Show m - in his 50s who arrives e Story Kenai (voice of Joaquin coming-of-ice-ag- Phoenix) the youngest of three Native American brothers whose march to man- hood takes a detour when the spirits transform him into 3 bear “Brother Bear" which seems to have been written by an undergraduate business major consists entirely of elements that have already been exhaustively test-maketed: an exotic wilderness ' setting (“The Lion King” and in- a Japanese " whiskey commercial for a Tokyo to film quick two million dollars and Wandering alone through a hotel full of strangers whq speak an incomprehensible foreign Ian- guage Bob realizes that life is a lot like wandering jet jagged and alone through a ' hotel full of strangers who speak ah incomprehensible foreign language Bob spends his sleepless nights ' pondenhg this metaphor in the hotel bar where he meets Charlotte (Scarlett Johans- son)- the very young and very bqred wife of a celebrity photographer Writ ten and directed by Sofia ’ Coppola "Lost in Translation-modulates beautifully in tone between heartbreaking and screwball come-- - :' dy: Think “Brief Encounter" but with karaoke Fpur stars"'but of four- ’y :' — Brian McCuskey ' for The Herald journal andThe about Gibson's fanner ' dad role from “Signs" PG-1- 3 for pervasive crude and sexual humor language comic violence and drug references ' One and a half stars out of four — The Associated Press r- a “Tarzan") : well-writt- ! - Rated PG-1The fiistone was original the second was still funhy but the third installment is on: " autopilot even though it's a guaranteed moneymaking - machine The golden goose " formula js to roast a bunch of movies with a plot that makes no sense aod skits so poljti-- - ! ' "Brother Bear" cally incorrect it takes your : RatedG breath away It helps to like Set thousands of years ago the movies being spoofed: V :“The among the giacjers of the“Signs1" “8 Mile" Ring" Pacific Nprthweist Disney's 3' high-mind- t ments1Q6minTwoanda : half stars but of four!-"- ' The Associated Press ' potty-mouth- skinny-dippin- date Noy22 - ’ gs 1 fedlfc-- & : 5: f EVENfOV - A Kurt Bcstor Chriacmss Bar-- J : i' 9-- 10 Jan 2728 Gary Morns Christmas iHWhrr Feb 6 v free U00 am - 8:00 pm ralM iktwkwillhcdelivcfedbivHMli piirdiKiimar -- voices He is hotanemployeaofthe newspaper Feedback at ' ' ' :J hjmovies® hptmailcom - onsale Alliance for the Varied Arts NOW Black Diamond NOW Ellen Ecclcs Theatre NOW ' Ellen Bedes Theatre ' Presents'Ririe-Woodbo- Dance ry : ggfliaea)&(Biffiqp : OOOOOQODuQP! ' Ellen Eccles Theatre Presents anm !BaMiinurihnfpgmmn Mnsilir‘21 Aral : ! Company at m (Kcaftr afvMr rMrcand 1 larc Niibraf yeanofitfCiirtUer served keep ibu uiuptwi until toiKheraare Alwvir srthemw JtPia imeaddre lMprliuiinnitU pftsduLll exvluaiiiin Brian McCuskeyiS an associate prm of English at Utah State Uni- versity where he teaches courses ori film and literature He is among a number of freelance' writers whose columns appear in The Herald Jour- nail as part of an effort to expose readers to a variety of community lessor Pcrfiihnance Dianne Reeves ' '! Call Now! I - Wranglers Christma : For information regarding this special offer - pua : Presents--Dec- 2 topping Pizzas! listir- - r presented by ‘ Dec6 Toll f r? Peter Breinholt Christmas Dcb3 ijglj long-sufferi- : techno-trappin- ' are-th- g Portuguese maidservant a company man (Alan Rickman) pants after his leggy secretary I'm not sure Which is creepier the film’s equation of female desir- ability with female subordinationor its evasion of class issues even w hen class is clearly at issue: (Grant worries not that the house-- ! maid is socially inferior but that' she niight be a little fat Firth that he doesn't speak Portuguese V Rickman thai he is married) We might chalk up these subplots io political innocence wereit' not that the movie so deliberately fetishizes the of weahh that its upwardly mobile characters casually display in their homes and offices- During the movie1 com Your Opinion Counts! Enjoy Pizza & a Movie! p' 7 ss falls for his flat-scre- en envy Marx couid not have known that false consciousness would look so much better in high definition1 If I seem to be taking "Lovq Actually” a trifle seriously it is' only because the movie itself is so rarely funny Asking Hugh Grant to boogie around 10 Downing Street to the tune of ‘‘Jump (For My Love)” is a sign of real desper- ation Such unfunny jokes require comic relief for which we can thank the razbrsharp Bill Nighy playing an aging and cynical rocker but the best parts of the film most seri- funnily enough bus Emma Thompson is brilliant wife: as Rickman's Laura Linney is sublime as a pas- sionule but shy: woman who must forgo her one shot at romance These two superb actresses give us just what we need-t- survive this disaster of a comedy tragic relief “Love Actually" is rated R for sexuulity nudity and language - ' Running time: 129 minutes-'- : society! his films blissfully ignore such conflict altogether (Even in “Notting Hill" it was fame that divided the bookshop owner from the movie star not values education language or even money) Blit Can or should we then ignore the repeated plot device in “Love Actually” of virtuous male proles'- sionals chasing provocative work- -' women? Grant's Prime Minister pursues a housemaid (Murtine McCutcheon) a cuckolded writer iColin Firth) ing-cla- tale of inspiration that resonates with the cheery sentiment and tri- fling depth of a Hallmark card Director Mike ' Tollin carefully concocts (be ' ingredients for maximum pull on the heart strings The gooey results are lifted above mawkishness by sincereper- formances from Cuba Good- ' ing Jr as a mentally disabled ' man who finds acceptance as booster for a high school’s sports teams and Ed Harris as 3 mentoring coach Though “Radio" is "inspired by a true story” Gooiding and Harris' characters are too pure and in the rear world PG for mild language Spd thematic els- - -A Two tareout-o- f four V' — Brian McCuskey : for The HeraldJournal "Scary Movie 3" ip Mel “Radio" RatedPG politically-corre- ct ethnographic fantasy (“Mulan" and “Pocahontas") a grumpy yet goodhearted hero and his annoying yet endearing sidekick ("Shrek"' and “Ice Age") and so ori ' Continued from as a rapper Charlie Sheen does the raised eyebrow thing traded a serious case of lens Matrix Reloaded' Anna Fans is back as a ' spunky reporter Anthony Anderson is fiinny even here latest animated feature js a Continued from p 6 ‘‘Lost in Translation" ' '"' Rated if? ' Bill Murray stars as Bob ' Harnsa famous movie star ) '- NOW ' NOW ' v ' |