ALIENS (R) 1986. With Aliens, director
James Cameron replaces Ihe deliberate
pacing ol Ridley Scott’s original
horror/sci-li film with incredible action
sequences-wilhout sacrificing the sus
pense. Sigourney Weaver reprises her
role as Lt. Ellen Ripley, unquestionably
the greatest action heroine in the history
ol cinema (although sadly unchallenged
in the last two decades). After being
found unaged by a deep space salvage
crew 57 years after Alien. Ripley jour
neys to an alien-infested colony “to
destroy, not to bring back" the aliens.
Aside Irom having an intelligent script
and solid perlormances by all (Weaver
received an Oscar nomination this time),
the film also—oh. torget it. The aliens
have acidic blood and two sets of teeth
and Ripley's got like this grenade
launcher/blowtorch kinda thing, and
man it's so cool! Showing Monday.
10/9. [Michael Ziegler] (Tate)
ALMOST FAMOUS (R) Set in 1973,
director Cameron Crowe's (Jerry
Maguire, Singles) coming-ol-age drama
is an amusing look back on his earlier
career as a teenage music journalist.
The story's hero. William Miller (Patrick
Fugit). is a San Diego 15- year-old
whose fairy-tale ascendance from
middle school geek to serious music
lournalist parallels Crowe's own experi
ence. William's love ot rock music lands
him a Rolling Slone assignment to
interview an up-and-coming band
called Stillwater. He embarks on an eye
opening journey with the band's tour
over the objections ol his overly-protec-
tive but loving mother (Frances
McDormand). He knocks heads with
legendary rock critic Lester Bangs
(Philip Seymour Hotlman). He learns
about sex. drugs and backstage
behavior Irom experienced groupies
(Kate Hudson, Anna Paqum. Fairuza
Balk). He bonds with a Jimmy Page-like
rock star (Billy Crudup). He (alls in and
ACC LIBRARY (613-3650)
Frankenstein (NR) 7:00 (Th. 10/5)
out of love. He grows up. With Zooey
Deschanel, Noah Taylor. Jason Lee and
Peter Frampton. Go see this.
(Beechwood)
BAIT (RVJamie Foxx (Any Given
Sunday) is a shifty ex-con who is
secretly implanted with a tracking chip
and used as “bait’ by a determined,
bulldog-laced cop (David Morse) to lure
a creepy criminal mastermind (Doug
Hutchison... or is that the singer from
The Promise Ring?) out of hiding.
Director Antoine Fuqua's mix of crime
drama, comedy and violent action
sequences feels and looks familiar
enough, but most of it works. Kimberly
Elise (Beloved) strengthens and bal
ances the film in several serious scenes
with Foxx. (Beechwood)
BEAUTIFUL (PG-13) British actress
Minnie Driver—who was so charming
and eflective in Return To Me, Good Will
Hunting, Grosse Poinle Blank, and Big
Night—is stuck in a terrible role as
Mona, an obnoxious, totally deranged
woman obsessed with winning beauty
pageants. She’s painted and dressed like
a clown, perpetually screaming at her
family and friend(s) and unwilling to
accept the fact that she's pretending not
to have a daughter. And this is sup
posed to a comedy! When her nerdy but
warmhearted best triend Ruby (Joey
Lauren Adams ol Chasing Amy and Big
Daddy) somehow ends up in iail for
trumped-up murder charges(!), Mona is
forced to play mother io her illegitimate
daughter Vanessa (Hallie Kate Eisenberg
of Bicentennial Man), who thinks that
Mona is her aunt and Ruby is her mom.
Follow? Everything is off about this
movie: the jokes are ugly and obnox
ious; the perlormances are still and the
subject matter is ridiculously weak
Most painful low point: Minnie Driver in
full Miss Illinois regalia singing “Did
You Ever Know That You're My Hero" to
a horribly pregnant woman in labor lor a
photo op in a supermarket. Awful stuff.
