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Can't
Stop the Signal SERENITY: Written and directed by Joss Whedon. Produced by Barry Mendel. Executive producers, Christopher Buchanan, David V. Lester, Alisa Tager. Cinematography, Jack N. Green. Production design, Barry Chusid. Editor, Lisa Lassek. Costumes, Ruth E. Carter. Music, David Newman. Starring Nathan Fillion, Summer Glau, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, Morena Baccarin, Jewel Staite, Sean Maher, Ron Glass, Chiwetal Ejiofor and David Krumholtz. Universal Pictures, 2005. PG-13. 119 minutes. The first thing you need to know about Serenity, the first feature film from Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, is not the oft-told tale about how the movie was born from the ashes of a short-lived 2002 TV series called Firefly (though that is a pretty good yarn). It's that on nearly every level, Whedon's character-driven space opera beats those bigger-budget behemoths George Lucas has been unleashing on us for the last few years. Hands down. (Lucas does have, it must be admitted, more money and thus shinier effects.) While in many cases it may not be necessary or even fair to compare apples and oranges like these two films, here it seems appropriate: Some of us have been waiting for more years than we'd like to admit for a science fiction adventure that takes the saucy, rebellious Han Solo spirit and runs with it like Serenity does.
Serenity is set 500 years in the future, a time when a few things have progressed (space travel and metropolitan architecture, for two) but some things just haven't: Life on distant planets, far from the central core, is frontier-like, a strange mishmash of high-tech gadgets and dusty, downtrodden towns. It's in the space between these outlying planets that Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) and his crew make their home aboard the titular spaceship, taking odd jobs (some lacking legality) and alternately bonding and fighting, like people in a confined space tend to do. (The crew often swears in Mandarin, a clever way of both getting around ratings issues and indicating that in this future, China and the U.S. are the controlling superpowers.) Mal's crew is a ragtag bunch: randy mechanic Kaylee (Jewel Staite); first mate Zoe (Gina Torres); her husband, Wash (Alan Tudyk), the pilot; Jayne (Adam Baldwin), the muscle; and Simon and River Tam (Sean Maher and Summer Glau), former passengers turned crew — of sorts. Simon's a doctor, and useful shipboard, but his sister River is an unstable psychic, liberated from a secret medical facility by her brother. The Alliance, the shady government of the central planets, wants River back, very badly. An Operative (Chiwetal Ejiofor) is sent to capture or kill the younger Tam, which doesn't sit so well with the Captain, a former rebel soldier on the losing side in a war against the Alliance. The plot of Serenity is a two-pronged quest: The Operative's search for River, and Mal's initially reluctant search for the cause of River's sometime madness. ("Bar fight" is given new meaning when the girl's previously dormant combat powers are triggered by a subliminal message in a giddy commercial.) What drives the plot, though, is Whedon's characters, and the sparkling dialogue in which they speak. Whedon's had years of experience pairing tension and comedy on his three TV series, and Serenity is the result: After Buffy and Angel, he's graduated from quippy teen angst to telling grown-up stories about truth, justice, freedom and belief. Sharp, frightening, funny and taut, Serenity makes the most of a talented cast (all but Ejiofor were brought over from the series) and its writer-director's skills. Ejiofor is coolly ruthless as a man dangerously driven by his belief in a better world, but this is River and Mal's story, and the two comport themselves like the stars they ought to turn out to be. Glau, a former dancer, is quite a find: Her expressive face and innate grace (her fight scenes are things of beauty) make you forget that she barely says a dozen sentences throughout the film. Fillion carries the weight both of the movie and of the message that Serenity's crew ultimately needs to spread, and he does it with burning intensity, all glower and spark. "You can't stop the signal," says Mr. Universe (David Krumholtz) at one point in the film, and one hopes this is true of the Serenity universe as well: Whedon's unique vision of the future doubtless holds more stories, and we can only hope we'll get to see them on either screen, big or small.
