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Quarrelsome
Quartet CLOSER: Directed by Mike Nichols. Written by Patrick Marber, based on his play. Produced by Mike Nichols, John Colley, Cary Brokaw. Executive producers, Scott Rudin, Celia Costas, Robert Fox. Cinematography, Stephen Goldblatt. Edited by John Bloom, Antonia Van Drimmelen. Production design, Tim Hatley. Costume design, Ann Roth. Starring Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen. Columbia Pictures, 2004. R. 100 minutes.
I've been down this road before: Mike Nichol's brilliant screen version of Patrick Marber's play starring four of the best actors now working meets up with a few otherwise sane critics in the dark alleys of their repressed urges and gets mugged. I can't explain the phenomenon, but I have observed that critics' gang-bang assault is particularly venomous when the film in question casts a jaundiced eye on fidelity, particularly marital or living-together fidelity. If anger and angry words are exchanged in the film, verbal abuses escalate toward the party deemed most responsible, such as the director, writer or star. And if the film's straying spouse or partner does not express great remorse or come to a bad end, some critics go ballistic. Years ago now I saw and reviewed Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut. I thought it was a terrific film that thoughtfully torched a lot of marital taboos. Few other critics liked the film as I did for its intimate portrait of two smart people trying to save their marriage while honestly investigating the myriad temptations of adultery, and dealing with jealousy. Likewise, I appreciated seeing the harsh depiction of male misogyny in Neil LaBute's movies I've reviewed, In the Company of Men and Your Friends and Neighbors. Basically, I like the sexually toned complexity of LaBute's work more than most other critics. Earlier this year, John Curran's We Don't Live Here Anymore opened and closed in one week, well before many in Eugene saw it. Two couples, best friends, go through disruptive conflicts because of extra-marital affairs. It was one of the best films of 2004, just as 2003's In the Cut was one of last year's best. In both films, the characters spoke with hard-earned honesty about their sexual feelings. Most national critics, who are overwhelmingly men, hated these films. Take a look on the IMDB external reviews section if you doubt this. Frank talk about sexual relationships outside of marriage, curiosity about transgressive sexual feelings and questioning the institution of monogamy are apparently off-limits for American movies. Why? We live in a blatantly sexualized age with an obscene divorce rate and unspeakable "sex" crimes against children. I respect Mike Nichols's nearly 40-year career as a filmmaker, and I expected him to take as direct and humorous an approach to heterosexuality as he did toward homosexuality in Angels In America, last year's HBO blockbuster. I was rewarded with a wonderful, enlightening film experience. Julia Roberts (Anna) gives the best performance of her career here: self-contained, mature and generous. She has grown into her status as an icon and is now a fearless screen presence and a truly beautiful woman. Natalie Portman (Alice) has shed the last traces of girlhood to emerge as a strong-willed, contemporary young woman who knows her own feelings. She is lovely. Jude Law (Dan) is a writer with a day job of writing obituaries, while he waits for his recently published book to take off. Dan's interested in pretty women, but he's very self-absorbed. Clive Owen (Larry) makes the most of the rough-hewn edge he showed in Croupier. Dermatologist Larry gets his kicks in internet chat rooms, which is where he hears from an anonymous woman named Anna who sex-talks him and wants to meet. If you've never been on any sides of the love triangle — and there are more than three — you may learn from Closer that the rutting tension between two men over the same woman is more durable and deeply rooted than the sexual attraction to her. And hopefully, you may also learn that you should use the "tell me all about your sexual experience with (him/her)" ploy only if you really want to know. Think about it. See Closer. It's a stand-up movie, not the cruel, bashing session some people imagine. It's for adults, so be one. Now playing at Cinemark, the picture gets my very highest recommendations as one of the top films of 2004.
Gender
Identity STAGE BEAUTY: Directed by Richard Eyre. Written by Jeffrey Hatcher, based on his play, Compleat Female Stage Beauty. Produced by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, Hardy Justice. Executive produced by Michael Kuhn, Amir Malin, Rachel Cohen, Richard Eyre, James D. Stern. Cinematography, Andrew Dunn. Editor, Tariq Anwar. Music, George Fenton. Production design, Jim Clay. Costume design, Tim Hatley. Starring Billy Crudup and Claire Danes. With Rupert Everett, Tom Wilkinson, Ben Chaplin, Hugh Bonneville, Richard Griffiths, Edward Fox and Zoë Tapper. Lions Gate Films, 2004. R. 105 minutes.
