64. cineplex magazine april 2005

april 2005 | volume 6 | number 4

PLUS ORLANDO BLOOM, JENNIFER ANISTON AND OTHER STARS RECALL PRE-ACTING JOBS$3.00 PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40708019

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famous 4 | ap r i l 2005

06 EDITORIAL

07 LETTERS

08 SNAPSAdrien Brody and his Chihuahuatake a coffee break

10 SHORTS Miranda Black catches Fever Pitch,Star Wars fan films storm the net

14 THE BIG PICTURE Buckle up for The Hitchhiker’sGuide to the Galaxy

20 COMING SOON The Bad News Bears on deck

32 ON THE SLATE Nicole Kidman points and shoots

34 STYLEFussy’s out, neat and clean is in

36 THINGSSpring forward with a new watch

38 LINER NOTESDavid Usher on If God Had Curves

40 NAME OF THE GAMEAll hail the PlayStation Portable

42 VIDEO AND DVDThe Amityville Horror Collectionarrives precisely at 3:15 a.m.

44 HOROSCOPEGet ready for your close-up Aries

46 FAMOUS LAST WORDSStars reveal their “real” jobs

contents

16

22

F E A T U R E S

C O V E R S T O R Y

D E P A R T M E N T S

28

Famous | volume 6 | number 4

28 LURED TO SIN CITYThink it’s odd that debonair Britishstar CLIVE OWEN ended up inAustin, Texas, to adapt the graphicnovel Sin City for maverick directorRobert Rodriguez? Owen thinks sotoo, but as he explains, it was anoffer he couldn’t refuse I BY BOB THOMPSON

16 TILLY ENDURABLEGlamour puss JENNIFER TILLY talks about turning 40, keeping her bust line real and playing anurse in the bittersweet Canadianfilm Saint RalphI BY MATHIEU CHANTELOIS

18 KUTCHER KUTCHER COOASHTON KUTCHER continues hiscutie-pie ways starring alongsideAmanda Peet in the rom-com A Lot Like Love. But according tothe former model, his life’s workgoes beyond getting laughs, it’sabout getting us to love one another I BY BOB STRAUSS

22 CUBISMXXX: State of the Union’s ICE CUBEsays that his dream of becoming a“black James Bond” was fulfilledwhen he took over the XXX franchisefrom Vin Diesel. But don’t expectto see him in a third XXX movie. Itjust ain’t in the cardsI BY EARL DITTMAN

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Director Robert Rodriguez is a legendin Hollywood.

But it’s not because he’s made thebest films of the past 10 years.

He’s a legend because over and overagain he proves what anyone who hasbrushed up against the Hollywoodmachine already suspects — the bloatedbudgets of most films are ridiculous andunnecessary.

He made the 1992 Mexican gunslingermovie El Mariachi for a pittance — $7,000(U.S.) of his money, about $200,000 ofColumbia’s for post-production.

Ever since, he has been turning outinnovative, quality pictures for considerably less than the competitionwould have you believe it costs to make them.

Despite starring Antonio Banderas, Desperado cost just $7-million.The Spy Kids movies averaged $38-million each, compared to about$120-million for each Harry Potter pic. And Rodriguez’s latest, thestylish, digitally manipulated Sin City, is estimated at just $40-millioncompared to, say, January’s widely panned Constantine, which usedsimilar digital technology and cost about $100-million.

In “Robert Rodriguez’s 10 Minute Film School,” a brilliant piecethat’s floating around the internet and exists in expanded versionsin his book and on his DVDs, Rodriguez explains, “You’re gonnacome up with problems every day on your set. You can get rid of theproblem one of two ways — you can do it creatively or you can washit away with the money hose.” Coming up with a moneyless solution,he points out, almost always results in a fresher, livelier result.

Which is why many people who really know film, and love to seehow it can be played with and stretched, are so excited about Sin City, Rodriguez’s faithful translation of comic book writer Frank Miller’s dark, dreary world.

In “Drawn to Sin City,” page 28, one of the film’s many stars, Clive Owen, gives us some insight into how Rodriguez keeps makinggroundbreaking films on minimal budgets: “He shoots, he edits, heoperates the camera, he lights, he does the music…. And he’s themost amazing cook.”

Also in this issue, in “Great XXX-pectations,” page 22, Ice Cuberelives stepping into Vin Diesel’s jackboots for the blow-’em-upsequel XXX: State of the Union.

In “He’s a Lover, Not a Fighter,” page 18,A Lot Like Love’s Ashton Kutcher tells us whywe should all put a little love in our hearts.

And in “The Lady is a Vamp,” page 16,Jennifer Tilly reveals why that starchedwhite nurse’s outfit she wears in Saint Ralphis such a relief.

—MARNI WEISZ

PUBLISHER SALAH BACHIR

EDITOR MARNI WEISZ

DEPUTY EDITOR INGRID RANDOJACREATIVE DIRECTOR DANIEL CULLEN

PRODUCTION MANAGER SHEILA GREGORYPRODUCTION ASSISTANT ZAC VEGA

CONTRIBUTORS MATHIEU CHANTELOISEARL DITTMANSCOTT GARDNERSUSAN GRANGERLIZA HERZJEAN-FRANÇOIS LÉGARÉDAN LIEBMAN BOB STRAUSSBOB THOMPSON

ADVERTISING SALES FOR FAMOUS, FAMOUS QUEBEC AND FAMOUS KIDS IS HANDLED BY FAMOUS PLAYERS MEDIA INC.

HEAD OFFICE 416.539.8800GENERAL MANAGER ROBERT BROWN (ext. 232)

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER JOHN TSIRLIS (ext. 237)DIRECTOR OF SALES ANTON KIM (ext. 238)

DIR. OF MARKETING & SALES, BETH SCOTT (ext. 249)MAGAZINE DIVISION

ACCOUNT MANAGERS JAMIE CRUVER (ext. 224)ZOLTAN TOTH (ext. 233) JENNA PATERSON (ext. 243)BEN MUNGER (ext. 235)

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BRITISH COLUMBIA 604.904.8622WESTERN SALES MANAGER DIANE RAJH

ALBERTA 403.266.4412WESTERN SALES MANAGER ELIZABETH D’ARTOIS

QUEBEC 514.868.0005ACCOUNT MANAGER SOPHIE JODOIN (ext. 222)ACCOUNT MANAGER LISE MAJOR (ext. 224)

SALES CO-ORDINATOR PATRICIA CARPENTIER (ext. 223)

SPECIAL THANKS MATHIEU CHANTELOISROBB CHASEJOAN GRANTJEAN-FRANÇOIS LÉGARÉCATHY PROWSESUSAN REGINELLIJEFF RUSH

Famous™ magazine is published 12 times a year by 1371327 Ontario Ltd.Subscriptions are $32.10 ($30 + GST) a year in Canada, $45 a year in the U.S.

and $55 a year overseas. Single copies are $3. Back issues are $6. All subscription inquiries, back issue requests and letters to the editor should be directed

to Famous magazine at 102 Atlantic Ave., Ste. 100, Toronto, Ontario, M6K 1X9; or 416.539.8800; or [email protected]

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40708019Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:

Famous magazine, 102 Atlantic Ave., Suite 100, Toronto, Ont., M6K 1X9

500,000 copies of Famous magazine are distributed through Famous Players and Alliance Atlantis cinemas, and other outlets. Famous magazine is not responsible

for the return of unsolicited manuscripts, artwork or other materials. No material in this magazine may be reprinted without the express written

consent of the publisher. © 1371327 Ontario Ltd. 2002.

April 2005 volume 6 number 4

editorial |

SinCitysteal


FRANKLY, HE GIVES A DAMNRe: “And the Oscar Went To…” [February 2005]. Where didyou get the fact that Gone with the Wind is the longest movieto win a Best Picture Oscar? I have just consulted with theworld’s expert on Gone With the Wind, Richard May, whoworked for Turner for many years. He acknowledges thatGone With the Wind, which has never been cut, is said to be222 minutes, not including all music filler: overture, inter-mission, entr’act, walkout. With the music filler it is indeed233 minutes. On the other hand, in 1992 I co-authored abook on the film Lawrence of Arabia. Memos in my possessionwritten by the Oscar-winning editor, Anne Coates, who I haveinterviewed several times and still contact about twice a year,indicate that the version of Lawrence of Arabia which premieredin England on Dec. 10, 1962, and was shown in N.Y. brieflybefore being cut, works out to be exactly 222.11 minutes….The film with music was 231.63 minutes. So, while Gone Withthe Wind, with music, is a little over one minute longer thanLawrence, with music, in terms of the film proper, Lawrence islonger than Gone With the Wind.

Bob Morris, Ph.D., Professor (ret’d), Carleton University — Ottawa, Ont.

Ummm, yeah. We were counting the music.

UNFORTUNATEADDRESSI thoroughly enjoy yourmagazines. Every time Igo to the movies I pickup copies of Famous andFamous Kids and readthem cover-to-coverwhile waiting for thefilm to begin. The “Nowin Theatres,” “StarGazing” and “FamousLast Words” are my

favourite sections. I recently saw Lemony Snicket’s A Series ofUnfortunate Events and really enjoyed it. My favouritecharacter is Violet Baudelaire, played by Emily Browning.I want to write her a letter to tell her how much I enjoyedher performance but I could not find her contactaddress anywhere. Can you help me out, please?

Travis Croome — Cambridge, Ont.

We, too, had a bit of trouble tracking this one down because(surprise, surprise) young Ms. Browning just signed with anew agent. She’s now with the powerful William Morris Agency,who told us you should send fan mail to: EMILY BROWNING, c/o Theresa Peters, William Morris Agency, 151 El Camino Dr., Beverly Hills, CA, 90212.

ADDRESS THEM TO: Letters to the Editor, Famous magazine, 102 Atlantic Ave., Suite 100, Toronto, Ontario, M6K 1X9;

or fax us at 416.539.8511; or drop us an email at [email protected]. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Please include your full

name, city of residence and contact info (phone or email).

FAMOUS WELCOMES YOUR COMMENTS

letters |


snaps |

Jennifer Lopez watches from backstage asher Sweetface fashion line is presented atNew York Fashion Week. The line, which

is based on J.Lo’s own style and uses a lot offur, has made her PETA’s latest target.

That’s Joaquin Phoenix blazing atrail through Beverly Hills on his Ducati, butwhere’s the leather biker jacket? Phoenix isa strict vegan and won’t wear leather unlessabsolutely necessary for a role, so eventhose boots and belt are fakes. He oncerefused to wear leather shoes when modelingfor a Prada campaign, so a stand-in had to beshot from the knees down.

