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Scheduled to Open Friday
CLOSER (R) -- Romantic and emotional entanglements develop in London among Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen in this psychological drama directed by Mike Nichols (Primary Colors, HBO's Angels in America), with Stephen Marber adapting his own Tony Award-nominated stage play.
Now Showing
AFTER THE SUNSET (PG-13) -- Suave thief Pierce Brosnan thinks he's pulled off his last heist and is set for retirement when his nemesis, 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.
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.
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)
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), who adapted W. Somerset Maugham's novel. Jeremy Irons, Bruce Greenwood and Michael Gambon play some of the many men in her life. (Simmons)
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: Paradise Lost, directed by Ebtisam Mara'ana, who tries to recreate the history of her Palestinian fishing village as it becomes increasingly isolated and surrounded by Israeli settlements. For more 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 2001 hit 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)
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.
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: Karam in Jaipur. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays at Zeitgeist
GERMAN FILM PROGRAM -- The series of classic German films continues. This week: a Silent Classics Double Feature, with Erich Von Stroheim's Foolish Wives (1922) and F.W. Murnau's The Last Laugh (1924). 7 p.m. Thursday at Deutsches Haus
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.
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♥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)
THE INCREDIBLES (PG) -- Pixar CGI film follows an animated super-team who are 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.
INTO THE DEEP (NR) -- IMAX cameras take a journey through the undersea world. Entergy IMAX
J.M. BARRIE AND THE LOST BOYS (NR) -- Timed rather nicely to coincide with the upcoming premiere of the Johnny Depp vehicle Finding Neverland, Zeitgeist screens this famous 1978 BBC mini-series directed by Andrew Birkin and starring Sir Ian Holm as the writer who created Peter Pan. 6 p.m. Saturday at Zeitgeist
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.
THE KNOWLEDGE OF HEALING (NR) -- Frank Reichle's documentary has been credited for being the first to examine in detail the concept and practice of Tibetan medicine, and suggests that it would be an excellent complement to Western medical technology. 7:30 p.m. Friday at Zeitgeist
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.
NATIONAL TREASURE (PG) -- C+ Action-flick producer Jerry Bruckheimer's latest stars Nicolas Cage as a man who believes the Founding Fathers hid a vast treasure from the British and planted clues to its whereabouts on our currency and in invisible ink on The Declaration of Independence. Filled with stock chases, the picture is preposterously but cleverly enough plotted for brainless diversion, but it doesn't send you because Cage doesn't dare to take his character to the lunatic fringe. (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.)
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 that uses computer-generated images based on live-action, motion-capture images. Co-stars the late Michael Jeter.
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)
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.
SEED OF CHUCKY (R) -- The fifth installment in the killer-doll series features Chucky facing fatherhood. (Shudder at 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.
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)
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).
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)
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.
TEAM AMERICA: WORLD POLICE (R) -- B+ South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker co-directed this puppet-character parody of Hollywood action movies (among other things), with an average Joe puppet recruited by a superhero team to battle evil around the world. (Eddy)
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
| 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 |
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