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A
Cool Hero GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK: Directed and co-written by George Clooney. Co-written and produced by Grant Heslov. Co-producer Barbara A. Hall. Executive producers Steven Sodergergh, Ben Cosgrove, Jennifer Fox, Todd Wagner, Mark Cuban, Marc Butan, Chris Salvaterra. and Jeff Skoll. Cinematography, Robert Elswit. Editor, Stephen Mirrione. Production design, Jim Bissell. Costume design, Louise Frogley. Music supervisor, Alan Sviridoff. Starring David Strathairn, George Clooney, Patricia Clarkson, Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey Jr., Frank Langella, Ray Wise and Dianne Reeves. With Robert John Burke, Reed Diamond, Tate Donovan, Grant Heslov, Tom McCarthy, Matt Ross. Section Eight Production. Warner Independent Pictures, 2005. PG. 90 minutes. Venice Film Festival 2005: Best Screenplay George Clooney and Grant Heslov, Best Actor David Strathairn. In this exceptional film, George Clooney and Grant Heslov have taken meticulous care to present the facts, as did television newsman Edward R. Murrow and producer Fred Friendly in 1953 when they aired a revolutionary segment of their CBS news program, "See It Now." On live TV, Murrow revealed Sen. Joseph McCarthy for the ruthless demagogue he was, by using McCarthy's own image and words.
Good Night, and Good Luck has other pleasures besides the kinescopes of Joe McCarthy at the peak of his rabid, hectoring power. But many people will not only not know who Murrow was but also will never have heard of McCarthy and the infamous Communist witch hunts he led. No matter. If you see the film, you'll get the history. It's brilliant to use both men's own words to express their conflict. With the gifted actor David Strathairn playing Murrow, a deft Clooney as Friendly, and McCarthy himself, mid-20th century America comes alive. The mid-1950s is depicted here as one of political dissent, intellectual principles and personal courage, not the frivolous, complacent, conformist age the media prefers to remember and thus the way people assume it was. I loved singer Dianne Reeves' generous renditions of 1960s cool jazz and pop songs, which add to the film's veracity. Even the ubiquitous cigarette smoke was part of the milieu. But the real atmosphere was that created by fear-mongering and baseless accusations from the national level. But ignorance is no excuse for journalists — even movie critics. When I read Armond White's disagreeable review of the film in The New York Press (9/21), I had to laugh. White refers to the film's "cowardly subplot" of two people scared to sign what he disingenuously calls a "loyalty agreement." Believe me, no one called it that then. It was a loyalty oath, as in "I swear that I have never been and am not now a …" — fill in the blanks. Teachers in Texas schools, including state university professors, were fired if they refused to sign loyalty oaths. They weren't alone. The picture is a nearly perfect core sample of a time and a place, but it is also only part of a life. We don't meet Murrow's family, we don't go home with him. We see him in the chaotic business of getting the news and getting it right, with colleagues such as Joe and Shirley Wershba (Robert Downey Jr. and Patricia Clarkson), who are secretly married, a CBS-no-no. Reporter Don Hellebck (Ray Wise) pays a high price for his principles, when a local reviewer targets him with smears. Sig Mickelson (Jeff Daniels) plays the CBS news division head. William S. Paley (Frank Langella), chairman-for-life of CBS, was president of the network during Murrow's time. One of the best scenes is a high-wire act between "Ed" and "Bill." The offstage manipulation of sponsors and string pulling by higher-ups isn't a pretty picture, but commerce has always been part of the broadcasting business. Over the opening credits, we observe a gathering of men in suits and ties in a New York bar, drinking, taking pictures, smiling and talking over the music. We don't recognize them as some of the figures above, but all made a mark on television broadcasting, which was in its infancy at this time. None had a greater impact on news reporting than Ed Murrow. Murrow's address to a 1958 convention of broadcasters bookends the film proper. A fabulous writer, with a terse, unsmiling demeanor, he holds your attention. Such serious-mindedness is taboo now. Murrow's was a rare voice that claimed the job of the media was to inform and support, not "to distract, delude, denude and isolate" us. Amen. Now playing at Cinema World, Good Night is one of the best films of 2005, maybe the very best.
