Eugene Weekly : Movies : 3.8.07


.MOVIE LISTINGS | MOVIE REVIEW ARCHIVE | THEATER INFO

 

OPENING OR RETURNING:
Films open the Friday following date of EW publication unless otherwise noted. See archived movie reviews.

Charlotte’s Web: Dakota Fanning plays Fern, the little girl who loves her pig Wilbur (voice of Dominic Scott Kay) more than anything. Julia Roberts voices Charlotte the spider, who helps Wilbur escape his fate. G. Movies 12.

Curse of the Golden Flower: The latest from director Zhang Yimou (Hero) is an opulent spectacle of court intrigue. Gong Li stars as a troubled empress, Chow Yun Fat her equally conniving husband. Overflows with lavish sets and costumes, but feels hollow in the end. R. Movies 12. (1/11)

Dispatches From Iraq: Journalist Sherrlyn Borkgren screens her documentary and discusses being a media artist in the field. 7 pm March 9, DIVA. $5, $3 stu., members.

Ground Truth, The: Affecting documentary exploring the toll serving in Iraq has taken on returned soldiers. 7 pm March 8, Tsunami Books.

House of Angels: Big city singer Fanny and her biker boyfriend return to Fanny’s small village after the death of her grandfather, causing sparks to fly among the townsfolk. In Swedish with English subtitles. 7 pm March 9, 221 McKenzie, UO. Free.

Last Mimzy, The: A mysterious box of toys gives two children strange powers and draws them and their families into a magical, sometimes scary world. With Timothy Hutton, Joely Richardson and Rainn Wilson. Sneak preview 5:30 pm March 10, Cinemark.

Lives of Others, The: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s debut feature, set in East Germany in the 1980s, is a gripping and affecting look at the watched and the watcher: a playwright suspected of being subversive, and the stoic police captain who warms to the writer’s life while spying on him. ACADEMY AWARD: BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM. R. Bijou. See review this issue.

Quiet Flows the Don: A Russian classic that follows the story of Grigory Melekhov through the Russian Revoultion, the beginning of WWI and the trials of young love. Part 3 of 3. In Russian with English subtitles. 7 pm March 13, 111 Pacific, UO. Free.

Right Stuff, The: Philip Kaufman’s compelling adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s best-seller. The film spans the U.S. space program from breaking the sound barrier through the Mercury space missions. Stars Ed Harris, Dennis Quaid, Sam Shepard, Scott Glenn. 6:30 pm with discussion to follow, March 9, Unity of the Valley. Free.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter … and Spring: Exquisitely beautiful and very human drama, starring director Kim Ki-duk, is entirely set on and around a tree-lined lake where a tiny Buddhist monastery floats on a raft amidst a breathtaking landscape. 7 pm March 8, Int’l Resource Center, EMU, UO. Free. ONLINE ARCHIVES.

300: Super-stylized film, based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel, about the Battle of Thermopylae, when King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) led 300 Spartans against the massive army of Persia. R. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

3-Iron: A young drifter breaks into vacationing strangers’ homes to live their lives for a few days. In one, he meets a woman ready to end her marriage. In Korean with English subtitles. 7 pm March 15, Int’l Resource Center, EMU, UO. Free.

Ultimate Gift, The: A trust-fund kid’s inheritance from his grandfather comes with twelve tasks meant to teach the spoiled kid about life. Based on the book by Jim Stovall, and co-starring a gothy little Abigail Breslin. PG. VRC Stadium 15.

U2: Live at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in 1987, on The Joshua Tree tour. Part of the “In-Concert” series. Bijou LateNite.

 

CONTINUING:

Amazing Grace: Ioan Gruffudd stars as British abolitionist William Wilberforce in a solid but uninspired film directed by Michael Apted, whose resumé includes everything from the 49 Up documentary series to Bond entry The World is Not Enough. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Babel: The last fim of a thematic trilogy for director Alejandro González Iñárritu follows four emotional, affecting storylines on three continents, exploring their connections and breakdowns. Starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael García Bernal and astonishing newcomer Rinko Kikuchi. R. ACADEMY AWARD: BEST ORIGINAL SCORE. Movies 12. (11/9/06)

Black Snake Moan: Hustle and Flow director Craig Brewer returns with this story of a nymphomaniac young woman (Christina Ricci) who, after a wild night, is taken in by Laz (Samuel L. Jackson), a reformed bluesman determined to set her straight. R. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Breach: Dramatic thriller follows Eric O’Neill (Ryan Phillipe) in his new job: secretly keeping an eye on Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper), a government employee being investigated as a suspected mole. With Laura Linney. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Bridge to Terabithia: Adaptation of the much-loved children’s book by Katherine Paterson, in which two lonely kids create a fantasyland for themselves. Despite the fantasy-film feel of the trailer, the film is said to be very loyal to the book. PG. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Casino Royale: Bond gets blond as Daniel Craig (Munich, Infamous) steps into the role in a rebooting of the whole franchise, turning it into something darker and, well, better. With Judi Dench and Eva Green. PG13. Movies 12. (11/22/06)

