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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 16, 2003)
OPENING OR RETURNING: American Splendor: Cleveland crank Harvey Pekar, writer and file clerk, is celebrated in this excellent film for his ordinary, working-class life and daily gripes, made famous in his illustrated comics. Stars Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis and a host of great supporting actors. Very highest recommendations. R. Bijou. See review this issue. Inspector General, The (Russia, 1954): Vladimir Petrov’s satiric farce about worker mistaken for Czar’s Inspector General). Local officials panic because of their corrupt ways. Russian, with English subtitles. At 9:15 pm on 10/20 in 115 Pacific Hall, UO campus. Free. Journey, Warren Miller’s: The 78-year old master of the mountain brings his 54th annual movie about skiers, snow- boarders, free-fallers and a personal trip with Miller himself. Freebies for all who attend the Eugene performance at 8 pm on 10/23 at McDonald Theatre. Ma Vie En Rose:: Tale of a school-age boy who likes to dress in girl’s clothing, much to his family’s consternation and the neighbors’ outrage. Sad for the little boy who has strong creative desires only his grandmother understands. Directed by Alain Berliner. R. At 7 pm on 10/17 in International Lounge, EMU, UO campus. Free. My Boss’s Daughter:: Comedy directed by David Zucker stars Ashton Kutcher, whose boss, Terrence Stamp, asks him to look after his house for a night. But he has company, including the beautiful Tara Reid and strange visitors. PG-13. Movies 12. Mystic River:: Directed by Clint Eastwood; written by Brian Helgeland, based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, this tragic masterpiece stars Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney and Emmy Rossum. Not to be missed. R. Cinema World. Cinemark. Opened 10/15. Radio:: High school football coach (Ed Harris) shocks a Southern town by tak- ing on a mentally challenged youth (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and developing a decades-long friendship with him. PG. Sneak at 7:30 pm on 10/15. Cinemark. Runaway Jury:: Gun manufacturer’s explosive trial stars John Cusack, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Rachel Weisz. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Step Into Liquid: Documentary feature directed by Dana Brown, whose dad 22 OCTOBER 16, 2003 Bruce made the movies on surfing. L.A. Weekly writes the film indeed has no stereotypes and that Brown “ hap- pens to have captured some genuinely awesome surf footage.” NR. Cinema World. Texas Chainsaw Massacre:: Remake of Tobe Hooper’s1974 horror classic is directed by Marcus Nispel, music video guru. Backwoodsy killer clan runs amok. Stars Jessica Biel, Eric Balfour and Andrew Bryniarski as Leatherface. R. Cinemark. Veronica Guerin: Based on the true story of courageous Dublin journalist (Cate Blanchett), this treacherous game of can-and-mouse set in the mid-1990s is directed by Joel Schumacher. Also stars Gerard McSorley, Ciaran Hinds and Brenda Fricker. R. Cinemark. Films open the Friday following date of EW publication unless otherwise noted. See archived reviews at www.eugeneweekly.com. CONTINUING: American Wedding: Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) are get- ting married. Now if their friends and family will just stay on their best behav- ior. Right. American Pie’s crude humor lives on. Also stars January Jones, Fred Willard, Eugene Levy, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Seann William Scott. R. Movies 12. Bad Boys II: Martin Lawrence and Will Smith reunite with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay. Smith and Lawrence play Miami nar- cotics detectives assigned to stem the flood of designer ecstasy into Miami. R. 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. Movies 12. Finding Nemo: Pixar’s computer-ani- mated fantasy of two Clownfish, 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. Very highly recommended. G. Movies 12.. Online archives. Good Boy:: Doggie sci-fi comedy stars Liam Aiken as a dog walker who finally gets a dog of his own, Hubble (voice by Matthew Broderick), only to discover he’s really an alien agent from the Dog Star Sirius. PG. Cinema World. Cinemark. House of the Dead:: Based on a video game, horror flick’s about teens who go to a deserted island to hold a rave only to learn it’s inhabited by zombies. R. Cinemark. Intolerable Cruelty:: The Coen brothers comedy about L.A. divorce attorney Miles Massey (George Clooney), who falls for gold-digger Marylin Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Also stars Geoffrey Rush, Cedric the Entertainer, Billy Bob Thornton, Edward Herrmann and Richard Jenkins. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Italian Job, The:: Back in town again. Mark Wahlberg leads a heist that’s dou- ble-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 entertainment value. PG-13. Movies 12. Online archives. Kill Bill Volume 1: Quentin Tarantino’s first of two films stars Uma Thurman as a woman with a mission: Kill Bill (David Carradine), the former boss who betrayed her. With Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, LaTanya Richardson, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen and Samuel L. Jackson. R. Cinemark. Cinema World. Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life:: Angelina Jolie stars as action heroine Lara Croft who saves the world, again, from unspeakable evil. Directed by Jan De Bont, also stars Gerard Butler and Noah Taylor. PG-13. Movies 12. Lost in Translation:: Directed by Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides), this high- ly acclaimed film was shot entirely on location in Japan. It stars Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson as lonely Americans in a Tokyo hotel who become friends. With Giovanni Ribisi. Very high- est recommendations. R. Cinema World. Cinemark. Online archives. Medallion:: Jackie Chan action comedy co-stars Lee Evans and Claire Forlani. A mysterious medallion turns police detective Chan into a superhero, but the bad guys want it back. Gordon Chan directs. PG-13. Movies 12. Out of Time:: Directed by Carl Franklin, stars Denzel Washington as a Florida small-town police chief where a double- homicide is discovered. He must solve the killings before he is suspected of the crimes himself. Also stars Eva Mendes, Sanaa Lathan and Dean Cain. PG-13. Cinemark. Pirates of the Caribbean:: Non-stop adventure directed by Gore Verbinski stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. Depp sashays, Rush dissembles, Bloom fences and Knightley swashbuckles. Depp and Rush’s over the top perform- ances 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 artifact. PG-13. Cinemark. NEW RELEASES ON VIDEO Releases subject to change. Available the Tuesday following date of EW publica- tion, sometimes sooner. See archived movie reviews at www.eugeneweekly.com Adventures of Indiana Jones:: Complete 4-disc DVD of all three digitally remas- tered films, plus 3 hours of brand new footage. Ba tt l e St a r G a la ct i c a : Complete 1978 series in a 6-disc set. Contains all 24 one- hour episodes and footage not seen before. Charlie’s Angels Full Throttle: McG again directs the angels — Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, and ex-angel Demi Moore — to save the government’s wit- ness protection program, from which classified info has been stolen. Written by John August. DVD includes rated and unrated versions as well as director’s telestrator commentary. Loaded with extras. PG-13. Online archives. Dark Angel:: Six-disc set contains all 21 episodes from second and final season. Hey Is Dee Dee Home? New documentary about The Ramones’ Dee Dee Ramone. It Runs in the Family:: Fred Schepisi directs Michael Douglas as a father trying to S.W.A.T. Police Special Weapons and Tactics unit buddies Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell star in this action- thriller based on the 1970s TV series. Also with Michelle Rodriguez, LL Cool J. PG-13. Movies 12. School of Rock:: Faking it as a substitute 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. Cinemark. Cinema World. Seabiscuit:: A has-been racehorse becomes America’s Depression-era suc- cess story, along with 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, also stars Elizabeth Banks, William H. Macy. Highest recommendations. PG-13. Movies 12. 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. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas:: DreamWorks animated pirate adventure 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. 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 save them. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke. Searing, honest representation of what it’s like to be a teenager today. Highly recommended. R. Bijou. Online archives. 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. Escape from real life — beautiful people, gor- geous scenery, everybody’s got money. PG-13. Cinemark. Online archives. Underworld:: Set in a world where vam- pires 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. Cinemark. Uptown Girls:: Brittany Murphy stars as the freewheeling daughter of a late rock legend, but when her inheritance 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 discovers in the other a true friend. Directed by Boas Yakin. Also stars Heather Locklear. PG-13. Movies 12. Bijou Art Cinemas (686-2458) Cinema World 8 (342-6536) Cinemark 17 (746-5202)c Movies 12 (741-1231) avoid his father’s mistakes. His father, Kirk Douglas, plays his father onscreen. DVD includes extras.PG-13. Respiro:: Set on the Italian island of Lampedusa, this uneven but gorgeous film shows the difficulties of village life for a vibrant, beautiful young mother, played by Valeria Golino. Both stirring and disturbing, the film is highly recommended. PG-13. Online archives. Taken (2002): Six-disc set of Steven Spielberg’s Sci Fi Channel miniseries. Lots of extras. Twenty-eight Days Later:: Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) directs scary horror film set in a post-cataclysmic future, where a deadly virus sweeps through earth’s popula- tion, leaving people in a chronic state of killer rage. Stars Christopher Eccleston, Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Megan Burns and Brendan Gleeson. New possible ending. DVD includes alternate endings, extended and deleted scenes and more. R. Next week: Alien Hunter, Blind Spot: Hitler’s Secretary, City of Ghosts, House of Fools, The Hulk, The Sopranos (4th season) and Whale Rider.
