BY JASON BLAIR
“Don’t you get enough of this stuff on
TV?” Sutherland, Douglas and
Longoria in The Sentinel.
Insecurity
Putting the ‘secret’ in Secret Service
THE
SENTINEL: Directed by Clark
Johnson.
Written
by
George
Nolfi.
Cinematography by Gabriel Beristain. Music by
Christophe Beck. Starring Michael Douglas,
Kiefer Sutherland, Kim Basinger, Eva Longoria,
Blair Brown and Martin Donovan. Twentieth
Century Fox, 2006. PG-13. 108 minutes.
P
ete Garrison is a lion among Secret
Service kittens. According to The
Sentinel, Garrison (Michael Douglas)
took a bullet for Ronald Reagan, which makes
him close to untouchable in his department. If
movies teach us anything, however, it’s that
heroes suffer the trappings of fame in equal
measure with fame’s rewards. To put it deli-
cately, Garrison’s personal life isn’t heroic. He
has a weakness for other men’s wives.
Garrison is directly responsible for the First
Lady (Kim Basinger). Throughout the movie,
Basinger is referred to her by her code name,
which happens to be “Cincinnati.” That might
have worked for Hillary, but for the woman
who tamed Mickey Rourke all those years ago
it hardly seems appropriate. The president is
played by David Rasche, and the fact that you
haven’t heard of Rasche is significant to how
this film works. In The Sentinel, Garrison —
who’s attractive in a silvery, Clintonesque kind
of way — is more presidential than the presi-
dent. The president is about as confident as
Stuart Smalley. He’s basically a nincompoop.
Garrison hasn’t been loyal to the president,
and when an assassination plot is uncovered,
he’s a perfect candidate for framing. Enter
Agent Breckinridge (Kiefer Sutherland), a vet-
eran investigator who’s about as upbeat as a
colonoscopy. Breckinridge has a chip on his
shoulder the size of the Oval Office. He skulks
around like everyone is sleeping with his wife,
which, it appears, Garrison did a few years
ago. As you can imagine, it didn’t do much for
their professional relationship. Breckinridge
has been waiting for Garrison to stumble ever
since.
Agent Marin (Eva Longoria) is
Breckinridge’s partner. Her primary duty is to
be flirted with by other agents. Her secondary
duty is to remain at least 10 feet behind Agent
Breckinridge as if he’s some kind of sultan.
Longoria should have known better.
The movie plays like an episode of “The
West Wing” produced by CNN. It’s slick, brisk
and convincing enough to look at, but you won-
der if reality is getting trampled by the need for
story. The Sentinel is typical of thrillers (politi-
cal or otherwise) in that the good guys always
have bullet-proof vests and the villains can’t
shoot anyway. That’s not to say there aren’t
some tense moments in The Sentinel. The sec-
ond half is a MacGyver-esque sprint in which
Garrison, on the run, attempts to exonerate
himself. Sometimes his methods are ingenious,
but mostly they’re just ridiculous.
I know other patrons in the theater enjoyed
the movie because I heard a woman turn to a
man and say, “I’m really enjoying this movie!”
But given this cast, we deserve more. If you’re
interested one iota in motivation — Why do the
assassins want to kill the president? What’s be-
hind Garrison’s indiscretions? — rent a Tony
Robbins video instead. How Garrison the phi-
landerer avoids disgrace is a mystery not even
the FBI could solve. Fortunately, they don’t
have to.
ew
Opening or
returning:
Akeelah and the Bee: 11-
year-old Akeelah (Keke
Palmer) has a gift for
words. Though her mother
(Angela Bassett) isn’t
behind her, Akeelah (with
the help of tutor Laurence
Fishburne) enters spelling
bees, eventually winning a
chance to compete nation-
ally. PG. Cinema World.
Cinemark.
Basic Instinct 2: Sharon
Stone is back as Catherine
Trammell, now a best-sell-
ing crime novelist. To no
one’s surprise, she winds
up on the wrong side of
the law. Also stars David
Morrissey, David Thewlis
and Charlotte Rampling.
Directed by Michael Caton-
Jones. R. Movies 12.
Children’s Nature Film
Festival: Award-winning,
nature-related short films
from around the world,
including two from Eugene
filmmakers. Plays at 2 pm
April 30 at the McDonald
Theatre. Free.
