.MOVIE LISTINGS | MOVIE REVIEW ARCHIVE | THEATER INFO

 

OPENING:

Astro Boy: The beloved manga character comes to life on the big screen. With the voices of Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell and Nicolas Cage. PG. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Belly: Sensual, Scarred, Sacred: This documentary looks at the lives of dancers who have been affected by the dance they study. 6:30 pm Saturday, Oct. 24, Cozmic Pizza. $5 sug. don.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant: When a bored high school kid and his buddy stumble upon a very magical sideshow, everything changes. Starring John C. Reilly, Chris Massoglia and Salma Hayek. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Cove, The: This wrenching and complicated documentary is partly the story of how a group of filmmakers snuck into a protected cove in Japan, and partly the story of what they filmed there: the large-scale slaughter of dolphins. Difficult and engrossing at once, The Cove is a movie meant to inspire action, not a dry, hands-off piece. 92 min. PG13. Bijou. See review this issue.

David Minor Theater Anniversary Party: Celebrate the first birthday of the local theater pub with a double feature of Dirty Dancing (7:30 pm) and Saturday Night Fever (9:30 pm). Dress in decade-appropriate duds or a costume from the movie! Friday, Oct. 23, David Minor Theater. Free. 21+. 

Heckler’s Night: The Goat gets out Billy Jack for this week’s entry into the Heckler’s Night annals. 7 pm Wednesday, Oct. 28, Wandering Goat. Free.

Horror and the Horrific: Four-week UO film series continues with Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, 6 pm Thursday, Oct. 22, and Land of the Dead, 6 pm Thursday, Oct. 29,180 PLC, UO. Free.

Journey to India, A: Series continues with Mira Nair’s The Namesake, about the lives of two Bengali immigrants and their American-born children (6 pm Thursday, Oct. 22), and Earth, Deepa Mehta’s 1998 film about the religious and civil wars that were part of India and Pakistan’s battle to become independent of Britain (6 pm Thursday, Oct. 29). Mills International Center, EMU, UO. Free.

Paper Heart: A sorta-documentary (or is it a mockumentary) about Charlene Yi, who doesn’t believe in love. So she goes on a quest, talking to strangers about love, and then she meets Michael Cera, wh just might change her mind. “A quasi-documentary about love that is sweet, true and perhaps a little deceptive,” says Roger Ebert. PG13. 89 min. Movies 12.

Paris: In multiple story strands, a man awaiting a heart transplant finds himself surrounded by his sister (Juliette Binoche) and her three children; a professor hopes for love; and a street vendor wonders what’s left after divorce. “Every character has life and depth,” says Roger Ebert. R. 130 min. Bijou.

Ponyo: This loose adaptation of “The Little Mermaid,” in which an eager goldfish dreams of becoming human, is directed by Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away). Honestly, you shouldn’t need to know anything else. OK, the voice actors include Cate Blanchett, Liam Neeson, Matt Damon, Noah Cyrus and Frankie Jonas. Just go, already! G. 100 min. Movies 12. (8/20)

Saturday Night Fever: John Travolta is “Stayin’ Alive” in this 1977 film directed by John Badham. Realistic dialogue and Travolta’s performance give the film its surprising staying power. David Minor Theater.

Saw VI: By this point, the horror is simply that these movies keep coming out. Sorry, did I say something? A detective is under investigation, but he’s still carrying on Jigsaw’s nasty legacy. R. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Time Traveler’s Wife, The: Rachel McAdams and Eric Bana star in this adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s bestselling book about a man cursed with a genetic anomaly that sends him skipping, uncontrollably, through time — and the woman who loves him despite that. PG13.107 min. Movies 12.

V for Vendetta: From the pages of David Lloyd & Alan Moore’s graphic novel springs “V” (Hugo Weaving), a masked freedom fighter who’s taken up arms against the totalitarian government in a futuristic Britain. Finding an unlikely ally in a young woman, Evey (Natalie Portman), V urges the citizenry to fight the oppression of the state. R. 7 pm Sunday, Oct. 25, Wandering Goat. Free.

Warren Miller’s Dynasty: The latest in the longrunning series of action sports flicks comes to town; attendees receive a free Mt. Bachleor lift ticket and other goodies. 6 pm & 9 pm Thursday, Oct. 22, McDonald Theatre. $16.50.

 

CONTINUING:

Bright Star: Jane Campion (The Piano)’s new period drama stars the astounding Ben Whishaw (Perfume, Brideshead Revisited) as John Keats, and tells the story of the intense love affair he had with the girl next door, Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish). “Bright Star satisfies a hunger we may not have known we had,” wrote the L.A. Times’ Kenneth Turan. PG. Bijou. See review this issue.

