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Codependent
Bound
to a killer.
BY
LOIS WADSWORTH
BLOOD WORK:
Produced and directed by Clint Eastwood. Written by Brian Helgeland,
based on the novel by Michael Connelly. Executive producer, Robert
Lorenz. Music, Lennie Niehaus. Cinematography, Tom Stern. Production
design, Henry Bumstead. Editor, Joel Cox. Costumes, Deborah Hopper.
Starring Clint Eastwood, with Jeff Daniels and Wanda De Jesùs.
Also, Tina Lifford, Paul Rodriguez, Dylan Walsh and Anjelica Huston.
Warner Bros., 2002. R. 115 minutes.
Clint Eastwood has played so many detectives
and lone-wolf vigilantes in the 44 movies he's starred in or appeared
in since Revenge of the Creature (1955), that Blood Work's
silent, dedicated and grave Terry McCaleb seems like one of his old
movie personae displaced in time. At 72, the venerable actor has slowed
down a bit, which perfectly suits retired FBI profiler McCaleb.
 |
| GRACIELLA
RIVERS (WANDA DE JESùS) HOPES TO PERSUADE RETIRED F.B.I.
PROFILER TERRY MCCALEB (CLINT EASTWOOD) TO HELP HER FIND HER SISTER'S
KILLER. |
In the film's opening sequence, McCaleb suffers a
major coronary while gaining on a serial killer in a dramatic street
chase. When McCaleb next appears, he's being interrogated by his feisty
cardiologist, Bonnie Fox (Anjelica Huston), on his post-transplant
priorities. Dr. Fox cuts heart patient McCaleb about as much slack
as he gave the murderer who got away, but she's not nearly as creepy.
McCaleb seems happy enough to be hanging out on his
boat where he lives, trading comments with his neighbor at the San
Pedro dock, Buddy Noone (Jeff Daniels), a dude with no real ambition.
But one day a woman named Graciella Rivers (Wanda De Jesùs) approaches
McCaleb about finding her dead sister's killer. He's not interested,
McCaleb says. He's retired. But she gives him information to think
about, and he's hooked. He keeps taking his heart medicine as Dr.
Fox directed, but she resigns when he tells her he's following a case.
McCaleb is a taciturn, no-nonsense, crime scene investigator,
which puts him at odds with guys who crack jokes. He really gets under
the skin of LAPD Detective Ronaldo Arrango (Paul Rodriguez), and to
a lesser degree, Arrango's partner, Det. John Waller (Dylan Walsh).
Inter-agency rivalry is nothing new. But an old friend in the bureau,
Jaye Winston (Tina Lifford), understands how McCaleb works. Naturally
he turns to her with this case.
McCaleb is the second major character award-winning
crime writer Michael Connelly has created to humanize his excellent
thrillers. McCaleb's debut in Blood Work (1998) was terrific,
and I also enjoyed last year's character-driven thriller, A Darkness
More Than Night, which unites McCaleb with Connelly's more famous
LAPD detective, Harry (Hieronymus) Bosch. Brian Helgeland, who adapted
the screenplay for this movie, also adapted hard-crime novelist James
Ellroy's L.A. Confidential, for which he won a 1998 Academy
Award.
Eastwood seems determined to show that bias against
actors of his age playing action roles is bogus. In Space Cowboys
(2001), he played an astronaut, along with Tommy Lee Jones, Donald
Sutherland and James Garner. While Blood Work does not so overtly
challenge the cliché of the action hero as a 20-30 year old hunk,
Eastwood shows that he still has the right stuff to get the woman
and to out-think a clever criminal. The laconic yet determined McCaleb
makes maturity an asset, and that ought to be good for all seasoned
actors, men and women alike.
A summer thriller that doesn't scare you to death
or bring you to the edge of your seat for an extended 90-minute adrenaline
rush, Blood Work is intelligent and as unassuming as its hero.
Warmly recommended. Now playing at Cinemark or Cinema World.
Back to Top
Parallel
Lives
Looking
for love on the path not taken.
BY LOIS WADSWORTH
SLIDING DOORS
(1998): Written and directed by Peter Howitt. Produced by Philippa
Braithwaite, William Horberg, Sydney Pollack. Music, David Hirschfelder.