Directed by Sally Field. (Beechwood.
Carmike)
BRING IT ON (PG-13) A giddy, weird
mix ol squeaky teen energy, narrow
social commentary and naughty-minded
voyeurism. Kirsten Dunst (Dick) leads
Ihe giddy cast as the energetic, newly-
elected captain of a San Diego cheer
leading squad that squares ofl with its
rival, a mostly black squad Irom East
Compton led by the cool-headed Isis
(Gabrielle Union). (Beechwood,
Carmike. Commerce Drive-In)
THE CELL (R) Jenniler Lopez. Vincent
D’Onolrio and Vince Vaughn star in
video and TV ad director Tarsem’s visu
ally stunning but utterly chaotic cine
matic debut. This is a wild crime thriller
about a child psychologist, the local
FBI. and a seriously schizophrenic mur
derer. The film makes weird use of sci
ence fiction, serial murders, virtual
reality and spotty psychology in an
attempt to create a decidedly mod
ernistic cinematic journey. Ends
Thursday. (Carmike)
CROUPIER (R) A unique crime-drama
directed by Mike Hodges (Get Cartel)
and written by Paul Mayersberg (The
Man Who Fell to Earth). After struggling
author Jack Manfred (Clive Owen) uses
his father's (Nicholas Ball) connections
to get a job running a roulette wheel at a
London casino, he gets involved with
three women and a scheme to defraud
Ihe place. As a writer. Jack is under
standably drawn to Ihe casino, which
comes equipped with an infinite number
of stories—shady owners, cheats, con
fidence games and dramatic characters.
Mayersberg's script uses all of the
casino lingo, giving the film an insider’s
feel while relying on our desire to know
who is winning, losing, or cheating to
help us define the terms contextually.
The film works most effectively as a
character study; the plotline involving
the robbery is secondary—and for
good reason, as there are a few glaring
holes. British actor Clive Owen finds
just the right degree of subtlety in his
portrayal of Jack. Most importantly, his
ebullience quickly translates off screen,
and we laugh alongside Jack as Ihe
losers continue to sit at his table. With
Gina McKee and Kate Hardie. [Michael
Ziegler] (Beechwood)
DIGIMON: THE MOVIE 2000 (PG)
Riding in on the coattails of the
Pokemon global phenomenon, the
“Digimon Digital Monsters" imported
Japanese animated TV series lumps to
the big screen. The heroes and their
Digimon companions from the series
must try to save the world by fighting
against an evil Digivirus that has
invaded the internet Oh no' Opens
Friday. (Beechwood, Carmike)
DUETS (R) The worst This road-trip
“comedy" follows six deranged karaoke
freaks searching for family and love an' 1
ends up in the middle ol nowhere.
Gwyneth Paltrow leads Ihe cast as an
“innocent Vegas showgirl” alongside a
rather haggard Huey Lewis. With Maria
Bello. Andre Braugher. Paul Giamatti,
Scott Speedman, Angie Dickinson.
Directed by Gwyn's dad Bruce Paltrow.
Ends Thursday. (Beechwood)
THE EXORCIST (R) 1973. A young
girl (Linda Blair) is possessed by a
demonic spirit in this influential horror-
drama from director William Friedkin.
This “director's cut’ of the original
includes extra and restored footage, but
don't expect some over-the-top “shock"
tricks. The most disturbing elements
rely instead on more subtle tools: omi
nous hospital machinery; Ihe use ol
audio/music; the intensity ol the lead
actors' facial expressions. Based on the
novel by William Peter Bfatty. With
Jason Miller. Max Von Sydow and Ellen
Burslyn. (Beechwood. Carmike)
"FLICKER" (NR) Wednesday's and
Thursday's program features the hilar
ious 1937 comedy Way Out West—a
black and white c'assic starring those
geniuses of slapstick. Stan Laurel and
Oliver Hardy. On Monday through next
Thursday, it's the classic 1935 western
Annie Oakley, directed by George
Stevens Barbara Stanwyck stars as the
sharpshooting hero who joined Buffalo
Bill's Wild West Show. Call 546-0039
for more information. (Flicker Theatre)
FRANKENSTEIN (NR) 1931. Director
James Whale's classic monster picture
adapted from Ihe Mary Shelly book
about a scientist. Dr. Frankenstein (Clive
Colin), Ihe tall, flat-topped creature
(Boris Karloff) he creates in his labora
tory. and the unsympathetic lynch mob
determined to exterminate him.
