 |
  |
|
 |
||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||
|
The
Unrelenting Crusades KINGDOM OF HEAVEN: Produced and directed by Ridley Scott. Written by William Monahan. Executive producers, Branko Lustig, Lisa Ellzey, Terry Needham. Cinematography, John Mathieson. Production design, Arthur Max. Editor, Dody Dorn. Costume design, Janty Yates. Music, Harry Gregson-Williams. Starring Orlando Bloom, with Liam Neeson, Marton Csokas, Eva Green, David Thewlis, Brendan Gleeson, Jeremy Irons, Edward Norton and Ghassan Massoud. Twentieth Century Fox, 2005. R. 145 minutes. The Crusades (1095-1291) spanned 200 years of history that contemporary Americans know little about. There were eight crusades in all. The first began with Christians from the West answering the call of the Pope to take back the city of Jerusalem from the Muslims, with armies of believers and mercenaries. A Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem was set up, with a Christian king as its ruler.
At the time Ridley Scott's epic opens in 1186, the kingdom is in disarray, weakened by internal dissent and the Muslim's growing power under the leadership of the great Saladin. A Jerusalem in which Jews, Christians and Muslims worshiped at their own sacred sites was threatened from within and without. In France, a grief-stricken blacksmith named Balian (Orlando Bloom) is roused from his sadness by a traveling crusader, Godfrey of Ibelin (Liam Neeson), who offers him a place in his army. Godfrey is loyal to King Baldwin of Jerusalem (Edward Norton), and, it turns out, Balain's long-absent father. Neeson's understated but powerful presence carries the weight of this part if the story. Unfortunately, Godfrey finds Balain in a dark, uncommunicative state, and Balain never quite gains the respect that Godfrey effortlessly engenders. Balain's a fine military tactician and a peaceful ruler who gets his hands dirty in a village project. He's a believable lover with the king's sister, Sibylla (Eva Green of The Dreamers), and we respect him as a knight of "right action." But Balain doesn't become an indelible character before gruesome battles fractures the film's narrative. Balain fights well, taught en route to the Holy Land by his father, but except for the very first fight of his life, he doesn't rise to the heroic, larger than life figure needed. Unlike Russell Crowe in Scott's Gladiator, a man who "uses his body as a fighting machine, playing Maximus as a hands-on general who earns his soldiers' respect through unblinking personal courage and unconventional but crafty battlefield strategies." (EW 05/11/00). The film is a reasonably accurate historical picture of life in Palestine during the 12th century. Production design, costumes, cinematography are excellent. The film bears Scott's legendary screen hallmarks, which include breathtaking panoramic scenes, as the cerulean seas of the harbor dotted with ships and docks swarming with activity. Scott lavishes the life of the time with the cunning details of everyday life, such as the digging of a well. And he loves the glory of pomp and circumstance, such as the beautiful silver mask worn by Baldwin, the Leper King, and the dominant ruby on Balain's sword handle. Scott's masterful strokes of raw violence, such as the sudden tossing of an opponent into a blazing fire, still shock. And his stunning visual style evokes the smell of incense burning in the lovers' plush rooms as sensuously as the nightly bombardment of Jerusalem by 20,000 Muslim fighters, reminiscent of shock and awe. Another trademark of Scott's is flawed heroes who must overcome internal demons to defeat the external ones. The villains are Guy de Lusignan (Marton Csokas), a defiant, bloodthirsty baron married to the king's sister, and his henchman, Reynald de Chatillon (Brendan Gleeson). They are enemies of the king's attempts to keep the peace. While the king's advisor Tiberias (Jeremy Irons) is loyal and fair-minded, he has no power after the king's death. Queen Sibylla crowns her despised husband king. Guy promptly squanders the army's might in a doomed military move against Saladin (Syrian actor Ghassan Massoud). In 1187 a face-to-face meeting brings together the defender of Jerusalem, Balain, and the winner of the battle to recapture the city, Saladin. Bloom's youthfulness works against Balain even as he exhibits a sinewy toughness in negotiations. But Massoud's quietly powerful characterization of Saladin as a gracious victor and statesman allows him to have a small ironic laugh at their parley and truce. Saladin seems to know his victory will provoke another crusade. Now playing at Cinemark and Cinema World, Kingdom of Heaven is highly recommended.