Cinematography, Remi Adefarasin. Editor, John Smith. Production design,
Maria Djurkovic. Costumes, Jill Taylor. Starring Gwyneth Paltrow,
John Hannah, John Lynch and Jeanne Tripplehorn, with Zara Turner and
Douglas McFerran. Miramax Films, 1998. R. 99 minutes.
The British romantic comedy Sliding Doors
slipped in and out of town briefly in May 1998, but I missed it.
Critics who saw the picture in '98 were not kind to it. Perhaps the
film's real pleasures work better on the small screen, or maybe the
different world we live in today makes the film's world seem sweeter.
Certainly I loved watching it recently on DVD, despite its flaws.
Like the film now playing at the Bijou, Thirteen Conversations
About One Thing, Peter Howitt's movie is about the simple things
that make our real lives worth living — small, kind gestures;
thoughtful words; a generous heart; a meaningful glance; a warm conversation.
The premise of the film is a familiar one: What if?
What if Helen Quilley (Gwyneth Paltrow), who just got canned from
her public relations agency job, catches the London underground train
home? What if she just misses it? Both potential futures play out
for us, and we are drawn to Helen in both of them.
In one life, Helen 1 catches the train, meets a sweet
Scottish man, James Hammerton (John Hannah), and arrives home to catch
the wannabe writer boyfriend she supports, Gerry (John Lynch), in
bed with his former fiancée, Lydia (Jeanne Tripplehorn). In the
other life, Helen 2 misses the train, gets mugged, ends up in the
hospital, and goes to the pub that night with guilty Gerry, who's
grateful he wasn't caught with Lydia.
 |
| HELEN
1 (GWYNETH PALTROW) AND NEW FRIEND, JAMES HAMMERTON (JOHN HANNAH),
SHARE DINNER IN A COFFEE SHOP. |
Here the film's flaws show up. Gerry and Lydia are
not likeable characters. They are shallow. He's a liar; she's controlling.
Repugnant characters is a scripting and directing mistake that makes
us pull for Helen to catch on to Gerry's infidelity, leave him and
latch on to James. But later when we think we know what's going on,
writer-director Peter Howitt slips in a last-minute twist that forces
us to reconsider the beginning of things.
Watching the film on DVD or VHS pays off. Scene-by-scene
you can track each Helen all the way through her specific choices
in each projected future, which is a clarifying exercise. I gained
a greater appreciation for Howitt's devotion to showing Helen's subtle
changes yet deeply similar core emotions. Parallel lives provides
an easier way to show multiple aspects of a single character than
is possible through a more conventional approach.
Paltrow brings a comic flair to her role as a vulnerable
woman that lifts it out of the ordinary. (And of course she looks
terrific in these understated Calvin Klein outfits.) Hannah makes
James an engaging guy, who may quote Monty Python once too often for
some people, but who turns out to be leading man material. Hannah
starred in Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) and Pandaemonium
(2000), a British film by Julien Temple that never played here.
Two minor characters excel in their roles: Zara Turner
as Anna, Helen's best friend; and Douglas McFerran as Russell, Gerry's
pal. By her down-to-earth attitude, Anna helps Helen snap out of the
doldrums and create a new life for herself. By laughing at Gerry's
increasingly confusing, melodramatic love life, Russell supplies the
needed tonic for Gerry's empty posturing.
This wasn't the best film of 1998, but it is a sweet
diversion from loud, action-driven multiplex summertime movies, and
it stays with you longer.
OPENING
OR RETURNING:
Films open the Friday following date of EW publication
unless otherwise noted. See archived reviews at www.eugeneweekly.com.
Adventures of Pluto Nash: Eddie Murphy, Rosario
Dawson, Randy Quaid, Joe Pantoliano and Jay Mohr in futuristic comedy
set in 2087; directed by Ron Underwood. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark.
Blue Crush: Directed by John Stockwell, this
romantic surfer adventure stars Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez
(Girlfight) and Matthew Davis. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World.
Lost Film Festival: Video shorts, including
documentaries, narratives, comedies. At 7:30 pm on 8/20 at 1136 W.
5th. $4 donation.
Powerpuff Girls, The: Animated movie about
tough little girls saving the world before bedtime. PG. Movies 12.
Continuing:
Austin Powers in Goldmember: If the third time
is charmed, here is Mike Myers, back in multiple roles as Austin Powers.
