Scheduled to Open Friday
COACH CARTER (PG-13) -- Samuel L. Jackson stars as the real-life high school boys basketball coach Ken Carter who, in 1999, received national attention for sitting his every member of his undefeated team for bad grades. Directed by Thomas Carter (Save the Last Dance) and co-starring Ashanti.
ELEKTRA (PG-13) -- Jennifer Garner (TV's Alias, the latest Jennifer in the 'Bennifer' relationship with Mr. Affleck) plays the popular action figure of Daredevil comic-book fame, an assassin who teams up with one of her targets (Goran Visnjic) and her mentor (Terence Stamp) after being betrayed by the Order of the Hand's leader Kirigi (Will Yun Lee). Directed by Rob Bowman (Reign of the Future).
HOTEL RWANDA (PG-13) -- A- Don Cheadle delivers a well-deserved Golden Globe-nominated performance in one of the year's best films, a fact-based story about how a Hutu hotel manager (Cheadle) helped save 1,200 lives during the Hutus' genocidal massacre of 700,000 Tutsis and their Hutu sympathizers in a short period of time in 1994. Director Terry George, who previously scripted In The Name of the Father and The Boxer, conveys the violence and horror with deceptively subtle camera work; Cheadle's face does much of the heavy lifting, and he does so with typical panache. (Simmons) (Reviewed in this issue)
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (PG-13) -- Zhang Yimou follows up his sometimes brilliant Hero with this latest martial-arts-as-ballet epic about a cop (Takeshi Kaneshiro) who goes undercover to catch a blind woman (Zhang Ziyi, of Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon fame) who may belong to a resistance movement.
RACING STRIPES (PG) -- In this animated feature, an abandoned young zebra named Stripes (voice of Frankie Muniz) is rescued by a horse (Bruce Greenwood) and raised on a Kentucky farm with dreams of racing in the Kentucky Derby. Directed by Frederik Du Chau (Quest for Camelot), and with additional voices provided by Michael Clarke Duncan, Dustin Hoffman, Mandy Moore, Joe Pantoliano and Patrick Stewart.
THE WOODSMAN (R) -- A convicted pedophile (Kevin Bacon) tries to get his life back together after being released from prison, but finds a mix of support and suspicion in this drama from Nicole Kassell (making her feature-directing debut). Based on the play by Steven Fechter (who adapted the script with Kassell) and co-starring Mos Def, Kyra Sedgwick, Benjamin Bratt, David Alan Grier and Eve.
Now Showing
ALEXANDRA'S PROJECT (NR) -- Rolf De Heer's film about a man (Gary Sweet) who becomes trapped in his own home and is forced to watch a videotape of his wife (Helen Buday), who has a gun pointed to her head, in this Australian thriller that won the Golden Zenith Award at the Montreal Film Festival. 7:30 p.m. Friday through Jan. 20 (except Monday, Jan. 17) at Zeitgeist
ALIEN VS. PREDATOR (PG-13) -- Not since Godzilla and Mothra tangled has there been such an anticipated match-up of very, very bad monsters in this film directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (Resident Evil, Mortal Kombat) and starring Sanaa Lathan and Lance Henriksen. Chalmette 9
ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER'S THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (PG-13) -- C+ It's been proven that large-scale Broadway shows can still be turned into spectacular movies: Chicago and Evita dispelled all doubt. Too bad director Joel Schumacher's version of the Phantom phenomenon is just a ghost of its stage self. The movie is plagued by poor lighting, weird lip-synch issues, and an overall starved visual imagination, although it does have enough great moments (the rising and, later, crashing chandelier comes to mind) to make it a sentimental favorite. Gerard Butler is an amazing Phantom, arguably the best we have seen to date; Emmy Rossum shines as Christine, although probably not enough to merit that Golden Globe nod. (Carlson) AMC Palace 20
THE AVIATOR (R) -- A Martin Scorsese's biography of Howard Hughes offers an award-worthy lead performance by Leonard DiCaprio in a tale perhaps less interested in factual accuracy than in seeing Hughes as an emblem of American individualism, a brilliant visionary willing to risk a vast personal fortune in pursuit of innovation and excellence, his life a compelling rebuke to an era of insider trading and smug, facile patriotism in the age of Enron and Halliburton. (Barton) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Canal Place, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
BEYOND THE SEA (PG-13) -- C- This muddled, choppy, limp, cliche-riddled biopic of charismatic singer Bobby Darin would be graded even lower if it hadn't actually featured Darin's songs. Writer, director and star Kevin Spacey, whose odyssey to get this story to the big screen has been well chronicled, fails almost on every level except (maybe) his earnest attempts at singing Darin's classics ('Mac the Knife,' 'Beyond the Sea,' 'Dream Lover,' 'Splish Splash'). And even then, you can hear the off-key notes, the lack of a clear vibrato. A supporting cast of Kate Bosworth (as young wife Sandra Dee), John Goodman and Bob Hoskins has very little to do. In a year of biopics, this must be the worst. (Simmons) AMC Palace 20
BIRTH (R) -- Nicole Kidman stars as a widow who meets a young boy (Cameron Bright) who says he is the reincarnation of her dead husband in this film directed by Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast). Co-starring Danny Huston and Lauren Bacall. AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20
