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Courtroom
to Bar LAWS OF ATTRACTION: Directed by Peter Howitt. Written by Aline Brosh McKenna, Robert Haling, based on a story by McKenna. Produced by David Bergstein, Beau St. Clair, Julie Durk, David T. Friendly, Marc Turtletaub. Cinematography, Adrian Biddle. Production design, Charles J. H. Wood. Editor, Tony Lawson. Music, Edward Shearmur. Costumes, Joan Bergin. Starring Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore, with Parker Posey, Michael Sheen, Nora Dunn and Frances Fisher. New Line Cinema, 2004. PG-13. 90 minutes.
Like a raft of other romantic comedies recently released (and reviewed by me), Laws of Attraction is a one-idea movie. The singular premise is: Wealthy New York divorce lawyers meet, fight in court, fall in love. Complications arise. But the complexities that unfold have less to do with character development than would be genuinely interesting and more to do with plot, which is already paper-thin. In short, this is a hybrid genre, a spring movie, a light-weight confection that goes down easily and stars good-looking actors who know what they're doing, even with an insipid screenplay that gives them really dumb things to say and dampens any tension — romantic or not — they try to build. If you're looking for a simple, hour-and-a-half fantasy at the movies, here it is. If you're looking for an updated Adam's Rib, you're out of luck. This is no Hepburn-Tracy rematch. No sparkling witticisms are tossed back and forth between these infantile, sparring attorneys. Audrey (Julianne Moore) is too busy fretting over her reputation for winning and playing by the rules and other neurotic tricks to realize she actually likes Daniel. And Daniel (Pierce Brosnan) is too busy winning to notice that's not what he should do to persuade Audrey to be his sweetheart. The plot demands stand-in characters, who get the choice lines and a chance to scream, curse and flail around with attitude. That would be potty-mouth, clothes designer Serena (Parker Posey) and glam rock star and unrepentant womanizer Thorne Jamison (Michael Sheen), who are choreographing a spectacular, high-profile divorce, complete with courtroom antics, scads of money, swarms of fans and the frenzied media. Daniel and his client, Serena, want to take Thorne to the cleaners, despite Audrey's determination to paint her client as a long-suffering mate of an unfaithful wife. The arbitrator who attempts to bring both battling couples back to reality is caustic Judge Abramovitz (Nora Dunn). She doesn't mince words. What's disappointing is that Brosnan and Moore are more than capable of making screwball comedy work, but first they have to have worthy material. They do their best with a substandard screenplay and lackluster direction, but I doubt either will place Laws of Attraction at the top of their top-notch filmography. The film is not an outright embarrassment, just a disappointment. Now playing at Cinema World and Cinemark, Laws of Attraction has charming moments that entertain, but like cotton candy, it's sweet going down but has no nutritional value.
Anxiety-producing
Claptrap SECRET WINDOW: Written and directed by David Koepp, based on Stephen King's novella Secret Window, Secret Garden. Produced by Gavin Polone. Executive producer Ezra Swerdlow. Cinematography, Fred Murphy. Production design, Howard Cummings. Editor, Jill Savitt. Costumes, Odette Gadoury. Music, Phillip Glass. Starring Johnny Depp and John Turturro, with Maria Bello, Timothy Hutton, Charles S. Dutton and Len Cariou. Columbia Pictures, 2004. PG-13. 97 minutes.