Stage and film director Richard Eyre (Iris) and playwright Jeffrey Hatcher have combined their talents to bring to the screen a play about English Restoration theater. When the movie opens, women's roles were played only by men. It was the law. Puritan Oliver Cromwell had closed all London theaters some years earlier. But with the return of Charles II to the throne, theaters reopened. Edward Kynaston (Billy Crudup), is an actor who's made his reputation playing the great women's roles in Shakespeare's plays, notably the tragic Desdemona in Othello. The renowned diarist of the age, Samuel Pepys (Hugh Bonneville), whose name is pronounced "Peeps," noted that Kynaston was "the loveliest woman on the stage." But by 1662, King Charlie's girlfriend, theater buff and aspiring "actress," Nell Gwynn (Zoë Tapper), has persuaded him to allow women onstage once more. This is very bad news for Kynaston. And more bad news is on the way. The catalyst for the king's change of heart comes from accounts of a packed-house performance in a tavern by a Mrs. Margaret Hughes (Claire Danes) as Desdemona. Kynaston can barely bear the news that his dresser, Maria (Claire Danes), has betrayed him. The set-up involves all this history, because the king, Nell, Kynaston, Pepys, Hughes and others are based on actual historical figures. This topsy-turvey world of theater is the stage where many of Stage Beauty's pivotal moments occur, but not all. Some take place at court, where the king allows the unemployed Kynaston to show that he can act by playing a male role. Humiliating for Kynaston but satisfying for smug fops such as Sir Charles Sedley (Richard Griffiths), his enemy, the performance brings Maria to tears. Now a romance between Kynaston and his former employee ensues. Surely you've noticed the predicament in Stage Beauty is the inverse of that in Shakespeare in Love. The love affair between Kynaston and Maria aka Mrs. Hughes is slower to catch fire than that of Will Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) and the high-born, cross-dressing stage beauty, Viola (Gwyneth Paltrow). While not such a masterful film, Stage Beauty is a thoughtful, delightful romp. Crudup is one of my favorite actors, because he takes real risks in his roles. Here he allows Kynaston to have a stuffy, mannerly persona when he is dressing in gowns for the stage and to be a warm, human man when he is not. His face lends itself to being seen as female, and Crudup gives a relaxed but not camp impression of a woman. Danes is excellent in every role she's played from TV's "My So Called Life" to Baz Luhrmann's Romeo and Juliet (1996). It's good to see her play a romantic lead again. Her intelligence, wit and natural beauty enhance the role of Maria. The incidental character actors, such as theater manager Thomas Betterton (Tom Wilkinson) and George Villiars, the Duke of Buckingham and Kynaston's former lover (Ben Chaplin), as well as those already mentioned add immeasurably to the picture of the untidy life of the dilettantes, shallow titles and opportunists of 17th century London. Opening Dec. 10 at the Bijou, Stage Beauty is an enjoyable feast you don't want to miss. Highest recommendations.
OPENING
OR RETURNING: Blade: Trinity: Vampire hunter Blade (Wesley Snipes) is back. Meanwhile, vampire leaders are bringing back the rejuvenated Dracula, their progenitor, who's now called Drake (Dominic Purcell). Yikes! Written and directed by David Goyer and based on the Marvel Comics character, the film also stars Kris Kristofferson, Ryan Reynolds, Jessica Biel, Parker Posey and Natasha Lyonne. R. Cinema World. Cinemark.
