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OPENING
OR RETURNING: Game Plan, The: The Rock stretches his dramatic skills as a football player faced with a strange challenge: a little girl who claims to be his daughter. PG. Movies 12. Margot at the Wedding: The latest film from Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, the underrated Kicking and Screaming that's not the Will Ferrell movie of the same name) concerns the strained relationship between two sisters (Jennifer Jason Leigh and Nicole Kidman) and how it plays out as one's wedding looms. "This lacerating film … pushes family drama right to the edge," says The Los Angeles Times. R. Bijou. See review this issue. Saw IV: Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) and his apprentice are dead, but the nastiness continues during the investigation of his last bunch of murders. But if you're going to see this one, you don't need me to tell you that. R. 108 min. Movies 12. Films open the Friday following EW publication date unless otherwise noted. See archived reviews at www.eugeneweekly.com
CONTINUING: Across the Universe: Julie Taymor (Titus,
Broadway's The Lion King) puts her ambitious but unsatisfying
spin on a love story built around Beatles songs, following a young
man (Jim Sturgess) and the girl he falls for (Evan Rachel Wood)
amid the tumult of the 1960s. PG13. 131 min. Movies 12. Alien vs. Predator: Requiem: Honest to goodness, I didn't even know they were making another AVP until I saw an ad last week. Directors Colin and Greg Strause did visual effects work on 300, which ought to be enough to get a certain audience into theaters to watch the nasty monsters fight. R. 86 min. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15. Alvin and the Chipmunks: What's next? A live-action Care Bears movie starring Jason Lee? (He's in this and Underdog, for those not keeping track.) Those wacky little creatures with the high-pitched voices will surely cause him some trouble in this newest bit of family fare. With, um, David Cross. Now I'm confused. PG. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15. American Gangster: Denzel Washington and Russell
Crowe face off in the story of 1970s driver turned drug lord Frank
Lucas (Washington) and the cop investigating Lucas and his unexpected
rise to power. Directed by Ridley Scott. R. 157 min. Movies 12.
Bee Movie: Not much looks all that sweet about this animated comedy, in which Jerry Seinfeld voices a recent bee college graduate who learns, to his shock, that humans have been stealing bees' honey for ages and ages. With the voices of Renee Zellweger and Matthew Broderick. PG. 90 min. Movies 12. Charlie Wilson's War: Mike Nichols directs from an Aaron Sorkin script this political … drama? comedy? … about a congressman (Tom Hanks) who combined forces with a CIA agent (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and a rich socialite (Julia Roberts) to direct a massive covert operation during the Cold War era. R. 97 min. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15. Eagle vs. Shark: "Napoleon Dynamite
in New Zealand" is both too glib a description and not that far
off for this overly quirky film about two peculiar characters who
sort of fall in love — when one's not "training" to defeat
his high school nemesis in single combat. Still, it's not without
its charms. R. 87 min. Bijou LateNite. Enchanted: Beautiful princesses! Handsome princes! And … midtown Manhattan? Amy Adams (Junebug), James Marsters (X-Men) and Patrick Dempsey (Grey's Anatomy) star in this fairy tale in the real world, which follows Princess Giselle (Adams) after a wicked witch banishes her from her magical kingdom. Why does this Disney flick look so charming? PG. 107 min. VRC Stadium 15. Golden Compass, The: An only slightly above
average film — mostly on account of the fantastic casting
— based on Philip Pullman's utterly brilliant novel. In a
world much like our own, everyone has an animal companion who's
part of themselves, and one little girl (newcomer Dakota Blue Richards)
is the key to saving not just her own world, but countless others
as well. With Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman, Sam Elliott and Eva Green.
