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ALIEN: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT (R) --
Director Ridley Scott (Blade Runner) gets another do-over with this expanded
version of the 1979 sci-fi thriller about an alien beast threatening a space station
inhabited by Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. AMC Palace
16, AMC Palace 20
BROTHER BEAR (G) --
Animated film about a Native American who is transformed into a bear. Directed
by Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker and starring the voices of Jonathan Winters,
Victoria Jackson and Ben Stein. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace
20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
CINEMA & ARCHITECTURE --
"Swiss Views," a touring series of film and video productions that explore architecture,
continues with screenings of films including Hans Richter's New Living.
(For more visit www.zeitgeistinc.org.) 7:30 p.m. daily through Thursday at
Zeitgeist
A CLASS TRIP (NR) --
Bodies mount when a boy takes a school skiing trip. Who's to blame? Presented
by Picture This! 9:30 p.m. Friday through Nov. 20 at Zeitgest
ELF (PG) --
Jon Favreau directs Will Ferrell as a wayward elf trying to recapture the original
spirit of Christmas in this comedy featuring James Caan, Bob Newhart and Ed Asner.
AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood
Cinemas 9
THE FIGHTING TEMPTATIONS (PG-13) --
New York ad exec Cuba Gooding Jr. must form a gospel choir in his former Georgia
hometown in order to collect on the inheritance left him by his dead aunt. Chalmette,
Grand
GOOD BOY! (PG) --
Man's best friend apparently is a spy sent from another planet to scout out the
turf for an invasion in this combination of live action and computer-generated
imagery and featuring the voices of Matthew Broderick, Megan Mullally and Brittany
Murphy. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand
IMAX NUTCRACKER (NR) --
Tchaikovsky's holiday-friendly masterpiece is told in 3-D splendor. Entergy
IMAX
IN THE CUT (R) --C+
Jane Campion's thriller is the story of a sex-obsessed school teacher (Meg Ryan)
who¸ gets involved with a homicide detective (Mark Ruffalo) who may be a
serial killer. Ryan has never given a braver performance but her courage and skill
can't save a script that's at once messy and predictable. (Barton) (Reviewed in
this issue.) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 20
KILL BILL VOL. 1 (R) --
D Quentin Tarantino's first movie in six years was hardly worth waiting
for. Uma Thurman stars as an assassin out for revenge against former associates
who tried to kill her. (Barton) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace
20, Grand
KILLER KID (NR) --
Gilles de Maistre's French thriller about a Lebanese boy trained to be a terrorist.
Presented by Picture This! 7:30 p.m. Friday through Nov. 20 at Zeitgeist
LOST IN TRANSLATION (R) -- A-
Writer-director Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides) continues to establish
herself as a filmmaker with her own voice in this subtle tale of the relationship
between a fading movie star (Bill Murray) and the young wife (Scarlett Johansson)
of an L.A. photographer while in Tokyo. (Simmons) AMC Palace 20, Canal Place,
Hollywood Cinemas 9
LOVE ACTUALLY (R) --
A who's who of Brits star in this romantic comedy to end all romantic comedies,
as Londoners search for the "L" word. Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Emma
Thompson and many others co-star; Notting Hill and Four Weddings and
a Funeral writer Richard Curtis makes his directing debut. AMC Palace 12
THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS (R) --
D Disappointing. Dull. Depressing. The utter mediocrity of this final installment
in what was going to be the greatest sci-fi trilogy of all time undercuts the
brilliance of what has come before. The Wachowski brothers' inventiveness and
originality peters out, as they largely forsake both Neo and the Matrix in favor
of a narrative focused almost singularly on the City of Zion. It's like we took
the red pill, and all the good stuff -- even if it wasn't real -- is gone. (Carlson)
(Reviewed in this issue.) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20,
Canal Place, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Prytania
MYSTERIES OF EGYPT (NR) --
Omar Sharif narrates this IMAX look at the ancient history and culture of Egypt,
sponsored by National Geographic. Entergy IMAX
MYSTIC RIVER (R) -- B+
Three south Boston friends (Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon) find themselves
struggling with loss and revenge in this adaptation of the Dennis Lehane bestseller.
(Carlson) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Canal Place
OUT OF TIME (PG-13) --
A chief of police in a Florida town (Denzel Washington) finds himself a suspect
in a murder in this thriller from Carl Franklin. AMC Palace 16, Grand
RADIO (PG) --
Mentally challenged Cuba Gooding Jr. goes from being ridiculed as a young man
to becoming a fixture on a South Carolina high school football team, thanks to
his friendship with coach Ed Harris in this fact-based story directed by Michael
Tollin and co-starring Debra Winger. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC
Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
RUNAWAY JURY (PG-13) -- B
Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, John Cusack and Rachel Weisz are joined by a fine
supporting cast (including local favorites such as Fahnlohnee Harris, Michael
Arata and Carol Sutton) in this sometimes fun but ultimately tepid John Grisham
story set in New Orleans. (Simmons) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC
Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
SANTA VS. THE SNOWMAN (NR) --
Santa Claus squares off against a jealous snowman in a battle for the North Pole
and, by extension, Christmas itself. Entergy IMAX
SCARY MOVIE 3 (PG-13) --
Spoofmeister David Zucker replaces the Wayans brothers in keeping up the yucks
with an ensemble cast featuring Eddie Griffin, Leslie Nielsen, Darrell Hammond,
Charlie Sheen and Queen Latifah. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace
20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9 SCHOOL
OF ROCK (PG-13) -- B+
With a script by offbeat writer Mike White, Richard Linklater's mainstream comedy
gives wild man Jack Black his best role yet as substitute teacher who turns a
bunch of uptight 12-year-olds into a rock 'n' roll band. (Barton) AMC Palace
12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20,
SYLVIA (R) --
Inspired by the 1998 publication of a series of love letters between the two poets,
Sylvia stars Gwyneth Paltrow as American poet Sylvia Plath (The Bell
Jar) and her English poet and husband, Ted Hughes (Daniel Craig). Canal
Place
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (R) --
Remake of Tobe Hooper's 1974 horror classic, produced by Michael Bay, with debuts
by director Marcus Nispel and screenwriter Scott Kosar, and starring Jessica Biel,
R. Lee Ermey and New Orleanian John Larroquette (reprising his original role as
the narrator). AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette,
Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN (R) --
C+ Audrey Wells' drama about an American woman (Diane Lane) recovering
in Italy from an ugly divorce offers worthy themes about friendship, family and
later-life romance, but a clumsy script keeps nudging us to feel emotions that
the picture doesn't earn. (Barton) Hollywood Cinemas 9
WONDERLAND (R) -- C
Director James Cox's story of what happened to John Holmes after porn was done
with him is notable only for its strong performances. Stars Val Kilmer and Lisa
Kudrow offer nuanced, interesting portraits of Holmes and his long-suffering wife,
Sharon. But the real star of this film is Kate Bosworth (Blue Crush) as
Holmes' young girlfriend and the pertinent, poignant '70s soundtrack. (Carlson)
(Reviewed in this issue.) 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 |
Other Stories This Week in Movies:
Film Review
In the Cut
The Matrix Revolutions
Wonderland
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