13 (Tzameti)
The torture flick goes all arthouse, as a young Frenchman is trapped in a deadly tournament. Living Room Theaters.
*NEW* The 2006 Academy Award Nominated Short Films
[SHORT RUN] Five cartoons and five live-action shorts provide the standard mixture of the charming (Torill Kove's The Danish Poet) and the cloying (Javier Fesser and Luis Manso's Binta and the Great Idea). But what's striking about Oscar's taste this year is that the Golden Boy has developed a sense of humor—and a willingness to twit religious tommyrot. The Savior, an Aussie movie from Peter Templeman and Stuart Parkyn, finds a door-to-door evangelist caught in the missionary position, while trying to explain to his supervisors why his new convert prefers one-on-one meetings. And it's amazing to find among the nominees something so merrily provocative as West Bank Story, Ari Sandel's desert parody of Bernstein and Robbins. The Israelis are the Jets, the Palestinians the Sharks, and the history of Middle Eastern diplomacy is reduced to a rivalry between falafel franchises. I say hummus, you say Hamas—let's call the whole thing off! AARON MESH. Cinema 21. Friday-Wednesday, Feb. 16-22. Animation program screens nightly at 7 pm, with 3 pm screenings Saturday-Monday. Live-action program screens nightly at 8:45 pm, with 1 and 4:45 pm screenings Saturday-Monday. Separate admission for each program.
Because I Said So
As overstated as her eccentric wardrobe, Daphne (played by a whimsically earnest Diane Keaton) is a destructively overbearing single mother. Her latest project Setting up her youngest daughter, Milly (a charming Mandy Moore), with someone worth her while—starting with an online personals ad, and then going further. Director Michael Lehmann (Heathers) finds sharp moments of mother-and-daughter collision; more of these might have elevated the movie above its trifling rom-com status. Instead, Because I Said So chooses to merely skim the surface of familial issues, parenting methods, love and sex, opting for candy-coated girl-gets-guy territory. PG-13. ELIANNA BAR-EL. Lloyd Cinemas, Eastport, Oak Grove, Cedar Hills, Cornelius, Evergreen, Sandy, Sherwood, Tigard Cinemas, Wilsonville, Cinema 99, Cinetopia.
*NEW* Breach
Chris Cooper plays the greatest security threat to the United States. Besides Cat Stevens. Look for full review on WWire at wweek.com. PG-13. Lloyd Cinemas, Eastport, Cedar Hills, Evergreen, Sherwood, Tigard Cinemas, Cinema 99.
*NEW* Breaking and Entering
Like Anthony Minghella's previous films (The English Patient, Cold Mountain), Breaking and Entering is ambitiously literary. This time the elegant cinematography focuses on contemporary London and, more narrowly, on the emotional bewilderment of a successful architect (Jude Law) who nearly abandons his longtime girlfriend and their autistic child after a chance meeting with a sexy Bosnian immigrant. The movie also catalogs a variety of social ills, including everything from law and justice to urban development. But these are glossy distractions from what you're really watching—a rich guy satisfying his every whim and getting away with it. PG-13. STACY RIGER. Call theaters for showtimes.
*NEW* The Bridge
[SHORT RUN] Inspired by Tad Friend's 2003 New Yorker article "Jumpers"—a chronicle of the lost souls who have turned the Golden Gate Bridge into "the world's leading suicide location"—director Eric Steel set up cameras in the San Francisco hills to capture the 24 people who joined the fatal club in 2004. Ghoulish as it may sound, The Bridge isn't just a snuff film. It combines its voyeurism with long, monotonous interviews with those who knew and loved the departed. So it's a thoughtful, sensitive snuff film. Unlike Friend's reportage, Steel's oddly unengrossing documentary offers no insight into the deadly allure of the span, and seems interested in the suicides only as case studies in various mental illnesses. We don't meet the jumpers; we meet their symptoms. Some of the footage is perversely beautiful, and some is arresting, but The Bridge leads to nowhere. R. AARON MESH. Clinton Street Theater. Friday-Thursday, Feb. 16-23.