The
Collector EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED: Written and directed by Liev Schreiber, based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. Produced by Marc Turtletaub, Peter Saraf. Executive producer, Matthew Stillman. Cinematographer, Matthew Libatique. Editor, Craig McKay, Andrew Marcus. Production design, Mark Geraghty. Costume design, Michael Clancy. Animal trainers, Boone Narr, David Allsberry. Starring Elijah Wood, Eugene Hutz, Boris Leskin, Laryssa Lauret. Warner Independent Pictures, 2005. PG-13. 104 minutes. I loved this funny, sad movie, and I think you will, too, especially if you are not burdened by having read Jonathan Safran Foer's critical and popular novel nor by expectations based on it. I'm all for literacy, but I believe films based on books need to take creative risks, and I applaud writer, director Liev Schreiber for taking chances with his cinematic vision. He chose to limit the story and number of characters and to change the book's first-person narrator to one whose hip, fractured speech adds its own color to the project.
Elijah Wood plays a sober, cerebral young man named Jonathan Safran Foer, who has collected mementos from his large extended Jewish family since he was a child. Well, Jonathan actually stole the first artifact for his collection from his beloved grandfather's bedside table. He still carries it — a grasshopper preserved in amber. Now, on his grandmother's deathbed, she gives him a 1940 photograph of his Ukrainian grandfather and namesake with a woman named Augustine who saved his life. Jonathan becomes obsessed with finding the woman and sets about locating his grandfather's home town, Trachimbrod, which has disappeared from the map. From a culture worlds away and amazingly different from Jonathan's, a Ukrainian family of three generations sits at the dinner table in Odessa. Grandfather (Boris Leskin) has retired as a driver for American Jews on tours of their ancestral villages. Now he stays home and dotes on his "seeing-eye bitch," a smart but intolerant border collie named Sammy Davis Jr. Jr. Father is an entrepreneur who insists grandfather take his American Jewish client to look for an obscure Ukrainian village. The son, Alex (Eugene Hutz), is out of favor with both his father and grandfather because he doesn't work, spends all his time dancing at the club, wears an American tracksuit and shoes and worships hip-hop culture. Alex is the film's narrator. The film becomes a bonafide road movie once Jonathan arrives in the Ukraine. Alex is Jonathan's translator, but his skills are limited, so he just makes up stuff in his slang-rich English. Grandfather drives an old car, doesn't speak, and is glum or hostile to both younger men. Jonathan's vegetarianism is an unexpected source of Ukrainian pride and great glee. The dog endures the humiliation of riding in the back seat with Jonathan, who is terrified of him. But eventually, each passenger makes peace with the others. The film was shot in and around Prague in the Czech Republic. Production designer Mark Geraghty's crew that planted the sunflower seeds for a later location worried about the weather, but cinematographer Matty Libatique captured the sunflower field in all its breathtaking beauty. The film progresses as a road movie must, toward an eventual end place, but it also moves toward resolution within the smaller interior of grandfather's blue, vintage Trabant, as well as in each individual's heart and mind. Jonathan is the pragmatist, Alex the dreamer, and grandfather the conflicted man with a past. But when they meet Lista (Laryssa Lauret), everything will be clear. I particularly like the dark humor that underlies the character of Alex and the performance by newcomer Hutz, whose other claim to fame is as the singer and lyricist of the gypsy punk rock band, Gogol Bordello, which can be heard on the soundtrack. After living in the U.S. for more than 10 years, Hutz said he called on his memories of growing up in the Ukraine "and also from my observations about how people perceive Western culture there, which is quite deranged." Grandfather is also piece of work, and Russian American stage and screen actor Leskin creates him from the inside out. His flair with the f word is as unique, creative and satisfying as that of any character in an Emir Kustrica film. Made me laugh. Everything is Illuminated is both elegaic and a vigorous testament to the power of personal objects to stir deep feelings. The film opens at the Bijou on Friday, Nov. 11. Very highest recommendations.
