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Troubled
Waters
First love's trials
help teens grow up.
By Lois
Wadsworth
CRAZY/BEAUTIFUL: Directed by John
Stockwell. Written by Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi. Produced by Mary Jane and Harry J.
Ufland, Rachel Pfeffer. Executive producer, Guy Riedel. Cinematography, Shane Hurlbut.
Production design, Maia Javan. Editor, Melissa Kent. Costumes, Susan Matheson. Music,
Paul Haslinger. Starring Kirsten Dunst and Jay Hernandez, with Bruce Davison, Lucinda
Jenny, Taryn Manning, Soledad St. Hilaire and Rolando Molina. Touchstone Pictures,
2001. PG-13.95 minutes.
 |
|
Carlos (Jay Hernandez)
and Nicole (Kirsten Dunst) are high school sweathearts.
. |
|
An unusually strong teen romance, director John Stockwell's crazy/beautiful
benefits from persuasive portrayals by Kirsten Dunst, one of Hollywood's most talented
young actors (Dick, Wag the Dog, Bring It On), and Jay Hernandez,
making his feature film debut here.
Dunst and Hernandez don't exactly burn up the screen together,
but not because they aren't sexy. But outside of teen culture flirtation and a daring,
rebellious sexiness, Nicole (Dunst) and Carlos (Hernandez) have almost nothing in
common. Sure, opposites attract. But ordinarily, if anything more substantial than
attraction takes root -- affection, say, or even close friendship -- it arises out
of shared values. But the values of these two couldn't be more different.
Nicole's a bad girl -- drinks too much, takes drugs, skips school
anytime she chooses, flaunts her sexual power. He's a good guy -- sacrifices sleep
time to get bussed to school every day, makes solid As, plays varsity football and
plans to attend Annapolis to become a Navy pilot. She lost her mother at age 12 and
is the overprivileged but neglected daughter of a progressive California congressman,
Tom Oakley (Bruce Davison). Carlos lost his father early in life. Surrounded by supportive
family members, he's the underprivileged but smart son of a proud, single, working-class
Mexican American mother (Soledad St. Hilaire). While Nicole disparages everything
she's got, Carlos works hard for an education and takes nothing for granted. So it's
surprising that they make something of their relationship.
The film gets close to being really good without actually breaking
new ground. The one truly original scene in the film is between Nicole and her estranged
father, in which they speak from their hearts, opening up to each other about their
mutual fears and misunderstandings. It's very touching and real.
But even in its more clichéd moments, crazy/beautiful
gets teen discontent right a lot of the time -- like the wild child routine Nicole
and her best friend, Maddy (Taryn Manning), have perfected. They drink and drive
fast; they dance provocatively around men they don't know; they ditch school, trash
detention and scorn authority. Nicole's class attitudes are cogently expressed in
a scene where she patters into the kitchen, naked as the day she was born, past the
family's Mexican American housekeeper, who is impervious to shock. Casually reaching
into a cabinet for a condom to have sex with her Mexican American boyfriend, Nicole's
unconscious attitude is a product of her elitist background. Something similarly
unfocused happens when her father first meets Carlos: Tom believes he's the housekeeper's
son.
Carlos reacts with discomfort to classist and racist issues. As
a jock in good standing with the mostly white athletes at school, he gets stuck uncomfortably
between them and his Chicano friends when tempers flare over borderline racist remarks.
Likewise, he doesn't know where to stand when Nicole insists on coming into a neighborhood
birthday party where she doesn't fit in. Carlos is direct with his anger toward Nicole
when she gets him in trouble at school, however.
Carlos' values of hard work and planning for the future partially
blind him to the inequities of the present, while Nicole's -- goof off, ignore the
rules and live for today -- almost destroy her ability to be genuine with those she
loves.
Although imperfectly realized, crazy/beautiful offers high
school audiences (and their parents and other grownups) a deeper look at teens' lives
than most of the drivel Hollywood throws up on the screen to capture this desired
demographic's dollars. Now playing at Cinemark, its thoughtful moments are well worth
seeing.
The
Big Squeeze
The Bijou's struggle
reflects a changing industry.
