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Chemistry
Set MR. AND MRS. SMITH. Directed by Doug Liman. Written by Simon Kinberg. Produced by Arnon Milchan, Akiva Goldsman, Lucas Foster, Patrick Wachsberger, Eric McLeod. Executive producer, Erik Feig. Music, John Powell. Cinematography, Bojan Bazelli. Editor, Michael Tronick. Production design, Jeff Mann. Costumes, Michael Kaplan. Starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, with Adam Brody and Kerry Washington.
It's very tempting to be glib about a movie — an action adventure romance thriller comedy, if you believe the hype — which stars two of the mysteriously appointed Most Beautiful People in the World as two beautiful people who are not only bored with their stunningly perfect marriage, but ... they're both assassins! How delicious! But to be too arch about it would be unfair to Mr. and Mrs. Smith, a surprisingly endearing popcorn flick. True, the movie's plot is not so much a story as a way to get the characters where the writer wants them: at each other's throats. Thankfully, it's while at each other's throats that the Mister and Missus display enough chemistry to fuel a half-dozen of the usual simpering romantic comedies. The Smiths aren't happy. Jane (Angelina Jolie) cooks, John (Brad Pitt) pours himself a martini, they argue about the curtains and they make nice with their suburban neighbors (including About a Boy director Chris Weitz in a sweetly clueless cameo). Then they go to work and kill people. Innocuous cover careers aside (she's a computer whiz, he's in construction), the Smiths suffer from serious marital dishonesty when it comes to their jobs. Jane works for an oddly Charlie's Angels-like assassin-for-hire company staffed entirely by women but apparently ghost-run by an off-screen voice the employees refer to as "Father." John works out of a run-down office with a bossy secretary and a fast-talking sidekick (Vince Vaughn, rehashing a bit of his Swingers character); it's unclear who runs the show on his side of the gunslinger pond. Eventually, the two impossibly attractive, unscarred assassins are sent out on the same hit, a slightly confusing hand-off involving a hostage nicknamed "Tank" (The O.C.'s Seth Cohen — er, Adam Brody). Much angst and drinking follows the inevitable reveal, as husband and wife come to terms with two things: She/he has been lying all along! And now I have to kill him/her! The scenes — and the banter — that follow are what make this movie so much fun. The whiz-bang explosions and high-tech weapons are cool, sure, but not nearly as cool as the pat-down the couple give each other on a dance floor or the believably juvenile insults they fling when they feel defensive in ways that don't involve guns and knives. (Jane's apparent love for sharp edges is, as a nod to Jolie's professed attraction to knives, funnier than it really should be.) As John, Brad Pitt plays up his somewhat bland, blond handsomeness, to the point of making a certain goofy, all-American-boy charm part of his approach to his work. Jane, hard-assed and aloof, takes another tack. It's Jolie who makes this movie. Her characteristic intensity keeps the most throwaway lines from being too cute and gives her emotional moments a much-needed touch of gravity. Jolie delineates Jane's elegant ennui with every raised eyebrow and flat response to her husband, and she lights up when it comes to her work: No-nonsense and inventive, Mrs. Smith is clearly the deadlier breadwinner in this household. Despite its flimsy story and slightly unsatisfying ending, Mr. and Mrs. Smith is undeniably enjoyable. It succeeds on many levels at being the multi-hyphenate movie it wants to be: Funny, dramatic, action-packed, at heart it's still a movie about one couple who find a decidedly atypical way to put the spice back in their relationship. Director Doug Liman doesn't work quite the same action-romance magic here that he did in The Bourne Identity — the action tends to be slick and bloodless, and often too muddled to impress — but he's created a winning summer flick that rises well above the things the tabloids are trying to make it about.
OPENING
OR RETURNING: A Lot Like Love: Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet are opposites who keep running into each other over the years after an initial disaster. Are they friends or is this love? Directed by Nigel Cole (Calendar Girls). PG-13. Movies 12. Batman Begins: Christopher Nolan (Insomnia, Memento) directs an all star cast to bring you the story of how young Bruce Wayne (Christopher Hale) becomes the Dark Knight. Also stars Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Katie Holmes. PG13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Cannibal, the Musical: 1996 film about a sole survivor of an ill-fated mining expedition who tells how his taste for gold was replaced by that of human flesh. As the title implies, this horror/comedy tells the story with song and dance. A Trey Parker (South Park, World Police) original. R. LateNite Bijou. Herbie, Fully Loaded: More hijinx and shennanigans from that animated, but so unlike Christine, VW bug, Herbie as he heads to NASCAR. Preview on Sunday – take your dad. Starring Linsay Lohan and Justin Long. G. Cinemark. Howl's Moving Castle: Another phenomenon by Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke) at the top of the charts in Japan, finally makes its way to Eugene. This time he brings us a love story about a young woman cursed into an old woman's body who must, of course, make her way in the world and find a cure. Beautiful animation and powerful stories characterize his films. Don't miss this one. PG. Bijou. Perfect Man, The: Mark Rosnan (A Cinderella Story) directs Heather Locklear and Hilary Duff in this romantic comedy about a teenager inventing the "perfect man" for her single mom. PG. Cinema World. Cinemark. Travelers and Magicians: Khyentse Norbu (The Cup) directs this story of two men: one, chasing love ends up in a dream. The other, chasing a dream, leaves love behind. Filmed in Bhutan, Travelers and Magicians opens a window into this beautiful, tiny Buddhist kingdom and the Bhutanese culture. NR. Bijou. 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. Movies 12. Online archives.
CONTINUING: Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girls in 3D, The: Cayden Boyd stars as a boy whose imaginary superhero friends come to life and join him on a series of adventures. Directed by Robert Rodriguez (Sin City, Spy Kids). PG. Cinemark. Cinema World. 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. Online Archives. 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. Hitch: Will Smith stars in this romantic comedy as a New York "date doctor" who helps hapless men woo the women of their dreams. Costars Kevin James, Amber Valletta, Eva Mendes, Michael Rappaport and Adam Arkin. Directed by Andy Tennant. PG-13. Movies 12. Honeymooners, The: Comedy about a working class New York bus driver Ralph Kramden (Cedric the Entertainer) who is always coming up with get-rich-quick schemes for him and his best friend, Ed Norton (Epps). PG-13. Cinemark. 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. Movies 12. 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. Movies 12. Online archives. Layercake: A successful cocaine dealer (Daniel Craig) planning an early retirement is lured back into business by a love interest and an international drug ring. R. Bijou. 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. Cinemark. 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. 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. 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. Movies 12. Mr & Mrs Smith: An action adventure romantic comedy thriller about a bored married couple (Angelia Jolie and Brad Pitt) who is surprised to learn that they are assassins hired to kill each other. Directed by Doug Liman (Bourne Identity). PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. See Review This Issue. 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. 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. Movies 12. 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. 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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