Cameron Crowe's film about groupies, Lester Bangs, and learning to ROCK in the '70s. Broadway Metroplex, Century Eastport 16, City Center 12, Evergreen Parkway, Lloyd Mall, Milwaukie 3 Theater, St. John's Theater, Washington Square Center
Brendan Fraser makes faustian deals with the devil (all tits and ass and Elizabeth Hurley)! Century Eastport 16, City Center 12, Clackamas Town Center, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lloyd Mall, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Tigard Cinemas, Vancouver Plaza, Westgate, Wilsonville
* Best in Show
A dog show docu-parody from the makers of Waiting for Guffman. Century Eastport 16, Fox Tower 10, Lloyd Mall, Tigard Cinemas
Billy Elliot
An ADORABLE film about a SWEET boy who wants to DANCE instead of mine coal. Fox Tower 10
Here are a few things you might consider doing instead of seeing the Blair Witch sequel: bleaching your nose hair, shaving your feet, experimenting with RU-486, or watching Alf reruns. Trust me: This film is so bad, no amount of high-priced marketing tools-glitzy trailers, live webcasts, star-studded soundtrack CDs can save it. And the motivation behind this dreck is all too clear: pure and simple greed. 82nd Avenue, City Center 12, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lloyd Cinemas, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Tigard Cinemas, Vancouver Plaza, Westgate, Wilsonville
In 1994, while shooting a documentary on the myth of "The Blair Witch," three film students mysteriously disappeared in the woods. The missing trio included director Heather Donahue, sound engineer Michael Williams, and cameraman Joshua Leonard. A year later, their video and film cameras, along with the footage, are found in the basement of an abandoned home. Though a fictional film, The Blair Witch Project is effective because it seems real. Too real, even. (Charles Mudede) St. John's Theater
High school cheerleaders must endure endless practices and bikini waxes to compete in the national championships! Vancouver Plaza
Broken Hearts Club = Your typical Romantic Comedy + lots of gay men - hetero sex scenes. City Center 12, Fox Tower 10
Director Jamie Babbitt's feature debut may be a bit forced, but Natasha Lyonne as a cheerleader thought to be lesbian, is both believable and charming. Lyonne is sent to a homosexual rehabilitation camp run by RuPaul and Cathy Moriarty, and learns the valuable lesson that sexual orientation isn't as cut and dried as one might think. (Wm. Steven Humprey) Laurelhurst Theater
Chicken Run is about chickens trying to escape. It is very funny and exciting; each chicken has a great sense of humor and is weird. (Sam Lachow & Maggie Brown) Avalon Theatre, Bagdad Theater, Edgefield Powerstation, Kennedy School Theatre, Laurelhurst Theater
Iowa farmchildren start bumping off their parents-with the power of CORN! Fifth Avenue Cinemas
Liberals have won the culture wars, and it's embarrassing. In this Hollywood version of the Lewinsky affair (with the Clinton character recast as a woman), the Democrats make all the great speeches you wish they'd made during the 104th Congress and the Republicans are as simply evil and as plainly hypocritical as you wish they were. The Contender plays like it was funded by the DNC and scripted by a college sophomore taking her first Intro to Women's Studies class. The first hour of the movie-featuring murders, behind-the-scenes White House meetings, strong arm politicking, and secret memos-is actually a blast, but once the the trite sermonizing kicks in (Democrats are pro-choice!) you'll start wishing they'd just cut to more footage of the sex scandal. (It seems Senator Laine Hanson, played by Joan Allen, got drunk and fucked a whole crew of boys one night in her past.) A B-movie about a B-rate episode in American history. One plus, though: Allen is fetching. (Josh Feit) Century Eastport 16, City Center 12, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Fox Tower 10, Lloyd Cinemas, Moreland Theater, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Tigard Cinemas, Wilsonville
Inspired by a 1997 GQ article by Liz Gilbert (who worked and met her husband at the Coyote Ugly Saloon), this Jerry Bruckheimer film replaces Gilbert the writer with Violet Sanford the song writer, and turns her story into a Horatio Alger novel set in a New York bar. Only, the Coyote Ugly Saloon is more than just a bar: It is a bar with attitude, a bar with sass. It is a wild world of ruthless, sexually empowered women bartenders. It is a subculture in itself, and one that lets Violet (Picabo Perabo), the small town girl in the big city, find herself. No surprises, not too much depth, just good, old-fashioned Americana rehashed with flare (and flesh) for the modern world. (Frank Bures) Koin Center