Reaching
Higher Ground HIGHER GROUND. Warren Miller Entertainment, Time4 Media. Producer/Director Max Bervy. Skiing and snowboarding talent Dave Barlia, Jeremy Bloom, Jeremy Nobis, Seth Morrison, Shane McConkey, Glen Plake, Bridger Gile, Ingrid Blackstrom. The best moments of Warren Miller's newest, Higher Ground, are not when the pros are slicing through virgin powder in Alaska, dropping sickening cliffs in B.C. or hitting impossible rails at a competition in Vail. The classic, gorgeous cinematography that sets Miller apart from the pack (along with sheer longevity) is there, sure. But the highlight of the film comes early and isn't even mentioned in the press pack: 85-year-old Klaus Obermeyer (yes, the founder of the outerwear company) launching himself into a 360 more than 15 feet above the lip of a halfpipe and landing clean.
"It's nice when you go backwards because you can always see where you were," Obermeyer says with a grin as he heads backwards into a jump. Obermeyer's narration, which is juxtaposed with clips of 5-year-old child prodigy Bridger Gile, includes quite a bit about then and now. Said by someone with less passion for the sport, it would be unbearably cheesy. But it's not. It's unbelievably cool. It's at that moment that Higher Ground raises the bar and Miller clearly distinguishes himself from adrenaline-pumping movies that are geared only for boys in their 20s and 30s. The music is so odd at times it's noteworthy. The movie opens with a weird emo-opera song but quickly gets a little more traditional. Still, the soundtrack steers away from the distortion-laden post punk stuff and more toward solid, melody-driven rock. We're not sure exactly who Miller's target audience is, but this film, his 56th, has something for everyone. He's got the NYC Fire Department slaloming with a fire hose, a scene that had us laughing so hard tears were running down our faces. We could have happily skipped the section on Extreme Urban Skipping — this is a good time to take a break since you won't miss anything. But we loved the section on Arctic Man, a competition up in "Nowhere Alaska" which combines snowmobiling and downhill racing with skiers often reaching speeds as high as 85 mph. It's intense and one of the most visually fun sections of the film. And watching Dave Barlia barely miss some rocky peaks as he plummets from the summit of Mount Blanc in a wingsuit is enough to get your heart pounding. Interspersed with the stunts and antics is some really amazing footage with lots of big names. Peter and Michael Olenick, Dave Downing, Marja Persson, Jeremy Nobis. Chelone Miller, Brent Abrams, and of course Glen Plake, all make an appearance. Some day Miller will figure out that girls can tear it up too. Until then, we'll have to suffer through his patronizing comments, REPEATED from last year's Impact, and make due with Ingrid Backstrom and Sarah Burke ripping through the deep canyons and ice pillars in Blue River, B.C. If you want to leave the theater awestruck with your eyes bulging and your heart pounding, you should have made it to Banff's Radical Reels a few weeks back. But if you want to get amped for the season, get loads of swag, and see some amazing lines and funny antics, don't miss Higher Ground showing 6 and 9 pm, Oct. 26 at the McDonald Theatre. Buy tickets at Berg's Ski and Snowboard Shop, TicketsWest or at the McDonald Theatre box office on the night of the show. $16.50.
