.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.

Awake: Pretty young things Hayden Christensen (Star Wars Episodes I-III) and Jessica Alba (Sin City) star in this thriller about a young man who experiences creepy, crazy things while under the knife (but completely aware) for a surgery. R. Movies 12.

Business of Being Born, The: Ricki Lake executive produced Abby Epstein’s documentary about the maternity care system. “No one, male or female, pregnant or childless, who sees The Business of Being Born will ever see the hospital maternity ward as a normal environment again,” said Salon. Screens as a benefit for the Eugene chapter of the Oregon Midwifery Council. 6:30 pm Feb. 7 and 13, Cozmic Pizza. $5-$25 ss.

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. 10 screenings: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring (Korea) and Son of the Bride (Argentina), 1 pm; Window to Paris (Russia/France) and In This World (Afghanistan), 4 pm; Chaos (France), 6:30 pm. Festival continues through Feb. Darkside Cinema, Corvallis. $8 per screening.

Ethnic Fim Studies Series: Series focuses on “Faces of Global Migrant Labor” with My Migrant Soul and Fun@Sun: Making of a Global Workforce. 6 pm Feb. 14, 240A McKenzie, UO. Free.

Films of Cuba’s Special Period, 1994-2003: Film series presents La vida es silbar (Life is To Whistle), directed by Fernando Pérez, in which three characters in Havana wrestle with their pasts, faith and futures. 7 pm Feb. 13, 129 McKenzie, UO. Free.

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.

I Love Choice: Planned Parenthood hosts this festival of documentaries that examine the struggle for reproductive rights. Films include Motherhood By Choice, Abortion Denied and Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. 7 pm Feb. 12, DIVA. $5 adv. (at Novella Café and Sundance), $7 door.

In the Name of the King: Let us not forget that in 2006, director Uwe Boll (Bloodrayne) challenged his harshest critics to boxing matches. Boll’s new film involves a good man (Jason Statham, oh, dear) who takes on a nasty sorcerer (Ray Liotta!) after the sorcerer captures his wife (Claire Forlani). PG13. 150 min. Movies 12.

Kurt Cobain: About a Son: Images of people and scenes of the places the iconic Cobain grew up, and places significant to him, are set to audiotaped interviews conducted with Cobain (by journalist Michael Azerrad), adding up to a personal, ambient and intimate portrait. Not rated. 97 min. Bijou. See review this issue.

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. Films show for three Fridays in February; the first is China Blue, a look at young women working in impossible conditions in a jeans factory in China. 5:30 pm Feb. 8, 175 Knight Law, UO. $3, students free.

P.S. I Love You: Holly (Hilary Swank) must go on without the love of her life, Gerry (Gerard Butler) when illness strikes. But for her 30th birthday, she gets a letter and a tape from Gerry, telling her how to make the most of her life. Sorry, have to end this there; I feel a bit queasy from all the sweetness. PG13. 126 min. Movies 12.

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Writer Eric A. Stillwell presents “Yesterday’s Gold,” an episode he co-wrote in which the Enterprise discovers a strange rift in space. (Stillwell, Lolita Fatjo and Mary Conley lead a workshop on writing for sci-fi TV at 9 am Feb. 9.) Shows at 7 pm Feb. 8, DIVA, with Q&A to follow. $5, $3 stu.

Swedish Film Series: Ingmar Bergman’s Autumn Sonata follows a famous pianist as she visits her daughter, who lives in the country, and is surprised to find that her other, disabled daughter is living there as well. 7 pm Feb. 8, 177 Lawrence, UO. Free.

Videomaker’s Forum and Slam: A newly expanded forum for video creators to discuss and share their work. Forum, 4 pm; Slam, 5:30 pm Feb. 10, DIVA.

Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show: Subtitled 30 Days and 30 Nights — Hollywood to the Heartland, this film follows Vaughn and four stand-up comedians across the country as they perform 30 shows in 30 days. R. 100 min. Cinemark.

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. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival: This collection of conservation-oriented short films covers topics from bicycling to coffee, dogs to salmon, kayaking to lawn tending. Guest speakers will also appear. 7 pm Feb. 7, 180 PLC, UO. $7.