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. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Causeway 4, Grand, North Shore Square
CHRISTMAS WITH THE KRANKS (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, Holiday 12, North Shore Square
CLOSER (R) -- A Adapted from Patrick Marber's play, Mike Nichols' film examines the emotional and sexual entanglements of four young people in contemporary London. Searingly brave performances by Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts, Jude Law and Clive Owen make this picture particularly memorable. Its theme that many people use 'love' as a defense for self-indulgence rings sadly true. (Barton) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 20, Causeway 4, Hollywood Cinemas 9
DARKNESS (PG-13) -- Teen Anna Paquin and her family realize the dream cottage they have moved into is haunted in this thriller written and directed by Jaume Balaguero and co-starring Lena Olin and Giancarlo Giannini. AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9, North Shore Square
FAT ALBERT (PG) -- TV series creator Bill Cosby makes his feature screenwriting debut and Joel Zwick (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) directs a cast of unknowns in this live-action version of Cosby's cartoon show about inner-city youths who learn life's lessons through voiceovers. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, North Shore Square
FINDING NEVERLAND (PG) -- A- Marc Foster (Monster's Ball) directs Johnny Depp as author and playwright J.M. Barrie, in this lovely little movie which documents the origins of the Scotsman's most enduring work, Peter Pan. A bighearted, imaginative film from Foster, Neverland is sure to be a classic, especially among those who never want to grow up. (Carlson) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 20, Holiday 12, North Shore Square
FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX (PG-13) -- A plane carrying laid-off oil workers back from a rig to Beijing crash-lands in the Gobi Desert, and the survivors struggle with the elements and themselves to rebuild the plane in this remake of a 1965 film based on Elleston Trevor's novel. Plane-happy John Moore (Behind Enemy Lines) directs Dennis Quaid, Tyrese Gibson, Giovanni Ribisi and Amanda Otto. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand, Holiday 12, Movies 8
FORCES OF NATURE (NR) -- George Casey's documentary about the study of such natural phenomena as earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes. Directed by Kevin Bacon. Kenner MegaDome
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, Grand, Holiday 12, Movies 8
INTO THE DEEP (NR) -- IMAX cameras take a journey through the undersea world. Entergy IMAX
KINSEY (R) -- A- Bill Condon's (Gods and Monsters) biography of seminal sex researcher Alfred Kinsey offers deserved Golden Globe-nominated performances by Liam Neeson and Laura Linney as Kinsey's 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) Hollywood Cinemas 9
LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS (PG) -- B The wildly popular children's book series comes rather awkwardly to the big screen, with this debut based on the first three novellas, about three young orphans who get bounced from household to household searching for a permanent home (including the devious Count Olaf, played by Jim Carrey). Director Brad Silberling works wonders with the moody cinematography and art direction, but clunky editing and a mixed bag of performances from his ensemble cast make this an only partially entertaining work. Daniel Handler adapts from his own material. That cast features Jude Law, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Coolidge, Cedric the Entertainer, Catherine O'Hara, Timothy Spall, Emily Browning, Billy Connolly and Jane Adams. (Simmons) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
THE LIFE AQUATIC WITH STEVE ZISSOU (R) -- B+ Director Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums) continues to develop and expand his skills while not necessarily making a better film than his previous work in this 'comedic sea adventure' about a fading, Cousteau-like oceanographer (Bill Murray) and his wacky crew out to recapture their past filmmaking glory while dealing with myriad problems. Anderson, like his film's heroes, might be over-reaching a little in this effort, but you cannot help but enjoy his trademark wit, quirky ensemble characters (maybe too many characters this time) and visual underwater splendor courtesy of award-winning animator Henry Selic. Co-stars Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe and Bud Cort. (Simmons) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 20, Canal Place
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 MACHINIST (R) -- Lathe operator Christian Bale (who reportedly dropped 60 pounds for the role) questions his sanity when he suffers from an acute and potentially deadly case of insomnia in this thriller directed by Brad Anderson (Next Stop Wonderland). Co-stars Jennifer Jason Leigh. Chalmette 9
MADAM SATAN (NR) -- Henri Schindler's Classic Film Series returns with a themed screening of films that premiered before the advent of the infamous Hayes Code that tamped down on themes of sex, violence and other 'moral' issues. Madam Satan (1930), directed by Cecil B. Demille, features Kay Johnson as a woman who costumes as a temptress at a masquerade ball to tempt her husband (Reginald Denny) whom she suspects is on the make. 6:30 p.m. Thursday at NOMA's Stern Auditorium
