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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. Grand
28 DAYS LATER (R) -- B
Director Danny Boyle brings chaos back to the
big screen with this apocalyptic thriller starring Cillian Murphy and Christopher
Eccleston. A London lab experiment unleashed causes the infected population to
turn into red-eyed, rage-filled zombies. (Carlson) (Editor's note: The version
currently in theaters now features an alternate ending.) AMC Palace 16, AMC
Palace 20
AMERICAN WEDDING (R) --
The American Pie series (hopefully) concludes
as dorks Jason Biggs and Alyson Hannigan tie the knot. Several key alumni are
skipping this one, including Chris Klein and Mena Suvari. AMC Palace 12,
AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
BAD BOYS II (R) --
Actors Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reunite
with the filmmaking team of director Michael Bay and producer Jerry Bruckheimer
in this slam-bang sequel to the 1995 hit about a couple of action-crazy Miami
detectives. Co-stars Gabrielle Union, Joe Pantoliano and Henry Rollins. 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 an English 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 has a big, open heart. (Barton) AMC Palace 20, Grand
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, Hollywood Cinemas 9
FREAKY FRIDAY (PG) --
Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan assume the roles previously played by Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster, respectively, in Disney's remake of its own 1976 comedy. Oh, to have had Jodie play the mom this time! Directed by Mark S. Waters of The House of Yes fame, and co-starring Mark Harmon, Steven Tobolowsky and Harold Gould. Opens Wednesday at AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
GIGLI (R) --
The film that brought Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez together finally hits the big screen after a slew of release-date shuffling (never a good sign). Affleck plays a hit man kidnapping a district attorney's brother and striking up an uneasy alliance with J-Lo. Features bit parts by Al Pacino and Christopher Walken. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
HOW TO DEAL (PG-13) --
Teen pop sensation and girl-next-door Mandy Moore has guy problems in this film based on some of Sarah Dessen's teen romance novels. Reunites American Beauty co-stars Allison Janney and Peter Gallagher. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Hollywood Cinemas 9
JOHNNY ENGLISH (PG) --
British comic genius Rowan Atkinson is a bumbling secret agent matching wits with French thief John Malkovich, who wants to steal the queen's jewels and throne in this comedy by director Peter Howitt (Sliding Doors). Co-stars Natalia Imbruglia. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Hollywood Cinemas 9
LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFE (PG-13) --
Angelina Jolie returns as the butt-kicking adventurer, this time battling a Chinese crime boss over the hunt for Pandora's Box. Directed by Jan de Bont of Speed fame. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN (PG-13) --
Finally! Nineteenth century literary figures as superheroes! Now that's something a writer can get behind. Stephen Norrington directs this film version of Alan Moore's popular comic-book mini-series featuring such literary favorites as Allen Quartermain (Sean Connery), Captain Nemo (Naseeruddin Shah) and The Invisible Man (Tony Curran). AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
LEGALLY BLONDE 2: RED, WHITE & BLONDE (PG-13) --
Reese Witherspoon returns as the fashion-savvy and surprisingly intelligent legal eagle, this time having graduated from law school and taking up the animal-testing cause in D.C. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20
MYSTERIES OF EGYPT (NR) --
Omar Sharif narrates this IMAX look at the ancient history and culture of Egypt, sponsored by National Geographic. Entergy IMAX
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (PG-13) --
B+ Gore Verbinski's action/comedy employs Hollywood convention from the ultimate victory of the heroes to the benedictory kiss of the star-crossed lovers. The picture is quality summer popcorn fun, however, due to a witty script and the performances of Geoffey Rush as the villain and the fascinating Johnny Depp as the film's eccentric pirate hero. (Barton) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
SEABISCUIT (PG-13) -- B+
Gary Ross capably adapts Laura Hillenbrand's surpise best-selling book about the legendary thoroughbred race horse. Though there's not enough horse in this horse movie, the action is well-shot, and leads Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper and Tobey Maguire all do what's asked of them (especially Maguire as jockey Red Pollard). (Virgets) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Prytania
SPY KIDS 3-D: GAME OVER (PG-13) --
Robert Rodriguez apparently closes out the Spy Game series with this update of the Cortez siblings, in which brother Juni must rescue sister Carmen after she is kidnapped by a virtual-reality game. Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino return as the parents. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
SWIMMING POOL (R) --
B- Francois Ozon (8 Women) directs this erotically charged but ultimately contrived tale of a mystery novelist (Charlotte Rampling) searching for her muse in the south of France and unexpectedly finding it in her publisher's daughter (Ludivine Sagnier). Too bad Ozon loses in the third act whatever tension he's built before. (Simmons) (Reviewed in this issue.) Canal Place
TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES (R) --
C Jonathan Mostow's stab at the second sequel about the killing machines from the future who try to kill and/or protect a future savior of humanity is fundamentally a remake of the first sequel. Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to speak in three-word sentences and smash the living daylights out of almost anything he sees. (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand
TOGETHER (NR) --
The latest from Chen Kaige (Farewell, My Concubine) concerns a young teen in the country who comes to the city to further his violin studies. Hot ticket at last fall's Toronto Film Festival. Canal Place
WHALE RIDER (PG-13) -- A
Niki Caro's story of a 12-year-old New Zealand Maori girl's desire to become her native village's chief is less like a conventional work of fiction and more like a poem written in light. Young star Keisha Castle-Huges exhibits the luminescence and prepossession that Natalie Portman showed at the same age. (Barton) Canal Place
WINGED MIGRATION (G) --
French actor-director Jacques Perrin's latest
documentary hopes to do for birds what his Microcosmos did for insects.
Winged Migration follows migratory birds in a tour of the seven continents
that took three years to film. Canal Place
| 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 |
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