Children of Men: Clive Owen and Julianne Moore star in this highly praised adaptation of P.D. James’ novel, which envisions a troubled near future where no more children are being conceived. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón (Y tu mamá también). R. Movies 12. (1/11)

Departed, The: Martin Scorsese’s new film is a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a cop undercover in the mob; Matt Damon is the gangster mole in the police force. With Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg. R. ACADEMY AWARDS: BEST DIRECTOR; BEST PICTURE; FILM EDITING; ADAPTED SCREENPLAY. Movies 12. (10/12/06)

Ghost Rider: What did they do to Nicolas Cage’s face? He looks like he lost at least 10 years to play the titular hero, whose long-ago deal with the devil forces him to hunt rogue demons at night. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Happily N’Ever After: Sigourney Weaver, voicing an evil queen who ruins Fairy Tale Land, faces off against unlikely resistance leader Sarah Michelle Gellar in this painfully punctuated tale. PG. Movies 12.

Happy Feet: Warner Bros. chases some March of the Penguins dough with this animated film, starring Elijah Wood as a cute lil’ guy in search of his soul mate. (OK, so they were working on this one first.) PG. ACADEMY AWARD: BEST ANIMATED FEATURE. Movies 12.

Last King of Scotland, The: At long last, Eugeneans can see Forest Whitaker’s highly-praised performance as Idi Amin in Kevin MacDonald’s new(ish) film. With James McAvoy as the (fictional) young doctor who becomes Amin’s personal physicial until his eyes are opened to the dictator’s brutal actions. R. ACADEMY AWARD: FOREST WHITAKER, BEST ACTOR. VRC Stadium 15. (2/1)

Music and Lyrics: Hugh Grant is back in scruffy, lovable mode as a washed-up pop star who has a new chance at fame — if he can just write the right song for a young diva. Drew Barrymore plays his “plant lady,” who has a flair for words. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Night at the Museum: When down-on-his-luck Larry (Ben Stiller) gets a job as the night guard at a museum, he sure doesn’t expect the exhibits to come alive at night. There’s something very Jumanji about this. PG. Movies 12.

Norbit: Oscar nominee Eddie Murphy plays both the nerdy title character and his overweight, possessive fiancée. The trailer hurts us, and so does the fact that Thandie Newton is in this movie. PG13. Cinemark.

Number 23, The: After discovering a book that seems to be about his own life, Walter Sparrow (Jim Carrey) gets obsessed with the number 23 and goes a little crazy in inconsistent director Joel Schumacher’s messy, jumbled new film. R. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15. (3/1)

Pan’s Labyrinth: Writer-director Guillermo del Toro delivers a beautifully wrought, sometimes excruciating film that follows a young girl though her adventures in a fantastic otherworld — and through a difficult, frightening existence in this one. In Spanish with English subtitles. ACADEMY AWARDS: CINEMATOGRAPHY; ART DIRECTION. R. Bijou. Cinemark. (2/8)

Pursuit of Happyness, The: Will Smith stars as a down-on-his-luck father who strives to make it as a stockbroker while facing eviction and raising his son (Smith’s real-life son Jaden). PG13. Movies 12.

Reno 911: Miami: The cast of the Comedy Central show (including Carrie Kinney and Thomas Lennon) heads to Miami to thwart terrorist attacks on spring break. R. Cinemark.

Rocky Balboa: When a computer simulation shows that the young Rocky would likely have taken down the current champion, the aging Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) agrees to an exhibition bout. PG. Movies 12.

Spike & Mike’s Sick & Twisted Animation: The 25-year-old series of weird and wild animation hits town with a new bunch of films. Not rated. Bijou.

Stomp the Yard: A troubled street dancer from L.A. finds himself a hot commodity among the step dancing teams of two fraternities at a university in Atlanta. PG13. Movies 12.

Sweet Land: Ali Selim’s lyrical film follows the story of a young German woman who arrives in Minnesota to marry a quiet Norwegian farmer. The insularity of the tight-knit community proves both trouble and blessing in this stylishly filmed, heartfelt love story. PG. Bijou. (3/1)

Wild Hogs: What kind of dirt did the producers have on William H. Macy, John Travolta, Tim Allen and Martin Lawrence to get them to appear in this male-bonding, midlife crisis flick with a mortifying trailer? PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Zodiac: David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club) directs a rigid and procedural take on the case of the notorious Zodiac killer, who haunted the Bay Area in the 1970s. Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. play the men fixated on solving the case. R. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15. See review this issue.

 

 

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

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

Regal Cinemas
Cinema World 342-6536 | Valley River Center

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