By Lois
Wadsworth
In response to the many e-mails and rumors circulating over the
past week regarding the Bijou's financial woes, I want to share with EW readers
some of what I've learned in the past 10 years about the political and economic reality
of being in a small city during an era of mass entertainment, in which decisions
affecting movies are made by increasingly fewer studios, film companies, distributors
and exhibitors.
In Flash, the UO School of Journalism's newsletter (Fall
1999/Winter 2000), Professor Janet Wasko wrote about powerful corporations moving
across industry lines to own and control more and more of the entertainment industry:
"Fewer than 10 corporations now own the major U.S. broadcast television networks,
control the production and distribution of theatrical motion pictures, produce, co-produce
or have financial interests in more than 95 percent of prime-time TV programming,
and won or have financial interests in more than 95 percent of the cable channels."
Excluding any business decisions made by the Bijou over time, this industry-wide narrowing has propelled
the decline of small independent art houses. Art houses across the country folded
in large numbers last year, and many operate at the edge of closure today, squeezed
out by factors largely beyond their control -- the size of the market; film distribution
and booking decisions; the marginal economic reality of small film companies; and
the desperate need for occasional "blockbusters" to absorb the losses from
unsuccessful films. (It's a matter of scale. A megaplex may also have its share of
flops, but with so many more screens, the overall financial picture is lots better.)
The Bijou's plight is directly related to the context in which
film distribution takes place. Largely unknown to film consumers but a vital part
of the industry, distributors make decisions about when and where to release films
in cities across the country. "It's probably the most competitive time this
industry has ever faced," an industry insider told Editor and Publisher
(1/15/01). Theater chains now compete directly against each other and the
remaining art house venues for product.
"Wide" releases such as A.I., financed by major
studios and accompanied by massive television and print advertising campaigns, open
on thousands of screens in both large and small markets at the same time, which requires
thousands of expensive prints. In contrast, films booked for art houses are frequently
produced and distributed by smaller film companies. Unless a major studio releases
an independently made film, prints are limited.
For example, a film that would be a natural for Eugene and the
Bijou is a documentary titled Down From the Mountain, which opened in New
York in the middle of June. It's about traditional American music played by some
of the performers from O Brother Where Art Thou, which was a million-selling
soundtrack album. It's highly unlikely the film will reach Eugene, however. Even
with positive reviews, there are only two prints available at this time. If the movie
plays Seattle and Portland successfully, it may make its way here eventually. But
probably not, in part because by the time it would get to us, it will have dropped
off every publicist, distributor and booker's screen.
Small studios are increasingly on the edge themselves. Just last
week, The New York Times reported the shut-down of Manhattan's fast-growing
film company, The Shooting Gallery, by its parent corporation. Despite assets of
$26.6 million, the company had racked up $62.7 million in liabilities. The Shooting
Gallery made Sling Blade (later sold to Miramax), made and distributed last
year's You Can Count on Me, and brought to the U.S. the $6.2 million-grossing
British thriller "Croupier," which played at the Bijou and was a hit across
the country.
Most mainstream theaters are owned and operated by chains (locally by Regal and Cinemark,
two of the nation's largest), which have enormous bargaining power when booking films
from distributors. Smaller independent theaters such as the Bijou depend on independent
bookers to bargain for the limited number of art releases available. A new wrinkle
was introduced over the last few years when films played at Regal and Cinemark theaters
that would have been booked into the Bijou in the past.
While some of these films did very well at the box office for the
mainstream theaters that booked them, many languished in the malls, where drop-in
audiences weren't interested. Ballyhooed films that did well included O Brother
Where Art Thou, Chocolat, Nurse Betty, Best in Show, Billy
Elliot and The Exorcist . Those lacking mass publicity such as The
Gift, The Pledge, Shadow of the Vampire, The Original Kings
of Comedy, Saving Grace, and Snatch were wasted in such venues.
Most revealing to me was Girlfight, which opened at Cinemark, ran one week
and was dropped, then "saved" by the Bijou for a two-week run.
