Scheduled to open Wednesday
BLADE: TRINITY (R) -- Wesley Snipes returns once again as the part-human, part-vampire who battles full-fledged vampires in their quest for world domination. Co-stars Jessica Biel and Ryan Reynolds.
Scheduled to open Friday
OCEAN¹S TWELVE (PG-13) -- With Las Vegas all tapped out, George Clooney, Brad Pitt and the rest of Steven Soderbergh¹s New Millennium Rat Pack head to Europe for more heists in this sequel to the 2001 hit, itself a remake of the 1960 film starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin et al. Co-stars Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Don Cheadle.
TARNATION (R) -- B Jonathan Caouette directed this experimental art film of a documentary chronicling his often-fractured relationship with his mentally ill mother. Many will be absorbed with the artfulness of this film, while others will be frustrated with what feels like Caouette¹s catharsis through narcissism -- think Andy Warhol meets Capturing the Friedmans. Thoroughly unique and frustrating all at once. (Simmons) (Reviewed in this issue.) Canal Place
Now Showing
AFTER THE SUNSET (PG-13) -- Suave thief Pierce Brosnan thinks he¹s 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 Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Hollywood 9, Movies 8
ALEXANDER (R) -- Oliver Stone¹s 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 O¹Toole in Troy, Richard Harris in Gladiator, etc.) We¹re still pumped to see Baz Luhrmann¹s project, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicole Kidman, due out sometime before the apocalypse. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood 9, Movies 8
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: Haram -- Yemen, the Hidden Half Speaks, directed by Fibi Kraus and Gudrun Torrubia, an exploration of gender roles in Yemen. Also showing: Sabiha Sumar¹s For a Place Under the Heavens. For more visit www.zeitgeistinc.org. 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Zeitgeist
BRIDGET JONES: THE EDGE OF REASON (R) -- C- Beeban Kidron¹s sequel to Sharon Maguire¹s delightful hit 2001 comedy about a slightly overweight reporter¹s 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) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Hollywood 9, Movies 8
CHRISTMAS WITH THE CRANKS (PG) -- F Like Santa himself, Jamie Lee Curtis and Tim Allen -- as a couple deciding to opt for a Caribbean cruise over celebrating Christmas -- magically dropped off this lump of coal into multiplexes everywhere, all on a single night. Christmas is a season of iconic imagery: a jolly gift-giver, a lighted tree, a babe in a manger. To this list, now add Curtis and Allen overflowing from their teeny swimsuits as they prance in a shopping mall tanning salon. (Tisserand) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood 9, North Shore Square
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, TV¹s Angels in America), with Stephen Marber adapting his own Tony Award-nominated stage play. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 20
DOLPHINS (NR) -- Fa love Pa! Actor Pierce Brosnan narrates Greg MacGillivray¹s documentary about the study of dolphins¹ communication skills. Featuring music by Sting. Entergy IMAX
DOON SCHOOL CHRONICLES (NR) -- Zeitgeist presents this five-part documentary series by director David MacDougall profiling India¹s Doon School, which some have dubbed ³the Eton of India² for its prestigious academic reputation in grooming the future leaders of the country in a post-colonial atmosphere. This week: The New Boys. 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays at Zeitgeist
ENDURING LOVE (R) -- Roger Mitchell directed this adaptation of the Ian McEwan novel about the curious relationship that develops between two survivors of a plane wreck. Co-stars Daniel Craig, Rhys Ifans and Samantha Morton. Chalmette
FILM NIGHT AT THE BRIDGE LOUNGE -- Tribute to Catherine Deneuve concludes with Jacques Demy¹s 1964 film, The Umbrellas at Cherbourg. 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 13, at the Bridge Lounge
FINDING NEVERLAND (PG) -- Marc Foster directs Johnny Depp as Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie, who was inspired by his relationship with single mother Kate Winslet and her sons. Co-stars Dustin Hoffman, Julie Christie and Radha Mitchell. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20
GARDEN STATE (R) -- B+ Zach Braff (TV¹s Scrubs) wrote, directed and stars in this self-consciously offbeat comedy-drama about a semi-successful actor who returns home to New Jersey for his mother¹s funeral and confront both his past and his future. Admittedly inspired by Harold and Maude, Braff sometimes relies too heavily on character quirks as character development, but his honesty and earnestness shine through in an effort to explore the painful confrontation with adulthood. Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Ian Holm, Jean Smart and Method Man form an impressive supporting cast, and Braff in particularly is delightfully subdued. (Simmons) Causeway Cinema
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 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand, Holiday 12, North Shore Square
I (HEART) 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 ³existentialist detectives² 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, Causeway Cinema, Chalmette
THE INCREDIBLES (PG) -- A- Director Brad Bird follows up his animated mini-masterpiece Iron Giant with a CGI mini-masterpiece that depicts a family of superheroes trying to conceal their powers in a witness protection program. Like the best old Marvel comics (especially The Fantastic Four), the film succeeds by combining clever action sequences with fresh humor and honest character development. (Tisserand)
AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood 9, North Shore Square
INTO THE DEEP (NR) -- I MAX cameras take a journey through the undersea world. Entergy IMAX
KINSEY (R) -- A-
Bill Condon¹s (Gods and Monsters) biography of seminal sex researcher Alfred Kinsey offers terrific lead performances by Liam Neeson and Laura Linney as Kinsey¹s wife. The film appropriately views Kinsey as a hero who shined light where darkness had hitherto reigned but also as a complicated and flawed human being sometimes as blind to the spirit as his opponents were to the body. (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.) Canal Place
