BY MOLLY TEMPLETON
Coming Home
Almodóvar plumbs the feminine mystique — again
own mother – and yes, it is a lot to do with
mothers — Almodóvar’s film is warmly
understanding, creating a world in which the
mostly female characters interact with real
grace and real awkwardness. In this world
VOLVER:
Written and directed by Pedro
Almodóvar. Music, Alberto Iglesias. Cinematography,
José Luis Alcaine. Starring Penélope Cruz, Carmen
Maura, Lola Dueñas, Blanca Portillo and Yohana
Cobo. Sony Pictures Classics, 2006. R. 121 minutes.
44421
P
edro Almodóvar, in the production
notes for Volver, says that the most
difficult thing about the film “has
been writing its synopsis.” He surely exag-
gerates, but not entirely. Volver is compli-
cated in story and tone (a complication
assisted by Alberto Iglesias’ playful,
sometimes spooky score). It’s a funny
drama, a dramatic romp, a story in which
seemingly large events turn out to be small
and the smallest moments are quietly
laden with meaning. It’s also a return, after
the director’s more male-centric Bad
Education, to a loving look at the relation-
ships between women, particularly with
men out of the picture.
Volver centers on Raimunda, played by a
vibrant Penélope Cruz decked out with a
padded rear, upswept hair and a ton of dark
eyeliner. Raimunda, a young wife and moth-
er, is perpetually striding about (in heels) as
she juggles work and family — extended
family, in the form of her sister Sole (Lola
Dueñas), fading aunt Paula (Chus
Lampreave) and family friend Agustina
(Blanca Portillo), a somber woman who
OPENING OR RETURNING:
Blood and Chocolate: Being a were-
wolf spells trouble in love for Vivian
(Agnes Brucker) in this adaptation of
Annette Curtis Klause’s young adult
novel. Directed by Katja von Garnier
(Bandits). PG13. Cinemark.
Catch and Release: Jennifer Garner is
a suddenly single woman who finds
comfort in her quirky male friends
after the death of her fiancé. With
Kevin Smith and Timothy Olyphant.
PG13. Cinemark.
Chi-hwa-seon: A portrait of a 19th
century Korean painter and his search
for artistic transcendence. In Korean
with English subtitles. 6 pm Jan. 31,
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art; 7
pm Feb. 1, Int’l Resource Center, EMU,
UO. Free.
Crossroads Festival: International film
festival, Jan. 28-Feb. 18, features
movies from Indian, Italy, Tunisia,
Japan, Brazil, Palestine and more.
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India
screens at 2 pm Jan. 28; Red Satin
screens at 7:30 pm Jan. 28, Avalon
Theater, Corvallis. $8 per film.
Departed, The: Martin Scorsese’s new
film is a remake of the 2002 Hong
Kong thriller Infernal Affairs. Leonardo
DiCaprio plays a cop undercover in the
mob; Matt Damon is the gangster mole
in the police force. With Jack Nicholson
and Mark Wahlberg. R. O SCAR NOMS :
M ARK W AHLBERG , S UPPORTING A CTOR ; B EST
D IRECTOR ; B EST P ICTURE ; F ILM E DITING ;
A DAPTED S CREENPLAY . Cinema World.
Cinemark. 44442 (10/12/06)
Epic Movie: Kal Penn, Jennifer
Coolidge and Fred Willard are among
the cast in this send up of everything
from Willy Wonka to Harry Potter to
Narnia — actually, they’re saving the
land of Gnarnia. Could be funny, could
be terrible. PG. Cinema World.
James Brown: Film of Brown’s 1968
performance in Boston, less than 24
hours after the assassination of Martin
Luther King Jr. With a 1971 perform-
ance featuring Bootsy Collins. Bijou
LateNite.
Last King of Scotland, The: At long
last, Eugeneans can see Forest
Whitaker’s highly-praised performance
as Idi Amin in Kevin MacDonald’s
new(ish) film. With James McAvoy as
the (fictional) young doctor who
becomes Amin’s personal physicial until
his eyes are opened to the dictator’s
likes to indulge in an occasional joint in
memory of her hippie mother. Raimunda’s
parents were killed in a fire some years back;
her husband is a layabout and her sweet,
skinny daughter, also named Paula (Yohana
Cobo), appears as normal as they come.
One thing Volver has in spades is sympa-
thy. Whether it’s for an ailing woman trying
to solve a mystery about her mother or for a
daughter who has to learn to forgive her
brutal actions. R. O SCAR NOMS : F OREST
W HITAKER , B EST A CTOR . Cinema World.