Garden State: Zach Braff wrote, directed and stars in this funny, resonant romantic comedy, which co-stars Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard and Ian Holm. Braff and Portman help the film get to a truth about what it is to be 20-something in the early years of the 21st century. Highest recommendations. R. Movies 12. Online Archives. Ocean's Twelve: Director Steven Soderbergh returns with the gang: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts and newby Catherine Zeta-Jones. A recent group interview in Premiere makes reveals they had a blast making this sequel. How can it miss? PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Open Lens: Two hours of short works by 16 local and regional indie filmmakers will screen. One of the films is Food, a 10-minute satirical film about corporate culture by Thaddeus Konar and Adele Wilson-Hamaker, with Gabby Lobue. At 8 pm 12/10 at Diva. Sliding Scale $3-$5. Spanglish: James L. Brooks's comedy/drama stars Adam Sandler, Tea Leoni, Anne Bancroft and Paz Vega. A non-English speaking woman goes to work for an upscale LA family. PG-13. Sneak at 7 pm on 12/11. Cinemark. Stage Beauty: A serio-comic take on 17th century London theater, when men were men and men were women. The most famous cross-dressing stage beauty was Ned Kynaston (Billy Crudup), who's surprised when his dresser, Maria (Claire Danes), plays Desdemona onstage, illegally. Highest recommendations. R. Bijou. See review this issue. To Kill a Mockingbird: (1962): Harper Lee's brilliant novel and Horton Foote's excellent adaptation create a classic film. Robert Mulligan directs Gregory Peck in a flawless performance as Atticus Finch, a lawyer in a small Southern town in the 1950s who defends a black man accused of raping a white woman. Finch's motherless children are wonderful actors as well. Robert Duvall makes hiss screen debut as Boo Radley. Won multiple Academy Awards, including best picture and director. NR. Doors open at 6 pm on 12/11 Lorane Grange Hall #54 in Lorane. OR. Suggested donation $7 adult, $5 children includes refreshments and 25-minute documentary from the "Art of Film" series narrated by Rod Serling: The Many Roles of Alex Guiness. For directions, call 942-2219. Films open the Friday following EW publication date unless otherwise noted. See archived reviews at www.eugeneweekly.com
CONTINUING: After the Sunset: Just one more heist and he'll retire, master thief Pierce Brosnan promises his girlfriend (Salma Hayek). But a pesky FBI agent (Woody Harrelson) comes to his island paradise. Bret Ratner directs; also stars the great Don Cheadle. R. Cinemark. Alexander: Oliver Stone's action adventure epic stars Colin Farrell as Alexander the Great, with Val Kilmer, Angelina Jolie, Jared Leto, Rosario Dawson and Anthony Hopkins. Tedious at three hours, this epic by Oliver Stone misses the mark. R. Cinemark. See review this issue. Bourne Supremacy, The: Paul Greengrass (writer, director of Bloody Sunday) directs Matt Damon as assassin Jason Bourne in the second installment of Robert Ludlum's espionage thrillers Also stars Joan Allen, Brian Cox, Julia Stiles, Kurt Urban and Franka Potente. One of the summer's best films. Highly recommended. PG-13. Movies 12. Online archives. Bridget Jones The Edge of Reason: Lackluster Bridget Jones sequel stars Renee Zellwegger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant again. Directed by Beeban Kidron, romantic comedy also stars Jacinda Barrett, Jemma Jones and Jim Broadbent. R. Cinemark. Cinema World. Online archives. Christmas With the Kranks: Based on John Grisham's Skipping Christmas, this comedy stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Julie Gonzalo and Tim Allen and is directed by Joe Roth. Also stars Dan Aykroyd, Cheech Marin and M. Emmet Walsh. PG. Cinema World. Cinemark. Closer: Director Mike Nichols (Angels in America) looks at the relationships of four strangers, played by Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen. As A.O. Scott (NY Times) notes: "Taste, fashion and social arrangements may mutate and evolve, but in Mr. Nichols's movies, the comedy and cruelty of human relations - at work, at home, at parties, in bed - remain pretty much constant." An excellent film all around. Ignore the nay-sayers and see it. One of 2004's top movies. R. Cinemark. See the review this issue. Friday Night Lights: High-school football is a big deal in 1988 Odessa, Texas, and director Peter Berg has fun with the fictional locals played by Tim McGraw, Billy Bob Thornton and Jay Hernandez. PG-13. Movies 12. Grudge, The: The curse of one who dies in the grip of a powerful rage kills and is passed like a virus from victim to victim. PG-13. Cinemark. Hero: Jet Li, Tony Leung, Chiu Wai, Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi and Donnie Yen star in this rousing martial arts epic. Set in a war-torn China at the violent dawn of the Qin dynasty more than 2,000 years ago, three opponents plan to assassinate the king, but one loyal subject stands in their way. PG-13. Movies 12. I Heart Huckabees: The delirious, new laugh-out-loud comedy from David O. Russell (Three Kings, Flirting with Disaster) stars Jason Schwartzman, Lily Tomlin, Dustin Hoffman, Isabelle