Let's get it straight: I don't read Stephen King, don't like the thriller/horror sub-genre, and except for Stand By Me (1986) and The Shawshank Redemption (1994) don't love any movies adapted from his works. Moreover, of King's prolific, overrated contributions to the industry canon, I saw The Shining (1980) only because it was directed by Stanley Kubrick and Misery (1990) only because of Kathy Bates. So, I thought, Johnny Depp can probably pull this stinker out of the compost. But I was wrong by about 90 of the film's 97 minutes. To be fair, Depp brings some life to the character of Mort Rainey, a blocked writer stalked by a demented farmer named Shooter (John Turturro) and disturbed by his estranged wife, Amy (Maria Bello), who wants a divorce. But the task of engendering suspense from so interior a story as King's overwhelms even Depp's ingenuity. Although Depp adds a delicious little gaggle of neurotic jaw-cracling exercises whenever Rainey is put on the spot, much of the time the talented actor can only act intense, bottled-up and ready to blow. Writer, director David Koepp starts the film with a fast-paced, genuinely suspenseful sequence. Rainey, sitting in a car going nowhere, wet snow sloshing down, debates with himself over whether or not he should go in a certain room in a motel. Finally he decides, pulls into the motel parking lot, runs in the office, grabs a key off the wall and sprints out the door before the manager can catch him. He jams the key in the lock, shoves the door open, and holy shit, catches his wife in bed with another man. They look terrified. It's the best scene in the movie. When the much slower-paced movie later needs to be punched up, Koepp inserts a useful flashback and revisits the trauma. The film is moody, like Rainey, who sleepwalks through his life and spends most of his time in a shabby striped bathrobe on the living room couch in his remote cabin on Tashmore Lake, quietly going crazy. When a stranger (Turturro) comes to his door claiming that Rainey stole his story and threatens him, Rainey complains to the laid-back sheriff (Len Cariou). He also puts Ken Karsch (Charles S. Dutton) on the case, although it's never clear if Karsch is Rainey's agent, his lawyer or a private detective. The film's atmosphere produces anxiety rather than thrills, and many in the audience will figure out the film's central mystery well before the third act. Depp's Rainey questions himself, and Bello makes Amy slightly more interesting than the character's obvious lack of depth warrants. Dutton brings his deliberate heft and sanity to the role of Karsch. Turturro is good at "deranged," adding an offhand note of insouciance that underscores his threats and turns psychotic with his always-precise deadlines. Timothy Hutton as the other man in love with Amy is a puzzle. Is he threatening Rainey or just fed up? Ultimately, who cares? Secret Window is now playing at Movies 12.
Antonia's Line: 1995 Academy Award best foreign language film. Dutch director Marleen Gorris' excellent film tells the story of several generations of women in one family, who live in a small village in post-WWII Holland, where Antonia and her daughter return to farm. In Dutch with English subtitles. NR. At 7 pm on 5/19 in 180 PLC, UO campus. Free. Baraka: Earth seen through the eyes of director-cinematographer Ron Fricke conveys a sense of the planet's evolution. Magnificent scenes of unspoiled nature contrast with the frenzy of big cities in the everyday lives and cultures of people in 24 countries. NR. At 7 pm on 5/19 in 100 Willamette Hall, UO campus. Free. Breaking All the Rules: When his fiancée dumps him, Jamie Foxx writes a "how to" book on dumping, which becomes a best seller. Also with Morris Chestnut and Gabrielle Union. PG-13. Cinemark. Grand Concert of the Peoples (1992): Covers Stalin's campaign to destroy Russian Jewish culture and professional leadership, beginning in 1948. At 8:45 pm on 5/18 in 115 Pacific Hall, UO campus. Free. Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982): Videohound says: "(Woody) Allen's homage to Shakespeare, Renoir, Chekov, Bergman … is an engaging ensemble piece about friends and acquaintances gathered at a country house at the turn of the century." PG. At 7 pm on 5/14 in 30 Pacific Hall, UO campus. Free. Never Die Alone: Ernest Dickerson's film stars DMX as King David, a criminal seeking redemption who finds death, and David Arquette as the journalist who learns his whole story. Also stars Michael Ealy, Reagan Preston-Gomez. R. Movies 12. Online archives. Roll on Columbia: Woody Guthrie and the Bonneville Power Administration: Lively documentary on radical folksinger and songwriter Guthrie and the federal agency that hired him during the Depression. Directed and produced by Michael Majdic and Denise Matthews, film includes archival footage of Guthrie's life, the Depression, the Dust Bowl and the making of the massive dams intercut with contemporary interviews of his family, folk singers and writers, dam workers. At 7 pm on 5/14 at DIVA, 110 W. Broadway. Shrek 2: Mike Myers returns as Shrek, Cameron Diaz is his new wife, Princess Fiona, and Eddie Murphy's his sidekick, Donkey. Now