BY LOIS WADSWORTH
Not Romantic
JERRY (JASON BIGGS) AND
AMANDA (CHRISTINA RICCI)
OUTSIDE HIS APARTMENT.
ANYTHING ELSE: Written and directed by
Woody Allen. Produced by Letty Aronson, Helen Robin.
Executive producers, Stephen Tenenbaum, Jack Rollins,
Charles H. Joffe. Cinematography, Darius Khondji.
Production design, Santo Loquasto. Editor, Alisa Lepselter.
Costumes, Laura Jean Shannon. Starring Jason Biggs,
Christina Ricci, Stockard Channing, Woody Allen, Danny
DeVito and Jimmy Fallon. DreamWorks Pictures, 2003. R.
108 minutes.
W
oody Allen’s final movie of
a three-picture deal with
DreamWorks, Anything Else,
may be an elaborate joke the writer and
director has at the expense of the studio,
but it has so little regard for the audience,
that watching it is tedious. The picture cer-
tainly isn’t Allen’s finest hour, rather it
calls up his trademark shoulder shrug and
deadpan expression: “It’s like anything
else.” Too bad there’s such truth in this
bland epithet for Allen’s latest work. I pre-
fer Tony Soprano’s more muscular, “What
you gonna do?”
Jerry Falk (Jason Biggs) is a youthful
incarnation of the character Woody played
in his earlier films: a misfit, a not very
sexy, shallow guy with pretensions and a
neurotic fixation on the wrong, young(er)
OPENING OR RETURNING:
Bad Boys II: Martin Lawrence and
Will Smith reunite with producer
Jerry Bruckheimer and director
Michael Bay. Smith and Lawrence
play Miami narcotics detectives
assigned to stem the flood of design-
er ecstasy into Miami. R. Movies 12.
Duplex: Drew Barrymore and Ben
Stiller find their Manhattan dream
flat but inherit a batty old woman
who lives upstairs and drives them
nuts. Directed by Danny DeVito, cast
also includes Swoosie Kurtz and
Harvey Fierstein. PG-13. Cinemark.
Intergirl (Interdevochaka, Russia,
1989): Directed by Pyotr Todorovsky.
In Russian, with English subtitles. At
9:15 pm on 9/29 in 115 Pacific, UO
campus. Free.
Jeepers Creepers 2: High school
basketball players, cheerleaders and
coaches are stranded on notorious
highway, and they have to struggle
against a winged nightmare.
Directed by Victor Salva, stars Ray
Wise, Jonathan Breck and more.
Horror, violence and language. R.
Movies 12.
Luther: TV-movie director Eric Till
brings John Osborne’s play about
Martin Luther to the screen for its
third appearance. Joseph Fiennes
stars as Luther, with support from
Alfred Molina, Jonathan Firth, Claire
Cox, Bruno Ganz and Peter Ustinov.
Catch this one early. PG-13. Cinema
World.
Marci X: Played Eugene for one
week, now returns for one late night
showing. Why doesn’t Cinemark
Theaters want anyone to see this
movie? Lisa Kudrow plays a spoiled
daughter who has to run her dad’s
music company after his death.
Damon Wayans is a rapper with a bad
reputation and a dicey CD. Directed
by Richard Benjamin, written by Paul
Rudnick, comedy also stars Jane
Krakowski, Christine Baranski. R.
Movies 12.
Order, The: Writer, director Brian
Helgeland’s mystery, thriller, horror
film stars Heath Ledger, Shannyn
Sossamon, Peter Weller, Benno
Furmann and Mark Addy. Ledger
belongs to an arcane order of priests
known as the Carolingians. R. Movies
12.
School of Rock: Faking it as a sub-
stitute teacher, wild guitarist Jack
Black turns elementary musical
prodigies into a high-voltage rock
band. Directed by Richard Linklater,
it also stars Joan Cusack, Mike White
and Sarah Silverman. PG-13. Sneak at
7:30 pm on 9/27 and at 2 pm. on
9/28. Cinemark.