*NEW* Bridge to Terabithia
Those damn Newbery Medal-winning books—always inspiring movies that pull at your heartstrings and make you whimper like a little bitch! Well, Bridge to Terabithia is no different. Pretty true to Katherine Paterson's tale, it chronicles the adventures of two fifth-graders: Jesse (Josh Hutcherson) is an artistic loner in a family of four sisters, while Leslie (AnnaSophia Robb) is a spunky, imaginative only child of two writers. Both outsiders, they create the imaginary kingdom of Terabithia together in the woods near their homes: a refuge where pinecones become grenades for safety, fantasy gnomes have ticklish toes and Jesse and Leslie rule the land. Boasting a uniformly well-played cast, Bridge to Terabithia moves at a pitch-perfect pace, drawing the audience into the children's friendship, their family lives and their school surroundings. Then the climax hits like a ton of bricks, turning the audience to mush and breaking this magical childhood spell of a film. Heartbreaking, yes, but utterly worth it. PG. ELIANNA BAR-EL. Lloyd Cinemas, Eastport, Oak Grove, Cedar Hills, Cornelius, Evergreen, Sandy, Sherwood, Tigard Cinemas, Wilsonville, Cinema 99, Cinetopia.
Cascade Festival of African Films
[SHORT RUN] Highlights of Portland Community College's continuing celebration of African culture include a visit from Thomas Allen Harris, whose documentary Twelve Disciples of Nelson Mandela: A Son's Tribute to Unsung Heroes chronicles the anti-apartheid movement—and Harris' father, who helped lead the fight for South African equality. Moriarty Arts and Humanities Building, room 104, PCC Cascade Campus. Twelve Disciples screens at 7:30 pm Thursday, Feb. 8. Free. For more information on Cascade Festival screenings, call 244-6111, ext. 3630.
Catch and Release
When Jennifer Garner's fiancé dies days before their wedding—on his bachelor-party trip—she temporarily moves in with his best friends. They're a threesome of stereotypical personalities: the uptight business partner (Sam Jaeger) who's had a longtime hidden affection for Gray, the witty cohort (Kevin Smith) whose job is compiling sentimental quotes for Celestial Seasonings tea bags, and the visiting childhood friend and womanizer (Timothy Olyphant) who apparently believes that screwing the caterer at his best friend's funeral is the best way to assuage his grief. PG-13. ELIANNA BAR-EL. Evergreen, Sherwood.
Children of Men
It may be only January, but I'm willing to lay money that Children of Men is the finest film we'll see in 2007. But watch it while you can: If Alfonso Cuarón's dystopian vision is to be believed, moviegoing is one of many things you won't be able to do in 2027. Another is babymaking—a capability Cuarón imagines vanishing in 2009. Thankfully, Clive Owen is still around to perfect his world-weary heroism—much needed when British activists reveal a young refugee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) with a familiar swell to her womb. A short summary can't do justice to Children of Men. It's a triumph on all levels. R. AARON MESH. Fox Tower.
Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul
Director Fatih Akin (Head-On) considers a cross-section of musicians in Istanbul. Which was Constantinople. Living Room Theaters.
*NEW* China Blue
[SHORT RUN] The average pair of designer jeans these days will leave you with $150 less to your name. But don't feel sorry for yourself. Feel sorry for the 14-year-old, docile Chinese girl who labored in clipping those loose threads, creating that distressed look, just so, and angled those pockets to make your ass look mighty fine. According to China Blue, a disheartening glimpse into the everyday lives of child laborers at the Lifeng Factory in Shuxi, China, an average workload takes each laborer three months to make the money you just spent. A good day is a 17-hour stretch, making 6 cents an hour, using wages to pay for food, room and board (a dorm room shared with 12 other girls) and the rest to send to family in the provinces. A typical "fun" outing is to steal away for a while to get some energizing medicinal tea, to reduce fatigue and prolong productive working hours. Guess that puts it all into perspective, right ELIANNA BAR-EL. Hollywood Theatre. Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 17-18.
Dreamgirls
When Effie (Jennifer Hudson)—who has been replaced as lead singer of the Dreamettes by the slimmer, more "likable" Deena (Beyoncé Knowles)—realizes she's been booted from the group entirely, the shit hits the effin' fan. Filmgoers familiar with the Broadway score wait for her song ("And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going") like manna from heaven. Those who know little about it will be frozen in their seats when it arrives. And Hudson's performance is good—really good. That moment is worth everything else. That's why I'm telling you I will go see it again. PG-13. BYRON BECK. Lloyd Mall, Sherwood, Tigard Cinemas.