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

 

CONTINUING:

Across the Universe: Julie Taymor (Titus, Broadway’s The Lion King) puts her ambitious but unsatisfying spin on a love story built around Beatles songs, following a young man (Jim Sturgess) and the girl he falls for (Evan Rachel Wood) amid the tumult of the 1960s. PG13. 131 min. Movies 12. 44211 (10/18)

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. Cinemark.

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)

August Rush: Keri Russell and Jonathan Rhys Meyers star as a musical young couple whose lovelorn encounter produces a child. Orphaned “by circumstance” (says the description), the boy (Freddie Highmore) grows up to become a musical prodigy. OSCAR NOMINATION: BEST SONG. PG. 113 min. Movies 12.

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. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Charlie Wilson’s War: Mike Nichols directs from an Aaron Sorkin script this political … drama? comedy? … about a congressman (Tom Hanks) who combined forces with a CIA agent (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and a rich socialite (Julia Roberts) to direct a massive covert operation during the Cold War era. OSCAR NOMINATION: BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN). R. 97 min. Movies 12. (1/3)

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.

Dan in Real Life: Poor Dan (Steve Carrell) is an advice columnist with a passel of daughters whose life is further complicated when he falls for his brother’s girlfriend (Juliette Binoche). Also, the brother is played by Dane Cook. PG13. 99 min. Movies 12.

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)

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. VRC Stadium 15.

Game Plan, The: The Rock stretches his dramatic skills as a football player faced with a strange challenge: a little girl who claims to be his daughter. PG. Movies 12.

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.

I Am Legend: Will Smith does the all-by-his-lonesome thing in a New York City left not exactly empty after a manmade virus devastates the globe. During the day, he tries to find other survivors; at night, he tries to survive the creatures that are what’s left of humanity. PG13. 100 min. Cinemark. (12/20)

I’m Not There: Portland filmmaker Todd Haynes’ (Far From Heaven) unconventional Bob Dylan movie is one of the year’s most anticipated — and, for the most part, highly praised. Different actors, including Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger and Christian Bale, play incarnations of Dylan over the decades. “One of the most inventive and joyous movies of the year,” said Salon. OSCAR NOMINATION: BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS (CATE BLANCHETT). R. 135 min. Bijou LateNite. (12/6)

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)

Meet the Spartans: Didn’t I just joke, a few weeks ago, that apparently everything must get its own send-up movie now? The latest addition to the bloated category spoofs 300, Britney Spears and, um, You Got Served. PG13. 84 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. Cinemark. (10/25)

Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium: This story about a magical toy store, its owner (Dustin Hoffman) and the young shop employee who might inherit it (Natalie Portman) is written and directed by Zach Helm, who also wrote last year’s Stranger Than Fiction. G. 94 min. Movies 12.

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. VRC Stadium 15.

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. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

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)

Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything, The: Those talking side dishes return in the latest Veggie Tales movie, in which three veggie pals set sail into the 17th century and learn what it means to be heroes. G. Movies 12.

Poultrygeist: Lloyd Kaufman’s chicken-zombie horror-comedy (with musical numbers). Bijou LateNite.

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. VRC Stadium 15.

Strange Wilderness: Steve Zahn and Allen Covert star as the hosts of a failing nature program whose only hope for saving their series is to find something truly different to feature: Bigfoot! R. 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. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Twenty-seven Dresses: Current It Girl Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up) stars in this always a bridesmaid, never a bride story of Jane, whose sister gets the guy Jane’s in love with. But with James Marsden (Enchanted) around, you’ve got to assume Jane’s not going to have a totally unhappy ending. PG. 107 min. Cinemark. VRC Stadium 15.

Untraceable: Another movie about the horrors of technology! Goodness! This time, a nasty, tech-savvy internet criminal is killing people at a speed determined by the number of hits his ghoulish website gets. Diane Lane and Colin Hanks are gonna get the bad guy, though. An awful lot seems to go on in the preview for this one. R. 110 min. 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

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

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