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As
Dubya Says, FAHRENHEIT 9/11: Nonfiction. Written and directed by Michael Moore. Produced by Moore, Jim Czarnecki, Kathleen Glynn. Cinematography, Mike Desjarlais. Editor, Kurt Engfehr, Christopher Seward and T. Woody Richman. Music, Jeff Gibbs. Released by Lions Gate Films, IFC Films and the Fellowship adventure Group, 2004. R. 116 minutes. Winner Palme d'Or at Cannes, 2004.
Filmmaker Michael Moore has chosen to exercise restraint, and his new nonfiction film is the better for it. The lack of in-your-face intimidation, blustering or swaggering, as well as fewer and smarter commentaries made me more comfortable. I already know Moore's position on the issues. The film is most powerful in its first half hour, which goes fast, and its most heartfelt later when Moore interviews Lila Lipscomb in Flint. In the early part of the film, Moore uses his newfound self-control to avoid the trap of picturing the planes crashing into the two towers, for which I am personally and professionally grateful. We hear the responses of people at the scene, but the screen stays dark. It's a highly effective way to draw our attention to the images burnt onto our personal memory screens, while acknowledging the stress we all experienced from visual overload of the horror. Moore's blackout also refrains from exploiting the images for commercial or artistic reasons, an example I wish others would follow. Another of the film's strengths is to remind us of important political events that may have slipped past during the stunned five weeks in 2000 following the country's closest and most controversial presidential election. (Popular vote: Bush 50,456,002 and Gore 50,999, 897.) Moore draws the connection between the Fox newscaster who first "broke" the news that Bush had won Florida's 25 electoral votes, at a time when Gore was predicted winner by all the major networks. Turns out the guy's a Bush relative. Also, I don't recall seeing footage of the enormous number of protestors who lined the streets as George W. Bush's inaugural cavalcade passed on the way to his swearing-in ceremony. There were so many protesters that Bush didn't follow the custom of walking the last stretch but stayed put in his bulletproof, tinted-glass limo for the ride. Likewise, I appreciated Moore's well-edited archival footage showing, one-after-another, African American Congressional representatives protesting the Florida election before the U.S. Senate. As president pro tem of the Senate, Vice-President Al Gore ironically had to preside over these congress members' failed attempt to protest the political disenfranchisement of Florida's black voters. Gore ruled that because none of the protests carried the required signature of a member of the Senate, they could not be admitted into the record. I don't recall a public uprising against the Senate for that body's shameful behavior. I am less enamored of Moore's heavy-handed cutting from scenes of injured Iraqi children to Bush golfing, for instance. Such juxtaposed images work, but they cheapen the children's sacrifice by using them to make a point unrelated to their suffering. Moore still needs a lighter touch. The business relationships of the Bush and bin Ladin families as well as that of Bush father and son with the Saudi royal family could be an interesting film on its own. But Moore doesn't develop the issue deeply enough. I, too, think the buddy-buddiness smacks of deal-making and secret agendas, but what exactly is the deal? Moore's too vague on this point. The emotional center of the film, Lila Lipscomb, is an articulate, reasonable woman who supports the military. Her daughter served in Desert Storm, and when we first meet Lipscomb, her son is in Iraq. When she loses him, her sense of betrayal is deep and real. After the film was over, I ran into a friend in the hallway. She was crying, and I put my arms around her and held on when she told me her son is in Iraq right now. As a former Air Force mom for more than 20 years, I understand the terrible conflict families face as the war drags on — loyalty and pride in your grown son or daughter mixed with fear for their safety and anger at the Bush administration for its blundering and lying. See this film, now playing at the Bijou and Cinemark. And vote, dammit. Very highest recommendations.
Old
Familiar Places THE NOTEBOOK: Directed by Nick Cassavetes. Written by Jeremy Leven, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks and adaptation by Jan Sardi. Produced by Mark Johnson, Lynn Harris. Executive producers, Toby Emmerich and Avram Butch Kaplan. Cinematography, Robert Fraisse. Production design, Sarah Knowles. Editor, Alan Heim. Music, Aaron Zigman. Costumes, Karyn Wagner. Starring Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, James Garner and Gena Rowlands. With James Marsden, Sam Shepard, Joan Allen, Kevin Connolly, David Thornton. New Line Cinema, 2004. PG-13. 121 minutes.