Thirteen: Two 7th grade girls, played
by Evan Rachel Wood and Nikki Reed,
become entangled in a fast world
where media images dominate dress,
behavior, values and attitude. Holly
Hunter plays the mom who tries to
woman for the wrong reason. Jerry falls in
love with Amanda (Christina Ricci), while
he’s still living with a beautiful blonde,
Brooke (KaDee Strickland), whose only
fault is to want a commitment.
But Amanda is not the girl to pin your
hopes on, because she is a fickle female,
who does not plan to settle down with
Jerry. She moves in with him, uninvited.
So does her mother, Paula (Stockard
Channing), an equally spoiled-child
woman who wants everything her way.
This mother and daughter understand each
other rather too well to live together in
such close quarters. But, isn’t that like
anything else? What you gonna do?
Jerry, a comic writer, is stuck with
Harvey (Danny DeVito), his agent for
many years. Jerry is Harvey’s only client,
and Jerry can’t bring himself to leave him.
But after Jerry meets David Dobel
(Woody Allen) at an audition, Dobel
advises Jerry right off to dump Harvey,
who gets a whopping 25 percent of Jerry’s
income. It’s a good idea, but first Jerry has
save them. Directed by Catherine
Hardwicke. Searing, honest repre-
sentation of what it’s like to be a
teenager today. Highly recommend-
ed. R. Bijou. See review this issue.
Under the Tuscan Sun: Diane Lane
plays writer Frances Mayes in this
screen adaptation of her best selling
book about buying a run-down villa
in Italy and creating a new life. PG-13.
Cinemark.
Films open the Friday following
date of EW publication unless oth-
erwise noted.
See archived reviews at
www.eugeneweekly.com.
CONTINUING:
American Wedding: Jim (Jason
Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson
Hannigan) are getting married. Now
if their friends and family will just
stay on their best behavior. Right.
American Pie’s crude humor lives on.
Also stars January Jones, Fred
Willard, Eugene Levy, Thomas Ian
Nicholas, Seann William Scott and
Eddie Kaye Thomas. R. Movies 12.
Anything Else: Woody Allen wrote,
directed and stars in this Gen X
romantic comedy with Jason Biggs
and Christina Ricci. When Biggs’s
romance with Ricci falters, he con-
sults Allen. Also stars Stockard
Channing, Danny DeVito and Jimmy
Fallon. A major misfire. R. Cinema
World. See review this issue.
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. Movies 12.
Cabin Fever: Four college friends
vacation at a remote cabin, but one
of them gets very sick, and the oth-
ers struggle with life and death deci-
sions as their terror rises. Directed
by Eli Roth; stars Jordan Ladd, Rider
Strong, James DeBello, Cerina
Vincent, Joey Kern, Arie Verveen. R.
Cinemark.
Cold Creek Manor: Sharon Stone
and Dennis Quaid star in Mike Figgis’
horror flick about city folk who find a
repossessed mansion in the country
that the owner (Stephen Dorff) real-
ly wants back. Also stars Juliette
Lewis and Christopher Plummer. R.
Cinemark. Cinema World.
Creature from the Black Lagoon:
In 3-D! The 1954 classic monster film
mixes scientific discovery with leg-
end. New print, complete with 3-D
glasses tuned to bring out its best.
Two weeks only; special event prices.
Bijou.
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. Movies 12.
Dickie Roberts: Former Child
Star: Sam Weisman directs David
Spade in his role as a 35-year old out
of work actor who hires a family so
he can relive his childhood and final-
ly grow up. With Mary McCormack,
Jon Lovitz, Craig Berko, Rob Reiner.
PG-13. Cinemark.
Dirty Pretty Things: Stephen
Frears directs Audrey Tautou and
Chiwetel Ejiofor as immigrants in
London who work at the same West
London hotel, a secret underworld of
illegal activity. Thriller. Excellent per-
formances and a weird beauty.
Highly recommended. R. Bijou.
Online archives.
Fighting Temptations, The: Cuba
Gooding Jr. plays an ad exec who
inherits money only if he conducts a
rural gospel choir. Co-stars Beyoncé
Knowles. Musical comedy directed by
Jonathan Lynn. PG-13. Cinemark.
