scheduled to open friday
CRASH (R) -- The lives of several Los Angelinos of various ethnic and socioeconomic stripes intersect in this drama directed by Million Dollar Baby screenwriter Paul Haggis and starring Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Ryan Phillippe, Brendan Fraser, Matt Dillon, Thandie Newton, Jennifer Esposito, Larenz Tate and Ludacris. Haggis co-wrote the screenplay with Robert Moresco. (Not to be confused with David Cronenberg's kinky 1997 flick of the same name.)
HOUSE OF WAX (R) -- A bunch of friends get trapped in a small town's wax museum only to find two murderous brothers have made wax figures out of visitors -- and are looking for more victims! A perfect vehicle for the queen of 'That's hot!' Paris Hilton. Also stars real actors Elisha Cuthbert, Jared Padalecki, Jon Abrahams and Chad Michael Murray, with Jaume Collet-Serra making his feature-film directing debut. Loose remake of André de Toth's 1953 horror classic starring Vincent Price.
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (R) -- The Crusades gets the Ridley Scott treatment in this action-adventure piece set in the 12th century, starring Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson and David Thewlis.
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 Ryan Reynolds, 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, Prytania
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, 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) Causeway 4
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
FABLED (NR) -- A mentally unstable man in a psychiatric ward goes from bad to a violent worse in this psychological thriller directed by Ari Kirschenbaum and starring Desmond Askew. Chalmette 9
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) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9
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
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, 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. Causeway 4, North Shore Square
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (PG) -- Douglas Adams' cult 1979 novel about an earthling forced to flee the planet before it's 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. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
HOUSE OF D (PG-13) -- David Duchovny makes his feature-film directing and screenwriting debut while starring as a man who revisits his past to try to understand the complications of his present relationships. Co-stars his real-life wife, Tea Leoni, along with Robin Williams, Erykah Badu, Orlando Jones and Frank Langella. AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9
THE INTERPRETER (PG-13) -- B Sidney Pollack's ( Random Hearts ) first film in six years stars Nicole Kidman as a U.N. translator and Sean Penn as the Secret Service agent assigned to protect her when she reports overhearing a death threat made against an African leader. Fine performances and a compassionate heart make this well worth seeing, even though the picture could use an extra trick or two. And the core material is so powerful, we keep wanting the picture to move us in a way it never quite does. (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
IN MY COUNTRY (R) -- American journalist Samuel L. Jackson and Afrikaner poet and radio journalist Juliette Binoche fall in love against the backdrop of the post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings in this drama directed by John Boorman ( The Tailor of Panama ). Canal Place
INTO THE DEEP (NR) -- IMAX cameras take a journey through the undersea world. Entergy IMAX
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. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, North Shore Square
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 them 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. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Canal Place, Causeway 4, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, North Shore Square
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) 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 20, Holiday 12, North Shore Square
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
OFF THE MAP (PG-13) -- Actor Campbell Scott directed and adapted Joan Ackermann's play about a family living in 1970s New Mexico, and the turmoil that erupts from an IRS audit. (When doesn't an IRS audit cause turmoil?) Stars Joan Allen, Sam Elliott and J.K. Simmons. Canal Place
ONG-BAK: THE THAI WARRIOR (R) -- A young man from a small town heads to the big city to reclaim a Buddhist relic in this action film featuring the acting debut of Thai boxing hero Tony Jaa. North Shore Square
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 16, AMC Palace 20, Holiday 12
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) 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, Causeway 4, Chalmette 9, Grand
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
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 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, Holiday 12, 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) AMC Palace 20
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
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 action thriller XXX , 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. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
special screenings
GERMAN FILM SERIES -- The Deutsches Haus film series continues. This week: 1943's Titanic , directed by Werner Klingler and Herbert Selpin, and viewing the sinking through a thoroughly German perspective -- some say to propaganda effect. 7 p.m. Thursday at the Deutsches Haus