Lars von Trier's new film may be a self-absorbed intellectual trainwreck, but Bjork is fucking awesome! Fox Tower 10
Three Jewish women in World War II choose to defy the Nazis in the face of genocide. Playing with Zyklon Portrait, a documentary about the gas chambers. Northwest Film Center at The Guild Theater
Krrrr-ASH! There's nothing like the window and bone shattering scares of a driver's ed movie to make getting behind the wheel more exciting. And the Clinton Street is showing FOUR of 'em for one night only! Clinton Street Theatre
Accused of causing teen suicide when first released, director Robert Bresson's film tells of an arrogant young man in search of the meaning of death. Northwest Film Center at Whitsell Auditorium
Not to be confused with Digimon: The Emerging Third Party in the American Political System. Century Eastport 16, City Center 12, Milwaukie 3 Theater, Washington Square Center
Richard Gere as a gynecologist?? Ewwwwwwww!! Century Eastport 16, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Washington Square Center
Using 2-D computer animation, Rose Bond explores her childhood traumas of family illness and death. Northwest Film Center at Whitsell Auditorium
Perhaps one of the greatest and grossest (with the largest amount of vomit per square foot of film ever) movies in recent decades, this 1973 film sparked in-theatre hysteria and a new genre of psychological thrillers. The well-known premise mimics every parent's nightmare: That one's child is literally possessed by the devil. Sure, there are the indelible scenes as an adorable, vomit-splattered Linda Blair turns her head 360 degrees and violently masturbates with a crucifix. And, yes, there are the crowd-pleasing insults (to the exorcising priest from the adorable Blair: "Your mother sucks cocks in hell"). But, there also are many light touches-such as the bumbling detective desperately trying to score a date, the thieving priest who steals whiskey from confessing sinners and the chain-smoking doctor who gives Blair a spinal tap-that earned the movie nine Academy nominations and four Golden Globes. Division Street, Eastgate, Evergreen Parkway, Lloyd Cinemas, Movies on TV, Vancouver Plaza
Patrice Leconte (Ridicule) has recently been outshined by the directors of the so-called "new new wave," which is unfortunate, as he is certainly one of the best directors working in France. Girl on the Bridge offers further evidence. A ravishing, breezily paced tale of amour fou, Girl on the Bridge stars Daniel Auteuil as a Svengali-like knife-thrower who meets his perfect foil in Vanessa Paradis' Adele. What makes the film great, though, is Leconte's feel for the effect of place on people: The roads are beckoning, Monte Carlo is impulsive, and Istanbul is confusion itself. Auteuil is never less than his dour self, and Paradis-a gap-toothed woman, it's worth noting-is stunning throughout. Fox Tower 10
In Brooklyn's Red Hook district, Punchy Diana wants nothing more than to kick some ass in the ring, but nasty Daddy poo-poos the idea. It's an interesting, moving story with a bunch of crappy sub-plots seeping in to ruin the whole thing. Cinemagic, Vancouver Plaza
Director Ridley Scott tramps through the standard gladiator movie plot like a tipsy party host, embracing each and every cliché like a dear old friend. War hero General Maximus (Russell Crowe) is stripped of his position by a scheming, new Caesar (Joaquin Phoenix). Escaping too late to save his family, Maximus falls into the hands of a slaver (the late Oliver Reed), and with the help of a former love and his rough-but-likable gladiator pals, seeks his revenge by finding glory within the Coliseum. Scott then uses all the technical advantages of modern film making to make the details as lavish as possible. (Tom Spurgeon) Century Eastport 16
Kevin Bacon stars as a scientist who discovers a serum for turning invisible. Which reminds me, a really good question to ask someone when you're just starting to date them is "Would you rather be able to fly, or turn invisible?" If they say "fly," then they're a keeper. People who wanna turn invisible are always sneaking around and getting in your shit. Never trust people who want to be invisible. Especially if it's Kevin Bacon. Edgefield Powerstation, Koin Center