OPENING
OR RETURNING: Afghanistan Unveiled (2003) and Madame Ti Zo (2004): Part of the Margaret Mead film series, this double feature plays at 6 pm on 11/17 in 182 Lillis, UO. Free. After Life (Japan, 1998): Set in an allegorical halfway house, the recently deceased try to find a single memory from their lives that can be filmed for them to remember. Sensitive, truly unique film written and directed by Kore-Eda Hirokazu (Maborosi). Highly recommended. NR. At 8 pm on 11/12 at DIVA. Free. Animation Show, The: A collection of the world's best animated short films, personally programmed by co-producers Mike Judge ("Beavis and Butt-Head") and Academy Award nominated animator Don Hertzfeldt. LateNite Bijou. Breaking the Spell: WTO, anarchists and Eugene: Film features several moving montage sequences as well as in-depth scenes that include footage aired nationally on "60 Minutes" and the "CBS Sunday Morning News." At 6 pm on 11/10 in 110 Willamette. Free. Catch 22: Mike Nichols' 1970 film, with a script by Buck Henry based on Joseph Heller's black comedy about WWII bomber pilots, is one of the best anti-war films ever made. Fabulous cast includes Alan Arkin, Jon Voight, Orson Welles, Anthony Perkins, Art Garfield, Martin Sheen and Buck Henry. R. Plays at 6:30 pm on 11/12 in Lorane Grange Hall 54, Lorane OR. $7. Cleopatra (1963): Joseph Mankiewicz's sumptuous epic stars Elizabeth Taylor as the Queen of Egypt with Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy McDowell, Martin Landau. At 6 pm on 11/10 in 100 Willamette. Free. Dangerous Tour (1969): Georgi Yungvald-Khilkevich's film is set during the time when Bolshevism was growing in Russia. It's about a French viscount who opens a cabaret in Odessa, which becomes a haven for actors turned revolutionaries. At 7 pm on 11/16 in 111 Pacific. Free. Derailed: Married lovers Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston's carry on until they find themselves in a world of danger. Thriller also stars Maelissa George, Vincent Cassel, The Rza and Xzibit. English–language debut feature film by acclaimed Swedish director Mikael Hafstrom. R. Cinema World. 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. Movies 12. Everything is Illuminated: Actor Liev Schreiber turns writer, director to translate Jonathan Safran Foer's novel to the screen, and his creative re-imagining of the book is excellent. Film stars Elijah Wood as an American Jew looking for his grandfather's hometown in the Ukraine, with the help of characters played by Eugene Hutz, Boris Leskin and Laryssa Lauret. Funny and sad, this road movie is highly recommended. PG-13. Bijou. See review this issue. Get Rich or Die Trying: Six-time Academy Award-nominee, director Jim Sheridan works with a story about street orphan who makes his mark as a drug dealer but finds the courage to leave violence behind to become a rap artist. Stars Marcus Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Terrence Howard, Joy Bryant, Viola Davis. R. Cinemark. Gladiator: Ridley Scott's Roman spectacle stars Russell Crowe as Maximus, a famous Roman general now slave gladiator. His enemy, Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), is power-mad. Exciting, brilliant film also stars Richard Harris, Oliver Reed and Djimon Hounsou. Critically acclaimed and award-rich, the film receives the highest recommendations. R. Plays at 6 pm on 11/17 in 100 Wiillamette, UO. Free. Greatest Game Ever Played, The: Bill Paxton directs this story about a forgotten sports hero, an amateur golf player from a working class family, Francis Ouimet (Shia LeBeouf (Holes), who beats the world champion golfer (Stephen Dillane) in the 1913 U.S. Open. Also stars Elias Koteas, Peyton List, Peter Firth, Josh Flitter. PG. Movies 12. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Starring Daniel Radcliffe. Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, this episode finds Harry's friends trying to help him through difficult times, as evidence of the presence of Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) appears. Voldemort was last seen 13 years ago, the night he murdered Harry's parents. PG-13. Midnight sneak 11/17. Cinemark. Into the Blue: Divers Paul Walker, Jessica Alba, Scott Caan and Ashley Scott discover a legendary shipwreck but also something more mysterious. Directed by John Stockwell, movie also stars Josh Brolin and James Frain. PG-13. Movies 12. Reel World of Vladimir, The: Screening by Portland artist Vladamir of three works, each an original ViewMaster narrative, seen through her handmade Vladmaster. At 8 pm on 11/11 at DIVA. $5. Serenity: Galactic outcasts 500 years in the future squabble through outer space until they meet the cannibalistic fury of savages who roam the very edge of space. Filmmaker Josh Whedon directs Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk, Adam Baldwin, David Krumholtz and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Highly recommended. PG-13. Movies 12. Online archives. Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price: Highly critical of Wal-Mart's corporate tactics and the impact the company has on local economies across the country, this documentary will show several times this week and next in free public and private showings. Produced and directed by Robert Greenwald (Outfoxed), the film will be shown on DVD in Corvallis at 2 pm 11/13 at the First United Methodist Church and in Eugene at 6:30 pm 11/15 at Cozmic Pizza; at 7:30 pm on 11/16 in 150 Colulmbia, UO; and at at 7 pm 11/18 at Bldg. 17, LCC. For more info, www.WalMartMovie.com. Women with Open Eyes (Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, Benin) and Loud, Proud and Prosperous (Zambia and Zimbabwe): Part of the Women Without Borders film series continues with double feature, which begins at 7 pm on 11/16 in 180 PLC, UO. Free. Zathura: Brothers (Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bob) are launched on an adventure when their house takes off for space, where they meet up with an astronaut (Dax Shepard) and others. Dad is played by Tim Robbins, and film is directed by Jon Favreau. PG. Cinemark. Cinema World.
