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returning: American Psycho: Christian Bales plays a Wall St. yuppie type with a taste for murder in director Mary Harron's screen adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' violent novel. Also stars Reese Witherspoon, Chloë Sevigny, Samantha Mathis, Jared Leto and Willem Dafoe. Extremely violent in its intent, a misogynist film not overcome by its stylish exterior or sophisticated irony. R. Movies 12. Boys and Girls: Freddie Prinze Jr. in a romantic comedy with Claire Forlani. Directed by Robert Iscove, who directed Prinze in She's All That. PG-13. Cinemark 17. Cinema World 8. Chicken Run: Nick Park (Wallace and Gromit) and his partner at Aardman Animations, Peter Lord, work their magic on claymation creatures. Life on Tweedy's Farm has become brutal, and a flock of scared chickens recruit an American rooster (voice by Mel Gibson) to come up with an escape plan. G. Sneak 6/17. 4 pm, Cinemark 17. 2:50 pm, Movieland 6. Committed: Heather Graham plays the manager of a NY rock club whose husband (Luke Wilson) deserts her for El Paso, Texas, but she still loves him. Written and directed by Lisa Krueger (Manny and Lo), The NY Times notes "Comedy, like marriage, takes more work than this." R. Bijou. Doing Time, Doing Vipassana: Documentary film about meditation practice trainings in notorious Delhi prison. Not rated. 6/17 & 6/18 at 1 pm. Bijou. Elmo in Grouchland: Part of a summertime free film festival for kids, Elmo shows with Stuart Little at 10 am 6/20 and 6/21. G. Cinema World 8. Fantasia 2000: Disney created seven new segments in the vein of the studio's 1940 classic favorite. Millennial version includes the original Mickey Mouse as The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and a new Stravinsky Firebird Suite that's fabulous. G. McDonald. Cinemark 17. Human Traffic: Youth culture film takes a smart look at the rave life in Wales by 25-year old writer, director Justin Kerrigan. The NY Times calls it a "blissfully hedonistic film" that "revels in its foolishness and in its likable characters." R. Bijou. Me, Myself & Irene: Jim Carrey plays a man with a split personality disorder who runs into trouble when he runs out of medication. Renee Zellweger plays a woman on the run who falls in love with both of them. R. Sneak 6/17 at 10 pm. Cinemark 17. Cinema World 8. Mission to Mars: Brian DePalma directs Gary Sinise, Tim Robbins, Jerry O'Connell and Don Cheadle as a rescue team headed for Mars to find survivors of an earlier manned mission. PG. Movies 12. Price of Glory, The: Boxing drama stars Jimmy Smitts ("NYPD Blue") as an ex-boxer raising three sons to fight. Jon Seda ("Homicide") co-stars; directed by Carlos Avila. PG-13. Movies 12. Shaft: John Singleton's update of Gordon Parks' 1971 blaxploitation smash hit stars Samuel L. Jackson as the nephew of Richard Roundtree's original private detective; also stars Vanessa Williams. Music by Isaac Hayes. R. Cinemark 17. Movieland 6. Stuart Little. A smart mouse adopted by human parents gets a new look in Rob Minkoff's picture. PG. Summer free film festival for kids shows with Elmo at 10 am 6/20 and 6/21. G. Cinema World 8. Titan A.E.: Animators Don Bluth and Gary Goldman direct this tale of a post-Earth epic journey by a rebellious teen who must find the Titan machine that can recreate the planet. Voices by Matt Damon, Bill Pullman, Drew Barrymore, John Leguizamo, Janeane Garofalo and Nathan Lane. PG. Cinema World 8. Cinemark 17. U-571: Exciting WWII thriller about the race to break the German Enigma code and rescue an enemy U-boat with Americans aboard. Directed by Johnathan Mostow, it stars Harvey Keitel, Bill Paxton, Matthew McConaughey and Jon Bon Jovi. It's not Das Boot, but critics underrated this good, mainstream film. PG-13. Late night Bijou.
