Along Came a Spider is a prequel to Kiss the Girls. Again, Morgan Freeman plays Dr. Alex Cross, a detective who deals with the most psychotic white men in America. Though Kiss the Girls is the better of the two thrillers, I still enjoyed Along Came a Spider because Morgan Freeman is Morgan Freeman. Century Eastport 16, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Lloyd Cinemas, Movies on TV, Sherwood 10, Tigard Cinemas, Wilsonville
* Amores Perros
Amores Perros begins at a screaming dead run and maintains one kind of intensity or another over the next two-and-a-half hours. Pungently translated as Love's a Bitch, Amores Perros comprises three stories of life, love, and aggressively twisted fate in the most polluted metropolis on the planet. Alejandro Gonzàlez Iñàrritu and screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga have enrolled in the Tarantino school of storytelling, but Gonzàlez Iñàrritu's own style and vision is so distinctive and assured in this directorial debut that no one should dwell on that point. This is a breakthrough work for Mexican cinema, and for a bold and powerful new talent. Koin Center
Angela Davis Visits Russia!
Angela Davis, the intrepid African-American activist, knows why the caged Russians sing. A Russkie propoganda documentary that follows Davis and shines the best possible light on the country, government, and smiling, poverty-struck nation. Dustbin Cinema
* Before Night Falls
The real-life story of Cuban writer Reynaldo Arenas, from his childhood in Cuba, to joining Fidel Castro's revolutionaries, to later being persecuted for homosexuality. A politcal film which centers on one man's loneliness. Cinemagic, Cinemagic
* Bike-In Theatre
Get on yer bikes and ride over to the Bike-In Theater's outdoor film series. This week features Johnny Cash: The Man, His World, His Music a 1969 documentary that plays like a home movie of the Man in Black's life on the road and at home. A must-see for J.C. fans! Also playing is Ms. 45, an early work of director Abel Ferrara about a mute woman who is raped and then takes to the street to wreak revenge. Banned in Finland, Norway and Sweden? Holy Cats! (Wm. Steven Humphrey) P.S., What?
* Blow
Blow is Hollywood all the way to the bank. But despite all its predictability-young man (Johnny Depp) rises to the top of the international drug trade and then falls to the bottom of the prison system-its portrayal of Mexicans, Central Americans, and middle America is unexpectedly sympathetic. Broadway Metroplex, Century Eastport 16, Cinema 99, City Center 12, Clackamas Town Center, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Lloyd Cinemas, Milwaukie 3 Theater, Movies on TV, Sherwood 10, Tigard Cinemas, Wilsonville
Bridget Jones's Diary
Bridget Jones is a cow. She desires a boyfriend, so she sets her sights on the office cad (Hugh Grant), and then moans when he dumps her. Why do we keep coming back to these romantic comedies? Is it that we secretly hope the Jerk will change into a Good Guy so we can justify our bad choices in life? Is the office cad actually a misunderstood prince? Does this ever happen in real life? Fuck no. And I've got a long line of sisters who can back me up on that. The very same sisters who'll be standing next to me in the ticket line when the next romantic comedy comes along. (Kathleen Wilson) 82nd Avenue, Broadway Metroplex, Century Eastport 16, City Center 12, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lake Twin Cinema, Lloyd Cinemas, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Sherwood 10, St. John's Theater, Tigard Cinemas, Vancouver Plaza , Wilsonville
* Charm Bracelet Co-Presents PunkNotRock Tour 2001
A tour featuring Magic City, by Missouri filmmaker/Punk Planet columnist David Wilson. See review this issue. Meow Meow
Chocolat
Today I'm not weak. The film critic in me has control over my emotions; it can and will repress my wolflike desire to fill this review with hungry words that praise the celestial beauty of Juliette Binoche. That being said, the movie itself is unremarkable, and has absolutely nothing new to offer. (Charles Mudede) Cinema 99, Koin Center, Movies on TV, Washington Square Center
Crocodile Dundee In Los Angeles
