BY LOIS WADSWORTH
Sweet, Funny Valentine
THE COMPANY:
Directed by Robert Altman.
Written by Barbara Turner, from a story by Turner
and Neve Campbell. Produced by Joshua Astrachan,
David Levy. Cinematography, Andrew Dunn.
Composer, Van Dyke Parks. Art director, Gary Baugh.
Film Editor, Geraldine Peroni. Choreographers Lar
Lubovitch, Robert Desrosiers. Starring Neve
Campbell, Malcolm McDowell, James Franco and the
Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. Sony Pictures Classics,
2003. PG-13. 112 minutes.
R
obert Altman’s vision of a year in a
contemporary ballet company is so
inclusive of dance — selections
from 10 ballets are performed — much of the
film feels like a dream. The Joffrey Ballet of
Chicago dancers appear in pieces from the
company’s repertoire. And dancer turned
actress Neve Campbell as Ry shows that even
after a 10-year absence, she can still dance on
pointe.
In the centerpiece of the film, Lar
Lubovitch’s My Funny Valentine, Campbell
and Joffrey dancer Domingo Rubio express
the tender, sexy movements accompanying
new love. The couple’s sublime movements
are heightened by a storm that blows in to
drench them. The audience in the park stays
seated until the dance is finished, then erupts
in wild applause and “Bravos.”
In rehearsal for the final ballet, Robert
Desrosier’s The Snake, a number of couples
OPENING OR RETURNING:
Club Dread, Broken Lizard’s: From
the makers of Super Troopers comes
the tale of a non-stop party at an island
resort. Stars Bill Paxton and members
of Broken Lizards. R. Movies 12.
Company, The: Robert Altman’s
dream of a dance movie stars the Joffrey
Ballet of Chicago, Neve Campbell,
Malcolm MacDowell. One of Altman’s
most relaxed yet highly observant films.
He “gets” dance, and The Company
shows it. Highly recommended. PG-13.
Bijou. See review this issue.
Dawn of the Dead: Remake of
George Romero’s 1978 cult classic about
a shopping mall taken over by those try-
ing to survive a zombie plague. Unlikely
stars: the excellent Sarah Polley (My Life
Without Me) and Ving Rhames. R.
Cinemark. Cinema World.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind: Highly acclaimed film directed by
Michel Gondry from screenplay by
Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation). Stars Jim
Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson, with
Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, Kirsten Dunst.
Carrey discovers Winslet had memories
of their relationship erased. Now he
wants to do the same. Or does he? R.
Cinema World. Cinemark.
Girl Next Door, The: Trying again:
Emile Hirsch and Elisha Cuthbert (Kim
Bauer of “24”) star in Luke
Greenfield’s teen comedy, romance. R.
Sneak at 7:30 pm on 3/20. Cinemark.
House of Sand and Fog: Eugene
premiere of 2004 Academy Award
contender for actor, Ben Kingsley;
supporting actress, Iranian star
Shohreh Aghdashloo; original score,
James Horner. Vadim Perelman’s
film stars Jennifer Connelly. The NY
Times says the film has a deeper
understanding of tragedy than
either Mystic River or 21 Grams:
“Like Antigone, it is the story of two
rights adding up to a monstrous
wrong.” R. Movies 12.
Perfect Score, The: Cast includes
Erika Christensen and Scarlett
Johansson in tale of six high-school
students who band together to heist
the SAT. PG-13. Movies 12.
Taking Lives: All-star cast includes
Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke, Keifer
Sutherland, Olivier Martinez and
Jean-Hughes Anglade. Directed by
D.J. Caruso, this thriller is about a seri-
al killer who steals his victims’ identi-
ties. R. Cinema World. Cinemark.
