Scheduled to Open Friday
BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE (PG) -- Wayne Wang (Maid in Manhattan) directed this adaptation of Kate DiCamillo's popular children's novel about how a stray dog helps a young girl (AnnaSophia Robb) and her preacher father (Jeff Daniels) get over the death of her mother. Co-stars Eva-Marie Saint, Cicely Tyson and Dave Matthews; shot in south Louisiana.
CONSTANTINE (PG-13) -- Keanu Reeves returns to comic-book mode to star as John Constantine (star of the adult-themed comic series), an outsider who travels the world getting into supernatural misadventures. Here he helps a female cop (Rachel Weisz) solve the murder of her twin sister. Feature directing debut by music-video director Francis Lawrence, and co-starring Djimon Hounsou (In America), Tilda Swinton and Baton Rouge's own Pruitt Taylor Vince.
SON OF THE MASK (PG) -- Sort-of sequel to the popular 1994 film based on the comic strip that starred Jim Carrey, this time around featuring Jamie Kennedy as a cartoonist who learns the baby he's taking care of has found the power of the Mask of Loki. Directed by Larry Guterman (Cats & Dogs) and co-starring Traylor Howard, Bob Hoskins and Alan Cumming.
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ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER'S THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (PG-13) -- C+ Too bad director Joel Schumacher's version of the Phantom phenomenon is just a ghost of its stage self, but 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. Nominated for two Academy Awards. (Carlson) AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
ARE WE THERE YET? (PG) -- Ice Cube attempts to woo Nia Long by driving her kids to Vancouver, but Philip Daniel Bolden and Aleisha Allen believe that no one is good enough for their mom and plot to make the trip a nightmare in this family comedy. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9
ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 (R) -- The lines between good and bad start to blur when besieged cops (led by Ethan Hawke) and precinct inmates, including a recently arrested crime boss (Laurence Fishburne), join forces on New Year's Eve to beat back a group of hitmen in a remake of John Carpenter's 1976 thriller. American debut by director Jean-Francois Richet. AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand
THE AVIATOR (R) -- A Martin Scorsese's biography of Howard Hughes offers Oscar-nominated lead performance by Leonardo DiCaprio in a tale perhaps less interested in factual accuracy than in seeing Hughes as an emblem of American individualism. Nominated for 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture. (Barton) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Canal Place, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Movies 8
BAD EDUCATION (R) -- B+ Pedro Almodovar's most deeply personal film today is a film noir investigation into the effect of a pedophile priest on two young boyhood friends. Stars Gael Garcia Bernal in one of his two brilliant performances of 2004 (The Motorcycle Diaries being the other). For Almodovar, love is as much a mystery as murder, and while his latest work has been a bit overly praised, it still shows a filmmaker at the top of his game. (Simmons) Canal Place
BOOGEYMAN (PG-13) -- An emotionally fragile young man (Barry Watson) tries to confront the trauma that occurred in his childhood bedroom; his fears return once again in this thriller directed by Stephen Kay (Get Carter) and co-starring Lucy Lawless and Emily Deschanel. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
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 and co-starring Ashanti. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand
FINDING NEVERLAND (PG) -- A- Marc Foster directs Oscar nominee 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. Nominated for seven Academy Awards. (Carlson) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Causeway 4, Chalmette 9
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
HIDE AND SEEK (R) -- C+ Director John Polson (Swimfan) and first-time screenwriter Ari Schlossberg mostly miss the mark in this Sixth Sense knock-off. Psychologist David Callaway (a too-hammy Robert De Niro) and daughter Emily (an amazing Dakota Fanning) move to an old house in upstate New York to forget about a family tragedy. This fellow named Charlie, however, has other ideas. (Carlson) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
HITCH (PG-13) -- A matchmaker (Will Smith) believes he knows exactly what it takes for a man to woo a woman until he meets a journalist (Eva Mendes) who not only questions his validity but also challenges his normally suave demeanor. Directed by Andy Tennant and co-starring Kevin James and Michael Rappaport. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12
HOTEL RWANDA (PG-13) -- A- Don Cheadle delivers a well-deserved Academy Award-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 conveys the violence and horror with deceptively subtle camera work; Cheadle's face does much of the heavy lifting. Co-stars Oscar nominee Sophie Okonedo. Nominated for three Academy Awards. (Simmons) AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20
