BY LOIS WADSWORTH
A Regulation Hottie
MEAN GIRLS:
Directed by Mark S. Waters.
Written by Tina Fey, based on the book, Queen Bees
and Wannabees by Rosalind Wiseman. Produced by
Lorne Michael. Executive producer, Jill Sobel
Messick. Cinematography, Daryn Okada. Editor,
wend Greene Bricmont. Production design, Cary
White. Costumes, Mary Jane Fort. Starring Lindsay
Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tina Fey, Lizzy Caplan,
Daniel Franzese and Jonathan Bennett. With Lacey
Chabert, Amanda Seyfried, Tim Meadows.
Paramount Pictures, 2004. PG-13. 93 minutes.
T
oo soon, director Mark S. Waters
and “Saturday Night Live” head
writer Tina Fey’s Mean Girls turns
mean, but before that suburban Chicago
high-school student Cady (Lindsay Lohan)
shows us how hard it is to be the new girl
in school. She makes friends with Janis Ian
(Lizzy Caplan), a Goth girl, and Damian
(Daniel Franzese), a gay guy. They warn
her about the Plastics, three vindictive girls
hostile to all other girls, especially those
who don’t follow the squad’s erratic rules
regarding dress and behavior.
But Cady falls under the spell of queen
OPENING OR RETURNING:
All About My Mother (1999): Pedro
Almodóvar’s multi-layered drama looks
at women, friendship, death and forgive-
ness through a strong single mother ‘s
odyssey to the past on behalf of her
dead son. Outstanding performances.
One of Almodóvar’s wittiest scripts. R. At
7 pm on 5/12 in 180 PLC, UO campus.
Free.
Beyond the Movie: Capturing Troy:
Through ancient storytelling and modern
archaeology explore the truth behind the
legend. At 9 pm on 5/7 on the National
Geographic Channel.
Bon Voyage: Jean-Paul Rappeneau
directs great ensemble cast including
Isabelle Adjani, Gerard Depardieu, Viginie
Ledoyen and Gregori Derangere in satire
set on the eve of WWII. Highly recom-
mended. PG-13. Bijou. See review this
issue.
Broadway Danny Rose (1984): Woody
Allen’s excellent comedy about a lovable
talent agent and a client who turns
unfaithfulness into an art. Stars Allen,
Mia Farrow, Milton Berle, Howard Cossell.
PG. At 7 pm on 5/12 in 30 Pacific Hall, UO
campus. Free.
Connie and Carla: Nia Vardalos and Toni
Collette observe a Mafia hit, head for LA
and become drag queens until Connie
meets Jeff (David Duchovny). PG-13.
Movies 12.
Girl Next Door, The: Emile Hirsch and
Elisha Cuthbert (“24”) star in Luke
Greenfield’s teen comedy, romance. R.
Movies 12.
I Dream of Mimi: Japanese erotic anime
about an ultra high performance com-
puter in the form of a gorgeous, naked
woman who does anything you want.
LateNite Bijou, May 7-9.
Kids Are All Right, The: The Who doc-
umentary celebrates legendary perform-
ances and chronicle the band members’
development from angry mods (1967 TV
debut on the Smothers Brother show) to
rock icons in the 1970s. NR. LateNite
Bijou.
Mastermind of His Time, History of
Michael Kay: Local hip hop artist
Michael Kay. Plays at 1 pm on May 8 at
the Bijou. $6.50, 18 and older. $5, 17 and
under.
Natural Timber Country and The
Whale: Documentary logging footage
from early 1900s, ‘30s and ‘70s, with 10-
min doc. of blown-up beached whale. At
7 pm on 5/12 in 100 Willamette, UO cam-
pus. Free.
New York Minute: Action comedy stars
Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen as sis-
ters on the loose in Manhattan. With
Eugene Levy as a loony truant officer.
PG. Cinema World. Cinemark.
Raising Helen: Romantic comedy from
director Garry Marshall stars Kate
Hudson, John Corbett and Joan Cusack.
