Scheduled to Open Friday
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (PG) -- Douglas Adams' cult 1979 novel about an earthling forced to flee the planet before it¹s destroyed to make way for an intergalactic freeway finally makes it to the big screen. The Office star Martin Freeman takes the lead role as Arthur Dent with Mos Def as his guide, Ford Prefect. Directed by Garth Jenning, who makes his feature-film debut, with a script by Adams (who died in 2001) and Karey Kirkpatrick. Co-stars Sam Rockwell, Bill Nighy, Zooey Deschanel, John Malkovich and Alan Rickman.
XXX: STATE OF THE UNION (PG-13) -- Ice Cube takes over for Vin Diesel (a dubious distinction, but an upgrade nevertheless) in this sequel to the 2002 hit, with the Cube playing a master criminal hired by the government to take on a renegade general (Willem Dafoe) who plans a coup. Lee Tamahori (Die Another Day) replaced Rob Cohen as the director. Co-stars Samuel L. Jackson.
Now Showing
A LOT LIKE LOVE (PG-13) -- In what feels like a new millennium update of When Harry Met Sally, Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet are longtime acquaintances who belatedly fall in love in this romantic comedy directed by Nigel Cole. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
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 Gray¹s 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 he¹s invading the music business. This outing lacks the freshness and snap of the first, but it¹s 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 20
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 DiCamillo¹s Newbery Medal-winning children¹s book. Kid-oriented weepers are admittedly tough to pull off, but unlike the far superior canine caper My Dog Skip, this film doesn¹t trust its source. The insertion of a couple stock characters (including local John ³Spud² 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) Causeway 4
THE CHORUS (LES CHORISTES) (PG-13) -- A new teacher (Gerard Jugnot) at a boy¹s boarding school in post-war France alters his students¹ lives through music in a film directed by Christophe Barratier. In French with English subtitles. Prytania
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 Hirschbiegel¹s horrifying drama details Adolf Hitler¹s 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 doesn¹t, 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 (There¹s 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 Hornby¹s book of the same name, gets by largely on its leads¹ personal likeability (as opposed to their acting talent or the script), but scores points for treating Fallon¹s loony loyalty with respect. (Carlson) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9
FORCES OF NATURE (NR) -- George Casey¹s documentary about the study of such natural phenomena as earthquakes, hurricanes and tornadoes. Narrated by Kevin Bacon. Kenner MegaDome
GORY GORY HALLELUJAH (NR) -- Actors vie for the coveted role of Jesus Christ in a musical in this comedy directed by Sue Corcoran and co-starring Tim Gouran and Todd Licea. Chalmette 9
THE GRAFFITI ARTIST (NR) -- Teen skateboarders take their spray-paint cans to anything they can find during an odyssey through the Pacific Northwest in this film starring Ruben Bansie-Snellman and Pepper Fajans and directed by James Bolton. Chalmette 9
GUESS WHO (PG-13) -- Extremely loose remake (if at all) of the 1967 message film Guess Who¹s 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 16, AMC Palace 20, Causeway 4
THE INTERPRETER (PG-13) -- United Nations interpreter Nicole Kidman struggles to convince federal agent Sean Penn about a plot to assassinate an African leader before a speech at the U.N. General Assembly in this political thriller directed by Sydney Pollack (The Firm) and co-starring Catherine Keener. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
INTO THE DEEP (NR) -- IMAX cameras take a journey through the undersea world. Entergy IMAX
KING¹S RANSOM (PG-13) -- Rich businessman Anthony Anderson decides that faking his own kidnapping is the best way to thwart his wife¹s plan to take half his money through a divorce, only to find out he¹s not the only one planning a kidnapping. Directed by Jeff Byrd and co-starring Loretta Devine, Donald Faison, Jay Mohr and Charlie Murphy. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9
KUNG FU HUSTLE (R) -- A Writer, director and star Stephen Chow has created a love letter to the Hong Kong martial-arts movies of his youth by taking it to the next level, with a comedic and cartoon-like spin. Working with veterans from the 1960s and 70s, as well as Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon choreographer Yuen Wo Ping, Chow spins an exhilarating tale about a wannabe gangster (Chow) who finds himself trapped in a battle between the gang he wants to join and a tenement he tries to dominate. Canal Place
MELINDA AND MELINDA (PG-13) -- B Woody Allen¹s 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 1999¹s Sweet and Lowdown, but it is alas, still only a middle-tier Allen effort. (Barton) Canal Place
MILLION DOLLAR BABY (PG-13) -- A Clint Eastwood¹s 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 20, Causeway 4
MILLIONS (PG) -- A Danny Boyle¹s utterly unexpected family film tells of two pre-teen brothers who find a half million dollars by a railroad track while trying to recover from the death of their mother. Boyle¹s evocation of the intercession of Saints lends an element of magic and religious transcendence that stirs this old cynic¹s heart. In the end I found myself whispering a prayer of gratitude for an unexpected encounter with grace. (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.) 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
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
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, Holiday 12, Movies 8
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. Watts¹ part. (Simmons) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Causeway 4, Grand
ROBOTS (PG) -- Ice Age director Chris Wedge returns with this CGI tale about a young ¹bot (voice of Ewan McGregor) whose idea of creating fellow robots who serve only a higher purpose is thwarted by 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, 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
SIN CITY (R) -- A- The unholy trinity of Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, Spy Kids) and Quentin Tarantino create a modern classic. Based on Miller¹s 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, Movies 8, Prytania
THE UPSIDE OF ANGER (R) -- B Mike Binder¹s dramedy about an abandoned middle-aged wife and mother of four daughters falling into boozy symbiosis with a lazy former baseball player isn¹t 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) AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9
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
THE WORK AND THE GLORY (PG) -- Alexander Carroll and Sam Hennings co-star in a film adapted from Gerald N. Lund¹s series of historical novels about a family¹s encounter with religious intolerance in 19th century upstate New York directed by Russell Holt. Chalmette 9
Special Screenings
GERMAN FILM SERIES -- The Deutsches Haus film series continues. This week: Tom Tykwer¹s The Princess and the Warrior, starring Run, Lola, Run star Franka Potente and Benno Furmann as a nurse and ex-soldier who become entwined. 7 p.m. Thursday at the Deutsches Haus
IRON RAIL COLLECTIVE -- Iron Rail¹s Movie Night film series continues. This week: Style Wars, the 1983 documentary by Henry Chalfant and Tony Silver the chronicles the emerging hip-hop culture as the backdrop for a battle between graffiti artists and then-New York City mayor Ed Koch. 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Iron Rail
MAKE IT FUNKY! (NR) -- NOCCA/Riverfront hosts this sneak-preview screening of Michael Murphy¹s concert documentary of the ³Make it Funky² concert he produced during last year¹s 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. Thursday at NOCCA/Riverfront¹s Lupin Hall