Epic Movie
Another parody from the people who brought you Date Movie. This is not unlike saying, "Another disease from the people who brought you ebola." Not screened for critics, thank heaven. PG-13. Eastport, Cedar Hills, Evergreen, Wilsonville.
*NEW* Factory Girl
Lovely to look at. Impossible to ignore. An utter waste of good money. Apt descriptions for both the life of Edie Sedgwick and the movie that's based on her life, Factory Girl. Current Brit It Girl Sienna Miller looks and acts the part of the '60s Big Apple It Girl she's supposed to portray—right down to the thick eyeliner and buttsores. But she's a student actor compared with Guy Pearce as pasty pop artist Andy Warhol (topping previous takers David Bowie and Crispin Glover). Teetering between Edie's mentor and tormentor here, Warhol comes off a little too much like Emperor Palpatine any time he shares the screen with Hayden Christensen as Edie's Bob Dylan-esque lover, but that said, even Warhol himself would be impressed (or horrified) by how Pearce is able to personify him so completely—right down to his blotchy skin. But the surface is about as far as this so-called American tragedy goes. Edie's story is too big for documentary-based director George Hickenlooper, and even though it starts off hopeful, like Edie herself, it ends up as just another star-fucking, name-dropping wannabe mess. R. BYRON BECK. Hollywood Theatre, Cedar Hills, Fox Tower.
*NEW* Four Eyed Monsters
[ONE NIGHT ONLY] A special V-Day showing of a movie about the irritating mystery of the way of a man with a maid. Hollywood Theatre. Wednesday, Feb. 14.
*NEW* Ghost Rider
Nic Cage. In the sky. Look for full review on WWire at wweek.com. PG-13. St. Johns Twin Cinema-Pub, Lloyd Cinemas, Roseway, Eastport, Oak Grove, Cedar Hills, Cornelius, Evergreen, Sandy, Sherwood, Tigard Cinemas, Wilsonville, Cinema 99, Cinetopia.
*NEW* The Guatemalan Handshake
An illuminatingly frustrating, laugh-out-loud perplexing, pull-out-your-hair maddening pageant of meandering narratives and unforgettable characters that is certain to confound and inspire all who see it. In its most simple synopsis, Todd Rohal's movie is about the events surrounding a power outage in small-town America and the mysterious disappearance of Donald Turnupseed (Will Oldham). In greater detail, this is a movie about a turtle, a demolition derby and a fallen hero. The plot is convoluted and erratic, but the hilarious non sequiturs, uniqueness of the characters and richness of cinematography will hold you to the end. Handshake will especially appeal to those who enjoy the challenge of a sadistic director who takes pleasure in confounding the audience. KYLE CASSIDY. Hollywood Theatre.
Hannibal Rising
Hannibal Lecter loves Chianti, but his fans are continually asked to drink piss. Hannibal Rising—based on a book that wasn't finished when filming started—simply demystifies Lecter, as director Peter Webber (Girl with a Pearl Earring) tries for an arty edge. Sadly, what should have been a nice making-of-a-killer prequel becomes a one-dimensional revenge pic, as Hannibal deals with life as an orphan, trains in the arts of the samurai (what !) and enters medical school (though, for some reason, not for psychiatry). Systematically, he tracks and murders the soldiers who killed his family in World War II...and that's about all there is. French actor Gaspard Ulliel tries all of Anthony Hopkins' creepy tricks as young Hannibal, yet can't muster a grain of Hopkins' disarming, eerie charisma. The killings are increasingly grisly, the acting increasingly horrid and the scares are nonexistent. It's a shame: Lecter is now a cartoon character, much like poor Norman Bates became after three Psycho sequels. As a sadist, Lecter would love Hannibal Rising—it's torturous to watch. R. AP KRYZA. Lloyd Cinema, Eastport, Oak Grove, Cedar Hills, Cornelius, Evergreen, Sandy, Sherwood, Tigard Cinemas, Wilsonville, Cinema 99.
Head-On
First comes marriage, then comes love in this dark 2004 film about a couple of dysfunctional Turkish immigrants in Germany. Living Room Theaters.
