BY MOLLY TEMPLETON
Leo Goes Green
Sluggish and thuggish doesn’t make us
pay attention
THE 11TH HOUR: Written and directed by
Leila Conners Petersen and Nadia Conners. Produced
by Leonardo DiCaprio, Leila Conners Petersen, Chuck
Castleberry and Brian Gerber. Music, Jean-Pascal
Beintus, Eric Avery. Narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio.
Warner Independent Pictures, 2007. PG. 91 minutes.
44411
A
year and change after Al Gore’s
An Inconvenient Truth, along
comes that film’s kid brother —
spunky, nicely animated, boasting a well-
intentioned screen star and a hip soundtrack.
The 11th Hour is produced and narrated by
Leonardo DiCaprio, which, though he’s not
the film’s director or writer (both those jobs
are shared by Leila Conners Petersen and
Nadia Conners), makes it seem like it’s
Leo’s film. Earnest and solemn, DiCaprio
crops up every so often between interviews
with talking heads, stock footage of disas-
ters and beautifully filmed landscapes from
around the globe. He occasionally has some
rough lines to trip through, but he holds up,
stolid, strangely drained of charisma.
A lack of charisma seems to pervade this
film, which, with its vital message, is tough
OPENING OR RETURNING:
Brave One, The: Jodie Foster returns to
ferocious form as a New York radio host
who is attacked and nearly killed by a
group of men who kill her fiancé (Naveen
Andrews, from Lost). The experience
leaves her shaken and transforms her into
a vigilante, but at what personal cost? R.
122 min. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.
Daddy Day Camp: C’mon, Cuba Gooding
Jr., don’t you have an Oscar to live up to?
Oh, never mind; just keep turning out
claptrap like this sequel to Daddy Day
Care. Now the daddies take the kids to
camp! And things get out of control! No
way! PG. 93 min. Movies 12.
Dragon Wars: The good: Dragons! In
L.A.! The bad: The plot is a convoluted
thing about magical powers, resurrected
lovers and a dragon that will be able to
ascend into heaven. But still … dragons!
In L.A.! Can it be better than Reign of
Fire? PG13. 90 min. Cinemark. VRC
Stadium 15.
Eleventh Hour, The: Leonardo DiCaprio
narrates this well-intentioned but some-
what overly familiar film about the state
of the earth’s environment. It’s tough to
be too hard on such a vital topic, but the
film tries to pack too much in and leaves
audiences without much that’s new and
concrete. PG. 91 min. Bijou. See review
this issue.
Jesus Camp: Heidi Ewing and Rachel
Grady’s Oscar-nominated documentary
follows children at Kids on Fire summer
camp, where they are taught to become
part of the evangelical army of tomorrow.
“A scary, sobering inside look at the
attempts of an increasingly powerful
group to erode the separation of church
and state,” said The Washington Post.
PG13. 85 min. 7 pm Sept. 16, DIVA. Free.
Joni Mitchell: A rare solo TV appear-
ance on piano, guitar and dulcimer from
the BBC that’s the only known video
from Mitchell’s Blue era. Not rated. Bijou
LateNite.
Looking Into the Eye of Extinction:
Wildlife conservation film explores the
threat of extinction and the conservation
efforts surrounding the wildlife of the
Amazon river basin, the Galapagos
Islands and the Andes. Filmmaker Ryan
Killackey will introduce the film and give
to be down on in theory
but, in actuality, easy to
dislike or be indifferent to.
The problems begin at the
start: A heavy-handed
montage, cut like a horror
film into speedy slices and
slivers, leaps from hurri-
canes to fires to oil rigs to fetuses in the
womb to sludgy rivers to industrial meat pro-
cessing. Media-savvy eyes will tire of this
before the filmmakers do: We have seen the
images before, and seeing them put together
like this just takes away their individual
power. The result is effectively distressing,
yet it feels uncomfortably manipulative —
not an auspicious start.
The 11th Hour’s thesis statement is sim-
ple: We are the problem, and we are the solu-
tion; we cannot separate ourselves from the
nature we’re rapidly destroying. The world
will go on, with or without us. It’s a sobering
statement and one we hear in varying forms
from the movie’s many intelligent, articulate
a brief Q&A before the screening. 7 pm
and 9 pm Sept. 15, Wildish Theater,
Springfield. $7, $5 stu., sr., $3 under 12,
under 3 free.