LIGHTNING IN A BOTTLE (PG-13) -- C+ Director Antoine Fuqua¹s documentary/history of the blues clearly means well, but too often the Radio City Music Hall setting and superfluous all-star band turn the music and artists he¹s celebrating into museum pieces, perfect and lifeless. The two high points come from the most stylized artists -- Macy Gray and David Johansen, performing with Howlin¹ Wolf¹s guitarist Hubert Sumlin -- because they¹re the only two who treat the blues as a live, contemporary thing. The band includes Dr. John and Ivan Neville, which is nice to see, but drummer Steve Jordan, bassist Willie Weeks and guitarist Danny Korchmar provide a pristine, soul-less musical setting. (Rawls) Canal Place
THE LIVING SEA (NR) --
Entergy IMAX¹s premiere film returns, with a look at aquatic life, narrated by Meryl Streep. Oscar-nominated for Best Documentary Short. Entergy IMAX
METALLICA: SOME KIND OF MONSTER (R) -- B+ Joe Berlinger and Brude Sinofsky (Brother¹s Keeper) chronicle two years in the life of Metallica as the band struggled to produce its latest album, St. Anger, through artistic differences, rehab and personnel changes. Hopefully this will earn heavy metal musicians the respect they may have lost two decades ago with the mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap, with singer-guitarist James Hetfield coming off as wholly sympathetic in his struggles with alcohol abuse, clashes with drummer Lars Ulrich, and the middle age trappings of marriage and fatherhood. (Simmons) (Reviewed in this issue.) 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Prytania
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 Hughes¹ ¹80s teen comedies, Hess has produced something thoroughly offbeat and surprisingly profound, displaying a love for people who aren¹t nearly as ordinary as we think. Plus it has one of the coolest opening title sequences of all time. (Simmons) Causeway Cinema
NATIONAL TREASURE (PG) -- C+
Action-flick producer Jerry Bruckheimer¹s 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 doesn¹t send you because Cage doesn¹t dare to take his character to the lunatic fringe. (Barton) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Holiday 12, Hollywood 9, Movies 8, Prytania
NOMA CLASSIC FILM SERIES -- Henri Schindler¹s film series continue with Vertigo, which many consider to be Alfred Hitchcock¹s best film, about private eye Jimmy Stewart sucked into a murder plot. Co-starring the very eyebrowed Kim Novak and Barbara Bel Geddes. 6:30 p.m. Thursday at NOMA
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, Holiday 12, Hollywood 9, North Shore Square
RAY (PG-13) -- B+ Taylor Hackford¹s 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. Hackford¹s films have almost always been affairs of the heart, one way or another, and it¹s a shame the original title, Unchain My Heart, wasn¹t kept, because this film has plenty of it. Co-stars Kerry Washington, Regina King, Aunjanue Ellis, Richard Schiff, Larenz Tate and New Orleans¹ own Chris Thomas King. (Simmons) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Causeway Cinema, Grand, Hollywood 9, North Shore Square
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 20, Grand, Movies 8
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 Child¹s Play series. AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Hollywood 9, Movies 8
SHALL WE DANCE? (PG-13) -- C Richard Gere is rich and in love with his wife (Susan Sarandon) and two kids, but he¹s 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, Chalmette, Holiday 12, Movies 8
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). Movies 8
SIDEWAYS (R) -- B+ Sideways, like Payne¹s 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
SILENT WATERS (NR) -- Sabiha Sumar directed this film, which won the Golden Leopard award (best film) and a best actress award for Kirron Kher at the Locarno International Film Festival. The story follows a Muslim woman who tries to protect her family under the rule of Pakistani general Zia-ul-Haq. 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Sunday at Zeitgeist
THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE (PG) -- B Nickelodeon maintains its fairly impressive track record of stretching its half-hour kiddy shows into decent full-length movie fare. While efforts such as The Wild Thornberrys went for the heartstrings, SpongeBob stays true to the TV show¹s frenetic slapstick as it follows our everysponge on his journey from Bikini Bottom to rescue a stolen crown. Just when things threaten to slow down, a still-buff David Hasselhoff appears to save the day (and the movie). (Tisserand) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood 9, North Shore Square
UNDERTOW (R) -- B David Gordon Green (All the Real Girls) purees up a mish-mash of Southern gothic thriller and ¹70s redneck action fare (think Macon County Line) in this story of a boy who takes his younger brother on the run after watching his uncle kill his father over an old family treasure. This is Green¹s most earnest attempt at a more focused narrative and ironically winds up being his most unfocused overall work, but he remains one of the most interesting young American directors to watch, particularly due to his collaborations with cinematographer Tim Orr. (Note: the film¹s sound was mixed and edited at New Orleans¹ Swelltone Labs.) (Simmons) AMC Palace 20
WITNESSES (NR) -- Vinko Bresan directed this film based on Jurica Pavicic¹s novel, Alabaster Sheep, about Croatian soldiers who wind up shooting a Serb suspected as a black marketer. Also: The Pakistani short film The Little Terrorist, directed by Ashvin Kumar. 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
AMC Palace 12 734-2020; AMC Palace 16 734-2020; AMC Palace 20 734-2020; The Big Top 569-2700; Canal Place 363-1117; Causeway Cinema (985) 626-9853; Chalmette Movies 9 277-9766; Deutsches Haus 522-8014; Entergy IMAX 581-4629; The Grand 240-4100; Holiday 12 (985) 893-5444; Hollywood Cinemas 9 464-0990; Movies 8 (985) 641-2110; North Shore Square (985) 847-1418; Prytania 891-2787; Zeitgeist 525-2767
Contributors: Rick Barton, Shala Carlson, David Lee Simmons, Michael Tisserand
Compiled by David Lee Simmons