Resist
Power Relationships LOOK AT ME (France, 2004): Directed by Agnès Jaoui. Written by Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri. Produced by Jean-Philippe Andraca, Christian Berard. Cinematography, Stéphane Fontaine. Costume design, Jackie Budin. Production design, Olivier Jacquet. Original music, Philippe Rombi. Starring Marilou Berry, Agnès Jaoui and Jean-Pierre Bacri, with Laurent Grevill, Virginie Desarnauts and Keine Bouhiza. Also, Grégoire Oestermann, Serge Riaboukine, Michèle Moretti. Sony Pictures Classics, 2005. PG-13. 110 minutes. Winner best screenplay, 2004 Cannes Film Festival. The actors in Look at Me speak naturally to one another, and they behave in characteristically human ways, which is no small matter in an era when bloated sci-fi action movies and horror flicks pass for hip. Agnès Jaoui's character-driven film is about Parisian acquaintances whose social lives circle around a self-absorbed writer and publisher, Etienne (Jean-Pierre Bacri). Jaoui takes us under her spell and shows us she knows how to spin a wicked tale about her own class of Parisian artists.
Early in the film, Etienne's daughter, Lolita (Marilou Berry), a singer with a lovely voice, rides across Paris in a taxi, talking on her cell with her father a few blocks away. He stands outside the theater where he and his wife Karine (Virgine Desarnauts) have just seen a new movie adapted from one if his novels. When they crowd into the taxi, Etienne imperiously treats the taxi driver — who is not a warm, lovable guy himself — like dirt. Now we know it's not in Lolita's imagination: Her famous father is an ego-bound jerk. Lolita believes she's unhappy because Etienne doesn't pay attention to her, but actually she's a lot like her father: moody, intense, dictatorial, self-hating. She also thinks guys only pretend to be interested in her to get close to him. Lolita won't embrace Karine either, despite her genuine friendly overtures. Karine is the same age, blonde, slim and beautiful, which dark-haired, zaftig Lolita resents. Lolita is happy only when she sings with a youthful vocal ensemble, which is preparing for its first concert. She works hard to impress her singing teacher, Sylvia (Agnès Jaoui), who is married to a depressed writer, Pierre (Laurent Grevill). On the same evening as the taxicab scene, Sylvia recognizes Etienne making his way through a crowd to a party at a club for the people connected with the movie. But Pierre, standing next to her in line with his agent, Edith (Michèle Moretti), bitterly shames Sylvia for celebrity sighting. On the same night outside the club, Lolita becomes separated from Etienne and Karine, and she can't get into the party. Standing out by the curb, Lolita tries to rouse her father on his cell, when suddenly a young man she doesn't know falls down right next to her, dead drunk. She takes off her coat to cover him, and when Karine comes to get her, Lolita leaves it over Sebastien (Keine Bouhiza). In these opening scenes we share interesting moments with the primary characters who will figure in the film's story. The ubiquity of cell phones is not haphazard, either. Amid a plethora of communication devices few of these men and women have a clue how to talk to each other about important things. Arguments, leave-takings and emotional scenes ensue. So much is going on, but none of it is being talked about. Look at Me could as easily have been called Talk to Me. The task for the characters is to become more themselves, and as they do, it is surprising to see who among them become catalysts for change. We are glad Lolita finds her way to independence and self-acceptance, but there are no real villains in the story, not even her asshole father — although he does have more loathsome characteristics than the others. All are human, which means imperfect. I love this little movie, not least because it is endowed with the rich voices of "Canto Allegre," an amateur vocal ensemble from Paris that performs as a group or in duos, trios, quartets and quintets. The traditional classical music they sing gives the film an operatic base, as if these real people were also characters in a musical. Opens Friday at the Bijou with my highest recommendations.