OPENING
OR RETURNING: A Certain Liberation: A film from Bangladesh telling the story of a madwoman 30 years after her rape and death of her family during the "liberation war." Plays at 7 pm on 10/26 in 180 PLC, UO. Free. Archaeology Mini Film Festival: The continuing program includes two films: "Ephesus – Metropolis of the Ancient World" and "The Mummies of Taklamakan." Plays on 10/23 at 12 noon. $6. Bijou. Devil's Rejects: Sequel to "House of 1,000 Corpses" by Rob Zombie, telling the further nasty adventures of the Firefly family on the run in Texas, a killin' and a murderin' in a most sadistic fashion. Took the record in 2005 for the most prolific use of the word "fuck" in a feature film. Rated R. Latenight Bijou. Doom: Loosely based on the game by the same name, this sci-fi horror flick from Andrzej Bartowiak takes us to a research station on Mars to hunt down the nasties inadvertently released. Although the film is live action, the angles and visuals are very like a video game – without the joystick. Rated R. Cinemark. Cinema World. Dreamer: Inspired By a True Story: Drama about a father (Kurt Russell) who, for the love of his daughter (Dakota Fanning), sacrifices almost everything to save the life of an injured racehorse and bring the filly back to her former glory. Also stars Kris Kristofferson & Elizabeth Shue. Rated PG. Cinemark. Cinema World. Edukators: Comedy/drama about 3 activists who break into expensive homes. They don't steal anything, instead they rearrange the furniture and leave messages – until things get complicated. Stars Daniel Bruhl (Goodbye Lenin!). Rated R. Bijou. Four Brothers: After their mother is murdered, four brothers reunite to avenge her death. From the director of 2 Fast 2 Furious. Stars Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, Andre Benjamin and Garrett Hedlund. R. Movies 12. Freaky Circus Guy: Documentary film featuring Ken Harck, an eccentric Chicago art collector who opens an authentic sideshow on the New Jersey boardwalk. Part of live show, FreakFest, at the Bijou with the Cirkus Pandemonium troupe who will perform live at 10:30 pm prior to showing at 11:30 pm. 10/21, 10/22, & 10/23. Latenight Bijou. North Country: Niki Caro (Whale Rider) delivers this powerful story of Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron) and her struggle against sexual harassment in the mines of northern Minnesota. Also stars Sissy Spacek, Elle Peterson, Woody Harrelson, Sean Bean. Rated R. Cinema World. Cinemark. Peaceable Kingdom: Sponsored by SETA – Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, this documentary featuring farming and animal husbandry tells the riveting stories of people struggling with their conscience around some of our society's most fundamental assumptions. Plays at 7 pm on 10/26 in 100 Willamette Hall. Free. Peacekeepers and the Women, The: Winner of the Arte-Documentary Award for Best German Documentary, this chilling investigation examines the booming sex-trafficking industry in Bosnia and Kosovo, and boldly explores the disturbing role of the UN peacekeeping forces and the local military in perpetuating this tragic situation. Plays at 7 pm on 10/26 in 180 PLC, UO. Free. 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. Movies 12. Stay: Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Monster's Ball) directs this psychological thriller about a suicidal young man and his psychiatrist's desperate attempts to help him. Stars Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts & Ryan Gosling. Rated R. Cinemark. Work and the Glory 2, The: American Zion: A family struggles against religious persecution in the 1800's, heading west. This film tells a story of a fictional family against the backdrop of Mormon history. Rated PG13. Cinemark.
