BY LOIS WADSWORTH
Overcoming Gravity
Comic, dramatic masterpiece
T
ony Kushner’s two award-winning
plays — jointly called Angels in
America — are Millennium
Approaches (1993-94; ’93 Pulitzer Prize,
Tony Award) and Perestroika (1993-94; Tony
Award). Set during the AIDS epidemic in the
indifferent mid-’80s of Ronald Reagan’s
America, the plays involve a few central
characters whose lives and interests intersect
in believable ways. Some actors (see above)
play more than one character. And one char-
acter, Roy Cohn, is an actual historical figure
associated with the now-discredited red-bait-
ing tactics of Sen. Joe McCarthy and the
Rosenberg trials of the early Cold War years.
Mike Nichol and Tony Kushner’s $60
million film adaptation of the plays begins
when Louis (Ben Shankman) abandons his
longtime lover Prior Walter (Justin Kirk) just
as Prior discovers he has full-blown AIDS.
Louis agonizes over his betrayal of Prior,
seeks religious advice from a Rabbi (Meryl
Streep), but enjoys his freedom and meets a
new man.
OPENING OR RETURNING:
Big Fish: Tim Burton’s film about a son
(Billy Crudup) who tries to figure out his
father’s (Albert Finney) life through the
wild stories he’s told. Also stars Ewan
McGregor, Helena Bonham Carter,
Danny DeVito, Jessica Lange, Alison
Lohman and Steve Buscemi..PG-13.
Cinema World. Cinemark.
Chasing Liberty: In this young adult
romantic comedy, Mandy Moore plays
the only child of the US Prez, and
Matthew Goode is the Brit she meets in
Europe who helps her escape from her
Secret Service agents. PG-13. Cinemark.
Cinema World
Jazzmen (1983): Karen Shaknazarova
directs film about a young man who
forms a street jazz band that finds
recognition. In Russian with English sub-
titles. Free. At 8:15 on 01/12 in 115 Pacific.
Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The
(1962): Acclaimed John Ford film stars
John Wayne, James Stewart, Edmund
O’Brien, Lee Marvin and a host of great
character actors. Classic Western.
Activities start at 6 pm on 01/10 at the
Lorane Grange. $7 donation.
My Baby’s Daddy: Three friends from
the hood discover their girlfriends are
all pregnant at the same time. Now they
have to grow up to become daddies.
PG-13. Cinemark.
Films open the Friday following EW
publication date unless otherwise
noted. See archived reviews at
www.eugeneweekly.com
continuing:
Bad Santa: Directed by Terry Zwigoff.
The story of two con men who go on a
road trip to malls dressed as Santa and
his elf who rob the malls after hours. An
8-year-old teaches them the true mean-
ing of Christmas. Right! Stars Billy Bob
Thornton, Bernie Mac, Lauren Graham,
John Ritter. R. Cinemark.
Brother Bear: Disney tale of young
man who is transformed into a bear and
his adventures in the great Northwest.
He picks up a bear cub and runs into a
pair of misguided moose, or is that
meese? Six new songs from Phil Collins,
Mormons Harper (Mary-Louise Parker)
and Joe Pitt (Patrick Wilson) have recently
relocated to New York from Utah. Attorney
Joe clerks for a judge and confers with his
mentor, the infamous conservative lawyer
Roy Cohn. Harper senses something wrong
in her marriage and self-medicates into
bizarre hallucinations to blot out the pain. In
one juicy vision, Harper finds herself in
Antarctica with Mr. Lies (Jeffrey Wright,
who appeared in the Broadway stage produc-
tion).
The plot thickens when Cohn (Al Pacino)
insists on calling his illness “liver cancer,”
even though his doctor, Henry (James
Cromwell), tells him it’s AIDS. The pugna-
cious Cohn also tangles verbally with a tart-
tongued nurse, Belize (Jeffrey Wright).
Belize supports Prior after Louis leaves,
but nothing prepares Prior when an Angel
(Emma Thompson) terrifies him one night,
crashing through the ceiling, demanding sex-
ual favors and insisting that Prior is the
Prophet she and the other angels have been
seeking.
Mormon widow Hannah Pitt (Meryl
Streep) comes to New York after a disturbing
late-night phone call from her son, Joe, who
has met Louis and is reluctantly attracted to
him.
And so it goes. Over the six hours and 10
minutes of the two plays, many characters
connect. The subjects are weighty — AIDS,
denial, God’s absence, fidelity, faith — but
the dialogue delights. Entertaining and witty,
these characters show us many sides of their
personalities. And underneath the outstand-
including one with Tina Turner. G.
Movies 12.
Calendar Girls: Spunky members of a
woman’s club in Yorkshire, England
poses naked to raise money for medical
research after one’s husband gets
leukemia. Stars Helen Mirren, Julie
Walters and John Alderton. Based on a
true story. Nigel Cole directs .PG-13
Cinemark.
Cat in the Hat, The: Mike Meyers stars
as the outrageous feline who visits a
couple of kids and wreaks havoc in the
house while mom’s away. With Alec
Baldwin, Kelly Preston. Reviewers don’t
recommend. PG-13. Movies 12.