Crocodile Dundee winds up in L.A., gets in a couple of pickles, gets out, and goes home. Nobody gets hurt, nobody dies. If you paid money to see it you won't feel cheated, because you will only pay to see this because you have the money to spend. This is as dependable as entertainment gets. 82nd Avenue, Century Eastport 16, Cinema 99, City Center 12, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lloyd Mall, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Sherwood 10, Tigard Cinemas
* Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Legendary warrior Chow Yun Fat can never declare his love for fellow martial-arts expert Michelle Yeoh. Instead, he entrusts her with Green Destiny, his nearly magical sword. But in the dark of night a hooded thief steals it, which leads to a fight held mostly in midair. An attempt to wed emotionally reticent drama with the exhilarating freedom of Hong Kong-genre filmmaking, but director Ang Lee can't quite pull off the combination; for too long a time, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's shifting gears only jam. The film finds its rhythm and earns the accolades it has received once it leaves the stars behind and gives its heart over to the young and engaging Zhang Ziyi, as the aristocratic daughter of privilege who opts instead for the dangerous yet thrilling occupation of thief. (Bruce Reid) City Center 12, Clackamas Town Center, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Koin Center, Lloyd Cinemas, Movies on TV, Vancouver Plaza , Washington Square Center, Wilsonville
* The Dish
Sam Neill and Puddy from Seinfeld come this close to screwing up the first televised moon landing in The Dish, a quirky Bill Forsyth-ish comedy about quirky small town folks given a great responsibility. Though almost too cute at times, director Rob Sitch captures the wonder and excitement of that awe-inspiring first trip to the moon. (Wm. Steven Humphrey) Fox Tower 10
The Dowager's Idyll
Joan Gratz's animated film makes its Oregon premiere featuring a soundtrack by 3 Leg Torso sextet. Hollywood Theatre
Driven
Sly Stallone tries to revisit his Rocky glory by tackling the always-challenging subject of race car driving. Century Eastport 16, Cinema 99, City Center 12, Clackamas Town Center, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lloyd Cinemas, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Sherwood 10, Tigard Cinemas, Vancouver Plaza , Westgate, Wilsonville
Enemy at the Gates
This film by Jean-Jacques Annaud (Seven Years in Tibet) tells a story of two men in love with the same woman, set against a backdrop of international conflict. The action scenes are great, concentrating mostly on a game of wits and nerves between Vassily and an opposing sniper, a German aristocrat (Ed Harris) called in to squelch the popular Vassily. The only trouble is, the alternating love story sequences are utterly boring. (D.K. Holm) Lloyd Mall, Movies on TV, Westgate
Finding Forrester
A kid from the Bronx excels at both basketball and composition, befriends a hermit writer, undergoes a crisis from which the writer must extract him, thereby helping the writer overcome his own reclusive, blah blah blah. (Barley Blair) Avalon , Bagdad Theater, Laurelhurst Theater
* Following
An unemployed and lonely writer gets his kicks by following random people in order to learn about their lives from a distance. When a guy in a suit busts him, he freaks, but it turns out the guy in the suit has a similar pastime: he breaks into people's apartments to sort through their stuff and find out more about them. The first feature from Memento director Christopher Nolan. Clinton Street Theatre
The Forsaken
If you've ever picked up a vampiric teenage hitchhiker while driving to your sister's wedding, you'll no doubt identify with this movie. Century Eastport 16, Cinema 99, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Lloyd Mall, Movies on TV, Vancouver Plaza , Washington Square Center
Freddy Got Fingered
MTV prankster Tom Green co-writes, directs, and stars in a film you have either been anticipating for months or are just now hearing about. Century Eastport 16, Cinema 99, City Center 12, Clackamas Town Center, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lloyd Cinemas, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Sherwood 10, Tigard Cinemas, Vancouver Plaza , Wilsonville
The Geisha House
A peek into the world of the 1950's Kyoto geisha, directed by Fukasaku. Northwest Film Center at The Guild Theater
The Green Mile
