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clips opening or returning: Autumn in New York: Joan Chen directs Winona Ryder and Richard Gere in this romance. PG-13. Movies 12. Butterfly: A young boy learns about making a moral choice on the eve of the Spanish Civil War in this adaptation of Manuel Rivas stories directed by José Luis Cuerda. Stars Manuel Lozano as the boy and Fernando Fernan Gomez as his teacher. R. Bijou. Chicken Run: Nick Park (Wallace and Gromit) and Peter Lord work their animated magic on clay creatures. Life on Tweedy's Farm has become brutal, and the chickens' fearless leader, Ginger (Julia Sawalha) recruits an American rooster (Mel Gibson) to teach them to fly. Hilarious good fun for all you after-midnight chicks and roosters. G. Late night Bijou. Patriot, The: Roland Emmerich directs Mel Gibson as Benjamin Martin, a war hero who doesn't want to fight the British in the war for independence until they try to take his South Carolina home. Heath Ledger co-stars as his oldest son. With Tom Wilkinson, Chris Cooper and Joely Richardson. Violent, patriotic fare. R. Movies 12. Sunshine: Respected film director Istvan Szabo creates a memorable fictional family here, one overwhelmed by historical forces that rose to power in Europe and gave rein to the worst in human nature. Story tracks a Jewish Hungarian family through the 20th century, with Ralph Fiennes playing one of the sons of each generation. Co-stars Rachel Weisz, William Hurt, Jennifer Ehle and Rosemary Harris. Recommended. R. Cinemark 17. Urban Legends: Final Cut: Student filmmakers (Jennifer Morrison, Matthew Davis and Joseph Lawrence) make a psychological thriller about urban legends in a competitive film school where someone is killing off other students. R. Cinemark 17. Movieland 6. Woman on Top: Brazilian romantic comedy directed by Fina Torres stars Penélope Cruz (All About My Mother) as a sultry chef who relocates to San Francisco and there creates fantastic culinary treats besotted men can't get enough of. R. Cinema World 8. Cinemark 17. Wonderland: Michael Winterbottom's uncynical slice-of-life drama tracks three London sisters, their parents and other family through a few days in their ordinary lives. Stars Shirley Henderson, Gina McKee, Molly Parker, Kika Markham and Jack Shepherd. Winterbottom gets beautiful, natural performances from his actors, and film's bittersweet charm is full of hope. One of the best of the year. Highly recommended. Bijou. See review this issue. Films open the Friday following date of EW publication unless otherwise noted. continuing: 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. Movies 12. Blood Simple: Anniversary re-release of Coen brothers' 1985 writing and directing film debut tells a dark tale of a jealous husband who hires a sleazy detective to kill his wife and his bartender, the wife's lover. Stars Frances McDormand, M. Emmet Walsh, Dan Hedaya and John Getz. R. Late night Bijou. Bring It On: Kirsten Dunst (The Virgin Suicides) is a cheerleader who wants to lead her squad to a national title. Gabrielle Union (She's All That) is head of a rival, inner-city hip-hop squad that has a score to settle with their suburban counterparts. PG-13. Cinemark 17. Cinema World 8. Movieland 6. Cell, The: Jennifer Lopez, Vince Vaughan and Vincent D'Onofrio star in this science fiction thriller. Lopez is a psychologist who becomes trapped in the mind of a serial killer. R. Cinemark 17. Movieland 6. Center Stage: Director Nicholas Hytner's tale about a young ballerina (Amanda Sethall) from Indiana who comes to the Big Apple to dance and the friends she meets in the city. Also stars the respected NY ballet dancer Ethan Stiefel. Predictable trajectory for plot but there's some wonderful dancing here. PG-13. Movies 12. Coyote Ugly: Comedy about cocktail waitresses who perform juggling acts with bottles in a rowdy New York bar. Ensemble cast includes Piper Perabo as the new girl, Maria Bello, Melanie Lynskey, Adam Garcia and John Goodman. Directed by David McNally. PG-13. Cinemark 17. Dinosaur: Disney gets a little risqué with a PG rating, no songs and computer-generated dinos 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. Frequency: Sci-fi thriller involves a son (Jim Cavaziel) who time travels to save his father (Dennis Quaid); then both become embroiled in unforeseen consequences. Directed by Gregory Hoblit and script by Toby Emmerich, film also stars Andre Braugher, Noah Emmerich and Elizabeth Mitchell. PG-13. 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. Movies 12. 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. Surprisingly entertaining. R. Cinemark 17. Highlander: Endgame: It's been 14 years since the first movie in this TV-series-remake and five since the last in the series. So, is this really the last we'll see of the immortals? Stars Christopher Lambert and Adrian Paul. R. Cinemark 17. Me, Myself and 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. 