Life and Debt: Stephanie Black’s 2001
documentary examines the effect of
the World Bank, International Monetary
Fund and aid organizations on the
economy of Jamaica. 6 pm Jan. 31,
Room 240-A, McKenzie Hall, UO. Free.
New Land, The: The story of Swedish
immigrants to Minnesota Territory in
the mid-1800s. Dubbed in English by
the original actors. 7 pm Jan. 26, 221
McKenzie Hall, UO. Free.
Notes on a Scandal: Richard Eyre’s
new film teams up two of today’s finest
actresses, Judi Dench and Cate
Blanchett, in a story of secrets and
obsession that begins when Sheba
(Blanchett), a teacher, has an affair
with one of her students. O SCAR NOMS :
J UDI D ENCH , B EST A CTRESS ; C ATE
B LANCHETT , S UPPORTING A CTRESS ; O RIGINAL
S CORE ; A DAPTED S CREENPLAY . R. Cinemark.
On the Nameless Height: 2003
Russian miniseries takes place in 1944
and focuses on the relationship
between a military officer and female
sniper. Part 1 of 2; in Russian with
English subtitles. 7 pm Jan. 30, 111
Pacific, UO. Free.
Smokin’ Aces: There’s a price on
Jeremy Piven’s head, and a whole lot
of people are out to collect it. ‘Course,
he’s under FBI custody. Joe
Carnahan’s film has a whiz-bang trailer
and a passel of unexpected stars,
including Alicia Keys and Jason
Bateman. R. Cinema World. Cinemark.
State of Mind: Documentary focuses
on two young girls in North Korea as
they prepare for the Mass Games, a
huge “socialist realism spectacle” ded-
icated to Kim Jong Il. In English and
Korean with English subtitles. 7 pm
Jan. 25, Int’l Resource Center, EMU,
UO. Free.
United 93: Director Paul Greengrass’s
(The Bourne Supremacy) acclaimed
film looks at how things might have
happened when United Flight 93 went
down over Pennsylvania. R. O SCAR NOMS :
B EST D IRECTOR ; F ILM E DITING . 7 pm Jan.
26, Unity of the Valley. Free. Online
archives.
Van Wilder Deux: The Rise of Taj:
We worry about Kal Penn. Harold and
Kumar Go to White Castle was great
fun, but since then he’s had a barely-
speaking part in Superman Returns
and now this. Maybe The Namesake
will work wonders for his career.
Movies 12. R
Video Slam: Monthly event invites
video artists to submit short videos of
up to 10 minutes for a competition that
follows the format of the poetry slam.
4 pm Jan. 28, DIVA. $2-$5.
Volver: Penélope Cruz is radiant as
troubled mother, daughter and sister
Raimunda in the new film from cele-
brated director Pedro Almodóvar.
Warm and welcoming, but not as
engrossing as some of the director’s
earlier work. R. O SCAR NOM : P ENÉLOPE
C RUZ , B EST A CTRESS . Bijou. Cinemark.
See review this issue.
Films open the Friday following EW
publication date unless otherwise
noted. See archived reviews at
www.eugeneweekly.com
CONTINUING:
Alpha Dog: Justin Timberlake is
among the ensemble cast in Nick
Cassavetes’ new film, which follows L.A.
teens who impulsively kidnap a
younger boy who begins to enjoy him-
self with his captors. R. Cinemark.
Arthur and the Invisibles: In this ani-
mated feature, 10-year-old Arthur goes
in search of a magical land after find-
ing a note left by his grandfather.
Directed by Luc Besson (The Fifth
Element). PG. Cinemark.
Babel: The last fim of a thematic trilo-
gy for director Alejandro González
Iñárritu follows four emotional, affect-
ing storylines on three continents,
exploring their connections and break-
downs. Starring Brad Pitt, Cate
Blanchett, Gael García Bernal and
astonishing newcomer Rinko Kikuchi. R.
O SCAR NOMS : R INKO K IKUCHI & A DRIANA
B ARRAZA , S UPPORTING A CTRESS ; B EST
D IRECTOR ; B EST P ICTURE ; O RIGINAL
S CREENPLAY ; F ILM E DITING ; O RIGINAL S CORE .
Cinema World. 44441 (11/9/06)
Borat: Sacha Baron Cohen (of “Da Ali
G Show”) plays the title character, a
Kazakhstani reporter creating a docu-
mentary while road-tripping across the
U.S. The subtitle, “Cultural Learnings of
American for Make Benefit Glorious
Nation of Kazakhstan,” ought to tell
you something. R. O SCAR NOM : A DAPTED
S CREENPLAY . Movies 12. 44441
(11/9/06)
Children of Men: Clive Owen and
Julianne Moore star in this highly
(dubbed “Pedrostan” by A.O. Scott in The
New York Times), dealing with a man’s
death is far easier than coming to terms with
the past, though the two events have more of
a connection than is initially apparent.