Margaret Cho made a terrible sitcom a while back-All-American Girl-and this straightforward record of her recent standup act recounts her struggles with weight, alcohol, and pernicious self-doubt that resulted from its failure. Cho isn't a particularly insightful comic, but she sure knows how to go after a laugh. What's funny here is gleefully, howlingly funny. Her personal emancipation, however, doesn't quite flow freely from the rest of her material; the show strains whenever she stops to hit a nail on the head. As a result, it's the scruffy, playful stuff that fares much better, including priceless takes on her mother, a testy Karl Lagerfeld behind bars, and a fag hag navigating her pals through the Underground Railroad. (Steve Wiecking) Cinema 21
Tom Cruise gets all vampire freaky on your ass with this adaptation of the Ann Rice novel. Fifth Avenue Cinemas
A Swedish producer/director/photographer contemplates life, human existence, and overall perspective by turning the tables on the traditional "nature documentary" format: In this film, the birds are the ones observing the Homo sapiens' behavior and habitat. Northwest Film Center at The Guild Theater
A terrific film noir in which Victor Mature refuses to snitch out the evil Richard Widmark, until he finds out the crook had an affair with his wife! Now, all bets are off, and Widmark is ready to settle the score... Northwest Film Center at The Guild Theater
The Ladies Man
Poor Tim Meadows. He stuck around long after the last talented SNL cast member cashed in and went home and still finished behind latecomers Molly Shannon, Chris Kattan, and Will Ferrell in the SNL 90-minute sketch sweepstakes. Now it's his turn to expand a paper-thin premise that made four minutes seem like an hour into a feature film. Century Eastport 16, City Center 12, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Lloyd Mall, Milwaukie 3 Theater, Movies on TV, Vancouver Plaza,Washington Square Center, Wilsonville
Lancelot of the Lake
Bresson's beautiful rendition of the King Arthur tale, with stunning cinematography and exciting action sequences. Northwest Film Center at Whitsell Auditorium
Legend of the Drunken Master
Miramax attempts to make a little more money by dubbing Jackie Chan's Drunken Master II into English, and then re-releasing it. Meanwhile, fans of the Crow series have demanded a boycott of the film, in a harebrained attempt to convince Miramax to release The Crow: Salvation. Angry Jackie Chan fans responded by arguing that a boycott of Legend of the Drunken Master only really hurts Jackie Chan. Blood is gonna fly! Mark our words! 82nd Avenue, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Lloyd Mall, Movies on TV, Washington Square Center, Wilsonville
The Little Vampire
The Little Vampire is a magical and funny movie but I wouldn't recommend it to children under seven because it is pretty scary. The movie is about a kid that finds vampires and helps them find a certain stone so they can turn into humans. The only thing stopping them is the vampire killer. He is a pretty freaky guy and his truck is freaky, too. It has lights all over it because the vampires are scared of light. It also has a cross on it and a coffin on the side. The vampires do all they can to defeat the vampire killer and get the stone before he does. (Sam Lachow, age 9) 82nd Avenue, City Center 12, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lloyd Mall, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Tigard Cinemas, Vancouver Plaza
Lost Souls
Right on the heels of The Exorcist's re-release comes this pale imitation of a diabolical thriller, starring Ben Chaplin as an unwitting Antichrist and Winona Ryder as the black-eyed, whispery mope who must convince him of his impending demonic possession. The few moments of suspense toward the end don't make up for the dull, plodding, wreck of a script, and it would take a superhuman suspension of disbelief to swallow the ridiculous plot lines ("SEX" spelled backwards equals 666?). You'll be wishing the devil would just hurry up and take you long before the film's "day of reckoning" arrives. Century Eastport 16, City Center 12, Clackamas Town Center, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lloyd Cinemas, Milwaukie 3 Theater, Movies on TV, Vancouver Plaza
Luckt Numbers