Michael Caine plays his secret-agent dad and Beyoncé Knowles
is Foxxy Cleopatra. Directed by Jay Roach. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark.
Online archives.
Bad Company: The unlikely duo of Anthony Hopkins and
Chris Rock in a spy action/comedy. Directed by Joel Schumacher, it
also stars Peter Stormare and Kerry Washington. PG-13. Movies 12.
Blood Work: Clint Eastwood's film adaptation
of a sensational crime novel by Michael Connelly stars Eastwood as
a retired FBI agent with a heart condition who chases down a serial
killer. Connelly's book lends itself to the Eastwood treatment. Also
stars Anjelica Huston, Jeff Daniels, Wanda De Jesus, Paul Rodriguez.
R. Cinema World. Cinemark. See review this issue.
Bourne Identity, The: Matt Damon, Franka Potente,
Chris Cooper, Clive Owen and Brian Cox star in Doug Liman's character-based
spy thriller based on Robert Ludlum's best seller. A man with amnesia
(Matt Damon) sets out to discover who he is and why everyone wants
to kill him, and along the way he discovers love (Franka Potente).
A subtle skewing of the genre, it's highly recommended. PG-13. Movies
12. Online archives.
Crocodile Hunter, Collision Course: In this
comedy of errors, undercover CIA agents suspect Steve and Terri Irwin
of information theft and go to Australia to prove it. PG. Movies 12.
Enough: Jennifer Lopez tries to get away from
her abusive husband, played by Billy Campbell ("Once and Again"),
in Michael Apted's drama. Also, Juliette Lewis, Noah Wyle. PG-13.
Movies 12.
Ice Age: Chris Wedge directs the voices of
Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, and Goran Vizjnic in this
digitally animated story of prehistoric creatures trying to save a
human child. G. Movies 12.
Insomnia: Christopher Nolan (Memento)
explores sleep deprivation in this remake of a 1998 thriller from
Norway. Set in Alaska, it stars Al Pacino and Robin Williams, Hilary
Swank, Martin Donovan, Maura Tierney, Nicky Katt and Paul Dooley.
Highly recommended thriller. R. Movies 12. Online archives.
Like Mike: Lil Bow Wow plays an orphan who
dreams of playing pro basketball. When he finds a pair of magic sneakers,
he makes the team. Also stars Morris Chestnut, Jonathan Lipnicki,
Crispin Glover and Eugene Levy. PG. Movies 12.
Lilo and Stitch: Animated Disney comedy about
Lilo, a lonely Hawaiian girl, and her small, ugly dog named Stitch.
The dog is an alien experiment that's crashed to earth. Six by Elvis
on the soundtrack. PG. Cinemark.
Lord of the Rings, The: The Fellowship of the Ring:
The first book in J. R. R. Tolkien's literary trilogy, directed by
Peter Jackson stars Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Liv
Tyler, Sean Astin, Christopher Lee. Academy Award winner for cinematography,
makeup, and visual effects. Highest recommendations. PG-13. Movies
12. Online archives.
Master of Disguise: Dana Carvey plays Pistachio
Disguisey, a waiter who turns into whatever he thinks of next - a
cherry pie, a rockstar, a sports hero. PG. Cinemark.
Men in Black 2: Jay (Will Smith) drags a reluctant
Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) back into the agency with the mission of "Protecting
the earth from the scum of the universe." Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld,
it also stars Lara Flynn Boyle as Serleena, an alien masquerading
as a Victoria's Secret model. With Rosario Dawson, Johnny Knoxville,
Tony Shalhoub and Rip Torn. PG-13. Cinemark. Online archives.
Minority Report: Steven Spielberg directs Tom
Cruise in this sci-fi where killers are arrested and convicted before
they commit murder. In 2054, Cruise heads the Pre-Crime unit until
he's accused of the murder of a man he hasn't yet met. Based on a
short story by the genre's master, Philip K. Dick. One of Spielberg
and Cruise's best. Highest recommendations. PG-13. Cinemark. Online
archives.