At times, Volver’s plot dances with a
soapy sort of melodrama. There’s a too-
easy corpse disposal, and when, in the end,
many secrets are revealed, the parallels
between one generation of women and the
praised adaptation of P.D. James’
novel, which envisions a troubled near
future where no more children are
being conceived. Directed by Alfonso
Cuarón (Y tu mamá también). R. O SCAR
NOMS : C INEMATOGRAPHY ; A DAPTED
S CREENPLAY ; F ILM E DITING . Cinema World.
Cinemark. 44441 (1/11)
Déja Vu: This Jerry Bruckheimer-pro-
duced, Tony Scott-directed thriller has
something to do with traveling four
days back in the future to stop a boat
exploding. Or maybe it’s just looking
four days back. Clever preview, either
way. Stars Denzel Washington and Val
Kilmer. PG-13. Movies 12.
Dreamgirls: The much-buzzed-about
musical from director Bill Condon
(Kinsey) stars Beyonce, Jamie Foxx,
Eddie Murphy and the said-to-be tran-
scendent Jennifer Hudson in the story
of a girl group’s rise, loosely based on
the story of the Supremes. PG13. O SCAR
NOMS : E DDIE M URPHY , S UPPORTING A CTOR ;
J ENNIFER H UDSON , S UPPORTING A CTRESS ;
A RT D IRECTION ; C OSTUME D ESIGN ; O RIGINAL
S ONGS ; S OUND M IXING . Cinema World.
Cinemark. 44441 (1/18)
Eragon: Adaptation of young novelist
Christopher Paolini’s first thick tome
stars John Malkovich as an apparently
campy evil king. Newcomer Edward
Speelers plays the title character, who
bonds with a dragon named Saphira
and, um, saves the world? Or at least
the kingdom. Just a guess. PG13.
Cinemark.
Flags of Our Fathers: Clint
Eastwood’s new film explores the story
behind the iconic image of the flag-
raising on Iwo Jima during WWII. “A
film of awesome power and blistering
provocation,” says Rolling Stone. R.
O SCAR NOMS : S OUND M IXING ; S OUND E DITING .
Movies 12.
Flushed Away: Aardman Features
(Wallace and Gromit) teams up with
Dreamworks for the story of a pam-
pered pet mouse (Hugh Jackman)
who finds himself, after a trip down
the drain, in London’s bustling
rodent underground. With Kate
Winslet, Ian McKellen and Jean
Reno. PG. Movies 12.
Fountain, The: Fearless director
Darron Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a
Dream) spent years making this ambi-
tious film, which follows characters in
different times periods, all played by
Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, all
next are believable but almost too tidy. But
you can take this as simply an aspect of
Pedrostan, which might be better
described as “slightly other than real”
rather than “fantastical.” Mostly, Volver is
hyper-domestic, observing dishwashing,
hair cutting, floor scrubbing and the prepa-
ration of food with an eye that indicates
these are beautiful, necessary tasks (and
ones done with an almost frightful effi-
ciency by Raimunda).
Almodóvar’s palette of bright colors is
on cheery display here in everything from
young Paula’s bright red top to the peppers
Raimunda chops for lunch. And Cruz her-
self seems on display, her costumes cut
tight, the camera accenting her cleavage and
curves. It’s a fantastic role for Cruz, who
uses the regal bearing of a screen queen to
great effect in such an intimate film. The
contrast with Raimunda’s sister, Sole, who
tries gamely to be cheery but is clearly quite
lonesome, is striking. But to focus solely on
Cruz is to overlook the performance of
Carmen Maura, who plays a visitor from the
past. Maura, who starred in Almodóvar’s
Women on the Verge of a Nervous
Breakdown (1988) and hasn’t worked with
the director since, has a warm, open face,
and she carries herself with a lovely uncer-
tainty that gradually turns to confidence as
her place in the story becomes clear. Cruz is
Volver’s star; Maura, whose character
embodies the title’s English translation, “to
return,” carries the film’s heart.
ew
Volver opens Friday, Jan. 26 at the Bijou.
on difficult quests. PG13. Movies 12.
44421 (11/30/06)
Freedom Writers: Hilary Swank stars
as a real-life teacher who made a dif-
ference in an inner-city high school
through an ambitious writing project.
