Scheduled to Open Friday
THE INTERPRETER (PG-13) -- United Nations interpreter Nicole Kidman struggles to convince federal agent Sean Penn of a plot to assassinate an African leader before a speech to the U.N. General Assembly in this political thriller directed by Sydney Pollack (The Firm) and co-starring Catherine Keener.
KING'S RANSOM (PG-13) -- Rich businessman Anthony Anderson decides that faking his own kidnapping is the best way to thwart his wife's plan to take half his money through a divorce, only to find out he's not the only one planning a kidnapping. Directed by Jeff Byrd and co-starring Loretta Devine, Donald Faison, Jay Mohr and Charlie Murphy.
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THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (R) -- The sleeper 1974 thriller hit (based on a true story) about a family that buys a severely haunted house gets the remake treatment with a script by the sudden prince of 1970s remakes, Scott Kosar (the recent remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the upcoming The Longest Yard). Directed by Andrew Douglas and starring Jimmy Bennett, Melissa George and Philip Baker Hall. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9
BE COOL (PG-13) -- B F. Gary Gray's sequel to Get Shorty (both penned by New Orleans-born writer Elmore Leonard) returns John Travolta to his role as Chili Palmer, former wise guy now in the entertainment business. Chili conquered the movies in the original; here he's invading the movie business. This outing lacks the freshness and snap of the first, but it's diverting and fun enough. Uma Thurman provides the sex appeal. Vince Vaughn and The Rock provide laughs as a couple of wannabe tough guys. (Barton) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 20, North Shore Square
BEAUTY SHOP (PG-13) -- Queen Latifah goes the Ice Cube route as a hairdresser trying to keep her wacky, sassy employees in line in this comedy spin-off from the Barbershop franchise. Co-stars Kevin Bacon, Alfre Woodard, Mena Suvari and Djimon Hounsou. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE (PG) -- B- A commanding performance by AnnaSophia Robb holds together an otherwise uneven adaptation of Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Medal-winning children's book. Kid-oriented weepers are admittedly tough to pull off, but unlike the far superior canine caper My Dog Skip, this film doesn't trust its source. The insertion of a couple stock characters (including local John 'Spud' McConnell, who does his best with a dumb scene) attempts to lighten the mood with slapstick. Instead, it detracts from both the story and the nice performances by Eva-Marie Saint, Cicely Tyson, Jeff Daniels and the dog. (Tisserand) AMC Palace 20, Causeway 4, North Shore Square
THE CHORUS (PG-13) -- A new teacher (Gerard Jugnot) at a boy's boarding school in post-war France alters his students' lives through music in a film directed by Christophe Barratier. In French with English subtitles. Prytania
DEAR FRANKIE (PG-13) -- Emily Mortimer has lied to her deaf son (Jack McElhone) about the whereabouts of his father and has to decide whether to tell the truth or find a replacement dad when a ship returns to Scotland. Gerard Butler costars in this film directed by Shona Auerbach. Canal Place
DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN (PG-13) -- New Orleans native Tyler Perry brings his stage play to the big screen, with Darren Grant directing, and Perry playing several roles in the story of a woman (Kimberly Elise) who tries to recover from a devastating divorce. Grand
DOWNFALL (R) -- A Oliver Hirschbiegel's horrifying drama details Adolf Hitler's last days in a Berlin bunker. Bruno Ganz is brilliant in the leading role. Some controversy has oddly surrounded this film over whether it portrays Hitler sympathetically -- it doesn't, not even remotely. He is human, but he is unqualifiedly evil. His humanity serves to remind us how vigilant we must be to guard against the rise of others who wield power in the same monstrous way. In German with English subtitles. (Barton) Canal Place
FEVER PITCH (PG-13) -- B Directors Bobby and Peter Farrelly (There's Something About Mary) show their softer side, selecting this cotton-candy, fun-but-forgettable story of a sweet geometry teacher (Jimmy Fallon) trying to love his team (the Boston Red Sox) and his girl (Drew Barrymore) at the same time. The film, drawn from Nick Hornby's book of the same name, gets by largely on its leads' personal likeability (as opposed to their acting talent or the script), but scores points for treating Fallon's loony loyalty with respect. (Carlson) (Reviewed in this issue.) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
FORCES OF NATURE (NR) -- George Casey's documentary about the study of such natural phenomena as earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes. Narrated by Kevin Bacon. Kenner MegaDome