Nick Cassavetes' The Notebook is an old-fashioned film about a love story that begins in the summer of 1940, when Allie (Rachel McAdams) comes back to Seabrook, N.C., to be with her family, and meets Noah (Ryan Gosling) at a carnival. They come from different backgrounds. Allie's a 17-year old Charlestown debutante, while Noah, 19, works at the local mill. But despite Allie's initial reluctance, Noah persuades her that she's the girl for him. They fall ferociously, heedlessly, head-over-heels in love. One night they're out really late and have to answer to Allie's father, John (David Thornton), and her mother, Anne (Joan Allen). Allie returns to South Carolina, and Noah tries to forget her. A parallel story is set in the present time in a nursing facility where an attentive older man, Duke (James Garner), reads from a notebook to a beautiful older woman, Allie (Gena Rowlands), whose memory is being claimed by Alzheimers. Allie seems to remember parts of the story, but she can't hold on to her recollections. I know how people read movie reviews, and with only this description to go by, many readers will simply fail to seriously consider seeing the film. Too bad, because McAdams and Gosling will make you believe in first love as real love, and for all the right reasons. Noah listens when Allie talks about loving to paint. Allie looks when Noah rows her through a lake full of ducks. And when they disagree, they fight about it, honestly, fiercely. And they fight a lot. He doesn't agree with her to keep her happy, and she doesn't let him off the hook when she needs to know what he means. They are good for each other. And it is good for us to see them together, being real, instead of the teen romance trash Hollywood insists is how it is. As for the older couple, their scenes take place right at the edge of sentimentality. Age has rendered them fragile, and illness has weakened both her ability to know who she is and to recognize others she has known. These conditions are real. But tenderness speaks of love as passion does, and it is equally revealing of the character of the lover. Rowlands brings gravitas to her portrayal, while Garner is too much the narrator and too little a vulnerable participant in this part of the story. Stay focused on the young couple. When they are onscreen, you don't want to be anywhere else but with them, in the moment. Now playing at Cinemark and Cinema World, The Notebook has more to offer than most summer romances. Recommended.
Alamo, The: The famous 13-day battle of 1836 in a San Antonio mission pitted 200 men against an overwhelming Mexican army. Stars Patrick Wilson, Jason Patric, Billy Bob Thornton, Dennis Quaid and Emilio Echevarria. Directed by John Lee Hancock as understated drama. Highly recommended. PG-13. Movies 12. Online archives. Big Lebowski, The (1997): The Coen brothers' bowling flick with a kidnapping subplot stars the marvelous Jeff Bridges, with Coen regulars John Goodman, Steve Buscemi and John Turturo as assorted bowling eccentrics. The plot is a thin excuse for a Coen brothers romp, a laugh-out loud series of mistaken identities, dream sequences and chases. With Julianne Moore, Peter Stormare. R. LateNite Bijou. Dizzie's Dream Band: An all-star concert recorded in 1981 in which legendary trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie leads a jazz ensemble composted of Gerry Mulligan, Max Roach, and 23 other jazz legends. LateNite Bijou. Kill Bill Vol. 2: The Bride (Uma Thurman) pursues her next foes, Budd (Michael Madsen), Ellie Driver (Daryl Hannah) and finally, Bill (David Carradine). Bloody. Quentin Tarantino's epic shows he makes movies that move and characters who kill, but to what end, besides his own self-gratification? R. Movies 12. Online archives. Spider Man 2: Peter Parker aka Spidey (Tobey Maguire) returns as a college student by day who still loves Kirsten Dunst and a superhero when needed against his new nemesis, Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina). Sam Raimi directs. Looks great! PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Opens Wed. 6/30. War Feels Like War: Un-embedded, independent journalists cover the war in Iraq, risking their lives and bucking the US military all the way. Esteban Uyarra's camera follows international reporters and photojournalists as they report the "real" war, then return home to "normal" life. A 2004 Election Issues Special on "POV" at 10 pm on 7/6 on OPB, but check listings to be sure. Films open the Friday following EW publication date unless otherwise noted. See archived reviews at www.eugeneweekly.com
CONTINUING: Around the World in 80 Days: Jackie Chan stars in this remake that follows an eccentric London inventor, Phileas Fogg (Steve Coogan) who makes a very public bet then has to come through. Also stars Jim Broadbent, Cecile De France, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kathy Bates, Rob Schneider. PG. Cinemark. Chronicles of Riddick, The: Riddick (Vin Diesel) ends up on a multicultural planet invaded by a despot planning to subjugate everyone with his non-human warriors, the Necromongers. (Named for a bad rock band?) Also stars Thandie Newton, Alexa Davalos, Colm Feore, Linus Roache and Judi Dench. PG-13. Cinemark. Day After Tomorrow, The: Directed by Roland Emmerich, starring Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emmy Rossum, Sela Ward. A climatologist (Quaid) tries to figure out a way to save the world from abrupt global warming. He must get to his son (Gyllenhaal) in New York, which is being taken over by a new ice age. PG-13. Movies 12. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story: Can social rejects save their small local gym from gentrification? Only director Rawson Thurber and his stars Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Christine Taylor and Rip Torn know for sure. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Ella Enchanted: Anne Hathaway is a perfectly obedient girl. She does what she's told, literally. Based on Newberry-winning novel. PG. Movies 12. Envy: Ben Stiller, Jack Black 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. Movies 12. Fahrenheit 9/11: Winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes 2004, Michael Moore's nonfiction film is more restrained than his later films and better for it. The film is respectful, moving and informative, as well as opinionated and occasionally heavy handed. Don't miss. Highest recommendations. R. Bijou. Cinemark. See review this issue. Fifty First Dates: Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler in a romance with a catch: she has no short-term memory recall, so she forgets him every night. Also stars Rob Schneider, Sean Astin and Dan Aykroyd. Directed by Peter Segal. PG-13. Movies 12. Online archives. Garfield, The Movie: The poster promises "frisky business" as Garfield, the smarty pants kitty, makes his film debut. PG. Cinemark. Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban: Alfonso Cuarón directs the third film based on the series by J.K. Rowling. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), now teenagers, return to Hogwarts, where they face their darkest fears. The very best so far. Highly recommended. PG. Cinemark. Cinema World. Online archives. Hellboy: Based on Mike Mignola's Dark Horse Comics series, this supernatural action adventure stars Ron Perlman, John Hut, Selma Blain and Doug Jones and is directed by Guillermo del Toro. Highly entertaining, sweet film. See it. Movies 12. PG-13. Online archives. Hidalgo: Based on autobiography of distance rider Frank T. Hopkins, played by Viggo Mortensen, this epic action-adventure takes place during a 3,000 mile survival race across the Arabian Desert in 1890. PG-13. Movies 12. Home on the Range: Disney animated film 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. Movies 12. Ladykillers, The: Based on the 1955 British comedy starring Peter Sellers and Alec Guiness, Ethan and Joel Coen's adaptation stars Tom Hanks and Marlon Wayons. When these bank robbers move into "no hip-hop" house of a Southern church-going woman, anything goes. R. Movies 12. Notebook, The: Nick Cassavetes directs Gena Rowlands and James Garner, Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams in the screen adaptation of Nicholas Spark's best-selling romantic novel. With Sam Shepard and Joan Allen. Deserves to be seen for its depiction of real first love, with a great performance by McAdams. Recommended. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. See review this issue. Punisher, The: Marvel comic book character Charles Bronson (Thomas Jane) pursues with a vengeance after his family is murdered. Also stars John Travolta and Laura Harring. R. Movies 12. Scooby Doo 2 Monsters Unleashed: Some scary action, rude humor and language. PG. Movies 12. 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). So-so sequel. Cinemark. Online archives. Starsky & Hutch: Ben Stiller is uptight Starsky, while Owen Wilson is laid back Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson in this remake of TV's undercover crime-fighters. With Vince Vaughn, Snoop Dogg, Juliette Lewis. PG-13. Movies 12. Stepford Wives, The: Frank Oz directs Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Bette Midler, Christopher Walken, Faith Hill and Glenn Close in this updated comedy-thriller about a perfect, 1950s-era community in Stepford, Connecticut. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Online archives. Super Size Me: Morgan Spurlock's documentary features snappy graphics, talking heads and the slow decline of Spurlock's health as he eats only at McDonalds for three meals a day, 30 days. Highly recommended. NR. Bijou. Online archives. Terminal: Steven Spielberg directs Tom Hanks as a tourist who has to live at Kennedy airport because his homeland disappeared in a civil war, so his passport is no good. He falls in love with Catherine Zeta-Jones, whose comic talent is wasted in a dumb-dame role, while Hanks only works part-time. Too long and too cute. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Online archives. Two Brothers: Jean-Jacques Annaud (The Bear) directs this adventure story about the power of friendship between twin tiger cubs. Stars Guy Pearce, Jean-Claude Dreyfus and Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu. PG. Cinema World. Cinemark. Van Helsing: Monster killer Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) teams up with Kate Beckinsale in Transylvania to bring down Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh). 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. White Chicks: Comedy about FBI agents who go undercover as high school debutantes to investigate a kidnapping ring. Stars director Keenen Ivory Wayans, Shawn and Marlon Wayans. PG-13. Cinemark.
MOVIE
THEATERS Bijou
Art Cinemas Regal
Cinemas Cinemark
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NEW
RELEASES ON VIDEO Asphalt Jungle, The (1950): Great director John Huston's classic noir stars Sterling Hayden, Louis Calhern, James Whitmore, Jean Hagen, Sam Jaffe and Marilyn Monroe, in her first film role. DVD includes commentary. Videohound calls it "one of the best crime films ever made." Butterfly Effect, The: A young man (Ashton Kutcher) time travels back to the past to fix the broken lives of a childhood girlfriend (Amy Smart) and his friends, Lenny (Elden Henson) and Tommy (William Lee Scott). R. Monsieur Ibrahim: Set in 1960s Paris neighborhood, film's about a boy and a greengrocer who befriends him. Sweet. Wonderful performance by Omar Sharif and newcomer Pierre Boulanger. NR. Online archives. My Voyage to Italy: (1999) Martin Scorsese documents a trip to Italy to illustrate the great Italian filmmakers and how their work influenced his own. Six Feet Under Second Season: Enough said to those already hooked to this eccentric, deftly layered and strongly addictive HBO original film series. Newcomers — indulge yourself.
Next Week: The Barbarian Invasions, The Bourne Identity, The Dreamers, The Manchurian Candidate (1962), A Soldier's Tale and Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise (2001).
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