Kate tries to raise her dead sister’s three
children. PG-13. Sneak at 2 pm on 5/9.
Cinemark.
Taking Lives: All-star cast includes
Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke, Keifer
Sutherland, Olivier Martinez and Jean-
Hughes Anglade. Directed by D.J. Caruso.
Thriller about a serial killer who steals his
bee Regina George (Rachel McAdams)
and spends lots of time with Regina and
her devotees, Gretchen Wieners (Lacey
Chabert) and Karen Smith (Amanda
Seyfried). And before she learns about the
“feminist” rule that nixes attraction to for-
mer boyfriends of the Plastics, Cady likes
Aaron (Jonathan Bennett). Regina’s old
flame. So while Janis and Damian encour-
age Cady to spy on the Plastics, before
long she’s become a mean girl, too.
That’s about as deep as the story gets,
although Cady’s math teacher, Ms.
Norbury (Tina Fey in a solid perform-
ance), attempts to interest the student in
joining the math club’s competition team.
By the time girlfights spill out into the hall
and threaten to turn riotous, high school
Principal Duvall (Tim Meadows) with
great comic restraint calls in the fire
department to cool things off.
Compared to 13 Going on 30, which I
reviewed last week and liked much better,
victims’ identities. R. Movies 12.
Van Helsing: Monster killer Van Helsing
(Hugh Jackman) teams up with Kate
Beckinsale in Transylvania to bring down
Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh). PG-13.
Cinemark. Cinema World.
War Began the Next Day (1987): Yuri
Kara’s poetic film about a young boy’s
struggles on the eve of war. At 8:45 on
5/11 in 115 Pacific Hall, UO campus. In
Russian with English subtitles. Free
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. Ewan McGregor,
Helena Bonham Carter, Danny DeVito,
Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman and Steve
Buscemi co-star. Truly wonderful film;
highest recommendations. Academy
Award nom for original score. PG-13.
Movies 12. Online archives.
Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius: Jim
Caviezel stars as golf hero who retired at
age 28. Directed by Rowdy Herrington,
pic also stars Malcolm McDowell, Claire
Forlani, Jeremy Northam and Aidan
Quinn. “His passion made him a legend.”
PG. Cinemark.
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. Movies 12.
Confessions of a Teenage Drama
Queen: Stars Lindsay Lohan (Freaky
Friday). Welsh director Sara Sugarman’s
first movie. PG. Movies 12.
Dawn of the Dead: Remake of George
Romero’s 1978 cult classic about a shop-
ping mall taken over by those trying to
survive a zombie plague. Unlikely stars:
the excellent Sarah Polley (My Life
Without Me) and Ving Rhames. R. Movies
12.
Ella Enchanted: Anne Hathaway is a
perfectly obedient girl. She does what
she’s told, literally. Based on Newberry-
winning novel. PG. Cinemark.
Envy: Ben Stiller, Jack Black star in Barry
Levinson’s film about kooky inventor
(Black), who suddenly becomes wealthy
from a spray that makes dog poop disap-
pear. Neighbor (Stiller) grows murderous-
ly envious. Christopher Walken co-stars.
PG-13. Cinemark.
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? The
best new film of ’04. Very highest recom-
mendations. R. Cinema World. Online
archives.
Eurotrip: Teens from USA invade
Europe. Crass commercialism. R. Movies
12.
Godsend: Experimental cloning thriller
stars Robert De Niro, Greg Kinnear and
Rebecca Romijn-Stamos; directed by
Nick Hamm. PG-13. Cinemark.
Good Bye, Lenin: Complicated but
sweet movie about the confusions and
convulsions experienced when the Berlin
Wall came down, as seen through the
lives of an East German family..
Recommend. Bijou. Online archives.
Hellboy: Based on Mike Mignola’s Dark
Horse Comics series, this supernatural
action adventure stars Ron Perlman,
John Hut, Selma Blain and Doug Jones
and is directed by Guillermo del Toro.