GERMAN FILM SERIES -- The Deutsches Haus film series continues. This week: Caroline Link's 1996 film, Beyond Silence, about a talented young musician and her challenging relationship with her deaf parents. Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. 7 p.m. Thursday at the Deutsches Haus
GUESS WHO (PG-13) -- Extremely loose remake (if at all) of the 1967 message film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, with gruff father Bernie Mac none too thrilled about his daughter (Zoe Saldana) marrying an impish white guy (Ashton Kutcher), who continually buries himself in a pile of lies in lame attempts to impress his future father-in-law. Directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan (Barbershop 2). 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, North Shore Square
HOSTAGE (R) -- A cop (Bruce Willis) finds his negotiation skills put to the test when he has to juggle freeing both a kidnapped mafia figure and his own family in this action thriller directed by Florent Emilio Siri (making his American debut) and co-starring Kevin Pollack. AMC Palace 12, Causeway 4, North Shore Square
ICE PRINCESS (G) -- High school bookworm Michelle Trachtenberg finds her groove as a champion figure skater. But first she has to convince her mother (Joan Cusack) that skating's better than Harvard in this teen romance comedy directed by Tim Fywell and co-starring Kim Cattrall with an appearance by Michelle Kwan. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Holiday 12, North Shore Square
INTO THE DEEP (NR) -- IMAX cameras take a journey through the undersea world. Entergy IMAX
IRON RAIL COLLECTIVE -- Iron Rail's Movie Night film series continues. This week: Bush's Brain, critically acclaimed 2004 documentary by Joseph Mealey and Michael Shoob about Karl Rove, George W. Bush's longtime political and policy advisor. 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Iron Rail
A LOVE SONG FOR BOBBY LONG (R) B- Adapted from Ronald Everett Capps' novel Off Magazine Street, Shainee Gabel's story of two New Orleans drunks (John Travolta, Gabriel Macht) and the young woman (Scarlett Johansson) who offers them a chance for redemption is thin and overlong. The three lead performances make the film worth seeing, however. Johansson's landed her a well-deserved Golden Globe nomination. (Barton) Chalmette 9
MAKE IT FUNKY (NR) -- NOCCA/Riverfront hosts this sneak-preview screening of Michael Murphy's concert documentary of the 'Make it Funky' concert he produced during last year's Jazz Fest at the Saenger Theater and featuring performances by Bonnie Raitt and Keith Richards (well, sort of). Screening guests include Earl Palmer, Allen Toussaint, Cosimo Matassa, Art Neville, Earl Palmer and Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu. Reception held between the two screenings. 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at NOCCA/Riverfront's Lupin Hall
MELINDA AND MELINDA (PG-13) -- B Woody Allen's latest is staged as a contest between two playwrights. They are to take common ingredients and knead them into two separate tales, one a tragedy, the other a comedy. The result is the best Allen film since 1999's Sweet and Lowdown, but it is, alas, still only a middle-tier Allen effort. (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.) Canal Place
MILLION DOLLAR BABY (PG-13) -- A Clint Eastwood's Oscar-winning 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 Eastwood and Oscar winners Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman. Winner of four Academy Awards including Best Picture. (Barton) AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Causeway 4
MILLIONS (PG) -- In a film directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later), two young brothers (Lewis McGibbon and Alex Etel) come across a large sum of money from a bank robbery and must spend it all in one week before Britain switches to the euro or before the robbers catch them. Canal Place
MISS CONGENIALITY 2: ARMED AND FABULOUS (PG-13) -- Sandra Bullock continues to funnel money into her production company (apparently) by starring in this sequel to her popular hit comedy about a cop who goes undercover to snag bad guys. This time the volatile cop is in Vegas to rescue kidnapping victims. Co-stars William Shatner, Ernie Hudson, Treat Williams and Regina King. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, North Shore Square
MOMENTS 2002/2003 (NR) -- Seventeen films by 17 different filmmakers explore the complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 8 p.m. Tuesday at Zeitgeist
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
ONG-BAK: THE THAI WARRIOR (R) -- Prachya Pinkaew directed this martial-arts action flick about a young man (Tony Jaa) who battles bad guys to recover a stolen Buddhist relic. AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9