Torque: Biker Cary Ford (Martin
Henderson) returns to see his girl-
friend, Shane (Monet Mazur), but they
enact variations of languorous moments
about sexual freedom. In performance, The
Snake dancers lavishly costumed as sleek
black-and-white zebras, wild red monkeys,
bushy green-leafed plants and blue-bodied
celestial deities cavort in surrealistic fashion
across the stage. For the finale, a giant, visi-
ble only by his huge, greedy face, devours the
dancers and rolls his (mechanical) eyes.
The first performance as the film opens is
a contemporary abstract piece called Tensile
Involvement, choreographed by Alwin
Nikolais, accompanied by synthesizer music.
The dancers handle several lengths of wide
ribbon, which form arresting visual combina-
tions on the stage. My favorite formation has
individual dancers lying on their backs
enclosed in a rectangle of ribbon, rocking
from side-to-side in time to the music.
The Company doesn’t really have a plot.
We follow Ry through her life away from the
ballet, where she devotes an amazing amount
of energy yet still absorbs a lot of physical
pain. She finds out from others that her
boyfriend is sleeping with another dancer.
Her mother comes to visit and offers advice.
Ry works as a waitress in a club. She meets a
chef, Josh (James Franco), whose job is
equally demanding. They become lovers.
get caught up with some bad bikers.
Also stars Adam Scott, Ice Cube, Jay
Hernandez. PG-13. Movies 12.
Films open the Friday following
EW publication date unless other-
wise noted. See archived reviews
at www.eugeneweekly.com
CONTINUING:
Agent Cody Banks 2 Destination
London: Frankie Muniz returns as spy
Cody Banks, this time he’s undercover
in London as a student at an elite
boarding school. PG. Cinemark.
Along Came Polly: Ben Stiller plays
Reuben, a hapless husband whose
bride dumps him. Then he meets up
with a childhood friend, Polly
(Jennifer Aniston). Also stars Philip
Seymour Hoffman, Hank Azaria,
Bryan Brown and Alec Baldwin. John
Hamburg directs. PG-13. Movies 12.
Blade Runner: Director’s cut
released last year of Ridley Scott’s
1982 futuristic adventure set in Los
Angeles is “now seen as a nightmar-
ish blueprint of the ‘80s and beyond,”
The NY Times notes. Harrison Ford
plays a cynical former cop on the trail
of deadly android replicants. With
Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Darryl
Hannah, Edward James Olmos. R.
Butterfly Effect: The trailer is about
a young man (Ashton Kutcher) who
time travels back to the past to fix the
broken lives of a childhood girlfriend
(Amy Smart) and his friends, Lenny
(Eldoen Henson) and Tommy (William
Lee Scott). R. Movies 12.
Cheaper by the Dozen: Steve
Martin and Bonnie Hunt play the par-
ents of 12 children, including Piper
Perabo, Hilary Duff and Tom Welling.
Directed by Shawn Levy. PG. Movies 12.
Fifty First Dates: Drew Barrymore
and Adam Sandler in a romance with
a catch: she has no short-term mem-
ory recall, so she forgets him every
night. Also stars Rob Schneider, Sean
Astin and Dan Aykroyd. Directed by
Peter Segal. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema
World. Online archives.
Haunted Mansion: Eddie Murphy
stars in Rob Minkoff’s (Stuart Little)
ghost comedy, with Jennifer Tilly, Don
Knotts, Terence Stamp PG. Movies 12.
Hidalgo: Based on autobiography of
distance rider Frank T. Hopkins,
played by Viggo Mortensen, this epic
action-adventure takes place during
a 3,000 mile survival race across the
Arabian Desert in 1890. PG-13.
Cinema World. Cinemark.
Last Samurai, The: Edward Zwick
directs this action-adventure starring
Tom Cruise as a bitter Civil War vet in
China to train emperor’s troops to
defeat samurais. Captured by warrior
Katsumoto (Ken Watanabe), he learns
Samurai traditions and code of
honor.2003 Academy Award noms:
Watanabe, Supporting Actor; art direc-
tion; sound mixing; costume design. R..
Movies 12. Online archives.
