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If you've had your fill of smash 'em up, bang 'em up, nitro-powered blockbuster movies this summer, then consider a more refined cinematic experience: The Archaeology Channel's International Film and Video Festival, July 16-19 at the McDonald Theatre. Archaeology? Yes, that's right, a film fest based on stories of archaeology and indigenous peoples; a festival that will bring together 64 films and videos from 19 different nations, including India, Thailand, Egypt, South Africa and Spain.
To provide a little background: The Archaeology Channel is an Internet website (www.archaeologychannel.com)produced by the Archaeology Legacy Institute (ALI), a Eugene-based nonprofit founded in 1999. Richard Pettigrew, ALI founder, president and executive director, and an established archaeologist, says, "I was tired of seeing all my work turned into reports sitting on dusty old shelves." He knew there must be a way to share that information with an audience beyond "just archaeologists." One of the main goals of ALI has been to cultivate the online Archaeology Channel to reach that broader audience, offering films, news, commentary and interactive programs all relating to archaeology, or as Pettigrew describes the discipline, "the residue of humanity." The upcoming film fest, says Pettigrew, grew out of interest in the site and follows an international trend toward such events. "Archaeology films and film festivals have been popular in Europe … This is the first festival ever in North America," he says. Twenty films will be shown on the big screen at McDonald Theatre. The remaining films will be available for viewing at a "video bar." There will also be two keynote speakers: Jean Clottes, Ph.D., leading expert on prehistoric rock art and widely known for his work at Chauvet Cave, site of the oldest known European cave art, will offer the opening keynote speech Wednesday evening. Brian Fagan, Ph.D., leading archaeological writer and consultant to National Geographic Society, Time/Life, Encyclopedia Britannica, Microsoft Encarta, as well as a number of television programs, will offer the closing keynote address Saturday evening. There will be seminars, lectures, teacher workshops, social events, guided field trips to nearby archaeological sites, children's activities and other hands-on opportunities. This is set up to be an activity not only for adults, but also for children and families. The films themselves are not just about people digging in the dirt, but employ a range of storytelling techniques to tell of pursuit and discovery, of cultures changed and cultures lost. The film Lost Days of Zeugma (Wed., July 16), follows a team of archaeologists, epigraphists and ceramic specialists who race to uncover what they can of the ancient city of Zeugma, one of the Roman Empire's most important towns. The race is on because construction of a dam on the Euphrates River in southeastern Turkey will forever submerge Zeugma under water. The time-running-out-factor gives a great urgency to the film; and there is a particularly beautiful, revelatory moment when the team makes a big find — that moment makes you grieve for what will be lost when the site is flooded. Actually, Lost Days of Zeugma does look like people digging holes in the ground, but the festival also offers animated films, documentaries and historical re-creations. Ground Zero/Sacred Ground (Fri., July 18) is a heavily lauded film that uses animation and music — no text or voices — to explore the intertwining relationship and conflict between the Three Rivers Native American rock art site and the White Sandia Missile Range 35 miles away. Handmade: Three Stories from Guatemala (Wed., July 16) is a charmer about a young aspiring Guatemalan journalist, Saul Roblero, who sets out on the countryside, determined to have the indigenous Maya people tell their own stories. Return to Belaye (Sat., July 19) and A Kalahari Family, Part 2 (Thurs., July 17) and Part 5 (Fri., July 18), explore the myths, mysteries and nuances of indigenous African cultures. For more information on screening schedules, activities or registration, check out www.archaeologychannel.com
Archaeology Channel International Film & Video Festival, The: Discover lost civilizations, sunken galleons, buried treasure — even a cave of glowing skulls — and the true tales of modern African bushmen, all here in Eugene as part of the first international archaeological film and video festival to be held in North America. www.archaeologychannel.orgfor schedule and information. July 16-19, McDonald Theatre. See review this issue. Chicago: Broadway spectacular directed by Rob Marshall stars Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones as killer dames behind bars who compete for tabloid coverage. With Queen Latifah, John C. Reilly and Richard Gere. PG 13. Movies 12. Online archives. Identity: Ten travelers caught in a rip-snorter of a storm seek refuge at a creepy motel in the desert, and sure enough