Eugene Weekly : Movies : 2.21.08


.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.

Academy Awards: The Bijou’s annual Oscar party gets an upgrade to high-definition this year. No host bar and hors d’oeuvres from local eateries make the dress-up event extra fun, and proceeds benefit the ALS Association of Oregon and SW Washington. 5 pm Feb. 24, Bijou. $10 adv., $12 door.

Be Kind Rewind: Michel Gondry’s (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) playful, creative new film looks like a total joy. Mos Def and Jack Black star as friends facing a dilemma when one of them becomes magnetized and erases all the tapes in the store where his friend works. Bingo! They’ll make new versions of the films. PG13. 101 min. Cinemark.

Charlie Bartlett: After being booted from yet another private school, Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin) winds up in public school, which is a whole different world — and nearly everyone in it needs some kind of help. So Charlie becomes something of an underground psychiatrist — and falls for the principal’s daughter. Whoops. R. 97 min. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Crossroads Film Festival: Second annual international festival shows films from around the world and uses the proceeds to support programs helping visiting students at OSU. Feb. 24 screenings: In This World (Afghanistan) and Chaos (France), 1 pm; Kirikou and the Sorceress (Africa) and Shadow of Afghanistan (Afghanistan), 4 pm; Blind Shaft (China), 6:30 pm. Darkside Cinema, Corvallis. $8 per screening.

Ethnic Fim Studies Series: Series focuses on “Interrogating Culture” with Life Show. Huo Jianqi’s film follows a restaurant owner in Shanghai who finds herself the family matriarch when her mother dies and her father remarries. 6 pm Feb. 28, 240A McKenzie, UO. Free.

Films of Cuba’s Special Period, 1994-2003: Film series presents Waiting List, directed by Juan Carlos Tabío, in which a group of strangers meet while waiting for a bus to Santiago. 7 pm Feb. 27, 129 McKenzie, UO. Free.

Margaret Mead Traveling Film Festival: New York’s American Museum of Natural History organizes this festival, which is locally presented by the UO’s Museum of Natural and Cultural History. The last screening is Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus, which explores the ways both sides of this debate communicate their ideas to the public. 5:30 pm Feb. 22, 175 Knight Law, UO. $3, students free.

Mist, The: I keep wondering what’s next. The Cloud? The Hailstorm? Stephen King can make monsters out of anything, right? Frank Darabont directs this adaptation of a King short story about a creepy mist that hides even creepier creatures. R. 124 min. Movies 12.

One Missed Call: Cell phones are scary, especially when they, um, play voicemails for you? That are of your own death? Who thinks this stuff up? Didn’t electronics-as-nightmare-devices already fail with Pulse? Ah well. Starring Shannyn Sossamon and Edward Burns. PG13. Movies 12.

Swedish Film Series: Lasse Hallström’s My Life as a Dog is a sweet, funny coming-of-age story about a young boy who obsesses about the fate of Laika the space dog. When he’s sent to stay with relatives for a summer, the boy’s world changes immensely. 7 pm Feb. 22, 177 Lawrence, UO. Free.

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. OSCAR NOMINATION: BEST ACTOR (JOHNNY DEPP). R. 117 min. Movies 12. (12/27)

Teeth: Mitchell Lichtenstein’s (son of Ray) debut as writer and director is a sort of horror comedy about Dawn (Jess Weixler), a young woman who lectures her peers about saving themselves for marriage. But when she begins to get close to another member of her chastity group, she (and he) find that Dawn, who lives near a nuclear reactor, has something of a mutation: more than one set of teeth. R. 94 min. Bijou.

Trailer Park Boys: The Movie: Cinematic version of a Canadian TV show about a group of trailer park residents. Here, after going to jail for a robbery attempt, the boys plan one more crime to finance their eventual lives of leisure. R. 97 min. Bijou LateNite.

