movies
BY MOLLY TEMPLETON
(500) Ways to Be Cute
Lots of almost
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER:
Directed by
Marc Webb. Written by Scott Neustadter & Michael
H. Weber. Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt & Zooey
Deschanel. Fox Searchlight, 2009. 95 minutes. PG-
13. 44411
(5
00) Days of Summer is just too
fucking cute. The nonlinear
story marks its constant shifts
in time via the changing seasons in a cute
little drawing of trees and a city. It’s got
fantastically cute clothes for its female lead,
wide-eyed Summer (Zooey Deschanel),
cute moments of bonding over records and
a whole scene about how Summer is so
cute, she gets cheaper rent and turns heads
on the bus. Summer is so cute that when
she tells Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) that
she’s not looking for anything serious, Tom
can’t take her seriously. He believes in the
one. She’s a fl irt. This will end well.
Gordon-Levitt is a fi ne, still-under-
appreciated actor who seems to throw
himself into the role of Tom as if it’s
his last; even his mopiest mope has a
particular charm. Tom writes cheesy
slogans for a greeting card company, a job
Imagining Your Past
tom Egoyan’s latest fi lm Adoration is, to paraphrase a line from the fi lm’s
chorus of video-chatting talking heads, about how once you imagine
something, it becomes a thing you need to deal with, whether it’s real or
fi ctional. Simon (Devon Bostick) has been dealing with a story about his father
that his dying grandfather told him — a story that put a new spin on Simon’s
parents’ death some years ago. Then, in French class, Simon’s teacher, Sabine
(Arsinée Khanjian), reads aloud
an article that strikes a chord
with Simon. It’s a story about
a terrorist incident — a story
in which Simon, suddenly, sees
himself. The resulting piece he
writes spreads through his class
and his community, starting
everyone talking about why
people make decisions and what
they mean, what kind of people
they are. The repercussions of
Sabine’s encouragement slip
into the fi lm gradually, as does
her investment in Simon’s life.
As Simon, Bostick is a solemn,
convincing storyteller, and Scott
Speedman gives a surprisingly
affecting performance as the
uncle who’s taken care of Simon
since his parents died. Everyone
plays their parts well, but they
still feel like parts in an intellectual exercise: What happens when Simon’s
imagining of one years-past incident infects his community, and they all imagine
the same thing, fi nding their reactions stronger or stranger than they expected?
How does imagining what we would do in a drastic scenario shape how we feel
about such events? And how is it that people, despite the strange things they
do to each other, can wind up connecting? Adoration is there to make you think
more than feel; it’s a well-made fi lm, but one that feels like an assignment more
than an inspiration. – Molly Templeton
A
Adoration opens Friday, Aug. 7, at the Bijou. 44411
one of the fi lm’s writers clearly thought
up for him because it makes for a great
kiss-off speech wherein Tom decries the
bullshit of producing canned greetings.
Tom also has this job because he wishes
he had another job, and his relationship
with Summer will, naturally, be the thing
to get him out of his rut.
(500) Days of Summer has a few
fantastic moments — an Ikea shopping
spree, a brief dance number that amusingly
mirrors the joy and the absurdity of falling
in love, a scene in which Tom explains how
to see L.A. as a beautiful place. But mostly,
it hovers nervously around the edges of a
moment, a truth about modern relationships,
unwilling to really get messy or honest. It’s
almost a sweet movie about how a failed
relationship can give you things you didn’t
know you were looking for. And it almost
understands that mid-to-late-20s time
when you’re not doing the right thing but
you’re also not totally sure what the right
thing is or whether you’re even capable of
it. (If this doesn’t sound familiar to you,
just pretend I never said it and have always
known what to do with my life, OK?) But
all that almost is in Tom’s movie. Tom is
a character; Summer is a catalyst, there to
motivate Tom by breaking his heart. What
does Summer want? What’s Summer not
much
doing with her life?
Would it be so
to ask that the dream girl be a bit more
substantial?
ew
(500) Days of Summer opens Friday, Aug. 7, at Cinemark
and VRC Stadium 15.