CONTINUING: 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. Movies 12. Online archives. 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. Movies 12. Online archives. Corpse Bride, Tim Burton's: Stop-motion animated film set in a 19th century European village is voiced by Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham-Carter and Emily Watson. PG. Cinemark. Domino: Kiera Knightly stars in this movie based on the true story of Domino Harvey's life, from Beverly Hills to bounty hunter. Gritty, violent, action-packed and intriguing. Rated R. Cinema World. Cinemark 17. 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. Movies 12. Online archives. Elizabethtown: Cameron Crowe (Vanilla Sky, Jerry McGuire) directs Orlando Bloom as Drew Baylor, a young man who's just lost his job, his girlfriend, and his father. This romantic comedy-drama tells his story of returning home to Kentucky and finding new meaning in his life. Rated PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark 17. 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. Movies 12. Flightplan: Jody Foster stars in this Brian Grazer-produced psychological thriller about a woman whose 6-year old daughter disappears without a trace mid-flight in a state-of-the-art aircraft. Directed by Robert Swenke, film also stars Peter Sarsgaard and Sean Bean. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Online archives. Fog, The: Remake (and slight re-write) of John Carpenter's horror film by the same name, this film tells the story of the ghostly lepers returning to take their revenge on a small town's descendants. Stars Tim Welling, Maggie Grace, and Selma Blair. Rated PG-13. Cinemark 17. 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. Cinemark. Online archives. Grizzly Man: Werner Herzog's docuentary about grizzly activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard who lived among the grizzlies of Alaska until their death in 2003. Rated R. Bijou. Online archives. History of Violence, A: After foiling a robbery in his small-town diner, Viggo Mortensen's quiet life with his wife and two children is plunged into a media circus, which attracts unsavory characters who claim they are from his shady past. Directed by the great David Cronenberg, the film also stars Maria Bello, William Hurt and Ed Harris. R. Cinemark. Cinema World. Online archives. In Her Shoes: Directed by Curtis Hanson. Sisters Maggie (Cameron Diaz) and Rose (Toni Collette) have little in common, but after a major break, they find their way back together with the help of a grandmother (Shirley MacLaine) they didn't know existed. 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. 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. Movies 12. Online archives. Must Love Dogs: Directed by Gary David Goldberg, a television sitcom director, pic stars the fabulous Diane Lane as a divorcée beginning to date again. Co-stars John Cusack, Dermot Mulroney, Christopher Plummer and Elizabeth Perkins. Sure to be a popular, commercial romantic comedy. PG-13. Movies 12. Online archives. Proof: John Madden directs Gwyneth Paltrow, Anthony Hopkins, Jake Gyllenhaal and Hope Davis in the story of a young woman who took care of her dying father and now must confront her own strengths and fears. PG-13. Cinema World. Serenity: Cast and crew of the sci-fi cult hit "Firefly" have regrouped for the big screen. Joss Whedon (Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel) directs the story of the crew of Serenity and their struggles to evade the Alliance while they unravel the mystery of River (Summer Glau). Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, David Krumholtz and Chiwetel Ejiofor. PG-13. Cinemark. See Review this Issue. 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. Movies 12. Thumbsucker: Written and directed by Mike Mills, this offbeat comedy stars Lou Pucci as a 17-year old outsider who sucks his thumb. His mother (Tilda Swinton) and father (Vincent D'Onofrio) seek help. Great performances by these three supported by Keanu Reeves as boy's deadpan orthodontist and Vince Vaughn as his debate coach. You don't want to miss this one! Very highest recommendations. R. Bijou. Online archives. Transporter 2, The: Former Special Forces operative (Jason Statham) must find the kidnapper who took a boy from the wealthy family he works for. Written and produced by Lu Besson, directed by Louis Leterrier, film also stars Alessandro Gassman, Amber Valetta, Mathew Modine and Kate Nauta. PG-13. Movies 12. Two for the Money: Naïve former college football star (Matthew McConaughey) sells his soul to work for a powerful bookie (Al Pacino). When trouble comes, push becomes shove. Rene Russo co-stars, and D. J. Caruso directs. R. Cinemark. Waiting: Comedy about "frustrated waiters, stingy tippers and dicey food" wants to take away your appetite. Stars Ryan Reynolds, Anna Faris and Justin Long. Duh! R. Cinemark. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit: Nick Park's and Steve Box's outstanding creations, an eccentric inventor named Wallace and his long-suffering, silent but faithful dog, Gromit, finally reach the big screen in their first feature-length film. The mystery of a vegetable-ravaging "beast" must be solved to save the village's Giant Vegetable Competition, and our intrepid hero Wallace (voice by Peter Sallis) is just the man for the job. Lady Tottington (Helena Bonham Careter) and Victor Quartermaine (Ralph Fiennes) co-star. Most excellent, divine comedy. G. Cinema World. Cinemark. Online archives. 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. Movies 12. 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. Movies 12.
MOVIE
THEATERS Bijou
Art Cinemas Regal
Cinemas Cinemark
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