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2 FAST AND 2 FURIOUS (PG-13) --
Actor Vin Diesel and director Rob Cohen are out and actor Tyrese Gibson and director
John Singleton are in for this sequel to the 2001 action hit that returns only
co-star Paul Walker. Vroom, vroom. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC
Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM (PG-13) --
B+ Gurinder Chadha's story of a British girl whose traditional Sikh parents
want her to learn to cook and find a good Indian boy to marry rather than follow
her talent and passion for soccer fails to break new narrative ground. But it
has a big, open heart and well-developed characters and introduces a luminous
new star in Parminder Nagra. (Barton) Canal Place
BRUCE ALMIGHTY (PG-13) -- B+
Jim Carrey and director Tom Shadyac reteam for this charming cosmic comedy about
a man fed up with what he perceives as God's indifference to his plight. When
he blasphemes once too often, God (in the form of Morgan Freeman) grants him omnipotence
and says, "Here, you do better." Needless to say, all hell breaks loose. Carrey
really sells this one with his peculiar -- and appealing -- mixture of vulnerability
and vulgarity, making a funny film with (considering the sources) a surprisingly
sacred heart. (Carlson) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20,
Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
DADDY DAY CARE (PG) --
Dot-com bust victim Eddie Murphy tries his hand at a day-care center with his
buddies in this comedy directed by Steve Carr (Dr. Doolittle 2) and co-starring
Anjelica Huston and Louisiana's own Lacey Chabert (The Scoundrel's Wife).
AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood
Cinemas 9
DOWN WITH LOVE (PG-13) --
B- A female advice columnist (Renee Zellweger) goes against her better
judgment and falls for a swinging ladies' man (Ewan McGregor) in 1963 Manhattan
in this romantic comedy homage to the three Rock Hudson/Doris Day collaborations
of the same era. Director Peyton Reed gets all the atmospheric stuff right, and
McGregor adds to the breezy feel, but Zellweger is a disappointment, and after
awhile you wonder what's the point of all this. When you're coloring by numbers,
you rarely produce anything fresh. (Simmons) AMC Palace 12
DUMB AND DUMBER: WHEN HARRY MET LLOYD (PG-13) --
Unknowns Derek Richardson and Eric Christian Olsen recreate the roles of Harry
and Lloyd (as teens) popularized by Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels in the 1994 hit
Dumb and Dumber. Here the two nimwits meet in high school. Do not expect
anyone from the original. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20,
Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
FAR FROM HOME (PG) --
A boy and his new-found pet dog learn lessons while struggling to survive on a
deserted island in this film by Phillip Borsos and starring Mimi Rogers, Bruce
Davison and Jesse Bradford. 10 a.m. Monday-Friday at Hollywood Cinemas 9
FINDING NEMO (G) -- A
This Disney/Pixar collaboration about a little fish separated from his father
floats fantastically on the voice talents of Albert Brooks and Ellen DeGeneres
and a winning script penned by director Andrew Stanton. Technologically, Nemo
is stunning, but -- more importantly -- this fish tale has heart and humor akin
to its older sibling Toy Story. (Carlson) AMC Palace 12, AMC
Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
HOLES (PG) --
B+ Adapted from Louis Sachar's prize-winning young adult novel, this Andrew
Davis film about a young teen in a stern Texas reform school mixes three narratives
over a 100-year period into an often magical brew about family, courage and friendship.
(Barton) AMC Palace 20, Grand
HOLLYWOOD HOMICIDE (R) --
Part-time New Orleanian Ron Shelton (Bull Durham) continues his move away
from sports-related films and into L.A. crime stories (Dark Blue) with
this action buddy comedy pairing veteran Harrison Ford and youthful Josh Hartnett
as L.A. homicide detectives sucked into the rap world after a grisly murder. Stellar
L.A.-ish supporting cast includes Martin Landau, Keith David, Lolita Davidovich,
Isaiah Washington, Lou Diamond Phillips, Bruce Greenwood, Eric Idle, Dwight Yoakam,
Gladys Knight, Kurupt, Lena Olin, Robert Wagner and New Orleans' own Master P.
AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood
Cinemas 9
THE IN-LAWS (PG-13) --
Madcap adventures ensue when CIA spook Michael Douglas and foot doctor Albert
Brooks meet as their children are about to get married in this remake of the 1979
comedy starring Alan Arkin and Peter Falk. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace
16, AMC Palace 20
THE ITALIAN JOB (PG-13) -- B-
Forget stars Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron and Edward Norton (and the zinger-free
script, for that matter) and watch one of Hollywood's most shameless moments of
product placement as the Mini Cooper S car scoots all over the screen. Other than
that, it's one predictable-as-hell heist movie during a heat wave of heist movies.
(Simmons) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand,
Hollywood Cinemas 9, Prytania
L'AUBERGE ESPAGNOLE (R) --
It's a clash of cultures and agendas when a group of Euros move into an apartment
together, with friendships, rivalries and romances developing in this film by
Cedric Klapisch (When the Cat's Away). Featuring Audtey Tatou (Amelie).
