tides, a film so unpre-
tentious it is easily accessible both to a gen-
eral audience and satisfying to those who
love art and artists, Russian Ark is frequent-
ly murky, if not incomprehensible. If
you’ve seen Sokurov’s previous films, this
is said to be a logical follow-up. But I
couldn’t help asking myself these questions
— Who are these costumed people? Why
are they here? Who is the narrator? Why is
he talking to this strange French man, who
seems to dislike all things Russian? And
what am I doing here?
As film experiments go, Russian Ark is a
curiosity, a one-time indulgence in a new
method for creating a feature film. It cer-
months now have the opportunity to
enjoy Alexander Sokurov’s cinematic
achievement — one 96-minute, unin-
terrupted shot — a tour of the
Hermitage in St. Petersburg, long the
repository of Russian (and European)
art and history. NR. Bijou. See review
this issue.
Seven Samurai (Japan, 1954):
Filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s fabulous
action adventure is set in 16th century
Japan and stars the excellent Toshiro
Mifune and Takashi Shimura. A village
hires professional warriors to protect
itself from roving bandits. One of
world cinema’s great movies. At 7 pm
on 6/4 in 180 PLC, UO campus. Free.
Spun: Eugene premiere of film co-
written by former UO student
Creighton Vero and former Eugene
resident, William De Los Santos. Stars
Jason Schwartzman, who plays a
meth freak, and Mickey Rourke, who
plays a meth dealer. Other stars
include John Leguizamo, Mena Suvari,
Patrick Fugit and more. NR. LateNite
Bijou.
Wrong Turn: Jeremy Sisto, Eliza
Dushku, Desmond Harrington and
Emmanuelle Chriqui are trapped in
the West Virginia wilderness and pur-
sued by cannibalistic mountain men.
Help! R. Cinema World. Cinemark.
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.
Cowboy Bebop: Dubbed English ver-
sion of animated tale of four Bebop
bounty hunters on the trail of a terror-
ist 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 direct-
ed 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.
Embarrassingly,
Jon
Voight,
Sigourney Weaver and Tim Blake
DANCERS AT THE LAST GREAT ROYAL BALL OF 1913.
tainly makes me appreciate both the art and
artifice of film editing. Great editors such
as Walter Murch and Thelma Schoonmaker
save even excellent directors from their
worst instincts. I am a writer, and I know
the value of a good editor.
Also, giving any director this much own-
ership of a film is folly. Imagine what could
happen if directors such as Titanic’s king-
of-the world, James Cameron, had decided
to serenade us in real-time with every song
from the orchestra’s play-list of the doomed
ship. With some self-absorbed directors
who come to mind, the result might be a 90-
minute tour of the house they were born in,
or a walking tour of the urban neighbor-
hood where they grew up. Celebrity friends
could pop up, make quick cameo appear-
ances and then fade back into the shoppers
Nelson co-star. PG. Cinema World.
Cinemark. Online archives.
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.
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.
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 mas-
terpiece. Very highest recommenda-
tions. 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
at the bakery.
I appreciate thoughtful editing in film,
my favorite example being The English
Patient. That film’s director, Anthony
Minghella, said film editor Walter Murch
“fundamentally revised the film’s structure
in the editing room.”
The argument against montage seems to
be that because real time can be altered in
the editing process — compressed, expand-
ed, sped-up,. slowed-down, whatever —
the audience loses the sense of the flow of
time. Trust me, if this film does nothing
else, it will make you aware of how long 96
minutes is.
Russian Ark opens at the Bijou this
Friday. Many films are queued up, pushing
at the door, so go early. Tell your friends it’s
never been done before.
ew
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.
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 citizen
who runs a mission, but she (Monica
Bellucci) won’t leave her charges.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua. R. Movies
12.
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.
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.
Bijou Art Cinemas (686-2458)
Cinema World 8 (342-6536)
Cinemark 17 (746-5202)
Movies 12 (741-1231)
Films open the Friday following
date of E W publication unless oth-
erwise noted. See archived reviews
at www.eugeneweekly.com.