Mr. Sean’s Cartoon Club: Crazy, weird
and old cartoons featuring Betty Boop,
Felix, Superman and more. Noon-1:30 pm
Sept. 16. Bijou. $4.
Mr. Woodcock: This oft-delayed film
involves a fellow (Seann William Scott)
heading home to stop his mother (Susan
Sarandon) from marrying his high school
gym teacher (Billy Bob Thorton), who
was, shall we say, no saint. PG13.
Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.
No End in Sight: Charles Ferguson’s
searing, elegant documentary chronicles
a timeline of failures surrounding the
planning and management of the war in
Iraq. Ferguson has placed news we’ve
seen before into a precise timeline, filled
in with fascinating interviews, that paints
a damning portrait of ignorance and
incompetence on the part of the Bush
administration. Not rated. 102 min. Bijou.
See review this issue.
Wet
Hot
American
Summer:
Entertainment Weekly called comedian
David Wain’s goofball take on the lives of
summer camp counselors circa 1981 “A
loving and meticulous re-creation of the
last moment before American youth cul-
ture went permanently ironic.” With
Janeane Garofalo, Michael Showalter,
Paul Rudd, Molly Shannon, David Hyde
Pierece and Amy Poehler. R. 97 min.
Bijou LateNite.
Films open the Friday following EW
publication date unless otherwise
noted. See archived reviews at
www.eugeneweekly.com
CONTINUING:
Balls of Fury: Y’know, there are a couple
of scenes in this movie’s trailer that
involve Christopher Walken and are actu-
ally kind of funny. The rest of it is a bunch
of ball jokes. Plot? Super secret under-
ground … ping pong tournament! PG13.
90 min. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.
Becoming Jane: Anne Hathaway (The
Devil Wears Prada) stars in this heavily
imagined look at Jane Austen’s early
years — a love affair, an inspiration. It’s
sweet and the cast is a delight, but the
movie can’t quite connect Jane’s two
passions: her writing and her interest in
dashing Tom Lefroy (a wonderful Jame
McAvoy). PG13. 120 min. VRC Stadium 15.
44211 (8/16)
Bourne Ultimatum, The: “I remember
everything,” says Matt Damon’s Jason
Bourne in this film’s action-packed trail-
er. Director Paul Greengrass and the
major players (Joan Allen, Julia Stiles)
return to the series’ satisfying third
installment, which finds Bourne hunting
down his past. PG13. 111 min. Cinemark.
VRC Stadium 15. 44421 (8/9)
Brothers Solomon, The: Will Arnett
(Arrested Development) and Will Forte
are two romantically and socially chal-
lenged brothers trying to fulfill their
dying father’s wish that one of them
have a child. Directed by Mr. Show’s Bob
Odenkirk. R. VRC Stadium 15.
Death Sentence: Kevin Bacon stars as a
man whose life is changed when he wit-
nesses something horrible and then
decides he’ll go to any length to protect
his family. Directed by James Wan, the
creator of Saw. R. 110 min. Movies 12.
Evan Almighty: Steve Carrell takes the
starring role in this sequel to Bruce
Almighty. Now, God (Morgan Freeman)
wants Evan (Carrell), a former newscast-
er turned Congressman, to build an ark.
Boy, that’s gonna involve a lot of critters.
PG. 90 min. Movies 12.
1408: This adaptation of a Steven King
short story, which stars John Cusack as
a man alone in a horribly haunted hotel
room, is getting surprisingly good
reviews; Entertainment Weekly said it’s
“reassuringly old-school gothic.” With
Samuel L. Jackson, directed by Mikael
Hâfström. PG13. 94 min. Movies 12.
Hairspray: Based on John Waters’ 1988
cult classic, Hairspray is about teenagers
on a local Baltimore dance show — espe-
cially one short, plump, cheery girl who
loves to dance. With John Travolta in
drag.
PG.
117
min.
Cinemark.
44441 (7/26)
Halloween: Rob Zombie directs this
remake of John Carpenter’s 1978 film,
but opts to take a peek into the past that
created Michael Myers. R. 109 min.
Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.
experts, including Stephen Hawking,
Mikhail Gorbachev and many less-recogniz-
able but highly credentialed names. Clever
animations illustrate key principles, and
some of the film’s footage is striking. But I
found myself distracted at points by the
soundtrack, which leans heavily on gor-
geous, lush, dynamic music from Iceland’s
Sigur Rós and Scotland’s Mogwai, among
others. On the one hand, it’s lovely to hear
some good music in a documentary. On the
other, it’s almost cheating: You could play
Sigur Rós over footage of me walking home
from work, and suddenly my walk would
become epic and fraught with meaning. This
is music that can make a person weep with-
Harry Potter and the Order of the
Phoenix: The Ministry of Magic is in
denial about the return of Lord
Voldemort, Hogwarts get a nasty new
teacher and Harry … Harry’s in one kind of
trouble or another throughout the mostly
successful and only slightly disappointing
fifth HP film. It’s not quite Prisoner of
Azkaban, but it’s getting there. PG13. 138
min. Cinemark. 44421 (7/19)
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and
Larry: Adam Sandler and Kevin James
star as a couple of firefighters who, for
various bureaucratic insurance reasons,
claim to be domestic parners — all fun
and games until the news gets ahold of
the story. I’m sure all related issues are
dealt with thoughtfully. Um, right. PG13.
110 min. Movies 12.
Knocked Up: Judd Apatow follows The
40-Year-Old Virgin with a sweet yet still
raunchy comedy about the unwanted
pregnancy that occurs when up-and-com-
ing journalist Alison (Katherine Heigl of
Grey’s Anatomy) has a one-night stand
with slacker Ben (Seth Rogen). R. 129 min.
Movies 12. 44421 (6/7)
License to Wed: Robin Williams stars in
this silly little summer fluff of a romantic
comedy about love and marriage. With
Mandy Moore and John Krasinski. PG13.
90 min. Movies 12.
Live Free or Die Hard: Justin Long — yes,
he of the Mac ads — joins Bruce Willis for
this fourth chapter in the Die Hard fran-
chise, in which a baddie attacks the U.S.’s
infrastructure over the 4th of July week-
end. PG13. 130 min. Movies 12.
Mr. Bean’s Holiday: Good old Mr. Bean
(Rowan Atkinson)! You either adore him,
or you find him not at all funny. Here, a
French vacation turns out to be full of
mishaps and mistaken identity. Is Mr.
Bean a kidnapper, a filmmaker or nei-
ther? G. 87 minutes. Cinemark.
My Best Friend: Director Patrice
Leconte leads Daniel Auteuil (Caché) and
Dany Boon (The Valet) through a some-
times-slapsticky, sometimes-sweet story
of grown men — one a friendless gallery
owner, one a friendly taxi driver — making
friends. What sounds simple is mildly
complicated and unexpectedly charming.
In French with English subtitles. PG13. 94
min. Bijou. 44411 (9/6)
out any visual accompaniment. A little bit
goes a long way; this amount gives The 11th
Hour too much emotional baggage, distract-
ing from the central theme.
And what of that theme? The 11th Hour
is a film that will only succeed in dissemi-
nating its message if it’s seen by the people
least likely to see it. It is full of useful, factu-
al, oft-repeated information about what’s
happening to the planet, and at its close, it
does offer some much appreciated sugges-
tions about green building and green living
without devolving into a how-to handbook.
But the filmmakers want to include every-
thing that’s going wrong, from the fate of the
Arctic to the horrible decimation of the
ocean’s fish to the rise of asthma in school-
children, and while they clearly mean well,
their film needs more focus. We know we’re
on the brink, and we’re pretty certain about
how we got there. But those among us who
haven’t been paying attention are not likely
to begin with this film even if it does star that
boy from Titanic. If it really is the eleventh
hour — and it sure feels like it — the time
for explaining how we got here is past. The
11th Hour, then, is an effective but overly
familiar reminder that it’s time to focus on
what we do now.
ew
The 11th Hour opens Friday, Sept. 14, at the Bijou.
Nanny Diaries, The: Jersey girl Annie
(Scarlett Johansson) is at odds with her
mother as to what she should do with
her life when an opportunity arises to
become a nanny for a wealthy family on
NYC’s Upper East Side. Working for the
very rich turns out not to be quite the
escape from real life that she expected.