Late Night Shopping
Slacker Brits work the night shift, talk, drink coffee. Think Kicking and Screaming, with accents. Living Room Theaters.
Letters from Iwo Jima
The companion piece to Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers—and filmed at the same time—Letters from Iwo Jima is the stronger of the veteran director's recountings of the pivotal battle waged on the tiny island during World War II. Telling the story from the Japanese point of view puts a deceptively original spin on a film that is otherwise conventional in all manner and content. More deserving of an audience than its cinematic sibling, Letters is a solid film that never fully lives up to the advance praise that has been bestowed on it. R. DAVID WALKER. Lloyd Mall, Eastport, Lake Twin, Cinetopia.
*NEW* Little Jerusalem
A Jewish girl falls in love with a Muslim in Paris. They'll always have kosher. Living Room Theaters.
The Messengers
In their stateside debut, Hong Kong's Pang Brothers have helped themselves to the staples of American horror: the creepy old farmhouse (with conveniently sharp implements), the sullen teenage girl (innocent enough for sympathy) and a bevy of Hitchcockian birds. Regrettably, they can't resist other, more infuriating tropes. It's no great score for originality when the heroine (Kristen Stewart) descends into a dark basement on three separate occasions. (Don't go down there! Don't go down there! Don't go...aw, whatever.) But the story of Dylan McDermott's attempt to grow sunflowers on haunted North Dakota ground has some spiriting moments of visual style (the unhappy crows' arrival is a throwaway homage to the biplane in North by Northwest), and the Pangs exhibit something resembling affection for their characters—refreshing in an era when their colleagues are obsessed with seeing how many limbs they can sever in an hour. PG-13. AARON MESH. Lloyd Cinemas, Eastport, Oak Grove, Cedar Hills, Cornelius, Evergreen, Sandy, Sherwood, Cinema 99.
*NEW* Music and Lyrics
Looks like Hugh Grant thought it might be fun to play a washed-up '80s pop singer from the fictitious band POP (think Wham!). He was wrong: He comes off looking like the washed-up Brit B-list celebrity that he really is. The only entertainment in Music and Lyrics is the video for POP's mega hit, "Pop! Goes My Heart." It's so bad, it's infectious—teased '80s rock bangs, tight white pants, dance thrusts and all. Reduced to banking off of his has-been status with an ex-celebrity boxing match, Grant's Alex Fletcher just about gives up when a rising star, moved by his age-old work, chooses him for her duet partner. The catch He needs to come up with a song in 72 hours. Enter Drew Barrymore, his plant caretaker, who also happens to be a (deeply unconvincing) lyricist. For those of you thinking you love Barrymore and Grant, and that this movie should be a double winner starring them both—you are wrong. Very wrong. PG-13. ELIANNA BAR-EL. Lloyd Cinemas, Eastport, Oak Grove, Cedar Hills, Cornelius, Evergreen, Sandy, Sherwood, Tigard Cinemas, Wilsonville, Cinema 99, Cinetopia.
Norbit
Here's this nice Eddie Murphy movie about a good-natured nebbish looking for love in all the wrong...Oh SHIT! Why is that hideous gorgon stomping around in a bikini and bellowing catchphrases Make it go away! OK. That's better. Now Murphy is wooing Thandie Newton; they're sharing wine coolers and she's...Oh god, it's back! Now it's attacking children and throwing Eddie through a window and roaring more catchphrases and running over a dog with its car! Really, who invited this repellent, godforsaken creature And why does Eddie Murphy keep letting it ruin his movies PG-13. AARON MESH. Lloyd Cinemas, Eastport, Oak Grove, Cedar Hills, Cornelius, Evergreen, Sandy, Sherwood, Tigard Cinemas, Wilsonville, Cinema 99, Cinetopia.
