Eugene Weekly : Movies : 5.10.07


.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.

Air Guitar Nation: C. Diddy and Björn Türoque (who’s also written a book on the topic) face off at the U.S. Air Guitar Championships in Alexandra Lipsitz’s documentary. “The movie’s wild performances and droll humor are tough to resist,” said The New York Times. R. Bijou LateNite.

Best of the 33rd Northwest Film & Video Festival: A carefully selected cross-section of short films that illustrate the state of filmmaking in the Northwest. 7 pm May 11, DIVA. $5, $3 stu., member

Delta Farce: Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall and DJ Qualls star in this bit of nonsense about a group of dudes who accidentally wind up in the military — then are accidentally ejected from an Iraq-bound plane, winding up in Mexico. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Ex, The: That Zach Braff, always having lady problems. This time, he and his wife Sofia (Amanda Peet) move from NYC to small-town Ohio, where Sofia’s ex still wants her and she doesn’t want to stay home with the baby. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Georgia Rule: The movie that overlapped with reality when La Lohan’s part — as a rebellious, uncontrollable teen — seemed to seep into her life off-camera. Felicity Hoffman’s the mom who can’t keep her daughter in line, Jane Fonda the grandmother who sets the girl straight. R. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

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. Movies 12. (4/19)

Human Rights in Latin America: Class film series is open to the public. Introductions to each film take place at 6:30 pm. Machuca (Chile), 7 pm May 10; State of Fear (Peru), 7 pm May 17. 129 McKenzie, UO. Free.

Nowhere in Africa: Caroline Link’s film is a tender look at a marriage under stress, a child who embraces Africa and a Kenyan man who looks after them all. 2002 Best Foreign Film Oscar. R. 7 pm May 11, Unity of the Valley. Free. Online archives.

Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea: A modern-day look at the eccentrics and dreamers clinging to life on the Salton Sea, the former “California Riviera” that’s now an ecological disaster. Narrated by John Waters. Bijou; Sunday screening includes Q&A with directors Chris Metzler & Jeff Springer.

Reign Over Me: Former college roommates Charlie (Adam Sandler) and Alan (Don Cheadle) randomly meet again, but rebuilding a friendship with Charlie proves complicated in Mike Binder’s subtly 9/11-related, sometimes wispy film. With Liv Tyler and Jada Pinkett Smith. R. Movies 12. (3/29)

Rhythm From Wreckage: A showcase of experiments in time-based art, including work by Jesse England, Nate Harrison, LoVid, Gijs Gieskes and artists performing at Eugene Noise Fest 2007. 8 pm May 17, DIVA. $5, $3 stu., members.

Rocky Horror Picture Show, The: Do the time warp again! Catch the long-term 1970s camp cult classic fave with live performance by Forbidden Fruit. R. Bijou LateNite, Saturday only.

Russian Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles, part two. In Russian with English subtitles. 7 pm May 15, 115 Pacific, UO. Free.

Step Into Liquid: Surfing film profiles characters who’ve spent their lives pursuing the perfect wave. 8 pm May 10, River House. Free.

TMNT: Animated film 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. Movies 12.

28 Weeks Later: Six months after the “rage virus” tore through Britain, the U.S. Army claims the coast is clear and the country can be rebuilt. But a reunited family finds the story is not quite so simple. With Robert Carlyle, Rose Byrne and Catherine McCormack. R. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Year of the Dog: Molly Shannon stars in this strange, compact film from writer-director Mike White (Chuck & Buck), about a woman whose life drastically changes following the death of her beloved dog. Alternately endearing and offputting, White’s film wears its oddness a little awkwardly. PG13. Bijou. See review this issue.

Youth & Subcultures Film Series: Presented in conjunction with Folklore of Subcultures class. Punk: Attitude, 7 pm May 10; Afro Punk and Don’t Need You: The Herstory of Riot Grrl, 7 pm May 17, 110 Willamette, UO. Free.

 

CONTINUING:

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.

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. (5/3)

Black Book: Paul Verhoeven, best known for Basic Instinct and the campy Showgirls, takes on a more serious topic with this chaotic and tense spy thriller about a young Dutch Jew and the German commander she falls for. R. Bijou. (5/3)

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.

Genesis: “In-Concert” series continues with a film of Genesis live in London in 1973 — the Peter Gabriel era. 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.

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. (4/26)

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.

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.

Lucky You: A would-be singer and a poker player (Drew Barrymore and Eric Bana) use their various talents to win each other’s hearts. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

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. VRC Stadium 15.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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. Movies 12.

Spider-Man 3: Spidey (Tobey Maguire) faces an ungodly number of new villains (including those played by Thomas Haden Church and Topher Grace) as the franchise trucks through its overfull third installment. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15. See review this issue.

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.

 

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