Cheaper by the Dozen: Steve Martin
and Bonnie Hunt play the parents of 12
children, including Piper Perabo, Hilary
Duff and Tom Welling. Directed by
Shawn Levy. PG. Cinema World.
Cinemark.
Cold Mountain: Anthony Minghella’s
adaptation of Charles Frazier’s Civil War
best-seller stars Jude Law as a wound-
ed Southern soldier walking home
across the mountains, Nicole Kidman as
his pre-war sweetheart, and Renee
Zellweger as a young drifter who teach-
es her to farm and survive. Elegaic.
Excellent performances, beautiful film.
Very highest recommendations. R.
Cinema World. Cinemark. See review
this issue.
Elf: Jon Favreau directs and Will Farrell
stars as an elf who doesn’t look like the
other kids, er, elves. The big elf searches
for his biological father (James Caan) in
New York.PG. Movies 12.
Freaky Friday: Jamie Lee Curtis,
Lindsay Lohan play a quarreling mother
and daughter who accidentally switch
bodies. Ooops! Mark Harmon plays the
mom’s fiancé. Directed by Mark Waters.
Highly recommended. PG. Movies 12.
Online archives.
Haunted Mansion: Eddie Murphy stars
in Rob Minkoff’s (Stuart Little) ghost
comedy, with Jennifer Tilly, Don Knotts,
Terence Stamp PG. Cinemark.
Honey: Directed by Bille Woodruff.
Stars Jessica Alba, Li’l Romeo and
Mekhi Phifer. Honey (Alba) is a sexy,
tough music video choreographer who
shakes up her life after her mentor
gives an ultimatum: Sleep with him or
be blacklisted within the industry. PG-13.
Movies 12.
In America: Jim Sheridan’s memoir of
living in New York in 1981 with his wife
and two daughters is a heartfelt film
that stars Samantha Morton, Paddy
Considine, Sarah Bolger and Emma
Bolger. Highest recommendations. PG-
13. Bijou. Online archives.
Last Samurai: Edward Zwick directs. In
Japan, US Civil War hero Nathan Algren
(Tom Cruise) trains the Emperor’s
troops in the way of the gun as they
take on the last samurais. Algren is cap-
tured by Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe)
and falls under samurai traditions and
codes of honor. R. Cinemark.
Lord of the Rings: Return of the
King: Peter Jackson completes Tolkien’s
trilogy on film, and the result is stun-
ning. Stars Elijah Wood, Viggo
Mortensen, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen,
Billy Boyd, Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler,
Cate Blanchett. In parallel stories Frodo
and Sam make it to Mount Doom as the
warriors of Middle Earth under the lead-
ership of Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen)
fight the final battle against the forces
of the evil Sauron. Very highest recom-
mendations. Brilliant! Cinema World.
Cinemark. Online archives.
Looney Tunes: Mixed animation/ live
action directed by Joe Dante, stars Bugs
Bunny, Daffy Duck, Brendan Fraser,
Jenna Elfman, Steve Martin, Timothy
Dalton, Joan Cusack, Heather Locklear.
PG. Movies 12.
Love Actually: Written and directed by
Richard Curtis (Bridget Jones’s Diary),
this romantic comedy stars Hugh Grant,
Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Laura Linney,
Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Keira
Knightley, Martine McCuthcheon, Bill
Nighy. Good fun. Highly recommended.
R. Movies 12.
Master and Commander The Far side
of the World: Peter Weir brings the late
Patrick O’Brian’s best-selling nautical
adventures to the screen with Russell
Crowe as Captain Jack Aubrey and Paul
Bettany as Dr. Stephen Maturin, ship
surgeon and naturalist. Set during the
ABOVE: ROY COHN (AL PACINO) AND ETHEL ROSENBERG (MERYL STREEP). BELOW, COUNTER
CLOCKWISE: HARPER (MARY-LOUISE PARKER), BELIZE (JEFFREY WRIGHT), LOUIS (BEN
SHANKMAN), HANNAH (STREEP), PRIOR WALTER (JUSTIN KIRK), ANGEL (EMMA THOMPSON).
RON PHILLIPS. HBO FILMS
ANGELS IN AMERICA (HBO): Directed by
Mike Nichols. Written by Tony Kushner from his original
stage play. Produced by Celia D. Costas. Executive pro-
ducers, Cary Brokaw, Michael Haley, Mike Nichols.
Associate producer, Paul A. Levin. Original music,
Thomas Newman. Cinematography, Stephen Goldblatt.
Film editing, John Bloom, Antonia Van Drimmelen.