GI JOE: THE RISE OF
COBRA PG13
12:40, 2:05, 3:30, 4:55, 6:20, 7:45,
9:10, 10:35
500 DAYS OF SUMMER
PG13
12:05, 2:25, 4:45, 7:05, 9:25
JULIE & JULIA PG13
1:25, 4:15, 7:05, 9:55
A PERFECT GETAWAY R
11:55, 2:30, 4:50, 7:15, 9:40
FUNNY PEOPLE R
12:30, 2:10, 3:50, 5:30, 7:10,
8:50, 10:30
ALIENS IN THE ATTIC PG
12:45, 3:00, 5:20, 7:30, 9:45
G-FORCE 3D PG
SPECIAL EVENT PRICING:
$3.50 UPCHARGE ALL
TICKETS
12:00, 2:20, 4:40, 7:00, 9:20
G-FORCE PG
1:10, 3:35
ANGELS AND DEMONS PG13
STAR TREK PG13
11:30, 12:55, 2:30, 4:00, 5:30, 6:55, 11:45, 2:50, 7:10, 10:10
8:20, 9:50
X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVER-
INE PG13
TERMINATOR SALVATION
11:15, 2:00, 4:30, 7:15, 9:55
PG13
11:10, 1:45, 4:25, 7:00, 9:40
MONSTERS VS ALIENS PG
TAKING OF PELHAM 1 2 3 R 12:05, 2:20, 4:40, 7:30, 9:45
11:35, 2:10, 4:50, 7:25, 10:05
LAND OF THE LOST PG13
11:55, 2:25, 5:00, 7:45, 10:15
BRUNO R
12:30, 2:45, 5:35, 7:50, 10:00
YEAR ONE PG13
12:25, 3:00, 5:20, 7:55, 10:20
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM:
BATTLE OF THE SMITHSO-
NIAN PG
11:20, 12:35, 1:50, 3:05, 4:20, 5:40,
6:50, 8:05, 9:20
[ ] = FRI THRU SUN ONLY
movie clips
OPENING OR RETURNING:
Adoration: The latest from Atom Egoyan (The Sweet
Hereafter) is a bit of an intellectual exercise, but still
interesting: A high school kid imagines himself the son of
a man who wanted to blow up an airplane. When he tells
this story, it seeps into his community, sparking argument
and connection. Bijou. See review this issue.
Children of the Crocodile: Australian fi lmmaker
Marsha Emerman screens and discusses her fi lm, a
personal history of East Timor told through the story
of two Timorese-Australian women, and a clip from her
current work in progress. 7 pm Saturday, Aug. 8, DIVA.
$6 sug. don.
(500) Days of Summer: Oh, Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
If only this movie were as good as you are in it. A
quirky sorta-romance with a carefully created indie
aesthetic, Marc Webb’s feature debut has a lot of
charming offerings, but suffers from an ill-defi ned
female character, played as if from a distance by Zooey
Deschanel. PG-13. 95 min. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.
See review this issue.
G.I. Joe: Oh, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, why are you in this
movie? It’s based on toys, not screened for critics, and
the trailers make people laugh. I think some stuff blows
up, too. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.
Girl From Monaco, The: This odd little French offering
is about a 60ish lawyer who, while working on a high-
profi le case in Monaco, meets two particular characters:
his taciturn bodyguard, and an irresistible young
woman who sees in the lawyer a chance to advance her
own career. The performances are as subtle as some of
the fi lm’s relationships. R. Bijou.
Jaws: Is it still Shark Week? The classic screens as a
free movie night at the UO, 7 pm Wednesday, Aug. 12,
177 Lawrence Hall.
Julie & Julia: Julie Powell’s book about cooking
her way through Julia Child’s masterpiece comes to
screens as a two-part story: One part follows Powell
in her Queens apartment, the other Child in France.
Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.
Mystery of Film Noir: Series continues with Tay
Garnett’s The Postman Always Rings Twice (1 pm) and
Jacques Tourneur’s Out of the Past (4 pm), Sunday,
Aug. 9, DIVA. $5 for both.
Perfect Getaway, The: An adventurous couple (Steve
Zahn and Milla Jovovich) fi nds that their secluded
Hawaiian vacation is a little more deadly than expected.
R. 97 min. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.
Star Trek: Even the most crotchety critics are loving J.J.
Abrams’ take on the maiden voyage of the Enterprise
— and the rivalry-turned-friendship of young James
Tiberius Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto).
With Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, John Cho and Eric Bana.
