25TH HOUR -- Spike Lee directs Edward Norton as a guy who spends his last day before going to jail for heroin dealing partying with friends Barry Pepper, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Rosario Dawson. David Benioff adapts his own novel. Canal Place
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) -- A Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor's offbeat drama is the story of a widower (Jack Nicholson) who struggles to decide whether he should dissuade his sour daughter (Hope Davis) from marrying her doofus boyfriend (Dermot Mulroney). (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.) Canal Place, AMC Palace 20
ADAPTATION (R) -- Director Spike Jonze
and screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich) team up again in this twisted tale of
a screenwriter (Nicolas Cage) trying to adapt a book written by Susan Orlean
(Meryl Streep). Co-stars Chris Cooper and Brian Cox with cameos by John Cusack,
Curtis Hanson and others. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 20, Canal Place
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
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 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Canal Place
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (PG-13) -- B Steven Spielberg's account of a teenager (Leonardo DiCaprio) 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. (Barton) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, The Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
CHICAGO (PG-13) -- A- A spectacular
staging of the hit Broadway musical showcases a sizzling Catherine Zeta-Jones
as the notorious Velma Kelley. Richard Gere and Renée Zellweger, although
less comfortable with the physicality of their roles, both give more than
able performances as huckster lawyer Billy Flynn and his new leading lady
Roxie Hart respectively. The only downer is watching Broadway icons Chita
Rivera (the original Kelley) and Christine Baranski relegated to secondary
roles. (Carlson) 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. 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. AMC Palace 20
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) 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, 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
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
JUST MARRIED (PG-13) -- Newlyweds Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy are in for one bumpy ride of a honeymoon in this romantic comedy from Shawn Levy (Big Fat Liar). AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, The Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
LEWIS & CLARK: GREAT JOURNEY WEST (NR)
-- The adventures of the famous 19th century exporers hits the very
big screen. 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
MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING (PG) -- B+ Nia
Vardalos wrote and stars in this romantic comedy about a Greek-American woman
from a traditional
family who falls in love with a WASPy school teacher (a charming John Corbett).
(Barton) "Walk-In Movie Night" Series continues, benefiting Academy of the
Sacred Heart. 8 p.m. Sunday at the W French Quarter Hotel
NARC (R) -- A narcotics officer on probation for drug use (Jason Patric) is reactivated for duty to investigate the death of another officer, teaming up with the slain officer's partner (Ray Liotta). Directed by Joe Carnahan (Blood, Guts, Bullets and Octane). 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
