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Working
Class Hero CINDERELLA MAN: Directed by Ron Howard. Story by Cliff Hollingsworth. Written by Hollingsworth and Akiva Goldsman. Produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Penny Marshal. Executive producer, Todd Hallowell. Music, Thomas Newman. Cinematography, Salvatore Totino. Editors, Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill. Production design, Wynn Thomas. Sound design, John J. Thomson. Costumes, Daniel Orlandi. Starring Russell Crowe and Renée Zellwegger, with Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko, Connor Price, Tim Eddis, Bruce McGill, Darrin Brown, Mike Wilson and Rosemarie DeWitt. Universal Pictures, 2005. PG-13. 144 minutes. Watching Russell Crowe in the fight scenes of Cinderella Man, I thought again how he has it all as an actor — intelligence, passion, good looks, naturalistic style and athleticism. This winning combination makes Crowe the most watchable actor now working in films. As the Depression Era boxer James J. Braddock, Crowe employs his gifts to turn an admirable but forgotten historical boxer into a complicated, focused and courageous fighter. Braddock not only fights in the ring but also closer to home, as he and his wife, Mae (Renée Zellwegger), struggle to keep their family together despite the country's widespread, crippling poverty and record unemployment.
A member of the press once asks Braddock why he fights. "For milk," he replies. "To keep the lights and heat on" or "Food" or "Shoes for the kids" would have been as true. While the story of Braddock's surprise comeback as a boxer is the central narrative of the film, its heart is his straightforward respect and love for his family. No sentimental tear-jerker, Cinderella Man speaks to sacrifice and determination from one generation to another as the essence of what used to be called the American way of life. The fight sequences are varied enough in texture to not run together in memory. Through unfortunate timing this excellent fight film follows on the heels of Clint Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby, to which it is related only through the specificity of the ring. The films are dramatically and cinematically unalike. When Cinderella Man opens, James and Mae Braddock live in a lovely middle class home, with a lantern-lit patio for fight-night's late homecomings. Like millions of other people, including Jim's friend Mike Wilson (Paddy Considine, In America), a former stock-broker, Braddock loses his investments when the stock market crashes. Jim and Mae sell everything of value but end up living in a one-room apartment in a New Jersey tenement, struggling to put food on the table for three growing kids. Fighting injured one night, Braddock's right hand breaks in several places with a sickening sound. His license to fight is revoked. He joins Mike and the other men looking for work at the docks. I love working-class films, which are increasingly rare in America, just as blue-collar workers are absent in greater numbers from the service-dominated American work force. Boxing has always been a sport within which new immigrants had a fighting chance for the main prize. Director Ron Howard emphasizes the sport's class distinctions in the scenes between the scrappy New Jersey fighter and Johnny Johnston (Bruce McGill), the well-heeled matchmaker at Madison Square Gardens. Braddock's own trainer and promoter, Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti), presents an upper-class image that is all smoke and mirrors. Giamatti's abilities undergird the film, as he again demonstrates his acting versatility. I loved Howard's Apollo 13, and A Beautiful Mind was a sterling portrait of a troubled man. Backdraft was a terrific take on the lure and danger of fire-fighting. I missed The Missing, but I can see why Jim Braddock's story attracted Howard. Like many of the director's previous heroes, Braddock is a self-made man, an American original, a working-class hero. But I don't think Howard does justice to the feminine side of the picture. Zellwegger makes the best of questionable dialogue in some scenes with Crowe, especially Mae's baby-talking babble when she greets Jim after a fight and recites his accomplishments. But like many directors, Howard's weakness is directing heroic women with the same fervor he lavishes on men. Crowe trained for the film with Angelo Dundee, Muhammad Ali's trainer for 21 years. Dundee watched Braddock fight in person and knew that fighters of that era were not the bulked up muscle machines they are today. From a starting weight of 228, Crowe reached Braddock's fighting weight of 178, earning muscles through kayaking, swimming, running, biking, hiking, skipping rope and working with a punching bag. This transformation follows Braddock through his undernourished, injured time away from the ring to the fighting fitness he achieved from heavy lifting on the docks and his prize — a left-hand punch as strong as his right. Cinderella Man opens Friday, June 3 at Cinemark and Cinema World. Very highest recommendations; don't miss this one.