PG13. 113 min. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15. Great Debaters, The: Denzel Washington (who also directs) stars in the (based-on-a-true) story of a debate coach in the segregated South who leads his Texas college team to a face-off with Harvard. PG13. 123 min. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15. Hitman: Timothy Olyphant, go back to Deadwood! No, kidding, kidding. But honestly, I'm not sure this videogame-based film about a professional assassin trying to find out who set him up (wait, does this remind anyone of Jason Bourne?) is the best place for you. R. 100 min. Movies 12. I Am Legend: Will Smith does the all-by-his-lonesome
thing in a New York City left not exactly empty after a manmade
virus devastates the globe. During the day, he tries to find other
survivors; at night, he tries to survive the creatures that are
what's left of humanity. PG13. 100 min. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium: This story about a magical toy store, its owner (Dustin Hoffman) and the young shop employee who might inherit it (Natalie Portman) is written and directed by Zach Helm, who also wrote last year's Stranger Than Fiction. G. 94 min. Movies 12. National Treasure: Book of Secrets: Nicolas Cage returns for more adventure and hijinks — something to do with the president's secret book (hey, this sounds like Crooked Little Vein!) and clearing his family's name; did great-great grandpa have something to do with Lincoln's assassination? With Helen Mirren. PG. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15. No Country for Old Men: The latest from the
Coen brothers is a near-masterpiece, an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's
acclaimed novel, and it's earning plenty of acclaim itself. The
story involves a small-town sherriff, a deadly drug deal and a psychopathic
killer (Javier Bardem). The reviewers say "intense," "searing,"
"an evil delight." R. 122 min. VRC Stadium 15. P.S. I Love You: Holly (Hilary Swank) must go on without the love of her life, Gerry (Gerard Butler) when illness strikes. But for her 30th birthday, she gets a letter and a tape from Gerry, telling her how to make the most of her life. Sorry, have to end this there; I feel a bit queasy from all the sweetness. PG13. 126 min. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15. Resident Evil: Extinction: Alice (Milla Jovovich) is still trying to get rid of that pesky zombie-making virus. For this third film in the series, Alice gets new friends (we suspect they replace those zombified last time out) including Heroes' Ali Larter and singer Ashanti. R. 95 min. Movies 12. Romance and Cigarettes: John Turturro's film
finally breaks free from distribution limbo. The peculiar comedy-drama-musical
mix gets messy at times, but a great cast (Susan Sarandon, Kate
Winslet, James Gandolfini, Mary-Louise Parker), hysterical musical
sequences and snappy dialogue make this bawdy working-class romance/heartbreak
film a winner. R. 105 min. Bijou. Sweeney Todd: Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter (and Alan Rickman!) star in Tim Burton's take on the Broadway musical about a murderous barber who's sworn revenge for what happened to his wife and daughter. "Depp is simply stupendous," says Rolling Stone. R. 117 min. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15. See revie this issue. 3:10 to Yuma: Russell Crowe and Christian
Bale costar in this solid Western from director James Mangold (Walk
the Line). Based on a short story by Elmore Leonard that was
made into a film in 1957, the film follows a vicious outlaw (Crowe)
and the Civil War vet (Bale) who's volunteered to get the thief
to the train that'll take him to trial. R. 117 min. Movies 12. Underdog: Jason Lee voices the titular canine, who finds himself superpowered after an incident in the lab of mad scientist Simon Barsinister (Peter Dinklage). Bad guys have plots, but Underdog has a spaniel to impress! Oh, and the day to save. PG. 84 min. Movies 12. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story: While I'm all for both John C. Reilly and the sending up of Walk the Line, this satirical rock 'n' roll faux-biopic appears, from the trailers, to be trying too hard. But it's directed by Jake Kasdan, whose The Zero Effect was shamefully overlooked. Hrm. R. 96 min. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15. Water Horse: Legend of the Deep: It's nice to see Ben Chaplin (The Truth About Cats and Dogs) again, even if it's in this too-cute-but-still-charming children's film about a boy who finds a mysterious eggs that turns into a mythical creature. Directed by Jay Russell (My Dog Skip). PG. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15. We Own the Night: Family and loyalty clash in James Gray's film, in which nightclub manager Bobby (Joaquin Phoenix) hides his relationship to a NYC cop family while also keeping a distance from the gangster who operates out of his club. With Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes and Robert Duvall. R. 105 min. Movies 12.
MOVIE
THEATERS Bijou
Art Cinemas Regal
Cinemas Cinemark
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(10/18)
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