We can't wait! This movie has been rescheduled FIVE TIMES since this summer, and the studio refused to press-screen it. You know what that means? It means this film is SO GOOD that they were afraid it would disrupt the summer release schedule and render the press inarticulate with joy! That, or it's an unmitigated disaster. City Center 12, Clackamas Town Center, Division Street, Eastgate, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lloyd Cinemas, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Tigard Cinemas, Vancouver Plaza,Wilsonville
* Meet the Parents
Jewish complications ensue when Ben Stiller meets the pop of his new g-friend, Robert DeNiro. Century Eastport 16, City Center 12, Clackamas Town Center, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lloyd Cinemas, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Tigard Cinemas, Vancouver Plaza,Westgate, Wilsonville
Mercy Streets
A crook sets out to save his million dollar scam while his priest brother rushes to save him. Starring Eric "Cholly, dey took my thumbs!" Roberts. Century Eastport 16
* The Most Terrible Time in My Life
The Most Terrible Time in My Life is a wonderful film composed of the most basic elements. It has a young, handsome private detective who specializes in tracking down people and drives around a big city in a cool convertible. Then we have a gangland war, a sidekick who drives a taxi and walks and talks in a clumsy manner, and a struggle to the death between two brothers who are hit men for the mob. But what is most impressive to me is the glorious style of this film: It's simply gorgeous! (Charles Mudede) Clinton Street Theatre
* The Nightmare Before Christmas
This movie is truly a wonderful thing. The animation is incredible, the visualization is fine, and the story-about the forces of Dark and Light as played out by Halloween and Christmas-is easy to follow when drunk. But the songs, by the great Danny Elfman, are the real reason to see the film. The Halloween re-release certainly feels like wanton capitalism, but we'll forgive them. (Jamie Hook) Fox Tower 10
Nurse Betty
Betty (Renée Zellweger), a diner waitress, settles comfortably into a thick confusion after accidentally witnessing her sleazy drug-dealer husband's murder. She instantly blocks out reality, and drives to Los Angeles in pursuit of her favorite soap-opera character, whom she believes is her long-lost true love. On paper, this sounds great-onscreen it's surprisingly disappointing. After watching these relentless caricatures strut around for 112 minutes, it's difficult to keep caring, and to keep rooting for Betty in earnest. (Min Liao) Cinemagic, Milwaukie 3 Theater
Omen
Damien, Satan's wee little son, is born onto earth to terrorize a diplomat's family. A rash of deaths freaks the family out, but when they find the mark of the devil on his wee little skull, well, that just scares the holy bejeezus out of them. More suspense than gore, this flick is in league with The Exorcist and will scare the bejeezus out of you too. Laurelhurst Theater
The Original Kings of Comedy
Another of Spike Lee's so-called "jointz," this one being a documentary which shows stand-up comics Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley and Bernie Mac in action. Mission Theater
Paths of Glory
Stanley Kubrick's first internationally-acclaimed war film (1957) explores the class system within the French trenches during WWI. Kiggins Theater
Pay It Forward
Kevin Spacey covered his face with Play-Doh for this strange, American study of karma. Broadway Metroplex, City Center 12, Clackamas Town Center, Division Street, Eastgate, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lake Twin Cinema, Lloyd Cinemas, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Tigard Cinemas, Westgate, Wilsonville
A Perfect Storm
Plot: Fishermen fight storm in hopes of getting home to some pussy. Protagonists: Marky Mark, Dr. Ross, Happy's competitor in Happy Gilmore, a few guys who are in every other movie, some no-names. Villains: Hurricane Grace, backed by two other vengeful storms. The money-grubbing boat owner. Perks: Awesome special effects: 50-foot sea swells, water rescues, hurricane clouds etc. Downers: Canned dialogue, excessive machismo, totally stupid ending. Recommendation: If you're looking for a marijuana freak-out, smoke some and head to this flick. If you're looking for an Academy Award Nominee, forget it. (Katie Shimer) Koin Center, Laurelhurst Theater, Movie House
Pressure Point
Protests of international finance meetings have been making headlines around the world. This video documents the Montreal Blockade and a group of activists who decide to take part. PCC Cascade Campus
Radical Film Fest
The Cross Border Labor Organizing Coalition (CBLOC) presents these films every Thursday.
