8 MILE (R) -- C+Semi-autobiographical
it might be, but 8 Mile is smaller than life. The raw energy and talent
of Eminem is dampened by a too-long script and Curtis Hanson's torpid direction.
(Carlson) Downtown Joy
ABOUT SCHMIDT (R) -- Alexander Payne
(Election) directs Jack Nicholson as a retiring claims adjuster who is
disillusioned with his life as he travels to his daughter's wedding. Loosely
based on Louis Begley's 1996 novel. Canal Place, AMC Palace 20
ANALYZE THAT (R) -- Director Harold
Ramis and actors Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal reunite for this sequel to
the 1999 mob comedy Analyze This. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC
Palace 20, Hollywood Cinemas 9
ANTWONE FISHER (PG-13) -- Denzel Washington
makes his directing debut and co-stars in the fact-based story of a troubled
sailor (Derek Luke) who eventually becomes a Hollywood screenwriter. AMC
Palace 20
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (PG-13) -- B Steven
Spielberg's account of a teenager who successfully passed himself off as an
airline pilot, a doctor and a lawyer is a fun romp with a light brush of the
director's established concerns about divorce and a young man's search for a
father figure. Leonardo DiCaprio is at his best as the scamp; so is Tom Hanks
as the dogged FBI agent on the impostor's trail. (Barton) (Reviewed in this
issue.) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, The Grand,
Hollywood Cinemas 9
CHICAGO (PG-13) -- An impressive cast
featuring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Christine Baranski,
Taye Diggs, Queen Latifah, Lucy Liu and Chita Rivera highlights this movie version
of the hit Broadway musical. Rob Marshall, who co-directed with Sam Mednes the
latest stage revival of Cabaret, makes his film-directing debut. AMC
Palace 20
DIE ANOTHER DAY (PG-13)-- Unless you've
been living under a rock for the past month, you know the James Bond series
celebrates its 40th anniversary with Pierce Brosnan sexing up American spy Halle
Berry. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, The Grand
DRUMLINE (PG-13)-- A street drummer
in Harlem brings his own sense of rhythm to a marching band after getting a
scholarship to a college in the South. Directed by Charles Stone III (those
"Whazzzup?" Bud commercials, and Paid in Full). AMC Palace 12, AMC
Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Downtown Joy, Hollywood Cinemas 9, The
Grand
EMPIRE (R)-- Drug dealer John Leguizamo
tries to quit while he's ahead, only to find out that he's been ripped off by
investor Peter Sarsgaard and girlfriend Denise Richards. Debut from writer-director
Franc Reyes. Excellent supporting cast includes Ruben Blades, Sonia Braga and
Isabella Rossellini. AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20
FAR FROM HEAVEN (R) -- A Todd Haynes'
stylized, almost painterly drama tells the story of a white 1957 suburban Connecticut
housewife whose husband is grappling with his homosexuality while she takes
refuge in a friendship with her black gardener. (Barton) Canal Place
FRIDA (R) -- B+ Salma Hayek shines in
her portrayal of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. So does Alfred Molina as husband/artist
Diego Rivera in this paradoxically vibrant and episodic bio-pic from Julie Taymor
(Titus), who does a marvelous job of literally bringing Kahlo's art to
life. (Simmons) Canal Place, Hollywood Cinemas 9
FRIDAY AFTER NEXT (R) -- Ice Cube and
Mike Epps reunite for the third installment of the Friday series, this time
with the pair working as mall security guards and trying to catch the thief
who stole their holiday presents. AMC Palace 16, Chalmette, Downtown Joy,
The Grand
GANGS OF NEW YORK (R) -- A Martin Scorsese's
look at ethnic and religious violence in 19th century Manhattan is cinematically
brilliant. It has stunning production design, haunting cinematography, searching
themes and great acting headed by Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio. (Barton)AMC
Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Canal Place, Chalmette, The Grand,
Hollywood Cinemas 9
HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
(PG) -- C- This second installment is boring and utterly conventional --
all two hours and 50 minutes of it. It's pretty apparent that too much time
is spent on how everything looks and not enough on how any of it feels. Kenneth
Branagh as the wryly pompous Gilderoy Lockhart is one of the only bright spots.