Showing Thursday. 10/5. (Alhens-
Clarke Library)
THE GENERAL (R) 1999. John
Boorman (Deliverance, Hope And Glory)
won Best Director honors at Cannes for
this fascinating biographical portrait of
the famed Irish thief, Martin Cahill.
Boorman perfectly depicts every facet of
Cahill's character—his adverse relation
ship with both the IRA and the police,
his remarkable intelligence, his leader
ship, his concern lor his privacy, his
love for his family—including his inti
mate relations with his wile's sister—
and above all. his spirit of anarchy. At
the end ol it all, however, we still cannot
define or categorize Cahill; he creates
his own morality and lives accordingly.
Although Jon Voight turns in a tine per
formance as Cahill's chief investigator,
Brendan Gleeson's (Lake Placid, The
Snapper, and Braveheart are not repre
sentative examples of his talent) por
trayal of Catiill is astounding and
deserves more recognition than it
received A great film. Showing
Thursday. 10/5. [Michael Ziegler] (Tale)
< GET CARTER (R) After a healthy
run of likable mce-guy characters. Sly
Stallone returns to Ihe big screen as a
surly Vegas hitman in this gritty actiori-
drama Irom director Stephen K Ray
When mob enforcer Jack Carter
(Stallone) travels from New York back to
his hometown of Los Angeles tor his
brother's funeral, ne realizes that the
death was a murder arid sets out to kill
all those responsible. With Miranda
Richardson. Mickey Rourke, A'an
Gumming, Michael Caine (who
appeared in the original British version
in 1971) and Rachael Leigh Cook.
Opens Friday. (Beechwood. Carmike)
MEET THE PARENTS (PG-13) A
zany-looking “in-law" comedy directed
by Jay Roach (Austin Poms: The Spy
Who Shagged Me). Everything that
could possibly go wrong lor groom-to-
be Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) does after a
disasirous first meeting with his girl
friend'^ (Teri Polo of TVs “Felicity";
intimidating father Jack Byrnes (Robert
De Niro), a gruff, suspicious “human lie
detector." Stiller is always great in these
“beleaguered nice guy" roles (Flirting
With Disaster, There's Something About
Mary, Keeping The Faith) and De Niro
should be back on track after his recent
disaster, The Adventures 01 Rocky And
Bullwmkle. With Blythe Danner and
James Rebhorn. Opens Friday.
(Beechwood. Carmike)
NURSE BETTY (R) Director Neil
LaBute steps sideways from his typically
bleak comedic approach and carefully
meanders through two parallel fantasies
in this awkward but amusing romantic
comedy. Betty (Renee Zellweger with all
her sweet, pouly. culeness) is a cheerful
small-town waitress stuck in a bad mar
riage. She is in love with a TV star, a
dashing doctor named David Ravell
(Greg Kinnear) off of a popular soap
called ‘A Reason To Love.’ After she
becomes an accidental witness to her
scumbag husband's (Aaron Eckhart)
violent assassination. Betty enters an
“alternate reality' in which she believes
she is “Nurse Betty.' Dr. Ravell's long-
lost love and escapes to L A. in a Buick
which just happens to hold a certain
satchel of drugs. The two hitmen who
wacked her hubby (Morgan Freeman
and Chris Rock) follow after her.
