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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 2004)
BY MELISSA BEARNS Natasha Zurek drops in on an ice-wave during the filming of Warren Miller’s latest movie, Impact. 3635 Hilyard The Power of Kundalini Yoga Best Kundalini Yoga Center in Eugene Best in the Northwest We are also the only Kundalini Yoga Center in the Northwest. You would have to travel to L.A. or Vancouver, B.C. to find such a rich offering in Kundalini Yoga taught in such an uplifting environment. Lucky you! You need only to travel to 36th & Hilyard to experience THE POWER THE GRACE THE SPIRITUAL JUMP-START of Kundalini Yoga See classified ad for a complete schedule of classes. Where’s the Impact? Warren Miller’s newest film is tried and true. E very year for the last five decades, the new Warren Miller film marks the semi-official beginning of the pre-sea- son. It’s tradition. It gets us checking the snow reports and web-cams and dreaming of deep, fluffy powder days. We go out and buy gear. We fondle our season pass. We wait impa- tiently for the snow to fly. It’s tradition to drink beer, get rowdy and go see the new film with a huge group of buddies you haven’t talked to since the parking lot tail- gate party that closed out the season last year (another tradition). And these days, tradition is the only thing that saves Warren Miller. This year’s film, Impact is better than last year’s film. It’s good. Not great. Fun. Not heart-pounding. The soundtrack has every- thing from Coldplay to Billy Idol and it’s damn good. The film itself focuses less on the ath- letes chumming around and more on what they can do on the slopes. It keeps you entertained, if not riveted, for about an hour. Unfortunately, it’s 90 minutes long and the last 30 minutes features ski superstar Glen Plake in a weenie bikini water skiing (YUCK!) and a lot of other yawn-worthy water footage. One very cool thing about Impact is that Miller chose to shoot about half the footage at ski areas in the U.S. including Snowmass (Colorado), Park City (Utah), Big Sky (Montana) and Steamboat Springs (Colorado). It’s a welcome reminder that you don’t have to be on a heli-adventure in the peaks of Alaska to find epic lines. After watching film after film created by the younger generation of extreme filmmakers with way too much bratty bro bra, the mature, professional attitude of the athletes in Impact was a breath of fresh air. They keep the focus on the turns not the toasts. But it’s becoming painfully obvious that Warren Miller and his crew haven’t spent much time on the hill lately. In one of his narra- tions he goes on and on about how skiers and snowboarders are getting along great these days, how we’re all just out there for the love of the mountains and the snow. Um, conflict between user groups was so ‘90s. His paternalistic attitude toward the women in the film detracts as well. For example, he in- cludes a spoof on Charlie’s Angels. If the women were actually treated like the incredi- ble athletes they are (we’re talking Olympic gold medalists here), it would be funny. But throughout Impact Miller throws in comments when talking about the women in the film such as “Where she leads the men want to follow.” They’re annoying, not funny, and underscore that this film is put together by someone from an entirely different generation than most of the people watching it. Nonetheless, Miller gives women the opportunity to represent by including amazing female athletes in his films, something today’s young directors still fre- quently fail to do. And the most memorable and funny part of the film come when Miller takes a crew of skiers and snowboarders to Bulgaria where they hook up with Kalina Nikolova Simeonova, a Bulgarian native turned Vail ski instructor. She narrates this section with a thoughtfulness and intelligence that is rare in extreme sports films. Freeskiers are almost completely left out of Impact, another glaring sign that Miller is to- tally out of touch. You could attribute their ab- sence to the fact that Impact focuses more on big mountain backcountry than crazy park stunts. But he teases us with a few lame rail slides and nothing more. The only stomach-churning moment in the film comes when skiers and snowboarders launch a sickeningly huge step-up gap jump. As younger companies including TGR and Oregon-based moviemakers Rage Films and Ambush TV push ski and snowboard films to the limits, Warren Miller continues to play it safe with the tried and true: big slopes, big names and sweet lines. He has the money to take his crews all over the world and produce films with cinematic quality that rival the best in Hollywood. See Impact because it’s tradition, because the peaks of the Cascades are dusted with snow and be- cause you need a fix — not because you’re look- ing for a film to get your adrenaline pumping. ew Impact plays Oct. 28 at the McDonald. SATURDAY, OCT. 30 8:30pm • $5 • ALL AGES PRIZE FOR BEST COSTUME Come to the Staver Dance Co. for quality dance Instruction There’s always weddings, banquets, a cruise or a night-on-the-town where the music says “Let’s Dance!” Remember to become a good dancer you need more than steps. You need the TECHNIQUE! StaverDanceSport 55 W. Broadway • Eugene 746-6268 or 461-6681 staverdancesport.com elstaver1@aol.com Couples and singles welcome Gift Certificates Available DEAN BLOTTO GRAY YOGA WEST • 3635 HILYARD • 686-0432 STAVER DANCE SPORT HALLOWEEN PARTY! SIN CE 198 9 DR. DARIN J. WARD HEALTH CENTERED DENTISTRY By taking a holistic approach and arranging for health rather than merely treating disease, we offer an opportunity to restore your oral health to its optimum. We look at the whole picture, consider health and underlying factors, and take steps to perfect your smile while prevent- ing problems before they occur. DR. DARIN J. WARD, DDS PC F . A . G . D . Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry HEALTH CENTERED DENTISTRY 300 COUNTRY CLUB RD., STE. 290 EUGENE, OR 97401 • (541) 686-2441 Integrated Care Including: Gentle & Traditional Chiropractic Massage Therapy • CranioSacral Therapy Acupuncture • Physical Therapy Hot Stone Therapy Laura K. Adams, D.C. Adam Drapkin, D.C. Peggy Johnston, L.Ac. Chris Osterlitz, D.C. Barbara Robertson, D.C. Keith Blackwell, P.T. Licensed Massage Therapists: Linda Brewer #2568 Pam Skeele #2971 Lisa Hubbard #7797 Jude Painton #2154 Cindy Chambers #1276 Lisa Burtraw #5004 342-4520 492 E 13th Ave, Suite 200, Eugene In the Bijou Theatre Building This is your chance to get the family’s snow gear at dramatically discounted prices! KI 2004 WAP S s 35th Annual October 28-30 Lane County Fairgrounds Wheeler Pavilion Bring Your Consignments Attend the Sale Thursday, Oct. 28 • 9am-9pm Friday, Oct. 29 • 9am-5pm Friday, Oct. 29 • 6pm-9pm Saturday, Oct. 30 • 9am-6pm $1 Admission Friday Night Tickets available at the door beginning at noon. www.eugeneweekly.com OCTOBER 21, 2004 59