*NEW* Northwest Passage: The Birth of Portland's DIY Culture
[ONE NIGHT ONLY] A love letter to the Wipers, Fix, Lo Tek, Smegma and the Bop Zombies, along with the many lesser bands that surrounded them in Portland's underground punk scene circa 1978-83. Perhaps the late Tom "Pig" Roberts of Poison Idea said it best when he said, "Fuck that old burned-out hippie shit; this is a whole new thing." If you remember the Earth Tavern before it became a real-estate office on Northwest 23rd Avenue, see the movie. If you missed the sweat and memories, check out Portland when the gentle city that could was known as "hardcore" and prone to spitting on people. (Warning: Much of the live footage of the bands is extra-special DIY.) JULIE SABATIER. Cinema 21. 7 and 9 pm Thursday, Feb. 15.
Notes on a Scandal
There's nothing especially innovative about the latest effort of director Richard Eyre (Iris), which boils down to Fatal Attraction with a geriatric villain and a Sapphic subtext. But Eyre has made a wise decision of his own—he's focused his movie on the acidic performance of Dame Judi Dench. Whether she's denigrating her surroundings in voice-over or threatening Cate Blanchett with ruin, Dench tears into her role with dentures bared. R. AARON MESH. Lloyd Mall, Moreland, Cedar Hills, Lake Twin.
Pan's Labyrinth
There's no mistaking Guillermo del Toro's monsters for those hiding under any other bed. In The Devil's Backbone and Hellboy, the Mexican director honed a distinctive species of wraiths—and in Pan's Labyrinth, his latest, best work, the beasties are clawing out of the woodwork. Ofelia, the movie's intrepid 12-year-old heroine, is warned that one of the creatures she must confront "is not human." Considering the humans Ofelia has already met in the Spain of 1944, a year when Francisco Franco was squeezing the life out of his people, "not human" is quite the compliment. Del Toro's visual invention is so complete that it's easyto think it has no precursors, but he owes an enormous debt to the 19th-century paintings of Francisco de Goya—images that exemplify the horror of despotism. More than any other director, del Toro recognizes the brutality and madness lurking within the true believer. R. AARON MESH. Hollywood Theatre, Lloyd Cinemas, Eastport, Cinemagic, Cornelius, Evergreen, Tigard Cinemas, Cinetopia.
The Pursuit of Happyness
Will Smith schleps his 5-year-old moppet around San Francisco after the child's mother (Thandie Newton) walks out on them. The English-language debut of director Gabriele Muccino, The Pursuit of Happyness is pure cinematic comfort food: a helping of Horatio Alger pluck with a dash of family bonding, sauced with '70s soul tracks. No prizes for guessing that Gardner triumphs over all obstacles. PG-13. AARON MESH. Lloyd Mall, Evergreen.
The Queen
Dame Helen Mirren inhabits the intimidating persona of Queen Elizabeth II in this dramatization of the private lives of Britain's leaders in the days immediately following Princess Diana's 1997 death. Director Stephen Frears (Mrs. Henderson Presents, High Fidelity, The Grifters) keeps the kid gloves on in his treatment of the Royal Family and the Blairs, presenting what amounts to an apology for the missteps and insensitivity of the crown in the wake of national mourning for the ill-fated Diana. PG-13. JAMES WALLING. Lloyd Mall, Cedar Hills, Cornelius, Tigard Cinemas, Wilsonville.Shinobi: Heart Under Blade[SHORT RUN] All's fair in love and war. Especially ninja love and war. Hollywood Theatre, Wednesday-Thursday only.
Smokin' Aces
Jeremy Piven stars as Buddy "Aces" Israel, a washed-up Las Vegas performer who has gone missing after turning state's evidence against the Mafia. Aces' testimony promises to bring down a massive criminal empire, and so it comes as no surprise that a million-dollar price has been placed on his head. Now it's a race against time as a motley assortment of contract killers, bounty hunters and FBI agents all scramble to be the first to get to the drug-addled Aces, who is holed up in a Lake Tahoe resort surrounded by hookers, henchmen and a mountain of cocaine. Written and directed by Joe Carnahan (Narc), Smokin' Aces is a no-holds-barred, rock-out-with-your-cock-out exercise in bombastic filmmaking. R. DAVID WALKER. Lloyd Mall, Eastport, Cedar Hills, Evergreen.
This Film Is Not Yet Rated
Filmmaker Kirby Dick sets out to uncover the secrets of the Motion Picture Association of America, or MPAA, which was started by the major Hollywood studios and began the current rating system in 1968. The investigation proves as scathing as it is entertaining, and as thought-provoking as it is frustrating. DAVID WALKER. Living Room Theaters.
