13 GHOSTS (R) -- NOT RATED Dark Castle, run by the daughter of horror-film gimmick master William Castle, offers its second remake of a Castle flick (House on Haunted Hill being the other). A man inherits a house (and ghosts) from his dead uncle and moves in with his daughter only to be alternately haunted and in a hunt for hidden treasure. Tony Shalhoub and Shannon Elizabeth co-star. Palace 16, Palace 20
AMELIE (R) -- B+
Jean-Pierre Jeunet (co-director of Delicatessen and The City of Lost Children) presents this unashamedly joyous and cheeky story of a young woman (Audry Tautou ... or is that Hepburn?) who invests her energy in everyone else's happiness but her own. The Jane Austen vibe of this Miramax darling, heightened by the pulsating glow of Bruno Delbonnel's cinematography, overcomes its drawn-out third act. Watch the Weinsteins push this movie come Oscar time -- but for good reason. In French with English subtitles. (Simmons) Canal Place
ANTARCTICA (NR) -- NOT RATED
This IMAX documentary takes viewers to the previously unseen reaches of the Chaos Glacier, with its icy blue waters and crystalline cave, as part of a look at the world's southernmost continent. Entergy IMAX
BEHIND ENEMY LINES (PG-13) -- B-
Owen Wilson matches up well with all the pyrotechnics in this action flick about a downed fighter pilot in Bosnia. The beauty of Wilson is he can be both cheeky and earnest, but first-time director John Moore suffers the usual case of jingo-itis and can't get enough of his rock 'n' roll soundtrack, bad bad guys and explosion-heavy action sequences. It's still pretty taut stuff: Wilson maintains his cool, and Gene Hackman is around as the macho, conflicted admiral bent on returning our boy home. (Simmons) Chalmette, Galleria, Palace 12, Palace 16, Palace 20
BLACK KNIGHT (PG-13) -- NOT RATED
Martin Lawrence is a fast-talking hustler who is thrown back in time to the Middle Ages in order to wreak havoc in this comedy originally slated for Chris Tucker (who costs quite the pretty penny these days). Chalmette, Downtown Joy, Galleria, Palace 12, Palace 16, Palace 20, Plaza
COME UNDONE (NR) -- NOT RATED
Jeremie Elkaim and Stephane and Rideau (Cedric) are two French teens who fall in love one summer in this debut from Sebastien Lifshitz. In French with English subtitles. Canal Place
DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE (PG-13) -- NOT RATED
Divorced dad John Travolta doesn't like the new husband (Vince Vaughn) of ex-wife Teri Polo and seeks to save his kid from harm in this thriller from Harold Becker (Sea of Love). Palace 16, Palace 20
GALAPAGOS (NR) -- A-
Smithsonian Institution marine biologist Carole Baldwin leads an expedition to the mysterious islands explored by Charles Darwin more than 160 years ago. An amazing use of IMAX 3D technology, the film is a feast for the eyes, if not the intellect. (Carlson) Entergy IMAX
HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE (PG-13) -- A
Director Chris Columbus plays it safe and allows J.K. Rowling's phenomenally popular story, a perfectly suited British cast and Industrial Light & Magic to provide the magic in this much-anticipated adaptation. This first of a franchise features veterans Maggie Smith (A Room With a View), Alan Rickman (Dogma) and Robbie Coltrane (From Hell), as well as delightful newcomer Daniel Radcliffe in the title role. Worth the wait and hype. (Jackson Bost) Chalmette, Galleria, Palace 12, Palace 16, Palace 20, Plaza, Prytania
HEIST (R) -- B+
David Mamet brings his staccato-like dialogue and fascination with deceipt to the "final score" side of noir film, without all the dark shadows. Rebecca Pidgeon (his real-life squeeze) joins able veterans Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito and Delroy Lindo in a movie that has plenty of pace and energy. (Jackson Bost) Palace 20
THE IMAX NUTCRACKER (NR) -- NOT RATED
The classic holiday tale gets the 3D treatment, filmed on location in England with larger-than-life toys, puppets and acrobats. Entergy IMAX
INTO THE DEEP (NR) -- NOT RATED
This IMAX 3D documentary is billed as the first of its kind to be shot underwater as it explores the kelp forest off southern California. Entergy IMAX
LIFE AS A HOUSE (R) -- B-
Irwin Winkler's family drama tells the story of a man (Kevin Kline) who is dying of cancer and trying to reconcile with his estranged son and divorced wife. Moments of humor and solid performances make this intermittently entertaining, but a sloppy, manipulative script keeps it from being ultimately satisfying. (Barton) Palace 20
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (PG-13) -- A
This first Lord of the Rings movie is better than fans of the books possibly could have imagined. Peter Jackson's masterful direction and devotion to Tolkien's tale create an epic of the highest order. Stars Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen. (Carlson) (Reviewed in this issue.) Opens Wednesday at Chalmette, Galleria, Palace 12, Palace 16, Palace 20, Plaza, Prytania
THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE (R) A-
Billy Bob Thornton stars in this drama about a 1940s small-town barber who suspects his wife (Frances McDormand) of infidelity, tries to blackmail her lover (James Gandolfini), and pitches himself headlong into an avalanche of deception, suicide and murder. An homage to film noir, this Coen Brothers picture is typically elusive, but fascinating and more thematically ambitious than some of their other work. (Barton) Canal Place
MONSTERS, INC. (G) -- B+
From the creators of Pixar (Toy Story, A Bug's Life) comes this easygoing animated tale of workmanlike monsters who bottle kids' screams (in their bedrooms at night) in order to provide needed energy. John Goodman and Billy Crystal are so good as the voices of Sully and Mike that they should consider the animation biz as a permanent gig. A fun story that drags a bit in the middle provides plenty of sight gags and a digestible parable about positivity over negativity. (Simmons) Chalmette, Galleria, Palace 12, Palace 16, Palace 20, Plaza
NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE (R) -- NOT RATED
Not another parody movie!? Yep, with this one featuring first-time director Joel Gallen (he does short spoofs for MTV) and a ton of screenwriters including two who did Scary Movie. Cast includes Randy Quaid and Paul Gleason and a ton of young actors. Chalmette, Downtown Joy, Galleria, Palace 12, Palace 16, Palace 20, Plaza
NOVOCAINE (R) -- B+
David Atkins' black comedy stars Steve Martin as a successful dentist who throws away the good life when he falls for drug addict Helena Bonham Carter. The film doesn't quite hold up under rigorous examination, but it's a pleasure in the theater; funny and consistently surprising. (Barton) Palace 12
OCEAN'S ELEVEN (PG-13) -- B+
Steven Soderbergh's much-anticipated follow-up to the Oscar-winning Traffic and remake of the Rat Pack movie is quite a departure from both, and mostly in all the right ways. Soderbergh, one of the smoothest filmmakers on the planet, brings his own sense of cool to the year's millionth heist movie. Despite some slips here and there, he does justice to an all-star cast that includes George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, with Julia Roberts' performance too restrained for her sensibities. Ultimately, it is what is, a bunch of talented people having a good time, and the result is predictably infectious. (Simmons) Chalmette, Galleria, Palace 12, Palace 16, Palace 20
THE ONE (PG-13) -- NOT RATED
Jet Li (Romeo Must Die) builds strength each time he travels to another universe to kill the parallel version of himself in this action sci-fi flick from James Wong (Final Destination). Palace 16, Palace 20
OUT COLD (R) -- NOT RATED
It's the slackers vs. the elite at a ski resort when buddies try to open a snowboarding park in this Caddyshack-style comedy. Debut directing effort from commercials vets Emmett and Brendan Malloy (what is it with brother directing teams these days?). Palace 16, Palace 20
POOR WHITE TRASH (R) -- NOT RATED
Sean Young, Jason London, William Devane, Jamie Pressley and Tony Denman star in this comedy about a divorced mom who goes on a crime spree to help send her son to college. Plaza
SERENDIPITY (PG-13) -- NOT RATED
Knowing only each other's first names, John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale try to find each other 10 years after a chance encounter in this romantic comedy that also features Molly Shannon and Jeremy Piven. Palace 20
SHALLOW HAL (PG-13) -- C+
The usually fearless Farrelly Brothers (There's Something About Mary) play it comparatively safe with this tepid comedy about a hapless skirt-chaser (Jack Black, acting in second gear) hypnotized into seeing only the beauty inside women. His very overweight object of desire looks exactly like Gwyneth Paltrow (a highlight). Devoid of audacity as the Farrellys try to say something important, Shallow Hal unfortunately is shallow indeed. (Simmons) Chalmette, Palace 12, Palace 16, Palace 20
SIDEWALKS OF NEW YORK (R) -- B
Edward Burns' ensemble comedy looks at the lives of a half-dozen young Manhattanites struggling with issues of love and sex. Good acting and a funny script deliver solid entertainment even as jump cuts annoy and some of the characterizations don't quite work. (Barton) Canal Place
SPY GAME (R) -- C+
Tony Scott directed Robert Redford and Brad Pitt in this largely disappointing spy thriller. The set-up works well enough to keep us watching, but the limp character development squanders our concentration two-thirds of the way through, and the complicated plot ultimately fails to satisfy. (Barton) Chalmette, Galleria, Palace 12, Palace 16, Palace 20
TRAINING DAY (R) -- NOT RATED
Rookie cop Ethan Hawke gets a rude awakening in his first day on the job when he is paired up with crooked veteran Denzel Washington. Co-stars Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Macy Gray. Palace 16, Palace 20
VA SAVOIR (PG-13) -- B
Vintage French filmmaker Jacques Rivette made this daisy chain of Parisian romantic entanglements involving an actress, a theater director, a philosophy professor, a ballet instructor, a beautiful young student and her brother, a thief. Viewers will perhaps be reminded of a talky "comic" work like Ingmar Bergman's Smiles of a Summer Night, which is both a compliment -- and not. (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.) Starts Friday at Canal Place
VANILLA SKY (R) -- B-
Playboy Tom Cruise learns the meaning of life, dreams and nightmares after falling for kooky Penelope Cruz in Cameron Crowe's (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous) remake of the 1997 Spanish film, Open Your Eyes. Cruz, thankfully, reprises her role in that film. Along with Cruise's layered performance and the promising set-up, she is easily one of the film's highlights. In a year filled with movies messing with your head, Crowe brings all of the flaws from the first film and adds a few of his own, namely his habit of loading scenes with pop songs to the point of annoyance. After an hour or so of dreamlike intrigue, Vanilla Sky indeed sinks into a bit of a nightmare, literally and figuratively. (Simmons) (Reviewed in this issue.) Chalmette, Galleria, Palace 12, Palace 16, Palace 20
THE WASH (R) -- NOT RATED
Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg are best buddies who crack wise and keep 'em clean in this apparent tribute to the 1976 comedy near-classic, Car Wash. That film featured Richard Pryor and George Carlin and was written by (of all people) Joel Schumacher! D.J. Pooh (3 Strikes) directs, while comedian George Wallace co-stars. Downtown Joy, Palace 16, Palace 20, Plaza