Remember The Titans
Denzel Washington coaches a bi-racial high school football team. Will they win the big game? Or more importantly, will they have any nudie locker room scenes? 82nd Avenue, Broadway Metroplex, City Center 12, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lake Twin Cinema, Lloyd Cinemas, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Tigard Cinemas, Vancouver Plaza,Westgate, Wilsonville
Rocky Horror Picture Show
The classic cult flick will be dominating the entire Halloween weekend at the Clinton Street, with the rarely seen sequel Shock Treatment on Sunday and Tuesday! Clinton Street Theatre
* Rosemary's Baby
Oh, great. It's bad enough that Mia Farrow gets knocked up-but by the dark prince SATAN?!? Kennedy School Theatre
Saboteur
A man gets framed for blowing up a munitions plant, and sets off to find the traitor who framed him in this Hitchcock flick. Kiggins Theater
Scary Movie
Though I can't say Scary Movie was particularly witty, or even clever, the cast performs their over-the-top slapstick with such good-natured intentions, it's hard not to be swept up in the fun. Sure, there are the requisite off-color jokes directed at gays, potheads, teen sex, and the mentally challenged, but unlike the Farrelly brothers (Something About Mary, Kingpin), Wayans delivers punchlines as a nudge in the ribs rather than a slap across the face. (Wm. Steven Humprey) Avalon Theatre, Bagdad Theater, Laurelhurst Theater
* Some Kind of Loving
This program includes Miranda July's The Swan Tool, which consists of video on two screens and a simultaneous live performance by July, with music by Zac Love. It's a "rehearsal" before it officially debuts at the Rotterdam Film Festival next year, and it's about a woman who buries a part of herself, represented by a furry creature, in her backyard. The furry creature won't die; what is she to do? In addition, the Joanie 4 Jackie (July's movie chainletter) co-star tape Some Kind of Loving. Curated by Astria Superak, it's an awesome compilation of film, animation, and video with a common theme of, well, some kind of loving. See review this issue. Hollywood Theatre
* Subdivide and Conquer: A Modern Western
What makes Jeff Gersh's essay about urban sprawl refreshing is that, unlike too many documentary films, he does not choose an enemy and spend the remainder of the film building a case against them. A local filmmaker, Gersch has managed to capture one of the most powerful (and subtle) forces shaping the American landscape and psyche: suburban growth. What's more, he has made it interesting. Through wide-ranging interviews and setting a loose cowboy narrative through the film, the movie covers immense territory. The film already has been shown on half of the PBS stations, but now returns home-to the city that wears the white hat of urban growth boundaries-for a single night of viewing. Cinema 21
The Tao of Steve
The Tao of Steve: 101 ways to bag a babe and keep her coming back for more. Dex, a fat intellectual slob, formulates and follows his plan for sexual success, insisting to his friends that the number one way to attract women is to ignore them. Through the magic of make-believe, this tactic works. The pot smoking jelly-belly has a harem of women sending him the booty call. What is his secret? What is the attraction? Could it be the charming afterglow from his morning bong hit? Is it the crushing weight of his huge gut? No one knows or cares, because in real life Dex is just one of the many loser potheads that move about in packs, not as couples. (Karrin Ellertson) Laurelhurst Theater
The Thanhouser Collection
Portland native Ned Thanhouse lectures and shows examples of his grandfather's work with the Thanhouser company, one of the pioneer's of American cinema. Northwest Film Center at Whitsell Auditorium
