Scheduled to Open Friday
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (PG) -- The star pupils of Hogwarts -- Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) -- return, with Harry on the run after getting into trouble at school but finding even more trouble in the form of Sirius Black (Gary Oldman). Other newcomers Michael Gambon (replacing the late, great Richard Harris as Professor Albus Dumbledore) Julie Christie and Emma Thompson join regulars Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith and Alan Rickman. Directed this time by Alfonso Cuaron (Y Tu Mama, Tambien).
MINDHUNTERS (PG-13) -- An FBI training camp for serial killers goes awry when one of the recruits turns out to be a serial killer and starts doing what serial killers do. Directed by Renny Harlin (Driven) and starring Val Kilmer, Christian Slater and Will Kemp.
Now Showing
13 GOING ON 30 (PG-13) -- Unpopular dork Jennifer Garner (hang on) makes a wish and winds up as a hot 30-year-old ad exec (there you go) in this comedy from Tadpole director Gary Winick and co-starring Mark Ruffalo, Kathy Baker, Andy Serkis and Samuel Ball. Yes, we&185;re all thinking Big about this one. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Holiday 12
ASHTANGA, NY (NR) -- Documentary about Ashtanga yoga, its discipline and its diverse and strong following, focusing on master Pattabhi &179;Guruji&178; Jois. Co-directed by Caroline Laskow and Mary Wigmore. All proceeds benefit the Humane Society of Louisiana. (Tickets from previously scheduled May 12 screening will be honored.) 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Prytania
BOBBY JONES, STROKE OF GENIUS (PG) -- Jim Caviezel moves from historical icon (The Passion of the Christ), to another one in this bio-pic of the legendary golfer who walked away from the game at the peak of his career. Co-stars Jeremy Northam, Malcolm McDowell and Claire Forlani. Movies 8
BON VOYAGE (PG-13) -- A Jean-Paul Rappeneau&185;s film would likely become one of the biggest commercial hits of the year if it weren&185;t a subtitled foreign film. It is clever, funny, suspenseful and thoroughly entertaining in just the way American movie fans like. Isabelle Adjani and Gerard Depardieu star. (Barton) Canal Place
BREAKIN&185; ALL THE RULES (PG-13) -- Dumped bachelor Jamie Foxx writes a book about getting dumped, and it turns into a bestseller in this comedy co-starring Gabrielle Union, Morris Chestnut and Jennifer Esposito. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Movies 8
THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW (PG-13) -- C- Roland Emmerich&185;s special effects-driven, apocalyptic take on global warming feels all wrong, from the weird science and clunky narrative to the poorly sketched characters and even the eye candy. The cast of Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ian Holm, Sela Ward and others are given very little to do but ride out the storm. In trying to keep a more somber tone than the one he provided in the 1996 guilty pleasure Independence Day, Emmerich doesn&185;t know what movie he wants to make. (Simmons) (Reviewed in this issue.) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, North Shore Square
ELLA ENCHANTED (PG) -- B A teen is more cursed than blessed with the gift of obedience in this film directed by Tommy O&185;Haver. Anne Hathaway (The Princess Diaries) is girl-next-door cute but theatrically challenged in this promising but scattered goof on fairy tales. Sound uneven? Yup. To its credit, though, Ella Enchanted serves as a charming parable about finding your inner strength. (Simmons) Movies 8
ENVY (PG-13) -- C Working with a mess of a script and tepid direction from Barry Levinson, Ben Stiller and Jack Black fumble their way through this comedy about best friends who are torn apart by success. Levinson, whose glory days (Diner, Rain Man) have long since passed, ruins whatever chemistry could have developed between Stiller and Black. (Simmons) Movies 8
ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (R) -- A Michel Gondry directed this typically wild and brilliant Charlie Kaufman script about young lovers who become angry with each other and contract with a neuroscience firm to have all memories of each other erased from their minds. Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey are very fine in the leading roles. The picture is intriguing, wise and emotionally satisfying. (Barton) Canal Place