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CAUGHT ON FILMTHE STARS WORK, PLAY AND GET COFFEE


Dressed like greendragons, model-turned-actorHeidi Klum (she recently playedUrsula Andress in The Life andDeath of Peter Sellers) and hersinging fiancé Seal throw candies at revelers during acarnival in her hometown ofBergisch Gladbach, Germany.

How embarrassing. ClaireDanes and Katie Holmesshowed up at Calvin Klein’s

New York show wearing thesame strappy sandals. No wonder they look so pissed. Atleast Catalina Sandino Moreno(Oscar nominee for Maria Fullof Grace) had the sense towear slightly different strappysandals.

And the winner of the Celebrity WhoLooks Most Like His Pet Award goes to— drumroll — Adrien Brody! The Oscar-

winning actor and his Chihuahua, CeeloVicious (named after a dice game), steppedout for Starbucks in Hollywood. We wonderif Ceelo finished the whole cup.

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A year ago this month, MIRANDA BLACKdid what she always does when sheneeds reliable career advice. She pulledout her tarot cards.

“I do a lot of listening to the universe.This is such a crazy business, who else doyou listen to,” the actor asks over a cupof tea at a café in her native Toronto.

Black had spent some time living inNew York, where she had a couple ofsmall spots on Sex and the City asSamantha’s assistant, and was part ofBravo’s struggling-young-actor docu-mentary series The It Factor. But a coupleof years ago she moved to Los Angeles,which is where things became stagnant.

So she asked the deck of cardswhether she should return to Toronto,“And it said, ‘Dreams will be realized,your childhood dream will come true.’”Not convinced, she went downstairsand watched The Sopranos.

Later that night she sat down withthe cards again, this time asking themwhat would happen if she stayed inL.A.: “And I drew a card saying‘Nightmares will happen,’ and I waslike okay, okay, okay!”

The clincher came a few days laterwhen Black’s L.A. agent dropped her,“and that same day my agent here calledand said, ‘Why don’t you come back toToronto, things are really busy here?’”

So she packed her bags and headedhome…where, as it turned out, thingsweren’t all that busy either.

She auditioned for a dream part —Drew Barrymore’s assistant in Fever Pitch,based on the Nick Hornby novel abouta Brit whose obsession with the Arsenalsoccer team threatens his relationship.This Americanized adaptation wouldbe directed by the Farrelly Brothers(There’s Something About Mary) withJimmy Fallon as a Boston Red Soxfanatic and Barrymore as his perturbedgirlfriend. Coincidentally, it seemed,the movie would be shot in Toronto.

But months passed without a wordfrom the film’s producers, so Blackassumed she didn’t get the part.

Then, one day, she opened her mailbox and found a letter notifyingresidents that Fever Pitch would befilmed on their street. It was like theuniverse was rubbing salt in her wound.

“A guy came over and ding-dongedon the door, [asking], ‘Can you sign thissaying you approve?’” Black recalls.“And I said, ‘I auditioned for this movie,you know.’ He’s like, ‘Just sign it.’”

Black was blue…until the next daywhen she got a call from her agent.

“And my agent’s like ‘Are you sittingdown?’ And I thought, ‘Why, what terri-ble thing has happened?’ And she said,‘I think they’re going to offer you Fever Pitch.’ And I say, ‘No, they can’t.Fever Pitch is already filming,’ and shewas like, ‘No, they’re going to make youan offer on this part.’”

Better late than never, Black had

snagged the role of Carrie, DrewBarrymore’s friend and co-worker.“She’s a statistician, we’re math geeks,and I’m really pushing for her career totake off because I want to go with her,”Black explains. “And she starts reallywanting this guy, and going to baseballgames and messing her career up, andI’m kind of driving her to forget aboutthe guy and the baseball tickets and gofor her career.”

Black’s not sure whether she’ll headback to L.A for the film’s gala premierethis month. “I hope so,” she says.

But the city shouldn’t hold any night-mares this time. The scariest thing willbe seeing how much of her work madeit to the screen. “It’s nerve-wrackingbecause you don’t know,” she says. “I’mjust praying that my whole storyline isin it.” —Marni Weisz

shorts |

“And my agent’slike, ‘Are you sitting down.... I think they’re going to offer you Fever Pitch.’”

Pitch’sBLACK

PRINT.SHARE.ENJOY.

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Next month, George Lucas releases Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith— the sixth and, apparently, final film inthe Star Wars franchise.

But according to Joel Sanders, seniorweb producer at AtomFilms.com, that’s noreason their annual competition of satiricalStar Wars fan films, which is co-presentedby Mr. Lucas himself, should end.

“The effort that it takes to create a fanfilm, that’s exceptionally rare,” saysSanders on the phone from AtomFilms’home base in San Francisco. “There areonly a few other brands I can think of thatreally are even close to Star Wars for thatkind of fandom. So I think that willalways continue.”

The union between Lucas and the web-site began in 2002, when the all-powerfulproducer made the surprising decision toencourage — rather than crush — thecreative liberties amateur filmmakers weretaking with his universe.

The nominees for the fourth installmentare currently posted on the site. Winnerswill be announced there and at CelebrationIII, a Star Wars convention in Indianapolis,on April 22nd. Aside from an AudienceChoice Award, Lucas and AtomFilmschoose the winners.

You can also watch the nominees frompast years on the site, short films withsurprisingly impressive production values— soaring X-wing starfighters, thedesertscape of Tatooine, a Yoda so realisticlooking, and sounding, that Mark Hamillwould have trouble telling him from thereal thing.

Although AtomFilms provides contestantswith official sound effects, stealing imagesfrom Lucas’s heavily copyrighted works isstrictly verboten. So how are these film-makers — whom Sanders describes as“basement filmmakers all the way up topeople who are semi-professional” — creating such dead-on parodies?

“They’re buying high-end models. Thesepeople are rampant fans,” says Sanders.“Some people actually build many ofthese things completely from scratch,either in 3-D animation or models.”

And don’t be fooled by the accuracy —

Sanders says props like the stormtroopercostumes in last year’s Best Comedy winner, Recruitment (an Imperial Starfleetspin on industrial training videos), are allreplicas.

“I think if anyone could afford a realone from the movies they probably wouldn’tbe wearing it,” he says with a little laugh,“they’d probably have it in a glass case.”—MW

shorts I

Much more than clones

PRICES STAY LOW IN ONTARIOThis past January Famous Players announced a temporaryreduction in ticket prices across Ontario, from a top price of$13.95 to a high of $9.95. The good-news story touched anerve, earning front-page real estate in The Globe and Mail,Toronto Star and other outlets.

Two months later, the obvious question is “What exactly didthey mean by ‘temporary?’” The summer blockbuster seasonunofficially begins next month with the release of Star Wars

Episode III: Revenge ofthe Sith, and with thetough winter monthsbehind us, is it time tosay bye-bye to thegood deal?

Apparently not.“We have no plans

to take it away at themoment at all,” saysNuria Bronfman,

Famous Players’ corporate affairs vice-president. “I think it willcarry on at least through the summer months.”

The price-drop in Ontario was based on attendance increasesof 10 to 15 percent in other markets where similar cuts hadbeen made. Bronfman confirms that the Ontario price-drop hasyielded a similar 10 to 15 percent bump.

She says attendance data both within Ontario and across therest of the country is constantly reviewed with an eye to encour-aging maximum attendance numbers. In early 2004, ticketprices across much of Western Canada were dropped from$13.95 to $10.95, and have stayed there since.

Right now, $10.95 is the top price for any Famous Playersticket, while some traditional theatres (meaning those builtbefore the big expansion a few years back) charge even lessthan $9.95 for an adult admission.

Ultimately, the message is an effective one: Keep takingadvantage of the lower prices, and the prices will stay low.

“Yeah, we have absolutely no plans to take it away as long as we keep seeing the same kind of numbers we’re seeing,”confirms Bronfman. “It’s proven its point, basically. There’s noreason why we would take it away.” —MW

Til Markson in the 2004 George Lucas Selectswinner, “Escape from Tatooine”

2004’s Audience Choice Award winner “Pink Five Strikes Back,” starring Amy Earhart

Last year’s Best Animation Award went to“Wampa” by Andreas Peterson


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the | big | picture |

A P R I L 1

SIN CITYWHO’S IN IT? Bruce Willis, Clive OwenWHO DIRECTED? Robert Rodriguez, Frank MillerWHAT’S IT ABOUT? To turn Frank Miller’scomic book about life in seedy Sin Cityinto a film, director Rodriguez gave it the“digital backlot” treatment, meaning theactors performed in front of green-screensand the backgrounds and sets were digitally inserted later. The result is astylish film noir that looks as if it sprangfrom the panels of the comic book. Theplot intertwines three stories — a toughguy (Mickey Rourke) looking to avengehis lover’s murder, a photographer(Owen) covering up the accidental deathof a police officer and a cop (Willis)intent on clearing his name. See Clive Owen interview, page 28.

A P R I L 8

SAINT RALPHWHO’S IN IT? Adam Butcher, Jennifer TillyWHO DIRECTED? Michael McGowan (My DogVincent)WHAT’S IT ABOUT? Set in Hamilton, Ontario,during the 1950s, this bittersweetCanadian comedy tells the story of 14-year-old Ralph, whose life sucks —his dad is dead, his mom is dying andhe’s been banished to his school’s cross-country team. But Ralph believes he’sdestined for greatness and sets out towin the 1954 Boston Marathon. SeeJennifer Tilly interview, page 16.

SAHARA WHO’S IN IT? Matthew McConaughey,Penélope CruzWHO DIRECTED? Breck Eisner (debut)WHAT’S IT ABOUT? McConaughey steps intothe desert boots of paperback hero DirkPitt, who, along with a comely scientist(Cruz), searches for a treasure-loadedAmerican Civil War ship beached some-where in the Sahara Desert. Breck Eisner,son of embattled Disney CEO MichaelEisner, makes his directing debut.

THE BALLAD OF JACK AND ROSEWHO’S IN IT? Daniel Day-Lewis, Catherine KeenerWHO DIRECTED? Rebecca Miller (Personal Velocity)WHAT’S IT ABOUT? Dying recluse Jack (Day-Lewis) invites his girlfriend (Keener)and her two sons to come live on hisPacific Northwest island hoping they will

help take care of his teenage daughterRose (Camilla Belle) after his death.

FEVER PITCHWHO’S IN IT? Drew Barrymore, Jimmy Fallon WHO DIRECTED? Bobby and Peter Farrelly(Stuck on You)WHAT’S IT ABOUT? What’s the best way toAmericanize Nick Hornby’s novel about aBritish bloke whose obsession with hisfavourite soccer club ruins his relationship?Simple, turn the lad into a die-hardBoston Red Sox fan (Fallon), who driveshis girlfriend (Barrymore) crazy with hisbaseball obsession.