The chipmunk-cheeked star of Bosom Buddies stars as a kind-hearted death row prison guard who has trouble urinating and meets a large Black man with magical powers. (Phil Busse) Kiggins Theater
Hannibal
Hannibal Lecter in his second outing is an annoying little old man, the sort you'd just love to push down a flight of stairs. Worse still he's a limey, a fish-and-chip-worshiping limey! That the man has killed over 15 Americans isn't a case for the fucking FBI; it's a case for immigration! (Kudzai Mudede) Avalon, Kennedy School Theatre, Kiggins Theater, Laurelhurst Theater
* High Fidelity
A romantic comedy for guys: John Cusack plays the cynically introspective Rob Gordon, the owner of a small record store. For various reasons, he has shit luck with women. Basically, he's a jerk, but he's not altogether clueless about his jerkiness. He struggles and obsesses and makes lists that he thinks define his life, but he's no closer to understanding women than he was in the fifth grade-which happens to be when he got dumped for the first time. Based on the popular novel of the same name. (Kathleen Wilson) Fifth Avenue Cinemas
* The House of Mirth
British director Terence Davies' The House of Mirth, starring Gillian Anderson and Dan Aykroyd, adapts Edith Wharton's 1905 novel about New York high society--the tragic story of a beautiful young woman looking to marry a rich husband and finding herself torn between her need for financial security and her desire for personal integrity. Koin Center
Joe Dirt
David Spade plays a radio DJ searching for his white trash parents. Kid Rock is in this movie. You're not going to see it, are you? Didn't think so. 82nd Avenue, Century Eastport 16, Cinema 99, City Center 12, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lloyd Mall, Milwaukie 3 Theater, Movies on TV, Sherwood 10, Tigard Cinemas, Vancouver Plaza , Wilsonville
Josie and the Pussycats
Regardless of the immoral overtones, the gags are forced, and the acting is TERRIBLE--especially Rachael Leigh Cook as Josie, who exhibits a vast array of emotions as effectively as a clubbed trout. The music is bad, too. And the script. Did I mention you should NOT SEE THIS MOVIE? (Wm. Steven Humphrey) Cinema 99, Clackamas Town Center, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lloyd Mall, Milwaukie 3 Theater, Movies on TV, Vancouver Plaza , Washington Square Center, Wilsonville
Keep the River on Your Right
Anthropologist Tobias Schneebaum eats and fucks his way through cannibal life. Koin Center
Kingdom Come
Kingdom Come should have been a television sitcom. It has passing moments of interest that should have been juxtaposed with amusing car insurance advertisements. It should have had a laugh track to distract the viewer from the suspicion that there's not an awful lot going on here. And most importantly it should have been edited down to about 30 minutes in length. Lloyd Mall, Vancouver Plaza
Kippur
Amos Gitai, one of Israel's most prominent filmmakers, was a 23-year-old reservist when the Yom Kippur War broke out. His film Kippur, which reenacts the five days he spent on active service, is as strange a movie as I've ever seen. Large stretches of Kippur are photographed with daring innovation. For instance, in order to photograph the bombing of a helicopter, they used a hydraulic lift to suspend a real helicopter over a real landscape. In fact, the good things about this movie are so good that I'm mystified by the bad ones. Scenes of the utmost artistry alternated with scenes of clownish amateurishness. But then there were those battle scenes, as powerful and mature as any I've ever seen. I don't know what to make of it. Hollywood Theatre
* The Last Resort
When Tanya, a twentysomething Russian woman, and her young son Artyom arrive in London to meet her fiancé, he stands them up and she rashly applies for political asylum. Tanya looks somewhat like Minnie Driver, and Artyom's got Leo DiCaprio eyes, but that doesn't stop the British bureaucracy from dumping the pair in Stonehaven, a decrepit seaside resort that's been converted into an immigrant holding center. When Tanya finds out she'll be there for 12 to 16 months, her desperation leads to plasma donation and internet pornography in a search of the money to get them smuggled out. The most unrealistic aspect of this gritty, downbeat drama is the purely angelic nature of Alfie, the local arcade operator who befriends the Russians and tries to help them get out. Overall, director Pawel Pawlikowski's second feature impresses, a short (at 75 minutes, barely feature length) but bittersweet ode to perseverance and a condemnation of institutional injustice. (Marc Mohan) Koin Center
* Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Set in the East End of London, it's a fast, frantic, and frequently flippant ride through the social strata of gangland as four wide boys send one of their number, cardsharp Eddie (heartthrob Nick Moran), to take on local crime boss Hatchet Harry (P. H. Moriarty) at poker. They soon find themselves in debt, and Harry puts his debt collector Big Chris (soccer hardman Vinnie Jones) on their tails. It's a tidy movie-all the dead bodies are shot and accounted for-and it's also got a wicked, very English sense of humor. Mission Theater
* Me, You, Them
Regina Case is Brazil's current silver screen pin-up; but the big difference from America's female sex symbols is that she is broad-shouldered and buxom and could kick some serious bulimic butt. Case plays Darlene, a sweetly conniving country girl, who effortlessly charms the pants off the first three men set meets and forms an oddly balanced menage a quatre. In this entertaining fable of female equality, Darlene simultaneously takes on the role of wife, lover, and mother¨each with a different man. (Phil Busse) Hollywood Theatre
Meet the Parents
Jewish complications ensue when Ben Stiller meets grumpy father-in-law Bobby DeNiro. Fifth Avenue Cinemas
* Memento
Memento has a lot of starch in it; the film sticks with you for days, as you rehearse it over and over in your mind. It's also a movie so good that you almost fear a critical backlash against it. You come out of it feeling almost resentful at how good it is, and given that almost everyone is an aspiring filmmaker these days, this resentment is unvarnished jealousy. But this reviewer is pure of spirit, or at least spite: I may have seen a better film so far this year than Memento, but if I have, I've forgotten it. (D.K. Holm) Century Eastport 16, City Center 12, Fox Tower 10, Lloyd Cinemas
Message from Space
The Kinji Fukasaku fest continues with this wacky chop-socky space romp starring Vic "Thanks for the decapitation, John Landis!" Morrow, and Shinichi "Sonny" Chiba. Northwest Film Center at The Guild Theater
The Mexican
This movie was never meant to be a singular entity: It feels like two movies, hemorrhaged by nature, that have been forcefully welded together. The first of these movies is The Mexican; it features Brad Pitt, an antique gun, and the mob. It is vaguely interesting and Brad Pitt is very handsome. Secondly, there is what I will call National Lampoon's Seventh Circle of Hell, it stars Julia Roberts, a green V.W., and a sensitive hitman. It is a disgrace and Julia Roberts' performance is criminal. (Kudzai Mudede) Avalon, Bagdad Theater, Laurelhurst Theater, Milwaukie 3 Theater, Mission Theater
* The New Romantics
This is another program put together by NYC curator Astria Suparak. Though she's brought us unfailingly good programs in the past--recall the excellent Some Kind of Loving tape she showed alongside Miranda July's Swan Tool last year--this installment is a bit of a disappointment (despite that many of the films are headed for the New York Independent Film Festival). Many of the entries seem to be all film-school pretense and no soul, and with the exception of a thoughtful, funny piece by Kirsten Stolmann, I didn't see a single entry I loved. That all of these works are making it into NYIFF is about as likely as the Oregonian's winning a Pulitzer--it's happened, but you must ask yourself how? (Julianne Shepherd) Northwest Film Center at The Guild Theater
* Nico and Dani
Nico and Dani has a complicated lineage (from play to Spanish movie directed by one Cesc Gay), but is something of a tease. What seems to be a teen comedy about two normal-looking kids trying to get laid during summer break is actually a gay coming-of-age tale (but then, it's playing at the Cinema 21!). Nico (Jordi Vilches) and Dani (Fernando Ramallo) have 10 days together on the coast while the 'rents are out of town; Nico wants the two of them to hit on a game pair of girls; Dani keeps hitting on a dense Nico, swapping spit with him when he's conked out. What seems at first to be a typical tale of horny teens--a Mediterranean American Pie--suddenly turns out to be Boys in the Band. But unlike most current teen comedies, this film actually likes its characters. In fact, the moviemakers may like their characters a little too much, blinding them to the selfish side of adolescence. But despite the film's gentleness, it takes a few unexpected narrative turns. By the way, the film's original title is Krampack, a word for the boys' mutual masturbation games. (D.K. Holm) Cinema 21