Highly entertaining, sweet film. Don’t be
afraid; see it. PG-13. Cinemark. Online
archives.
Home on the Range: Disney animated
feature features voices by Roseanne
Barr, Judi Dench, Jennifer Tilly, Cuba
Gooding Jr., Randy Quaid, Steve
Buscemi, Carole Cook and Governor Ann
Richards., while singing comes from k.d.
lang, Bonnie Raitt, Tim McGraw and The
Beau Sisters. PG. Cinemark.
Kill Bill Vol. 1: Quentin Tarantino’s first
of two films was called the most violent
film ever made in Hollywood. Stars Uma
Thurman as the Bride, a woman with a
mission: Kill Bill (David Carradine), her
former boss and lover who betrayed her
and murdered her family. With Lucy Liu,
Daryl Hannah, LaTanya Richardson,
Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen and
Samuel L. Jackson. R. Movies 12.
Kill Bill Vol. 2: The Bride (Uma
Thurman) pursues her next foes, Budd
(Michael Madsen), Ellie Driver (Daryl
Hannah) and finally, Bill (David
Carradine). Bound to be bloody. R.
Cinemark. Cinema World. Online
archives.
Laws of Attraction: Julianne Moore and
Pierce Brosnan play high-strung New
York divorce attorneys who square off
with their famous clients (Parker Posey
and Michael Sheen) during a nasty
divorce, and fall in love. PG-13. Cinema
World. Cinemark.
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.
Swept 2003 Academy Awards. Very high-
est recommendations. Movies 12. Online
archives.
Man on Fire: Denzel Washington as a
security guard for a child who is kid-
napped on his watch. He will have
revenge. R. Cinema World. Cinemark.
Mean Girls: Lindsay Lohan plays a high-
school student raised by zoologist par-
ents in the African bush, who falls for a
popular girl’s ex-boyfriend. PG-13.
Cinemark. Cinema World. See review
this issue.
Mystic River: Clint Eastwood directs
Brian Helgeland’s adaptation, based on
Dennis Lehane’s dramatic tragedy. Stars
Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon,
Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden,
Laura Linney and Emmy Rossum. Very
Aaron (Jonathan Bennett) and Cady
(Lindsay Lohan) in math class.
Mean Girls is not as engaging, despite
some comic moments in Tina Fey’s script.
In 13, when Jenna (Jennifer Garner) dis-
covers she has become a mean girl herself,
she figures out her so-called best friend,
Lucy (Jane Greer), is as cut-throat a com-
petitor in the business world as she was in
high school. But in Mean Girls, when
Cady gets caught by school authorities for
serious character slandering, she publicly
renounces her bad ways, which should
highest
recommendations.
2003
Academy Awards for Penn and Robbins;
nominations for picture, supporting
actress Marcia Gay Harden; director
Eastwood;
adapted
screenplay,
Helgeland. R. Online archives. Movies 12.
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 relentlessly 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 unwatch-
able. R. Cinemark.
Punisher: Marvel comic book character
Charles Bronson (Thomas Jane) pursues
with a vengeance after his family is mur-
dered. Also stars John Travolta and
make her humble. But Cady tacks on what
right-wingers label the media liberals they
hate — a “politically correct” attitude. The
scene feels phony to me. Cady did not
show us these generous feelings before,
and they feel false, coming at a time to
make her a heroine. Boo.
Now playing at Cinemark and Cinema
World, Mean Girls jumps the tracks but
lays down a few choice scenes first.
Largely enjoyable.
ew
Laura Harring. R. Cinemark.
Scooby Doo 2 Monsters Unleashed:
Some scary action, rude humor and lan-
guage. PG. Cinemark.
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, tim-
othy Hutton, Charles S. Dutton. PG-13.
Movies 12.
Thirteen Going On 30: Jennifer Garner
goes to bed 13, wishing she were older.
Wakes up 17 years later, and she is.
Directed by Gary Winnick, also stars the
always excellent Mark Ruffalo, Andy
Serkis and Kathy Baker. PG-13. Cinemark.