With Laura Linney and Paul Giamatti.
PG13. 106 min. VRC Stadium 15.
44111 (8/30)
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s
End: Captain Jack and crew are back for
the third – and what one might hope is
the final — Pirates movie (which has
something to do with saving Jack from
the Land of the Dead and facing off with
the Dutch East India Company). A warn-
ing to soda buyers: It’s two hours and 48
minutes long. PG13. Movies 12.
Rush Hour 3: Did I forget this one when I
made my list of this summer’s needless
sequels? Did I mention I blame director
Brett Ratner for the murky mess that was
last year’s X-Men 3? Does it matter?
Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, questionable
jokes and action humor: you know what
you’re getting. PG13. 90 min. Cinemark.
VRC Stadium 15.
Shoot ’Em Up: Will it be an engrossing
action piece, or all flash and no sub-
stance? Clive Owen stars in director
Michael Davis’ film about a “mysterious
loner” who teams up with a stunning
woman (Monica Belucci) to protect a
baby from an evil Paul Giamatti. R. 87
min. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.
Shrek the Third: When Shrek’s father-in-
law kicks the bucket, the ogre finds himself
the reluctant king of Far Far Away. His only
hope of getting out of the job? His wife’s
slacker cousin. PG. 92 min. Movies 12.
Simpsons Movie, The: Well, our
Springfield didn’t get the premiere, but
in the film maybe we’ll still see some
hints that we are the real Simpsons
Springfield? Still no idea what it’s about,
but does it matter? PG13. 87 min.
Cinemark.
Stardust: Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake)
takes a firm and steady hand to the many
plot threads of this adaptation of Neil
Gaiman’s novel. The result is wicked and
charming, sweet and sly, with a stellar
cast (Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer,
Robert De Niro) and a superb sense of
humor. Oh, the story? A young man
promises a young lady he’ll fetch her a
falling star — but he’s not the only one
searching out the young woman who fell
from the sky. PG13. 128 min. Cinemark.
VRC Stadium 15. 44442 (8/9)
Superbad: Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen
both have fingers in this pie, as co-pro-
ducer and co-writer, respectively. It’s the
story of two high school friends, Evan
(Michael Cera, Arrested Development)
and Seth (Jonah Hill), who are trying —
well, in classic teen movie fashion,
they’re trying really hard to get laid.
They’re about to go off to college; what
do you expect? VRC Stadium 15.
44421 (8/23)
Surf’s Up: The young, talented, possibly
misguided Shia LaBeouf voices Cody
Maverick, a teenage penguin surfer
entering his first pro competition. A doc-
umentary crew’s filming his every move,
which might — sort of — explain that
“based on a true story” joke in the pre-
view. PG. 85 min. Movies 12.
3:10 to Yuma: Russell Crowe and
Christian Bale costar in this Western
from director James Mangold (Walk the
Line). Based on a short story by Elmore
Leonard that was made into a film in
1957, the film follows a vicious outlaw
(Crowe) and the Civil War vet (Bale)
who’s volunteered to get the thief to the
train that’ll take him to trial. R. 117 min.
Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15. See review
this issue.
Transformers: It wouldn’t be summer
without a Michael Bay film, right? Hot on
the heels of those other ’80s toys the
Ninja Turtles, the Transformers arrive,
bigger and flashier than ever. Earth, it
seems, will be the battleground for the
war between the Autobots and the
Decepticons. With Shia LaBeouf (Holes)
and Megan Fox. PG13. 144 min. Cinemark.
Waitress: Keri Russell (Felicity) is a won-
derful surprise in writer-director
Adrienne Shelly’s bittersweet small-town
story about love, hope, pies — and finding
strength where you least expect it.
Shelly’s perfectly cast last film is a beau-
tiful balancing act of emotions. PG13. 107
min. Movies 12. 44441 (5/24)
W HEN : Next Dance is Friday, September 14, 8-12pm
W HERE : Vet’s Ballroom • 1626 Willamette St., Second Floor
No-host bar, food available • $8 (members $5)
Boomer Hotline 541-461-0319
DANCE TO MUSIC FROM THE 50’S THROUGH THE 80’S
30 SEPTEMBER 13, 2007