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. Great action. R. Movies 12. Nurse Betty: Neil LaBute's (In the Company of Men, Your Friends and Neighbors) new satire, a comic crime story, concerns a small-town waitress played by Renée Zellweger, who escapes an abusive husband (Aaron Eckhart) for soap opera land. She's followed by two hit men (Morgan Freeman, Chris Rock). LaBute calls the film "quite romantic in a perverse way." R. Cinema World 8. Cinemark 17. Perfect Storm, The: Wolfgang Petersen (Das Boot) directs this true action adventure based on Sebastian Junger's nonfiction bestseller. Six fishermen out of Gloucester, Mass. run into a killer storm on the high -- 100 foot waves --seas. Stars George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and William Fichtner. PG-13. Cinemark 17. Cinema World 8. Replacements, The: During an NFL players' strike, coach Gene Hackman brings in a bunch of misfits and hasbeens to take his team to the play-offs. Howard Deutch's comedy stars Keanu Reeves, with Jon Favreau, Brooke Langton and Orlando Jones. PG-13. Cinemark 17. Road Trip: College partying silliness directed by Todd Phillips stars Breckin Meyer, Tom Green and Amy Smart. R. Movies 12. Rocky and Bullwinkle, The Adventures of: Mixed live action and animation recreation of the characters Jay Ward popularized on television in the 1960s. Stars Rene Russo, Jason Alexander, Robert de Niro and Randy Craig. PG. Movies 12. Saving Grace: Brenda Blethyn stars as Grace, who is left with major debt after her husband falls (or perhaps jumps) out of an airplane without a parachute. Grace and her soon-to-be-fired gardener hatch a scheme to farm marijuana to pay her debts. Cinema World 8. Scary Movie: Parody of Scream teen horror directed by Keenan Ivory Wayans stars Carmen Electra in the Drew Barrymore role, Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans. Lots of improvisations in this spoof. R. Cinemark 17. 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. Movies 12. 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. Movies 12. Space Cowboys: Director Clint Eastwood attracted Tommy Lee Jones, James Garner and Donald Sutherland to star with him in this outer space adventure flick. They play retired Air Force test pilots who have to defuse a leftover Cold War satellite in space before it hits earth. PG-13. Cinemark 17. Cinema World 8. Movieland 6. Thomas and the Magic Railroad: Based on Britt Allcroft's popular television program, this choo choo is still on the track. G. Movies 12. Watcher, The: Psychological thriller about a serial killer (Keanu Reeves) and the exhausted FBI agent (James Spader) pursuing him. Directed by Joe Charbanic, the film also stars Marisa Tomei, Ernie Hudson and Chris Ellis. R. Cinema World 8. Cinemark 17. Movieland 6. What Lies Beneath: Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer star in Robert Zemeckis' spooky psychological thriller about a husband who has an affair with a woman who kills herself in their house. PG-13. Cinemark 17. X-Men: Marvel Comic mutant superheroes are called X-Men regardless of gender. Halle Berry, James Marsden and Famke Janssen help "gifted youngsters" learn to use their powers. Prof. Charles Xavier is played by Patrick Stewart, newcomer Hugh Jackson plays the lead, and Ian McKellan is the evil mutant. PG-13. Movies 12. movie
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clips Black and White: Writer/director James Toback takes an exciting look at what black kids think of privileged white kids who embrace hip-hop culture. Brooke Shields and Robert Downey Jr. play docu filmmakers. Stars Oli "Power" Grant, Corey "Raekwon" Woods, William Lee Scott, Allan Houston, Bijou Philips, Mike Tyson, Claudia Schiffer and Scott Caan. R. Cup, The: Set in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Bhutan and directed by a High Lama, this little gem of a film focuses on the young monks who want to watch the World Cup on television. Highly recommended. G. Final Destination: Alex Browning plays a student with the foresight to get off a doomed airplane; his girlfriend, teacher and a stranger go, too. Then he becomes obsessed with cheating death, and death begins stalking him. Directed by James Wong. R. Intern: Dominique Swain plays an intern at 'Skirt,' a fashion magazine, in director Michael Lange's silly gossip-fest. Also stars Peggy Lipton, Paulina Poriskova and Joan Rivers, with celebrity cameos that include Gwyneth Paltrow. The New York Times reviewer wrote, "The biggest mystery about "Intern" is how a film about people who are obsessed with appearances could wind up looking so hopelessly drab and tacky." NR. Joe Gould's Secret: Tale of former New Yorker columnist Joseph Mitchell (Stanley Tucci of Big Night) and his relationship with a Harvard-educated hobo living on the streets (Ian Holm), whom he profiles for the magazine. Directed by Tucci and set in Greenwich Village of the 1940-1960 era, the film generated buzz at Sundance. R. Last September: Theater director Deborah Warner's film debut attracted Neil Jordan as executive producer and stars Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon, Set in an Irish country house in 1920, story chronicles the rise of Irish nationalists against the British and its affect on the Irish aristocracy, specifically a young woman (Keeley Hawkes) torn between a British officer (David Tennant) and an old friend, now Irish fighter (Gary Lydon). Critically acclaimed film never played Eugene theatrically. R. No Alibi: Conventional thriller directed by Bruce Pittman stars Dean Cain and Eric Roberts. NR. Screw Loose: Stupid comedy stars Mel Brooks as the crazy best friend of a dying man and Ezio Greggorio as his