OPENING
OR RETURNING: 9/11 Citizens Commission in New York: Video excerpts at 7 pm on 5/18 in Cozmic Pizza. Free. Baadasssss! (2004) Mario Van Peebles directed this film homage to his father, Mario Van Peebles, the independent filmmaker who single-handedly created the 1970s-era phenomenon called Blaxploitation. Film stars Joy Bryant, T.K. Carter, Terry Crews, Ossie Davis, David Alan Grier, Nia Long. Village Voice review: "It's packed with Hollywood wiseguys, self-promoting hotties, craven agents, hippie stoners, porn purveyors, ghetto hotheads, and miscellaneous white weirdos." Plays at 6 pm on 5/15 at DIVA. Free. Clash, The: Westway to the World: Directed by Don Letts, whose career paralleled that of the punk rock group. With still photos, album cuts, live interviews and additional unseen concert footage from filmmaker Julien Temple, Letts pulls together coverage of the band from the start to the breakup in 1984. At 7 pm on 5/18 in 180 PLC, UO. Free. Cold Summer of 1953 (1987): Alexander Proshkin's tale of the post-Stalin emptying of the gulags and two prisoners who save a village from maruding criminals. At 7 pm on 5/17 in 115 Pacific, UO campus. In Russian with English subtitles. Free. Jacket, The: A John Maybury twisted thriller starring Adrian Brody as a military veteran who, with the help of a sensory deprivation jacket, foresees his own death. R. Movies 12. Kicking and Screaming: Will Ferrell and Robert Duvall as rival youth soccer team coaches. Directed by Jesse Dylan, it also stars Mike Ditka and Kate Walsh. PG. Cinema World. Cinemark. Look at Me: Agnès Jaoui directs Marilou Berry, Jean-Pierre Bacri, with Laurent Grevill, Virginie Desarnauts and Keine Bouhiza in a character-driven film about Parisian acquaintances whose social lives circle around a self-absorbed writer and publisher (Bacri) and his needy grown daughter (Berry). Imperfect characters played by naturalistic actors. I love this little film. Highest recommendations. PG-13. Bijou. See review this issue. Mindhunters: A serial killer hides within a group of eight FBI profilers, and they must find the murderer before they fall into his or her net. Directed by Rennie Harlin, the ensemble cast includes Val Kilmer, Christian Slater, LL Cool J, Jonny Lee Miller and more. R. Cinemark. Mission Against Terror: The Case of the Cuban 5: Plays at 7 pm on 5/16 in Cozmic Pizza. Free. Monster-in-Law: Jane Fonda and Jennifer Lopez duke it out verbally in this comedy directed by Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde). Also stars Michael Vartan and Wanda Sykes. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Moulin Rouge (1952): At 7:30 pm in 177 Lawrence, UO campus. Free. Off the Map: An unusual family lives in the rural sagebrush near Taos, New Mexico, in the mid-1970s, when an IRS man comes to audit their taxes but decides to stay and be part of the family circle. Directed by Scott Campbell (The Secret Lives of Dentists) from a play by Joan Ackerman, this offbeat drama stars Joan Allen, Sam Elliot, Valentina de Angelis and Jim True-Frost. Let the film cast its spell. Highly recommended. Bijou. Oil on Ice: Film about wildlife, communities and other issues pertinent to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Plays at 3 pm on 5/16 in Building 3, LCC. Free. Also plays at 7 pm on 5/19 at EWEB, followed by a discussion led by Patrick Shannon of the Alaska Coalition. Free. Ong Bak Muay Thai Warrior: Trained warrior Yony Jaa arrives in Bangkok to find a stolen head of a Buddhist statue only to realize he must not use his skills to harm people, so he uses his head, arms and legs. NR. Bijou. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: Opens at 12:01 am on Thursday, 5/19. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Stop Making Sense (1984): Jonathan Demme's 1984 concert film of the Talking Heads is arguably the best ever made. The band is fabulous, with songs such as "Burning Down the House," "Psycho Killer" and "Once in a Lifetime." David Byrne races around the stage in a very big white suit, adding more than a touch of surrealism to the enterprise. Demme's camera is everywhere at once. Terrific show. Unrated. Bijou. 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. The Food-On Project and the Lane County Food Coalition present "the child-friendly version" at 6:30 pm on 5/16 in Cesar Chavez Elementary School. $1 donation. Online archives. Unleashed: Jet Li stars as a "human pit bull" raised by a Scottish guardian (Bob Hoskins), who runs underground matches. Morgan Freeman is a blind piano teacher who changes Li's life. R. Cinemark. Films open the Friday following EW publication date unless otherwise noted. See archived reviews at www.eugeneweekly.com