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A LOT LIKE LOVEWHO’S IN IT? Ashton Kutcher, Amanda Peet WHO DIRECTED? Nigel Cole (Calendar Girls)WHAT’S IT ABOUT? It seems Ashton Kutchernever met a romantic comedy script hedidn’t like. He stars in yet another rom-com, this one focusing on polar oppositesOliver and Emily (Peet), who spendseven years fighting/dating/breaking upetc. until they finally grasp the obvious...See Ashton Kutcher interview, page 18.

KUNG FU HUSTLEWHO’S IN IT? Stephen Chow, Yuen WahWHO DIRECTED? Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer)WHAT’S IT ABOUT? Crouching Tigermeets West Side Story in this well-choreographed action pic about a riotthat breaks out in gang-ridden Shanghaiof the 1930s.

BEAUTY SHOPWHO’S IN IT? Queen Latifah, Mena SuvariWHO DIRECTED? Bille Woodruff (Honey)WHAT’S IT ABOUT? Latifah returns as stylistGina Norris (first introduced in Barbershop),who wants to pull her hair out after opening her own salon and being forced to deal with yappy clients and unhappyemployees.

• HITS THEATRES MARCH 30

nowintheatres

THE AMITYVILLE HORRORWHO’S IN IT? Ryan Reynolds, Melissa GeorgeWHO DIRECTED? Andrew Douglas (debut)WHAT’S IT ABOUT? This remake of the 1979horror flick stars Reynolds and George as acouple whose dream home turns out to be ademonic crash pad. Scaaaary on-set occur-rences such as cast members falling for noreason and lights turning on by themselveswere reported. We also heard a bowl ofM&Ms in the craft services truck spilled inthe shape of a pentagram.

• HITS THEATRES APRIL 15

I BY INGRID RANDOJA


A P R I L 2 9

THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THEGALAXYWHO’S IN IT? Martin Freeman, Mos DefWHO DIRECTED? Garth Jennings (debut)WHAT’S IT ABOUT? Geeky anti-establishmenttypes spent the ’80s laughing out loud toDouglas Adams’ absurdist sci-fi bookabout British everyman Arthur Dent, whotravels the galaxy after the Earth isdestroyed. After almost 20 years indevelopment hell, the late Adams’ cultclassic finally hits the big screen.

XXX: STATE OF THE UNIONWHO’S IN IT? Ice Cube, Samuel L. JacksonWHO DIRECTED? Lee Tamahori (Die Another Day)WHAT’S IT ABOUT? Who needs Vin Dieselwhen you’ve got Ice Cube? We’ll soon

find out if audiences embrace Cube asthe XXX program’s second rough-around-the-edges secret agent (this time tryingto foil a homegrown terrorism plot) thesame way they embraced Diesel’s originalXXX. See Ice Cube interview, page 22.

Some films play only in major markets. All release dates subject to change.

CHECK WWW.FAMOUSPLAYERS.COM FOR SHOWTIMES AND LOCATIONS

THE INTERPRETERWHO’S IN IT? Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn WHO DIRECTED? Sydney Pollack (Random Hearts)WHAT’S IT ABOUT? A-list Oscar winnersKidman and Penn join forces for thisthriller about a U.N. interpreter (Kidman)who overhears an assassination plot and isput under the protection of a U.S. specialagent (Penn). This is the first film set inthe U.N. that had permission to shootinside the high-security buildings.

• HITS THEATRES APRIL 22


interview |


On the terrace of one of Toronto’s grand hotels, JenniferTilly waits for a journalist. Radiant, she sips some redwine before rising to greet him. It’s not even lunchtime

and he’s surprised to find her indulging so early in the day.Between two bursts of laughter she replies, “Since your taperecorder is recording our conversa-tion, I’ll only say that this is my firstdrink of the day.”

And the tone of the interview is set. When so many actors are indifferent

and arrogant, Jennifer Tilly shines bybeing open and playful. Her laugh iscontagious, her voice (a lot less nasalthan on the big screen) is envelopingand her smile offers a glimpse into herinsatiable desire to take a bite out oflife. It’s difficult to resist this overflow-ing bottle of zany energy.

Tilly was in town to promote Saint Ralph, a film by Canadian director Michael McGowan (My DogVincent), at the Toronto InternationalFilm Festival. She plays Nurse Alice.

“I loved it, mainly because I only hadto slip on a white uniform every day.It’s very rare that I don’t have to worrydaily about what the costume depart-ment is going to make me wear,”explains the urbanite fashionista whoowns more than 400 pairs of shoes.

The sweet drama, which will bereleased this month, tells the story ofRalph Walker, a 9th-grader who runsthe 1954 Boston Marathon in thehopes of helping his sick mother. InRalph’s confused 14-year-old mind, hebelieves only a miracle will bring hismother out of her coma, and knows it will be a miracle if he wins themarathon. Tilly’s nurse attends toRalph’s ailing mother, while trying toprepare him for the worst.

“Following major Hollywood pro-ductions with a small-budget Canadianfilm stimulates me enormously. Itallows me to reach out to touch the sky but still keep my twofeet firmly on the ground,” says Tilly.

The self-proclaimed “biggest B-movie star in the world”grew up in British Columbia, but graciously explains why shepacked her bags for the United States more than 20 yearsago. “My agent told me that if I wanted to be a great actress,

I needed to move to New York. He warned me that Los Angeles was for people who wanted to sell out. The choicefor me was simple: I moved to L.A.,” she says with a laugh.

No doubt, Jennifer Tilly relishes the Hollywood life.Existing on the margins of popular culture, the 46-year-old

loves interviews, camera flashes andopening nights. She does not under-stand why the majority of stars aren’tup for the celebrity game. “I adorebeing the centre of attention,” shesays. “In general, I spend the festivalsbeing photographed in beautifuldresses and talking about my careerwith journalists. I can’t complainabout my life.”

But that love of glitz and glam doesn’tmean Tilly isn’t extremely motivatedby work and success.

Her ambiguous image as a child-like, yet voluptuous, woman has givenher such memorable roles as theseemingly simple-minded femmefatales in the Wachowski brothers’Bound and Woody Allen’s Bullets OverBroadway (which earned her an Oscarnomination for Best SupportingActress), as well as the maternal sexpots in Relax…It’s Just Sex andDancing at the Blue Iguana.

And her unique voice has made her both a successful comedic actor(Liar, Liar) and an in-demandvoiceover talent for films like StuartLittle and Monsters, Inc.

“I have to admit that my career isevolving in a way that is getting moreand more strange,” she says. “In thebusiness we often say that we don’tfind as much work after 40. But sinceI reached that cap I am findingmyself playing roles that are moreand more different.”

Famous, polite and articulate,Tilly’s goal is to get as many — and aseclectic — roles as she can.

“Life is good. I work constantly. I am one of the onlyactresses that has succeeded in this milieu without having tohave my breasts done,” she concludes between another twobursts of laughter.

Mathieu Chantelois is the editor of Famous Québec.

VampJENNIFER TILLY squeezes her huge personality into a starched, white nurse’s uniform forSaint Ralph I BY MATHIEU CHANTELOIS

“I have to admit that mycareer is evolving in a waythat is getting more andmore strange,” says Tilly

THELADYISA

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interview |


lovernot a fighter

He’s a

ASHTON KUTCHER’s bid to become king of the rom-coms continues withthe sweet date movies Guess Who and A Lot Like Love. But do you want toknow his ultimate goal in life? To helppeople “learn to love each other a littlebit more.” Awww…we just want topinch his cheeks I BY BOB STRAUSS

Ashton Kutcher and his sometimessqueeze Amanda Peet in A Lot Like Love


At some point, sooner rather thanlater, Ashton Kutcher knows thathe has to be taken seriously. The

goofy comedy characters, the tabloidrelationships, the trendy investments ineverything from celebrity-stockedrestaurants to those all-white Kabbalahenlightenment suits — they must bebanished to the back of the public’s con-sciousness, so his real work as an actorand producer can claim the spotlight.

Only problem: He can’t imagine lifewithout clowning around.

“I want to do new things that keepme interested,” says the 27-year-oldKutcher, on the phone from L.A. Afterseven seasons, he has just said goodbyeto his signature doofus role, That ’70sShow’s Kelso. “But at the same time, Iwant to continue doing television aswell, in other forms and other ways.And I’m not going to deny that peoplewant to see me do comedy, so I want tobe able to do both.”

Kutcher believes his two new moviereleases allow him to have it both ways.

A Lot Like Love sounds a lot like . . .well, When Harry Met Sally (not a badthing, if it lives up to the model’s sophis-ticated mixture of heart and humour).Kutcher’s Oliver and Amanda Peet’sEmily meet on a plane, decide thatthey’re perfectly wrong for one another,and over seven years keep crossingpaths. Friendship blooms. But will anything more?

Okay, sounds kind of contrived, as pastKutcher rom-coms both popular (JustMarried) and not (My Boss’s Daughter)have tended to be. But the actor insiststhe movie has insight as well as laughs.

“One of the things that makes itunique and different is that it’s funny attimes — and I’m absolutely certain thatthey’ll sell it as a big comedy — but atthe same time I think that it’s got a little more soul than that.... This film isan exploration of timing. Is there everreally a right time to be with someone?And it’s also an exploration of how blindwe can be as people, when the personthat you want to be with can be standingright next to you and you don’t evenknow it. Basically, her character is livingin the past and doesn’t think that she’sgood enough. My character is living inthe future and doesn’t think that he’sgood enough. And they find that they’reboth good enough for each other.”

In Guess Who, released last month,Kutcher plays a guy whose prospectivefather-in-law will never consider him

good enough. That father-in-law isplayed by Bernie Mac, and in this cheeky,race-reversed remake of the Tracy-Hepburn classic Guess Who’s Coming toDinner, Kutcher is the suspect white guywho wants to marry his daughter.

“This movie is obviously a broad comedy and very different from the orig-inal,” the actor admits. But Guess Who,which Kutcher executive produced aswell, also spoke to his social conscience.

“That was the reason for me to do themovie,” he says. “I’ve obviously donecomedies before, so to change it a littlebit and do something with a little morerelevance was, for me, a must. Wefound that in this picture. When they

made the original, the racial gap waslike a mile wide, and now maybe it’s acity block. If we can take an inch off ofthat, we’re doing our job.”

Despite his contention that he wantsto keep making us laugh, the moreKutcher speaks, the more his sober sideemerges. Toss him a jokey question —Glad the ’70s are finally over? — andyou get a melancholy response.

“I see a lot of potential growth in it,”he says of leaving the sitcom that madehim a star. “But at the same time, thefirst day I came to L.A. I started workingon That ’70s Show. All those guys andgirls are not just my castmates and crew,they’re my friends. Not seeing themevery day is going to be tough.”