U2 3D: Are concert movies the way of the future? U2 follows the smash Hannah Montana film with their own 3D extravaganza, shot during seven South American concerts on the 2007 Vertigo tour. G. 85 min. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Vantage Point: Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, Forest Whitaker and Sigourney Weaver are just half the people — and perspectives — in this thriller about an assassination attempt made on the American president (William Hurt) as he gives a speech about the war on terror. I think the real story might be, uh, complicated? PG13. 90 min. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Witless Protection: Larry the Cable Guy stars as a small-town sheriff who accidentally gets caught between the Mob and the FBI when he “kidnaps” a woman (Ivana Milicevic) who turns out to be in witness protection. PG13. 97 min. Cinemark.

Films open the Friday following EW publication date unless otherwise noted. See archived reviews at www.eugeneweekly.com

 

CONTINUING:

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. Movies 12.

Atonement: Finally, Joe Wright’s adaptation of Ian McEwan’s exceptional — and exceptionally difficult to summarize — novel comes to town. Atonement takes place across years, as the actions of young Briony (Saoirse Ronan) have lengthy, unimagined consequences to the futures of her sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and their housekeeper’s son, Robbie (James McAvoy). OSCAR NOMINATIONS: BEST PICTURE, BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY, BEST SCORE, BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS (SAOIRSE RONAN). R. 123 min. VRC Stadium 15. (1/10)

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.

Bucket List, The: Jack Nicholson, I expect this kind of thing from. But Morgan Freeman? In this schmalty-sounding flick about two new friends trying to cram all the adventures of a lifetime into a considerably shorter amount of time? Oh, Rob Reiner. Once upon a time, you made a good movie or two. PG13. 97 min. VRC Stadium 15.

Cloverfield: It’ll be no surprise to fans of J.J. Abrams’ Lost that the characters in Cloverfield, an Abrams-produced film about a group of friends trying to survive a monstrous attack on Manhattan, have their own MySpace pages — among lord knows how many other sites adding to the movie’s mythos. Though it’s gripping while you’re in the theater, the movie’s flaws start to come to mind once you step back into daylight. PG13. 90 min. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Definitely, Maybe: Manhattan papa Will (Ryan Reynolds) answers his daughter’s (Abigail Breslin) questions about how her now-divorcing parents met and fell in love with a complicated story about growing up — but of course it’s the tot who helps him figure out how to grow even farther. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The: Julian Schnabel’s affecting film puts viewers inside the mind of Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Almaric), the French Elle editor whose entire body was paralyzed — except for one eye, via which he blinks to communicate. Gracefully told and beautifully acted, Schabel’s film is one of the best-received of the year. OSCAR NOMINATIONS: BEST DIRECTOR, BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY. PG13. 112 min. Bijou. (1/24)

Enchanted: Beautiful princesses! Handsome princes! And … midtown Manhattan? Amy Adams (Junebug), James Marsters (X-Men) and Patrick Dempsey (Grey’s Anatomy) star in this charming fairy tale in the real world, which follows Princess Giselle (Adams) after a wicked witch banishes her from her magical kingdom. OSCAR NOMINATIONS: BEST SONG (THREE NOMINATED). PG. 107 min. Movies 12. (1/3)

Eye, The: Jessica Alba plays an accomplished violinist, blind since birth, who discovers after cornea transplant surgery that she can see death … before it happens! With Alessandro Nivola and Parker Posey. PG13. Cinemark.

Fool’s Gold: Fools’ choices? Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey play a divorced couple who reteam to bicker endlessly — and search for a sunken treasure. Totally sure they stay divorced in the end, too. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Golden Compass, The: An only slightly above average film 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 (Dakota Blue Richards) is the key to saving not just her own world, but countless others as well. With Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman and Sam Elliott. PG13. 113 min. Movies 12. (12/13)

Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds: Just what it sounds like: a concert film on tour with the tween sensation. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Into the Wild: Star Emile Hirsch bears a reasonable resemblance to Christopher McCandless, a bright, priveleged young man who took off into Alaska in the early 1990s, but Sean Penn’s adaptation of Jon Krakauer’s novel doesn’t create an entirely satisfying portrait of the man whose story has been captivating readers for a decade. OSCAR NOMINATION: BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (HAL HOLBROOK). R. 140 min. Movies 12. (10/18)

