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Meaner
Streets
Orphans,
fathers, lovers and thugs.
BY
LOIS WADSWORTH
GANGS OF NEW YORK: Directed
by Martin Scorsese. Written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, Kenneth
Lonergan, based on a story by Cocks; inspired by Herbert Asbury's
classic stories. Produced by Alberto Grimaldi, Harvey Weinstein. Executive
producers, Michael Hausman, Maurizio Grimaldi, Micheal Ovitz, Bob
Weinstein, Rick Yorn. Cinematography, Michael Ballhaus. Editor, Thelma
Schoonmaker. Music, Howard Shore. Executive music producer, Robbie
Robertson. Production design, Dante Ferretti. Costume design, Sandy
Powell. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis and Cameron Diaz.
With Jim Broadbent, John C. Reilly, Henry Thomas and Brendan Gleeson.
Miramax Films, 2002. R. 165 minutes.
Martin Scorsese's large-canvas exploration
of the American character as expressed in the mean streets of New
York City and other locales reaches its most articulate execution
in this brawling, bloody tale of the violent collision of Irish Catholic
immigrants and Protestant nativists gangs in the mid-1800s. This is
who we are, the film says, not just who we once were. Violence is
not only part of who we are as a people, it is a defining, historic
characteristic.
 |
|
CAMERON
DIAZ AND LEONARDO DICAPRIO ON FIRE.
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We have seen the story before, but never, I think,
with such a knowing balance of unnerving intimacy and artistic distance.
In this large-screen epic, when Scorsese pulls back the camera to
look at the whole of a riot, you don't have to be an art historian
to see the hells of Bruegel pictured before you, because in every
cranny and bend very personal murder and mayhem rules. Passion motivates
every killing, and many, many die.
The colorfully named gangs who clash in the 1846 and
1863 riots abide by "ancient laws of combat." They engage with weapons
that cut, slash, gouge, bash and batter flesh such as knives, cudgels,
shillelaghs, daggers, filed teeth and spiked boots. There's no clean
fight. It's lowdown and dirty, with horror and cruelty part of the
game.
By the end of Scorsese's opera, the Old World's legacy
of private, familial or tribal vendetta has been overtaken by the
impersonal apparatus of the modern state — warfare from a distance,
for the "good of all." Set amidst the city's transition from lawlessness
to a civil society governed by laws, The Gangs of New York
works as a metaphor for our larger history as well. Other blood sports
including the Civil War, the "winning of the West" and big-time labor
riots will come. But they, too, will be vulnerable to the corrupting
influence of wealth and privilege. In the immortal words of Boss Tweed,
one can "always hire one half of the poor to kill off the other half."
In the poverty-ridden tenements of Five Points, Irish
immigrant "Priest" Vallon (Liam Neeson), chieftain of the Dead Rabbits
gang, prepares his gladiators for the arena. He hires Monk McGinn
(Brendan Gleeson), whose bat is scored with notches for the dead.
Vallon is accompanied by his young son and Happy Jack (John C. Reilly).
On the other side of Paradise Square, William "Bill the Butcher" Cutting
(Daniel Day Lewis) gathers his longer-established cutthroats. Cutter's
top hat and glass eye (in the shape of a blue eagle) add to his menacing
appearance. The two men, longtime enemies, look hard at each other
before the battle begins. Vallon's son, our narrator, witnesses the
murder of his father at Cutting's hands.
Jump ahead 13 years as young Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo
DiCaprio), just released from the reformatory, runs back to the old
neighborhood to get on with his revenge.
He finds a sharp-eyed, independent, red-haired pickpocket named Jenny
Everdeane (Cameron Diaz) and reconnects with his old pal, Johnny (Henry
Thomas). Amsterdam discovers that his father's friend, Happy Jack,
is now head of the police department, where he answers to both William
"Boss" Tweed (Jim Broadbent) of Tammany Hall and Cutting himself.
And without intention, Amsterdam is drawn into Cutter's inner circle
and put to work for him.
Scorsese's courageous historical vision is at odds
with the sanitized history taught in high school, but it resonates
with a truth we recognize. Circumstance intensifies the urgency to
internalize our warmaking violence, beginning with acknowledging it.
A film worthy of the highest honors, Gangs of New York is at
Cinemark and Cinema World. Very highest recommendations.
Back to Top
The
Gathering Storm
Finding
the human within the mythic.
