Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 15, 2004)
BY LOIS WADSWORTH Girls Just Want CALENDAR GIRLS: Directed by Nigel Cole. Written by Juliette Towhidi and Tim Firth. Produced by Suzanne Mackie, Nick Barton. Cinematography, Ashley Rowe. Production design, Martin Childs. Editor, Michael Parker. Executive producer, Nik Powell. Music, Patrick Doyle. Starring Helen Mirren (Chris) and Julie Walters, with John Alderton, Linda Bassett (Cora), Annette Crosbie (Jessie), Penelope Wilton (Ruth), Ciaran Hinds (Rod), Celia Imrie (Celia), John- Paul Macleod and Philip Glenister (Lawrence). Touchstone Pictures, 2003. PG-13. 108 minutes. N o surprises here. If you’ve seen the trailer or the television ads, you already know a proposal comes before a civic-minded group of British women who belong to the W.I, (short for Women’s Institute). Two club members, Chris (Helen Mirren) and Annie (Julie Walters), propose to put out a calendar to raise funds for a local hospital. They want W.I. women to pose for the calendar doing things typical Yorskshire Dales women do — baking bread, playing piano, arranging flowers, knitting — butt nekkid. Well that’s a twist, even if Annie does try to dress it up a bit with the more acceptable and arty sounding “nude.” The proposal generates heat from the conventional chairwoman and others. But Chris and Annie won’t allow the group’s concerns to rule out their idea. After all, they put up with deadening lectures on broccoli for the sake of tradition, why shouldn’t the more strait-laced among them take off their corsets for art? The movie gets laughs out of the idea that a bunch of women aged 50 or older posing nude is really wild. Right here in OPENING OR RETURNING: Along Came Polly: Ben Stiller plays Reuben, a hapless husband whose bride dumps him. Then he meets up with a child- hood friend, Polly (Jennifer Aniston). Also stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Hank Azaria, Bryan Brown and Alec Baldwin. John Hamburg directs. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Creature from the Black Lagoon: In 3-D! The 1954 classic monster film mixes scien- tific discovery with legend. New print, com- plete with 3-D glasses tuned to bring out its best. Shows with Hentai (Japanese erotic anime). Two weeks only; Jan. 9 -11 and Jan. 16-18. Bijou. In the Cut: This film came and went very quickly last year. Catch it early, because it may not be here only briefly. In Jane Campion’s psychological thriller, Meg Ryan plays a lonely woman who becomes involved with a tough homicide detective investigating murders in her neighbor- hood. Also stars Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nick Damici. Highest recom- mendations. R. Movies 12. Matrix Revolutions: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss are back for the third (and final?) Matrix episode. Written and directed by the Wachowski Brothers. Produced by Joel Silver. R. Movies 12. Teacher’s Pet: Talking dog Spot wants to become a “real boy,” and mad scientist Ivan Krank, tries to make it possible. Nathan Lane is Spot’s voice, Kesey Grammer is Krank’s. PG. Cinemark. Cinema World. Torque: Biker Cary Ford (Martin Henderson) returns to see his girlfriend, Shane (Monet Mazur), but they get caught up with some bad bikers. Also stars Adam Scott, Ice Cube, Jay Hernandez. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Win a Date with Tad Hamilton: Kate Bosworth, Topher Grace and Josh Duhamel star in this teen romance comedy directed by Robert Luketic. PG-13. Sneak at 7 pm on 01/16 and 4 pm on 01/18 only. Cinemark. Films open the Friday following EW publication date unless otherwise noted. See archived reviews at www.eugeneweekly.com CONTINUING: 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 Lane County, a game dozen men from the Long Tom Grange made their own nudie calendar, while raising money for Junction City schools, hard-hit by budget cuts. (See EW cover photo, Dec. 31, 2003; story, p. 5.) There’s something downright whole- some about men and women of a certain age being willing to show a little skin for charity. In Calendar Girls, the women who agree to pose GIRLFRIENDS: CHRIS make quiet, poignant admis- (HELEN MIRREN) AND sions to each other about their ANNIE (JULIE WALTERS. private lives, which gives the project heart. And the money scenes with her husband, but thanks to the will go to bring comfort to leukemia heavy-handed script and direction, we in patients, family and staff at the local hospi- the audience knew what was going on long tal, in memory of Annie’s recently deceased before Ruth did. husband, John (John Alderton), a fine char- Chris and Annie present the opposite acter who expresses a wry humor and problem. They are in so much of the film it’s appreciation of beauty that lasts. easy to miss the subtleties in their long-lived The trouble with reviewing such a slight friendship. So when their relationship gets film is that I might leave nothing for the in trouble, it’s hard to know what strengths reader or viewer to discover. On the sur- each will call on to work out what’s gone face, the film seems to be about the calen- wrong between them. Show, don’t tell. dar for John, but actually it’s about relation- In both cases, the actors and the audi- ships. Had the filmmakers understood this ence could handle much more complexity as deeply as some of the actors did, we with ease. Real life is tough. Every issue might have all been surprised. has many sides. Why simplify friendship One of the best small roles is that of or marriage? Women who come to see the Ruth (Penelope Wilton), who discovers the film may be over 50, but that’s no reason hard way what is missing in her marriage. to gloss over the reasons life is worth liv- Ruth’s story should have included more McGregor, Helena Bonham Carter, Danny DeVito, Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman and Steve Buscemi. Truly wonderful film; high- est recommendations. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark.. See review this issue. 