Juno: Director Jason Reitman’s turned out another buzzworthy movie, this time with a screenplay by newcomer Diablo Cody. Ellen Page (who was outstanding in Hard Candy) plays a pregnant teenager dealing with herself, her future, her parents, the best friend who fathered the kid and the couple who wants to adopt it. “Hilarious and sweet-tempered, perceptive and surprisingly grounded,” said the Los Angeles Times. OSCAR NOMINATIONS: BEST ACTRESS (ELLEN PAGE), BEST DIRECTOR, BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY, BEST PICTURE. PG13. 96 min. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15. (1/10)

Jumper: Adapted from a novel by Steven Gould, this film follows “jumpers” who can leap through space and time. Among these lucky few are Hayden Christensen and Jamie Bell; Samuel L. Jackson provides the tension as a fella who doesn’t approve of these crazy hijinks. Directed by Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity). PG13. 88 min. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Michael Clayton: George Clooney plays the title character, a “fixer” at a law firm. When one of his colleagues seems to snap, sabotaging a major case, Clayton is forced to take a good look at what he’s doing. “A terrifically engrossing, tethered-to-the-real-world drama,” said Entertainment Weekly. OSCAR NOMINATIONS: BEST ACTOR (GEORGE CLOONEY), BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (TOM WILKINSON), BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS (TILDA SWINTON), BEST DIRECTOR, BEST SCORE, BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY, BEST PICTURE. R. 119 min. Movies 12. (10/25)

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.

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.” OSCAR NOMINATIONS: BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (JAVIER BARDEM), BEST DIRECTOR, BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY, BEST PICTURE. R. 122 min. VRC Stadium 15. (11/29)

Over Her Dead Body: Eva Longoria (or is that Longoria Parker?) stars as a bitchy ghost who doesn’t approve of her former fiancé’s (Paul Rudd) new love — who can see her. PG13. 95 min. Movies 12.

Persepolis: Marjane Satrapi’s fantastic graphic novel memoir makes its way to the screen directed by Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud — and seems to leap straight from the page. Moving, smart, funny and compelling, the story follows young Marjane as she grows up in troubled, tumultuous Iran, then goes to Vienna as a teen to escape the fundamentalist rule. OSCAR NOMINATION: BEST ANIMATED FEATURE. PG13. 95 min. Bijou. (1/31)

Rambo: Jon Rambo (oh, you know who plays him) sees his solitary life in Thailand come to a crashing close when two American human rights missionaries (Julie Benz and Paul Schulze) track him down and ask for his help getting into Burma. When they don’t return, Rambo knows what must be done. And it involves cheesy one-liners! R. 93 min. Cinemark.

Spiderwick Chronicles, The: Adaptation of Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi’s books about a young boy (Freddie Highmore, playing twins) who finds that there’s much more than meets the eye to an old family estate. Black has a knack for a different kind of fairy tale; let’s hope the movie can translate that to the screen. With Mary-Louise Parker. PG. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Steep: A documentary about the history — and exhilaration — of extreme skiing that explores the sport’s origins and the changes it went through as it was discovered by Americans and amped up by the use of helicopters to get to even wilder slopes. PG. 92 min. Bijou. (2/14)

Step Up 2: The Streets: Apparently, 2006’s Step Up was a phenomenon, despite the fact that the RottenTomatoes.com critical consensus is “Not enough dancing.” This time around, street dancer Andie (Briana Evigan) struggles to fit in at an elite arts school, where she — naturally — meets the school’s hottest dancer. PG13. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

There Will Be Blood: Oscar-nominated Daniel Day-Lewis stars in Paul Thomas Anderson’s (Magnolia) dark film about an evil oilman who heads to a California town, where a preacher (Paul Dano) accepts his presence on the condition that the oilman will help fund a church. “A force beyond categories,” said Roger Ebert. OSCAR NOMINATIONS: BEST ACTOR (DANIEL DAY-LEWIS), BEST DIRECTOR, BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY, BEST PICTURE. R. 158 min. VRC Stadium 15. (1/31)

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. 111 min. Movies 12.

Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins: Martin Lawrence plays R.J. Stevens, a famous self-help guru who finds he can’t escape the guy he used to be when, at the request of his parents, he returns to his Georgia hometown for their 50th wedding anniversary. PG13. Movies .12

 

 

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

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

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

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