Reykjavík Grapevine - 09.07.2004, Blaðsíða 19

It´s hard to dislike Jackie Chan. His films are as harmless as you
can get. It´s almost a relief these days to see movie violence where no
one gets hurt and everyone gets up again, having learnt their lesson.
But it´s also hard to really like Jackie Chan. They all seem the same,
no matter who he´s being paired with or what time period he´s be-
ing set in. Here, in place of Owen Wilson or Chris Tucker is Steve
Coogan. “Who?” may be the first thought that comes to mind, but
you may have seen him in 24 Hour Party People.
by Valur Gunnarsson
LISTINGS : july 9 - july 22MOVIES :
AROUND THE WORLD IN 90 MINUTES
Here he plays globe trotter and
betting man Phileas Fogg. There´s
something very romantic about
the 19th Century, when there were
still places left to be discovered,
and of course, in due course
colonised, although the hangover
of colonisation may be somewhat
less romantic. The highlights of the
film are the CGI travels between
countries, when you get an overview
of the next port of call. Cecile de
France shines as the love interest
and we´ll probably be seeing more
of her. The cameo´s range from the
very brief, such as Richard Branson
and John Cleese, to the downright
bizarre. The governor of California
appears as a Rodin collecting
Turkish sultan, and is probably the
last person you would expect in
such a role. Apparently he tried to
have himself cut from the film after
entering politics. If he had succeeded
this would have been a worse film,
but you now wonder whether
this may have been his last screen
performance. The Wilson brothers
are great as the Wright brothers,
Owen Wilson currently being a
contender for funniest man alive.
Despite all this, the movie seems to
drag on. You wish they would have
gone for a more straightforward
rendition of the story, and left out all
the mock fights. This is one Jackie
Chan movie that may have been
better off without him.
Screenings start rougly every two hours, at 18, 20 and 22. However, with films getting ever longer
starting times may vary. There are usually ads and trailers for roughly 15 minutes from announced
starting time. Almost all films have a short interval in the middle.
Give football to God
NOT ON THE TV
The other day I sat down to watch the news. We were
in the middle of the presidential elections and I wanted
to hear from the pundits how they viewed the election
and what they saw as the likely outcome. So I sat down
at 7:00pm only to find that Iceland´s favourite news-
reader had been usurped by 22 men, a ball and a referee.
Here we were in the middle of a presidential elec-
tion campaign, a time when the issues relating to the
constitution, media laws and the prospect of a referen-
dum are all running to a very public conclusion. At this
crucial time, when campaigning is at its most vigorous
and when in other countries news coverage would be
extended, here it is given up for a football tournament
- a tournament where the nation isn’t even represented.
“It must be on another channel” I told myself, as I
surfed in vain to find Bogi and crew grapple with the
candidates.
What I did find was Omega; the ‘round-the-clock bible
channel, sitting there ‘fat, dumb and happy’ broadcasting
to a handful of viewers, using up one of the country’s
most valuable resources: a television frequency.
Divine intervention is certainly at play here. How a
country that has limited analog frequencies can devote
24 hours a day, 365 days a year to a religious network is
a mystery of biblical proportions and one that is worthy
of review.
RÚV has a mandate to entertain as well as inform, and
doubtless the decision to broadcast the football was
made in response to that duty. But is it not possible
to put it on another channel? Is it too much to ask the
good people at Omega to risk the wrath of God and
move aside when events, such as presidential elections
and football matches, coincide?
Everyone would win. The news and current affairs
programmes could run at their usual times, football fans
would be able to watch all of their games, and Omega
would receive more viewers, as some would forget to
change channels at the end of the broadcast and, who
knows, some may even want to tune in again?
by Robert Jackson
Hverfisgata 54
Phone: 551-9000
www.regnboginn.is
PREMIERS:
9. july Spider-Man 2
16. july My Babys Daddy
Still running:
Walking Tall
Suddenly 30
Day after Tomorrow
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind, The Punisher
Laugarás
Phone: 553-2075
www.laugarasbio.is
PREMIERS:
9. july Spiderman 2
16. july Shrek 2
Still running:
Godsend
Álfabakka 8
Phone: 587-8900
www.sambio.is
PREMIERS:
9. july Raising Helen
16. july Shrek 2
Still running:
The Chronicles of Riddick
Raising Helen
Around the World in 80 Days
Harry Potter 3
Eurotrip,
Troy
Kringlan 4-6
Phone: 588-0800
www.sambio.is
PREMIERS:
16. july Raising Helen
16. july Shrek 2
Still running:
The Chronicles of Riddick
Around the World in 80 Days
Mean Girls
Conf. of a Teenage Drama
Queen
Chasing Liberty
Smáralind
Phone: 564-0000
www.smarabio.is
PREMIERS:
9. july Spiderman 2
16. july My Babys Daddy

Still running:
Walking Tall
Suddenly 30
Day after Tomorrow
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless
Mind
The Punisher
Hagatorg
Phone: 530-1919
www.haskolabio.is
PREMIERS:
16. july Shrek 2
Still running:
The Chronicles of Riddick
Around the World in 80 Days
Devine Intervention
Metallica : Some Kind of Mon-
ster, The Ladykillers, Harry
Potter 3, Mors Elling (Elling 2)
Look no further for:
Comic books
Graphic Novels
Manga/Anime
Action Figures
Sci-Fi/Fantasy paperbacks
Collectible Card Games
Warhammer
Role-Playing Games
and more...
NEXUS
Hverfisgata 103 (near bus station Hlemmur)
Open mon-sat 12 to 19:30, sun. 13-18
Phones 552 9011 - 5529012
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