son. R. Screwed: Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, co-writers of The People vs. Larry Flynt, wrote and directed this not-very-funny comedy starring Norm Macdonald, Elaine Stritch, Dave Chappelle and Danny DeVito. Only DeVito's performance drew positive critical marks, as in the fond remarks of The New York Times that he "huffs and mugs and waddles through his role like a happy mad scientist." PG-13. Waking the Dead: Billy Crudup is an inspired young Chicago politician in the Kennedy era, and Jennifer Connelly is his idealist activist girlfriend. Years after her death, he still isn't over her. Critics praised Connelly's performance and their love scenes, but found the film flawed in its screenplay and flashback narrative style. Keith Gordon directs. Film never had a Eugene showing. R. Wildflowers: Writer/director Melissa Director has drawn a vague and vaguely unsettling picture of a girl raised in a California commune (Clea DuVall) who thinks Sabine (Daryl Hannah) is her long-lost mother. With Eric Roberts. Picture never played Eugene. R. Next week: Bellyfruit, Bossa Nova, East-West, Full-Tilt Boogie, The Skulls and The Waiting Game. movie
reviews Almost Famous: Written and directed by Cameron Crowe. Produced by Cameron Crowe, Ian Bryce. Cinematography, John Toll. Art directors, Clay A. Griffith, Clayton R. Hartley. Editors, Joe Hutshing, Saar Klein. Costumes, Betsy Heimann. Score, Nancy Wilson. Music supervision, Danny Bramson. Technical consultant, Peter Frampton. Starring Billy Crudup, Patrick Fugit, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, Jason Lee and Philip Seymour Hoffman. With Zooey Deschanel, Michael Angarano, Noah Taylor, John Fedevich, Mark Kozelek, Fairuza Balk and Anna Paquin. Dreamworks, 2000. R. 120 minutes. This is Cameron Crowe's fictionalized autobiography of the 1970s rock and roll scene he observed as a 15-year-old music writer hired by Rolling Stone and sent on tour with a band-on-the-verge of stardom. Crowe's love for the music of the period gives the film a genuine sweetness enhanced by elegant, true performances from a fabulous cast. Crowe is an expert director (Say Anything, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Jerry Maguire) whose thoughtful work speaks to the respect he inspires in his actors. Lots of movies try hard to get right the explosive energy of a rebellious teen leaving home but none better than the way 11-year-old Billy Miller's (Michael Angarano) older sister, Anita (Zooey Deschanel), ecstatically sprints for her boyfriend's car to get away from the embrace of their mother, Elaine (Frances McDormand). Anita wants to be part of the rock and roll revolution, while the brilliant, difficult Elaine is convinced that even Simon and Garfunkel are on drugs. In Anita's mad dash for freedom, she deliberately leaves behind the seeds of her liberation -- her eclectic, contraband albums of The Who, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Iggy Pop -- to change her brother's life forever. Now it's 1973. William (Patrick Fugit) is 15, a smart, solid kid with fine observational skills. He's maintained a close but complicated relationship with his mother while writing about rock music for the local alternative newspaper. When he connects with the famous rock music critic, Lester Bangs (Philip Seymour Hoffman giving his usual extraordinary performance), he gets some great advice -- don't make friends with rock stars -- as well as an assignment. Almost Famous takes off. When William hooks up with Rolling Stone to cover Stillwater, a "mid-level" band perched on the edge of success, his mother's intense admonition "Don't Take Drugs!" is still ringing in his ears. He gets close to Penny Lane (Kate Hudson, a natural for the role), a savvy groupie who calls herself and the other girls -- Sapphire (Fairuza Balk) and Polexia (Anna Paquin) -- Band-Aids because they're there to inspire the band. And William is accepted by the band's charismatic guitarist, Russell Hammond (Billy Crudup, in another star-making performance). Other band members are Jeff (Jason Lee), Ed (John Fedevich), Larry (Mark Kozelek) and road manager, Dick (Noah Taylor). Few among us have been on a band tour, so our "education" in that regard comes from rock movies. Early documentaries -- Don't Look Back, Gimme Shelter and Let It Be tell good insider stories from an earlier era. And The Last Waltz, Scorsese's 1978 film of The Band's final concert; Stop Making Sense, Jonathan Demme's 1984 Talking Heads concert film; and Phil Joanou 1988 U2 Rattle and Hum while great, come later. More to the point, none of them aspires to what Almost Famous easily achieves. By putting the viewer inside the sensibility of a well-intentioned but young non-druggie like William we, too, see things anew. His bond with the Band-Aid girls lets him see how the band takes advantage of its good-hearted fans. He also witnesses how a whiff of success poisons the atmosphere, bringing out long-held resentments toward Russell. And he uncovers the hypocrisy between their "friendship" with him and the "cool" image they want him to create, just as Bangs foretold. But William comes through, clear-eyed and uncorrupted, his love for the music and the people intact. A stunning film you don't want to miss, Almost Famous opens Friday at Cinema World 8, Cinemark 17.
