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Show The Salt Lake Tribune CALENDAR Friday, February1, 2002_ Slackers *M WcCollege scam ge guage and sexual content, and for brief drug use; 87 minutes. WOpening today every- where. BYSEAN MEANS § TRIBUNE ‘THE SALT L/ Kidman Takes the Cake, But‘Birthday Girl’ Isn’t Muchof a Party Russian “cousins” (played by French actors Vincent Cassel and Mathieu Kassovitz) show up. From there, director Jez Butterworth’s story (with a script he wrote with his brother Tom) goes off into several surprise twists. Revealing them would be unfair and rather pointless — since the convolu- BYSEAN P. MEANS a great actress because she can fill a strong role in a strong movie, like “Moulin Rouge” or “The Others,” and make a good character wonderful. You know Nicole Kidman is a movie star because she can take a nothing role in a nothing tions BirthdayGirl kM THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE You know Nicole Kidman is second. Kidman plays Nadia, an al- luring Russian woman whoarrives in Englandin response to the “From Russia With Love” add up to nothing more than jerking the audience's chain. The movie has a few side charms, like when Chaplin's Nicole Kidman is wonderful, but we knew that already. W Rated R for sexuality and character gets petulant when he learns he is being conned. (Nadia: “You can’t hurt me language; 93 minutes. more than I've been hurt al- Opening today everywhere. movie — like she does in the confused comedy-romancethriller “Birthday Girl” — and make you watch her every ultimately Website matchmaking reqi of lonely banker John pre ingham (Ben Chaplin). John is put off by Nadia’s lack of En- glish skills, but she makes up Se and good until Nadia’s artists thrive in this low-rent teen comedy. @ Rated R for strong lan- The title characters in “Slackers” are a trio of conartist college students who steal exam sheets, break into students’ rooms, hack into computers, copy highly personal information, impersonate federal employees, and otherwise commit enough felonies to put a defense attorneyon 24- tests they would probably ace if they studied with the same enthusiasm they apply to avoiding studying. During one scam, Dave slips laughs from Schwartzman’s edgy, self-important “Cool Ethan,” a nickname he gives And these are the good guys in this shamelessly crude and, tiful heaven help me, sometimes actress James King), and the himself because no one else ever would. Director Dewey Nicks (who made those Ameritrade commercials) tosses in some good throwaway gags, trio’s reign is threatened. That like hourcall. his phone numberto the beau- quite funny comedy. Angela (model-turned- phone number falls into the The trio in question is com- clutches of a frighteninglyin- posed of: Dave (Devon Sawa tense nerd named Ethan (Jason Schwartzman, the star of “Rushmore”). Ethan threatens from “SLC Punk!”), the sweettalker who can convince anybody of anything; Sam (Jason ready.” John: “Well, Nadia, if it’s all the sameto you, I'd like Segel, to give it a bash.”) But “Birthday Girl”is first and foremost a laid-back one; and Jeff (Michael C. Maronna,the red- platform for Kidman to display headed guy in those Ameri- from “Freaks and Geeks” and “SLC Punk!”), the her comic skills and astound- trade ads), the stealthy com- ing beauty — andto get her on Letterman and Lenoto promote puter whiz. They have madeit almostall the way through college on their guile, perpetrating complicated scams to fake passing tests — amovie, so she doesn’t look like she’s campaigning for an Oscar. Dave (Devon Sawa, left) starts to fall for brainy and beautiful Angela (James King)in “Slackers.” to report the guys’ scam unless theyget him a date with Ange- la, whom hehas beenstalking for most of the semester. The guys’ matchmaking attempts are thwarted by Ethan'saberrant behavior and by the fact that Dave and Angela are falling for each other. “Slackers” (not to be confused with Richard Linklater’s indieclassic “Slacker”) gets its depicting the trio's borderline-homoerotic friendwhile “Three Is a Magic Number.” But for every scene of twisted glee, there are two or three that are twisted in the wrong way, like reducing the lovely Laura Prepon (“That "70s Show”) to the slutty room- mate character, or giving ‘50s sexpot Mamie Van Doren, who turns 71 on Wednesday, a topless cameo. Such gross-out moments might havebeenclever, but “Slackers”is too lazy to try. ‘Endurance’ Goes With the Floe in AmazingStory of South Pole Expedition BY SEAN P. MEANS The Endurance: THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Fora truelife tale of survival, “The Endurance: Shackle- Shackleton’s Legendary ton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition” has it all over those Antarctic Expedition blood on “Survivor.” ErnestShackleton, whoin 1914 set sail with 27 men on an expedition to the South Pole. They never madeit. Their ship, The Endurance, trapped in pack ice andsetto drift in the Weddell Sea off the Antarctic wkKkh A stirring story thatis too fantastic to be fiction. @ Rated G;93 minutes. WOpening today at the TowerTheatre. coast. Eventually the crew had to abandon ship, make camp on the ice floe and hope for rescue. Butler — who made a similar documentary for IMAX and largeformat theaters — masses journal entries, photo- Hurley — he filmed the crew’s camp and evengot shots of the great ship being broken apart grim hardships faced by the by the heaving ice chunks. graphs andinterviews with the Narrated by Liam Neeson (a perfect choice, his gruff Irish voice evokes the spirit of this tale’s hearty seamen), “The Endurance”tells not only ofthe vive two years on the ice. The movie depicts the bulldogged descendents of the crew of The Endurance. Mostimpressive of all is footage taken by expedition photographer Frank 705 ‘SERENDIPITY (PG-13) 7S BEHIND ENEMY LINES (PG-13) 9:20 SHALLOW HAL (PC-13) 925 BANDITS (PG-13) SPY GAME (R) 655 oS ti Li 3 BR valued the lives of his men more. heroism of Shackleton himself, “The Endurance”is a story no Hollywood screenwriter could invent — though many are reportedly trying to adaptit who sought fame and glory — but, when the chips were down, forget. — and tale too incredible to ASSee ow ites ond a barbara hershey JORD RINGS kerr armstrong lantana. love is the greatest m ystery NOW PLAYING! = EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT | 3068 Kaysville 21 n.itai, taysrine i ‘JOE SOMEBODY (PG) crew, but also of their unconquerable determination to sur- 876 & PASO LUNIGN Ths AY ek eter her Giant Sereen Pheatres “BEAUTY IS BACK! ke experiencing the 876 E900 S CALL 321-0310! ‘Thenew version is so vibrant it’s Rader Ebert,CHICAGOSUN-TIMES Coe es enema caree nent ren EAS Sather ys eS Reet TINT Seema Fee feeeee ee T H CE A_T Largest35mmScreensinUtah +AllStadiumSeating +AlDigitalSound» CoveredParking Office Opens at 11:45 AM PARKING (op 0° Fours) hast $1 ith Validation! 200 So. 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