CONTINUING:
Adaptation: Director Spike Jonze and
writer Charlie Kaufman blur bound-
aries between reality and fictional rep-
resentation. 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 collec-
tor. 2002 Academy Award to Cooper.
Very highest recommendations. R.
Movies 12. Online archives.
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 shopping. Warm-
hearted, generous film is likely to be a
big hit. Get onboard early and enjoy!.
Highly recommended. PG-13. Bijou.
Online archives.
Bringing Down the House: Domestic
comedy starring Steve Martin and
Queen Latifa is directed by Adam
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
About Schmidt: Jack Nicholson stars in Alexander Payne’s (Election) film
about a just-retired man who feels adrift. His only daughter, Jeannie (Hope
Davis) is about to marry unwisely, and his wife of 42 years dies suddenly. He
goes on the road to find himself. 2002 Academy Award nominations to
Nicholson and Kathy Bates. R. Cinemark. Online archives.
Animatrix: Nine anime films directed by some of the great Japanese directors
promises insider info on the Matrix, techno soundtrack, seven making-of fea-
tures, interviews, etc.
Bent (1997): Sean Mathias’ film about the pink triangle movement inside Nazi
Germany follows stars Clive Owen, Lothaire Bluteau, Ian McKellen, and Mick
Jagger in a brief role as a drag star. Music by Philip Glass. NC-17.
Bitter Moon: While traveling together on a cruise ship, a decadent writer
(Peter Coyote) recounts to a stuffy young Brit (Hugh Grant) his sexually obses-
sive relationship with his new young wife. Roman Polanski directs this allegory
on the course of relationships. R.
Black Hawk Down Deluxe Edition: Ridley Scott directs this true story based
on the mission-gone-wrong of American special forces in Somalia, 1993. Stars
Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Ron Eldard and Sam Shepard. AFI award for
best picture; academy nods for Scott, cinematography, sound, editing. Highest
recommendations. R. Online archives.
Cry the Beloved Country: Alan Paton’s novel about South Africa alerted the
rest of the world to what was going on there. Set on the eve of apartheid, a
rural Zulu Christian minister (James Earl Jones) goes to Johannesburg to find
his missing son and instead finds a tragedy he shares with his neighbor, a
wealthy landowner (Richard Harris). Excellent viewing. Directed by Darrell
James Roodt. PG-13.
Die Another Day: Pierce Brosnan stars as James Bond on a mission that takes
him to Iceland in this action adventure yarn directed by Lee Tamahori. Costars
Halle Berry, John Cleese and Judi Dench. DVD 2-disc, loaded. PG-13.
Empire Records Remix, The (1985): Special fan’s edition restores 16 minutes
extra. Stars Anthony La Paglia, Maxwell Caulfield, Renee Zellwegger and many
others.
Guru, The (2000): Jimi Mistry stars as an immigrant dance instructor who
learns how to make his ethnicity pay off in this Bollywood-like comedy directed
by Daisy von Sherler Mayer. Also stars Heather Graham, Marisa Tomei,
Christine Baranski and Michael McKean. Trailer looked like fun. R.
Invincible (2002): Werner Herzog directs Tim Roth as a magician in 1932 Berlin
who mesmerizes the Nazi elite to become Hitler’s minister of the occult. The
NYTimes says Herzog accomplishes the “tricky feat of elevating a true story
into a larger-than-life allegory.” PG-13,
South Park: Complete second season, 18 episodes, 3 disc-set. Includes inter-
views with Matt Stone and Trey Parker. R.
Unstrung Heroes: Diane Keaton directs this bittersweet tale of a young boy
who goes to live with his eccentric uncles after his mother becomes gravely ill.
Starring Andie MacDowell, John Turturro and Michael Richards. Very highly
recommended; a lovely film about growing up. PG.
Next week: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Frida, Giant (1956), Jungle Book
2, Old School, Once Upon a Time in America, The Right Stuff and Tears
of the Sun.
MAY 29, 2003 21