OPENING
OR RETURNING: Brother From Another Planet, The (1984): John Sayles' dark comedy about a mute, black alien (played by Joe Morton) who crash-lands in Harlem, where he's pursued by alien bounty hunters (one of them played by Sayles). Great fun. At 6 pm on 6/5 at DIVA. Free. Cinderella Man: Russell Crowe stars as real-life, Depression Era boxer Jim Braddock; Renee Zellwegger plays his supportive wife, Mae. Directed by Ron Howard, picture also stars the great Paul Giamatti. A complicated, focused and courageous fighter, Braddock not only spars in the ring but also struggles to keep his family together despite the country's widespread, crippling poverty and record unemployment. Very highest recommendations. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. See review this issue. Ghost in the Shell (Japan, 1995): Thoughtful Japanese anime directed by Mamoru Oshii is set in 2029. A security policeman is searching for an evil super hacker known as the Puppet Master. Ghost in the Shell 2 Innocence (Japan, 2004): Mamoru Oshii's sequel is set in the year 2032, when humans and machines have become the same. A solitary cyborg wants desperately to hold onto what's left of humanity. PG-13. At 7 pm on 6/8 in 180 PLC, UO. Free. 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. Movies 12. Lords of Dogtown: Written by Stacy Peralta, a former skateboarder himself, this is the commercial, fictionally enhanced version of his outstanding documentary, Dogtown and the Z Boys, about the Venice, California kids who combined the moves of surfing with the art of skateboarding. Stars Emile Hirsch, Victor Rasuk, John Robinson; directed by Catherine Hardwicke. PG-13. Cinemark. Mastermind, The (Russian, 2001): As Yuri Grymov's characters are caught in a flood, they become aware that their lives are terrifying. At 7 pm on 6/7 in 115 Pacific, UO. Free. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants: Four young women who've been friends since childhood are now going their different ways. They wonder how they'll stay in touch until they discover a pair of jeans that fit each of them perfectly. Stars America Ferrera, Blake Lively, Alexis Bledel and Amber Tamblyn. PG. Cinema World. Cinemark. Steamboy: Featuring the voices of Anna Paquin, Alfred Molina and Patrick Stewart, this beautiful anime from Japanese director Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira) is a retro sci-fi epic set in Victorian England. A young inventor receives a mysterious metal ball that contains a new form of energy, and he must use it to save London from destruction. PG-13. Bijou. Taxi Driver (1976): Martin Scorsese's stunning tale of a psychotic New York taxi driver stars Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster and Harvey Keitel. Unforgettable urban nightmare, brilliant performances in this restored re-release. Travis Bickell (Robert DeNiro) turns violent avenging the exploitation of an 11-year-old prostitute (Jodie Foster). Co-stars Cybill Shepherd, Albert Brooks, Peter Boyle and Harvey Keitel. R. LateNite Bijou.
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. 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. Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room: Documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney wades into the Enron debacle and tracks the primary culprits — Andrew Fastow, Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling — as they orchestrate the spectacular demise of a once-respectable natural gas pipe-line company into the greediest kid on the block. Based on Fortune reporters Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind best-seller. Very highest recommendations. Bijou. Online archives. 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. Movies 12. 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. Movies 12. 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. Movies 12. 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. Movies 12. 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. Movies 12. Online archives. 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. Cinemark. 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. Cinemark. Online archives. Kung-Fu Hustle: In pre-revolutionary China, a small-time thief aspires to belong to an underworld gang. Stephen Chow's satiric send-up of kung-fu movies has garnered positive reviews. LA Weekly calls it a "slapstick martial-arts masterpiece." Brilliant. Very highest recommendations. R. LateNite Bijou. Online archives. Longest Yard, The: Lots of world-class athletes from NFL players to kick-boxers and wrestlers star along with Adam Sandler, Burt Reynolds and Chris Rock in this comic tall tale of a group of diverse inmates who team up to play against their guards. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Madagascar: Computer-animated comedy stars voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith as animals who escape from the Central Park Zoo for a big city adventure. But they are captured and put on a ship headed for Africa, where they must survive in the wild. Directed by Eric Darnell (Antz) and Tom McGrath ("The Ren and Stimpy Show"). PG. Cinemark. Cinema World. 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. 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. Enrique Murciano, William Shatner, Heather Burns, Treat Williams co-star. Directed by John Pasquin. PG-13. Movies 12. 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. Nobody Knows: Based on the true story of four Japanese youngsters abandoned by their mother in a Tokyo apartment, this film by Hirokazu Kore-eda (After Life ) is cinematically gorgeous, with outstanding performances. Almost unbearably sad but so worth seeing for its exquisite picture of the fragility of childhood. Very highest recommendations. PG-13. Bijou. Online archives. Off the Map: An unusual family lives in the high-desert sagebrush near Taos, New Mexico, in the mid-1970s, when an IRS man comes to audit their taxes but stays and becomes part of the family. 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. Online archives. 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. 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. Movies 12. Online archives. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: The long-awaited final episode in George Lucas's series stars Hayden Christensen, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman. From Village Voice reviewer Ed Halter: "Lucas packs his latest with physics-defying deep-space dogfights and zhoozhing lightsaber battles, frequently cutting back and forth between two simultaneous melees on separate planets, deploying his signature Flash Gordon wipes." PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Online archives.
MOVIE
THEATERS Bijou
Art Cinemas Regal
Cinemas Cinemark
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