As a film destination, the Eugene market is insignificant, far
behind Portland, where Regal Cinemas have a near-monopoly and a much larger urban
audience base. But now Eugene has also fallen behind Salem in terms of opening of
new releases. Three Regal theaters (11 screens) closed in Eugene over the last year-and-a-half
-- Springfield Quad, Movieland and the McDonald. With its 22 Regal Cinema screens,
Salem is a more important venue for the chain than Eugene with its six screens, despite
Eugene's university and a well-educated, movie-going population.
Distributors have little incentive to accommodate art theaters
such as the Bijou in smaller markets such as Eugene. "It's all about numbers,"
a film publicist in Seattle told me two years ago, noting that publicists have no
input into the booking process, which takes place in central locations out of state.
There the corporate booker for Regal or Cinemark looks at market gross as a ratio
of the population base, a number that determines his or her decision.
The Bijou is fighting very large dragons, and I urge all serious
film lovers to support the films it brings to the screens, because without even one
venue for independent domestic and foreign films, we will be stuck with a few films
duplicated at two rival theaters selected by people who don't know us, don't care
about us, and don't want to know. It's like the tag lines from Lily Tomlin's old,
pre-breakup skit put it: "We don't care. We don't have to. We're the Phone Company."
OPENING
OR RETURNING:
Films open the Friday following date of EW publication unless
otherwise noted.
America's Sweethearts: Directed by Joe Roth as a spoof
on Hollywood's publicity industry, a famous Hollywood couple played by Catherine
Zeta-Jones and John Cusack) try to fool movie critics on a junket that they're still
together. Also stars Julia Roberts, Billy Crystal, Hank Azaria. Stanley Tucci, Christopher
Walken, Alan Arkin and Seth Green. Cinema World. PG-13.
Buena Vista Social Club: Wim Wenders' documentary about the Cuban band named
for a defunct Havana nightclub. The film introduces us to the colorful members of
the band (they're over 70 years-old) as well as to the vibrant music and culture
of Cuba. A real crowd-pleaser, this happy movie is highly recommended. G. At 9 pm,
7/18, East Lawn EMU. Free.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within: Computer-generated human
characters live in 2065, when a meteor bearing millions of alien creatures crashes
into Earth. Only the beautiful scientist, Dr. Aki Ross, can save the planet. Directed
by Hironobu Sakaguchi. Voiced by Ming-Na, Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Ving Rhames,
Donald Sutherland and James Wood. PG-13. Cinema World. Opens Wed. Cinemark.
Forsaken: Vampire flick stars Kerr Smith and Brendan Fehr.
Directed by J.S. Cardone. R. Movies 12.
Legally Blonde: Reese Witherspoon stars as Elle Woods, a
LA girl and a natural blonde, who leaves her plush digs for Harvard Law School to
persuade her reluctant boyfriend, Warner (Matthew Davis), that she's the one for
him. Directed by Robert Luketic. Also stars Selma Blair, Victor Garber, Holland Taylor,
Jennifer Coolidge and Luke Wilson. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World.
Life and Work of Audre Lord, The: Documentary about poet
and activist Audre Lord at 7 pm July 25 at Mother Kali's Books. Free.
Score, The: This Frank Oz action movie stars Robert De Niro
as a career criminal who breaks his own rule to take a comely partner (Angela Bassett)
on a heist. Also stars Edward Norton, Marlon Brando. R. Cinemark.
CONTINUING
A.I.: Steven Spielberg directs this film, based
loosely on a project of the late Stanley Kubrick and a story by sci-fi writer Brian
Aldiss. In a future filled with environmental catastrophes, Haley Joel Osment plays
an 11-year old android aware of his own existence who wants to become a boy. Sexy
star Jude Law plays a sex toy. Also stars Frances O'Connor and William Hurt. Imperfect
gotta-see movie. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. See review.
Along Came a Spider: Morgan Freeman stars as Detective Alex
Cross in the prequel to Kiss the Girls, this time with Monica Potter as his
partner. Directed by Lee Tamahori (Once Were Warriors), thriller also stars
Dylan Baker and Michael Wincott. R. Movies. 12.