PG13. Cinemark.
Good Shepherd, The: Robert DeNiro
heads back behind the camera to direct
a story about the birth of the CIA, star-
ring Matt Damon as one of the
agency’s founders and Angelina Jolie
as his frustrated wife. R. O SCAR NOM : A RT
D IRECTION . Movies 12. 44441
(12/28/06)
Hitcher, The: Sean Bean (The Lord of
the Rings) stars as the titular creep,
who torments a young couple on the
road. R. Cinema World. Cinemark.
Jonestown: The Life and Death of
Peoples Temple: Stanley Nelson’s
carefully constructed documentary is
an engrossing look at the bizarre world
of Jim Jones, whose Jonestown settle-
ment in Guyana was the site of a terri-
ble mass murder/suicide. Not rated.
Bijou. 44421 (1/18)
Letters From Iwo Jima: Clint
Eastwood’s second 2006 WWII film
recently won a Golden Globe for Best
Foreign Language Film; The New York
Times called this film, which looks at
WWII from the Japanese side, “one of
the best war movies ever.” R. O SCAR
NOMS : B EST D IRECTOR ; B EST P ICTURE ; S OUND
E DITING ; O RIGINAL S CREENPLAY . Cinema
World. Cinemark. See review this
issue.
Lunacy: Described by director Jan
Svankmajer as “a philosophical horror
film,” this movie, in which a young man
is helped to get over his nightmares by
a very odd Marquis, is based on two
stories by Edgar Allen Poe and inspired
by the Marquis de Sade. Not rated.
Bijou LateNite.
Night at the Museum: When down-
on-his-luck Larry (Ben Stiller) gets a job
as the night guard at a museum, he
sure doesn’t expect the exhibits to
come alive at night. There’s something
very Jumanji about this. PG. Cinemark.
Open Season: Sony breaks into the
animation game with the story of a
clueless grizzly bear (Martin
Lawrence) whose friend Elliot (Ashton
Kutcher) lures him into the wild life.
PG. Movies 12.
Painted Veil, The: Edward Norton and
Naomi Watts star in the third film adap-
tation of W. Somerset Maugham’s novel
about an English socialite and the doc-
tor she marries, who takes her to a
Chinese village afflicte with cholera.
“Let it sweep you away,” said Rolling
Stone. PG13. Bijou. 44441 (1/18)
Prestige, The: Two magicians
(Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman) see
their slight friendship turn to rivalry in
Christopher Nolan’s (Batman Begins)
enthralling film. Competition grows as
the men do, each trying to outdo the
other’s performance. With Scarlett
Johansson, Michael Caine and David
Bowie. PG13. O SCAR NOMS : A RT D IRECTION ;
C INEMATOGRAPHY . Movies 12.
44441 (10/26/06)
Pursuit of Happyness, The: Will
Smith stars as a down-on-his-luck
father who strives to make it as a
stockbroker while facing eviction and
raising his son (Smith’s real-life son
Jaden). PG13. O SCAR NOM : W ILL S MITH ,
B EST A CTOR . Cinemark.
Queen, The: Stephen Frears’ movie
about the shifting desires and threats
of Britain’s public and the differences in
Tony Blair’s (Michael Sheen) and Queen
Elizabeth II’s (Helen Mirren) responses
to the death of Princess Diana is a
grand, usually subtle fiction that gets
at a lot of truth. PG13. O SCAR NOMS :
H ELEN M IRREN , B EST A CTRESS ; C OSTUME
D ESIGN ; B EST D IRECTOR ; O RIGINAL S CORE ;
B EST P ICTURE ; O RIGINAL S CREENPLAY . Bijou.
Cinemark. 44421 (11/30/06)
Running With Scissors: Adaptation of
Augusten Burroughs’ memoir stars
Joseph Cross as young Augusten,
whose bipolar mother (Annette Bening)
sends him to live with her slightly
addled psychiatrist (Brian Cox) and his
oddball family. PG13. Movies 12.
44211 (11/2/06)
Santa Clause 3, The: Santa (Tim
Allen) faces off against Jack Frost
(Martin Short), who’s trying to take
over Christmas. G. Movies 12.
Stomp the Yard: A troubled street
dancer from L.A. finds himself a hot
commodity among the step dancing
teams of two fraternities at a university
in Atlanta. PG13. Cinemark.
Stranger Than Fiction: Harold Crick
(Will Ferrell) begins to hear a voice
(Emma Thompson) narrating his life —
and he doesn’t like where the story’s
going. PG-13. Movies 12. 44441
(11/16/06)
JANUARY 25, 2007 21