Scheduled to open Wednesday
KINSEY (R) -- Liam Neeson stars as Alfred C. Kinsey, who gained notoriety for his ground-breaking and controversial research into human sexuality, in this biopic directed by Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters) and co-starring Laura Linney, Peter Sarsgaard, Chris O'Donnell, Timothy Hutton, Tim Curry, John Lithgow and Oliver Platt.
ALEXANDER (R) -- Oliver Stone's epic biopic of Alexander the Great, the man from Macedonia who conquered most of the world (including the Persian Empire) back when conquering was cool, stars Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer, Rosario Dawson, Jared Leto and, in the celebrated Token British Actor as Father Figure slot, Anthony Hopkins. (Please see Peter O'Toole in Troy, Richard Harris in Gladiator, etc.) We're still pumped to see Baz Luhrmann's project, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicole Kidman, due out sometime before the apocalypse.
CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS (PG) -- Holiday-weary couple Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis learn the true meaning of Christmas when they try to skip the holiday altogether and instead prepare for a Caribbean cruise in this comedy directed by Joe Roth (America's Sweethearts) and co-starring Dan Aykroyd, M. Emmett Walsh and Cheech Marin.
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AFTER THE SUNSET (PG-13) -- Suave thief Pierce Brosnan thinks he's pulled off his last heist and set for retirement when his rival, an FBI agent, visits him on his remote island to keep tabs on him and winds up striking up the old rivalry. Brett Ratner (Red Dragon) directs; supporting cast includes Woody Harrelson, Salma Hayek and Don Cheadle. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace16, AMC Palace 20, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9
ALFIE (R) -- B Charles Shyer's remake of the 1966 British film that made Michael Caine a star is now set in contemporary Manhattan. Jude Law is the philandering limo driver and Jane Krakowski, Nia Long, Marisa Tomei, Susan Sarandon and Sienna Miller are his women. Shyer's script does a good job of modernizing his female characters, but isn't as adroit with Alfie himself. Excellent performances all around, however, with Miller a particular standout. (Barton) AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20
BEING JULIA (R) -- B- Annette Bening stars as the Margo Channing-like stage star of the title, staring down middle age and young rivals in this uneven though sometimes charming film by István Szabó (Sunshine). Bening is already generating mild Oscar buzz for this performance, though she indeed seems a bit past her prime here, relying on giggles for charm. She isn't helped much by director Szabó or screenwriter Ronald Harwood (The Pianist) in adapting W. Somerset Maugham's novel. Jeremy Irons, Bruce Greenwood and Michael Gambon play some of the many men in her life. (Simmons) (Reviewed in this issue.) Canal Place
BEYOND THE VEIL: NEW PERSPECTIVES FROM THE MUSLIM WORLD (NR) -- Zeitgeist brings this touring program from Women Make Movies, co-sponsored by Newcomb College Center for Research on Women, including films from Palestine, Afghanistan and Pakistan. This week: Ladies Room, starring Mahnaz Afzali. For descriptions, visit www.zeitgeistinc.org. 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Zeitgeist
BRIDGET JONES: THE EDGE OF REASON (R) -- C- Beeban Kidron's sequel to Sharon Maguire's delightful hit 2001 comedy about a slightly overweight reporter's romantic involvement with two different men begins a couple of months after she ended up with the right one at the end of the original. Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant are back as the romantic triangle, but the script is at once broadly predictable and narrowly so contrived as to elicit scoffs. (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9
DOLPHINS (NR) -- Fa love Pa! Actor Pierce Brosnan narrates Greg MacGillivray's documentary about the study of dolphins' communication skills. Featuring music by Sting. Entergy IMAX
DOON SCHOOL CHRONICLES (NR) -- Zeitgeist presents this five-part documentary series by director David MacDougall profiling India's Doon School, which some have dubbed 'the Eton of India' for its prestigious academic reputation in grooming the future leaders of the country in a post-colonial atmosphere. This week: With Morning Hearts. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays at Zeitgeist
FILM NIGHT AT THE BRIDGE LOUNGE -- Weekly series continues with its 'Season of Catherine Deneuve.' This week: Francois Truffaut's Mississippi Mermaid (1969). Monday, Nov. 29, at the Bridge Lounge
THE GRUDGE (PG-13) -- Japanese director Takashi Shimizu takes the trend of American directors adapting Japanese thrillers one step further by remaking his own film into English, with Sarah Michelle Gellar trapped in a haunted house. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9
HARD GOODBYES: MY FATHER (NR) -- Penny Panayotopoulou directed this story about a 10-year-old boy (Giorgos Karayannis, who won for Best Actor at the Locarno Film Festival) and his relationship with his father in the shadow of the Apollo lunar landing and walk on the moon in 1969. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Sunday at Zeitgeist
I ♥ HUCKABEES (R) -- A- David O. Russell fulfills the promise of earlier works Spanking the Monkey, Flirting With Disaster and Three Kings with the most novel film of the year so far: a slapstick existential comedy. Rare is the director who can work a film on such seemingly disparate intellectual levels, which Russell does here in exploring the psyche of an environmentalist (Jason Schwartzman), a corporate drone (Jude Law) and an embittered firefighter (Mark Wahlberg), with a little help from 'existentialist detectives' Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin. A pitch-perfect ensemble cast (which also features Naomi Watts and Isabelle Huppert) and a breezy pace balances the heady themes explored by Russell, who co-wrote the script. (Simmons) Canal Place