BY
LOIS WADSWORTH
THE LORD OF THE RINGS, THE TWO TOWERS:
Directed by Peter Jackson. Written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens,
Stephen Sinclair and Jackson, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Produced by Barrie M. Osborne, Jackson and Walsh. Executive producers,
Robert Shaye, Michael Lynne, Mark Ordesky. Cinematography, Andrew
Lesnie. Production design, Grant Major. Editor, Michael Horton. Starring
Viggo Mortensen, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies,
Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, Bernard Hill, Brad Dourif,
Miranda Otto, Liv Taylor, David Wenham, Karl Urban, Cate Blanchett,
Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving and Andy Serkis. New Line Cinema. PG-13.
179 minutes.
 |
|
FRODO
(ELIJAH WOOD) AND SAM (SEAN ASTIN) SEE MORDER AND ARE AFRAID.
|
Tolkien's second book in his trilogy, brought
to the screen by the excellent Australian team of Peter Jackson and
Fran Walsh, opens with a brief re-enactment of Gandalf's (Ian McKellen)
perilous plunge into the darkness of Khazad-dûm. That catastrophe,
along with the breaking up of the company at the end of The Fellowship
of the Ring, is where we left the story. Now we see Gandalf's
fiery battle with the Balrog through a dream of the ring-bearer, Frodo
(Elijah Wood), and its dramatic encounter sets the tone for much that
will follow.
Frodo wakes up, and with Sam (Sean Astin) gazes at
a wilderness so vast and treacherous that both young Hobbits wonder
if they can go on. The Ring of Power bears heavier on Frodo as they
approach the land of the Dark Lord Sauron. Now Sam is certain that
they are being followed. With their cunning capture of Gollum (Andy
Serkis), the audience meets the strange creature barely mentioned
in The Fellowship of the Ring — an ingenious, slippery
thing, able to slither across deadly marshes that other creatures
must skirt. So as soon as Sam persuades Gollum to pledge his loyalty
in all things to Frodo, Gollum agrees to escort them to the Black
Gates of Mordor.
Meanwhile, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Gimli the Dwarf
(John Rhys-Davies) and the archer Elf (Orlando Bloom) come to Rohan,
where the once great King Theodon (Bernard Hill) lives, his mind enchanted
by the evil Saurman's (Christopher Lee) henchman, Wormtongue (Brad
Dourif). Although Theodon's niece, Eowyn (Miranda Otto), hopes for
Aragorn's affection, he is still in grief for leaving his beloved,
Arwen (Liv Taylor).
In another part of the forest, Merry (Dominic Monaghan)
and Pippin (Billy Boyd) have escaped from the Uruk-hai only to be
captured by Treebeard, an ancient tree shepherd, who becomes their
ally and a foe of Saruman.
The film boasts a large cast of varied characters
and creatures. The filmmakers had plentiful resources to create special
effects and a knock-out beautiful and cinematic landscape for the
battles and preparations for war that demand dominance. Yet director
Jackson creates intimate, human moments in this mythic setting where
archetypal forces of good and evil combat each other. He shows that
being human means accepting the dark as well as the light. Splendid
actors bring to their performances the weight of soulful conflict
and human emotion.
A few highlights include Theodon's overwhelming grief
for his fallen son, Theodred, once the scales have fallen from his
eyes and the sorcerer banished. The desperate battle Frodo fights
to remain himself and not give in to the Ring's power shows in his
anguished expression, the pain in his eyes, the mature inflections
of his voice. As Frodo's bodyguard and truth-teller, Sam proves himself
many times over. Gentle Arwen visits Aragorn, where her presence allows
him to sink into a healing sleep only to wake and realize it was a
dream. Gandalf has a human-like moment of confusion when he first
returns to Middle Earth then quickly focuses his newly forged energy
to the task at hand. A divided self, Gollum embodies something dark
in the human spirit that we neglect at our peril, something not quite
human that Frodo wordlessly understands.
Another masterful myth from the time before history,
The Two Towers invites you into good company and promises to
make the hours fly. With the highest recommendations, it's now playing
at Cinemark and Cinema World.
Back to Top
Ram
Dass
Goodness
is his legacy.
BY
LOIS WADSWORTH
RAM DASS FIERCE GRACE:
Documentary produced and directed by Mickey Lemle. Cinematography,
Buddy Squires. Editor, Aaron Vega, Jacob Craycroft and Lemle. Music,
Teese Gohl, with songs by Grace Slick and George Harrison. With Dr.
