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AUSTIN POWERS IN GOLDMEMBER (PG-13) -- A-
Perhaps the funniest of the Austin Powers trilogy, Goldmember introduces
the eponymous bad guy, a Dutch madman maimed in a smelting accident (Mike Myers),
as well as Powers patriarch, Nigel (Michael Caine). Myers has ratcheted up the
bathroom humor to great effect, proving that silly can be a satisfying, side-splitting
and sophisticated venture. (Carlson) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace
20, Chalmette, Plaza, Prytania
BLOOD WORK (R) -- NOT RATED
Clint Eastwood directs and stars as a retiring FBI director and heart-transplant
recipient who finds a potential killer is an old nemesis from his past. Also stars
Anjelica Huston and Wanda De Jesus, with a script by L.A. Confidential's
Brian Helgeland. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette
THE COUNTRY BEARS (G) -- NOT RATED
You've seen the Disney attraction,
now see the movie! A bear named Beary (Haley Joel Osment's voice) who was raised
by humans decides to seek his real, pawed family in Tennessee. AMC Palace
12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette
HALLOWEEN: RESURRECTION (R) -- NOT RATED
They say the eighth time is
the charm, eh? Since Halloween: H2O was such a success, here we go yet
again, with six gullible teens holing up in Michael Myers' old home to host
an Internet chat about the killer, who shows up and kills. And, yes, Jamie Lee
Curtis is back. AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Plaza
K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER (PG-13) -- B-
Kathryn Bigelow's naval drama tells
the story of a Cold War Soviet submarine that suffers a nuclear accident which
threatens a lot more than fish. Harrison Ford is the mission-focused captain
and Liam Neeson his crew-loyal executive officer. Heads inevitably butt. Important
points are at least tangentially made. But we've seen this movie more than once
before. (Barton) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20
LIKE MIKE (PG) -- NOT RATED
Lil' Bow Wow plays a little kid who, through
a freak accident, becomes an NBA star. Features cameos by NBA stars including
Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd and Chris Webber. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16,
Chalmette, Plaza
LOVELY AND AMAZING (R) -- B+
Nicole Holofcener's (Walking and Talking) family drama examines the
low self-concept that sometimes cripples people who have more going for them
than they recognize. The characters here aren't likable, but fine performances
by Brenda Blethyn, Catherine Keener and Emily Mortimer help us to care about
them in spite of themselves. (Barton) Canal Place
MARTIN LAWRENCE LIVE: RUNTELDAT (R)
The comic presents his first concert performance on film since 1994's wildly
popular You So Crazy. AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Downtown Joy,
Plaza
THE MASTER OF DISGUISE (PG) -- F
Dana Carvey stars in this "comedy" about
a son who must embrace his family's history of disguise to save his father who
has been kidnapped and forced into evil deeds. An audience of kids laughed at
the endless fart jokes. But to put this succinctly, this was the worst movie
I've seen. Ever. (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace
16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Plaza
MEN IN BLACK II (PG-13) -- B+
The sequel to the 1997 box office barn burner Men in Black is fresher
and funnier -- although even more familiar -- than ever. Tommy Lee Jones, Will
Smith and Rip Torn obviously relish the opportunity to reprise their roles.
(Carlson) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20,Chalmette
MINORITY REPORT (PG-13) -- B+
Steven Spielberg presents one of his most
assured works in years, with Tom Cruise as a futuristic cop who prevents murders
before they occur, only to find himself accused as a killer. (Simmons) AMC
Palace 12, AAMC Palace 20
MR. DEEDS (PG-13) -- C-
Loosely based on the 1936 classic Mr. Deeds
Goes to Town, this Adam Sandler "comedy" is neither a remake nor an homage.
It's more like a raised middle finger to cinema history and a yawn of indifference
to contemporary audiences. (Barton) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 20
MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING (PG) -- NOT RATED
Nia Vardalos wrote and stars
in the screen adaptation of her autobiographical one-woman play about the misadventures
of a Greek woman marrying a non-Greek man. AMC Palace 20, Canal Place
ROAD TO PERDITION (R) -- C
Sam Mendes' rampantly disappointing follow-up
to American Beauty is a Depression-era crime drama that ought to be about
a father's search for redemption but is instead about a father's search for
revenge. Great cinematography by Conrad L. Hall and a terrific cast can't save
a story that proceeds from plodding to preposterous to predictable. (Barton)
AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Canal Place, Chalmette
SIGNS (PG-13) -- B-
M. Night Shyamalan continues what feels like a downward
career trajectory after his thrilling debut, The Sixth Sense, with this
manipulative, choppy and ultimately thin exploration of a creeping alien invasion.
Delightful nods to War of the Worlds and Night of the Living Dead
can't cover up Shyamalan's weak themes and Mel Gibson's depth-free acting. The
shock scenes and humorous moments often cover up the film's flaws. (Simmons)
AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Canal Place, Chalmette
SPY KIDS 2 (PG) -- NOT RATED
Robert Rodriguez's follow-up to last year's successful romp with a brother-sister
team taking over for their spy parents (Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino) when
mom and pop are put out of action. This time, the kids find peer rivals and
eventually combine forces to save the world. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16,
AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Downtown Joy, Plaza
STUART LITTLE 2 (PG) -- B
This sequel still doesn't measure up to E.B. White's book, but it easily tops
the first film in whimsy and age-appropriateness. This time, the mousy hero
meets a new feathered friend and embarks on adventures throughout a lovingly
photographed New York -- in fact, the opening panorama, set against Mary Mary's
version of "Put a Little Love in Your Heart," plays as a post-9/11 valentine
to the city. Michael J. Fox voices the squeaky hero and James Woods is a villainous
falcon, but Nathan Lane gets the film's best laughs as a bitchy housecat. (Tisserand)
AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Plaza
SUNSHINE STATE (PG-13) -- A
John Sayles' melancholy look at two Florida beach communities undergoing the
wrenching transition from mom-and-pop motels to corporate resort development
offers an array of sharply drawn characters and the director's trademark determination
to afford dignity to one and all. (Barton) Canal Place
XXX (PG-13) -- NOT RATED
Overnight action hunk Vin Diesel reunites with The Fast and the Furious
director Rob Cohen and producer Neil Moritz in this story of an on-the-edge,
extreme-sports wild man (Diesel) recruited by the government's Samuel L. Jackson
to bust up a Russian crime gang.
| AMC Palace 12 734-2020; AMC Palace 16 734-2020; AMC Palace 20 734-2020; Canal Place 581-5400; Chalmette 277-9797; Downtown Joy 522-7575; Entergy IMAX 581-4629; Plaza 245-0102; Prytania 891-2787; Zeitgeist 525-2767
Compiled by David Lee Simmons
Contributors: Rick Barton, Shala Carlson, David Lee Simmons |
Other Stories This Week in Movies:
Film Review
The Master of Disguise
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