Eugene Weekly : Movies : 4.26.07


.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.

Archaeology Channel International Film and Video Festival: Five days of the world’s best films on ancient cultures, archaeology and indigenous peoples, including Echo of Water Against Rocks: Remembering Celilo Falls and Proving Up and Settling Down. Full schedule online at www.archaeologychannel.orgMay 1-5, Jaqua Concert Hall, The Shedd. $40 five-day package, $8-$12 per day.

Avenue Montaigne: Characters intersect in a Paris bar where Jessica (Cecile de France) is a new-to-town waitress. The Washington Post called it “a delicately charming fable.” PG13. Bijou.

Children’s Nature Film Festival: A collection of award-winning nature-themed short films from around the world. 2 pm April 29, McDonald Theatre. Free.

Condemned, The: An international group of condemned killers is brought to an island by a corrupt television producer … wait, I swear I read this in Brian K. Vaughan’s X-Men run. All will fight, one will live, yadda yadda. R. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Disorient Asian American Film Festival: Second annual event includes a new film by Justin Lin (director of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift), IFC Independent Spirit Award winners and films recently shown at Sundance. www.disorientfilm.orgApril 26-29, various times and locations; Finishing the Game premiere is 7 pm April 26, Bijou. Prices vary.

Human Rights in Latin America: Class film series is open to the public. This week’s selections include Discovering Dominga and Artist of Resistance, 6:30 pm April 26, both about Guatemala and El Salvador; They Can Cut All the Flowers, But They Will Never Stop the Spring and Frontline: War on Nicaragua, 6:30 pm May 3. 129 McKenzie, UO. Free.

Inherit the Wind: Stanley Kramer’s 1960 courtroom drama over Darwin’s Theory of Evolution stars Spencer Tracy and Fredric March. NR. 7 pm April 27, Unity of the Valley. Free.

Invisible, The: A young man attacked and left for dead (Justin Chatwin) tries desperately to win his way out of limbo by discovering his killer’s identity. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Italian, The: A young Russian orphan is inspired to seek out his birth mother before a well-to-do Italian couple adopts him in this extraordinary story of self-discovery. PG13. Bijou. See review this issue.

Kickin’ It Old Skool: Jamie Kennedy (Scream) plays a guy who just woke up from a 20-year coma — one he got in via a freak breakdancing accident. But it’s breakdancing that’ll help him earn some dough and win back his old girlfriend. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Lookout, The: Former star high school athlete Chris (the exceptional Joseph Gordon-Levitt) tries to make the most of what’s left of his life, but finds himself caught up in a planned heist at the bank where he works. R. Movies 12. (4/5)

New York Doll: Greg Whiteley’s documentary examines the post-fame life of New York Dolls bassist Arthur “Killer” Kane, 20 years after the band’s demise. 7 pm April 29, DIVA. Free.

Next: Nicolas Cage is a gambler who can see into the future and Julianne Moore is the government agent who needs him to see what some terrorists are up to in iffy looking flick based on Philip K. Dick’s The Golden Man. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

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. Movies 12. (2/8)

Revenants, The: Locally produced film follows two multicultural teens whose budding relationship is a catalyst for disturbing events. Not rated. Bijou LateNite.

Russian Sherlock Holmes: In Hunting for a Tiger, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson attempt to solve one of their most perplexing mysteries. In Russian with English subtitles. 7 pm May 1, 115 Pacific, UO. Free.

Who is Bozo Texino?: Portland film artist Bill Daniel’s documentary film screens for the Last Sunday Cinephile Film Night and as a benefit for Squat the Planet Collective. 9 pm April 29, Wandering Goat Coffee Co. Don.

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. Movies 12. (3/8)

 

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. Movies 12.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theatres: The Cartoon Network’s bizarrely funny show hits theaters with an origin story: Where did Meatwad, Frylock and Master Shake come from? R. Cinemark.

Are We Done Yet?: Nick (Ice Cube) and Suzanne (Nia Long) and two kids return in this sequel to Are We There Yet?, in which Nick’s new house in the ‘burbs is more work than it’s worth. PG. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Astronaut Farmer, The: Billy Bob Thornton plays the title character in this based-on-a-true-story feelgood film about a feller building a rocket in his barn. With Virginia Madsen and Bruce Dern. PG. Movies 12.