CONTINUING: 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. Movies 12. Capote: Director Bennett Miller and writer Dan Futterman create a moving portrait of writer Truman Capote (In Cold Blood) during the years following grisly Kansas murders that rocked the country. Philip Seymour Hoffman gives an indelible performance, likewise Catherine Keener. Clifton Collins plays Perry Smith, one of the killers befriended by Capote. Very highest recommendations. R. Bijou. See review this issue. 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. Chicken Little: Disney's first fully computer-animated feature film is a comedy adventure that brings a satirical twist to the classic fable. Voices by Zach Braff, Garry Marshall, Joan Cusack, Steve Zahn. G. Cinema World. Cinemark. 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. R. Cinemark. 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. PG. Cinemark. Cinema World. Elizabethtown: Cameron Crowe (Vanilla Sky, Almost Famous) directs Orlando Bloom as 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. PG-13. Cinemark 17. Exorcism of Emily Rose, The: Scott Derrickson directs this unusual film, which incorporates horror with a compelling courtroom drama. Stars Laura Linney as an ambitious attorney, Jennifer Carpenter as a murder victim. With Tom Wilkinson, Colm Feore, Campbell Scott and Shohreh Aghdashloo. 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. Online archives. 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. Movies 12. Online archives. Good Night and Good Luck: Edward R. Murrow did more to make television a serious news venue than almost any other journalist. George Clooney's film is set in 1953, when the CBS newsman (played by David Strathairn) battled powerful Senator Joseph McCarthy (shown only in archival shots and speaking his own words).. McCarthy's witch hunting tactics were on display in the House Un-American Activities Committee, and Clooney wants us to remember Murrow's courage. As The New York Times puts it: "Murrow, a war hero in his own right, recognized McCarthyism as a domestic echo of Nazism." PG. Cinema World. 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. Unsentimental tale of sisters who must find their way to self-awareness, film features great performances by all three principals. Perfect little film deserves highest recommendations. PG-13. Cinemark. Online archives. Jarhead: Screen adaptation of Marine Anthony Swofford's memoir of his disorienting experiences in the Gulf War stars Jake Gyllenhaal as "Swoff," Jamie Foxx and Peter Sarsgaard. Directed by Sam Mendes. R. Cinemark. Cinema World. Legend of Zorro, The: The original masked man again played by Antonio Banderas is now working to gain statehood for California. (Huh?) Catherine Zeta-Jones and director Martin Campbell from the original return as well. Action adventure with a flair. 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. 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. This unique film has now played in every theater in Eugene/Springfield. G. Movies 12. MirrorMask: A teenage girl projects anxieties over her mother's illness into her dreams in an effects-heavy movie produced by the Jim Henson Company and directed by Dave McKean. Said to be equisitely beautiful. PG. Bijou. Prime: Therapist (Meryl Streep) helps a client (Uma Thurman) involved with a younger man (Bryan Greenberg), who is the therapist's son. Comedy written and directed by Ben Younger. PG-13. Cinemark. 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. Online archives. Saw 2: Bloody sequel to James Wan's grisly 2004 thriller stars Donnie Wahlberg. Cinemark. Shopgirl: Greatly anticipated film written by and starring Steve Martin (based on his bestselling novella), film also stars Claire Danes and Jason Schwarzman. A poignant love story, it's directed by Anand Tucker. This lovely film gets highest recommendations. See it. R. 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. Movies 12. 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. 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. Weather Man, The: Chicago TV Weather Man (Nicolas Cage) finds successful career no match for family life. Directed by Gore Verbinskin, film also stars Michael Caine, Hope Davis and Michael Rispoli. R. Cinemark. 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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