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Adrift SCHULTZE GETS THE BLUES (2003): Written and directed by Michael Schorr. Produced by Jens Körner. Cinematographer, Axel Schneppat. Editor, Tina Hillman. Production design, art direction, Natascha Tagwerk. Original music, Dirk Niemeier, Thomas Wittenbecher. Starring Horst Krause, with Harald Warmbrunn and Karl Fred Müller. Also, Ursula Schucht, Hannelore Schubert, Rosemarie Deibel, Anne V. Angelle. Paramount Pictures, 2005. PG. 114 minutes. 2003 Venice Film Festival: Special Jury Award, director Michael Schorr. 2005 German Film Critics Award, Best Feature Film Debut, Schorr.
The horizon is the most striking visual image carried throughout this leisurely look at the post-working life of a stout, quiet German accordionist named Schultze (Horst Krause). The horizon line, often near the bottom of the screen, dominates most shots in the film. People in the picture appear as tiny worker ants or bees dwarfed by the flat landscape, which is broken occasionally by giant talus slopes. In this part of the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany) near the river Saale in Saxon-Anhalt, the scenery is as simple as life is for most of its inhabitants. Schultze and his best friends, Jürgen (Harald Warmbrunn) and Manfred (Karl-Fred Müller), have just been made redundant, laid-off 10 years earlier than they expected from the local salt mine. The company expresses itself through its parting gifts, lumps of rock salt converted into lamps — cold comfort for proud workers who must now go on the dole, stunned and soon depressed. For a while Schultze, a confirmed bachelor, keeps himself busy with chores. But then he meets Frau Lorant (Rosemarie Deibel) at the nursing center where his aged mother resides. Lorant is an energetic woman in love with life, and some of her enthusiasm rubs off on Schultze, who persuades his friends to dress in costume for a party. The three beer drinkers also appreciate a new barmaid (Frances Pilat) at the tavern, who dances to Flamenco from the juke box. And much later, Schultze meets a generous, spirited woman from the American South, Aretha (Anne V. Angelle). Late one sleepless night switching the radio dial, Schultze happens upon accordion music he's never heard before. No oompa-pah polka music here, this is zydeco with a spicy Cajun beat. Schultze falls in love. He even learns to cook Shrimp Jambalya to surprise his buddies. Thus Schultze's adventures begin. Like the movie it most reminds me of, Genghis Blues (1999), Schultze Gets the Blues shows us American regional musical styles from the perspective of a visiting musician. And like the Republic of Tuva in Central Asia, some 10,000 miles from the San Francisco home of American bluesman Paul Pena, the new sounds and different, flat landscapes of New Braunfels and the bayou country of south Texas and Louisiana invigorate Schultze. Schultze also reminds me of a quirky little film from Norway I reviewed last year, Kitchen Stories, about a research project into the kitchen habits of bachelor farmers. The catch was that each farmer had to allow a researcher to tally every move he made in the kitchen, day or night. They could not refuse to let the researcher in, nor could the efficiency expert — perched atop a tall ladder — talk or interact with the subject in any way. You can see how that works out. The taciturn Schultze would fit right in with those Norweigan bachelor farmers, but here he is simply a traditional music man who wants to hear live zydeco in the worst way. Filmmaker Michael Schorr, making his feature debut with Schultze, received awards as well as critical kudos for this small tale, but it is always best to not expect too much from such claims. The film moves at a pace as leisurely as the skiff Schultze commands through the placid bayous of the Gulf Southwest, and it runs aground as seldom. As a native Texan, I still can't figure how Schultze got from New Braunfels to Louisiana by water, but, hey, some things are mysterious. Opening at the Bijou on Friday, April 1, Schultze Gets the Blues may chase away your blues. Highly recommended.