* O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Set in Depression-era Mississippi, George Clooney stars as Everett Ulysses McGill, a suave and well-groomed petty criminal doing hard time on a chain gang. Shackled to Pete (John Turturro) and Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson), he convinces them to join him in escaping by promising to split a fortune in buried treasure with them. (Andy Spletzer) Century Eastport 16, City Center 12, Fox Tower 10, Movies on TV, Tigard Cinemas
One Night at McCool's
Three men (Matt Dillon, John Goodman, and Paul Reiser) fall in love with one woman (Liv Tyler). Add Michael Douglas' hair and John Goodman's gut, and hello! Here comes a tour-de-force of hilarity! 82nd Avenue, Broadway Metroplex, Century Eastport 16, City Center 12, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Lloyd Cinemas, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Sherwood 10, Tigard Cinemas
Open Screening
Aspiring filmmakers, enthusiasts, and armchair critics gather and enjoy homemade shorts. A perfect chance to receive feedback from a supportive crowd. Admission is free! Northwest Film Center at The Guild Theater
Pollock
Another attempt from the film industry to mine the romantic lie of Bohemian life. This is actor Ed Harris' directorial debut (he also stars), and seems too hurried to establish the iconic events of painter Jackson Pollock's life--see Pollock urinate in Peggy Guggenheim's fireplace, see Pollock overturn the Thanksgiving table, see Pollock accidentally discover drip painting--instead of letting any of these moments achieve any natural resolution. Fox Tower 10
* The Princess Bride
Rob Reiner's greatest contribution to modern and ancient societies: A sharply written fairytale that bounces from one cliché to the next satirical take on revenge, true love and dark forests inhabited by evil. Even if you have already heard the movie quoted an inconceivable number of times, it remains jammed pack with witty exchanges, fast-footed sword fighting and downright enjoyable stupidity. (Phil Busse) Kennedy School Theatre
* Shadow Magic
As an 11-year-old in 1966, Ann Hu was caught up in the height of China's Cultural Revolution; her parents were sent to labor camps and she withstood the derision of her peers. She emigrated to the U.S. in 1979, and has returned both symbolically and literally to her homeland for her directorial debut, Shadow Magic. Filmed at the historic Beijing Film Studio, the movie stars Jared Harris as Briton Raymond Wallace, who brings the brand-new technology of movies to 1902 Peking. For a people still recovering from the anti-Western Boxer Rebellion and for whom still photography remains an exotic, magical invention, the flickering images Wallace projects in his ramshackle theater seem impossible, thrilling, and corrupting. When a curious local, Liu, becomes Wallace's assistant, he faces ostracism and the loss of the lady he loves. Wallace is an effective composite of many Westerners who brought movies to China, and, despite a somewhat unnecessary romantic subplot, Hu's own shadow magic succeeds in brings this era vividly to life. (Marc Mohan) Fox Tower 10
Snatch
Guy Ritchie (a.k.a. Mr. Madonna) knows how to use a camera like nobody else. Too bad he doesn't know how to make a film. The technique is clear: heaps colorful characters together who are walking around in nicely lit areas doing nasty things, throw in a few twists, pile on a few more characters and a lot more nasty things, a couple more twists, and then you're done. (Jamie S. Rich) Laurelhurst Theater
Spy Kids
When a brother and sister set out to rescue their parents (played by Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino)--and, subsequently, the world--from a malignant army of robotic children, they simultaneously deliver us straight into the jaws of humanity's most lethal foe, consumerism. (Suzy Lafferty) Century Eastport 16, Cinema 99, Clackamas Town Center, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lake Twin Cinema, Lloyd Mall, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Sherwood 10, St. John's Theater, Tigard-Joy Theater, Vancouver Plaza , Westgate, Wilsonville