CONTINUING: Amityville Horror, The: Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George star in this psychological horror about a family's dream home turned nightmare. A remake of the 1979 blockbuster and based on a true story, this suspenseful film directed by Andrew Douglas is sure to chill you. R. Movies 12. 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. Aviator, The: Martin Scorsese's 169-minute film about lover, aviation pioneer and eccentric billionaire industrialist Howard Hughes stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Hughes, with Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, John C. Reilly, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Alan Alda, Frances Conroy and Ian Holm. DiCaprio and Blanchett are brilliant, and Scorsese makes the film his own. Very highest recommendations. 2004 Academy Awards to Blanchett; Robert Richardson, cinematography; Sandy Powell, costumes; Thelma Schoonmaker, editor. PG-13. Movies 12. Online archives. 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. 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. Movies 12. Crash: Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby) wrote, directed and produced this urban drama set in Los Angeles, which looks at the complexities of racial tolerance in contemporary America. Stars Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillippe and Lorenz Tate. R. Cinema World. Cinemark. 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 woman (Drew Barrymore) he loves. PG-13. Cinemark. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Irreverent sci-fi comedy based on the late Douglas Adams' cult novel follows the adventures in space of the most ordinary man in the world, Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman). Dent and his best friend (Mos Def) barely make it off the planet before it is demolished to make way for a hyperspace freeway. Directed by Garth Jennings, film also stars Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel, John Malkovich, Warwick Davis, Helen Mirren, Thomas Lennon, Anna Chancellor, Alan Rickman and Bill Nighy; with Stephen Fry as the narrator. PG. Cinemark. Cinema World. See review this issue. House of Wax: "Prey. Slay. Display." Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray star, Jaume Serra directs, and Paris Hilton's in it. R. Cinemark. Cinema World. Interpreter, The: Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, and Catherine Keener star in Sydney Pollack's assassination-threat film set inside the actual United Nations building in New York. Kidman is a UN interpreter; Penn's a Secret Service agent. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Online archives. Kingdom of Heaven: Set in the 12th Century, this epic Crusades film is directed by Ridley Scott (Gladiator). It stars Orlando Bloom, Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons and Eva Green. Highly recommended. R. Cinema World. Cinemark. See review this issue. 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. Man of the House: Tommy Lee Jones stars as a Texas Ranger whose job is to protect cheerleaders who witnessed a murder. Action comedy directed by Stephen Herek. PG-13. Movies 12. 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. 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. Movies 12. Online archives. Millions: Directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) and written by Frank Cottrell Boyce, this enjoyable fantasy about two brothers who discover a satchel full of money, then find different ways of spending it. Recommended. PG-13. Bijou. Online archives. 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. 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. Return2Sender: Star Timmy O'Neill and director Peter Mortimer present for screening at 7 pm on 5/5 in 177 Lawrence. $9 general public/$7 UO students. 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. Movies 12. Robots: Chris Wedge's 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. Cinemark. Online archives. Sahara: Penelope Cruz, Matthew McConaughey and Steve Zahn team up to look for a long-lost Civil War battleship that protects a secret cargo. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. 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. Highly recommended for style. R. Cinemark. Online archives. XXX: State of the Union: Samuel L. Jackson takes on the role of the agent who needs a new face (Ice Cube) he calls XXX to track a military splinter group led by Willem Dafoe. The group's planning to overthrow the government. Directed by Lee Tamahori. PG-13. Cinemark.
MOVIE
THEATERS Bijou
Art Cinemas Regal
Cinemas Cinemark
Theaters
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
