Scheduled to Open Friday
ANACONDAS: THE HUNT FOR THE BLOOD ORCHID (PG-13) -- The cast is new but the snake is as big and menacing as ever in this sequel to the campy, so-bad-it's-good 1997 hit that starred Ice Cube, J-Lo and Jon Voight. This cast features Johnny Messner, Morris Chestnut, Peter Curtis and Eugene Byrd. Directed by Dwight H. Little, who has previously shepherded such lauded sequels as Halloween 4 and Free Willy 2.
SHE HATE ME (R) -- Spike Lee offers what may be his most unfocused (dare we say worst?) film in the story about a corporate whistle-blower (New Orleans' Anthony Mackie, the film's lone bright spot) who finds himself siring children for lesbian mothers-in-waiting for pay. Huh? As usual, Spike's got plenty to say about race, politics, greed and sex, but he has actually become more incoherent over the years. He seems content to play with ideas more than shape them, and along the way wastes a promising supporting cast of Ellen Barkin, Woody Harrelson, Lonette McKee and even Q-Tip. (See A&E Feature in this issue.) (Simmons)
SUSPECT ZERO (R) -- FBI agent Aaron Eckhart finds his investigation of a serial killer hitting a major moral snag when he thinks retired agent Ben Kingsley might be whacking other serial killers in his own form of street justice. The trail leads to the ultimate target: the mother of all killers ('Suspect Zero'), whose killing just might be a good thing, no? Directed by E. Elias Merhige (Shadow of the Vampire) and co-starring Carrie-Anne Moss.
VOLCANOES OF THE DEEP SEA -- Actor Ed Harris narrates this look at life 12,000 feet below sea level, including the strange creatures that thrive near underwater volcanoes. Entergy IMAX
Now Showing
A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD (R) -- In 1980s New York City, at the dawn of the AIDS crisis, bisexual chef Colin Farrell, gay restaurant critic Dallas Roberts and fashion designer Robin Wright Penn form an awkward friendship in Michael Meyer's adaptation of the novel by Michael Cunningham (The Hours). Canal Place
ALIEN VS. PREDATOR (PG-13) -- Not since Godzilla and Mothra tangled has there been such an anticipated match-up of very, very bad monsters as in this film directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat) and starring Sanaa Lathan and Lance Henriksen. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
ANCHORMAN (PG-13) -- D This ham-handed Will Ferrell comedy feels like a lame Saturday Night Live sketch stretched into a feature. The talents of Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd and Fred Willard are wasted in a script that makes little sense and produces way too few laughs to merit an outing. Only Steve Carell, who could probably make me laugh reading the phone book, provides the flick with the barest of a passing grade. (Barton) Holiday 12
BENJI: OFF THE LEASH! (PG) -- Everybody's favorite mutt sleuth returns to the big screen with Benji teaming up with a dog named Shaggy (zoinks!) to help save Benji's mama. (Regional note: the film is set in Gulfport, Miss., not far from where this Benji was actually found as a stray.) Co-stars Nick Whitaker and Chris Kendrick. AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20
THE BOURNE SUPREMACY (PG-13) -- Matt Damon returns as David Webb/Jason Bourne in the second installment of the Robert Ludlum spy trilogy, with the CIA in a panic when a fake 'Jason Bourne' assassinates a Chinese official and the real 'Jason Bourne' (Damon) goes on the hunt for him. Director Paul Greengrass (Bloody Sunday) replaces Doug Liman, with Franka Potente, Julia Stiles and Brian Cox returning to the cast. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
CATWOMAN (PG-13) -- C- Halle Berry is a shy commercial artist who gets dead at the hand of meanies and reincarnated from the breath of a magic kitty. Time to dress like Donna the Dominatrix and kick some serious ass. Sharon Stone as a purveyor of addictive skin cream hangs around for the climactic butt bustin'. (Barton) AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, North Shore Square
A CINDERELLA STORY (PG) -- Hilary Duff plays a shy, insecure high school student (um, sure) ruled by wicked stepmother Jennifer Coolidge and stepsisters and who struggles to fit in at her high school, when a charming young man finds her lost cell phone. Straight-to-video vet Mark Rosman gets his feature-length directing debut in this umpteenth update of the fairy tale. Causeway Cinema, Chalmette, North Shore Square
