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Never
Been Laid THE 40 YEAR-OLD VIRGIN: Written, directed and produced by Judd Apatow. Produced by Clayton Townsend, Shauna Robertson. Excutive producer, Jon Poll. Cinematography, Jack Green. Production design, Jackson De Govia. Editor, Brent White. Costume design, Debra McGuire. Music by Lyle Workman. Staring Steve Carell, with Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Romany Malco and Seth Rogen. Also with Elizabeth Banks, Leslie Mann, Jane Lynch. Universal Pictures, 2005. R. 111 minutes. Before the first appearance of Trish (Catherine Keener), The 40-Year-Old Virgin clearly seemed a frat-house horn-dog's movie. The guys who work at an electronics store are not just randy but also pathetic. Pothead idealist Cal (Seth Rogen) is deeply clueless. Streetwise womanizer Jay (Romany Malco) feels bad that he cheats on his girlfriend. Lovelorn David (Paul Rudd) finally flips out and turns an in-store videocam on his butt. When these fellas invite their quiet but strange co-worker, Andy (Steve Carell), to play poker, it's a mere matter of time before they start swapping sex stories.
While some guys can tell dirty jokes and make you laugh, these dudes cannot describe their own sexual experiences without making you angry if you are a woman. Their sex anecdotes are frequently misogynistic and/or infantile. But when it comes to storytelling, no sexually inexperienced man can make up a believable story, period. So it is for middle-aged Andy, and afterwards, all the guys make a project of setting him up for sex. Three women open to the idea of sex with Andy include his horny boss (Jane Lynch), party girl Nicky (Leslie Mann), and a sexy bookstore clerk, Beth (Elizabeth Banks). In the middle of Andy's store-wide humiliation, his life changes. Trish walks in. He sells her a combo VCR-DVD player and learns she owns a peculiar business across the street, where she sells merchandise for customers over the Internet. Trish gives Andy her card and her telephone number. In this movie of few subtleties, the emphasis on sex is slowly replaced by the scent of romance and true love. Can commitment and fidelity be far behind? Here I note the obvious, that a film with the title The Forty Year-Old Virgin telegraphs its basic premise for all to read and none to misunderstand. But 111 minutes is a long time to stretch out one joke. Rigorous editing could have shaved off 20 minutes and rid the film of a few repetitive jokes and over-the-top stunts. These fillers are not as original as the comic sketches on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," where Carell made his name. Even so, don't be embarrassed to laugh out loud, worn down by the relentless barrage of bad taste. As the jokes become tiresome, Carell chooses to underplay his character. Andy turns quietly persuasive, sexy, competent. After he and Trish decide to postpone sex while they get to know each other, Andy is so relieved that he "forgets" to tell Trish his secret. Despite its excesses and unfailingly inappropriate moments, Virgin has a sweetness about it that comes from Carell and Keener's performances. As a single parent of three children, Trish has learned patience, which Keener expresses as a generally unflappable good humor. Carell's Andy finds maturity a comfortable fit, which brings him credibility. Now playing at Cinema World and Cinemark, The 40Year-Old Virgin is an entertaining sex comedy.
OPENING
OR RETURNING: Animal House: National Lampoon's Animal House filmed in Lane County in the fall of 1977, at locations that include Main Street in Cottage Grove and UO campus. Wear a toga or dress up like one of the movie characters. Plays at 11:30 on 8/26, 8/27 and 8/28. Bijou. Archaeology Mini Film Festival: The second program includes two films: The Mystery of Chaco Canyon and Searching for Blue. Films only $6; with dinner at Feast and Film participants: Adam's Place ($20), Oregano's Grill ($15), Oregon Wine Warehouse ($10). At 8 pm on 8/26 at DIVA. Broken Flowers: Bill Murray plays a man who looks up all his ex-girlfriends, searching for a son he might have fathered. Jim Jarmusch's minimalist film is touted as his most accessible yet, which would be good news for most filmmakers but not for this iconoclast. Also stars Julie Delpy, Jeffrey Wright, Sharon Stone, Frances Conroy, Jessica Lange, Tilda Swinton. R. Bijou. Brothers Grimm, The: Terry Gilliam directs this tale of the legendary brothers who brought fairytales to the world, Will Grimm (Matt Damon) and Jake Grimm (Heath Ledger). Set in the Napoleonic countryside, the brothers have to wrestle with the demons and magical characters their imaginations have brought to life. Also stars Jonathan Pryce, Lena Headey, Peter Stormare and Monic Bellucci. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Cave, The: A giant underground cave system in Romania entices thrill seeking professional spelunkers Jack (Cole Hauser) and his brother Tyler (Eddie Cibrian); other divers include Piper Perabo and Morris Chestnut. The trailer is really scary and kind of cheesy. PG-13. Cinemark. Constant Gardener, The: Directed by Fernando Meirelles (City of God) and adapted from a John Le Carre novel, this thriller also stars the excellent Rachel Weisz (pronounced Vice) and the ever masterful Ralph Fiennes, playing a career diplomat who plunges into the mystery of his wife's murder. Also stars Danny Huston, Bill Nighy. R. Opens Wed. 8/31. Call theaters for showtimes. Herbie, Fully Loaded: More hijinx and shennanigans from that animated, but so unlike Christine, VW bug, Herbie as he heads to NASCAR. Starring Linsay Lohan and Justin Long. G. Movies 12. Hiding and Seeking: This acclaimed feature-length documentary by Menachem Daum and Oren Rudavsky tracks Daum's distress that his two sons, studying Orthodox Judaism in Israel, are not upset by those within Orthodoxy who preach "hatred" of the non-Jewish world. Daum travels with his sons to Poland, where they look for the Polish family who sheltered their relatives during the Holocaust, at great peril to themselves. But nothing is as expected, an uncertainty that drives Daum to embrace the rightness of the act and express the grace of the moment. Shows at 10:30 pm on 8/30, "POV" on PBS. 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. Movies 12. Swingers: First film by Doug Liman, director and photographer, and Jon Favreau, writer. Co-stars Favreau and Vince Vaughn as unemployed actors who bar hop in L.A.'s "cocktail nation" culture with their buddies, looking for "babies." R. Midnight on 8/26 and 8/27. Movies 12. Undiscovered: Meiert Avis directs an ensemble cast, which includes Steven Strait, Ashlee Simpson, Carrie Fisher, Pell James, Kip Pardue, Peter Weller and Fisher Stevens. Comedy. PG-13. Cinemark.