Blades of Glory: Ricky Bobby and Napoleon Dynamite … er, Will Ferrell and Jon Heder star in the story of two disgraced figure skaters who discover a way they can compete again: by skating together. Spandex and bad hair abound. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Disturbia: Under a three-month house arrest, teenager Kale (Shia LaBeouf) spies on the homes around him — which leads to meeting the hot girl next door and, you know, figuring out that the creepy neighbor might be up to something nasty. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Firehouse Dog: A fancy-pants cinematic canine, gets lots, meets a troubled kid and learns to use his stunt skills for good in a movie Variety called “A likable but ungainly mutt of a movie.” PG. Movies 12.

Fracture: Director Gregoy Hoblit, who brought Edward Norton to our attention in 1996’s Primal Fear, brings Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson) back to the mainstream as an assistant D.A. working to get a suspected murderer (Anthony Hopkins) convicted. R. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Frank Zappa: The “In-Concert” series continues with Frank Zappa and the Mothers live in Stockholm, Sweden in 1973. Also screening is a German documentary with footage from the Fillmore. Bijou LateNite.

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. Movies 12.

Grindhouse: Double feature with classic exploitation-influenced thrillers from Quentin Tarantino (who offers Death Proof) and Robert Rodriguez (with Planet Terror) promises violence, zombies, hot chicks and B-movie greatness. R. Cinemark.

Hoax, The: Richard Gere breaks his usual bland mold to star as Clifford Irving, who in 1971 nearly got away with publishing a fake biography of the reclusive Howard Hughes. Directed by Lasse Hallström (The Cider House Rules, My Life as a Dog), with a solid supporting turn from Alfred Molina. R. VRC Stadium 15. (4/19)

Hot Fuzz: The team that brought us the wondrous, gory Shaun of the Dead returns with Hot Fuzz, in which the awesomest London cop ever (Simon Pegg) is sent to a sleepy village so he’ll stop making his superiors look bad. ‘Course, other stuff happens. With Jim Broadbent and pretty much every hysterical Brit working in film. R. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15. See review this issue.

In the Land of Women: Unfortunately titled film stars The O.C.‘s Adam Brody as a recently dumped young man who moves in with his grandmother and gets involved with her neighbor’s family, which includes Meg Ryan as the mother of two daughters. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

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. PG. Movies 12.

Meet the Robinsons: Orphaned inventor Lewis has his latest and greatest creation stolen, but a stranger whisks him away to the future, where adventures, and the thief, await. G. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15 ($2.50 fee for 3D).

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. Movies 12.

Namesake, The: Director Mira Nair’s new film is a gentle family saga that follows the lives of two Bengali immigrants and their American-born children. Though the title refers to the couple’s unusually named son (Kal Penn), it is the elder generation that shines here. PG-13. Bijou. (4/5)

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. Movies 12.

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. Movies 12. (3/1)

Pathfinder: A young man left behind when Viking raiders visited North American, Ghost (Karl Urban, The Lord of the Rings’ Eomer) grows up among Native Americans and takes on the Vikings when they return. R. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Perfect Stranger: Halle Berry plays a woman trying to solve the mystery of her friend’s murder, which probably has something to do with the smirking businessman played by Bruce Willis. Described in press materials as a “sexy thriller.” Sure. R. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Redline: A hot young lass who’s into cars and the singer for the “hottest unsigned band on the West coast” gets mixed up in some illegal drag racing scheme. No, seriously. PG13. Cinemark.

TMNT: Does shortening Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to TMNT make it hipper? Not sure. This animated version finds the formerly-of-the-’80s foursome fighting ancient monsters with the help of Casey Jones (now voiced by Chris Evans) and April O’Neil (Sarah Michelle Gellar). PG. Cinemark.

300: Super-stylized, derivative and overbaked film, based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel, about the Battle of Thermopylae, when King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) led 300 apparently half-naked Spartans against the massive army of Persia. R. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15. (3/15)

Unreasonable Man, An: An engrossing and illuminating documentary portrait of the divisive legacy of consumer rights advocate and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader. Not rated. Bijou. (4/19)

Vacancy: Something seems off about Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale starring in a slasher movie — let alone one in which they’re stuck in a motel … and the creepy slasher flicks they’ve been watching were filmed in their room! Still, that preview is pretty spooky. R. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

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. VRC Stadium 15.

 

 

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