THE INCREDIBLES (PG) -- Pixar CGI film follows an animated super-team that is a family with tons of inner squabbles that is actually in a witness protection program. Directed by Brad Bird (The Iron Giant) and featuring the voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Wallace Shawn, Samuel L. Jackson and Jason Lee. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9
INTO THE DEEP (NR) -- IMAX cameras take a journey through the undersea world. Entergy IMAX
THE LIVING SEA (NR) -- Entergy IMAX's premiere film returns, with a look at aquatic life, narrated by Meryl Streep. Oscar-nominated for Best Documentary Short. Entergy IMAX
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (R) -- Gael Garcia Bernal, who was so compelling in both Amores Perros and Y Tu Mama Tambien, stars as a young Ernesto 'Che' Guevara at the beginning of his political awakening in this biopic directed by Walter Salles (Central Station) and co-starring Rodrigo de la Serna. Canal Place
NATIONAL TREASURE (PG-13) -- From the Jerry Bruckheimer production factory comes this adventure of modern-day treasure hunters led by archaeologist Nicolas Cage (Harrison Ford being too old and all) seeking a chest of goodies left behind by the Founding Fathers. The catch: He's one of the descendants. Directed by John Turteltaub (Cool Runnings) and co-starring Christopher Plummer and Harvey Keitel. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Prytania
THE POLAR EXPRESS (PG) -- A young boy whose faith in Santa Claus is put to the test by cynical friends and relatives is whisked away to the North Pole by train conductor Tom Hanks in this Robert Zemeckis film using computer-generated images base on live-action, motion-capture images. Co-stars the late Michael Jeter. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9
RAY (PG-13) -- B+ Taylor Hackford's vibrant if sometimes cliched biopic of American music icon Ray Charles (here portrayed admirably by Jamie Foxx) features a strong ensemble cast, wonderful recreations of Charles performing his greatest hits, and deft use of New Orleans scenery and musicians and actors. Hackford's films have almost always been affairs of the heart, one way or another, and it's a shame the original title, Unchain My Heart, wasn't kept, because this film has plenty of it. Co-stars Kerry Washington, Regina King, Aunjanue Ellis, Richard Schiff, Larenz Tate and New Orleans' own Chris Thomas King. (Simmons) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9
SANTA VS. THE SNOWMAN (NR) -- The holiday season warms up with this story about a jealous snowman who decides to battle Santa and the North Pole. Entergy IMAX
SAW (R) -- Cary Elwes (The Princess Bride) and Leigh Whannell are stalked by a serial killer in this thriller directed by James Wan. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12
SEED OF CHUCKY (R) -- The fifth installment in the killer-doll series features Chucky facing fatherhood. (Shudder the thought). Features the voices of Brad Dourif as Chucky, Jennifer Tilly as Tiffany, and John Waters doing God knows what. Directed by first-timer Don Mancini, who wrote Bride of Chucky and the Child's Play series. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9
SHALL WE DANCE? (PG-13) -- C Richard Gere is rich and in love with his wife (Susan Sarandon) and two kids, but he's nonetheless having a midlife crisis. He might undertake civic service, but instead he takes dancing lessons without informing his family. This film has laudable values and some wisdom to share about marriage, but the script is very weak and the tone entirely uneven. (Barton) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, Chalmette, Holiday 12
SHARK TALE (PG) -- The mafia goes truly underworld, or more accurately, underwater, in this animated story about a little fish (voice of Will Smith) who is mistakenly blamed for the accidental death of the son of a shark mob boss (Robert De Niro). AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand
SIDEWAYS (R) -- B+ Sideways, like director Alexander Payne's earlier works Election and About Schmidt, is a witty and delightful comedy with more than its share of drama. The loserly Miles (Paul Giamatti) and his aging TV star friend Jack (Thomas Haden Church) take a bachelor-party tour through wine country, in which the fruit of the grape serves as a not-always-subtle metaphor for life. Giamatti does his work well (he just might garner an overdue Oscar nod), and his chemistry with Church is a pure comic delight. (Simmons) AMC Palace 20, Canal Place
THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE (PG) -- Nickelodeon continues to crank out the movie versions of its popular TV series (The Wild Thornberrys, The Rugrats) with this animated film about the fry cook at the Krusty Krab diner in Bikini Bottom, this time heading for adventure in trying to recapture King Neptune's stolen crown. Features the voices of Alec Baldwin, Scarlett Johansson and Jeffrey Tambor. Directed and written by Sherm Cohen and Stephen Hillenburg, respectively, who work on the TV series. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood 9
VIVA LALDJERIE (NR) -- Nadir Mokneche, reportedly called 'the Algerian Almodovar,' directed this film about women who are exiles in their own land in Algeria. 9:30 p.m. Thursday-Sunday at Zeitgeist
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