*NEW* Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls
They aren't actually Tyler Perry's children, but one of them is played by Gabrielle Union. PG-13. Lloyd Mall, Eastport, Cedar Hills, Cinema 99.
Twelve and Holding
Three preteens go through tumultuous life transformations after one of their peers is tragically killed. Hardest hit is introverted Jacob (Conor Donovan), who is consumed with avenging his twin brother's death. The overachieving Malee (Zoë Weizenbaum) channels her blossoming sexuality into the seduction of a much older construction worker (Jeremy Renner). The obese Leonard (Jesse Camacho) becomes determined to lose weight. The film is not without its charm, and manages to capture the awkwardness of prepubescence. But the interweaving stories don't always balance out as they should, making for an uneven feeling from time to time. R. DAVID WALKER. Living Room Theaters.
Unknown
Five men wake up in a locked warehouse in various states of disrepair (gunshotwounds, broken noses, etc.) and sharing a case of amnesia. A paint-by-numbers thriller that comes off badly despite the efforts of a strong cast, including James Caviezel, Greg Kinnear and Joe Pantoliano. Director Simon Brand's freshman effort does not bode well for his future in filmmaking. JAMES WALLING. Living Room Theaters.
Valentine's Hangover Film Fest
Didn't get flowers? Didn't get laid? What better way to nurse that broken heart than watching two of the most depressing movies ever made? Cipher in the Snow chronicles a child who dies of loneliness, while The Death of Richie uses Ben Gazzara to warn that drugs are not the answer. Even though we all know that drugs are the answer. Clinton Street Theater. 7 pm Thursday, Feb. 15. $6.
Venus
Roger Mitchell's movie is basically two great things: a coming-of-old-age story and a vehicle for Peter O'Toole. I'm willing to hop into any vehicle that has O'Toole at the wheel; that the rest of the movie happens to be hilarious, well written and wonderfully cast just makes the film easier to recommend. O'Toole plays Maurice, an aging actor who is spending his twilight years playing bit parts in soap operas until a crude beauty (Jodie Whittaker) rouses his interest—and what's left of his libido. Though his piercing blue eyes now have the watery cast of age, O'Toole's charisma hasn't faded one bit. Nor has his ability to ecstatically animate his characters. R. KATE LEBO. Call theaters for showtimes.
Volver
Moms always pick the worst times to visit. Like the day after you've stashed your freshly murdered husband in the icebox. That's the plight of Raimunda (Penélope Cruz), whose daughter (Yohana Cobo) has fatally stabbed dear old pederastic Dad, and whose long-dead mother, Irene (Carmen Maura), has arrived on the scene, apparently unconcerned that she's a poltergeist. It's just another week in La Mancha (where "the wind drives people crazy") and, more broadly, in Almodóvarland. The great Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar has returned, but with an entry significantly less crazy than much of his canon. R. AARON MESH. Hollywood Theatre.
*NEW* Wild Rivers, Wild Fire and Wild Creatures Film Night
[ONE NIGHT ONLY] Once it becomes clear that these three brief documentaries are not just another string of extended swag ads out to woo a target audience with cheap aerial/underwater tricks, the question then becomes whether each short journey is worth the trip. The answer is yes, if you don't mind the bumps. Mick O'Shea's well-shot Mekong: Exploring the Mother of Waters gracefully weaves just enough highlights and humor from O'Shea's kayak so as not to drown the viewer in an overabundance of dismal details about the eight mega-dams China is building along the river. Solving the Klamath Crisis: Keeping Farms and Fish Alive similarly packs in facts on the effects of dams—specifically the four PacifiCorp-owned dams along the Klamath River that are up for relicensing—without the much-needed breaks Mekong uses so well. The surprise standout is the shortest film, Decades: Born in Fire, which unleashes a scathing attack on the negative impact post-fire salvage logging has had on forest regeneration in the Siskiyou National Forest, and the money that's behind it. The clips where OSU's dean of the College of Forestry, Hal Salwasser, basically incriminates himself for helping suppress the unfavorable results of the college's scientific study burns quite the lasting impression. BRYAN VAN NORDEN. Hollywood Theatre. 6:30 pm Thursday, Feb. 15.