COFFEE AND CIGARETTES (R) -- This ensemble comedy from Jim Jarmusch features Bill Murray, Tom Waits and Iggy Pop, RZA and GZA, Jack and Meg White, Cate Blanchett, Roberto Benigni, and Cinque and Joie Lee, among others. Causeway Cinema
COLLATERAL (R) -- B+ Hitman Tom Cruise forces cab driver Jamie Foxx to drive him around as he does his 'errands' over the course of one night in this taut and surprisingly cheeky noir thriller from Michael Mann. Cruise is at his coolest, in a deadly way, in this film, while Foxx provides an almost perfect counterpart as his flummoxed, unwilling partner. Mann, who's always had a thing or two to say about professionalism, works the clock as smoothly as ever, shooting his cast (which includes Jada Pinkett Smith, Mark Ruffalo and Javier Bardem) digitally against a blurry L.A. nightlife. (Simmons) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
DE-LOVELY (PG-13) -- D Another failed attempt at a film version of Cole Porter's life, De-Lovely is better than 1946's Night and Day, but only just. Screenwriter Jay Cocks sinks this film with an over-thought but underdeveloped script that relies too heavily on sophomoric narrative devices. The unconventional relationship of Cole (Kevin Kline) and his wife, Linda (Ashley Judd), is terribly simplified; the film -- which purports to be the whole truth -- does acknowledge his bisexuality, but any sense of sexual freedom is downplayed in favor of his unconvincing love affair with Linda. (Carlson) AMC Palace 20, Causeway Cinema, Movies 8
EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING (R) -- Seven years in the making, this troubled fourth installment of the chilly series about dealing with the devil features priests Stellan Skarsgard (Breaking the Waves) and James D'Arcy (Master and Commander) drawing the short straw this time around. Directed by Renny Harlin, who completely reshot Paul Schrader's version after replacing him on the set on orders from Warner Bros. (Unlike the other follow-ups to William Friedkin's 1973 hit, this one is pitched as a sort-of prequel.) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, North Shore Square
HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE (R) -- B This stoner buddy comedy concerns a monumental case of the munchies. Even and thoroughly contrived, the flick nonetheless delivers an adequate number of laughs along with a terrific no-look pass about American diversity. Our heroes are Korean and Indian, but they are 100 percent American doofuses. And that says something hopeful about our role as the world's melting pot. (Barton) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, North Shore Square
HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (PG) -- A- Finally, a film that matches the gorgeous imagination of author J.K. Rowling. Harry and friends return for a third year at Hogwarts, shadowed by prison escapee Sirius Black (Gary Oldman). Thankfully, director Alfonso Cuarón steps in, and no one misses Chris Columbus one bit. With his artist's eye and Gothic-tinged sensibility, Cuarón provides the texture, dimension and thrill that has been missing from this superbly cast film series all along. (Carlson) Through Thursday at Entergy IMAX
I, ROBOT (PG-13) -- C Will Smith contributes his usual summer action feature. This time he's a homicide detective who hates robots and thinks some artificial malevolence is involved in the apparent suicide of a leading robotics designer. Will takes on hundreds of robots at a time, but don't bet against him. In short, we've seen this all before, and we'll see it again. For the robots have already established their foothold on our world. It's called Hollywood. (Barton) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Holiday 12
INTO THE DEEP (NR) -- IMAX cameras take a journey through the undersea world. Entergy IMAX
LEWIS & CLARK: GREAT JOURNEY WEST (NR) -- The famed explorers, here portrayed by Kelly Boulware and Sonny Surowiec, set out West in this IMAX version of their story. Entergy IMAX
LITTLE BLACK BOOK (PG-13) -- Young TV producer Brittany Murphy (Just Married) is so suspicious of commitment-averse boyfriend Ron Livingston (Office Space) that she 'interviews' all of his past girlfriends to find out his problem in this romantic comedy directed by Nick Hurran and co-starring Holly Hunter and Kathy Bates. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Holiday 12, North Shore Square
THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (R) -- A- Jonathan Demme's remake of the 1962 classic political thriller about a sinister attempt to control the American presidency stands on its own as worth seeing even by those thoroughly familiar with the original. The plot plays out with key differences, and the ending is entirely different. Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep and Liev Schreiber star. (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Causeway Cinema, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9, North Shore Square
NAPOLEON DYNAMITE (PG) -- A- Co-writer and director Jared Hess has created one of the most blissfully abstract comedies in recent memory in his story about Napoleon Dynamite (Jon Heder), a dorky high school student who might actually be a superhero. In what almost feels like a goof on John Hughes' '80s teen comedies, Hess has produced something thoroughly offbeat and surprisingly profound, displaying a love for people who aren't nearly as ordinary as we think. Plus it has one of the coolest opening title sequences of all time. (Simmons) Canal Place
NASCAR 3-D: THE IMAX EXPERIENCE (PG) -- The IMAX cameras go deep inside the race cars and race tracks of NASCAR land. Entergy IMAX
THE NOTEBOOK (PG-13) -- Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams co-star in Nick Cassavetes' adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks romance novel about a romantic triangle recalled by an older man (James Garner) to his former love (Gena Rowlands), who is now suffering from Alzheimer's disease. (Gosling and McAdams play two of the younger lovers.) Rowlands, it should be noted, is the mother of Cassavetes and widow of John Cassavetes. Causeway Cinema, 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
OPEN WATER (R) -- Married scuba divers Daniel Travis and Blanchard Travis wind up being stranded by their diving party in the Bahamas and have to fend off sharks in this fact-based film written and directed by Chris Kentis. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Canal Place, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
THE PRINCESS DIARIES 2: ROYAL ENGAGEMENT (G) -- Now that American teen Anne Hathaway is firmly set as the princess of Genovia, she now must find her prince in this sequel to the 2001 hit. Co-stars Julie Andrews, Heather Matarazzo and Hector Elizondo. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, North Shore Square
SPIDER-MAN 2 (PG-13) -- A- Director Sam Raimi finally displays his spidey sense in this superior sequel to the 2002 hit movie. An unhinged-yet-sympathetic Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) is the villain, but the real struggle here is between identity and secret identity, as Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) wrestles with the tangled question: to be or not to be a webslinger. (Tisserand) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Holiday 12
THE TIN DRUM (NR) -- Volker Schlindorff directed this 1970 film about an intellectually superior 3-year-old who rebels against the middle class and its move toward Nazism. Stars David Bennett, Mario Adorf and Angela Winkler. 7 p.m. Thursday at the Deutsches Haus
THE VILLAGE (PG-13) -- C M. Night Shyamalan's career trajectory continues ever downward with yet another 'movie with a secret' approach that spoils a fairly intriguing story. Rural villagers who adhere to a Luddite lifestyle -- filled with its own creepy superstitions -- start to panic when someone inadvertently breaks a truce with their menacing neighbor in the nearby woods. Shyamalan's deftness with color and sound as atmosphere is typically wondrous, and the ensemble cast (featuring newcomer Bryce Dallas Howard, Ron's daughter) is capable, but this secret ending is Shyamalan's most ludicrous yet. Let's kill the Hitchcock comparisons now, shall we? Co-stars William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver and Adrien Brody. (Simmons) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9
WITHOUT A PADDLE (PG-13) -- City slickers Seth Green, Matthew Lillard and Abraham Benrubi decide to pick up on their dead friend's quest for stolen loot on a canoe trip in this film billed by more than one source as City Slickers meets Deliverance (insert Ned Beatty joke here). Directed by Stephen Brill (Mr. Deeds, Little Nicky). Co-stars, ahem, Burt Reynolds. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
YU-GI-OH! (PG) -- The popular Japanese animation show comes to the big screen courtesy of director Ryosuke Takahashi, with the evil spirit Anubis rising from the sands of Egypt. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9