the newlyweds face Queen Lillian (Julie Andrews) and King Harold (John Cleese). Fairy godmother (Jennifer Saunders), Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) and the ferocious Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas). Opens Wed. 5/19. Cinemark. Cinema World. Troy: Wofgang Petersen directs the ancient Greek tale of the great warrior Achilles (Brad Pitt) and the lovers Paris (Orlando), Prince of Troy, and Helen (Diane Kruger), Queen of Sparta, whose passion starts a war that destroys a civilization. When Paris steals Helen from her husband, King Menelaus (Brendan Gleeson) of Sparta, and takes her to the walled city of Troy, Menelaus and his brother Agamemnon (Brian Cox) move against King Priam of Troy (Peter O'Toole) and Prince Hector (Eric Bana). R. Cinema World. Cinemark. Films open the Friday following EW publication date unless otherwise noted. See archived reviews at www.eugeneweekly.com
CONTINUING: Big Fish: Tim Burton's film about a son (Billy Crudup) who tries to figure out his father's (Albert Finney) life through the wild stories he's told. Ewan McGregor, Helena Bonham Carter, Danny DeVito, Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman and Steve Buscemi co-star. Truly wonderful film; highest recommendations. Academy Award nom for original score. PG-13. Movies 12. Online archives. Bon Voyage: Jean-Paul Rappeneau directs great ensemble cast including Isabelle Adjani, Gerard Depardieu, Viginie Ledoyen and Gregori Derangere in satire set on the eve of WWII. Highly recommended. PG-13. Bijou. Online archives. Cheaper by the Dozen: Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt play the parents of 12 children, including Piper Perabo, Hilary Duff and Tom Welling. Directed by Shawn Levy. PG. Movies 12. Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen: Stars Lindsay Lohan (Freaky Friday). Welsh director Sara Sugarman's first movie. PG. Movies 12. Connie and Carla: Nia Vardalos and Toni Collette observe a Mafia hit, head for LA and become drag queens until Connie meets Jeff (David Duchovny). PG-13. Movies 12. Envy: Ben Stiller, Jack Black star in Barry Levinson's film about kooky inventor (Black), who suddenly becomes wealthy from a spray that makes dog poop disappear. Neighbor (Stiller) grows murderously envious. Christopher Walken co-stars. PG-13. Cinemark. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Highly acclaimed film directed by Michel Gondry from screenplay by Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation). Stars Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson, with Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, Kirsten Dunst. Carrey discovers Winslet had memories of their relationship erased. Now he wants to do the same. Or does he? The best new film of '04. Very highest recommendations. R. Cinema World. Online archives. Eurotrip: Teens from USA invade Europe. Crass commercialism. R. Movies 12. Girl Next Door, The: Emile Hirsch and Elisha Cuthbert ("24") star in Luke Greenfield's teen comedy, romance. R. Movies 12. Good Bye, Lenin: Complicated but sweet movie about the confusions and convulsions experienced when the Berlin Wall came down, as seen through the lives of an East German family. Recommend. Bijou. Online archives. Home on the Range: Disney animated feature features voices by Roseanne Barr, Judi Dench, Jennifer Tilly, Cuba Gooding Jr., Randy Quaid, Steve Buscemi, Carole Cook and Governor Ann Richards., while singing comes from k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt, Tim McGraw and The Beau Sisters. PG. Cinemark. I Dream of Mimi: Japanese erotic anime about an ultra high performance computer in the form of a gorgeous, naked woman who does anything you want. LateNite Bijou, May 7-9. Kids Are All Right, The: The Who documentary celebrates legendary performances and chronicle the band members' development from angry mods (1967 TV debut on the Smothers Brother show) to rock icons in the 1970s. NR. LateNite Bijou. Kill Bill Vol. 1: Quentin Tarantino's first of two films was called the most violent film ever made in Hollywood. Stars Uma Thurman as the Bride, a woman with a mission: Kill Bill (David Carradine), her former boss and lover who betrayed her and murdered her family. With Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, LaTanya Richardson, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen and Samuel L. Jackson. R. Movies 12. Kill Bill Vol. 2: The Bride (Uma Thurman) pursues her next foes, Budd (Michael Madsen), Ellie Driver (Daryl Hannah) and finally, Bill (David Carradine). Bound to be bloody. R. Cinemark. Cinema World. Online archives. Laws of Attraction: Julianne Moore and Pierce Brosnan play high-strung New York divorce attorneys who square off with their famous clients (Parker Posey and Michael Sheen) during a nasty divorce, and fall in love. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. See review this issue. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King: Peter Jackson's stunning work stars Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Billy Boyd, Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett. Frodo and Sam make it to Mount Doom as Aragorn leads the warriors of Middle Earth in the final battle against Sauron. Swept 2003 Academy Awards. Very highest recommendations. Movies 12. Online archives. Man on Fire: Denzel Washington as a security guard for a child who is kidnapped on his watch. He will have revenge. R. Cinemark. Mean Girls: Lindsay Lohan plays a high-school student raised by zoologist parents in the African bush, who falls for a popular girl's ex-boyfriend. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Online archives. Mystic River: Clint Eastwood directs Brian Helgeland's adaptation, based on Dennis Lehane's dramatic tragedy. Stars Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney and Emmy Rossum. Very highest recommendations. 2003 Academy Awards for Penn and Robbins; nominations for picture, supporting actress Marcia Gay Harden; director Eastwood; adapted screenplay, Helgeland. R. Online archives. Movies 12. Online archives. New York Minute: Action comedy stars Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen as sisters on the loose in Manhattan. With Eugene Levy as a loony truant officer. PG. Cinema World. Cinemark. Passion of Christ, The (2004): Mel Gibson film opens amid charges (denied) of anti-Semitism. A..O. Scott of The New York Times writes, "'The Passion of the Christ' is so relentlessly focused on the savagery of Jesus' final hours that this film seems to arise less from love than from wrath, and to succeed more in assaulting the spirit than in uplifting it." Others call the graphic torture unwatchable. R. Cinemark. Scooby Doo 2 Monsters Unleashed: Some scary action, rude humor and language. PG. Cinemark. Secret Window: Psychotic (John Turturro) stalks writer (Johnny Depp), accusing him of stealing the ending to his story. David Koepp directs, story by Stephen King. Also stars Maria Bello, timothy Hutton, Charles S. Dutton. PG-13. Movies 12. See review this issue. Taking Lives: All-star cast includes Angelina Jolie, Ethan Hawke, Keifer Sutherland, Olivier Martinez and Jean-Hughes Anglade. Directed by D.J. Caruso. Thriller about a serial killer who steals his victims' identities. R. Movies 12. Thirteen Going On 30: Jennifer Garner goes to bed 13, wishing she were older. Wakes up 17 years later, and she is. Directed by Gary Winnick, also stars the always excellent Mark Ruffalo, Andy Serkis and Kathy Baker. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Online archives. Van Helsing: Monster killer Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) teams up with Kate Beckinsale in Transylvania to bring down Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh). PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Walking Tall: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson returns home after military career to find his hometown overrun with crime, drugs and violence. He's elected sheriff to shut down his former rival's criminal biz. Directed by Kevin Bray. PG-13. Movies 12. What the Bleep Do We Know? Through interviews with cutting-edge scientists and spiritual teachers, a brand new way of thinking about consciousness, intentionality and the ability to make a difference in the world emerges. But it begins with Amanda (Marlee Matlin). Highly recommended. NR. Bijou. Online archives.
MOVIE
THEATERS Bijou
Art Cinemas Regal
Cinemas Cinemark
Theaters
NEW
RELEASES ON VIDEO Angel Heart Special Edition (1987): Controversial film about voodoo cults in New Orleans circa 1955. Directed by Alan Parker, film stars Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet Remastered DVD includes commentary, interviews and five documentaries on voodo. R and NR. Enter the Dragon (1973): Introduces Bruce Lee through incredible fighting sequences in a variety of martial arts including Tai Chi Chuan, Karate, Judo, Tae Kwan Do. R. Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The (1966): Sergio Leone's masterful, influential homage to the American Western chronicles the adventures of what Videohound calls "three dirtbags in search of a cache of Confederate gold." Stars Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach and Lee Van Cleef. Unrated. Marx Brothers Collection, The: This 5-disc set includes A Night at the Opera (1935), A Day at the Races (1937), Room Service/At the Circus (1938/1939), Go West/The Big Store (1940/1941), and A Night in Casablanca (1946). Also sold separately. Miracle, The: 1980 US Ice Hockey team beat the greatest team in the world, the Russians, at the Olympics. Stars Kurt Russell as the coach of this inspiring tale of a sports-world miracle. PG. Paycheck: Based on a Philip K. Dick sci-fi short story and directed by John Woo, film stars Ben Affleck, Uma Thurman Aaron Eckhart, Paul Giamatti, Colm Feore, Michael C. Hall. PG-13. Torque: Biker Cary Ford (Martin Henderson) returns to see his girlfriend, Shane (Monet Mazur), but they get caught up with some bad bikers. Also stars Adam Scott, Ice Cube, Jay Hernandez. PG-13.
Next week: Duel in the Sun (1946), Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003), Northern Exposure, Saving Private Ryan, Smiles of a Summer's Night (1955), Stray Dog (1949), Underworld and Welcome to Mooseport.
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