Drum Corps
International Classic
Countdown Big Screen
Concert: The top 12 drum
corps performances of all
time, selected from more
than 4 decades of DCI
finals performances. The
last performance shown is
the winning corps, as
selected by fans voting
online. Plays at 7 pm April
27 at Cinemark.
Lilith Fair: A Celebration
of Women: Never-before-
seen backstage jams,
interviews and behind-the-
scenes documentary
footage of the artists on
the 1997 first all-female
music tour. Includes per-
formances from Sarah
McLachlan, the Indigo
Girls, Sheryl Crow and oth-
ers. Not rated. Bijou
LateNite.
Mission Impossible 3:
Can Tom Cruise dodge the
mountains of press about
his personal life — er, many
guys with guns and explo-
sives in his way — and save
the woman he loves from
an impressively creepy
Philip Seymour Hoffman?
R. Sneak peek at 12:01 am
May 4 at Cinemark.
Pirates of the 20th
Century: Director Boris
Durov’s film is based on a
true story about present-
day pirates commandeer-
ing a cargo ship carrying
medical opium. Plays at 7
pm May 3 in 111 Pacific, UO.
Pride & Prejudice: Jane
Austen’s romantic, witty
and emotionally delicious
romance stars Keira
Knightley as Lizzie and
Matthew Macfadyen as the
man she loves to hate, Mr.
Darcy. Ably directed by
Joe Wright and adapted
by Deborah Moggach, film
also stars Rosamund Pike,
Jena Malone, Brenda
Blethyn, Donald
Sutherland. Playful and
pleasing but with strong
subtext of the situation of
poor women, this excellent
social comedy has stayed
timely since its publication
in 1813. Highest recom-
mendations. PG. Plays at 7
pm April 28 at Unity of the
Valley. Free. Online
archives.
RV: In Barry Sonnenfeld’s
latest film, Robin Williams
tells his family they’re
going on vacation to
Hawaii — but instead packs
his wife and kids into an
RV and heads to Colorado.
Jeff Daniels heads up a
wacky bunch of full-time
campers. It’s a sure bet
there are hijinks involved.
PG-13. Cinema World.
Cinemark.
Salmon on the Backs of
Buffalo: With Shake Your
Oncorhynchus and Last
Chance for the Umpqua.
Three short films on the
plight of declining endan-
gered salmon due to
threats to their habitat.
Plays at 7 pm May 2 in 110
Willamette, UO. Free.
Sixteen Blocks: NYPD
detective Jack Mosley
(Bruce Willis) has one last
job for the day: take petty
criminal Eddie Bunker
(Mos Def) from lockup to
the courthouse where he
will testify in a grand jury
case. R. Movies 12.
Stick It: From the writer
of Bring It On comes this
slightly absurd-sounding
film in which a rebellious
former gymnastics star,
forced to return to the
world of gymnastics after
trouble with the law, butts
heads with a hard-nosed
coach (Jeff Bridges). Bring
It On the Floor Mat? Nah,
their title is better. PG-13.
Cinemark.
Tristam Shandy: A Cock
and Bull Story: Instead of
a straight adaptation of a
supposedly unfilmable
novel, Michael
Winterbottom (24 Hour
Party People) created a
post-modern film that
turns into a story about
the making of … itself. Sort
of. Steve Coogan stars as
“Steve Coogan,” with Kelly
McDonald and Rob
Brydon. R. Bijou.
United 93: The first of
this year’s 9/11 movies,
director Paul Greengrass’s
(The Bourne Supremacy)
film looks at how things
might have happened
when United Flight 93
went down over
Pennsylvania. R. Cinema
World. Cinemark.
UO Disability Studies
Film Fest: “Push Your
Limit!,” three days of doc-
umentary films challeng-
ing social stereotypes
about disability. Little Man
and 39 Pounds of Love
play at 6:30 pm April 27 in
100 Willamette, UO; Touch
the Sound and
JazzArtSigns: See, Hear
and Feel the Music play at
6:30 pm April 28 in 100
Willamette, UO;
Murderball, The Kids are
All Right and Speedracer:
Welcome to the World of
Vic Chesnutt play at 6:30
pm April 29 at DIVA. Free.
