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AGAINST THE ROPES (PG-13) --Meg Ryan portrays
boxing manager Jackie Kallen, who guided the careers of such noted fighters as
Thomas "Hit Man" Hearns. Here in this fictional bio-pic, she manages Omar Epps,
who plays a composite character of a handful of Kallen's proteges. Directed by
and co-starring Charles S. Dutton and also featuring Tim Daley and Tony Shalhoub.
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE DRAMA QUEEN (PG-13) -- Lindsay Lohan (Freaky
Friday) plays a popular Greenwich Village high school student transferred
to a Jersey suburb school where she immediately faces a rival (Sara Sugarman),
in this film based on the popular young adult novel by Dylan Sheldon.
EUROTRIP (R) -- From the production company that provided us Road Trip
and Old School comes this comedy about four young Americans traveling to Europe
seeking love, sex and other worthwhile adventures. Directed by Jeff Schaeffer
and starring Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts, Travis Wester and Michelle Trachtenberg
with appearances by Lucy Lawless and Joanna Lumley.
WELCOME TO MOOSEPORT (PG-13) -- Hardware-store owner Ray Romano battles
retired President Gene Hackman for the office of mayor of a small New England
town in this comedy directed by Donald Petri (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) and
co-starring Maura Tierney, Marcia Gay Harden, Christine Baranski, Fred Savage
and Rip Torn.
Now Showing
50 FIRST DATES (PG-130 --Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore (The Wedding
Singer) reunite as a young man and woman who fall in love despite her short-term
memory loss in this romantic comedy directed by Peter Segal. Co-stars Rob Schnieder.
AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday
12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
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, Holiday 12, Hollywood
Cinemas 9, Movies 8
BAD SANTA (R) -- B Director Terry Zwigoff (Ghost World) and Billy Bob
Thornton hammer away at this one-note song of a movie about the world's most morally
corrupt Santa and his larcenous, diminutive partner. (Simmons) Grand, North Shore
Square
BARBERSHOP 2: BACK IN BUSINESS (PG-13) --Tim Story is out and Kevin Rodney
Sullivan is in as director, but the cast returns from the last film and is joined
by Queen Latifah (in anticipation of her spin-off movie Beauty Shop), in
this film about hair-cutters discussing everything from race to relationships.
AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday
12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
THE BIG BOUNCE (PG-13) --C+
George Armitage's weak attempt at capturing the flavor of an Elmore Leonard novel
at least features a charming Owen Wilson tempted to rip off a developer (Gary
Sinise) at the encouragement of the developer's sexy mistress (Sara Foster). Leonard's
stories are all about the funk, but Armitage doesn't have the rhythm. (Simmons)
Holiday 12
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.
(Barton) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20
BUS 174 (NR) -- A José Padilha's harrowing documentary about the hijacking
of a city bus in Rio de Janeiro and the ensuing stand-off deserved (but didn't
receive) an Oscar nomination. Padilha uses an investigative journalist's technique
and masterful editing to tell two concurrent narratives: the life of hijacker
Sandro Do Nascimento and the hijacking that it seemed to inevitably spawn. 7:30
p.m. daily through Thursday at Zeitgeist
THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT (R) --
Ashton Kutcher keeps trying to fix his life by going back in time and changing
events that had adverse effects on him, but it keeps making his life worse in
this psychological thriller directed by Eric Bress and J. Macky Gruber and co-starring
Eric Stolz and Amy Smart. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20,
Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
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. Hollywood Cinemas 9,
Causeway Cinema, North Shore Square
CATCH THAT KID (PG) --Lovable kids band together to pull off a heist to help
a friend's ill father. Now that's love! Directed by Bart Freundlich and starring
Jennifer Beals, Kristen Stewart, Max Thierot and Sam Robards.
AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday
12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, North Shore Square
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. (Tisserand) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace
20, Holiday 12, Movies 8
CITY OF GOD (R) --
A- Oscar-nominated director Fernando Meirelles' harrowing drama about astonishingly
violent gangs of children in a Rio housing project isn't a perfect film, but it's
one viewers won't soon forget. Raised in poverty, ignorance and hopelessness,
boys in their teens and even younger kill each other to control territory not
worth having. The miracle is that we meet one child who manages to survive and
ultimately escape. Nominated for four Academy Awards. (Barton) Canal Place
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 and Oscar nominees 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. Nominated for seven Academy Awards. (Simmons)
AMC Palace 20, Causeway Cinema, Movies 8
THE COOLER (R) --
A Wayne Kramer's Tarantinoesque romantic comedy is the story of a man (William
H. Macy) so unlucky that a Vegas casino hires him to bring bad luck to hot gamblers.
The cooler's fate changes when he falls in love with a cocktail waitress (Maria
Bello). Unfortunately, a cooler in thaw is not an asset to his combustible boss
(Oscar nominee Alec Baldwin). Terrific performances, a surprising script and a
bracing theme make this one of the year's best. (Barton) Canal Place
GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING (PG-13) -- B Adapted from the best-selling novel
by Tracy Chevalier, Peter Webber's drama is the story of 17th century painter
Johannes Vermeer's master work. A superb performance by Scarlett Johansson as
the scullery maid who poses for the painting and memorably beautiful, Oscar-nominated
cinematography by Eduardo Serra can't entirely make up for a slow pace, a thin
story and a disappointing emotional mutedness.