Larry Brilliant, Wavy Gravy, William Alpert, Rosemary Woodruff Leary,
Bhagavan Das, Mark Matousek and Abby Reyes. Zeitgeist Films, 2002.
93 minutes.
Mickey Lemle's disarming documentary
biography of Richard Alpert, who's been known for the last 30-something
years as Ram Dass, illuminates the challenges of age and change gracefully
accepted. It begins with photographs and home movies of a charming
child, a golden boy, much loved by his mother, father and two older
brothers. The family's wealth came from the railroad, and they lived
in a large house on 300 acres.
 |
| RAM
DAAS. |
This upper middle-class, prominent Boston Jewish family
is not perhaps where you would expect to find a future guru and former
psychedelic colleague of Timothy Leary. Alpert and Leary were psychology
professors at Harvard University in the 1960s, where they achieved
notoriety for exploring their own and others' consciousness with mind-altering
substances such as LSD and psilocybin in scientific experiments.
Well, that's how it started, anyway. After Harvard
kicked them out, Leary, Alpert and colleagues found refuge at Millbrook
in upstate New York, where the experiments became daily routines,
and the scientific veneer dropped away. Eventually Alpert traveled
to India, where he met his guru, Maharaj-ji, and found his path to
spiritual contentment. He came back and wrote Be Here Now,
a phenomenal best-seller, first published in 1971. His latest book
is Ram Dass Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing, and Dying
(Riverhead Books, 2000), in which he writes about how his life has
changed since he was "stroked" in 1997.
There are many moments to admire in Fierce Grace,
stories shared by family and friends as well as Ram Dass's own anecdotes.
I love the scenes at his family's estate after he returned from India.
Young people read on the grass, practice yoga, dance, make music,
sing and chant. And William Alpert, who has endowed universities and
run railroads, talks about how proud he is of his son, about how good
it feels to see all these young people who want to study with him.
This reminds me of something Leary once said about how precious whole-hearted
parental support is for healthy growth at any age.
The two other sequences I most appreciate involve
loss and grief. Parents of a murdered child read a letter from Ram
Dass that arrived in their darkest hour. And in a one-on-one visit
with Ram Dass, a young woman asks for help. Her fiancée was murdered
in rural Central America, where they both were working to help people
better their lives. In both his written words but especially in the
physical moment, Ram Dass seems to me a holy man. With the young woman,
he gently focuses his energy in the present. His heart is open, and
he trusts his emotional responses. As she tells him about a dream,
an involuntary small sound of joy escapes his lips when he "sees"
what she is saying and realizes what he can say to her. That sound
says it all.
This profound but understated film opens at the Bijou
on Friday, Dec. 27. See it; it will help you be a better person. Highly
recommended.
Back to Top
OPENING
OR RETURNING:
Films open the Friday following
date of EW publication unless otherwise noted. See
archived movie reviews.
Catch Me If You Can: Steven Spielberg and Leonardo
DiCaprio have fun in this tale of Frank Abagnale Jr., an actual con
man of the 1960s who successfully passed himself off as a pilot, a
doctor and a college professor and forged millions in checks before
he was 21. Christopher Walken plays his father, and Tom Hanks plays
the F.B.I. agent determined to capture him.. PG-13. Cinema World.
Cinemark.
Eight Mile: Set on the gritty streets of Detroit,
Curtis Hanson's greatly anticipated film stars Eminem in his first
screen role, Kim Basinger as his mom. Also, Brittany Murphy, Mekhi
Phifer and Taryn Manning. Recommended. R. Movies 12. Online archives.
I Spy 2: CIA super agent (Owen Wilson) and
undefeated boxer (Eddie Murphy) hate each other at first sight, but
they have to track down a missing stealth bomber. PG-13. Movies 12.
Just Married: This honeymoon from hell is directed
by Shawn Levy and stars Ashton Kutcher, Brittany Murphy and Christian
Kane. PG-13. Sneak on 1/1 at 7:30 pm. Cinemark.
Pinocchio: American critics have not been kind
to Italian screenwriter, director, star Roberto Benigni's new version
of this well-known fairy tale. Rex Reed of the New York Observer
said it's "lethal for kids, and an unspeakable insult to adults."
Co-stars Nicoletta Braschi and Carlo Giuffré. G. Cinemark.