IN GOOD COMPANY (PG-13) -- B Paul Weitz makes his solo directorial debut in this story of an unlikely connection between a whiz-kid business executive (Topher Grace) and the middle-aged man (Dennis Quaid) he's hired to replace. Not everything works, particularly a romance between the young man and the older one's daughter (Scarlett Johansson). (Barton) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9
INTO THE DEEP (NR) -- IMAX cameras take a journey through the undersea world. Entergy IMAX
KINSEY (R) -- A- Bill Condon's biography of seminal sex researcher Alfred Kinsey offers terrific lead performances by Liam Neeson and Oscar nominee 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 complicated and flawed human being sometimes as blind to the spirit as his opponents were to the body. (Barton) Chalmette 9
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. Causeway 4
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, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
MILLION DOLLAR BABY (PG-13) -- A Clint Eastwood's Oscar-nominated film about the relationship between an aging fight trainer and a female boxer is hampered by a script that lacks subtlety and occasionally strains credulity. The film overcomes these obstacles, however, with the majesty of its performances by Oscar nominees Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman. Nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture. (Barton) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Canal Place, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Prytania
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. (Barton) 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
PARDON! PARDON! THE CAJUN MARDI GRAS CHASE (NR) -- Zeitgeist director Rene Broussard's documentary about Mardi Gras in the Cajun community of Gheens, just a half-hour from New Orleans. Also: Noble Sacrifice, directed by Vatche Boulghourjian Babatiyeh, a documentary about the Shiite observance of Ashura (Feb. 19). 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Zeitgeist
POOH'S HEFFALUMP MOVIE (G) -- Winnie the Pooh and his Hundred Acre Wood buddies Tigger and Piglet stalk the elusive Heffalump monster this animated film featuring the characters of A.A. Milne and directed by Frank Nissen. Stars the voices of John Fiedler, Jim Cummings and Brenda Blethyn. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9
RACING STRIPES (PG) -- 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 starring Bruce Greenwood, with voices provided by Michael Clarke Duncan, Dustin Hoffman, Mandy Moore, Joe Pantoliano and Patrick Stewart. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand, Holiday 12, Movies 8
RAY (PG-13) -- B+ Taylor Hackford's vibrant if sometimes cliched biopic of American music icon Ray Charles (here portrayed admirably by Golden Globe winner and Oscar 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. Nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture. (Simmons) AMC Palace 20
SEEDS OF TIBET: VOICES OF CHILDREN IN EXILE (NR) -- Zeitgeist's 'Tibet Buddhism: A Film Survey' series begins this week with a documentary co-directed by Peter Yost and Toby Beach, about refugee Tibetan children in schools in northern India. Features the Dalai Lama, with music score by Philip Glass. Also: Home to Tibet, directed by Alan Dater and Lisa Merton, about the return to Tibet of a stone mason. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday at Zeitgeist
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 (Golden Globe winner and Oscar nominee 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. Co-stars Oscar nominee Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh. Nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture. (Simmons) AMC Palace 20, Canal Place, Causeway 4, Hollywood Cinemas 9
THERESE: THE STORY OF SAINT THERESE OF LISIEUX (PG) -- A young woman becomes a Carmelite nun in 19th century France in this fact-based film about the 'Little Flower,' directed by Leonardo Defilippis. Chalmette 9
VERA DRAKE (R) -- A Mike Leigh's drama concerns a 1950 London cleaning lady who doubles as an abortionist. Proceeding from Leigh's unconventional strategy of collaboration with his actors, he has once again produced a work notable for the deep humanity of its characters. Oscar-nominated Imelda Staunton is unforgettable in the tile role, an angel in a smock. (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.) 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Prytania
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. Nominated for two Academy Awards. In French with English subtitles. (Simmons) Causeway 4
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
WARRIOR SONGS (NR) -- Renee Blanchar directed this operatic film interpretation of the life of the Tibetan warrior and ruler, Gesar of Ling. Features music by Yo Yo Ma and others. 9:15 p.m. Friday-Sunday at Zeitgeist
THE WEDDING DATE (PG-13) -- In order to avoid embarrassment at her sister's wedding, a thirtysomething woman (Debra Messing) hires a male escort (Dermot Mulroney) as her date. This romantic comedy is directed by Clare Kilner and co-stars Amy Adams, Holland Taylor and Jack Davenport. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Holiday 12
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) AMC Palace 20