Angel Eyes: Luis Mandoki's romance between a cop (Jennifer
Lopez) and a mysterious man (Jim Caviezel) also stars Sonia Braga. LA Weekly calls
it a "sappy love story," and blames scriptwriter Gerald DiPego who "plots
himself into a dead end where the only way out is to have the lovers each deliver
life-changing, soul-purging monologues." R. Movies 12.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire: Disney animated tale directed
by Beauty and Beast team, Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale. A museum cartographer
named Milo finds a map to Atlantis and heads an expedition to the lost land. Voices
include Michael J. Fox, James Garner and Leonard Nimoy. PG. Cinemark.
Baby Boy: John Singleton (Boyz N the Hood ) goes
back to the same inner-city L.A. neighborhood for this drama about a misguided 20-year-old
(Tyrese Gibson) resistant to the commitments of real life. With Omar Gooding and
Ving Rhames. Cinemark.
Cats and Dogs: An inside look at pet wars at home while
grown up people are at work. Kitty (Sean Hayes, voice) has grandiose plans other
critters want to stop. Live-action comedy directed by Larry Guterman also features
animatronic, computer-generated action. PG. Opens Wed. 7/4. Cinemark. Cinema World.
Chocolat: Lasse Hallström's 2000 film stars Juliette
Binoche (best actress nom), Johnny Depp and Judi Dench (supporting actress nom).
A sexy, free spirited woman causes a scandal in a small church-going town when she
opens a chocolate shop. PG-13. Movies 12. See review.
crazy/beautiful: John Stockwell directs this high school
drama starring Kirsten Dunst as the sexy, rich daughter of a California congressman
and Jay Hernandez as the poor Hispanic boy she loves. PG-13. Cinemark. See review.
Crocodile Dundee in L.A.: Simon Wencer directs the return
of the old Aussie fave played by Paul Hogan, with Linda Kozlowski as the love interest.
PG. Movies 12.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Ang Lee's cinematic masterpiece
and Academy Award-winning foreign film 2000, this romantic fantasy set in ancient
China involves intrigue, poison darts, a pirate of the dunes, a witch, a magic sword,
fabulous women fighters and beautiful, ballet-like martial arts that transcend gravity.
Stars Michelle Yeoh, Chow Yun Fat, Zhang Ziyi and Chang Chen. Superlative! PG-13.
Movies 12. See review.
Dr. Dolittle 2: Eddie Murphy is back as the good doctor,
but the animals have changed. They've become activists who plan to go on strike to
save their forest in Steve Carr's new film. And they're hungry for sex advice. PG.
Cinemark.
Driven: Sylvester Stallone in a racetrack action picture
directed by Renny Harlin. PG-13. Movies 12.
End of the Road: The Final Tour: Documentary look at the
Deadheads on what became the last tour of the Grateful Dead. Clips at end show the
band's tribute to Jerry Garcia, August 1995. Not rated. Bijou. See review.
Fast and The Furious, The: Undercover cop (Paul Walker)
infiltrates gang-like LA street racing teams in Rob Cohen's action-adventure that
also stars Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez (Girlfight). PG-13. Cinemark.
Cinema World.
Himalaya: Beautiful adventure film shot in the high mountains
of Nepal stars courageous, talented nonactors from the Dopol region of the country.
Directed by Edward Valli, a documentary filmmaker, writer and National Geographic
photographer, it's a glimpse into a culture and people with universal values we recognize.
Highly recommended. Not rated. Bijou. See review.
Joe Dirt, The Adventures of: Comedy directed by Dennie Gordon
stars David Spader as a dunce who's on a quest to find the parents who dumped him
at the Grand Canyon when he was 8 years old. PG-13. Cinemark.
Kiss of the Dragon: Jet Li action thriller co-stars Bridget
Fonda. Directed by Chris Nahon, it's set in Paris where Li is wrongly accused of
murder, and Fonda has been forced into prostitution. R. Cinema World. Cinemark.
Knight's Tale, A: Aimed at 12-year-olds, this medieval adventure
fantasy stars Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, Mark Addy, Rufus Sewell. Directed by
Brian Helgeland, co-writer of L.A. Confidential. PG-13. Movies 12.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider: Angelina Jolie plays the video
game action heroine, and Simon West directs. Also stars Jon Voight and Iain Glen.