Monsters Inc.: From Pixar, the creators of
Toy Story, comes a new computer-animated feature about a scare
factory, Monsters Inc., and its top monster, Sulley (voice of John
Goodman). Also voices of Billy Crystal, James Coburn, Jennifer Tilly,
Steve Buscemi and Mary Gibbs. G. Movies 12. Online archives.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding: Based on Nia Vardalos's
one-woman stage show, it's about the 30-year old, unmarried daughter
(Vardalos) in an engaging, passionate but demanding Greek family in
New York. She meets the man she wants to marry (John Corbett), and
he isn't Greek. Yikes! Another humorous reminder that weddings are
also a family and community affair, this sweet romantic comedy entertains.
Recommended. PG. Bijou. Cinemark. Online archives.
Road to Perdition: Sam Mendes (American
Beauty) directs this fathers-and-sons drama set in Chicago during
the Depression. It stars Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Tyler Hoechlin, with
Jude Law, Daniel Craig, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Stanley Tucci and Liam
Aiken. R. Cinema World. Online archives.
Signs: Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan
and starring Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix, this supernatural thriller
about crop circles looks like a box-office bonanza. Also stars Rory
Culkin and Abigail Breslin. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark.
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron: Animated
Western adventure with the voices of Matt Damon, James Cromwell and
Daniel Studi is an action picture, not a comedy. Co-directed by Kelly
Asbury and Lorna Cook. G. Movies 12.
Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams: Robert Rodriguez
says his sequel has lots of action, is fun and nobody dies. Stars
Antonio Banderas, Daryl Sabara and Alexa Vega. Cinemark. Cinema World.
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: George Lucas'
second of three Star Wars' prequels comes to the screen with
Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Ian McDiarmid
and Samuel Jackson doing all the heavy lifting. PG. Movies 12. Online
archives.
Thirteen Conversations About One Thing: A teasing
riddle that casually links the stories of nine contemporary men and
women, this interesting film by filmmaker sisters Karen and Jill Sprecher
includes an outstanding ensemble cast: Matthew McConaughey, John Turturro,
Alan Arkin, Amy Irving, Clea DuVall, Tia Texada and William Wise.
Highly recommended. R. Bijou. Online archives.
XXX: Vin Diesel and Samuel L. Jackson star
in this athletic spy thriller directed by Rob Cohen. Sony is betting
big on this "Vin Diesel film" to become the next hot franchise. PG-13.
Cinema World. Cinemark.
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. See archived movie
reviews at www.eugeneweekly.com
All About the Benjamins: Miami bounty hunter
Ice Cube and bail jumper Mike Epps team up to take advantage of some
hot diamonds in Kevin Bray's comic action drama. R.
Cat's Meow, The: Peter Bogdanovich returns
to the screen with this classy thriller set in the 1920s and based
on a notorious death aboard William Randolph Hearst's yacht. Stars
Kirsten Dunst, Edward Herrmann and Eddie Izzard as a love triangle.
Highly recommended. PG-13. Online archive.
Iris: Excellent film chronicles the early and
late years of the marriage between writer Iris Murdoch and John Bayley,
her devoted husband. Stars Judi Dench, Jim Broadbent, Kate Winslet
and Hugh Bonneville, all of whom give stellar performances. Highest
recommendations. R. Online archives.
joesomebody: John Pasquin directs Tim Allen
as a divorced father whose workplace humiliation in front of his daughter
changes his life. With Kelly Lynch, Jim Belushi, Julie Bowen, and
Greg Germann. PG.
Return to Neverland: Disney animated tale of
the rebellious 12-year old daughter of grown up Wendy (from Peter
Pan). Pete's still around, and he tries to help her. G.
Sweetest Thing, The: Looking for love on the
road, Cameron Diaz and Christina Applegate star in this romantic comedy.
Thomas Jane stars as Mr. Right, directed by Roger Kumble. R.
Van Wilder, National Lampoon's: In the classic
tradition of National Lampoon movies, Walt Becker directs this comedy
about graduation. Staring Ryan Reynolds and Tara Reid. R. Movies 12.
We Were Soldiers: Mel Gibson stars as Lt. Col
Hal Moore who led his men in the brutal battle for La Drang Valley
in the Viet Nam war. Based on Moore's memoir. Directed by Randall
Wallace, also stars Madeleine Stowe, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliot, Chris
Klein, Keri Russell and Barry Pepper. The first half is a WWII movie,
while the last half is surprising and moving. R. Online archives.
Next week: Blade II (Aug. 30), High Crimes, Queen
of the Damned, The Rookie and Wrestling with Aligators.
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