* State and Main
Alec Baldwin, William H. Macy, Sarah Jessica Parker, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and David Paymer descend on a small Vermont town to make a movie, bringing their sophisticated mores with them. The town end is held down by Charles Durning, Clark Gregg, Ricky Jay, Patti LuPone, Matt Malloy, Rebecca Pidgeon, and Julia Stiles... Do you begin to see a problem here? The cast is as fixedly big-city as a traffic jam. Though to tell you the truth, I was laughing too hard to worry about small inaccuracies. David Mamet has said that he was thinking of Preston Sturges when he put this film together, and it's a worthy successor to the Master. (Barley Blair) Kennedy School Theatre, Laurelhurst Theater
The Tailor of Panama
Brit superspy Andy Oxnard (Pierce Brosnan) has been banished to Panama for overindulging his appetites. He sizes up the tense, complicated international scene at the Canal and finds himself a hapless ex-pat British tailor (Geoffrey Rush) to squeeze for information. Boorman's film is far too awkward an self-conscious to allow the audience to sink into spy fantasia; as a result, Brosnan's absurdly dashing spy becomes utterly grotesque, even sickening. (Evan Sult) Century Eastport 16, Evergreen Parkway, Fox Tower 10, Lloyd Cinemas, Tigard Cinemas
A Tale of Springtime
An 18-year-old pianist schemes to get her lonely pop to canoodle with her philosophy teacher. Northwest Film Center at Whitsell Auditorium
A Tale of Winter
While a hairdresser is vacationing on the coast, she gets knocked up by a new lover, and whoopsie! Accidentally gives him the wrong address to her house back in Paris! Heartbreaking complications ensue. Northwest Film Center at Whitsell Auditorium
Town and Country
Warren Beatty slides into a world of sexy sleaze with other women, only to find out who he really loves: himself! No, this is not a documentary. 82nd Avenue, Century Eastport 16, Cinema 99, City Center 12, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lloyd Mall, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Sherwood 10, Tigard Cinemas, Vancouver Plaza , Wilsonville
Traffic
With jumpy camera movements and "edgy" editing, the film braids together three loosely connected stories about the--gasp--drug war. What you may not have heard, though, is that one of these three stories is about as challenging as an after-school special, and another a blatant Miami Vice rip-off. The only truly lasting quality of the film is Benicio Del Toro, whose unflinching performance explores the conflicts between loyalty and self-preservation. (Phil Busse) City Center 12, Koin Center, Milwaukie 3 Theater, Westgate
The Wizard of Oz
From the Internet: "A young girl wakes up in a strange land and kills the first woman she sees." Kiggins Theater
* Yi Yi
A computer engineer and his wife, Min-Min are pulled away from his brother-in-law's wedding when Min-Min's mother suffers a stroke and goes into a coma. They eventually bring her home and are encouraged to talk to her in a game attempt to bring her back to consciousness; these one-sided conversations allow the family members a forum to work out their individual concerns. Do not miss this opportunity to see this wonderful film that will draw you in and make you forget about time and space. Laurelhurst Theater
* You Can Count on Me
This is the sort of well-crafted, nutritious drama that gets critics burned out on adrenalized hoopla all tied up in knots. It's fine work, featuring Laura Linney's best performance since Congo (or maybe even before) as a single mom in the quaint burg of Scottsville. Her pothead drifter of a brother, also well played by Mark Ruffalo, shows up, spurring an eventual, earnest realization of the importance of family. Matthew Broderick has an amusing role as Linney's new boss, who says things like "I like paperwork." The latest product of the Culkin Family Factory Farm for Cuteness, Rory, plays the precocious eight-year-old. Playwright Kenneth Lonergan has, for his first film, created a movie for grown-ups that hardly ever surprises, but somehow that's OK. (Marc Mohan) Moreland Theater