Films open the Friday following date of EW publication unless otherwise noted continuing: Big Kahuna, The: Two disgruntled industrial lubricant salesman (Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito) and the new kid (Peter Fancinelli) hole up in a hotel room in Kansas. Lots of talk. Low-budget film directed by John Swanbeck from Roger Rueff's play, Hospitality Suite. R. Bijou. See review this issue. Big Momma's House: Martin Lawrence plays an FBI agent assigned to protect a single mom, played by Nia Long. He goes to Georgia dressed as her grandmother, Big Momma. Directed by Raja Gosnell. PG-13. Cinemark 17. Movieland 6. Cider House Rules: Loss-of-innocence fable stars Tobey Maguire and Academy-Award winner Michael Caine. Lasse Hallstrom directs John Irving's screenplay. Also stars Charlize Theron, Delroy Lindo, Paul Rudd, Jane Alexander, Kathy Baker and singer Erykah Badu. Fearless pro-abortion stance is remarkable. PG-13. Movies 12. Dinosaur: Disney gets a little risqué with a PG rating, no songs and computer-generated dinosaurs against live-action backgrounds. Otherwise, this film is your classic cuddly Disney. Stars the voices of D.B. Sweeney, Julianna Margulies and Della Reese. PG. Cinemark 17. Cinema World 8. Movieland 6. Erin Brockovich: Gutsy single mom brings class-action lawsuit against PG&E for discharging chemical pollutants into community drinking water. Steven Soderbergh directs. Julia Roberts stars, with Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart. Top-notch screen entertainment. R. Movies 12. Flintstones in Viva Las Vegas, The: Young Fred Flintstone (Mark Addy) courts Wilma Slaghoople (Kristen Johnston) in this comedy directed by Brian Levant. Also stars Stephen Baldwin, Jane Krakowski, Joan Collins and Harvey Korman. PG. Movies 12. Gladiator: Ridley Scott's Roman spectacle stars Russell Crowe (The Insider) as Maximus, a famous Roman general now slave gladiator. His enemy, Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), also stars Richard Harris, Oliver Reed and Djimon Hounsou. Highly recommended. R. Cinemark 17. Cinema World 8. Gone in 60 Seconds: Angelina Jolie, Nicolas Cage, Robert Duvall, Delroy Lindo and Giovanni Ribisi star in Dominic Sena's car-thief drama. Cage and Ribisi play siblings "with grand theft auto in their genes," according to Entertainment Weekly. R. Cinemark 17. Cinema World 8. See review this issue. High Fidelity: Stephen Frears directs his adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel in this romantic comedy starring John Cusack, with Iben Hjejle, Jack Black and Todd Louiso. A funny, credible movie with everything going for it. The funniest movie of the year so far. Very highly recommended. R. Bijou. Magnolia: Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights) directs this medley of L.A, stories and gets excellent performances from a cast that includes William H. Macy, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, John C. Reilly, Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, Philip Baker Hall and Jason Robards. Cruise won a '99 Golden Globe and was nominated for an Academy Award. R. Movies 12. Mission: Impossible 2: Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames return to this lucrative franchise, based on the 1960s TV series, with John Woo directing and Thandie Newton (Besieged, Beloved) as the love interest. R. Cinemark 17. Cinema World 8. Movieland 6. Reindeer Games: Ben Affleck plays a parolee trying to go straight and settle down with his girlfriend (Charlize Theoron). But her brother (Gary Sinise) and his pals have other ideas. Directed by John Frankenheimer. R. Movies 12. Return to Me: Romantic drama written and directed by Bonnie Hunt stars David Duchovny and Minnie Driver. Mixed reviews, but Driver is reportedly great. PG. Movies 12. Road to El Dorado, The: Animated musical comedy with music by Elton John and voices by Rosie Perez, Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh, Armand Assante and Edward James Olmos. PG. Movies 12. Road Trip: College partying silliness directed by Todd Phillips stars Breckin Meyer, Tom Green and Amy Smart. R. Cinemark 17. Cinema World 8. Shanghai Noon: Jackie Chan plays a Chinese imperial guard sent to the Old West to rescue a kidnapped princess played by Lucy Liu. Owen Wilson is a thief who becomes Chan's sidekick. Directed by Tom Dey. PG-13. Cinema World 8. Cinemark 17. Movieland 6. Skulls, The: A college secret society with muscle panders to elite male students and then keeps them for life. Stars Joshua Jackson, whose troubles start when he wants out. Directed by Rob Cohen. PG-13. Movies 12. Small Time Crooks: Woody Allen's latest stars Allen and Tracey Ullman star as a married couple who join a trio of bumbling hoods to rob a bank. Hugh Grant tries to educate the couple in the ways of the upper-crust. PG. Movieland. Tigger Movie, The: Disney's animated movie about Winnie the Pooh and pals. Starring T-I-double gerr. G. Movies 12. Toy Story 2: John Lasseter directs this wholly computer-generated sequel. Vintage toy collector steals Woody (Tom Hanks). Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), and the gang rescues. G. Movies 12. Where the Heart Is: Matt Williams directs Natalie Portman, Ashley Judd, Stockard Channing and Joan Cusack. Portman plays abandoned, pregnant 17-year old whose family and friends encourage her to make a new life for herself. PG-13. Movies 12. movie
theaters Bijou Art Cinemas Regal Cinemas Cinemark Theaters video
clips All I Wanna Do: Set in a New England girl's boarding school in 1963, Sarah Kernochan's film stars Heather Matarazzo, Gaby Hoffman, Kirsten Dunst and Lynn Redgrave. Silly plot, prim, foolish girls, but good performances from Hoffman and Dunst, according to The New York Times reviewer who also liked Kernochan's "spirited sloppiness" and generous regard for her characters. Never played Eugene. PG-13. Bicentennial Man: Directed by Chris Columbus and based on a story by Isaac Asimov about a robot who wants to become human, film stars Robin Williams, Sam Neill, Embeth Davidtz and Hallie Eisenberg. PG. Emperor and The Assassin, The: Director Chen Kaige's classic Chinese tale of torn loyalties, hunger for power and vicious reprisals played out in courtyards, palaces and complexes within ancient cities and on vast plains where armies clash is about the first Emperor of China. Stars Gong Li, Li Xuejian, Zhang Fengyi and Chen Kaige (as the Prime Minister). R. Green Mile, The: Three-hour screen adaptation of Stephen King's 1996 novel stars Tom Hanks as a Death Row guard and Michael Clarke Duncan as a black convict with mysterious powers. Four Academy Award nominations, no winners. R. Movies 12. Light It Up: A good teacher is fired at an inner city high school, and students barricade themselves in the school. Stars Sara Gilbert, Vanessa L. Williams and Forest Whitaker. Directed by Craig Bolotin. R. Mercy: Erotic thriller stars Ellen Barkin as a homicide detective on the trail of a serial killer. Directed by Damian Harris, movie's other stars include Julian Sands and Pete Wilson. 1999 film never played Eugene. R. Third Miracle, The: A Catholic priest going through a crisis of faith investigates a Chicago woman's alleged miracles. Stars Ed Harrison and Anne Heche, with Armin Mueller-Stahl. Beautifully directed by Agnieska Holland, excellent performances by Harrison and Heche. Very interesting film. R. Topsy-Turvy: British director Mike Leigh leaves contemporary social drama behind for this rollicking, savvy tale of the fertile collaboration of Gilbert and Sullivan, as they struggle to bring The Mikado to the stage in 1880s London. Marvelous performances by Allan Corduner and Jim Broadbent, with Lesley Manville, Timothy Spall, Shirley Henderson and Eleanor David. Great fun. R. Bijou. Next week: Anna and the King, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, Gun Shy, Liberty Heights, Sweet and Lowdown and Twin Warriors. movie
reviews Gone in 60 Seconds: Directed by Dominic Sena. Written by Scott Rosenberg. Based on the 1974 motion picture written and directed by Toby Halicki. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Mike Stenson. Cinematography, Paul Cameron. Production design, Jeff Mann. Costumes, Marlene Stewart. Edited by Tom Muldoon, Chris Lebenzon. Music, Trevor Rabin. Starring Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Giovanni Ribisi, Delroy Lindo, Robert Duvall, Christopher Eccleston, Chi McBride and Will Patton. Touchstone Pictures, 2000. PG-13. 120 minutes. Ever wanted to know how ideas get turned into movies? One bit of advice experts recommend is to have a tightly focused premise for your script or script idea. The ideal length for such a pitch is very short, say, one sentence long. So when the suit asks, what's it about?, you say: "They have to steal 50 cars in one night." Writer Scott Rosenberg says that's how a former studio production chief described to him Toby Halicki's 1974 cult movie about car thieves, Gone in 60 Seconds. While it's overly simplistic to think such a catchy premise will automatically result in a big-budget movie getting made, it was something Rosenberg could take to his very successful producer buddy, Jerry Bruckheimer (The Rock, Con Air). On the way to the screen, many of the original film's characters, plot and action sequences changed, and on its opening weekend, the film catapulted to top draw at the box