Trying a different route, I ask theproducer of MTV’s celebrity practicaljoke party Punk’d what his creative goalsare now that he’s out of the weekly

television grind, and get the followingheartfelt dissertation:

“My goal is not for myself, it’s reallymore for others. Really, I just want touse every medium that I can to helppeople learn to love each other a littlebit more. That’s the idea, anyway. I lovehow the tsunami disaster happens and,all of a sudden, everybody jumps in andstarts caring about one another againand really starts pushing to give. Butthat soon fades to the back of theirminds and they forget about it. If wecould just keep that up all the time, Ithink we’d be doing a lot better.”

Sounds like that could be hisKabbalah philosophy talking. Kutcher

was introduced to the Hebrew mysticaltradition by his girlfriend, Demi Moore.And while many dismiss Kabbalah asthe latest in a long line of Hollywoodspiritual fads, Kutcher has a definitescholarly take on the practice.

“I’m not one to pan something or notdo it or be afraid of it because I don’tknow what it is, so I’ve been trying tolearn about it,” he says. “I find it extreme-ly intriguing. It is the conceptual basis ofmost religions, and having been raisedCatholic, it’s interesting to find outwhere a lot of that tradition comes from.Some incredibly wise people have deci-phered the codes of religious history.”

Maybe, though, there’s a psychologicalmotivation for all this earnestness. Afterall, Kutcher was a poor, farm country kidwho was working his way toward a bio-chemical engineering degree when hewon the Fresh Faces of Iowa modeling

Kutcher tries to make nice with Bernie Mac in Guess Who

“I’m not going to deny that people want tosee me do comedy,” says Kutcher

interview |contest. Next thing he knew, he was in New York City, beingpaid outrageous sums just to pose, then was compensated evenbetter to look good and act silly in California. Perhaps the engineer that never was longs for a kind of legitimacy beyondsex symbol success.

If so, it won’t be easy to come by. At least, not as long as thetabloid media remains obsessed with his relationship with former superstar Moore, and the fact that she’s a very healthy15 years his senior. Although that kind of attention has dieddown a bit, Kutcher remains understandably wary of it.

“The respect of privacy and the boundaries that are involvedwith that have been breached,” he observes. “I wouldn’t everwant to be responsible for censoring the press. But is going toa restaurant news? Is going skiing news? Is it necessary?”

Ask him directly about Moore, though, and the carefreeAshton finally emerges.

“She’s great, fantastic,” he gushes.So, when’s the much-speculated-about wedding? “That’s a completely irrelevant question,” he says, laughing.At the end of the day, Kutcher doesn’t worry much about

how he’s perceived. As long as it doesn’t limit his productivity(and besides Punk’d, he’s got four other series currently indevelopment), or his opportunities to act as seriously — or forthat matter, as stupidly — as he wants.

“I just want to do new and different things,” he says. “I don’tcare how people look at me. I get off on acting, I get off on playing different characters, I really love and enjoy it. I want todo things that I’m interested in and share that with people, andhopefully they appreciate the gift that I’m trying to give them.

“But look, it’s like Christmas. I’ve given people stuff thatthey re-gift right out the door! You never know. But I’m goingto keep giving.”

Bob Strauss is a Los Angeles-based entertainment writer.

soonKINGDOM OF HEAVEN (MAY)Stars: Orlando Bloom, Liam NeesonDirector: Ridley Scott (Gladiator)Story: For a movie that doesn’t have a single $20-millionactor, Kingdom of Heaven did an admirable job of rackingup a $130-million (U.S.) price tag. Filmed in Morocco andSpain, the story actually begins in Jerusalem of the 12th-century, where a poor blacksmith (Bloom) helps fight theCrusaders who took over his city in 1099. If you squint youreyes while watching the trailer, you’d swear it was forScott’s 2000 historical epic Gladiator, right down to theplump snowflakes falling against a gray sky during battleand the wind-blown waves in a field of wheat.

THE BAD NEWS BEARS (JUNE)Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Greg KinnearDirector: Richard Linklater (Before Sunset)Story: Fans of the 1976 original, which starred WalterMatthau as the grizzled coach of a ragtag Little Leagueteam and Tatum O’Neal as his protégé pitcher, will notice afew changes. For instance, this time the grizzled coach(Thornton) is a former major leaguer whereas in the firstmovie he was a career minor leaguer, and there’s a very PCnew plot device about a lawsuit that requires the league toaccept all players regardless of ability. But in the subtlehands of director Linklater we still have hope this remakewill be done well. Our first clue? Linklater cast an unknownnamed Sammi Kraft in O’Neal’s role, rather than a studiofavourite like Dakota Fanning or Hilary Duff.

BATMAN BEGINS (JULY)Stars: Christian Bale, Liam NeesonDirector: Christopher Nolan (Memento)Story: The series that began with Tim Burton’s 1989gothic masterpiece Batman had played itself out by 1997’sutterly disappointing Batman & Robin. So, what to do? Goback to the very origins of our pointy-eared hero. After along search Welsh actor Christian Bale — best known forindie films like American Psycho — was handed the choicerole. Bale’s young Bruce Wayne travels the world learninghow to fight evil, like the kind that killed his parents whenhe was just a boy. Then he returns to Gotham to take on thesinister forces threatening the city.

THE BROTHERS GRIMM (JULY)Stars: Matt Damon, Heath LedgerDirector: Terry Gilliam (Brazil)Story: Shot in the summer of 2003 on a soundstage inPrague, this fantastical tale from Monty Python alumGilliam will finally see the light of day. Damon and Ledgerplay the famous fairytale-writing brothers Jake and WillGrimm (Jacob and Wilhelm in real life) who travel from townto town claiming they can rid communities of “enchantedcreatures.” But when they’re called upon to rid one particularforest of an evil sorceress who may really be responsible forthe disappearance of little girls, their bluff is called.

coming

I SAID MAKE LOVETO THE CAMERA


Before Kelso, before Punk’d andbefore Demi, Ashton Kutcher wasjust a cute kid from Iowa whothought he could make some doughmodeling. These portfolio picscame from his first professionalphoto shoot, when he was just 16.

Originally signed to play the sidekickin XXX: State of the Union, rapper-turned-actor Ice Cube was quickly

shifted into the lead role when the film’sproducers couldn’t come to terms with thestar of 2002’s XXX, Vin Diesel. Reports are,it was a money thing.

And that was fine with Ice Cube, espe-cially since starring in what seems destinedto become an action franchise would fulfillone of his lifelong dreams. “I’ve done allkinds of movies,” the 35-year-old says with a smile during an interview in Beverly Hills, “but I always hoped I’d getthe chance to show movie audiences thatblack folks could kick butt and save theworld just like a James Bond.”

In XXX: State of the Union, NationalSecurity Agency (NSA) agent AugustusGibbons (a returning Samuel L. Jackson)springs Special Forces officer DariusStone (Cube) from a military prison tohelp the government track down a militarysplinter group (headed by Willem Dafoe)planning a coup to overthrow the U.S.government. Unlike Diesel, who played anextreme-sports-expert-turned-agent, Cube’s streetwise XXXis a trained killer who was

jailed while trying to uncovera conspiracy.

But if this is Cube’s shot at aBond-like character, it’s a singleshot. As the actor explains, he definitelywon’t be back for a third film: “To do awaywith the over-inflated egos and keep the bottom line down the producers came upwith the bright idea of a new XXX agent eachfilm. I guess I’ll have to audition for JamesBond, because my time is over in XXX-land.”

And that’s fine. The Compton-born rapperwho first shot to fame as a member of thecontroversial urban group N.W.A. hasalready signed to do Four Brothers withJohn Singleton, the director who guidedhim through his very first film, 1991’sBoyz N the Hood. Shooting is alreadyunderway in Toronto.

Initially, it was announced that you andVin Diesel would be doing this sequeltogether. What happened?“Honestly, I don’t know all the ins and outs,but it was a decision made by [producer]Neal Moritz and all of the people involved atRevolution Studios…. I have to let my ego

interview |

When producers couldn’tcome to terms with XXXstar Vin Diesel, ICE CUBEgrabbed the lead. Here therapper-turned-actor opensup about fatherhood, flopsand fighting terrorism inXXX: State of the Union. I BY EARL DITTMAN



take over and say that State of the Union wasreally tailor-made for me. I’m proud of that,so I want people to come out of the theatreafter seeing it with their jaws dragging on theground and completely speechless.”

I understand you sustained some injurieswhile doing your own stunts.“Yeah, I did, but they mostly just bruisesand cuts. It was nothing that serious at all.I didn’t want to make a big deal about it.Actually, my wife didn’t even want to knowhow I got them because I was probablygonna do something worse the next day.”

A few years ago, Samuel L. Jackson publicly stated he didn’t like rappersbeing cast in movies over “real” actors,calling it an excuse to just make a quickbuck. Did the two of you ever discussthat incident?“Oh yeah, everything’s cool between us.That was a long time ago. Samuel is a classically trained actor, so I now under-stand why he felt that way. Of course, hewas seeing me in things like Anaconda andGhosts of Mars, so he wasn’t seeing awhole lot of talent. But that’s all in thepast. While we were doing this movie, hetold me, ‘You know, you’re a damn goodactor.’ That meant the world to me,because I have such tremendous respectfor Sam as an actor and a man.”

A lot of your hip-hop peers feel you wereresponsible for making Hollywoodrespect rappers as viable actors. “Acting is for everyone who can do it right.I would say that myself, Will Smith, QueenLatifah and Ice-T have tried to pave theway for people to respect rappers as realactors. I mean, Will and Latifah have gotten so many nominations for their work,and they got them because they could act.We’re just trying to show people that weknow what we’re doing so that othermovies with black actors/musicians or rappers can get greenlit. I mean, when theother studios see the kind of money theBarbershop movies make — a movie aboutblack men made on such a small budget —they go and rewrite a lot of their scriptsand greenlight more movies for black folks.That’s the real success of all of it.”

Do you think rappers who act are finallygetting respect?“Yeah, I do. I mean, I used to hear a lot ofthe trained actors say that our movies werebad and pointless. We had to show themthat we weren’t trying to be a bunch ofLaurence Oliviers. And I would always tellthem, ‘Look, if a trained actor can make abad movie, why can’t a rapper?’ [Laughs.]Do you know what I mean? It’s not an artthat is so untouchable that other artistscan’t give it a try.”

You once told me that, in hindsight,many of the movies you made were bigmistakes. Why did you even do them inthe first place?“Because I thought they would fix thescripts…. And, also, when I look at someof those movies I think, ‘Damn, if I wouldhave had just a little more control in theediting bay, I could have made this moviebetter.’ That’s the most frustrating part ofnot producing your own movies.”

