CURIOUS GEORGE (G) — That cheekiest of monkeys from the fabulous children's book series comes to animated life in this film featuring the voices of Will Ferrell (as Ted, The Man in the Yellow Hat), Drew Barrymore, David Cross, Eugene Levy, Dick Van Dyke and Joan Plowright. Matt O'Callaghan, whose animation experience includes work on The Little Mermaid , Shrek , 102 Dalmations and Snow Dogs , makes his feature-film directing debut.

FINAL DESTINATION 3 (R) — Final Destination director James Wong returns to helm the third installment of this series, this time about a high school student who combines forces with one of her classmates to prevent the survivors of the first death march from suffering the same fate as the others. Stars Ryan Merriman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Texas Battle.

FIREWALL (PG-13) — Harrison Ford, who seems to play this character every other film, this time is a bank's computer-security chief who is forced by a gang that has kidnapped his family to crack his bank's security system and loot the vault. But then the tables are turned! Co-stars Paul Bettany (in the token-evil-British-dude role), Virginia Madsen and Alan Arkin (The good news is this time the woman playing his wife, Madsen, is only 21 years younger than Ford.) Richard Loncraine ( Wimbledon ) directs.

IMAGINE ME & YOU (PG-13) — Kissing Jessica Stein meets Four Weddings and a Funeral (as one critic put it) in this British comedy from writer-director Ol Parker about a romantic triangle that develops around a bride (Piper Perabo), her groom (Matthew Goode) and the wedding's florist (Lena Headley) — but not in the way you might think.

MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS (PG) — Stephen Frears ( Dirty Pretty Things ) is only a bit off target in this initially charming but ulimately trifling story of a British widow (Oscar nominee Judi Dench) who partners with a fiery producer (Bob Hoskins) to present musical revues that include nude performers during the London blitz of World War II. Frears, whose canon is a varied one, is at his best with his attention to period detail and musings on the need for aesthetic beauty during the ugliness of war. But the story feels used up after the first act, with only hints of dramatic tension, and Dench and Hoskins are forced to carry the film with their calculated oil-and-water chemistry with mixed results. Nominated for two Academy Awards. (Reviewed in this issue.) (Simmons)

THE PINK PANTHER (PG) — Steve Martin, whose recent role choices have ranged from the intriguing ( Shopgirl ) to the bizarre (the Cheaper by the Dozen series), apparently wants to put his physical-comedy skills back to use in this remake of the popular series made famous by the late legend Peter Sellers. Shawn Levy, who directed the first Cheaper remake, directs this one, with a supporting cast featuring Beyonce Knowles, Kevin Kline and Jean Reno.

Now Showing

ANNAPOLIS (PG-13) — Naval Academy student James Franco fears he might be in over his head (as in drowning, get it?) in this drama whose trailers carry the distinct whiff of An Officer and a Gentleman meets Top Gun. But hey, we love the '80s! Directed by Justin Lin and co-starring Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson and Donnie Wahlberg. AMC Palace 10, AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9

BIG MOMMA'S HOUSE 2 (PG-13) — Undercover FBI agent Martin Lawrence puts on the Big Momma fat suit for a second time to become a nanny for a suspected murderer. John Whitesell directed this film, much of which was shot in the New Orleans area. AMC Palace 10, AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9

BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (R) — Every now and then, a film comes along that actually lives up to its hype, and rarely has this match been so dead-on as it is with Ang Lee's film about the repressed love affair between two cowboys, pent-up Ennis (Heath Ledger) and nervy Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal), that spans two decades. Co-stars Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway. Nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Picture. (Simmons) AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Causeway Cinema, Hollywood Cinemas 9

CAPOTE (R) — There may not be a more highly praised film than Bennett Miller's portrayal of New Orleans-born literary giant Truman Capote (Oscar-nominated Phillip Seymour Hoffman) during his research for the landmark book In Cold Blood . And there is much to like about the film: Hoffman's performance, the examination of the writer's motivations and process, the trappings of literary fame, celebrity, talent and ambition. But Daniel Futterman's script drags on seemingly longer than the story itself and makes little use of Harper Lee (Catherine Keener in an undeserved nominated performance). Capote has its decided strengths, but five Academy Award nominations — including Best Picture in an uncommonly strong year for movies — seem a bit much. (Simmons) AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20

CASANOVA (R) — Heath Ledger, in his other, very non-gay performance of the season ( Brokeback Mountain being the other), stars as the legendary lothario in Lasse Hallstrom's film co-starring Sienna Miller, Jeremy Irons, Lena Olin and Oliver Platt. Holiday 12

CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN 2 (PG-13) — Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt, Hilary Duff and Piper Perabo return in this sequel to the 2003 film about a family featuring 12 kids and many misadventures. Adam Shankman takes over directing duties. Co-stars Euegene Levy. AMC Palace 10, Holiday 12

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE (PG) — