 |
21 GRAMS (R) --
A- The filmmaking team of director Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu and writer
Guillermo Arriaga (Amores Perros) made this powerfully acted drama
(with Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Benicio Del Toro) about three people whose lives
become intertwined by either accident or fate. Presented as an achronological
collage, this film puzzles over such religious issues as predestination, redemption
and grace. (Barton) AMC Palace 20, Canal Place
ABC AFRICA (NR) --
Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami (Life and Nothing More) directed this
documentary about Uganda's civil war at the invitation of the United Nations'
International Fund for Agricultural Development, focusing on the AIDS crisis in
that country. Co-presented by Ashé Cultural Arts Center. 7:30 p.m. daily
through Wednesday
ALONG CAME POLLY (PG-13) --
Risk analyst Ben Stiller takes a chance on romance with a wacky Jennifer Aniston
after he discovers new wife Debra Messing cheating on him. Directed by John Hamburg,
co-screenwriter of previous Stiller vehicles Meet the Parents and Zoolander.
Co-stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Alec Baldwin, Hank Azaria and others. AMC
Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas
9
BIG FISH (PG-13) --
B Tim Burton's account of a son's attempt to reconcile with a dying father
has effective if underdeveloped performances by Albert Finney, Ewan McGregor,
Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman, Helena Bonham Carter and Steve Buscemi.
Sequences that dramatize the father's habit of telling tall tales play to Burton's
imagistic strength. The emotional center remains underdeveloped, though it is
bolstered by a powerful rally at film's end. (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.)
AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood
Cinemas 9
CALENDAR GIRLS (PG-13) --
Based on a true story about middle-aged English women who agree to pose nude while
performing various homemaking chores to benefit a cancer hospital, this film stars
Helen Mirren and Julie Walters. Directed by Nigel Cole. AMC Palace 12, AMC
Palace 20
CHASING LIBERTY (PG-13) --
Presidential daughter Mandy Moore and boyfriend Matthew Goode break free from
Secret Service agents Jeremy Piven and Anabella Sciorra for a fun-filled trek
across Europe. (Insert Jenna Bush joke here.) Mark Harmon plays the president,
apparently earning an upgrade from the Secret Service agent he played on The
West Wing. Andy Cadiff (who?) directs. A similar film, First Daughter,
is also set for an '04 release. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace
20, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN (PG) --
C- Steve Martin grimaces his way through this updated remake of a 1950
adaptation of a memoir of a turn-of-the-century family. Here, the double-Brady-sized
clan moves to a snobby Chicago suburb while Dad pursues his dream of coaching
in the big leagues. The film finally jumps the shark when Martin calls the plays
while his team rushes a kiddy birthday party. (Tisserand) AMC Palace 12,
AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
COLD MOUNTAIN (R) -- B
The Weinstein Brothers double-dog dare you to love Anthony Minghella's (The
English Patient) epic take on Charles Frazier's epic novel of a Confederate
soldier leaving battle for the woman he loves. But the Oscar-friendly trio of
Nicole Kidman, Jude Law and Renée Zellweger are no match for John Seale's
cinematography or the old-timey music. Brendan Gleeson is a huge bright spot as
the redemptive Stobrod. (Simmons) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC
Palace 20, Canal Place, Chalmette, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Prytania
THE COOLER (R) --
Unlucky gambler William H. Macy is hired by an old-fashioned Vegas casino to mess
with (or "cool") customers' hot winning streaks in this film by Wayne Kramer (not
to be confused with the former MC5 punk rocker). Co-stars Golden Globe nominees
Maria Bello and Alec Baldwin. Canal Place
ELF (PG) -- B-
Jon Favreau directs this silly story of a human orphan raised by Santa's elves
who must now find his way (and his biological father) in the big city. Will Ferrell's
big, hilarious heart (and his mustard-color tights) makes the tissue-paper-thin
tale a real charmer. (Carlson) AMC Palace 20
GOTHIKA (R) --
Halle Berry gets her first solo star billing as a criminal psychologist who suddenly
finds herself the primary suspect in the death of husband Charles S. Dutton. Grand
THE HAUNTED MANSION (PG) --
First, there was Pirates of the Caribbean; now comes another film based
on a Disney theme-park ride with Eddie Murphy as a man protecting his family from
ghosts. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand
HONEY (PG-13) --
When her career as a music video choreographer is compromised by her lascivious
mentor, Jessica Alba decides to open up an inner-city dance studio. Co-stars Mekhi
Pfifer and New Orleans' own Li'l Romeo. Grand
HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG (R) -- B
First-time director Vadim Perelman loses his way in adapting Andre Dubus III's
novel about a recovering alcoholic (Jennifer Connelly) who loses her house in
a tax mix-up and tries to get it back from its new owner, a willful Iranian immigrant
(Ben Kingsley). Rarely has real estate been used with such symbolism, but there's
just not that much to appreciate once the fog clears, including Connelly's sleep-walking
and Kingsley's death stares. Shohreh Aghdashloo, as Kingsley's baffled wife, is
the one to watch here. (Simmons) AMC Palce 16, AMC Palace 20
THE LAST SAMURAI (R) -- A
Tom Cruise's newfound dramatic dignity provides the steady center of this stunning
epic film directed by Edward Zwick. Cruise's physical transformation from an alcoholic
Civil War veteran to a formidable samurai warrior is Oscar-worthy. Co-star Ken
Watanabe's wise warlord Katsumoto represents a shattering English-speaking debut.