Stay home and read the delightful book instead. (Carlson) AMC Palace 12,
AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Hollywood Cinemas 9
HIDDEN WARS OF THE STORM (NR) -- Documentary
by Gerard Ungerman and Audrey Brohey explores and questions the United States'
relations with and actions against Iraq before, during and after Saddam Hussein's
invasion of Kuwait in 1990. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday at Zeitgeist
HOT CHICK (PG-13) -- A popular but rather
bitchy teenage girl gets a little comeuppance when she is magically transported
into the body of Rob Schneider, who then proceeds to get into a series of wacky
situations. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, The Grand,
Hollywood Cinemas 9
THE LION KING (G) -- The largest-grossing
animated film of all time gets the IMAX treatment, taken from the original digital
elements instead of the 35mm print. Entergy IMAX
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS (PG-13)
-- A+ Director Peter Jackson presents this spectacular sequel to The
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Jaw-dropping combat sequences,
an expert use of digital imagery and a true devotion to the heart of the Tolkien
classic make movie magic. (Carlson) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace
20, Chalmette, Hollywood Cinemas 9, The Grand, Prytania
MAID IN MANHATTAN (PG-13) -- Hotel maid
Jennifer Lopez is mistaken for a socialite (and is then wooed) by wealthy Ralph
Fiennes in this romantic comedy directed by Wayne Wang (The Joy Luck Club,
Anywhere But Here). AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette,
The Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
PINOCCHIO (G) -- Roberto Benigni (Life
Is Beautiful) directed, co-wrote and stars as the famous title character.
Real-life wife and frequent co-star Nicoletta Braschi also stars. This Italian
version of the tale has been dubbed into English, with voices provided by Kevin
James, Glenn Close, Queen Latifah and Eddie Griffin.AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace
20, The Grand
THE PINOCHET CASE (NR) --Patricio Guzman's
documentary explores the machinations that led to the arrest and trial in the
late 1990s of Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday at
Zeitgeist
REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES (PG-13)-- A
chubby Mexican-American teenager from East L.A. (America Ferrera) grapples with
her self-image as defined by both her weight and ethnicity in this film-festival
favorite and feature debut from director Patricia Cardoso. Canal Place
THE RING (PG-13) -- B- Despite some
nice ideas and a great set-up, Gore Verbinski's frightfest about a journalist
(Naomi Watts) trying to unravel the mystery behind a videotape that leads to
death for all who watch it is ultimately a disappointment. (Simmons) AMC
Palace 12
THE SANTA CLAUSE 2 (G) -- B-Little kids
should probably never hear that Santa Claus is really the voice of Buzz Lightyear,
but Tim Allen's charm provides decent holiday glow to this seasonal sequel.
(Tisserand) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20
STAR TREK: NEMESIS (PG-13) -- Patrick
Stewart, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton and the rest reunited for another voyage
of the starship Enterprise, in which the Romulans are negotiating for peace
-- or are they? AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20
TREASURE PLANET (G)--Co-directors Ron
Clements and John Musker (Aladdin, The Little Mermaid) serve up
Disney's holiday animation offering, an outer-space version of Robert Louis
Stevenson's literary classic Treasure Island. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace
16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette
TWO WEEKS NOTICE (PG-13)--Marc Lawrence,
who had a hand in the scripts for previous Sandra Bullock vehicles (Forces
of Nature, Miss Congeniality) writes and makes his directing debut
with Bullock playing chief counsel to Hugh Grant's smug millionaire. AMC
Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, The Grand, Hollywood Cinemas
9
THE WILD THORNBERRYS (PG) -- The crew
from the popular Nickelodeon series shows up for its second animation feature,
this time without the Rugrats. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20,
Chalmette, The Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