Was Ghosts of Mars one of those misfires?“Oh, yeah, big time. I never knew that thespecial effects in it were going to look thatcheesy [laughs]. But that is something thatyou, as an actor, can’t see while you’remaking it. I just saw a lot of blue-screensand green-screens, but I couldn’t see whatthe effects were going to look like. I mean,damn, if the movie had come out in 1979,it would have been a smash hit. But now itlooks cheesy as hell [laughs].”

You seem to be spending more time onmovies than music lately.“I’m not done with rap, because it’s in myblood. I’m gonna do more records. The truthis Hollywood is much more relaxing than therap game which is a full contact sport. Withrap, you gotta be on your toes, be sharp andwatch your back because there are a lot ofsnakes. It can be a dangerous game. It can

“I always hoped I’d get the chance to show movie audiences thatblack folks could kick butt and save the world just like James Bond”

Fire and Ice: Ice Cube in XXX: State of the Union

SC FamPlyrs DPS 3/14/05 4:53 PM Page 1


even be deadly or dangerous to yourhealth. But I’m happy with N.W.A.’s place inrap history. People will never forget us, andeven on my own, I was a groundbreaker.That’s why I switched to movies. My place inrap history is in stone.”

What do you think about the currentstate of rap music?“Artists are scared of letting their thoughtsgo public. That’s why rap music is 70 percent ego and bravado now and 30 percent message and topic. I’m sick ofthese new rap guys just talking about howbad they are. Fine, you’re bad. Now go saysomething else. Give me more.”

Some people were surprised to see youin such a family-friendly movie as AreWe There Yet? Is there any particularreason you took that role?“Mainly so my wife Kim [of 13 years] andour four kids can watch one of their pop’smovies without hearing any cursing or seeinganything sexual.”

What kind of dad is Ice Cube?“I’m the firm but fair type. I’m cool andunderstanding, but there are rules. Bottomline is that I respect my kids. A lot of parents want to be dictators around thehouse, which isn’t me. I’m also not friends with my kids. I’m clearly in charge,but I do listen to opinions. That’s all anykid wants. They want their words to beheard.”

Since your children run the age gamut,which one do you have to spend themost time with?“The 13-year-old needs the most attention.That’s just the toughest age. You don’tknow if you want to be a kid or a grown-up.One day, you act all adult and the next youcan’t even comb your hair. One day my kidcomes downstairs looking all fresh andclean. The next day I’m like, ‘Go backupstairs. You look like you’re homeless.’[Laughs.] I guess it’s not fair because I cansay, ‘If you don’t wash up you won’t go andmeet Usher.’ I’m lucky I have that one onthe table because it works.”

I spoke with you when you first startedacting, and you said your main goal wasto be able to one day say, “I’m an actor,a real actor, not just a rapper doing it asa sideline.” Do you think of yourself as areal actor?“Yeah, I do. I think I’ve worked long and hardto gain respect from the industry and fromwithin myself. I feel like an actor. I don’thave an Oscar or anything, but that’s just aperk. You know you’re an actor when you canfeel it from within. But I still have a lot ofwork to do. I’m nowhere near where I want tobe. And, hopefully, with all the films I’ve gotcoming up, I’ll get better and better. So, oneday I will be able to say, ‘I’m an actor justlike Laurence Olivier.’ [Laughs.]”

Earl Dittman is an entertainment writerbased in Houston, Texas.

interview |

Ice Cube (centre) and his crew getbusy in XXX: State of the Union

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cover | story |

When you think ofClive Owen youcan’t help but

think elegance. The 40-year-old Brit is best known for roles like the suavewriter-turned-dealer in thesophisticated Croupier, andthe dashing historicalleader in King Arthur. Evenas the cad physician inCloser, Owen exudes a classy confidence, impres-sive enough to earn him hisfirst Oscar nomination.

So you can see why theLondon actor was a littlebit surprised and mildlyamused when directorRobert Rodriguez (Spy Kids,Depserado) asked him to be in his film adaptation of FrankMiller’s vivid, but lurid, comic books.

Called Sin City, the $40-million Rodriguez movie is a cinematic amalgamation of three Miller stories, all featuringwild action in the seething underbelly of a strange slum-likenetherworld. The larger-than-life guys and dolls who populatethe mix include mobsters and morons, brutes and bastards,hookers and hangers on, carnivores and, yes, cannibals.

Outrageous indeed. Even sweet, wide-eyed Elijah Woodgets into the depravity. In a seeming attempt to rid himself of his Hobbit persona, Wood co-stars as a mute cannibal serial killer.

So Owen was understandably curious to find out just howodd his adventures in Sin City might be. After all, Rodriguezhad attempted this blend of action, humour and horror oncebefore, in 1996’s twisted vampire flick From Dusk Till Dawn,which didn’t exactly garner raves.

But what Rodriguez now had at his disposal, besides themagnificently weird Miller manifestations, was state-of-the-artdigital effects to define this ethereal noir world. ImagineWarren Beatty’s Dick Tracy with all of the joy and colourdrained out.

What Owen eventually discovered was that his tough-guycharacter, Dwight, wasn’t nearly as strange as the world heinhabited.

“But I do remember thinking, ‘How peculiar,’ when I got acall saying, ‘Robert Rodriguez wants you to do Sin City,’”Owen admits at a Los Angeles hotel. “Then he sent me a five-minute test that he had already put together to show me howit was going to look.”

A few weeks later, Rodriguez, continuing the courtingprocess, sent the actor Miller’s book The Big Fat Kill, on whichOwen’s Sin City segment would be based.

“So I read it and we talked about it,” recalls Owen. “And

then he told me thatBenicio Del Toro wasgoing to be in it. I imme-diately said, ‘Great, let’sdo it.’”

As the leathery trenchcoat-wearing photogra-pher Dwight, Owen getsinto an ugly fix aftermessing with some verystrange cannibal call girls (Alexander’s RosarioDawson and Gilmore Girls’Alexis Bledel) and avengeful assassin (DelToro).

In the two other segments that make upSin City, “The Customeris Always Right” has Josh

Hartnett playing a service-industry employee, and MarleyShelton as his client. Both are bound for bad times. And thesequence based on “That Yellow Bastard” has Bruce Willis asa cop with a heart problem who confronts a ghoulish monster (Nick Stahl) as they both vye for the affections of arope-twirling stripper (Jessica Alba).

Meanwhile, there’s Marv (Mickey Rourke), a hard-as-nailsstreet thug who wanders through all three interconnectingstories as he tries to track down his hooker-girlfriend’s killer.

It’s raunchy and ruthless and perfectly bizarre, reflectingthe tone of the Miller comic book, but minus the comic booknudity, which Rodrgiuez and Miller decided would beoverkill and a box-office disaster if the movie was nailed witha prohibitive NC-17 rating, meaning no one under the age of17 could see it.

Owen’s own under-17 years were spent in Coventry,England, with his four brothers, his mom and a fatherwho worked for the British railroad system. When he was

young his father took off, leaving the family to fend for itself.Despite the hard times, Owen knew what he wanted to do

with his life — act. It was a career choice that was simplyunthinkable to many in his poor neighbourhood, because itwas so clearly unattainable.

“But I never wanted to do anything else, really,” he recalls.Assorted school plays and musicals — “I was the Artful

Dodger in an Oliver! we did” — followed, all deepening hisenthusiasm for the craft.

His technique was honed at the Royal Academy of theDramatic Arts in London and later as a member of the YoungVic Theatre group.

Finally, in 1990, Owen’s role in the hit English TV seriesChancer provided him with a profile in Britain. But it wasn’tuntil 1998’s stylish caper film Croupier that he became


DRAWN

Fresh off an Oscar nomination CLIVE OWEN joins theensemble cast of Robert Rodriguez’s innovative

comic book adaptation, Sin City I BY BOB THOMPSON

“For us, it was very peculiar, standing in green-screen every day,” says Owen. “But we knew we would be impressed

with the result, and we were”

bankable in Hollywood, leading tofilms such as 2001’s Robert Altmanensemble dramedy Gosford Park, 2002’sMatt Damon thriller The Bourne Identityand his title role of King Arthur last year.

He’s also managed to fit in a series ofshort, swanky films for BMW, which areshown on the automaker’s website, confirming his status as a very debonairfellow, and leading to rumours that hemay be the next James Bond — rumourswhich he continues to discount.

“What do I think about that?” he says,chuckling. “I don’t really think about it.I just really never do. The Bond rumourhas been circulating for a while. That’sall it is. I learned a long time ago not towaste time thinking about those things.”

Owen prefers to live the non-celebrityquiet life in London with his wife, actorSarah Jane Fenton, and their daughters,Hannah, 7, and Eve, 4. “Gardening,” hesays, is his most exotic extracurricularactivity, although he’s “taken up horse-back riding, inexplicably, after doing itfor King Arthur.”

Which makes one wonder what hobbyhe might have picked up doing Sin City.With luck, it had less to do with killingand boozing, and more to do with theincredible work ethic and enthusiasm ofdirector Rodriguez.

“First of all, he’s a very nice guy andhugely impressive,” says Owen. “But itwas extraordinary watching him goabout his business.

“He’s like a renaissance man, com-

pletely one of a kind. I’ve never reallycome across anyone quite like him,”Owen continues. “He does absolutelyeverything. He shoots, he edits, he oper-ates the camera, he lights, he does themusic.”

Owen smiles, “And he’s the mostamazing cook.”

Sin City was shot at Rodriguez’s filmheadquarters in Austin, Texas, onstrangely bare sets that were oftengreen-screened to allow for the all-encompassing special effects. Owen wasamazed by Rodriguez’s commitment tonot just adapt Miller’s weird world, butloyally and painstakingly reproduce it.

In fact, Rodriguez made news inMarch of last year when he quit the powerful Director’s Guild of Americabecause it wouldn’t let him give Miller aco-director’s credit on the film. Theguild has a strict policy that only onedirector can be attached to any onemovie, but Rodriguez insisted thatMiller was equally deserving of thedirector’s title simply for creating thisworld on paper. (Miller also did somework on set.)

“He’s been so faithful to the images,”Owen says. “For us, it was very peculiar,standing in green-screen every day, butwe knew we would be impressed withthe result, and we were.”

Bob Thompson is a Toronto-based journalistwho writes about movies for The NationalPost.


AUSTINPOWERSSin City’s director Robert Rodriguez loves making movies, just not in Hollywood. Rodriguez,along with fellow filmmaker Richard Linklater (Before Sunset), live and work primarily in


Rumors are swirling that Jim Carrey will play the albino

Silas in The Da Vinci Codeadaptation. Robert Downey Jr.has joined the cast of directorGeorge Clooney’s Goodnight,and Good Luck, which finds’50s TV newsman Edward R.