(Carlson) AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20
LEWIS AND CLARK: GREAT JOURNEY WEST (NR) --
This IMAX film stars Kelly Boulware and Sonny Surowiec as the famed explorers
during their early 19th century trek westward. Entergy I
MAX
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (PG-13) -- A-
Director Peter Jackson provides a fitting ending to his groundbreaking trilogy.
Overly long and swimming in narrative and thematic deja vu, Return of the King
is nonetheless redeemed by the strength of the LOTR oeuvre as a whole and by its
own many moments of greatness -- the slow spiritual ascension of Aragorn (Viggo
Mortensen) to the throne of Gondor, the genderless courage of Eowyn (Miranda Otto),
the madness of Denethor the Steward (John Noble). (Carlson) AMC Palace 12,
AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
LOST IN TRANSLATION (R) -- A-
Writer-director Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides) continues to establish
herself as a filmmaker with her own voice in my pick for the best movie of 2003.
Coppola explores the relationship between a fading movie star (Bill Murray in
his best performance) and the young wife (Scarlett Johansson) of an L.A. photographer
(Giovanni Ribisi) while in Tokyo. Coppola's ability to resist temptation on several
levels and create space for her actors to play to their strengths are tremendous
assets. Plus, it makes karaoke cool again. (Simmons) AMC Palace 20
LOVE DON'T COST A THING (PG-13) --
Can't Buy Me Love gets the African-American treatment with nerdy Nick Cannon
(Drumline) offering to repair cheerleader Christina Milian's damaged car
if she'll briefly date him to make him look cool. AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace
20, Chalmette, Grand
THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS (R) --
D Disappointing. Dull. Depressing. The utter mediocrity of the final installment
in what was going to be the greatest sci-fi trilogy ever undercuts the brilliance
of all that 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) Entergy
IMAX
MONA LISA SMILE (PG-13) --
Director Mike Newell (Donnie Brasco) offers an alternative to the testosterone
of Master and Commander and The Last Samurai with Julia Roberts
as a Wellesley teacher who in 1953 teaches other women -- including Julia Stiles,
Kirsten Dunst and Maggie Gyllenhaal -- the importance of womanhood, with music
by women playing in the background. Co-stars Juliet Stevenson, Marcia Garden and
some men. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20
MONSTER (R) --
Golden Globe nominee Charlize Theron portrays hitchhiking prostitute turned killer
Aileen Wournos, who was executed in Florida in 2002 and is the subject of two
documentaries. This film features the writing and directing debut of Patty Jenkins
and co-stars Christina Ricci, Bruce Dern, Scott Wilson and Baton Rouge's own Pruitt
Taylor Vince. AMC Palace 20, Canal Place
MY BABY'S DADDY (PG-13) --
An African-American (sort of) version of the popular Three Men and a Baby
movie (based on a French film), with Eddie Griffin, Anthony Anderson and Michael
Imperioli learning the baby-raising ropes. Yes, it's January. AMC Palace 16,
AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
MYSTERIES OF EGYPT (NR) --
National Geographic meets IMAX in this film about this ancient civilization's
pyramids, tombs, mummies and monarchies, starring Mr. Egypt himself, Omar Sharif.
Entergy IMAX
OCEAN WONDERLAND (NR) --
IMAX takes its cameras to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the coral reef
of the Bahamas. Directed by Jean-Jacques Mantello. Entergy IMAX
PAYCHECK (R) --
Director John Woo (Face-Off) adapts a Philip K. Dick short story about
an engineer who loses his memory (don't all Dick characters?) and finds himself
framed by the company he was working with before his mind went blank. Stars Ben
Affleck, Uma Thurman, Aaron Eckhart and Paul Giamatti. AMC Palace 12, AMC
Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand
PETER PAN (PG) --B+
Director P.J. Hogan (Muriel's Wedding) takes the J.M. Barrie tale to new
heights with this psychologically satisfying adaptation and visually lush production
starring Jeremy Sumpter, Rachel Hurd-Wood and Jason Isaacs. But with Tigerlily
in narrative exile and Ludivine Sagnier's Tinker Bell a boring buffoon, the film
misses instant-classic status. (Carlson) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16,
AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE (PG-13) -- B-
Nancy Meyers (Baby Boom) reunites with Diane Keaton and tosses in Jack
Nicholson for a weak romantic comedy about a cradle-robbing womanizer (Nicholson)
falling in love with a middle-age playwright (Keaton). (Simmons) AMC Palace
12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Hollywood Cinemas 9
THE SON (NR) --
Olivier Gourmet won Best Actor honors at the Cannes Film Festival for his portrayal
of a carpenter at a juvenile vocational trainer whose interior world is disrupted
by his obsession with a newly arrived teenage boy (Morgan Marinne) in this film
by brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. In French with English subtitles. 9:30
p.m. daily through Wednesday at Zeitgeist
TEACHER'S PET (PG) --
An intellectually curious dog disguises hismelf as a human so he can attend school
in this movie version of the popular animated Disney TV series, starring the voices
of Nathan Lane, Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally, Paul Reubens, Wallace Shawn and
Jerry Stiller. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette,
Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
TORQUE (R) --
If you've once again been feeling the need the speed, here's the story about a
rev-happy (but gang-free) motorcyle racer (Martin Henderson) who is framed for
the murder of a serious biker-gang dude (Ice Cube, keepin' it real) by a rival
biker dude. Directed by music-video director Josephy Kahn and co-starring Jaime
Pressly, Monet Mazur and Matt Schulze. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16,
AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, 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:
Film Review
Big Fish
La Strada
|
|