Zaniness ensues. The story could have
used a bit more polish, but the scenes
between Zellweger and Kinnear arc
priceless. With Crispin Glover and Pruitt
Taylor Vince. (Beechwood, Carmike)
NUTTY PROFESSOR II: THE
KLUMPS (PG-13) In a follow-up to his
breakthrough performance in the 1996
hit The Nutty Professor, Eddie Murphy
re-proves his comic capabilities and
delivers an uncharacteristically sensitive
take on real family characters
(Commerce Drive-In)
THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF
COMEDY (R) Director Spike Lee's rau
cous concert documentary highlights
some of Ihe sharpest, raunchiest and
funniest commentary and cultural criti
cism coming out of the African-
American comedy scene. Shot during a
show in a packed arena in Charlotte, the
film captures the on-stage and back-
stage action dunng the phenomenally
successful “Kings Of Comedy’ tour last
winter. Comedians Steve Harvey, D. L.
Hughley. Cedric The Entertainer and
Bernie Mac crack on everything—con
temporary hip hop culture, the use and
misuse ol profanity, typically “black"
family misadventures, the battle of the
sexes and class warfare. (Carmike)
REMEMBER THE TITANS (PG) See
Movie Pick (Beechwood. Carmike)
SCARY MOVIE (R) Directing from a
weird script written by Shawn Wayans,
Marlon Wayans and others. Keenen
Ivory Wayans has assembled one ol the
most over-the-top disgusting comedies
of the year. This movie skewers scenes
from recent slasher flicks and makes
satirical attacks on some of the catch-
phrases and cliches produced recently
by American cinema. Ends Thursday
(Carmike)
SHAFT (R) Samuel L. Jackson is a
tough, smart-mouthed New York detec
tive in director John Singleton's stylish
update on the 1971 "blaxploilation”
classic The film maintains a cool, gritty
style similar to the original and touches
on serious social issues However, it
loses its balance somewhat along the
way and almost stumbles over its
numerous implausibilities and over-the-
top violence. The story mostly follows
the wide-eyed, goateed detective as he
investigates a brutal, racially-motivated
murder, keeps tabs on the killer and
confronts the unfairness entrenched in
Ihe justice system. Jackson delivers a
surpusingly smooth performance, even
if his bug-eyed “bad mutha" delivery is
starting to look a bit stale. With
Christian Bale. Jeflrey Wright, Tom
Collette. Busta Rhymes, Vanessa
Williams, Dan Hedaya and Lee
Tergesen. Featuring music from Isaac
Hayes. Showing Friday. 10/6 through
Sunday. 10/8.(Tate)
SPACE COWBOYS (PG-13) Clint
Eastwood. Donald Sutherland, Tommy
Lee Jones and James Garner star in this
conventional yet entertaining action-
comedy as astronauts who accept a
dangerous assignment to return to
space one last tirrv on a secret mission
involving a Russian “satellite" gone
haywire. The story unlolds :n two parts:
the first few acts introduce the lour guys
and all of their old rivalries, grudges
and love interests; the latter hall
involves a mysterious government
scheme. Expect plenty ol running jokes
involving sexually-charged zmgers and
one-liners, some decent special effects
and a loose fm3l act. (Carmike)
OVIE LISTINGS
Theater schedules often change after our deadline. Please call ahead.
BEECHWOOD (546-1011)
Almost Famous (R) 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:30
Bait (R) 2:25, 4:55, 7:25, 9:55 (new times F. 10/6:
4:15. 9:15 )
Beautiful (PG-13) 2:15, 4:35, 7:15, 9:35 (new times F.