Murrow taking on SenatorJoseph McCarthy.

Salma Hayek will portray1940s serial killer Martha Beck

in the drama Lonely Hearts. Pirate flicks are hot propertiesin Hollywood and Keanu Reevesdoesn’t want to miss out, he’s

agreed to play Sinbad in The 8th Voyage of Sinbad.

Kidman’s photo opNicole Kidman is proof you should take the saying “When opportunitycloses a door, it opens a window” seriously. She was set to star inEucalyptus with pal (and the film’s executive producer) Russell Crowe.But that Aussie film has ground to a halt with Crowe and directorJocelyn Moorhouse pointing fingers of blame at one another. The film’scollapse inadvertently freed up Kidman, and wouldn’t you know it, ato-die-for part has fallen into her lap — famed ’60s photographerDiane Arbus in the bio-pic Fur. Arbus made a name for herself byshooting pics of NYC’s misfits and fringe dwellers. Some say sheexploited her subjects, others say she imbued them with dignity andgrace. Arbus took her own life in 1971. Steven Shainberg, who raisedeyebrows with the 2002 S&M dramedy Secretary, will helm the film,which starts filming next month.

B R I E F LYBANA GETS LUCKYEver wondered what the Hulk isdoing these days? Good-lookingAussie Eric Bana, who played

the green giant in The Hulk and Hectorin last summer’sTroy, is busy counting chips at aLas Vegas casino,the setting for thepoker drama Lucky

You. Bana plays card shark HuckCheever, who confronts hisdemons while vying for the pokerworld championship. CurtisHanson (L.A. Confidential ) isdirecting (he also penned thescript) and Bana will be joined byDrew Barrymore and Robert Duvall.

on | the | slate |

KIDMAN PLAYS PHOTOGRAPHER, GARNER HAS TROUBLE ATTHE ALTAR, AND BANA PLAYS POKER | BY INGRID RANDOJA

GARNER’S ROM-COM RETURNOkay, so Elektra wasn’t so electric. The film’s disappointing reviews and box-office figures meanJennifer Garner may think twice about playing anothersupersexy superhero. She’s definitely playing it safewith her next flick, Catch and Release, a romanticcomedy about a woman whose fiancé dies on the wayto their wedding. His best friend (Timothy Olyphant)helps her rebuild her life, and together they discoverhubby-to-be kept a few secrets. The film marks thedirectorial debut of Susannah Grant, one of Hollywood’smost sought-after “chick flick” writers having pennedErin Brockovich, 28 Days and Ever After. The film isset for release later this year.

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lame it on Carrie Bradshaw.Mainstream notions of femininity are tragically narrowright now. It appears the goal of womankind, according

to Sex and the City and its still-reverberating themes, is to bea stiletto-shod chick existing on an unhealthy diet of Cosmos,ciggies and cheap soul-baring. It’s so: “Look at me, I spendthousands on shoes and maquillage just so men will noticeme and validate my existence!”

So, instead of tottering around on stilettos and revealingacres of skin this spring, consider a more casual look, incor-porating clever choices that make it seem as if you’re just naturally stunning (as opposed to having to work at it,dahlings). Repeat after me: “I wake up this gorgeous. It’sjust who I am.” Now say it again, but flip your hair back atthe same time. Good. That’s coming along quite nicely.

We like to call it Stealth Girly, a brand of cheerful, seem-ingly effortless femininity that relies on good grooming andbasic items instead of thick layers of artifice slapped on as ifby a trowel. The effect is of someone so gorgeous as to beunconcerned with their looks.

Think Gwyneth Paltrow. Or Natalie Portman. Girls whoseem genetically incapable of having a bad hair day. Girlswho ooze a fresh-faced collegiate aura, hinting at a back-ground in varsity cheerleading or field hockey.

This archetype’s wardrobe relies on simple, flawless basics— white tank-top, perfectly fitted jeans, diamond stud

earrings — augmented by the occasionalsubtle print, just for variety’s sake. Andremember, if you’re on a tight budget,less expensive items always look betterin dark colours.

There are a few ground rules, the firstbeing that this is not a nighttime guise.

The subtlety would be all but lostunder artificial lighting. Nor is it

something you can pull on for oneday. It should look more like a “world

view,” suggesting, to the admiringbystander, that you’re the type whogets her five daily servings of fruitand her eight hours of beauty sleep.

That said, we would not bedoing our job if we didn’t fill youin on some excellent ways tomimic healthy living withoutactually becoming a saint. So

stay up late if you must. Butremember to be artful with

that pink blush in themorning.

style |


B

This Long Camisolefrom Gap ($54.50) is asoft accent to a pair ofjeans or khakis. Thepainterly floral print is agreat way to wear pinkwithout looking babyish.

Helmut Langepitomizes thecasual-but-groomedlook with a whitetank (a staple you’llwant to have in mul-tiples), khaki pantsand a black jacketfor that urban edge.

Neat,clean

&freshReturn to the basics foreffortless femininity

I BY LIZA HERZ

PH

OTO

BY

SIP

A

With its contoured waistand strategically placedpockets (for backsideenhancement) Lee OneTrue Fit Jeans ($45-$55, Sears, The Bay) feellike a custom cut, butwithout a seamstress hovering over you andsticking you with pins.

Soft makeup, looseundone hair and asheer top add arelaxed note to thiswhite pairing fromMilly (jacket $433,top $248, FinishingTouches, Toronto).

MaybellineExpertwearBlush ($9, drug-stores) in DustyRose gives yourcheeks a naturalflush that implies alife of clean living.

If nature didn’t bless you with a flawlesscomplexion, let science and the 20%glycolic acid strength of Neutrogena’sAdvanced Solutions Facial Peel($40, drugstores) give you a little skin-refining assist.

Lancome Sweet Balmmoisturizing tinted lip balm ($21,department and select drug stores)combines sheer colour with a hintof opalescence adding polish without being overtly made-up.


Marc Anthony Moisture GlossColor Extender ($12, drugstores) givesyour tresses the high-beam shine of “RichGirl Hair,” so you can just look nonchalant,like gleaming locks are your birthright.

Evian AffinityRemineralisingCleansing Cream ($16).We think “remineralising” isbeautyspeak for “soft skin.”Helps remove dirt, makeup,even waterproof mascara while“moisture binding minerals”ensure a soft glowy face.


things |

ThehoursOn April 3rd we finally set the clocks forward, stealing an hour ofsleep but giving us more precious light at the end of the day. Whynot celebrate the time change with a new timepiece? Here are a

few of our favourites. And, although some are a bit pricey, you cansimply use these models for inspiration and find similar versions atalmost any price point I BY JEAN-FRANÇOIS LÉGARÉ

In association with Tiger Woods,TAG Heuer createdthis watch specifi-cally for the pro

golfer…or anyone whopretends to be. Extremelylight because of its stainless steel and siliconeconstruction, the watchfeatures Woods’ logo onthe face and his signatureon the back ($1,495,tagheuer.com for locationsor to buy).

It’s the rebel look, Dior style.The Dior 66, with its prettypink leather strap, celebratesyour duality — a little bitmotorcycle chick, a little bitprincess ($1,055, Birks andother jewellers).

The glamour of thethirties returns withthe Malice DiorD’Trick. That strandof real pearls can beremoved for less formal occasions($1,115, Birks andother jewellers).

Although it has a bit of a masculineedge, this women’s watch fromDKNY is sleek and elegant ($160,The Bay, Sears).

With its lime-green textured leather strap,this women’s watch

from DKNY isthe perfectaccessory forsummer cock-tail parties($145, The Bay,Sears).

A simple men’s watch, Roots’Tandem is available in black (as seenhere) or brown ($150, Roots stores).

For women who don’t like thingstoo delicate, this Burberrywatch has a neo-hippie edge,thanks to that woven, leather-trimmed strap ($825, HoltRenfrew and other jewellers).

This charmbracelet from Burberry isa must have for fashionistas. With

10 different charms — including awatch face and that famous Burberry“B” — not only will you look great,you’ll jangle when you walk ($695,Holt Renfrew and other jewellers).

With its subtle pastelhues, this Burberrywatch gives a delicatetouch to your summerwardrobe ($485, HoltRenfrew and otherjewellers).

Sleek, but without beingboring, this men’s watchfrom Diesel has a phosphorescent face thatglows in the dark ($165,The Bay, Sears).


Forty years ago, TAG Heuer releasedthe Carrera watch,and it made themfamous. For theanniversary, they’vereissued a new version of the monumental timepiece ($3,300,tagheuer.com forlocations or to buy).

CARIBOU ALERTElectronic music maestro Dan Snaith used to go by the monikerManitoba, but due to a silly lawsuit by American punk rockerHandsome Dick Manitoba, the Dundas, Ontario, artist changed hisname to Caribou.

Caribou’s newest CD, The Milk of Human Kindness (in storesApril 19), offers what Caribou calls “pop songs for weirdos.” His

electronic beats and samplingsare less rigorous on this, histhird, CD, and he’s playingaround with gorgeousmelodies and vicious drumbeats. The track “HelloHammerheads” sounds like anundiscovered Simon andGarfunkel tune, while the sexy“Bees” should be played whiledowning a pre-dinner cocktail.

liner | notes |DAVID USHER GAMBLES ON NEW YORK, AND SAMPLINGCARIBOU’S MILK OF HUMAN KINDNESS I BY INGRID RANDOJA

OUT THIS MONTHNATALIE IMBRUGLIA Counting Down the Days >> April 5Aussie singer/actor Imbruglia enlisted the help of her hubby,musician Daniel Johns, to produce her latest girly pop album.

GARBAGE Bleed Like Me >> April 12The hard-drivin’ rockers from Madison, Wisconsin, admit theyhated each other by the time they were finished making thisalbum. But lead singer Shirley Manson says this CD comesthe closest to capturing their live sound.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEENDevils & Dust >> April 26The Boss’s 19th album continues his exploration of spare,rootsy rock.

THE OTHER USHERWriter E.B. White said New York City “can destroy an individual,or it can fulfill him, depending a good deal on luck. No oneshould come to New York to live unless he is willing to be lucky.”

David Usher feels lucky.The former frontman for Moist and singer of that catchy ’90s

ditty “Push,” moved from Toronto to New York last year with hiswife and baby daughter. His fourth disc as a solo artist, If God HadCurves (in stores April 26), was penned and recorded in the Big Apple where, he says, you have to put up or shut up.

“I think it’s part of American culture,” he says on the line fromNew York. “In a society where there is no safety net, in a city that’sthis big and expensive, you have to make it happen or you are introuble. There’s that sense that no one is going to catch you if youdon’t make it, and that leads you to do really good work…or not.”