Huppert, Mark Wahlberg, Naomi Watts and Jude Law. One of 2004's top films, it gets my very highest recommendations. R. Bijou. Online archives. Incredibles, The: Writer, director Brad Bird and Pixar Animation Studios create an action-adventure story set in suburbia where a former top crime fighter, Mr. Incredible, gets the call to jump back into actions. PG. Cinemark. Cinema World. Online archives. Mr. 3000: Baseball player (Bernie Mac) makes a comeback when he's in danger of losing his place in the Baseball Hall of Fame. With Angela Bassett and Michael Rispoli. Lots of music. PG-13. Movies 12. Napoleon Dynamite: Jared Hess' indie comedy stars Jon Heder as a high schooler, who lives in Idaho with his grandmother. The Village Voice says, "the film is an epic, magisterially observed pastiche on all-American geekhood, flooring the competition with a petulant shove." PG. Movies 12. National Treasure: Directed by Jon Turteltub and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, adventure stars Nicolas Cage searching for treasure George Washington hid during the Revolutionary War. Sean Bean plays his British rival who's anxious to score the treasure first. PG. Cinema World. Cinemark. Polar Express, The: Robert Zemeckis (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?) directs a wholly CG animation adventure, starring Tom Hanks in multiple roles in this adaptation of children's book by Chris Van Allsburg. Called "performance capture," the technique uses actors' live-action performances to drive the emotions and movements of the digital characters. G. Cinemark. Cinema World. Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement: Anne Hathaway is being groomed to be queen of Genovia, but she has to land a husband before she can be crowned. Garry Marshall directs. Julie Andrews costars. G. Movies 12. Ray: Jamie Foxx plays late, great Ray Charles in this musical, biographical drama, directed by Taylor Hackford. Co-stars Kerry Washington, Regina King, Clifton Powell, Harry Lennix, Terrence Dashon Howard, Richard Schiff, Aunjanue Ellis and Sharon Warren. Outstanding performance by Foxx. One of the year's finest films. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Online archives. Resident Evil: Apocalypse: Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, Sandrine Holt, Oded Fehr, Mike Epps and Zack Ward must survive and escape near certain death by the ravenous undead and bioengineered weapons. R. Movies 12. Sideways: Fresh social comedy by Alexander Payne follows two guys on a bachelor week in California wine country. Great performances by Paul Giamatti (American Splendor) and Thomas Haden Church ("Wings") sweetens the tale, as do Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh. One of the best films of the year. Don't miss. R. Bijou. Online archives. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow: Starring Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, this digital special effects sci-fi action film was shot without sets and locations. Brainchild: writer/director Kerry Conran in collaboration with producer Jon Avnet. Other stars include Giovanni Ribisi, Michael Gambon and Bai Ling. PG. 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. Excellent film! See it. PG-13. Movies 12. Online archives. SpongeBob SquarePants: Animated feature starring one of Nickelodeon's most absorbing characters. Voices by Alec Baldwin, Scarlett Johansson and others. PG. Cinemark. Cinema World. Team America: World Police: With animated wooden marionettes, Trey Parker and Matt Stone (South Park) create an action adventure film about an international police force devoted to global stability and battling bad guys. Not for kids. R. Cinemark. Online archives. Without a Paddle: High-speed comedy adventure stars Seth Green, Matthew Lillard and Dax Shepard as clueless adventurers who go into the Oregon wilderness in search of lost treasure. PG-13. Movies 12.
MOVIE
THEATERS Bijou
Art Cinemas Regal
Cinemas Cinemark
Theaters
NEW
RELEASES ON VIDEO 1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992): Ridley Scott's take on the Columbus Quincentennial aims "to portray Christopher Columbus not as a legend but as an extraordinary though flawed person," according to the Los Angeles Times. French mega-star Gerard Depardieu has the title role. With Sigourney Weaver, Armand Assante, Frank Langella, Tcheky Karyo. PG-13. Before Sunset: Richard Linklater takes Before Sunrise's Celine (Julie Delpy) and Jesse (Ethan Hawke) on a walking tour of Paris nine years later. They've grown but have not forgotten their time together. Special love stays in your heart. A satisfying sequel, the film rates my very highest recommendations. One of the best films of 2004.R. Online archives. Bridget Jones' Diary: Renée Zellwegger plays the neurotic but witty Londoner on the prowl for a man. Hugh Grant's her boss, and Colin Firth is an old friend. All three give excellent performances, especially Zellwegger. Sharon Maguire's directorial debut. Script by Helen Fielding, Andrew Davies and Richard Curtis. Funnier on second viewing, this smart, good-hearted romp is highly recommended. R. 