Wonderland: Directed by Michael Winterbottom. Written by Laurence Coriat. Produced by Michele Camarda and Andrew Eaton. Cinematography, Sean Bobbitt. Production design, Mark Tildesley. Editor, Trevor Waite. Composer, Michael Nyman. Costumes, Natalie Ward. Starring Shirley Henderson, Gina McKee, Molly Parker, Kika Markham and Jack Shepherd, with Ian Hart, John Simm and Enzo Cilenti. Universal Pictures/USA Films, 1999. R. 108 minutes. British director Michael Winterbottom makes terrific movies about real people living their lives with decency and hope. Welcome to Sarajevo is his only film to have played here, so you may not recognize his name, although many of his films are available on video. Winterbottom is not afraid to tackle difficult stories, and he gets absorbing character studies from his actors. One of the best filmmakers working today, Winterbottom has made exactly the kind of film I get excited about. Film can make us glad to be human but too seldom does. Wonderland has no car chases, guns, thugs or drugs. People lead simple, unglamorous lives. They have problems. No one has money. Everyone wants to be loved. The story of the film is told through images and dialogue. Obstructions to love or whatever goal is being sought arise out of the character's own psychological bent. The very ordinariness of their lives gives me hope. Winterbottom regularly makes films with his production company partner, producer Andrew Eaton, and Wonderland marks editor Trevor Waite's ninth collaboration with the director. Screenwriter Laurence Coriat said she left a lot of room in the script for the director to build on, and Winterbottom was the director both she and producer Michele Camarada wanted for the project. Coriat was impressed by the way "Michael built up the drama" without making the film bitter or cynical. At heart, Wonderland is about family, particularly three sisters in their 30s -- Nadia (Gina McKee, Croupier), Molly (Molly Parker, Sunshine) and Debbie (Shirley Henderson, Topsy-Turvy). Each is disappointed in her life, but they don't talk about things that matter the most. Nadia, a waitress, wants badly to meet the right man. She's taken out personal ads but does not want her sisters to know. Pregnant Molly is uncertain of Eddie's (John Simm) commitment to their relationship but can't talk about it. Debbie, a hairdresser, has a 9-year-old child. Her relationship with the boy's father, Dan (Ian Hart) sucks. The parents, Eileen (Kika Markham) and Bill (Jack Shepherd), are locked in a loveless marriage made worse since their only son, Darren (Enso Cilenti), left home. The tension between them is awful, but they don't talk about their problems to their daughters. Nadia stays in touch with her Dad, who's retired but helps take care of her place. Eileen, who has serious sleep problems, worries about Molly and the new baby. And this is London, the city as not usually seen in movies. Shot in seven weeks in ambient light, using radio mikes and 16mm hand-held video cameras, the film is set in actual locations in and around the city, with actual people -- no extras. Winterbottom said he wanted to create "a real sense of the city, rather than a re-created version of it." Locations such as Soho bars, cafes, a football stadium, a hair salon, pubs and a bingo hall generate a sense of immediacy. And without the intrusion of a huge crew, the actors had more time to get into their characters because scenes could take as long as needed. A film shot this way can't be edited in the usual manner, Winterbottom said. The film came together in the editing room from 150 hours of tape. Winterbottom said "even if you're not aware of what's different, you'll be aware that something's different" in how scenes are cut, the shape of the performances, the relation between characters and the "background action," and in the rhythm of the dialogue and thus of the film. The result is one of the better films of the year. Wonderland opens Friday at the Bijou. What's Happening |
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