GAEA GIRLS (NR) -- Kim Longinotto and Jano Williams co-directed this documentary about a famous (and infamous) pro wrestling camp for Japanese women, who must undergo boot camp-style training to prepare for the big time. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday at Zeitgeist
GODSEND (PG-13) -- Grieving parents Greg Kinnear and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (soon to be just plain old Romijn, apparently) turn to stem-cell research doctor Robert De Niro (!) to help bring their dead son back to life. When the operation is a success, all hell breaks loose! Chalmette
HOME ON THE RANGE (PG) -- C- While the kids take in this one, you can go ahead and close your eyes. The best thing about Disney&185;s latest half-effort isn&185;t its bland animation, but the Alan Menken score and songs by Tim McGraw, K.D. Lang and Bonnie Raitt. Otherwise, it&185;s a muddled, meandering tale of cows and rustlers and friendships and courage, with the best humor being the burping animals -- and you can hear all those with your eyes closed, too. (Tisserand) Causeway Cinema
JOHNSON FAMILY VACATION (PG-13) -- Cedric the Entertainer tries to lead his family in a trip to a family reunion in this comedy co-starring Vanessa Williams, Steve Harvey and Shannon Elizabeth. Chalmette, Grand
KILL BILL VOL. 2 (R) -- B Those not killed in the fantastic first film return for the too-talky sequel. Quentin Tarantino&185;s homage to Hong Kong action movies slows down considerably in Vol. 2, remaining interesting and original but lacking Vol. 1&185;s electricity. Stars Uma Thurman. (Carlson) Movies 8
LAWS OF ATTRACTION (PG-13) -- Competing divorce attorneys Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore put down their briefs just long enough to get married and then fret over committing the same mistakes as their clients in this romantic comedy. (Adam&185;s Rib, anyone?) Directed by Peter Howitt of Sliding Doors fame, and co-starring Parker Posey, Nora Dunn and Frances Fisher. Causeway Cinema
MAN ON FIRE (R) -- Bodyguard Denzel Washington goes after the bad guy who kidnapped the daughter of the family he&185;s protecting in Mexico City in this second film adaptation of A.J. Quinnell&185;s novel. Directed by Tony Scott and adapted by Oscar-winning screenwriter Brian Helgeland. (The 1987 version starred Scott Glenn, Danny Aiello and Joe Pesci.) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand, Holiday 12
MEAN GIRLS (PG-13) -- Saturday Night Live&185;s Tina Fey adapted the screenplay and co-stars in this story about a teen (Lindsay Lohan) trying to survive the cliques in her high school. (Fey adapts Margaret Talbot&185;s New York Times article about a high school counselor who works with teens and cliques.) Directed by Mark S. Waters (Freaky Friday) and co-starring Tim Meadows, Amy Poehler and Louisiana&185;s own Lacey Chabert. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood 9
MONTY PYTHON&185;S LIFE OF BRIAN (R) -- A- The Monty Python gang (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones and Michael Palin) was at its creative peak when it made this hilarious and daring 1979 satire on idol worship and group conformity. Brian (Chapman) finds his life continually intersecting (and getting confused with) Jesus Christ. Twenty-five years later, it&185;s amazing how pointed and funny this movie remains. (Simmons) Canal Place
MYSTERIES OF EGYPT (NR) -- National Geographic meets IMAX in this film about this ancient civilization&185;s pyramids, tombs, mummies and monarchies, starring Mr. Egypt himself, Omar Sharif. Entergy IMAX
NASCAR 3-D: THE IMAX EXPERIENCE (PG) -- The IMAX cameras go deep inside the race cars and race tracks of NASCAR land. Entergy IMAX
NEW YORK MINUTE (PG) -- Twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen get caught up in a series of madcap misadventures in the big city in this comedy directed by Dennis Gordon (Joe Dirt) and co-starring Eugene Levy, Darrell Hammond, Jared Padalecki and Andy Richter. AMC Palace 12, Movies 8