Freaky Friday: Jamie Lee Curtis
and Lindsay Lohan play a quarreling
mother and daughter who acciden-
tally switch bodies. Ooops! Mark
Harmon plays the mom’s fiancé.
Directed by Mark Waters, based on
Mary Rodgers’ book. PG. Cinemark.
Online archives.
Freddy vs. Jason: The ultimate
celebrity death match: Freddy
Kruger (Robert Englund) takes on
Jason “The Face Mask” Voorhees
(Ken Kerzinger), in this film directed
by Ronny Yu. R. Movies 12.
Italian Job, The: Back in town
again. Mark Wahlberg leads a heist
that’s double-crossed by one of his
crew. Charlize Theron plays a safe-
cracker in this cool revenge movie.
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
Adventures of Robin Hood, The
(1938): Errol Flynn, Olivia de
Havilland, Basil Rathbone and
Claude Raines star in Michael
Curtiz’ Technicolor action film.
Shows how Errol Flynn charmed
the pants off the women of
America. 2-disc DVD includes digi-
tally enhanced feature with nesws-
reels and shorts to give you an old-
fashioned treat.
Dreamcatcher: Buddy reunion
camping trip horror film from
Lawrence Kasdan, based on
Stephen King’s book, stars Morgan
Brian Hamill. DreamWorks Pictures, 2003
Not funny either.
Anything Else feels like the work of an
embittered old man. Sorry, Woody.
to grow up enough to start taking care of
himself
I wish there were some wonderful
moment to recall from this film that would
recommend it, but there isn’t. It’s all for-
Also stars Edward Norton, Mos Def
and Donald Sutherland. Highly rec-
ommended for its pure entertain-
ment value. PG-13. Movies 12. Online
archives.
Matchstick Men: Ridley Scott
directs this tale of a couple of
grifters working small-time cons,
until personal issues arise. Stars
Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, with
Alison Lohman and Bruce McGill. PG-
13. Cinemark. Cinema World. 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. Movies 12.
Online archives.
Once Upon a Time in Mexico:
Directed by Robert Rodriguez.
Antonio Banderas as El Mariarchi,
now involved in international espi-
onage. Costars Salma Hayek, Johnny
Depp and Mickey Rourke. R. Cinema
World. Cinemark.
Open Range: Kevin Costner directs
and stars with Robert Duvall in this
traditional Western. A corrupt cattle
baron (Michael Gambon) forces the
cowboys to take up arms. Also stars
Annette Bening, whose restrained
performance is warm and real;
Abraham Benrubi, Diego Luna.
Recommended. Cinemark Online
archives.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Non-stop
adventure
directed
by
Gore
Verbinski stars Johnny Depp,
Freeman, Donny Wahlberg, Damian
Lewis, Timothy Olyphant, Jason
Lee, Thomas Jane and Tom
Sizemore. DVD extras include
interview with Stephen King, delet-
ed scenes, original ending and
more. R.
Fargo Special Edition: Coen broth-
ers film set in Minnesota in the win-
ter, where a bumbling car salesman
(William H. Macy) hires two goons
(Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare) to
kidnap his wife, while he pockets
the ransom. When the scheme
goes awry, Marge (Frances
McDormand), a pregnant police
investigator, gets the case. A Coen
blend of real crime action and
pitch-black comedy, where much of
the humor comes from the locals’
unrelenting upbeat attitude. One
of the best films of ‘96. DVD has
new documentary, “Minnesota
gettable. So, what you gonna do about it?
Now playing at Cinema World,
Anything Else feels like the work
of an embittered old man. Sorry, Woody.
ew
Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and
Keira Knightley. Depp sashays, Rush
dissembles, Bloom fences and
Knightley swashbuckles. Depp and
Rush’s over the top performances
are great. Recommended. PG-13.
Cinemark. Online archives.
Rundown, The: Peter Berg directs
Seann William Scott, The Rock,
Rosario Dawson and Christopher
Walken in this adventure about a
kingpin’s son who disappears in the
Amazon in search of a valuable arti-
fact. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark.