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. Elf: Jon Favreau directs. Accidentally transported to the North Pole when he falls in Santa's bag, a human child grows up to be Will Ferrell, and a little disturbed that he doesn't resemble the other elves. With the help of Mr. Claus (Ed Asner) and his chief assistant (Bob Newhart), he sets out for New York in search of his biological father (James Caan). With Zooey Deschanel and Mary Steenburgen; Jon Favreau directs. PG. Fanny and Alexander (1983) Directed by Ingmar Bergman, this autobiographical film is about a year (1907) in the lives of a family, as seen by the young children, Fanny and Alexander. Videohound says, "Magic and religion, love and death, reconciliation and estrangement are skillfully captured in the carefully observed, lovingly photographed film." Stars Permillia Allwin, Bertil Guve and Gunn Wallgren. DVD 5-disc set includes the original 5-hour Swedish television version as well as the movie released in U.S. Extras: Bergman's feature-length making-of documentary, interviews with the director and actors. Gone With the Wind Collector's Edition (1939) Directed by Victor Fleming and an uncredited George Cukor, the screen version of Margaret Mitchell's best-selling novel, stars Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in excellent performances, also Olivia de Havilland. Others include Leslie Howard, Hattie McDaniel, Butterfly McQueen, Victor Jory. Best Picture Academy Award, plus a raft of others. DVD 4-disc set, digitally restored print and remastered soundtrack includes five hours of extra features as well as a full-color reproduction of the original 22-page souvenir program. Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban: Directed by Alfonso Cuarón. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), now teenagers, return for their third year at Hogwarts. There, they are forced to face their darkest fears as they confront an escaped prisoner, Sirius Black (Gary Oldham), who poses a great threat to Harry. The three friends must also contend with the Dementors, who are sent to protect them from Black. Lots of extras on DVD 2-disc set. PG. Jesus of Montreal (1989): R. Canadian director Denys Arcand's film took Special Jury Prize at Cannes '89. Stars Lothaire Bluteau as a vagrant actor picked to play Jesus in an Easter passion play. Also stars Gilles Pelletier, Remy Girard, Catherine Wilkening, Johanne-Marie Tremblay. Haunting, beautiful and brilliantly directed. R. Ju-On The Grudge (2004, Japan: Takashi Shimizu's original 2003 horror film on which the Hollywood remake, Grudge, is based. DVD extras include commentary by Sam Raimi, interview with Shimizu, behind-the-scenes and making-of featurette, outtakes, alternate ending. R. Official Story (1985): Based on real events, this fictionalized but important film directed by Luis Puenzo is the story of an Argentine woman, unforgettably played by Norma Aleandro, who realizes her beloved, adopted daughter was probably born to parents murdered by the regime her husband supports. 1985 Academy Award for best foreign language film. Also stars Hector Alterio, Chunchua Villafane and Hugo Arana. Ragtime (1981) Milos Forman's influential screen adaptation of E.L. Doctorow's groundbreaking novel about racism stars James Cagney, Elizabeth McGovern, Howard E. Rollins Jr., Mary Steenburgen, Brad Dourif, James Olson, Kenneth McMillan. Set in 1906, it's the story of a middle-class American family and one man's determination to stand up to racial attacks. PG. Saddest Music in the World, The (2004): L.A. Weekly columnist and author John Powers says filmmaker Guy Maddin "takes our unruliest passions, douses them in irony and antique film style, then gives the whole thing an acid-house twirl. His enjoyably loopy new movie, The Saddest Music in the World …begins with a hand job and a talking tapeworm, then ends in fiery apocalypse." Film stars Maddin, Isabella Rossellini and Mark McKinney. DVD extras three Maddin short films as well as cast and making-of featurettes. Short Cuts (1993): Robert Altman directs a three-hour collage of nine stories about domestic discord in Southern California, starring Jack Lemmon, Andie MacDowell, Lily Tomlin, Tom Waits, Tim Robbins, Buck Henry, Anne Archer and many others. Highlights of DVD extras is a 50-minute audio interview with the late Raymond Carver, writer of the nine stories and prose poem on which the film is based, and Vintage Books companion volume of Carver's short stories. R. 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. DVD extras include Oz's commentary, six deleted or extended scenes, numerous featurettes and a gag reel. PG-13. Online archives. Tanner on Tanner (2004): Sequel to director Robert Altman and cartoonist Gary Truedeau's "Tanner '88" stars Michael Murphy as former candidate Tanner, his documentary filmmaker daughter, Cynthia Nixon ("Sex and the City") and Pamela Reed. Four-part series follows Tanner's new adventures and ends up at the Democratic National Convention. DVD extras include interviews with Altman, Trudeau, Nixon and Murphy. Made for cable. 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. Online archives. Next Week: Hero (2004), It's All True (1993), The Keep (1983), Luther (2003), and Spider Man 2 (2004).
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