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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (March 31, 2011)
THU FRI SAT NOON SUN MON TUES WED THU BY MOLLY TEMPLETON BUDRUS 5:45 C I N E M A S 7:45 10:00 for Mar 31 - Apr 7 A R T 7:45 RABBIT HOLE 5:00 7:10 3:20 5:30 5:30 (+JStreet panel discussion) 5:45 5:45 5:45 5:45 1:00 SOMEWHERE 7:45 7:45 7:45 7:45 3:20 5:30 5:30 5:30 5:30 9:50 9:50 9:50 9:50 5:45 1:00 7:45 IP 9:15 MAN 2: 10:00 LEGEND OF THE GRANDMASTER 10:00 10:00 10:00 GENIUS WITHIN: 12:45 5:25 3:15 7:30 7:30 492 East 13 th 17+ on ROCKY ly follow us! 686-2458 bijou-cinemas.com HORROR $10 5:45 R 9:35 PG-13 7:30 CINEMA PACIFIC THE INNER LIFE OF GLENN GOULD FILM 3:15 FESTIVAL 7:30 FORBIDDEN FRUIT presents April 7 April 6 April 5 April 4 April 3 April 2 April 1 Mar 31 movies R 10:00 10:00 7:30 7:30 Coming soon: OF GODS AND MEN FIGHT CLUB 7:30 cinemapacific .uoregon.edu 11:00 PM 11:00 PM *Adults—$7*Students w/ID—$6*Seniors—$5*Matinees—$5*Lates—$5*Miser Mondays—$3* TIX $2 Tix 21 & FOOD $5 Sun & Tues ovER MENU Faster, Babydoll! Kill! 762-1700 | 180 E. 5TH AVE davidminortheater.com Sucker Punch: Definitely not a KO SUCKER PUNCH: Directed by Zack Snyder. Screenplay by Zack Snyder and Steve Shibuya; story by Snyder. Cinematography, Larry Fong. Editor, William Hoy. Music, Tyler Bates and Marius De Vries. Starring Emily Browning, Jena Malone, Abbie Cornish, Vanessa Hudgens, Carla Gugino, Jamie Chung and Oscar Isaac. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2011. 110 minutes. PG-13.42111 R eader, I tried. I tried to fi nd the good in Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch. I had the idea in my head — thanks to one sentence in one blog — that maybe it really was, despite all buzz to the contrary, an empowering fl ick. Maybe it was a movie in which strong female characters take control of their destinies. Maybe the heavy makeup and tiny outfi ts served a purpose. Maybe I was a little too optimistic. Sucker Punch begins with an overlong prologue cued to a cover of “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” which is, like, ironic or something, because there is nothing sweet about the cliché-ridden introduction of a pouty blonde (Emily Browning) whose evil stepfather dumps her in an asylum after her mother dies and she accidentally kills her sister while trying to defend her from their stepfather. But some of them want to use you and some of them want to abuse you — or, as the case may be, there’s nothing but use and abuse in the future, at least for the fi ve days until a fellow turns up who can give the silent girl a lobotomy. What actually happens in this asylum is never seen — at least not as it happens in the “real” world. Instead, we’re swept into an alternate version of events, set in a peculiar brothel that mirrors the situation in the asylum (but with a convenient excuse for false eyelashes and a frequent lack of pants). Here, our nameless heroine is dubbed Babydoll and discovered to have an unexpected talent: When she dances, generally to more gussied-up cover songs, men are utterly enraptured. More importantly for the fi lm (which would like you to believe this is an empowering scenario wherein Babydoll is owning her sexuality), when she dances, Babydoll shifts into yet another fantastical realm. There, in order to procure the items necessary for escape, she and the other women from the brothel — under the instruction of a mangled- aphorism spouting wise man (Scott Glenn) — must fi ght zombie steampunk Nazis, orcs, a dragon and some shiny silver robots. They take all kinds of hits, in the manner of video game characters, and have incredible fi ghting skills (of course, the bad guys all have terrible aim). In short, shit blows up real good, in a wildly referential, uninspired, hollow sort of manner. The zombie steampunk Nazis might’ve been cool in a novel by Cherie Priest (Dreadnought) or Scott Westerfeld (Leviathan). The orcs are straight out of The Lord of the Rings, as if Snyder (300, Watchmen) was pretty sure the Battle of Helm’s Deep would be way cooler were it fought by women in miniskirts. Who needs Orlando Bloom skateboarding on a shield? Is this double rabbit-hole more insulting to the intelligence of the characters or the audience — or both? Either Babydoll is so uncreative that her imagination can only conjure up scenes from poorly written action/adventure