OPENING
OR RETURNING: American Bellydancer: Oregon premiere at 7 pm and 9 pm on 4/3 at WOW Hall. $6. Are We There Yet?: In Brian Levant's new movie, Ice Cube takes his recently divorced girlfriend Nia Long's two kids on a road trip from Portland to Vancouver, BC, on New Year's Eve. Jay Mohr plays his best friend. PG. Movies 12. Ashland Independent Film Festival: March 31-April 4. Go to www.ashlandfilm.org for information and schedule of films. Beauty Shop: Hair stylist Queen Latifah leaves a posh salon with shampoo girl Alicia Silverstone to open her own shop. Also stars Alfre Woodard, Mena Suvari, Andie MacDowell and Djimon Hounsou. Directed by Billy Woodruff. PG-13. Cinemark. Brazil (Director's Cut): Terry Gilliam's 1985 acclaimed black comedy is set in a future society sinking under the weight of its bureaucracy's red tape and economic woes. Stars Jonathan Pryce, Robert De Niro, Michael Palin, Bob Hoskins and Ian Holm. Very highest recommendations. R. At 6 pm on 4/3 at DIVA. Free. Divine Intervention (2001) and Gaza Strip (2002): Palestinian director of Divine Intervention Elia Suleiman creates what NY Press critic Armond White called "a richly varied observation of life in the occupied territories." Gaza Strip, directed in a cinema verite style by James Longley follows a 13-year old newspaper vendor who "presents a mixture of hardened visions and childish innocence" (NY Times). At 7pm on 4/6 in 180 PLC, UO campus. Free. Enthusiasms (1994): Village Voice film critic Michael Atkinson says Kira Muratova's film accompanies "a pack of extroverted, sub-Fellini nutlogs to a horse farm, where they prance, vamp and blabber about horses, love and life." At 7 pm ON 4/5 in 115 Pacific, UO campus. Free. Fever Pitch: The Farrelly brothers direct a Lowell Ganz screenplay based on a Nick Hornby novel about a fanatic Red Sox fan (Jimmy Fallon) who may have to choose between the team and a womn (Drew Barrymore) he loves. Sneak. At 7:30 pm 4/1-4/3. Cinemark. Finding Neverland: Johnny Depp stars with Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Radha Mitchell and Dustin Hoffman. Winslet and Depp's performances are radiant, but the real star of the show is 12 year-old Freddie Highmore, playing the actual child, Peter Llewelyn Davies, who inspired the Peter Pan play. The picture is heartbreaking, gorgeous and probably too complicated for young children. PG. Bijou. Online archives. Nuclear Northwest: Update 2005: New 75 minute DVD by local producers Rick Gold and Louisa Hamachek makes a comprehensive survey of installations and issues relating to nuclear power and nuclear weapons in the Northwest. Includes the Hanford Nuclear Reservation; the Nevada Test Site (Yucca Mountain); down-winders in Utah, Nevada and Washington; Rocky Flats; Bangor Nuclear Submarine base near Seattle; and more. Premiere at 7 pm on 4/6 in Morning Glory Café, 450 Willamette. Pooh's Heffalump Movie: Pooh, Piglet and Tigger set out to capture a Heffalump in the Hundred Acre Wood. Voices by Jim Cummings and Brenda Blethyn. G. Movies 12. Room with a View (1986): Merhant-Ivory-Jhbvala multiple award-winning adaptation of E.M. Forster's novel stars Daniel Day Lewis, Julian Sands, Helena Bonham Carter, Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Denhold Elliot, Simon Callow, Rupert Graves. Very highest recommendations. At 7:30 pm on 4/5 in 177 Lawrence, UO campus. Free. Schultze Gets the Blues: Laid-off German salt miner and traditional accordion player falls in love with zydeco music and makes a daring trip to the US. Endearing but not sentimental film directed by Michael Schorr reminds us to take the time to taste life. PG. Bijou. Shogun Assassin: Assembled in 1980 from a patchwork of 1970s films that were released as Lone Wolf and Cub adventures. Nexflix says it's "bathed in blood." Skilled, renegade Samurai and his 5-year-old son do a lot of killing for various kin of the Shogun. LateNite Bijou. Sin City: Based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller and directed by Miller, Robert Rodriguez (and "special guest director" Quentin Tarantino), film stars a host of players including Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Elijah Wood, Bruce Willis, Benicio Del Toro, Clive Owen and Josh Hartnett. R. Cinema World. Cinemark. Storm Riders, The (Hong Kong, 1998): Action, adventure fantasy about orphan boys taken in by a soothsayer and raised as his own. At 4 pm on 4/7 in 115 Pacific, UO campus. In Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles. Free. Upside of Anger, The: Joan Allen stars as an angry, abandoned wife with four daughters, and Kevin Costner is her bachelor neighbor in this "spiky, indie comedy" (New York Times). Directed by Mike Binder, film co-stars Erika Christensen, Evan Rachel Wood, Keri Russell and Alicia Witt. R. Cinemark. Cinema World. Films open the Friday following EW publication date unless otherwise noted. See archived reviews at www.eugeneweekly.com
CONTINUING: Be Cool: Picks up where Get Shorty leaves off. Chili Palmer (John Travolta) quits the movie industry to try the music industry and woos a music exec's widow (Uma Thurman) on the way. PG13. Cinemark. Because of Winn-Dixie: A lonely child adopts an orphaned dog she names Winn-Dixie, who helps her make friends in a small town in Florida. Directed by Wayne Wang, film stars Jeff Daniels, Dave Matthews, Cicely Tyson, Eva Marie Saint and AnnaSophia Robb. PG. Movies 12. 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. Outstanding performances by all four make this a film not to be missed. Shows the anger, resentment and folly that result from such high-voltage matters as fidelity, sexuality and relationship. Ignore the negative reviews and see it for yourself. Very highest recommendations. One of 2004's top movies. R. Movies 12. Online archives. Coach Carter: Based on a true story. Samuel L. Jackson stars as a basketball coach in a Richmond, CA high school. His tough-love ethic requires players to keep up their grades and dress right. He makes national news when he benches the whole team for poor academic performance. Directed by Thomas Carter (Save the Last Dance). PG-13. Movies 12. Constantine: Stars Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LeBeouf, Tilda Swinton, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Djimon Hounsou and Peter Stormare. An epic set in a world of demons and angels. Hmmm. Based on comic, Hellblazer. R. Cinemark. Guess Who: Bernie Mac stars as the father of Zoe Saldana, who brings her boyfriend, Ashton Kutcher, home, and he's white! Comic retake on the 1967 Sidney Poitier movie. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Gunner Palace: Documentary film by Mike Tucker and Piper Epperlein is set in Baghdad with 400 US Army soldiers bunking in the ruins of a party house owned by one of Saddam Hussein's sons in the city's Adhamiyah neighborhood. The soldiers' daily (and nightly) activities include raids, patrols, investigations and civilian interactions underscored by danger from the unseen enemy. It's heartbreaking to hear an older soldier point out that people back home see the war as entertainment and to recognize that he is right. Riveting. R. Bijou. Hitch: Will Smith stars in this romantic comedy as a New York "date doctor" who helps hapless men woo the women of the their dreams. Costars Kevin James, Amber Valletta, Eva Mendes, Michael Rappaport and Adam Arkin. Directed by Andy Tennant. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Hostage: Former LAPD hostage-negotiator Bruce Willis moves his family to a low-crime town in Ventura County where criminal teenagers hold them hostage, and he must take over the crime scene investigation. A film by Florent Siri. R. Cinemark. Hotel Rwanda: During the Rwandan massacres of 1994, a hotel manager named Paul Rusesabagina offered refuge to more than 1,000 Tutsis fleeing rampaging Hutus. Directed by Terry George, film stars Don Cheadle, with co-stars Sophie Okonedo, Joaquin Phoenix, Nick Nolte. Three 2004 Academy Award nominations: Cheadle, best actor; Okendo, supporting actress; original screenplay. Very highest recommendations. PG-13. Bijou. Online archives. Ice Princess: Fantasy about a smart high-school student who must choose between a career in physics (and a chance to go to Harvard) and a career as an ice skater. Hmm. Stars Michelle Trachtenberg as Casey, Joan Cusack as her mother, and Kim Cattrall ("Sex and the City") as a former ice skater. G. Cinemark. 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. 2004 Academy Award Animated Feature. PG. Movies 12. Online archives. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: The misadventures of three orphans who fall into the hands of an evil count are popular with children and adults. Jim Carrey stars, with many co-stars. Directed by Brad Silberling. PG. Movies 12. Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou: Wes Anderson's new ensemble comedy stars Bill Murray as a famed underwater adventure filmmaker who's run into some big waves and is going under. Co-stars Owen Wilson, Anjelica Huston, Cate Blanchett, Michael Gambon and Willem Dafoe. R. Movies 12. Online archives. Meet the Fockers: Jay Roach follows Meet the Parents (2000) with Ben Stiller's bride and in-laws to-be Teri Polo, Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner meeting his rather eccentric parents, Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand. Culture clash writ small. PG-13. Movies 12. Online archives. Million Dollar Baby: Clint Eastwood, who directed, produced and composed the music for this film, co-stars with Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman in this story of a spunky fighter, a reluctant trainer and an ex-boxer who looks after the gym. One of 2004's best films. Very highest recommendations. 2004 Academy Awards for best picture, Eastwood director, Swank actress, Freeman supporting actor. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Online archives. Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous: Lucky FBI Agent Sandra Bullock has an outspoken partner (Regina King) who calls her "Barbie" and keeps her straight. Also stars Enrique Murciano, William Shatner, Heather Burns, Treat Williams. Directed by John Pasquin. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. 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. Movies 12. Pacifier, The: Disgraced Navy SEAL Shane Wolf (Vin Diesel) is given a new assignment to protect 5 kids from enemies of their recently deceased father – a government scientist whose top secret experiment is still in the house. Thriller? Drama? Tear-jerker? Nope, it's a comedy. PG. Cinemark. Cinema World. Racing Stripes: A farmer (Bruce Greenwood) and his daughter (Hayden Panettiere raise a baby zebra to become a champion racer. Live action, computer animation. Voices: Frankie Muniz, Dustin Hoffman, Whoopi Goldberg, Snoop Dogg. PG. Movies 12. Ring 2: Sequel to Gore Verbinski's remake of Hideo Nakata's 1998 Japanese horror film is directed by Nakata this time. Naomi Watts stars again, seeking the truth behind a videotape that kills people who watch it. Rated PG-13 for violence/terror, disturbing images, thematic elements and language. PG-13. Cinemark. Robots: Animator Chris Wedge's (Ice Age) amusing tale of a robot lad who dreams of being an inventor. This creative world of mechanical beings is never dull because these endearing, pieced-together, talking tin cans convey comfort and safety. Voices by Ewan McGregor, Halle Berry, Robin Williams, Mel Brooks, Amanda Bynes, Stanley Tucci, Greg Kinnear. Not preachy, but a good teaching tale about differences. Warmly recommended. PG. Cinema World. Cinemark. Online archives. Sideways: Alexander Payne's social comedy 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. 2004 Academy Award to Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor for adapted screenplay. R. Movies 12. Online archives. 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. Movies 12.
MOVIE
THEATERS Bijou
Art Cinemas Regal
Cinemas Cinemark
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