The Prince George Citizen - Friday, February 23, 2001 - 27 Saving The Worid One Playground At A Tlnro www.disney.com/recesS| FRIDAY FEB. 23/01. MIDNIGHT $5 FAMOUS PLAYERS FAMOUS PLAYERS 6 CHECK THEATRE DIRECTORIES FOR SHOWTIMES NOW PLAYING! Ill ]© [CHECK THEATRE DIRECTORIES FOR SHOWTIMES! www.odeonfilms.com Michael Don Benicio Dennis Catherine DOUGLAS CHEADLE DELTORO QUAID ZETA-JONES Trjvtaiinct.suGESsnvE scents. T COARSE LANGUAGE www.odeonfllms.con1 Lit U C ACADEMY AWARD Denominations mam BEST PICTURE 3BK ,★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ i'P.STOMSHIMGr •IfTTMLYEHEACWCr * THRILLING!* ;★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★ ★ ★★★ ★★★★ **** SUGGESTIVE SCENES, ^unfurl(tin/nvnl ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATIONS)’ iBEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR i\(,aciriM. EIWCR& mum"? -mvvii NnwpiAYiNr.ii assaa. nsag* ODEON FILMS • AN ALLIANCE ATLANTIS COMPANY ISTARTS TODAY! HILARIOUS AND ROMANTIC! Ixipcz and McConaughcy sizzle together on the big screen! kThe IOEDDING PLANNER sony.com/theweddingplanner COLUMBIAN-] picturesLL] NOW PLAYING! CANADA'S FEASTING ON THE #1 FILM! "IT'S UNMISSABLE... ‘"fa* RIVETING SUSPENSE HW spiced u'it.h diabolical laughs... Jk add up to the tastiest dish around" IVU-i I r.rvcrs. KOI I ING STUM . ANTHONY HOPKINS |ll 11 ANN I MOOIU HANNIBAL A MOVIE SO BIG ONLY A lill VIIU. CAN IIOLO IT! Down To Earth After an error in Heaven results in Lance Barton (Chris Rock) being killed in an accident, the angels send him back down to earth, but in a different body. Also starring Regina King, Mark Addy, Eugene Levy, Frankie Faison, Greg Germann, Jennifer Coolidge and Chazz Palminteri. Directed by Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz. Rated PG. HE SAID: Down to Earth is a hit and miss comedy. Chris Rock stars as Lance Barton, a bike messenger by day and an amateur stand-up comedian by night. One day while on his bike he gets creamed by a truck and is sent to heaven before his time. Uh-oh, his “guardian angel” Keyes (Eugene Levy) made a mistake and took him a split second too soon. There he meets Mr. King (Chazz Palminteri) the head angel who agrees to send Lance back to Earth, but using someone else’s body. The loaner body turns out to be a rich old white guy named Charles Wellington who was just poisoned by his cheating wife (Jennifer Coolidge) and his assistant Sklar (Greg Germann). Also, Lance, as Charles, falls for a beautiful woman named Sontee (Regina King), which of course, makes things a bit more complicated. For the most part, Chris Rock is able to put together a few good one-liners (did I mention that he cowrote the movie?) and get a handful of chuckles. The supporting cast of Levy and Palminteri are very funny as angels. However, it was difficult to picture Chris Rock as Charles all of the time. When Chris’s character courts Regina’s character you forget that Chris is supposed to be this old white guy that Sontee hates. It’s not until there are a couple of scenes in which you see Charles as Charles that we are reminded of the real differences between the characters. I’m not sure how this could have been done differently, but I know that it didn’t really work for me. Down To Earth wasn’t all that bad. Like I said, there were moments, but if you really want to see Chris Rock at his comedic best, watch one of his standup concert, flicks. FINAL WORD: Down to Earth is disappointing. Ratings: ★ ★ Ratings: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ excellent, ★ ★ ★ ★ very good ★ ★★fair ★ ★ poor ★ don’t waste your time SHE SAID: Down to Earth, a remake of Warren Beatty’s 1978 movie Heaven Can Wait (which itself was a remake of a 1943 picture of the same name), is a perfect example of why making a remake of a remake isn’t always a good thing. Consider what happens when you photocopy a document. The copy is never as good as the original, no matter how good your machine might be, but the resulting quality gets even further degraded when you copy the copy. The same seems to apply to film. Remakes are seldom as good as the original, although, just as in anything else, there are exceptions. Unfortunately, this isn’t one of them. Down to Earth had a lot going for it at first glance — a great cast and some pretty good acting — but even that couldn’t make up for it’s Achilles’ heel, the story. It was just plain hokey. Yes, Chris Rock was, as always, funny, but he was a funny man running around in a hokey movie. The story problems boil down to the script level. Take a look at the writing credits. There are no less than six people credited! Six! No wonder the story lacks a sense of direction. It is a classic case of too many cooks in the kitchen. The result is a story where the supporting characters are poorly drawn with little thought or depth, their personalities and the relationships between these characters feel stiff and contrived to meet the needs of the plot, and the plot itself cannot achieve that suspension of disbelief we look for when going to the movies, especially high-concept pictures such as this. Now, I really enjoy Chris Rock. He is a gifted stand-up comic and also seems to have a talent for acting. Let’s hope he put those talents to better use. FINAL WORD: Down to Earth is a downer. Ratings: ★ Karl and Heather Goemer are Kelowna residents. If you have comments about the reviews, you can email them at: goernola@home.com. NOW PLAYING! r- FAMOUS PLAYERS - FAMOUS PLAYERS 6 PG Scenes, Coarse CHECK THEATRE DIRECTORIES FOR SHOWTIMES From the Director of “THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS" BRENDAN FRASER BRIDGET FONDA Monkeybone coarse LANUAGE www.bitemymonkey.i NEOFTHE YEAR'S VERY BEST FILMS!’ su, SINFULLY SCRUMPTIOUS! JULIETTE BINOCHE IS DELECTABLE!’ .7,. “ONE OF THE YEAR'S BEST PICTURES!’ Entertainment r FAMOUS PLAYERS \ 1 QVGory’ FAMOUS \l0/ Disturbing NOWP LAY PLAYERS 6 Violence CHECK TP EATI E DIP IECTORIES FC IR SHOWTIMES KEANU REEVES CHARUZETOERON SWEET NOVEMBER SHE JUST NEEDED A MONTH TO CHANOE HIS LIFE FOREVEt www.sweetnovember.net „ M.WJ.A ■’—TssiiwisSxI Sugg, scenes, coarse lang. I Violence, sugg. scenes •' Gory & disturbing violence * Coarse lang. DOWN TO EARTH Coarse lang. Sugg, scenes, violence Violence, coarse lang. At the movies Mainstage Programme February 24 & 25, 2001 Vanier Hall Guest Conductor: Bradley Thachuk Guest Artjstsi Erica Skowron - Mezzo-soprano Simon Cole - Clarinet Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) The Magic Flute Overture Johannes Brahms (1897-1933) Alto Rhapsody, Op. S3 * Simon Cole Rhapsody for Clarinet and Orchestra - INTERMISSION - Concert Alexander Borodin (1833-1387) sponsored Symphony No. 2 in b minor •World Premiere . y(y Tickets available at Studio 2880 - 563-2880 SWEET NOVEMBER CROUCHING TIGER HANNIBAL WEDDING PLANNER RECESS: SCHOOLS OUT NOW PLAYING!! FAMOUS PLAVERS FAMOUS PLAYERS 6 Scenes CHECK THEATRE DIRECTORIES FOR SHOWTIMES MATINEES ON FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY ONLY. FAMOUS TUESDAY, ALL TICKETS $5.50. DOORS OPEN 1/2 HOUR BEFORE THE FIRST SHOWTIME. MIDNIGHT SHOWS EVERY FRIDAY. GIFT CERTIFICATES MAKES A PERFECT BIRTHDAY GIFT. Karl Goemer Heather Goemer