Scheduled to Open Friday
KICKING AND SCREAMING (PG-13) -- Soccer dad Will Ferrell is forced to coach his son's team against his father (Robert Duvall), who has another son of his own on a rival team in this comedy directed by Jesse Dylan ( American Wedding ).
MINDHUNTERS (R) -- A group of FBI agents receiving training in psychological profiling on a remote island learn that one of them is a serial killer ready to do a Ten Little Indians number on the rest of the gang in this thriller directed by Renny Harlin ( Deep Blue Sea ) and starring Val Kilmer, Christian Slater, LL Cool J and Patricia Velasquez.
MONSTER-IN-LAW (PG-13) -- Professional dog walker Jennifer Lopez (insert joke here) finally finds the perfect man in boyfriend Michael Vartan but runs into a brick wall in his mother-in-law Jane Fonda in this comedy directed by Robert Luketic ( Legally Blonde ). The film marks the first movie role for Jane Fonda since 1990's Stanley and Iris . Co-stars Wanda Sykes, presumably as someone sassy.
NO MORE JOY (NR) Director David D'Entremont and producer A.J. Roquevert's melancholy documentary tells the story of the New Orleans film exhibition industry from Vitascope Hall in 1896 through the dominance of the grand movie palaces on Canal Street to the advent of the mall cinemas in the 1960s and their replacement by today's stadium-seating megaplexes. For New Orleanians of a certain age, this is a rose-tinted journey into an altered universe -- one, as the film's segment on segregated seating and single-race theaters acknowledges, that wasn't really as sweet as we would choose to recall it. (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.) Chalmette 9
UNLEASHED (R) -- A slave (Jet Li) who has been raised to know only how to fight learns a little bit about life, love and music from on-the-lam piano tuner Morgan Freeman in this film directed by Louis Teterrier. Co-stars Bob Hoskins.
PALINDROMES (NR) -- Director Todd Solondz ( Happiness , Storytelling ) is back with another thought-provoking film, this time about a 13-year-old girl (Valerie Shusterov) whose desire to give birth sets her off on a bizarre odyssey (including being portrayed by eight different people). Co-stars Ellen Barkin. Canal Place
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, 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, 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 16, Grand
BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE (PG) -- 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
BLACK CLOUD (PG-13) -- Writer-director Rick Schroder captures life on a Navajo reservation with this portrayal of a young boxer, starring Eddie Spears, Russell Means, Tim McGraw and Wayne Knight. Chalmette 9
CRASH (R) -- The lives of Los Angelinos of almost every racial and ethnic stripe and class continually intersect with sometimes tragic results in this drama featuring the feature-directing debut of Million Dollar Baby screenwriter Paul Haggis. We've seen this type of narrative approach before in films like Short Cuts and particularly Magnolia , and while it wanders into portentousness more often than it should, Crash benefits from Haggis' desire to approach racism with a rare sense of intelligence and perspective. A fine ensemble cast includes Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Sandra Bullock, Thandie Newton, Jennifer Esposito, Larenz Tate and a particularly amusing Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges. Haggis co-wrote the screenplay with Robert Moresco. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Canal Place, Grand, North Shore Square
ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM (NR) -- Alex Gibney directed this documentary version of whistle-blower Bethan McLean's book about the greed and corruption that led to the largest bankruptcy in corporate history and the downfall of CEO Ken Lay and executives Jeff Skillling and Andrew Fastow. Canal Place
FEVER PITCH (PG-13) -- 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 20, Chalmette 9, Holiday 12, Movies 8
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 revisiting 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. Chalmette 9
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. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, Movies 8
THE INTERPRETER (PG-13) -- 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, Chalmette 9, 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 16, AMC Palace 20, Grand, Hollywood Cinemas 9, North Shore Square
KINGDOM OF HEAVEN (R) -- Director Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven attempts to embrace the bloody birthright that is the struggle for Jerusalem, his crusader's tale a lovely lamentation of the weary fight of faith against fanaticism and of ideals free of ideologies. As a young widower driven to the Holy Land in search of God's forgiveness, Orlando Bloom ably steps into a leading role, supported by the exotic Eva Green, as Sibylla, sister to Jerusalem's king; the elegant Jeremy Irons, as the war-weary counselor Tiberias; and the Syrian actor and director Ghassan Massoud as the enigmatic Saracen general Saladin. The film is beautifully shot, from the wind coming off the desert dunes to the churning legs of a line of cavalry horses charging into battle. Massive battle sequences, with all the accoutrements of medieval war, punctuate the film with their chaotic choreography, a particular specialty of Scott's. (Carlson) (Reviewed in this issue.) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Chalmette 9, Grand, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9, North Shore Square, Prytania
KUNG FU HUSTLE (R) -- 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. AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Causeway 4, Chalmette 9, Holiday 12, North Shore Square
MELINDA AND MELINDA (PG-13) -- 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) Causeway 4
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. 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
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 20, Holiday 12
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, 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) -- 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 20, 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
WALK ON WATER (NR) -- An Israeli Mossad agent (Lior Ashkenazi) befriends a Nazi war criminal's grandchildren in the hopes of catching him only to have his perceptions changed in this drama directed by Eytan Fox. Canal Place
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 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
CLASSIC FILM SERIES -- Henri Schindler's series of Pre-Code Hollywood films continues. This week: 1933's Footlight Parade , a Busby Berkeley musical directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, James Cagney and Joan Blondell. (If you look close enough, you'll see New Orleans' own Dorothy Lamour as a chorus girl. Over there. On the left.) 6:30 p.m. Thursday at NOMA's Stern Auditorium
IRON RAIL COLLECTIVE -- Screening series continues. This week: Fourth World War , Rick Rowley's 2003 documentary that shows the human toll of global conflict. 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Iron Rail collective
MOOLAADE (NR) -- The New Orleans Film Festival presents this special, two-night screening of 82-year-old Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene's affecting drama about a village woman (Fatouma Coulibaly) who tries to shelter four girls from participating in the tradition of genital mutilation and risks being ostracized in the process. (See Recommended above.) (Simmons) 7 p.m. Monday-Tuesday, May 16-17, at the Prytania
JAPANESE FILM SERIES -- Zeitgeist presents this series of Japanese contemporary and avant-garde films. First week: Hirokazu Koreeda's 2004 film, Nobody Knows , based on the true story of four siblings (all by different fathers) who must fend for themselves when their mother abandons them. Fourteen-year-old Yuuya Yagira won Best Actor honors at the Cannes Film Festival for her performance. 8 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, May 15-19, at Zeitgeist
SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL: THE JOURNEY OF ROMEO DALLAIRE (NR) -- Peter Raymont's 2004 documentary, which screened at the recent New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival, receives an encore screening. The film chronicles the 1994 Rwandan genocide of some 800,000 Tutsis and their Hutu sympathizers by Hutu rebels. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Friday at Zeitgeist