Ram Dass Fierce Grace: Mickey Lemle's documentary
biography of Richard Alpert, aka Ram Dass. His friends and family
recollect his life, and he tells great anecdotes. But the heart of
the film is Ram Dass's work and his openness to change, infirmity
and death. Very highest recommendations. NR. Bijou. See review
this issue.
CONTINUING:
Analyze That: Sequel reunites crazy-as-a-fox
Paul Vitti (Robert De Niro) and Dr. Ben Sobel (Billy Crystal), but
Sobel's wife (Lisa Kudrow) is not happy about having Vitto around.
Has he really lost his mind, or is it just a ruse to get out of the
slammer? Directed by Harold Ramis. R. Cinemark.
Bowling for Columbine: Michael Moore takes
on America's love for guns in his usual abrasive, in yo' face manner.
He covers a span of history from the first colonial settlers to the
Columbine High School shootings, and he doesn't let national chain
gun sellers off lightly. He also goes toe-to-toe with Charlton Heston,
NRA's head honcho gunslinger that should be worth the price of admission.
Widely acclaimed and long anticipated, it's a major hit documentary.
R. Bijou.
Die Another Day: Pierce Brosnan returns as
James Bond for a new mission that takes him to Iceland in this action
adventure yarn directed by Lee Tamahori. Costars Halle Berry, John
Cleese and Judi Dench, with Rosamund Pike. Evil enemies played by
Toby Stephens and Rick Yune. PG-13. Cinemark.
Drumline: Directed by Charles Stone, this tale
of a talented street drummer from Harlem who goes to a college in
the south, expecting to lead its marching band stars Nick Cannon,
Zoe Saldana and Orlando Jones. PG-13. Cinemark.
Emperor's Club, The: Kevin Kline plays a dedicated
prep school teacher and Emile Hirsch, the son of a powerful senator,
is his student. Twenty years later, they meet again. PG-13. Movies
12.
Far From Heaven: Director Todd Haynes and cinematographer
Edward Lachman deliver an exceptionally beautiful, emotionally resonant
film. Excellent performances by Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, Dennis
Haysbert and Patricia Clarkson. One of the best pictures of the year.
Very highest recommendations. PG-13. Bijou. Online archives.
Gangs of New York: Martin Scorsese's epic film
about New York gangs in the mid-1800s. Leonard DiCaprio plays an Irish
Catholic hoodlum seeking vengeance from his father's killer, played
by Daniel Day-Lewis as the leader of the Protestant gangsters. Both
are caught up in the notorious Civil War draft riots that rocked the
city. Also stars Cameron Diaz, John C. Reilly and Jim Broadbent. Written
by Steven Zaillian, Kenneth Lonergan and Jay Cocks, this is one of
the year's great films. Very highest recommendations. R. Cinemark.
Cinema World. See review this issue.
Ghost Ship: Steve Beck's horror film about
an ocean liner missing since 1935 that turns up in the Bering Sea.
Stars Julianna Margulies, Gabriel Byrne, Ron Eldard and Isaiah Washington.
R. Movies 12.
Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets: Again directed
by Chris Columbus, Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint)
and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) try to uncover a dark force terrorizing
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. G. Cinema World. Cinemark.
Online archives..
Hot Chick: Verbally abusive cheerleader wakes
up in the body of Rob Schneider. Yikes! Directed by Tom Brady. PG-13.
Cinemark.
Jackass: The Movie: Based on the MTV series,
more dangerous and silly stunts. R. Movies 12.
Jonah: A Veggietales Movie: Christian-themed
direct-to-video franchise goes big screen in this version of Jonah
and the Whale. Biblical figures are played by talking vegetables.
Directed by Mike Nawrocki and Phil Vischer. G. Movies 12.
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: Directed
and re-imagined by Peter Jackson, part two of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy
follows the ring-bearer Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) deeper
into enemy territory, with Gollum (Andy Serkis) as their guide. Meanwhile
Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Gimli (John-Rhys
Davies) try to rescue Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd).
Many new characters, a surprise return and great battles. Director
Peter Jackson's second masterpiece. Very highest recommendations.
PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. See review this issue.
Maid in Manhattan: Ralph Fiennes is a well-off
politician staying at a swank New York hotel. Jennifer Lopez is a
single-mother maid working there. He sees her dressed in a guest's
clothing and falls for her, like Richard Gere fell for Julia Roberts
in Pretty Woman. Not too enlightened nor original an idea.
PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding: It's about the 30-year
old, unmarried daughter (Nia Vardalos) in a passionate but demanding
Greek NY family, who meets the man she to marry (John Corbett), but
he isn't Greek. This sweet romantic comedy entertains. Run-away independent
hit of 2002!. Recommended. PG. Cinema World. Online archives.
Red Dragon: Anthony Hopkins returns as Hannibal
Lecter, the cannibal, serial killer, while Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes,
Harvey Keitel, Emily Watson, Mary-Louise Parker and Philip Seymour
Hoffman flesh out the cast. Directed by Brett Ratner. R. Movies 12.
Santa Clause 2: Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) begins
looking for the perfect Mrs. Claus, because if he doesn't get married
by Christmas Even, he'll stop being Santa forever. G. Cinemark.
Signs: Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan
and starring Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix in this supernatural thriller
about crop circles. Also stars Rory Culkin and Abigail Breslin. PG-13.
Movies 12. Online archives.
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. PG. Movies 12.
Star Trek: Nemesis: Captain Jean-Luc Picard
and the crew of the Enterprise face an alien race and some personal
clones, including Picard's personal nemesis. Stars Patrick Stewart,
Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden,
Marina Sirtis, Ron Perlman, Tom Hardy. Dir. by Stuart Baird. PG-13.
Cinemark. Cinema World. Online archives.
Stealing Harvard: Tom Green, Jason Lee, Leslie
Mann and Megan Mullaly star in this tale of a clean-living, hardworking
guy who dabbles in crime and gets caught. PG-13. Movies 12.
Stuart Little 2: Stuart goes to school now,
and he has big brother George and baby sister Martha to play with.
But a mysterious bird named Margalo involves everyone in an adventure.
Voices of Michael J. Fox, Melanie Griffith, Nathan Lane, Geena Davis
and more. PG. Movies 12.
Sweet Home Alabama: Andy Tennant directs the
fabulous Reese Witherspoon in this comedy about a hot fashion designer
who returns to the South to get a divorce from scruffy hubby #1 (Josh
Lucas) so she can marry rich Patrick Dempsey. PG-13. Movies 12.
Treasure Planet: Robert Louis Stevenson's classic
adventure set on a spaceship that runs into hazards like black holes
and supernovas. Animated film directed by Ron Clements and John Musker
includes voices of Emma Thompson and Martin Short. PG. Cinemark.
Tuxedo, The: PG-13. Jackie Chan's a limo driver
who borrows his boss' tux only to discover that it's a high-tech killing
machine. With Jennifer Love Hewitt and Peter Stormare. PG-13. Movies
12.
Two Weeks Notice: Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock
star as a very, very rich man and his lawyer. When she quits, and
he replaces her with Alicia Witt, she reconsiders. Written and directed
by Marc Lawrence (The Out-of-Towners). PG-13. Cinema World.
Cinemark.
Wild Thornberrys, The: In this animated film,
Eliza Thornberry (Lacey Chabert), a girl who talks to and understands
animals, goes to Africa with her parents, nature filmmakers, and her
best friend, a chimp. Other voices: Rupert Everett, Marisa Tomei,
Tim Curry, Brenda Blethyn, Lynn Redgrave and Obba Babatunde. Directed
by Jeff McGrath and Cathy Malkasian. PG. Cinema World. Cinemark.
XXX: Vin Diesel and Samuel L. Jackson star
in this athletic spy thriller directed by Rob Cohen. PG-13. Movies
12.
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.
Barbershop: Sweet-natured comedy about a day
in the life of a south side Chicago barbershop stars Ice Cube, Cedric
the Entertainer, Sean Patrick Thomas, Troy Garity, Eve. This movie
makes you feel good. Recommended. PG-13. Online archives.
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. Online archives.
Eye See You: Released theatrically in 2001
titled D-Tox, DVD release is unlikely to help this critically
reviled action thriller. In the UK Observer, reviewer says
it "reeks of Stallone's special blend of masochism and self-pity."
Also stars Charles Dutton, Kris Kristofferson, Dina Meyer; directed
by Jim Gillespie. R.
Hey Arnold!: Nickelodeon animated series stars
voices of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Christopher Lloyd and Paul Sorvino.
PG.
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.
Next week: The Good Girl, Martin Lawrence Live:
Runteldat, Our Song, Secret Ballot, Signs and Who is Cletis Trout?
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