Capitalism: A Love Story: Michael Moore’s latest, a look at the still-ongoing financial crisis, is getting mixed reviews; to some it’s an “emotional attack” and “scattershot and lazy,” while others think it’s moving and energizing. R. VRC Stadium 15. (10/8)

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs: Portland critics were abuzz about this animated kids’ movie, which is apparently far more charming than the previews led us all to believe. Based on the book of the same name, it’s about a town where food, rather than the more ordinary forms of precipitation, falls from the sky. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Cold Souls: In the world of Sophie Barthes’ surreal film, souls can be extracted and traded. Paul Giamatti — playing himself — opts to have his soul removed, but things get complicated when his soul is borrowed for another actor. With David Strathairn and Emily Watson. PG13. 101 min. Bijou. (10/15)

Couples Retreat: Four Midwestern couples — among them Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell and Malin Ackerman — head off on a group retreat to a couples resort where couples therapy turns out to be necessary. Directed by Peter Billingsley, aka that kid from A Christmas Story. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

District 9: Producer Peter Jackson gets top billing, but this sci-fi film about aliens taking refuge in South Africa is actually the feature-film debut of director Neill Blomkamp. The buzz is beyond good; Blomkamp is already being dubbed one to watch. R. 112 min. Movies 12. (8/20)

Drag Me to Hell: Sam Raimi returns to the genre in which he made his name with this tale of a young loan officer (Alison Lohman) who crosses the wrong old lady (Lorna Raver) and finds herself under a nasty curse. PG13. David Minor Theater.

Fame: They’re gonna live forever! But they’ll be different! This isn’t a remake, but a reinvention. Which I suspect means they got to modernize Irene Cara’s evilly catchy songs. But it’s still about competition, talent and relationships at a New York performing arts high school. PG. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Gamer: Gerard Butler plays a character in a massive multiplayer game; he’s controlled by a teenager who’s a sort of superstar among gamers, but the nasty game overlord (Michael C. Hall) wil keep them both down. R. Movies 12.

G.I. Joe: Oh, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, why are you in this movie? It’s based on toys, not screened for critics, and the trailers make people laugh. I think some stuff blows up, too. Movies 12.

G-Force: Talking guinea pigs save the world! Or whatever. Is this just an entire film capitalizing on the animation used to create that creepy-eyed creature in the godawful Bedtime Stories? PG. Movies 12.

Hangover, The: This summer’s dirty-fun buzz movie stars Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifinakis and Ed Helms as three guys who have no idea what happened at the bachelor party last night. Where’d that guy’s tooth go? Where’d the baby come from? It’s a really good time finding out. Movies 12. (6/11)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: The penultimate Potter tale is a touch complicated: Voldemort is at work in the wizarding and Muggle worlds. Dumbledore needs Harry’s help in many things, including recruiting a new professor to Hogwarts. Students are being attacked, and an old book is full of unexpected information. PG. Movies 12. (7/16)

Invention of Lying, The: Ricky Gervais (BBC’s The Office) stars as the man who brings lying to a world in which everyone always tells the truth — and finds fame and fortune in the process. ‘Course, things probably go wrong after that. With Jennifer Garner, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill and Jeffrey Tambor. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Julie & Julia: Julie Powell’s book about cooking her way through Julia Child’s masterpiece comes to screens as a two-part story: One part follows Powell in her Queens apartment, the other Child in France. Cinemark. (8/13)

Law Abiding Citizen: Ten years ago, Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler)’s family was murdered, but a plea bargain set one of the killers free. When the killer is released, he quickly turns up dead — and assistant DA Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx)’s family might be next! R. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Paranormal Activity: The latest low-budget horror movie sensation is about a pair of twentysomethings whose new house is maybe not so empty, and maybe its residents aren’t so into the new tenants. R. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Proposal, The: “High-powered” publishing exec Sandra Bullock makes her put-upon assistant (Ryan Reynolds) get engaged to her so she can stay in the U.S. As much as I’m starting to like Reynolds, this is too much ick — and contrived nonsense — for one film. PG13. Movies 12.

Psycho: The original, not Gus Van Sant’s shot-by-shot remake of Hitchcock’s classic film. David Minor Theater.

Stepfather, The: A young man (Penn Badgley) comes home from military school to find that his mother’s new boyfriend (Dylan Walsh) has moved in — and maybe isn’t so cool as mom (Sela Ward) thinks he is. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Surrogates: In the future, we all control perfect robot versions of ourselves instead of running about in the world with our flawed flesh and blood. And then someone figures out how to kill a person through their surrogate. But don’t worry! Bruce Willis is on the case. PG13. Cinemark.

Toy Story 1 & 2 3D: Pixar’s triumphant feature-length debut and its sequel get dressed up in 3D in order to get us all totes psyched for Toy Story 3, which comes out next year. G. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Up: In the latest film from Pixar, a crotchety old balloon salesman sends his house into the sky (via balloons, of course) to escape from it all — only to find that he has an unwanted stowaway on his porch. The praise is already flowing — and deserved. PG. Movies 12. (6/4)

Where the Wild Things Are: Spike Jonze adapts Maurice Sendak’s beloved children’s book into something more complicated and more elaborate than expected — yet it’s also decidedly handmade, unexpedtedly difficult and sweetly unsentimental, for the most part. With Max Records, Catherine Keener and the voices of James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Catherine O’Hara and Lauren Ambrose. PG. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15. (10/15) 

Zombieland: Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland) goes back to the amusement park (OK, so the films aren’t related, but it is kinda funny) in this zombie flick that costars Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone (Superbad) and … Abigail Breslin? Little Miss Sunshine fights zombies? I’m in. R. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

 

 

 

MOVIE THEATERS
Use the links provided below for specific show times.

Bijou Art Cinemas
Bijou Theater 686-2458 | 492 E. 13th

David Minor Theater
David Minor Theater and Pub 762-1700 | 180 E. 5th

Regal Cinemas
VRC Stadium 15 342-6536 | Valley River Center

Cinemark Theaters
Movies 12 741-1231 | Gateway Mall
Cinemark 17 741-1231 | Gateway Mall