Widespread Panic: Live
from the Atlanta Fox
Theatre: An exclusive Big
Screen Concerts event
brings the popular band to
local screens via satellite
from Atlanta, Ga. Plays at
5 pm May 9 at Cinemark.
$15.
Films open the Friday
following EW publication
date unless otherwise
noted. See archived
reviews at www.eugene-
weekly.com
CONTINUING:
American Dreamz:
Satirical spin on American
Idol stars Hugh Grant as
the bitter judge of a
singing contest, Mandy
Moore as a determined
contestant and Sam
Golzari as a show tune-lov-
ing terrorist. Directed by
Paul Weitz (yes, he of
American Pie). PG-13.
Cinemark. Cinema World.
See review this issue.
Animation Show, The: A
collection of the world’s
best short animated films,
as selected by Mike Judge
and Academy Award-nomi-
nated animator Don
Hertzfeldt. Not rated. Bijou
LateNite.
Benchwarmers, The: Got
picked last for kickball? So
did these guys. David
Spade, Jon Heder (aka
Napoleon Dynamite) and
Rob Schneider play grown-
up geeks who start a base-
ball tournament to get
revenge on nasty Little
League teams. PG-13.
Cinemark.
Brigade, The: Aleksei
Sidorov’s 2002 critical and
popular tale of the Russian
“Mafia.” The story follows
four best friends as they
choose a life of crime.
Episode 15 shows at 9 pm
May 3 in 111 Pacific, UO.
Curious George: The Man
in the Yellow Hat (Will
Ferrell) tries his best to
tame Curious George in
this animated version of
the beloved children’s
series. The inquisitive
chimp passes the time by
sipping lattes, ruining a
woman’s bubble bath and
getting carried away by a
bunch of balloons. Other
voices include Drew
Barrymore, Eugene Levy,
Joan Plowright and Dick
Van Dyke. G. Movies 12.
Eight Below: Two men
fighting for their lives in
the stormy Arctic are air-
rescued but must leave
their loyal dogs behind.
PG. Movies 12.
Firewall: As creator of a
state-of-the-art security
system for a Seattle-area
bank, Jack Stanfield
(Harrison Ford) has
cemented his reputation
as a man who’s thought of
everything. But when a
criminal (Paul Bettany)
finds a way into Jack’s
personal life by targeting
his family, everything Jack
holds dear is suddenly at
stake. PG-13. Movies 12.
Friends with Money:
Nicole Holofcener (Lovely
& Amazing) directs a quar-
tet of stellar actresses,
three of which (Catherine
Keener, Joan Cusack and
Frances McDormand) are
worried about their single
friend Olivia (Jennifer
Aniston) — though all have
troubles of their own. R.
Bijou. Cinemark. Online
archives.
Fun With Dick and Jane:
Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni
star as middle-class
thieves in Dean Parisot’s
remake of the limp 1977
comedy starring Jane
Fonda and George Segal.
Also stars Alec Baldwin
and Angie Harmon. PG-13.
Movies 12.
Glory Road: Directed by
James Gartner and based
on a true story, the film
follows Coach Dan Haskins
(Josh Lucas) lead his 1966
Texas Western all-black
starting line-up college
basketball team to the
NCAA national champi-
onship title. PG. Movies 12.
Hoodwinked: Animated
comedy gives Little Red
Riding Hood’s adventures
at Grandmother’s house a
real kick in the seat. Stars
Xzibit, Anthony Anderson,
Glenn Close, Anne
Hathaway, Patrick
Warburton and Jim
Belushi. PG. Movies 12.
Online archives.
Ice Age 2: The
Meltdown: Manny (Ray
Romano), Sid (John
Leguizamo) and Diego
(Denis Leary) are back for
another adventure. The
animals are excited that
the ice is melting — it’s a
paradise of water parks!
But where is all that new
water going to go? PG.
Cinemark. Cinema World.
Inside Man: Spike Lee’s
new film is a hostage
drama in which a tough
cop (Denzel Washington)
matches wits with a bank
robber (Clive Owen), with
Jodie Foster the situa-
tion’s wild card. R. Movies
12.