fi lms (and, perhaps, Showgirls), or we’re so spoon-fed and stupid that we require fl ash, bombast and regurgitated male fantasy imagery in order to consider watching a fi lm in which women stand up to their oppressors and abusers. It’s almost clever, this snide take on moviemaking and the action movie audience’s willingness to eat up inane fi lms in which nothing real is ever at stake. It almost works, in a condescending, cocky sort of way. But Sucker Punch gives you exactly what it’s commenting on while it’s making its half-baked comments: thin characters, hyperstylized visuals, clunky dialogue and a ridiculous plot, with a bonus girl-power gloss that’s thin as a fi rst coat of paint. Snyder’s trying to have his cake and eat it too, and it pulls the teeth from his fi lm — if it had any to begin with. ew FREE PAD THAI with soup from $5.00 Sushi Dinner 8 pieces sushi & one roll with soup from $12.50 Happy Hour 5-7 $7.75 including a choice of Set Meal with Beer, Wine, Sake, or etc. Pepper Steak Green Curry Panang Curry Garlic Pepper Yellow Curry Fried Rice Delicious Th ai Food • Donuts 1/2 Price 5pm-9pm 3177 Gateway St. Springfi eld • (541) 988-5991 dinner only. coupon good until May 1, 2011 WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM THE FIGHTER 5:15 INSIDE JOB 7:20 FAIR GAME 7:20 OSCAR WINNERS LAST WEEK THE VALERIE PLAME STORY Are you Sushi lover ? 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We also serve traditional Japanese Noodles, Udon or Soba. 1044 Willamette St. Eugene, OR 541 686-3504 • kamitori10.com 127 HOURS 9:15 BLACK SWAN COMING SOON I LOVE YOU 5:15, 9:15 PHILLIP MORRIS OSCAR WINNER FEATURING “TEXT-A-BEER” “NO LONGER SNEAKING BEER INTO THE MOVIES SINCE 2008” IMAX: SUCKER PUNCH (PG-13) ★ Fri. - Sun.1130 215 450 745 1030 HOP (PG) INSIDIOUS (PG-13) Fri. - Sun.(1230 245) 500 715 930 Fri. - Sun.(1200 235) 510 750 1015 SOURCE CODE (PG-13) Fri. - Sun.(1215 230) 445 730 945 SUCKER PUNCH (PG-13) ★ Fri. - Sun.(1245) 420 710 955 DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES (PG) Fri.(1150) 430 650 915 Sat.(210) 430 650 915 Sun.(210 PM) 430 PM 650 PM OC & DA: DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES (PG) Fri.(210 PM) Sat.(1150 AM) Sun.(1150 AM) 915 PM PAUL (R) - ID REQ'D Fri. - Sun.(1235) 405 700 950 LIMITLESS (PG-13) Fri. - Sun.(1135 205) 435 705 940 see cinemark.com for movies and times THE LINCOLN LAWYER (R) - ID REQ'D Fri. - Sun.(155) 440 735 1020 BATTLE: LOS ANGELES (PG-13) Fri. - Sun.(145) 425 720 1010 RED RIDING HOOD (PG-13) Fri. - Sun.(150) 415 645 920 THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU (PG-13) Fri. - Sun.(1220 250) 520 755 1025 RANGO (PG) Fri. - Sun.(1140 220) 455 725 1000 BEASTLY (PG-13) Fri. - Sun.(1240 300) 515 740 1005 THE KING'S SPEECH (PG-13) HOP (PG) SOURCE CODE (PG-13) SUCKER PUNCH (PG-13) ★ Fri. - Sun.(1205 255) 640 935 Fri. - Sun.(200) 430 700 925 Fri. - Sun.(210) 440 730 1010 Fri. - Sun.(130) 405 650 940 DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES (PG) Fri. - Sun.(220) 450 720 1000 PAUL (R) - ID REQ'D Fri. - Sun.(230) 500 740 1015 LIMITLESS (PG-13) Fri. - Sun.(150) 420 710 950 RANGO (PG) Fri. - Sat.(140) 410 640 930 Sun.140 410 640 930 INSIDIOUS (PG-13) Fri. - Sun.(140) 410 715 950 THE KING'S SPEECH (PG-13) Fri. - Sun.(100 345) 655 930 With Purchase of Thai Food Mongolian Beef Red Curry Spicy Noodle THURS MAR 31 – WED APR 6 THU Sushi Set Lunch DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES (PG) Fri. - Sun.(115 355) 645 915 THE LINCOLN LAWYER (R) - ID REQ'D Fri. - Sun.(130) 420 705 940 BLACK SWAN R 12:20PM 2:50PM 5:20PM 7:50PM 10:20PM CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: VOYAGE OF THE DAWN PG 12:45PM 3:25PM EAGLE, THE PG-13 7:05PM 9:45PM GREEN HORNET, THE PG-13 12:55PM 3:55PM 7:00PM 9:50PM HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 1 PG-13 12:00PM 3:10PM 6:25PM 9:35PM NO STRINGS ATTACHED R 12:10PM 2:40PM 5:10PM 7:40PM 10:10PM RABBIT HOLE PG-13 12:30PM 2:45PM 5:00PM 7:30PM 10:00PM ROOMMATE, THE PG-13 12:25PM 2:55PM 5:25PM 7:55PM 10:25PM TANGLED PG 1:25PM 3:45PM 6:05PM 8:25PM TANGLED (3D) PG 12:05PM 2:35PM 4:55PM 7:15PM 9:40PM TRON: LEGACY (3D) PG 7:20PM 10:05PM TRUE GRIT PG-13 12:40PM 4:05PM 7:10PM 9:55PM YOGI BEAR PG 12:15PM 2:15PM 4:15PM 6:15PM 8:15PM 10:15PM YOGI BEAR (3D) PG 1:15PM 3:15PM 5:15PM Times For 04/01 - 04/03 © 2011 EUGENE WEEKLY MARCH 31, 2011 25