If God Had Curves contains typical Usher tunes — reflective,poetic songs that are made all the more potent by his sparsesinging style. It’s a bittersweet album, and yet it’s the sweet youremember most, like his first single, “Love Will Save the Day.”

It’s an uplifting anthem coming from a guy who sometimessees the glass as half empty, and who’s an avowed atheist.

“Even atheists are looking for faith,” he says with a little laugh.With a Jewish academic father and Buddhist artist mother, Usherhas spent his life navigating two cultures and practicing tolerancefor both — which is the message behind If God Had Curves.

“Most people have taken the title to be saying God is a woman,and that’s a facet of it, but it’s based more on the idea that if wewere all a bit more understanding and a bit more flexible — thereligious and the non-religious — we’d be better off as a society.

“Being in New York for the last election, you really saw both thesecular community and the religious community becoming muchmore rigid and less willing to see each other’s points of view, andwithout that meeting of the minds we’re going to be in trouble.”


THE RETURN OF COOL.THE RETURN OF COOL.“IT’S A BLAST.”

_ Manohla Dargis, THE NEW YORK TIMES

BUY IT4•12•05 ON DVD!

“TWO THUMBS UP.”_ “EBERT AND ROEPER”

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name I of I the I game I

EVERYBODY WAS KUNG FU FIGHTING

PSYCHONAUTS PS2, XBOXIn a gaming universe increasingly domi-nated by blockbuster sequels and movietie-ins, the surreal look and loopy premiseof Psychonauts positively leap off thescreen and whack you upside the head.

The game tells the story of Raz, a telepathic, telekinetic and pyrokineticyoung boy learning to hone his formidablepowers as a psychic. But while working onhis Levitation merit badge, Raz discovers

that someone is kidnapping psychicchildren and stealingtheir brains.

In order to foilthis evil plot andearn the title of“Psychonaut,” (psychic astronaut— get it?) Raz must

project himself into the minds of onebizarre character after another to battletheir inner demons, nightmares and secretmemories.

In a mix of action and platforminggameplay, Raz runs, bounces, floats,climbs, swings and sneaks while defeatingmonsters, lunatics and demons with thePsi-Blast, a mental burst of energy thatbanishes nightmares.

DESTROY ALL HUMANS! PS2, XBOXIt’s Grand Theft Auto meets Mars Attacks!in this amusingly bent action-stealthtitle, and for once YOU get to be the

skulking, bug-eyed, melon-headed alien,kicking the crap out of every wretched,sniveling human you see.

Set in 1950sAmerica, you playCryptosporidium-137, an operativesent to Earth ona dual mission toharvest humanbrainstems and

keep lab-coated sadists from vivisecting aprevious visitor (his brother, Crypto-136)who had the bad luck to crash in — youguessed it — Roswell, New Mexico.

Crypto’s helpful tools include futuristicweapons, psychic powers, a shiny hub-capshaped UFO and an utter disdain forhumanity. Packed with humorous sci-fiand conspiracy mythology, you will soondiscover that it is far, far better to be thesuperior being.

Chopsock your way through the beautiful Jade Empire I BY SCOTT GARDNER

THE PLAYSTATIONPORTABLEThis ambitious little guy, known as thePSP, is Sony’s long-awaited portablegaming unit and a potential competitorto Nintendo’s long-running Game Boyfranchise of handheld systems.

Billed as a “comprehensive entertain-ment experience,” the unit plays disc-based videogames, digital video andaudio, supports wireless play to nearbyPSPs and distance online play where awireless network is available. We won’tfry your synapses with an alphabet soupof techie mumbo jumbo, but basically,it’s got the brainpower to support full 3-Dworlds, characters and effects, and it’sonly about the size of a PS2 controller.

The PSP launches as a “Value Pack”for $299, including a Memory Stick,

headphones with remotecontrol, battery pack,

AC adaptor and case.And there are morethan 20 gamesready to go, includ-ing ATV OffroadFury: Blazin’ Trails,Gretzky NHL, NFLStreet 2, Need for

Speed Rivals andTony Hawk’s

Underground 2Remix.


JADE EMPIRE XBOXWelcome to the Jade Empire. Set in ancient China — or at least China as it wouldhave been if all the legends were true — it’s a mysterious world of harsh mountains,lush gardens, wild outlaws, evil spirits and magical martial arts.

Created for Xbox by Bioware — the Edmonton company behind 2003’s block-buster Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic — Jade Empire blends the traditionalelements of a role-playing game with inventive real-time fighting.

As the story opens you are a young martial artist just beginning to explore theworld outside your monastery. From the outset it is clear that something is wrong:spirits and ghosts are appearing frequently, even attacking people in outlying villages. Your investigation launches you on a journey from the Land of HowlingSpirits to the Imperial City and beyond.

Combat is a mix of gritty Bruce Lee-type kung fu and mystical Hidden Tiger, Flying Daggers aerobatics. There are dozens of fighting stylesto learn, from the fancifully named “Legendary Strike” and “Dire Flame” to the more pointed “Twin Axes.” Each has its own tactical role, andattacks range from punches and kicks to weapon strikes to conjuring supernatural beasts.

Whether you choose to act for good or evil, you’ll have to face powerful human and supernatural foes to unravel the dark secrets of yourworld and earn a place as a master of martial arts.

new


video | and | dvd |

If you love TV onDVD this a greatmonth for you…toclean up the yard,paint the rec roomand catch up on yourreading. But if you —like us — are nowaddicted to commercialTV without the commer-cials you can get reacquaintedwith first seasons of Bob Newhartand Dynasty (Apr. 12) or Highwayto Heaven (Apr. 26).

A few more of the bright spots

include the fine fourthseason of The WestWing (Apr. 5), the second seasons of The A-Team, KnightRider, Magnum P.I. andThat ’70s Show (Apr.12). And for a look atthe bonds of love,friends and family —

or more correctly,everything that can go wrongwith the bonds of love, friendsand family — you can hang outwith the homegrown comedy hitTrailer Park Boys: The CompleteFourth Season (Apr. 12).

GO HOME WITH ELEKTRA, LEMONY SNICKET OR OCEAN’S TWELVE I BY SCOTT GARDNER

A P R I L 5

ELEKTRA Stars: Jennifer Garner,Goran VisnjicDirector: Rob Bowman(Reign of Fire)Story: After her smallishrole in 2002’sDaredevil, comic book

fanboys waited a breathless two years tosee Garner fill out Elektra’s red leathersuperhero gear and bring the pain. It’sjust too bad no one thought to bring ascript. DVD Extras: “Making of,” “Comic-Con Presentation” and “Inside the EditingRoom” featurettes, three deleted scenes

SPANGLISHStars: Adam Sandler,Téa LeoniDirector: James L.Brooks (As Good as it Gets)Story: Celebrated L.A.chef John (Sandler)

tiptoes around his hypersensitive wife,Deborah (Leoni) and her ferocious moodswings. So when they hire a maid — thesincere, warm, sweet, beautiful, loving,

tender and devoted Flor (Paz Vega) —their already rocky relationship faceseven bigger boulders.

SIDEWAYS Stars: Paul Giamatti,Thomas Haden ChurchDirector: AlexanderPayne (Election)Story: A wine-tastingroad trip to salute Jack’s(Church) final days as a

bachelor careens woefully sideways as heand Miles (Giamatti) hit the gas en routeto mid-life crises. Suddenly, the comicallymismatched pair who share little morethan their history, failed potential and fading youth, find themselves drowning inwine and women. DVD Extras: commentaryby Giamatti and Church, eight deletedscenes, behind-the-scenes featurette,three Easter eggs

A P R I L 1 2

BAD EDUCATION Stars: Gael García Bernal, Fele MartínezDirector: Pedro Almodóvar (Talk to Her)Story: In two-time Oscar-winnerAlmodóvar’s latest, a

Spanish filmmaker gets a visit from anactor claiming to be an old school friend,who draws him into a twisted web of sex,revenge and murder.

HOTEL RWANDA Stars: Don Cheadle,Nick NolteDirector: Terry George(Some Mother’s Son)Story: Based on a truestory from the 1994Rwandan genocide,

hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina(Cheadle) opens his doors to 1,200refugees. With a rabid militia at his gates,he uses courage, flattery and cunning toprotect his guests from certain death. DVD Extras: a documentary, featurette,commentaries featuring Cheadle, thedirector and the real-life Rusesabagina

OCEAN’S TWELVE Stars: George Clooney,Brad PittDirector: StevenSoderbergh (ErinBrockovich)Story: It’s been threeyears since Danny

video | and | dvd |

releases

TVtoDVD

Ocean (Clooney) and his crew robbedruthless casino owner Terry Benedict ofevery dime in his impenetrable Vegasvault. Now Benedict has tracked ’em alldown and it ain’t to deliver flowers…

THE WOODSMAN Stars: Kevin Bacon,Kyra SedgwickDirector: Nicole Kassell(debut)Story: Bacon won ravesfor his performance as apedophile who returns

to his hometown after 12 years in prisonand attempts to start a new life.

A P R I L 1 9

A LOVE SONG FORBOBBY LONG Stars: John Travolta,Scarlett JohanssonDirector: Shainee Gabel(debut)Story: A teenage girl(Johansson) returns to

her supposedly abandoned family homeand discovers an unexpected roommate:her late mother’s lover, a boozy professor(Travolta) slowly drinking himself to death.

BIRTH Stars: Nicole Kidman,Lauren BacallDirector: JonathanGlazer (Sexy Beast)Story: Part romance,part mystery, partfamily drama, awoman (Kidman)

becomes convinced that — ick — a 10-year-old boy is the reincarnation ofher dead husband.

MEET THEFOCKERS Stars: Ben Stiller,Robert De Niro Director: Jay Roach(Meet the Parents) Story: When Greg(a.k.a. Gaylord)Focker’s up-tight

future in-laws meet his unconventionalparents things go great — at least untilthe RV toilet episode, the overly zealousfootball game, the incident with the

toddler and the glue, the saucy Cubancaterer with a secret...

HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERSStars: Zhang Ziyi, Andy LauDirector: Zhang Yimou (Hero)Story: In medieval China, a blind dancerfinds herself torn between the loyalties oflove and honour as she fights acrobaticwarriors in spectacular and balletic treetop battles.

A P R I L 2 6

THE ASSASSINATION OFRICHARD NIXON Stars: Sean Penn, Naomi WattsDirector: Niels Mueller (debut)Story: This dark drama tells the tragic truestory of Sam Bicke (Penn), a disillusionedeveryman who, in 1974, was driven to plotthe assassination of U.S. president Nixon.