Lord of the Rings: Return of the
King: Peter Jackson’s stunning work
stars Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen,
Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Billy Boyd,
Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler, Cate
Blanchett. Frodo and Sam make it to
Mount Doom as Aragorn leads the
warriors of Middle Earth in the final
battle against Sauron. 2003 Academy
Award sweeps for Best Picture;
Director, Peter Jackson; adapted
screenplay; art direction; sound mix-
ing; original score; original song; cos-
tume design; film editing; makeup; and
visual effects. Very highest recommen-
dations. Cinemark. Online archives.
Master and Commander The Far
side of the World: Peter Weir brings
Patrick O’Brian’s best-selling nauti-
cal
adventures
during
the
Napoleonic era to the screen, with
Russell Crowe as Captain Jack
Aubrey and Paul Bettany as Dr.
Stephen Maturin, ship surgeon and
Dancers Ry (Neve Campbell) and Domingo (Domingo Rubio) in Lar Lubovitch’s My Funny Valentine.
Little about the private life of the film’s
other dominant character, Alberto Antonelli
(Malcolm McDowell), surfaces. He runs the
Joffrey with characteristic genius and ego,
calls the dancers “babies,” and is more inter-
ested in the emotional content of their work
than the step-by-step perfectionism. He
leaves that to the ballet mistresses and mas-
ters. Loosely based on the ballet company’s
co-founder and director Gerald Arpino,
Antonelli is a great role for McDowell. My
favorite scene takes place at an award ban-
quet for Italian Americans, where Antonelli
tells “you Italian men” not to make life so
hard for boys who want to dance ballet. It’s
naturalist. Very highest recommen-
dations. Academy Awards for cine-
matography, sound editing; nominat-
ed for picture; director; art direction;
sound mixing; costume design; film
editing; makeup; visual effects. PG-
13. Movies 12. Online archives.
Monster: Patty Jenkins’ film about
real-life killer Aileen Wuornos stars
Charlize Theron, who not only captures
Wuornos’s fragile hold on human
decency but also show that her tough
exterior is the only buffer she has
between her marginal life and an uncar-
ing world. Co-stars Christina Ricci.
Hard-to-watch violence. 2003 Academy
Award for Theron, Best Actress. R.
Cinemark. Online archives.
Passion of Christ, The (2004):
Mel Gibson film opens amid charges
(denied) of anti-Semitism. A..O. Scott
of The New York Times writes, “‘The
Passion of the Christ’ is so relentless-
ly focused on the savagery of Jesus’
final hours that this film seems to
arise less from love than from wrath,
and to succeed more in assaulting
the spirit than in uplifting it..” Others
call the graphic torture unwatchable.
R. 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.
an Altman moment.
Arpino watched much of the film being
made. “Robert Altman really directs the way I
choreograph,” Arpino said, noting that the
director lets the dancers be part of the process.
“But he always knows, just as I do, the exact
moment, frame, movement that he wants to
capture in order to project his vision and goals.”
If you love dance, you are in for a treat
with this film. Likewise, if you love Altman’s
pictures, this is one of his most relaxed yet
highly observant films. The combination
works because Altman “gets” dance, and The
Company shows it. Highly recommended,
opens at the Bijou March 19.
ew
Hall. PG-13. Movies 12.
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. Movies 12.
Secret Window: Psychotic (John
Turturro) stalks writer (Johnny Depp),
accusing him of stealing the ending to
his story. David Koepp directs, story by
Stephen King. Also stars Maria Bello,
timothy Hutton, Charles S. Dutton. PG-
13. Cinemark. Cinema World.
Something’s Gotta Give: Directed
by Nancy Meyers. Harry Sanborn
(Jack Nicholson) is a New York music
mogul with a young libido, while
Diane Keaton is a writer with more
on her mind than sex. With Amanda
Peet, Frances McDormand and
Keanu Reeves. 2003 Academy
Award nomination for Keaton. PG-13.
Movies 12. Online archives.