Lucky Number Slevin:
Josh Hartnett comes
between two dapper crime
lords (Morgan Freeman
and Ben Kingsley) in a
case of mistaken identity.
Or is it? Lucy Liu also
stars as the girl next door.
R. Cinemark. Online
archives.
Munich: Steven
Spielberg’s already contro-
versial film about the
secret Mossad assassins
who tracked down the
masked Palestinian terror-
ists who murdered 11
Israeli athletes at the 1972
Olympics. Screenplay by
Tony Kushner (Angels in
America), film stars Eric
Bana, Geoffrey Rush,
Daniel Craig, Mathieu
Kassovitz and Ciaran
Hinds. Underrated film is
seen as a vengeance flick,
but it’s really about what
happens to a man (Eric
Bana, who should have
been nominated for an
Academy Award), whose
loyalty to Israel is without
question but who holds
disturbing doubts about
his actions. Very highest
recommendations. R.
Movies 12. Online
archives.
New World, The: Terrence
Malick’s new adventure
drama re-imagines the
first meeting between
explorer John Smith (Colin
Farrell) and his shipmates
with the Native Americans
who inhabited the land
they intended to claim.
The Algonquian Chief’s
favorite daughter
(Q’Orianka Kilcher) saves
Smith’s life. Ecstatic and
beautiful, it’s a great film,
not to be missed. One of
2005’s very best films. PG-
13. Movies 12. Online
archives.
Pink Panther: Bumbling
French Inspector Jacques
Clousseau (Steve Martin)
must solve the murder of
a world-famous soccer
coach and catch the thief
who stole his priceless dia-
mond ring in this prequel
to the 1964 classic. Also
stars Kevin Kline, Jean
Reno & Beyonce. PG.
Movies 12.
Scary Movie 4: Director
David Zucker (Airplane!)
takes on the fourth entry
in the seemingly endless
series, which sends up War
of the Worlds, The Grudge,
The Village, Saw and
more. Stars Anna Faris and
Regina Hall with an out-
landish array of celebrity
cameos, including Shaq,
Dr. Phil and Lil’ John. PG-
13. Cinemark. Cinema
World.
Sentinel, The: When TV
stars attack! Uh, just kid-
ding. But Keifer
Sutherland (“24”) and Eva
Longoria (“Desperate
Housewives”) co-star with
Michael Douglas, who
plays a Secret Service
agent who may or may not
be trying to murder the
president. Let’s hope
there’s more suspense in
the movie than the pre-
view suggests. PG-13.
Cinemark. Cinema World.
See review this issue.
Silent Hill: Sure, it’s
based on a video game,
but it stars Radha Mitchell
(High Art) and Sean Bean.
Shouldn’t that be good for
something? Mitchell plays
a mother whose quest to
heal her terminally ill
daughter takes a detour to
the creepy titular town. R.
Cinemark. Cinema World.
Take the Lead: Stars
Antonio Banderas as
Pierre Dulane, a New York
City ballroom dance
teacher who taught inner-
city kids to move their
feet. PG-13. Cinemark.
Thank You for Smoking:
Jason Reitman (the son of
director Ivan Reitman)
directs Aaron Eckhart and
a strong supporting cast in
this sharp-eyed, satirical
look at the tobacco indus-
try. R. Bijou. Online
archives.
Ultraviolet: Sci-fi fantasy
stars Milla Jovovich and
Cameron Bright. PG-13.
Movies 12.
V for Vendetta: From the
pages of David Lloyd &
Alan Moore’s graphic novel
springs “V” (Hugo
Weaving), a masked free-
dom fighter who’s taken
up arms against the totali-
tarian government in a
futuristic Britain. Finding
an unlikely ally in a young
woman, Evey (Natalie
Portman), V urges the citi-
zenry to fight the oppres-
sion of the state. Andy &
Larry Wachowski (The
Matrix) wrote the screen-
play. R. Cinemark. Online
archives.
Wild, The: Keifer
Sutherland and Janeane
Garofalo are among the
actors voicing critters on a
quest to rescue one of
their own, who somehow
got accidentally shipped
off to the jungle.
Madagascar, anyone?
(William Shatner appears
as a wicked wildebeest.) G.
Cinemark.
APRIL 27, 2006 25