they begin to die. Directed by James Mangold, stars John Cusack, Ray Liotta and lots of screaming women. R. Movies 12. In-Laws, The: Andrew Fleming directs Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks as the reluctant fathers of the bride and groom. PG-13. Movies 12. League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Based on the comic book miniseries by Alan Moore. Matthew Tobey in All Movie Guide writes, "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen takes place in an alternate universe, where the characters of several literary classics exist in reality. If that wasn't enough, they've been assembled together in 1900 by Queen Victoria as a team of evil-fighting heroes." Directed by Steve Norrington. Stars Sean Connery, Peta Wilson, Shane West, Stuart Townsend, Naseeruddin Shah, and Tony Curran. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Owning Mahowny: Richard Kwietniowski directs this film set in the 1980s. Stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as real-life Canadian Dan Mahowny, a young Toronto banker whose assistant manager status puts him in charge of millions of dollars. The movie opens: "Some folks believe everyone has a public life, a private life and a secret life…" Mahowny's public banker life collides here with his private obsessive-compulsive behavior, and his secret gambling addiction — he embezzles money from the bank to wager on sporting events, in card games and Atlantic City gambling sprees — big binges for this outwardly modest, reserved character. Minnie Driver plays Mahowny's devoted girl, John Hurt plays a casino manager. R. Bijou. Pirates of the Caribbean: The New York Times says, "… director Gore Verbinski's penchant for logistics — combined with … producer Jerry Bruckheimer's desire to spend like a drunken pirate … melts into an often frenetic, colorful and entertaining comic adventure that often seems to be using 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid' as a template. The dazzling, high-flying silliness is quite an achievement. The movie is better than it deserves to be, given its origins: a ride at Disneyland and Disney World." Stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. PG-13. Opened 7/9. Cinemark. Cinema World. Pokemon 4Ever: Ash Ketchum, Misty, Brock and Pikachu fight villains bent on world domination. 10 am 7/15 only. G. Movies 12. Two Fast Two Furious: John Singleton directs this sequel action adventure about street racing. Stars Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson, Cole Hauser, Eva Mendes. PG-13. Movies 12.
CONTINUING: Anger Management: Adam Sandler plays a man who must undergo anger management. His shrink, played by Jack Nicholson, moves in with him. Also stars Marisa Tomei. PG-13. Movies 12. Bringing Down the House: Domestic comedy starring Steve Martin and Queen Latifa is directed by Adam Shankman. PG-13. Movies 12. Bruce Almighty: Jim Carrey, Morgan Freeman and Jennifer Aniston star in this tale of a at TV reporter, who has a really bad day, rages against God and receives more than he expected. PG-13. Cinemark. Charlie's Angels Full Throttle: McG again directs the angels — Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, and ex-angel Demi Moore — to save the government's witness protection program, from which classified info has been stolen. Written by John August. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. Dumb & Dumberer: Prequel is subtitled When Harry Met Lloyd and stars Derek Richardson and Eric Christian Olsen as the 1994 Dumb and Dumber duo in high school. Directed by Troy Miller, with Eugene Levy, Cheri Oteri and Luis Guzmán. PG-13. Movies 12. Finding Nemo: Pixar (Toy Story) presents this computer-animated fantasy of two Clownfish, Marlin and his son Nemo, who get separated in the Great Barrier Reef. Written and directed by Andrew Stanton (A Bug's Life), with voices by Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Willem Dafoe, Geoffrey Rush, Allison Janney. Very highly recommended. G. Cinema World. Cinemark. Online archives. Holes: Adventures digging holes at Camp Green Lake for Stanley, who comes from a strange family that's been cursed for generations. Embarrassingly, Jon Voight, Sigourney Weaver and Tim Blake Nelson co-star. PG. Movies 12. Online archives. How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days: Magazine columnist Kate Hudson and ad agency professional Matthew McConaughey try to get the other to fall in love, but things go awry. High-energy romantic comedy. PG-13. Movies 12. Hulk, The: Director Ang Lee's action-adventure adaptation of the Marvel Comics series hits darker notes than the usual superhero comics. Scientist's (Eric Bana) inner demons change him after a catastrophic experiment. Written by James Schamus, it also stars Jennifer Connelly, Nick Nolte, Josh Lucas and Sam Elliott. PG-13. Cinema World (until 7/10). Cinemark. Online archives. Italian Job, The: Mark Wahlberg leads a heist that's double-crossed by one of his crew. Charlize Theron plays a safecracker in this cool revenge movie. Also stars Edward Norton, Mos Def and Donald Sutherland. Highly recommended for its pure entertainment value. PG-13. Cinemark. Online archives. Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde: Reese Witherspoon is back as Elle Woods, Harvard Law, class of 2001, now in DC on behalf of pet animal's rights. Luke Wilson is still her boyfriend, as is her manicure person, Jennifer Coolidge. Sally Field and Bob Newhart join the cast. Charles Herman-Wurmfeld directs. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema World. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: Directed and re-imagined by Peter Jackson, part two of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy continues. New characters, a surprise return and great battles. Director Peter Jackson's second masterpiece. Very highest recommendations. 2002 Academy Awards for sound editing, visual effects. PG-13. Movies 12. Online archives. Man Apart, A: If you've seen the trailer, you know that Vin Diesel is an undercover cop you don't want to mess with, especially after some sorry drug dealer scum breaks into his home. The New York Times' Dave Kehr calls it "a bread-and-butter action film." Directed by F. Gary Gray. R. Movies 12. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas: DreamWorks animated pirate adventure tale stars the voice of Brad Pitt as Sinbad, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Marina, and Michelle Pfieffer as the goddess of chaos. Joe Fiennes plays Proteus, a rival pirate. Directed by Tim Johnson and Patrick Gilmore. PG. Cinemark. Cinema World. Spellbound: Academy Award-nominated documentary feature by Jeffrey Blitz follows eight school kids from around the country as they prepare for and compete at the National Spelling Bee. Suspenseful, funny and heartwarming, this film's a real winner. Very highest recommendations for the whole family. G. Bijou. Online archives. Terminator 3 Rise of the Machines: Jonathan Mostow directs, and Arnold Schwarzenegger comes back to save the world from annihilation once again. John Connor (Nick Stahl), is 18 now, and he's fighting off a female killer cyborg from the future, (Kristanna Loken). R. Cinemark. Cinema World. Twenty-eight Days Later: Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) directs this really scary horror film set in a post-cataclysmic future, where a deadly virus sweeps through earth's population in a few weeks, and leaves people in a chronic state of killer rage. Stars Christopher Eccleston, Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Megan Burns and Brendan Gleeson. Advance word is that it's a great movie. R. Cinemark. View from the Top: Bruno Barreto directs this 1960s era comedy about a girl's dream of becoming a first-class international flight attendant. Stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Christina Applegate, Mark Ruffalo and Candice Bergen. PG-13. Movies 12. Whale Rider: Winner of the World Cinema award at Sundance 2003, Niki Caro's Maori drama about a spunky girl, played by Keisha Castle-Hughes), who decides to show her beloved but authoritarian grandfather that she is able to lead the tribe, despite being a girl. A wonderful, inspiring drama that features the exquisite New Zealand coast. A don't-miss movie. PG-13. Bijou. Online archives. X-Men 2: The next link in the evolutionary chain? Directed by Bryan Singer, stars Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden and more, lots more. PG-13. Movies 12.
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RELEASES ON VIDEO Gods & Generals: Jeff Shaara's epic novel about the Civil War, adapted by director Ronald F. Maxwell, stars Jeff Daniels, Robert Duvall, Stephen Lang and Mira Sorvino. Nearly four hours long. Extras include: commentary by director Ron Maxwell; introduction by Ted Turner; "Journey to the Past" (BET special); Bob Dylan's "Cross the Green Mountain" music video; Mary Fahl's "Going Home" music video. PG-13. Laurel Canyon: Frances McDormand plays an L.A. record producer who still smokes pot, drinks and is what The NY Times calls "a proud, post-hippie roustabout who is not about to be anybody's doormat." Her lifestyle doesn't go over big with her Harvard Medical School graduate son, played by Christian Bale. Written and directed by Lisa Cholodenko (High Art). Extras: Commentary by director Lisa Cholodenko, featurette. R. Pinocchio (2002): American critics were not 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. Shanghai Knights: Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson are out to settle a score in Victorian London in this comedy directed by David Dobkin. Extras: Commentary by director David Dobkin, commentary by screenwriters Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, deleted scenes, "Fight Manual" documentary with Chan and Dobkin. PG-13. Next week: Ararat, Felicity: Season Two, The Life of David Gale, Nicholas Nickleby, Read My Lips, Spun.
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