* The Times of Harvey Milk
Harvey Milk is considered one of the most important (and probably least known) political figures of the Twentieth Century. The film about his life is equally notable (and obscure). When debuted at Telluride Film Festival in 1984, critics stumbled over themselves to praise the film, overlooking such gems as Paris, Texas, to laud this film as the best at the festival. Elected to the Board of City Commissioners, Milk gave a voice to San Francisco's burgeoning gay population in the mid-Seventies. When he was assassinated in 1978 by an ex-fireman, the event coalesced a lifestyle into a political movement. A spell-binding documentary weaves together a cross-section of testimonies to tell an intriguing tale about Milk's life, the birth of a political movement and yes, even, the changing American psyche. Hollywood Theatre
Titanic Town
A sequel to neither Titanic nor The Chambermaid on the Titanic, Titanic Town concerns an Irish housewife compelled to get involved in the ongoing "troubles" in West Belfast. Her late entry into the political minefield places her entire family in jeopardy. Fox Tower 10
Under Suspicion
Gene Hackman is out for a morning jog, when-kaboing! There's a dead person! He reports the crime to police, and wouldn't ya know it? They're blaming HIM for the crime! The police fucking suck!! Broadway Metroplex
* Underground Cinema of Vanessa Renwick
Portland's own Vanessa Renwick will be screening some of her fave films, including Lovejoy. See review this issue. Cinema 21
* Waiting for Guffman
Christopher Guest is Corky St. Clair, a (way, way off) Broadway Director, in this "funny because it's true" mockfest about the big-city aspirations of small-town theater. With Parker Posey, Fred Willard, Catherine O'Hara, and Eugene Levy as the soon-to-be-famous players of Blaine, Missouri. Hollywood Theatre
What Lies Beneath
It's official! Director Robert Zemeckis (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump) is a washed-up hack. In this latest Sixth Sense ripoff, Zemeckis doesn't even bother trying to come up with any new ideas to bring to the screen, choosing instead to ape what Brian DePalma has been doing for years-aping Alfred Hitchcock. Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford sink to new acting lows, and while the film still somehow manages to be occasionally entertaining, the jump-out-and-scare-the-shit-out-of-ya shocks can't make up for the waste of time and money. Pass! (Wm. Steven Humprey) Avalon Theatre, Bagdad Theater, Hollywood Theatre, Laurelhurst Theater, Vancouver Plaza
X-Men
This movie is all fine and dandy, but there's one area where I got beef: Where the Hell is Psylocke? Avalon Theatre, Kennedy School Theatre, Koin Center, Laurelhurst Theater, Mission Theater
The Yards
Leo Handler (Mark Wahlberg) is a street kid freshly released from prison after taking the fall for his friend Willie Gutierrez (Joaquin Phoenix). He wants to get his life back on track, and appeals to his influential Uncle Frank (James Caan) for work at his train repair company, then finds himself drawn into a downward spiral of corruption, violence, and familial betrayal. The return of the prodigal son is far from a fresh theme, but director James Gray has assembled an outstanding cast and had the good sense to stay out of their way. It is only in the last few minutes of the film that Gray's minimalist instinct derails, as each plot point is rushed ruthlessly toward completion. Characters dash about brandishing guns and plummet willy-nilly over balconies at the cost of the delicate, melancholy truth the rest of this worthwhile film so elegantly evokes. (Tamara Paris) Century Eastport 16, Lloyd Mall