Spartan: Written and directed by
David Mamet, thriller stars Val Kilmer
as an unquestioning, secret ops investi-
gator partnered with a new guy (Derek
Luke). They’re searching for the presi-
dent’s kidnapped daughter (Kristen Bell
) and must evade corrupt functionaries
(Ed O’Neill, William H. Macy). R.
Cinemark. See review this issue.
Starsky and Hutch: Ben Stiller is
uptight Starsky, while Owen Wilson is
laid back Ken “Hutch” Hutchinson in
this remake of TV’s undercover
crime-fighters. With Vince Vaughn,
Snoop Dogg, Juliette Lewis. PG-13.
Cinemark. Cinema World.
Tai Chi Master, The (1993):
Michelle Yeoh and Jet Lee band
together to defeat the bad guys in
this film plumped up with many star-
tling fights, choreographed by film’s
director Woo-ping Yuon, who did the
Matrix films. LateNite Bijou.
Touching the Void: In 1985, two dar-
ing British climbers scaled the
unclimbed west face of 20, 853 foot
Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes.
Coming down, a succession of events
made their survival unlikely. Director
Kevin Macdonald’s brilliant and touching
mixed documentary and re-enactment
adventure film gets highest recommen-
dations. NR. Bijou. Online archives.
Triplets of Belleville: Sylvain
Chomet’s animated tale features
whimsical, skewed architecture loom-
ing over bizarre figures in this strange,
wonderful work. A don’t-miss gem
from 2003, the film’s Academy Award
noms include Best Animated Film and
original song. Very highest recommen-
dations PG-13. Bijou. Online archives.
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
Beyond Borders: Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen star in this romantic adventure set in Third World hot spots. He’s a doctor working behind the lines in war-torn
countries; she’s a socialite who loves him. Flawed, but recommended for its unflinching look at the plight of refugees around the world, and the work of doctors to
save them. Directed by Martin Campbell. R. Online archives.
Damned, The (1969): Luchino Visconti’s celebrated film about an Italian family’s divisive move to align themselves with the Nazis during the ‘30s. Stars
Charlotte Rampling, Helmut Berger. Released in February.
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 performances and a weird beauty. Highly recommended. 2003 Academy Award nom: Original screenplay, Steven
Knight. R. Online archives.
Magdalene Sisters, The: Four young Irish women are sent to the Magdalene Laundries and Asylums for “moral crimes” such as a pregnancy outside of mar-
riage, reporting a rape or being too pretty. Actual institution operated the whole of the 20th century, in the open, with the full authority and blessing of the
church. Amazing performances; courageous direction by Peter Mullan. NR. Bijou. Online archives.
Shattered Glass: Hayden Christensen plays The New Republic staff writer Stephen Glass who wrote heavily fictionalized stories and then lied about it. Peter
Sarsgaard plays his editor, Chloe Sevigny a duped co-worker. Highest recommendations. PG-13. Bijou. Online archives.
Singing Detective, The: Chicago novelist (Robert Downey Jr.),bedridden and feverish, reworks his first novel, The Singing Detective, in his mind. He becomes the
detective in pursuit of Nazis in the 1940s, but the battle he’s fighting is with his own demons. Keith Gordon directs. Strange but well worth a look for Downey’s
performance. Also stars Robin Wright Penn, Mel Gibson, Katie Holmes, Adrien Brody, Jeremy Northam, Carla Gugino, Jon Polito. R.
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,
while Diane Keaton is a writer with more on her mind than sex. With Amanda Peet, Frances McDormand and Keanu Reeves. 2003 Academy Award nomination for
Keaton. PG-13. Online archives.
Next week: Brother Bear; House of Sand and Fog; Music collections of Louis Jordan, Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughn; Ripley’s Game (2002); Texas
Chainsaw Massacre.
MARCH 18, 2004 21
MATT DINERSTEIN. SONY PICTURES CLASSICS, 2003.
Altman's ballet gets it right.