THE PACIFIER (PG) -- Now that Gov. Schwarzenegger is a little long in the tooth for this kind of thing, Vin Diesel draws the short straw in portraying a Navy SEAL who takes on his toughest assignment: baby-sitting! (Amen, brother.) Directed by Adam Shankman and co-starring Lauren Graham, Faith Ford, Brad Garrett, Tate Donovan and Carol Kane. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand, Holiday 12, Movies 8
PAPER CLIPS (G) -- B+ This 2004 Miramax documentary directed by Elliot Berlin and Joe Fab tells the story of a small-town Tennessee middle-school history project gone global. Principal Linda Hooper and her staff wanted to teach their mostly homogenous student body about diversity and so decided to tackle the subject of the Holocaust. When one student admitted difficulty imagining the tragedy's magnitude because he had never seen 6 million of anything, the school decided to collect paper clips -- the Norwegian symbol of resistance to Hitler and his anti-Jewish campaign. What followed was a miracle sprung from mundanity, as individuals around the world responded to their call. The sweet film is simply shot; there is, in fact, next to no cinematic technique involved. But what Paper Clips might lack in art, it more than makes up for in heart, honoring something innocent, something cherished, something we must never forget. (Carlson) AMC Palace 20
THE RING TWO (PG-13) -- B Naomi Watts returns as investigative reporter Rachel Kelly once again trying to protect her son (the sometimes creepy David Dorfman) from the little girl of the previous film. A vast improvement over the rather tepid, 2002 original directed by Gore Verbinski, thanks to the direction of Hideo Nakata, who directed the original, Japanese versions of this popular series. Despite the Swiss-cheese plotholes, Nakata better appreciates the visual and ambient possibilities of fear in this version and even overcomes what is now routine over-acting on Ms. Watts' part. (Simmons) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand, Holiday 12, North Shore Square
ROBOTS (PG) -- Ice Age director Chris Wedge returns with this CGI tale about a young 'bot (voice of Ewan McGregor) whose idea of creating fellow robots who serve only a higher purpose is thwarted by a corporate type (Mel Brooks). Co-stars the voices of Halle Berry, Robin Williams, D.L. Hughley, Paul Giamatti, Jim Broadbent, Drew Carey, Amanda Bynes, Dan Hedaya, Jennifer Coolidge, Dianne Wiest and Stanley Tucci. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
SAHARA (PG-13) -- Hunky explorer Matthew McConaughey and witty sidekick Steve Zahn explore the fabled desert looking for a lost battleship and run into comely doctor Penelope Cruz in this adventure film directed by Breck Eisner. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, 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 (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. Payne's and Jim Taylor's script won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. (Simmons) Causeway 4
SIN CITY (R) -- A- The unholy trinity of Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, Spy Kids) and Quentin Tarantino create a modern classic. Based on Miller's graphic novel series of the same name, Sin City is a vicious, funhouse romp through a captivating underworld of corrupt powerbrokers (Powers Boothe, Rutger Hauer), hard-bitten cops (Bruce Willis), questionable good guys (Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen) and Amazonian supermodel prostitutes and strippers (Rosario Dawson, Jessica Alba). The script is brilliantly structured (if a tad long), and the movie boasts a visual vivacity like none other, with its mixture of black-and-white photography, green-screen effects and liberal use of color. Comic-book chic. (Carlson) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
THE UPSIDE OF ANGER (R) -- B Mike Binder's dramedy about an abandoned middle-aged wife and mother of four daughters falling into boozy symbiosis with a lazy former baseball player isn't perfect but is decidedly better than average. Joan Allen and Kevin Costner contribute performances that should put them in contention for Oscar nominations next winter. (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.) AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
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
WHY SHOULD THE DEVIL HAVE ALL THE GOOD MUSIC? (NR) -- Vickie Hunter and Heather Whinna directed this documentary that chronicles the exploding Christian music scene, partially filmed at the Cornerstone Christian Music Festival in Bushnell, Ill. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday at Zeitgeist
THE WORK AND THE GLORY (PG) -- Alexander Carroll and Sam Hennings co-star in a film adapted from Gerald N. Lund's series of historical novels about a family's encounter with religious intolerance in 19th century upstate New York. Directed by Russell Holt. Chalmette 9