10/6: 2:05, 4:25. 7:05, 9:35)
Bring It On (PG-13) 2:05, 4:15, 7:05, 9:15 (new times
F. 10/6: 2:05, 7:05)
Croupier (NR) 5:20, 9:20 (new times F. 10/6: 2:20,
7:20)
Digimon: The Movie 2000 (PG) 3:10, 5:10, 7:25, 9:25
(add! time F. 10/6-Su. 10/8: 1:10) (opens F. 10/6)
Duets (R) 2:10, 4:25, 7:10, 9:25 (ends Th. 10/5)
The Exorcist (R) 4:25, 7:05, 9:50 (add! time F. 10/6-Su.
10/8: 1:45)
Get Carter (R) 2:30, 4:55, 7:30. 9:55 (opens F. 10/6)
Meet The Parents (PG-13) 2:15, 4:40, 7:15, 9:40 (opens
F. 10/6)
Nurse Betty (R) 2:20, 4:40, 7:20, 9:40 (new times F.
10/6: 4:45, 9:45)
Remember The Titans (PG) 2:25, 4:45. 7:25, 9:45 (new
times F. 10/6: 2:00, 4:20, 7:00, 9:20)
Urban Legend: Final Cut (R) 3:10, 5:15, 7:35, 9:40
(new times F. 10/6: 3:15, 5:20, 7:35, 9:40) (add! time
F. 10/6-Su. 10/8: 1:05)
What Lies Beneath (PG-13) 2:00, 4:35, 7:10, 9:45
Woman On Top (R) 3:25, 7:25 (ends Th. 10/5)
CARMIKE 12 (354-0016)
Beautiful (PG-13) 1:55, 4:20, 7:15, 9:40
Bring It On (PG-13) 1:35, 4:00, 7:05, 9:20
The Cell (R) 1:45, 7:20 (ends Th. 10/5)
Digimon: The Movie 2000 (PG) 2:00, 4:10, 7:10, 9:10
(opens F. 10/6)
The Exorcist (R) 1:30, 4:15, 7:00, 9:45
Get Carter (R) 2:05, 4:30, 7:20, 9:40 (opens F. 10/6)
Meet The Parents (PG-13) 1:45, 4:05, 7:10, 9:30 (opens
F. 10/6)
Nurse Betty (R) 2:05, 4:40, 7:20, 9:45 (new times F.
10/6: 4:40, 9:45)
The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (PG-13) 2:15,
4:30. 7:00. 9:30 (new times F. 10/6: 2:15, 7:00)
The Original Kings Of Comedy (R) 1:30, 4:15, 7:05,
9:35
Remember The Titans (PG) 1:50, 4:25, 7:00, 9:25
Scary Movie (R) 4:35, 9:40 (ends Th 10/5)
Space Cowboys (PG-13! 1:40, 4:20, 7:00, 9:30 (new
times F. 10/C: 1:40, 7:00)
Urban Legend: Final Cut (R) 2:20, 4:50, 7:05, 9:15
The Watcher (R) 2:10, 4:45, 7:25, 9:35
What Lies Beneath (PG-13) 1:30, 4:15, 7:00, 9:45 (new
times F. 10/6: 4:15, 9:4 e )
COMMERCE DRIVE-IN (335-2486)
All shows begin at 8:00, Monday through Sunday
Urban Legend: Final Cut (R) Screen 1 (starts F. 10/6)
Bring It On (R) Screen 1 (ends Th. 10/5)
The Nutty Professor: The Klumps (PG-13) Screen 2
The Watcher (R) Screen 3
FLICKER THEATRE (546-0039)
Way Out West (NR) 8:30 (W. 10/4, Th. 10/5)
Annie Oakley CNR) 8:30 (M. 10/9-Th. 10/12)
TATE CENTFR (542-8646)
The General (NR) 3:00, 5:15, 7:30, 9:45 (Th. 10/5)
Shaft (R) 3:00, 5:15, 7:30, 9:45 (F. 10/6, Su. 10/8)
(add ltime F. 10/6: Midnight)
Aliens (R) 3:00, 6:00, 9:00 (M. 10/9)
m
OCTOBER 4, 2000