BLADE: TRINITY Stars: Wesley Snipes,Jessica BielDirector: David S. Goyer(ZigZag)Story: After years offighting evil alone, thehalf-vampire Blade

(Snipes) finally gets some help from the“Nightstalkers,” led by tough slayer-babeAbigail (Biel) and her joke-a-minute part-ner Hannibal (Ryan Reynolds). DVD Extras:Unrated DVD includes 10 extras minutes,commentary by Goyer, Biel and Reynolds,a 16-part behind-the-scenes doc, alternateending, blooper reel, weapons galleries

LEMONY SNICKET’SA SERIES OFUNFORTUNATEEVENTS Stars: Jim Carrey, Meryl StreepDirector: Brad Silberling(City of Angels)

Story: Based on the wildly popular anddarkly humourous kids’ books, the threeBaudelaire orphans are sent to live withtheir creepy uncle, Count Olaf (Carrey),who schemes to steal the children’sinheritance. DVD Extras: commentary bythe director and the real Lemony Snicket,and the featurettes “Building a BadActor,” “Making the Baudelaire ChildrenMiserable” and “Interactive Olaf”

GO TO WWW.BLOCKBUSTER.CA FOR MORE INFORMATION

THE AMITYVILLEHORROR COLLECTION For George and Kathy Lutz, the colonial

home on the river’s edge seemed ideal:quaint, spacious and amazingly affordable.Of course, six brutal murders had takenplace there just a year before, but housesdon’t have memories...or do they?

In one of the most talked abouthaunted house stories of all time, blooddrips from the walls, a terrifying chillrakes through the rooms, and menacingeyes glow from the upstairs windows.This four-disc set screams into stores onApril 5, 10 days before the big-screenremake starring Ryan Reynolds opens intheatres.

Based on the best-selling book by JayAnson, the original The Amityville Horror(1979) stars James Brolin, MargotKidder and Rod Steiger. Bone-chillinggoodies include an introduction andaudio commentary by parapsychologistDr. Hans Holzer, Ph.D., author of morethan 100 books on paranormal activity,a doc entitled “For God’s Sake, GetOut!,” a sneak peek of the newAmityville Horror, seven radio spots andthe original theatrical trailer.

The set also includes the prequelAmityville II: The Possession (1982),the jaw-droppingly awful Amityville 3-D(1983) and “Amityville Confidential,” anexclusive bonus disc featuring the“Amityville: Horror or Hoax?” documen-tary that reveals secrets of the house,including interviews with the real Lutzfamily, and “Amityville: The Haunting”an account of what actually happened inthe house according to the Lutz family.

NEWtoDVD


star | gazing |

April2005HOROSCOPE | BY DAN LIEBMAN

1st: Debbie Reynolds2nd: Linda Hunt3rd: Eddie Murphy4th: Robert Downey Jr.5th: Peter Greenaway6th: Marilu Henner7th: Russell Crowe8th: Patricia Arquette9th: Dennis Quaid10th: Steven Seagal

11th: Joel Grey12th: Claire Danes13th: Rick Schroder14th: Sarah Michelle Gellar15th: Emma Watson16th: Martin Lawrence17th: Jennifer Garner18th: James Woods19th: Kate Hudson20th: Jessica Lange

21st: Charles Grodin22nd: Jack Nicholson23rd: Michael Moore24th: Barbra Streisand25th: Renée Zellweger26th: Carol Burnett27th: Sheena Easton28th: Jessica Alba29th: Daniel Day-Lewis30th: Kirsten Dunst

AriesMarch 21 April 20 Some difficult choices face you thismonth. Look at the big picture whenweighing pros against cons. Your socialgroup may include additions and dropouts.You show a late-month talent for acting,with the emphasis on spontaneous,impromptu performances.

TaurusApril 21 May 22You face stiff competition when goingafter a plum assignment, but your logicalapproach gives you an advantage. Pruneyour long to-do list — you can accomplishonly so much by the end of April. Andprepare an acceptance speech for anupcoming honour.

GeminiMay 23 June 21You gain recognition for a recent accom-plishment, but this is not the time tocoast. Be cautious about taking sides in adebate between two people you like. You’llbe rubbing shoulders with interestingtypes, but don’t go overboard trying toimpress them.

CancerJune 22 July 22Your household is tranquil for a change.Take advantage of the situation and catchup on correspondence and paperwork. Youmay reverse your opinion about a neighbouror co-worker. If you’re serious about some-one, make sure the person knows it.

LeoJuly 23 August 22You receive some unexpected responsesto recent requests. It’s generally a goodmonth to develop technical skills, travelto unusual destinations, and re-establisha friendship. Be as objective as you canwhen discussing family issues.

VirgoAugust 23 September 22A surprising amount of drama occurs now,with friends demanding a large chunk ofyour attention. But there’s more stabilityin your life, especially after the full moonof the 24th. It’s a good month to sign upfor a course or other mentally stimulatingprogram.

LibraSeptember 23 October 22You’re feeling more confident aboutspeaking your mind and — for once —being blunt. At the same time, you’reable to recognize people’s true motives.Midmonth is a good time to work out differences. Make an extra effort to keepin touch with distant relatives.

ScorpioOctober 23 November 21It’s a good month for trying new ways tofix old problems. You could find that jobsgo faster without an assistant. Maintain asense of balance in the areas of healthand fitness. Keep your sense of humour,too, as April Fool’s tricksters can strike atany time.

SagittariusNovember 22 December 22Friends continue to surprise you — somewith their generosity, others with theirharebrained schemes. Pay extra attentionto matters involving shared arrangements,especially financial ones. Late monthfinds you intuitive and motivated.

CapricornDecember 23 January 20You’re extraordinarily in tune with othersright now — understanding their needsand even finishing their sentences.Unexpected travel opportunities are scattered throughout April. You continueto make steady progress as you chaseafter an important goal.

AquariusJanuary 21 February 19 The month finds you changing opinionsand shifting directions. By the 30th, youhave a clear idea of where you’re headed— and with whom. Carefully check financial and other details. And don’t getcarried away with new friends at theexpense of old ones.

PiscesFebruary 20 March 20This is a transition month. You becomemore confident, as reflected in everythingfrom your writing style to your wardrobe.Keep track of spending. Socially, it’s amonth of invitations, but watch out for anabsent-minded streak that surfacesaround the 17th.

APRIL BIRTHDAYS



famous | last | words

CAMERON DIAZ “I worked at TCBY, the yogurt shop. Thefirst two weeks I literally lived on the chocolate and vanilla swirl,then the mere sight of it left me queasy.”

MICHELLE PFEIFFER “I was a supermarket checkoutgirl. I had just graduated from high school, and I thought therest of my life would be spent telling little old ladies, ‘I’m sorry,ma’am, that coupon expired 10 years ago.’”

COURTNEY LOVE “I was the phone answerer for an escortagency in midtown New York. The place smelled really bad.”

ROBIN WILLIAMS “I was a mime who worked in front ofthe Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It really requiredcombat pay. Kids would try to kick you.”

SEAN BEAN “I worked as a welder for my dad’s company. Ithink he would have liked me to carry on in the family business,but I knew I wasn’t cut out for it.”

ORLANDO BLOOM “My first job was as a clay trapper,when I was about 13. I set the clay disks and the gentlemen

would try to shoot. It was fun to be out in the fresh air, but I didn’t fancy doing that for the rest of my life.”

PAUL MCCARTNEY “I was second guy on a lorry, and Islept most of the time.”

JILL HENNESSY “Playing guitar on Toronto’s streets for dinner money. I’d sit on the curb and play anything anybodywanted. After a while, I’d have 10 people standing around andmaybe $25 in my guitar case.”

CINDY CRAWFORD “I had a summer job detasselingcorn near my home in DeKalb, Illinois. In fact, that’s what Iwas doing when a photographer from a local newspaper tookmy picture — and the favourable reaction to that picture convinced me to try modeling. It had to be better than detasseling corn.”

JENNIFER ANISTON “I waitressed at the Jackson Holediner in New York City. The customers didn’t like me because Iwould try to memorize the orders instead of writing the entirething down. Suddenly, hot dogs became hotcakes.”

STARSTALK

ABOUTTHEIREARLYWORK

10I BY SUSAN GRANGER

VIN DIESEL “I worked as a night-club bouncer but I’d get into fights withother bouncers when a guy was alreadyon the floor and the other guys thought itwas alright to jump in the air and landon the guy’s head.”

Doner Canada Inc.

Ad No.: BB5-1018

Size: 8" x 10.5"

Colours: CMYK

Date: March 14, 2005

Client: Blockbuster

Mac Operator: VB

Job Ticket: 5-70735-030

Version: 2

Media: Famous Players

If any problems contact Doner media at (416) 485-9901

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RELAX, IT’SOKTOBELATE

NOMORELATEFEES

Movie and game rentals are due back at the date and time stated on the transaction receipt. There is no additional rental charge if a member keeps a rental item beyond the pre-paidrental period. However, if a member chooses to keep a rental item for more than a week after the end of the rental period, BLOCKBUSTER® will automatically convert the rental to asale on the eighth (8th) day after the end of the rental period. BLOCKBUSTER will post to the membership account the selling price for the item in effect at the time of the rental. Theselling price will be discounted by the amount of the initial rental fee paid by the member at the time of rental. If the member returns the item within 30 days of the sale date,BLOCKBUSTER will credit back to the membership account the amount previously charged to the member’s account but the member will be charged a one-time restocking fee of$1.75 per unit plus applicable taxes. These rental terms are subject to change without notice at any time. Available at all BLOCKBUSTER Canada stores. See store for complete termsand conditions. Membership rules apply for rental. BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster Inc. © 2005 Blockbuster Inc. All rights reserved.

Best performance by300 horses playing a car.

ford.ca

Ad #: FOC FOR A 55994 05E Revision #:

Client: FORD Art Director: JESSEDivision: Copywriter:

Media: Inside Entertainment Magazine Account:

Colour: 4/C Production: ROB MURRAYType: 8" X 10" Film:

Trim: 8.5" X 10.5" Designer: ELENABleed: 8.75" X 10.75" Date: JANUARY 26, 2005.

YO U N G & R U B I C A M T O R O N T O60 BLOOR WEST / TORONTO / ONTARIO / CANADA / M4W 1J2

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AJAC Award for Best New Sports/Performance Car.Buckle up. The new Mustang continues its rich tradition of performance. Take one

out on the open road. And you’ll see precisely why we keep thinking about freedom.

File Name: 55994_FOC_MUS_300Horse_F0401

Dkt#: F0401 Cust.: Young & Rubicam Desc.: Ford Mustang Ad

Sales: BD CSR: SH OP: JL Rev.: 0 Date: January 26, 2005

64. cineplex magazine april 2005

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