Seabiscuit: A has-been racehorse
becomes America’s Depression-era
success story. Seabiscuit gets sup-
port from jockey Tobey Maguire,
trainer Chris Cooper, and owner
Jeff Bridges. Written, directed by
Gary Ross based on Laura
Hillenbrand’s best-selling non-fiction
book, it also stars Elizabeth Banks,
William H. Macy. Highest recommen-
dations. PG-13. Cinemark. Online
archives.
Secondhand Lions: Haley Joe
Osment is sent to his great uncles’
rural Texas farm, where the city boy
has much to learn. Robert Duvall and
Michael Caine may have been bank
robbers. Written and directed by
Tim McCanlies (writer, The Iron
Giant). PG. Cinemark. Cinema World.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas:
DreamWorks animated pirate adven-
ture tale stars the voice of Brad Pitt
as Sinbad, Catherine Zeta-Jones as
Marina, and Michelle Pfieffer as the
goddess of chaos. Joe Fiennes plays
Proteus, a rival pirate. Directed by
Tim Johnson and Patrick Gilmore.
PG. Movies 12.
Nice;” interviews with Joel and
Ethan Coen, McDormand; trivia;
Deakins on cinematography. R.
Kids Are All Right, The (1979): First
time on DVD, The Who in live per-
formance restored and remas-
tered. 2-disc DVD includes “Won’t
Get Filmed Again,” five hours of
original material, new interviews/
Nowhere in Africa: Caroline
Link’s film follows a family through
the transition from Hitler’s
Germany in 1938 to colonial Kenya.
Based on a best selling autobio-
graphical novel by Stefanie Zweig,
it is a tender look at a marriage
under stress, a child who embraces
Africa, and a Kenyan man who
looks after them all. Winner of the
2002 Academy Award winner Best
Foreign Film. R. Online archives.
Treasure of the Sierra Madre,
The (1948): John Huston directs
Terminator 3 Rise of the
Machines: Jonathan Mostow directs,
and Arnold Schwarzenegger comes
back to save the world from annihila-
tion once again. John Connor (Nick
Stahl), is 18 now, and he’s fighting off
a female killer cyborg from the
future, (Kristanna Loken).
R.
Cinemark. Online archives.
Underworld: Set in a world where
vampires are a clan of aristocratic
moderns, and lycans (werewolves)
are a gang of street thugs, Len
Wiseman’s film stars Kate Beckinsale
and Scott Speedman. When they fall
in love, they trigger an ancient feud.
R. Cinema World. Cinemark.
Uptown Girls: Brittany Murphy stars
as the freewheeling daughter of a
late rock legend, but when her inher-
itance is stolen, she’s forced to get a
job as a nanny to precocious Ray
Schleine (Dakota Fanning), an “eight-
year-old going on forty.” In a
comedic battle of wills, each discov-
ers in the other a true friend.
Directed by Boas Yakin. Also stars
Heather Locklear. PG-13. Movies 12.
Winged Migration: Documentary
directed by Jacques Perrin shows
many bird species making round trip
migrations of up to 10,000 miles up
close. Ingenious ultralight aircraft let
movie’s 13 cinematographers fly
right next to, in front of or below the
birds they were filming. A moving
film. Highest recommendations. G.
Bijou. Online archives.
Bijou Art Cinemas (686-2458)
Cinema World 8 (342-6536)
Cinemark 17 (746-5202)c
Movies 12 (741-1231)
Humphrey Bogart, Walter Huston
and Tim Holt as three prospectors
searching for
Mexican gold in this classic
Western. 2-disc DVD simulates a
night at the movies, with shorts
and newsreel of the era.
Two Fast Two Furious: John
Singleton directs this sequel action
adventure about street racing.
Stars Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson,
Cole Hauser, Eva Mendes. PG-13.
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942):
Directed by Michael Curtiz, this
backstage and onstage revival of
the golden years of show biz stars
James Cagney in a great perform-
ance as George M. Cohan, Joan
Leslie, Walter Huston, Rosemary
DeCamp. Night at the movies DVD
with shorts, newsreels.
Next week: Not available.
SEPTEMBER 25, 2003
17