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. 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. Cinemark. Online archives. Bewitched: Nora Ephron (You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle) directs this story about the remaking of the classic 1960s sitcom "Bewitched" starring Will Ferrell as Darrin and Nicole Kidman as Samantha. Best when it's a sweet love story but always watchable. PG-13. Movies 12. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Tim Burton's reimagining of Roald Dahl's perennial children's favorite dark chocolate treat stars Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka with Freddie Highmore, his child co-star from Finding Neverland, along with Helen Bonham Carter. Loved it! Highest recommendations. PG. Cinema World. Cinemark. Online archives. 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. One of the best films of 2005. Very highest recommendations. R. Movies 12. Online archives. Deuce Bigalow, European Gigolo: Rob Schneider stars in this sequel to Deuce Bigalow, Male Gigalo. Bigalow goes back to work after his former pimp is accused of murdering Europe's Greatest Gigalos. R. Cinemark. Dukes of Hazzard: Good ole boy cousins Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville are drivin' the back roads of Hazzard County with cousin Jessica Simpson. With Willie Nelson, Burt Reynolds, Joe Don Baker and Lynda Carter. PG-13. Cinemark. Online archives. Fantastic Four: Marvel Comic's superheroes, transformed by cosmic rays while on an outer space mission, battle the evil powers of Doctor Doom. Directed by Tim Story, movie stars Jessica Alba, Ioan Gruffudd, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis, Julian McMahon. PG-13. Cinemark. Forty-Year Old Virgin: Andy Stitzer (Steve Carell) has lived a life of involuntary chastity, and his friends are determined to do something about his state. Directed by Judd Apatow, the film stars Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd and others. R. Cinema World. Cinemark. See review this issue. Four Brothers: After their mother is murdered, four brothers reunite to avenge her death. From John Singleton, the director of 2 Fast 2 Furious, this disappointing film stars Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin, Garrett Hedlund, with Terrence Howard. R. Cinemark. Cinema World. Online archives. Great Raid, The: John Dahl directs Benjamin Bratt, James Franco, Connie Nielsen and Joeseph Fiennes in the true story of the 6th Ranger Battalion's men who travel 30 miles behind enemy lines in 1945 to liberate more than 500 American POWs held by the Japanese in the Phlippines. R. Cinemark. 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. Movies 12. March of the Penguins: Documentary director Luc Jacquet's film chronicles the oft-repeated survival of the species in the wind-strewn wilderness of Antarctica. Film tracks a pair of Emperor Penguins across continent. Includes intimate scenes of the big birds mating. The female lays one egg, passes it to the male and takes off for a three months round trip to the sea and food. Meanwhile, the male penguins don't eat but focus exclusively on keeping the eggs alive for the gestation period. G. Bijou. Cinemark. 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. Movies 12. Online archives. Red Eye: You've all seen the trailer: Rachel McAdams is horrified to learn that her father has been kidnapped and the monster (Cillian Murphy) who's in on it is seated right next to her on a red eye to Miami. Directed by Wes Craven. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. 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. Movies 12. Skeleton Key: Something wicked lurks in the Louisiana mansion where Kate Hudson works as a live-in nurse. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Sky High: Son of superheroes The Commander (Kurt Russell) and Jetstream (Kelly Preston), poor Will (Michael Angarano) must go to Sky High, an elite high school, where he battles a nasty gym coach (Bruce Campbell), a bully, teen angst, parental expectations and girl problems. Wow! PG. Cinemark. 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. Movies 12. Online archives. Supercross: The Las Vegas Motorcross race figures in this story of two brothers whose father dies suspiciously. Cliché city. PG-13. Cinemark. Valiant: Vanguard Animation's first film includes voices by Ewan McGregor as Valiant, John Cleese, Jim Broadbent and Ricky Gervais. Set in WWII, the film's about the competition between brave English carrier pigeons (the good guys) and German falcons. Computer animation looks great. G. Cinemark. Cinema World. War of the Worlds: Directed by Steven Spielberg, this retelling of H.G. Well's seminal sci-fi adventure thriller about an invasion of Earth by Martians, as seen through the eyes of ordinary people played by Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Justin Chatwin, Miranda Otto, and Tim Robbins. Riveting, challenging and moving; very highest recommendations. PG-13. Cinemark. Online archives. Wedding Crashers: Hyper pranksters Owen Wilson and Vince Vaghn star in this throwback to a rowdier time in movies. Things go well for the boys until they meet up with Rachel McAdams and Isla Fisher and their parents, Christopher Walken and Jane Seymour. R. Cinemark. Cinema World.
MOVIE
THEATERS Bijou
Art Cinemas Regal
Cinemas Cinemark
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