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, 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. See review this issue. 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. 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 Cheaper by the Dozen: Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt play the parents of 12 chil- dren, 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 wounded Southern soldier walking home across the mountains, Nicole Kidman as his pre-war sweetheart, and Renee Zellweger as a young drifter who teaches her to farm and survive. Elegaic. Excellent performances, beautiful film. Very highest recommenda- tions. R. Cinema World. Cinemark. Online archives. 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. Haunted Mansion: Eddie Murphy stars in Rob Minkoff’s (Stuart Little) ghost comedy, with Jennifer Tilly, Don Knotts, Terence Stamp PG. Cinemark. In America: Jim Sheridan’s memoir of liv- ing 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 recom- mendations. 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 captured by Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe) and falls under samurai traditions and codes of honor. R. Cinemark. 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. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King: Peter Jackson completes Tolkien’s trilogy on film, and the result is stunning. 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 leadership of Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) fight the final battle against the forces of the evil Sauron. Very highest recommen- dations. Brilliant! Cinema World. Cinemark. Online archives. 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 sur- geon and naturalist. Set during the Napoleonic Wars. Highest recommenda- tions. PG-13. Cinemark. Online archives. Mona Lisa Smile: Julia Roberts is an ide- alistic teacher and nonconformist at Wellesley in the 1950s. Julia Stiles, Kirsten Dunst and Maggie Gyllenhaal are her stu- dents. Mike Newell directs. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. My Baby’s Daddy: Three friends from the hood discover their girlfriends are all preg- nant at the same time. Now they have to grow up to become daddies. PG-13. Cinemark. 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 JAAP BUITENDIJK. TOUCHSTONE PICTURES, 2003. To Have Fun. ing. “Sex and the City” allows Miranda’s wedding and Samantha’s bad news to come in the same half-hour episode. We get it, OK? Women enjoy women charac- ters who are as complicated and multi- faceted as they. This film is slight but not completely inconsequential. In an age of action, spe- cial-effects films geared to the young male demographic, any film about women’s lives should be welcomed. But with such a tal- ented cast, we expect the best. We get little flashes of the real thing here, especially from the amazing Mirren and Walters. But not nearly enough. Entertaining but not enlightening, Calendar Girls is playing now at Cinema World and Cinemark. ew Hurd-Wood. PG. Cinemark. Radio: High school football coach (Ed Harris) shocks a Southern town by taking 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, Eddie Griffin and Queen Latifah. Directed by David Zucker. R. Movies 12. School of Rock: Faking it as a substitute teacher, wild guitarist Jack Black turns ele- mentary musical prodigies into a high-volt- age 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. 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 suc- cess 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 fea- ture 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 adap- tation of her best selling book about buy- ing a run-down villa in Italy and creating a new life. Escape from real life — beautiful people, gorgeous scenery, everybody’s got money. PG-13. Movies 12. 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. 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 Accidental Tourist, The (1988):: Directed by Larry Kasdan, excellent film stars William Hurt, Geena Davis, Kathleen Turner, Bill Pullman. DVD extras include delet- ed scenes, more. Bill Maher: Victory Begins at Home (2003): Maher’s one-man Broadway show on his usual subjects — sex, religion, politics. DVD includes Maher’s Q&A with show patrons. NR. Cabin Fever:: Four college friends vacation at a remote cabin, but one of them gets very sick, and the others struggle with life and death decisions as their terror rises. Directed by Eli Roth; stars Jordan Ladd, Rider Strong, James DeBello, Cerina Vincent, Joey Kern, Arie Verveen. R. Everybody’s All American (1988): Taylor Hackford’s great football film stars Dennis Quaid and Jessica Lange, with Timothy Hutton, John Goodman. DVD extras include commentary, extra scenes and featurettes on making-of. Once Upon a Time in Mexico:: Directed by Robert Rodriguez. Antonio Banderas as El Mariarchi, now involved in international espionage. Costars Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp and Mickey Rourke. R. Open Range:: Kevin Costner directs and stars with Robert Duvall in traditional Western about a corrupt cattle baron (Michael Gambon) who forces the cowboys to fight. Annette Bening’s performance is warm and real. With Abraham Benrubi, Diego Luna. Recommended. R. Online archives. Rules of the Game (France,1939): Jean Renoir’s classic anti-war film takes place at a country estate during a hunting party. A great film by any standards. Stars Nora Gregor, Paulette Dubost, Mila Parely, Odette Talazac, Claire Gerard. NR. Spellbound:: Academy Award-nominated documentary feature by Jeffrey Blitz follows eight school kids from around the country as they prepare for and compete at the National Spelling Bee. Suspenseful, funny and heartwarming, this film’s a real winner. Very highest recommendations for the whole family. G. Online archives. Next week: Bang Bang You’re Dead, Capturing the Friedmans, Comic Book, The Critic, Le Divorce, Secret Lives of Dentists, A Smile Like Yours, Thirteen. JANUARY 15, 2004 29