Production design, Stuart Wurtzel. Art direction, John
Kasarda. Set decoration, George DeTitta Jr. Costumes,
Ann Roth. Starring Meryl Streep (the Rabbi; Ethel
Rosenberg; Hannah Pitt), Al Pacino (Roy Cohn), Emma
Thompson (nurse Emily; homeless woman; the Angel),
Justin Kirk (Prior Walter), Mary-Louise Parker (Harper
Pitt), Jeffrey Wright (Mr. Lies; Belize), Ben Shankman
(Louis Ironson), Patrick Wilson (Joe Pitt), James
Cromwell (Henry). Home Box Office Films, 2003. 370
minutes. NR.
ing stagecraft, rich language, peerless direc-
tion and brilliant performances strong, seri-
ous issues are being aired. It’s as close to per-
fect as cable television ever comes and is
surely one of the superlative film events of
2003.
I saw the plays performed by the national
touring company on two consecutive
Sundays in Portland a few years ago and was
Napoleonic Wars. Highest recommenda-
tions. PG-13. Cinemark. Online archives.
Mona Lisa Smile: Julia Roberts is an
idealistic teacher and nonconformist at
Wellesley in the 1950s. Julia Stiles,
Kirsten Dunst and Maggie Gyllenhaal
are her students. Mike Newell directs.
PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World.
Paycheck: Based on a Philip K. Dick sci-
fi short story and directed by John Woo,
film stars Ben Affleck, Uma Thurman
Aaron Eckhart, Paul Giamatti, Colm
Feore, Michael C. Hall. PG-13. Cinemark.
Peter Pan: Directed by P.J. Hogan, movie
stars Jason Isaacs, Jeremy Sumpter,
Richard Briers, Olivia Williams, Lyn
Redgrave, Ludivine Sagnier and Rachel
Hurd-Wood. PG. Cinema World. Cinemark.
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. Also
stars Alfre Woddard and Debra Winger;
directed by Mike Tollin. PG. Movies 12.
Scary Movie 3: Horror spoof satirizes
movies such as The Ring, Signs, The
Matrix Reloaded, Eight Mile. Stars Anna
Faris, Charlie Sheen, Denise Richards,
blown away. Don’t let your opportunity to
see this very American theatrical work pass
because you think in advance you won’t like
a gay drama. This play transcends categories
and defies labels. It’s about us. All of us.
Sorry, Angels can only be seen on cable
HBO at the moment, but eventually it will be
more widely available. Very highest recom-
mendations.
ew
Eddie Griffin and Queen Latifah.
Directed by David Zucker. R. Movies 12.
School of Rock: Faking it as a substi-
tute 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. Movies 12.
Something’s Gotta Give: Directed by
Nancy Meyers. Harry Sanborn (Jack
Nicholson) is a New York music mogul
with a libido much younger than his
years. Also stars Diane Keaton, Amanda
Peet and Keanu Reeves. PG-13. Cinema
World. Cinemark. Online archives.
Stuck on You: The Farrelly Brothers
(Something About Mary) direct this
story of joined twins Bob (Mat Damon)
and Walt (Greg Kinear). Walt convinces
Bob to move to L.A. so he can become
an actor. But success threatens to drive
them apart. Also stars Cher, Eva Mendes
and Seymour Cassel plus big name
cameos. PG-13. Movies 12.
Twenty-one Grams: Mexican director
Alejandro González Iñárritu’s second
feature has astounded critics. Telling
three linked stories, Iñárritu again works
magic with narrative structure. Sean
Penn, Benicio Del Toro and Naomi
Watts, star in a film The New York
Times says reaches a “Faulknerian idea
of old-fashioned grace.” Also stars
Charlotte Gainsbourg, Clea DuVall,
Danny Huston and Melissa Leo. 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. Movies 12. Online archives.
Underworld: Brought back for
Halloween. 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. Movies 12..
Bijou Art Cinemas (686-2458)
Cinema World 8 (342-6536)
Cinemark 17 (746-5202)c
Movies 12 (741-1231)
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
Buffalo Soldiers (2003): Joaquin Phoenix, Ed Harris, Scott Glenn and Anna Paquin star in this pretty negative picture
of American military based in Germany in 1989, directed by Australian Gregor Jordan. Release postponed after 9/11/01. R.
Daddy and Them (2003): Long-delayed film stars Billy Bob Thornton (who also directs), Laura Dern, Kelly Preston,
Ben Affleck, Jamie Lee Curtis.
Out of Order (2003): Eric Stoltz, Felicity Huffman, Kim Dickens, William H. Macy, Peter Bogdanovich and Justine
Bateman star in this movie made for cable Showtime. NR.
Strawberry and Chocolate (Cuba,1993): A socially repressive Cuba is the setting for the story of an older gay man
who falls for a younger straight man. No rating, in Spanish with English subtitles. Highly regarded film that played the
Bijou.
Swimming Pool: Charlotte Rampling plays a famous British mystery writer, and Ludivine Sagnier plays a sexually preco-
cious teen in Francois Ozon’s suspense drama set in the South of France. Beautiful, moody piece. R. Online archives.
Next week: The Accidental Tourist (1988), Bill Maher (2003), Cabin Fever, Chump Change (2002),
Everybody’s All American (1988), Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Open Range, Rules of the Game (1939),
Spellbound (2003) and Swing Shift (1984).
JANUARY 8, 2004 19