Cinema World. See review this issue.
Walking Tall: Dwayne “The Rock”
Johnson returns home after military
career to find his hometown overrun with
crime, drugs and violence. He’s elected
sheriff to shut down his former rival’s
criminal biz. Directed by Kevin Bray. PG-
13. Movies 12.
What the Bleep Do We Know?
Through interviews with cutting-edge
scientists and spiritual teachers, a brand
new way of thinking about conscious-
ness, intentionality and the ability to
make a difference in the world emerges.
But it begins with Amanda (Marlee
Matlin). Highly recommended. NR. Bijou.
Online archives.
You Got Served: In competitive street
dancing, crews battle each other for
money and respect. Cast includes
Marques Houston, Omarion, Raz B, J
Boog and Lil’ Fizz. PG-13. 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
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. Truly wonderful film; highest recommendations. Academy Award nom for original score. PG-13. Online archives.
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. Movies 12. Online archives.
Cooler, The: William H. Macy, Maria Bello and Alec Baldwin star in this Vegas-set romance thriller directed by Wane Kramer. Sex
and violence, a few sweet moments. 2003 Academy Award nom, Supporting Actor, Alex Baldwin. R. Online archives.
Elephant: Gus Van Sant directs a cast of non-professional actors, high-school students from the Portland area. Film has no nar-
rative structure, no voiceover. Camera follows students on an ordinary school day until two boys unleash mayhem and murder.
Van Sant’s respect for his young actors and director’s refusal to explain why school shootings happen make it exceptional. R.
Online Archives.
Fog of War: 2003 Academy Award-winning documentary feature directed by Errol Morris, who said, “Forty years ago, this coun-
try went down a rabbit hole in Vietnam. Millions died. I fear we’re going down the rabbit hole once again.” About Robert
McNamara, defense secretary under Kennedy and Johnson; architect of the Vietnam War. Highest recommendations. PG-13.
Online archives.
Girl With the Pearl Earring: Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth give consummate performances in this underrated, lovely film
about Vermeer and the model for his famous, mysterious painting. Very highest recommendations. 2003 Academy Award noms
for cinematography, art direction, costume design. PG-13. Online archives.
Ghosts of the Abyss: James Cameron continues to explore the wreck of the Titanic in what The New York Times calls this
“haunting and beautiful” 60-minute, 3-D documentary. “It is perhaps the greatest ‘old dark house’ set of all time, a haunted
mansion at the bottom of the sea.”
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. Very highest recommendations. Academy Award noms:
Best Actress, Samantha Morton; Supporting Actor, Djimon Hounsou; Original screenplay, Jim, Naomi and Kirsten Sheridan. PG-
13. Online archives.
Japanese Story: Toni Collette plays a geologist whe takes a Japanese client on a trip in the Australian outback that turns bad.
They do not like each other, but the demands of the trip require cooperation. The Village Voice says: “Totally convincing in a
physically demanding role, Collette carries the movie on her shoulders—and that weight is what it’s all about.”
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 direction; sound mixing; costume design. R.. Movies 12.
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. Online archives.
Osama: Written and directed by Siddiq Barmak, this greatly admired, tragic Afghani film never played Eugene. It’s the story of
a 12-year old girl, Osama (Marina Golbahari) forced by necessity to dress as a boy while in a Taliban school. She is afraid her
developing body will give her away, and it does. The New York Times says: “…beautiful, thoughtful and almost unbearably sad.”
Triplets of Belleville: Sylvain Chomet’s animated tale features the writer, director’s whimsical, skewed architecture looming
over the bizarre figures, who populate his strange and wonderful story. A don’t-miss gem from 2003, the film’s Academy Award
noms include Best Animated Film and original song. Very highest recommendations PG-13. Online archives.
Next week: Angel Heart, Enter the Dragon (1973), The Good, Bad and Ugly (1966), The Miracle, Paycheck, Torque.
MAY 6, 2004 29
PARAMOUNT PICTURES, 2004.
High school spy