In French, Catalan, Dutch, English and Spanish with English subtitles. Canal
Place
MANITO (NR) -- B
Thin and ultimately melodramatic plotting mars this Hispanic family drama by Eric
Eason. Still, fans of independent filmmaking should give this Sundance prize winner
a look. The acting is notably convincing by the entire cast. And the film understands
how even significant educational achievement doesn't guarantee an escape from
the mean streets of urban America. (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.) 8 p.m.
nightly through Thursday at Zeitgeist
MATRIX RELOADED (R) --
A The badass Wachowski brothers are back with a sequel that's equal, as
Matrix Reloaded rejoins Neo (Keanu Reeves) on his quest for digital self-fulfillment.
Amazing choreography by Yuen Wo Ping and the ever-ingenious imaginations of the
Wachowskis fuel a film packed with unbelievable action and that now-familiar mystic
sensibility. (Carlson) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20,
Chalmette, Entergy IMAX, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
NORTH BY NORTHWEST (NR) -- A+
The Saenger's Summer Classic Movie Series concludes with this, the only film not
featured last weekend. Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 adventure starring Cary Grant and
Eva Marie Saint is his most entertaining if not his best overall work, revisiting
the wrong-man scenario but not all the sexual repression. The Mount Rushmore and
plane-chase scenes will be much better appreciated on the big screen. Excellent
supporting cast includes James Mason and Martin Landau (with an odd homoerotic
chemistry) as two vaguely communist collaborators. Features one of Bernard Hermann's
great music scores. One of AFI's Top 100 films, and nominated for three Oscars:
Best Art Direction/Set Decoration (Color), Best Film Editing, and Best Story &
Screenplay. (Simmons) (Reviewed in this issue.) 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Saenger
NOWHERE IN AFRICA (R) -- A
Caroline Link's adaptation of Stefanie Zweig's autobiographical novel about Nazi-era
German-Jewish refugees in Kenya reminds us that the victims of the Holocaust included
the survivors as well as the murdered. Among the many reasons to admire this film
is its wise understanding that among the virtues possessed by our imperfect species,
love transcends. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. (Barton)
Canal Place
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (NR) -- A+
The Saenger's Summer Classic Movie Series continues with this 1940 classic comedy
starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart, all at their witty,
screwball best. As heiress Hepburn is poised to remarry, ex-husband Grant shows
up to lend his version of support, with tabloid reporter Stewart in tow. Antics
of the rich, famous and romantically challenged ensue. Based on the Broadway play,
this film version expertly captures the electricity of live theater. Directed
by George Cukor. Oscar winner for Best Actor (Stewart) and Best Screenplay (Donald
Ogden Stewart). 3 p.m. Saturday at the Saenger
POKEMON HEROES (G) --
Pokemon 4Ever co-directors Jim Malone and Kunihiko Yuyama for this fifth
film installment of the popular Japanese animation series lifted from the equally
popular TV show. Grand
RUGRATS GO WILD (PG) --
The two popular Nickelodeon TV cartoons, Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys,
join forces, starring the voices of Bruce Willis, Lacey Chabert, Jodi Carlisle,
Tim Curry, LL Cool J and Elizabeth Daily. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace
16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (NR) -- A
The Saenger's Summer Classic Movie Series concludes with a recently remastered
print of this 1952 musical, one of what some consider Hollywood's greatest dance-oriented
musicals, starring Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Oscar nominee Jean Hagen, Debby
Reynolds and Rita Moreno and directed by Kelly and Stanley Donen. Didn't win an
Oscar. (Simmons) 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Saenger
SPIDER (R) -- B
David Cronenberg's creepy tale of a psychologically damaged man revisiting the
scenes of his childhood achieves the chilling atmosphere it strives for and offers
fine performances by Ralph Fiennes, Miranda Richardson and Gabriel Byrne. For
Cronenberg fans, of which I have never been much of one, this will probably hit
the mark. But he didn't aim for my heart. (Barton) Canal Place
THE WORST OF THE WORST FESTIVAL --
The Country Club's poolside movie series continues with this group of short films
and educational documentaries, including the anti-drug message film Marijuana
Alert. 8 p.m. Thursday at the Country Club
WRONG TURN (R) --
Six very attractive young people are stalked by three psychos while roaming lost
in the West Virginia wilderness. Stars Eliza Dushku, Desmond Harrington and Jeremy
Sisto. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand
X2: X-MEN UNITED (PG-13) -- D
An overabundance of lead characters and an empty script make this one of the least
interesting comic book movies ever made. Half the cast is embarrassing (Halle
Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden); the other half ought to be embarrassed (Ian
McKellen, Hugh Jackman, Alan Cumming). (Carlson) AMC Palace 12, AMC
Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
| 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:
Balcony Seats
Manito
North by Northwest
The Erich von Stroheim Collection (Deluxe Collector's Edition): Blind Husbands, The Great Gabbo, Queen Kelly, Foolish Wives, The Man You Loved to Hate
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