office. Nevertheless, disgruntled culties have already weighed in. The Oregonian's Kim Morgan lamented the absence of "great car moments." Whatever. The main character is Randall Raines (Nicolas Cage), called Memphis by his friends. He was a car thief - the best ever, they say - who went straight years ago because he and his mother (Grace Zabriskie) decided it was the only way to save his younger brother, Kip (Giovanni Ribisi), from turning criminal, too. But, as Entertainment Weekly's preview puts it, these siblings have "grand theft auto in their genes." Now Memphis, hard at work coaching kids co-cart technique, gets the word from his old partner, Atley Jackson (Will Patton), that his bro has run afoul of a new arch criminal. Turns out that this nasty Brit, Raymond Calitiri (Christopher Eccleston, who played the evil Duke of Norfolk in Elizabeth), has taken over the stolen car franchise since Memphis left town. And Calitiri says he will kill Kip if Memphis doesn't do a big job for him. So Memphis returns to his old stomping grounds. Police detective Roland Castlebeck (Delroy Lindo) sniffs him out right away. After their meeting, Castlebeck knows something is going down, and Memphis knows he knows. Memphis gets his mom's permission to do things he told her he'd never do again. The cocky kid, Kip, has no idea how lucky he is. Eventually Memphis brings all the old gang back into the fold for the mission: Steal 50 cars in one day or Kip dies. Otto (Robert Duvall), who now runs a legit garage, taught him everything he knows and can't say no. Sara Wayland, known as Sway (Angelina Jolie), was his girl in their former life. Now she's trying to make it in the straight world. She says "no." Donny (Chi McBride) has become a driver's ed instructor, and he's ready for something that's more fun. And when Kip insists on coming in, he brings with him a rash of young, high-tech guys. The thing about summer movies is that you can't look at them too closely. The action drives the plot. There's not much you could call substantive in this film, which is also true of the other action films now at the metroplexes. There are no memorable moments. It won't change your life. But if you can relax and just let Gone in 60 Seconds be what it is, you'll be swept along by its relentless effort to amuse and distract you from any thoughtful analysis, which is an entertaining experience. Try it and see. Now playing at Cinema World 8 and Cinemark 17. Practically
Jesus The Big Kahuna: Directed by John Swanbeck. Written by Roger Rueff. Produced by Elie Samaha, Kevin Spacey and Andrew Stevens. Cinematography, Anastas Michos. Production design, Kalina Ivanov. Editor, Peggy Davis. Composer, Christopher Young. Starring Kevin Spacey, Danny DeVito and Peter Facinelli. Lions Gate Films, 2000. R. 91 minutes. Three industrial lubricant salesmen - Larry (Kevin Spacey), Phil (Danny DeVito) and Bob (Peter Facinelli - spend one long day in a Wichita hotel hospitality suite with the cheese ball and carrot sticks. Larry is a sly fox, striding into the room and berating Phil for picking a cheap room and crummy hors d'oeuvres. Bob is the new guy. The acerbic Larry gets on the lad's case and never lets go. The dialogue has to carry the film, but it's flat, banal. The only way to speak it is in sing-song, which is right up Spacey's alley. This mocking affectation is an integral part of Spacey's acting repertoire. But coupled with Larry's vigilant, cruel demeanor, it really grated. Not that Bob doesn't deserve shaking up. He's so naive and smug in an annoying Baptist sort of way that he's practically begging for punishment, and Larry's just the guy to give it. Phil has doubts about his work that trouble him, but he has a center of gravity that anchors the nastier stuff being flung around by Larry. Recently separated from his wife, Phil has given up booze. Larry goads Phil a bit, then lays off. Underneath the banter, the two men have known each other many years and have developed a mutual respect. The best line in the play - oops, I mean movie - is Larry's. He's quit smoking. Looking around the sorry room, he notes, "I don't smoke, you don't drink, and Bob here wouldn't think about lusting after another woman. Between the three of us, we're practically Jesus." This cynical attitude settles over the room like a dark cloud until the very end, which is way late. Most people will come to see Spacey, but DeVito is the one to keep your eyes on. He gives a layered, thoughtful performance, one of his best. Facinelli convincingly shows that Bob, despite his goody-goody facade, is no fool. The Big Kahuna is now playing at the Bijou. What's Happening |
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