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 PASSION OF THE CHRIST (R) -- A A picture-poem that shouts over the storm of its own controversy. Director Mel Gibson brilliantly retells the greatest story ever told, focusing on the violent final hours of Jesus&185; life on Earth. A well-structured script and searing performances from leads Jim Caviezel and Maia Morgenstern power this unforgettable film. While a high level of blood and gore is sustained for nearly the entire film, Gibson uses the violence as a door, not a wall, creating a profound religious statement and startlingly well-made movie. (Carlson) Causeway Cinema
THE PUNISHER (R) -- Undercover FBI agent Thomas Jane turns into a revenge-seeking wild man in this film adaptation of the popular Marvel comic-book character. Co-stars John Travolta, Samantha Mathis, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, Roy Scheider and the freakish Will Patton. Movies 8
RAISING HELEN (PG-13) -- On-the-go model agency exec/self-absorbed yuppy Kate Hudson gets stuck with three kids when her sister and brother-in-law are killed in a car accident in this comedy from warhorse director Garry Marshall (Runaway Bride). Co-stars John Corbett, Helen Mirren and Paris Hilton for the obligatory model jokes. Script alert: one revision and one polish. Beware! AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, North Shore Square
SCOOBY-DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED (PG) -- Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini and the computer-generated dog of the title return in this sequel to the 2002 hit. Causeway Cinema, Movies 8
SHREK 2 (PG) -- A- Mike Myers is certainly seeing the green, as everyone&185;s favorite ogre returns with new wife, Fiona (Cameron Diaz), for this record-breaking sequel. The animation is twice as sophisticated, Myers is just as lovable, and the script is, at times, almost as crazily clever as the 2001 original. Aided considerably by Ab Fab&185;s Jennifer Saunders as a scheming fairy godmother and the purrfect addition of Antonio Banderas as a positively feline Puss in Boots, the story turns Fiona&185;s homeland of Far, Far Away -- and every accepted fairy tale convention -- on its ear. Nothing could match the come-from-nowhere charm of the original, but Shrek 2 is undeniably a very close second. (Carlson) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, North Shore Square
SOUL PLANE (R) -- An African-American man wins a multimillion dollar lawsuit against an airliner and decides to start up his own, um, demographically correct airline service that caters to the unique traveling needs of the black community in this farce directed by first-timer Jessy Terrero. Co-stars Kevin Hart, D.L. Hughley, Method Man, Snoop Dogg and Tom Arnold. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9
SUPER SIZE ME (NR) -- B+ Documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock (Best Director, Sundance Film Festival) provides a one-man show as he does the unthinkable: live for one month on McDonald&185;s fat-laden, cholesterol-amping offerings. Spurlock, who is sort of a poor man&185;s Michael Moore but with better research, is likeable enough as he balances the dueling narrative elements of his descent into ill health, personal observations of same, and a nicely paced series of interviews with all the proper talking heads. The rhythm starts to falter toward its rather predictable conclusion, but Super Size Me remains personal filmmaking at its most entertaining and informative. (Simmons) Canal Place
TROY (R) -- C+ Wolfgang Petersen&185;s account of the Trojan War turns Homer&185;s The Iliad on its head. The Greeks are brutes. Achilles (Brad Pitt) is his century&185;s Terminator. And the Trojans are the noble doomed. At least this film bothers to denounce arrogant religious presumption. Had the Trojan king (Peter O&185;Toole) listened to his wise son, Troy would have endured, but instead he listened to his high priest who was wrong and wrong again. Take note, George W. Bush. Wary should be the leader who chooses courses because he thinks God is on his side. (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Prytania, North Shore Square
VAN HELSING (PG-13) -- Legendary monster hunter Abraham Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) takes on the greatest hits of monsterdom: Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh), Frankenstein (Schuler Hensley) and the Wolf Man (Will Kemp) in this potential franchise-starter from Mummy franchise director Stephen Sommers. Co-stars Kate Beckinsale. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, North Shore Square