PG-13. Cinemark.
Moulin Rouge: Director Baz Luhrmann (Strictly Ballroom,
Romeo and Juliet) sets this fabulous dramatic musical extravaganza in the
summer of love, Paris, 1899. Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor make a great romantic
pair, and John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent and Richard Roxburgh are excellent players.
Everybody wants to work at the all-singing, all-dancing Moulin Rouge shows. Very
highly recommended. PG-13. Cinemark.
Mummy Returns, The: Starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz
star in this thriller directed by Stephen Sommers. PG-13. Movies 12.
Recess: School's Out: Animated Disney film's about a plot
to create permanent winter, thus doing away with summer vacation! G. Movies 12.
Save the Last Dance for Me: Talented white girl from small
town (Julia Stiles) enrolls in an inner city high school in New York where she falls
for a popularAfrican American boy (Sean Patrick Thomas) who also loves to dance.
PG-13. Movies 12.
Scary Movie 2: The Wayans brothers return with this sequel
to last year's genre spoof, with Keenan Ivory Wayans directing brothers Marlon and
Shawn (who also wrote the script). The bros, trapped inside a haunted house, enlist
the help of James Woods, exorcist. R. Cinemark. Cinema World.
Shrek: Computer-animated fairy tale (by DreamWorks' Pacific
Data Images, makers of Antz) stars Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz
and John Lithgow. Entertaining and funny for kids and grown-ups. PG. Cinemark. Cinema
World. See
review.
Tailor of Panama, The: John Boorman's film, based on a John
le Carré novel, stars Pierce Brosnan as a bored British agent who puts the
moves on Catherine McCormack while tying his fate to a British ex-con (Geoffrey Rush)
married to Jamie Lee Curtis. Surprisingly well-done, it's highly recommended. R.
Movies 12. See
review.
With a Friend Like Harry: Dominik Moll directs this French
thriller with a fine hand for domestic suspense. Harry wiggles into the lives of
an old school chum and his family to really make summer in the countryside exciting.
Highly recommended dark comedy. R. Bijou. See review.
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
Springfield Quad 726-9073 |
Cinemark
Theaters
Movies 12 741-1231 | Gateway
Mall
Movies before 12:30 are Sat. Sun. only. $1.50 all shows all days.
Cinemark 17 741-1231 | Gateway Mall
NEW RELEASES
ON VIDEO:
Releases subject to change. Available the Tuesday following date of
EW publication, sometimes sooner:
Beyond Suspicion: Jeff Goldblum and Anne Heche star in this
dramatic film directed by Matt Tobak. When a man dies in his arms during a botched
holdup, Goldblum takes on his identity and falls into the world of an ex-con. R.
Double Take: It's Trading Places for the new century
as NY investment banker (Orlando Jones) switches identities with a petty thief (Eddie
Griffin). George Gallow directs. PG-13.
Down to Earth: Chris Rock gets sent to Heaven by mistake,
but then he comes back in the body of a recently murdered Manhattan mogul. Regina
King, Mark Addy, Frankie Faison and Chazz Palminteri also star. PG-13.
Monkeybone: Brendan Fraser, Bridget Fonda and Whoopi Goldberg
star in this comedy about a cartoonist who enters a strange world dominated by his
creation. PG-13.
Reduced Shakespeare Company: This hilarious 3-person comedy
troupe played the Hult years ago to great acclaim. Here they present their madcap,
90-minute version of "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare." Not rated.
Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her: Five interlocking
stories of women on the edge stars Glenn Close, Cameron Diaz, Calista Flockhart,
Amy Brenneman, Holly Hunter and Kathy Baker. Made for Showtime. PG-13.
Thirteen Days: Roger Donaldson directs this political thriller
set during the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, when JFK and brother Robert scramble
to avert Armageddon. Kevin Costner plays the trusted Kennedy political operative,
Kenny O'Donnell. Bruce Greenwood plays the President, and Steven Culp plays Bobby.
Very exciting, excellent film. PG-13.
Next week: The Family Man, The Gift, In the Mood for
Love, Lucky Town, Once Upon a Time in China III, The Pact, Saving Silverman, Silence
and Sugar and Spice.
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