Nominated for three Academy Awards.
(Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.)
Canal Place
THE GOSPEL OF JOHN (PG-13) --Philip Saville directed this version of the Biblical
story as interpreted from the American Bible Society's Good News Bible.
Stars Henry Ian Cusick, Stuart Bunce, Lynsey Baxter and others. 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 and Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe's wise warlord
Katsumoto represents a shattering English-speaking debut. Nominated for four Academy
Awards. (Carlson) Prytania
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). Nominated for 11 Academy Awards
including Best Picture. (Carlson) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC
Palace 20, Holiday 12
LOST IN TRANSLATION (R) -- A-
Oscar-nominated 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 in an Oscar-nominated
performance) and the young wife (Scarlett Johansson) of an L.A. photographer while
in Tokyo. Coppola's ability to resist temptation on several levels and create
space for her actors to play to their strengths help make this the best film of
2003. Plus, it makes karaoke cool again. Nominated for four Academy Awards including
Best Picture. (Simmons) Causeway Cinema
MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD (PG-13) -- B+
Lucky Jack leaps to the big screen in this Peter Weir adaptation of the Patrick
O'Brian novels. A spare script leaves plenty of time for stunning visuals and
fascinating evocations of life aboard a 19th-century British warship. Weir's nearly
flawless directorial eye is aided by the intelligent casting of Oscar nominee
Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind) as friends Jack Aubrey
and Stephen Maturin. Nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture. (Carlson)
Prytania
MIRACLE (PG) --C- Gavin O'Connor's account of the U.S. hockey team's 1980
Olympic gold-medal run concentrates not on the players who scored the goals but
on the bullying coach (Kurt Russell) who hectored them all along their road to
improbable glory. In glorifying a jerk, this film tarnishes a treasured sports
memory. (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.)
AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday
12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, North Shore Square
MONSTER (R) -- B+
Charlize Theron, the golden goddess of 2 Days in the Valley and The
Italian Job, slides under the skin of convicted serial killer Aileen Wuornos
in this surprising effort from first-time writer-director Patty Jenkins. Theron
gives a powerhouse performance, full of wounded rage and malevolence, that's Oscar-worthy
and then some. (Carlson) AMC Palace 20, Canal Place, Hollywood Cinemas 9
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. Chalmette, Grand
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
MYSTIC RIVER (R) -- B+
Not quite the modern masterpiece it has been christened by critics starved for
decent dramatic fare, Mystic River is still an intelligent, powerful film.
Three south Boston friends (Oscar nominees Sean Penn and Tim Robbins, and Kevin
Bacon) find themselves struggling with loss and revenge in this adaptation of
the Dennis Lehane bestseller. As a grieving father and vengeful ex-con, Penn delivers
an amazing performance that outweighs other minor missteps. Nominated for six
Academy Awards including Best Picture. (Carlson) AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace
20, Grand, Holiday 12, North Shore Square; opens Friday at the Prytania
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
THE PERFECT SCORE (PG-13) --
Scarlett Johansson continues her assault on New Orleans as part of a merry band
of high school students pulling an SAT heist (an SAT heist?). Directed by Brian
Robbins and co-starring Erika Christensen and Darius Miles. AMC Palace 12,
AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas
9, North Shore Square
SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE (PG-13) -- B-
Nancy Meyers (Baby Boom) reunites with Oscar nominee 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 20, Holiday 12
TORQUE (R) --
If you've once again been feeling the need for 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 Joseph Kahn. Chalmette, Grand
THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE (PG-13) --
Sylvain Chomet directed this animation film about the adventures of three faded
French Depression-era jazz singers, who come to the rescue of a woman in search
of her kidnapped cyclist grandson. Nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Animated
Feature and Best Original Song. (Canal Place also offers a brilliant short, Destino,
created by Salvador Dali for Walt Disney.) AMC Palace 20, Canal Placce
WIN A DATE WITH TAD HAMILTON (PG-13) --
Grocery clerk Kate Bosworth wins a date contest with Hollywood hunk Josh Duhamel,
inciting the jealousy of crush-riddled old childhood friend Topher Grace in this
romantic comedy directed by Robert Luketic. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace
20, Movies 8
YOU GOT SERVED (PG-3) --
Two street dancers experience a personal rift just as they're about to enjoy huge
success in this comedy starring Marques Houston and Omarion and directed by Chris
Stokes. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday
12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, North Shore Square
| 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
Miracle
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