PG13. 126 min. Movies 12. 44441 (5/14)
Films open the Friday following EW publication
date unless otherwise noted. See archived reviews
at www.eugeneweekly.com
Adv. Tix on Sale DISTRICT 9
Adv. Tix on Sale THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE
Adv. Tix on Sale INGLORIOUS BASTERDS
G.I. JOE (PG-13) ★
Fri. - Sun.(1230 200) 420 450 715 740 1010 1030
JULIE & JULIA (PG-13)
Fri. - Sun.(1200) 400 700 1000
500 DAYS OF SUMMER (PG-13)
Fri. - Sun.(1140 205) 430 710 940
PERFECT GETAWAY (R) - ID REQ'D
Fri. - Sun.(1135 210) 455 730 1000
ALIENS IN THE ATTIC (PG) Fri. - Sun.(1205 220) 445 720 935
FUNNY PEOPLE (R) - ID REQ'D
Fri.(1220 310 340) 655 945 1020
Sat.(1150 1220 340) 630 655 1020
Sun.(1220 310 340) 630 655 1020
OC & DA: FUNNY PEOPLE (R) - ID REQ'D
Fri.(1150 AM) 630 PM
Sat.(310 PM) 945 PM
Sun.(1150 AM) 945 PM
THE COLLECTOR (R) - ID REQ'D Fri. - Sun.425 PM 1025 PM
THE ORPHAN (R) - ID REQ'D
Fri. - Sun.635 PM 930 PM
THE UGLY TRUTH (R) - ID REQ'D
Fri. - Sun.(1240) 410 645 920
G-FORCE 3D - EVENT PRICING (PG) ★
Fri. - Sun.(1155 215) 435 705 925
HARRY POTTER: HALF BLOOD PRINCE (PG)
Fri. - Sun.(1145 315) 640 1015
ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS (PG)
Fri. - Sun.(1215 PM 330 PM)
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN (PG-13)
Fri. - Sun.(1245 PM) 650 PM
THE PROPOSAL (PG-13)
Fri. - Sun.(1225 350) 725 1005
HANGOVER (R) - ID REQ'D Fri. - Sun.(1130 155) 440 735 1035
Free Family Film Festival Tue & Wed 10AM
Adv. Tix on Sale DISTRICT 9
Adv. Tix on Sale THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE
Adv. Tix on Sale INGLORIOUS BASTERDS
G.I. JOE (PG-13) ★
Fri. - Sun.(130) 420 720 1000
JULIE & JULIA (PG-13)
Fri. - Sun.(100) 400 700 950
FUNNY PEOPLE (R) - ID REQ'D Fri. - Sun.(1230 340) 640 940
ALIENS IN THE ATTIC (PG)
Fri. - Sun.(1240) 410 645 945
G-FORCE (PG)
Fri. - Sun.(150) 440 710 930
THE UGLY TRUTH (R) - ID REQ'D
Fri. - Sun.(120) 430 650 1010
HARRY POTTER: HALF BLOOD PRINCE (PG)
Fri. - Sun.(1220 325) 630 935
Adv. Tix on Sale INGLORIOUS BASTERDS
G.I. JOE (PG-13) ★
Fri. - Sun.(100) 400 700 945
THE COLLECTOR (R) - ID REQ'D Fri. - Sun.445 PM 1010 PM
500 DAYS OF SUMMER (PG-13) Fri. - Sun.(115) 415 710 1000
HANGOVER (R) - ID REQ'D
Fri. - Sun.(145) 430 740 1020
STAR TREK (PG-13)
Fri. - Sun.(130 PM) 720 PM
Times For 08/07
WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
HARRY POTTER AND THE
HALF BLOOD PRINCE PG
12:00, 1:45, 3:25, 5:15, 7:00,
8:45, 10:25
THE UGLY TRUTH R
12:55, 3:15, 5:35, 7:55, 10:15
THE HANGOVER R
12:10, 2:35, 5:05, 7:40, 10:05
ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE
DINOSAURS PG
2:00, 4:30
PUBLIC ENEMIES R
7:15, 10:25
THE PROPOSAL PG13
7:35, 10:10
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE
OF THE FALLEN PG13
12:15, 3:40, 7:10, 10:30
© 2009
EUGENE WEEKLY AUGUST 6, 2009 21