MEET THE FOCKERS (PG-13) -- Jack (Robert De Niro) and Dina Byrnes (Blythe Danner) meet the parents (Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand) of Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) after Greg marries their daughter (Teri Polo) in this sequel to the hit 2000 comedy, Meet the Parents. Jay Roach returns to direct. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
THE MISSION (NR) -- Described as 'Akira Kurosawa meets Takeshi Kitano' (or better yet, think samurai meets yakuza), five men from completely contrasting backgrounds are recruited to help protect a Triad boss targeted for assassination in this film directed by Johnnie To. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday at Zeitgeist
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) Causeway 4
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) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Movies 8
OCEAN WONDERLAND 3D (NR) -- The Great Barrier Reef and the Bahamas are explored, with a focus on the diversity of marine and coral life, in this film using new HD digital 3D 1570 cameras. Entergy IMAX
OCEAN'S TWELVE (PG-13) -- C- Steven Soderbergh and his buddy-buddy cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones with cameos from Bruce Willis and Albert Finney, among others, wink and grin through this crime flick with a script that would be lucky to get a passing grade in a screenwriting class. I have little doubt that this inside joke of a flick was a lot more fun to make than to watch. (Barton) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
THE POLAR EXPRESS (PG) -- B A young boy who is losing his belief in Santa Claus is whisked away to the North Pole by train conductor Tom Hanks in this Robert Zemeckis film. The strangeness of computer-generated images based on live-action, motion-capture images is a constant reminder that while this film will certainly entertain older children and train enthusiasts, it will never be the Christmas classic the book has become. (Carlson) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Holiday 12, North Shore Square
PRIMER (PG-13) -- Engineers Shane Carruth and David Sullivan accidentally invent a time machine in this film written and directed by Carruth and which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. Chalmette 9
P.T.U. -- The theft of a police officer's gun sets off a domino effect of events in this crime drama directed by Johnnie To. 9:15 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday at Zeitgest
RAY (PG-13) -- B+ Taylor Hackford's vibrant if sometimes cliched biopic of American music icon Ray Charles (here portrayed admirably by Golden Globe nominee 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) Grand
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) Movies 8
SHARKS 3D (NR) -- Jean-Michel Cousteau presents this underwater, 3D look at such famous sharks as the Great White and the Hammerhead. Entergy IMAX
SIDEWAYS (R) -- B+ Sideways, like 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. Weak character development on Payne's part, however, makes you wonder why waitress Virginia Madsen would fall for a guy like Miles. (Simmons) Canal Place
SPANGLISH (PG-13) -- B- James L. Brooks' dramedy is a cultural collision between an Hispanic housekeeper and the family of Anglos she works for. A powerful ending and strong performances by Paz Vega, Cloris Leachman and even Adam Sandler can't quite make up for the disastrously annoying character of the Anglo mother, played with a brave lack of vanity by Tea Leoni, who is so irritating we begin rooting against the picture's own storyline. (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8, Prytania
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 show's 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 20, Hollywood Cinemas 9
TSUNAMI BENEFIT SCREENING -- Zeitgeist presents this fundraiser to help the survivors of the south Asia earthquake and tsunami disaster with screenings of Three, a triptych of stories looking at life after death, directed by three different directors (Kim Jee-Woon, Nonzee Nimbutr and Peter Chan). 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Zeitgeist
A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT (R) -- A- Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Audrey Tatou of Amelie fame reunite in this magnificent World War I epic about a woman who vigilantly searches for her fiance (Gaspard Ulliel) believed shot while being punished by his superiors in battle. Jeunet (Delicatessen) summons all of his skills for a film that deftly juggles the notions of love and war, creating a kaleidoscope of images and characters -- almost all of whom have some bearing on what becomes a series of mysteries. Based on Sébastien Japrisot's novel and featuring many of Jeunet's regular collaborators including Dominique Pinon. In French with English subtitles. (Simmons) Canal Place
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
WHAT THE #$*! DO WE KNOW? (NR) -- C This 'documentary' is one part primer about quantum physics, one part rumination about how God perhaps works through sub-atomic particles (which are certainly curious stuff) and one-part narrative about an unhappy photographer (Marlee Matlin) who needs an attitude adjustment. Too much talk; too little light. (Barton) Causeway 4
WHITE NOISE (R) -- Widower Michael Keaton believes his recently deceased wife is trying reach him from the Great Beyond in this thriller directed by Geoffrey Sax and co-starring Chandra West, Deborah Kara Unger and Ian McNeice. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand, North Shore Square
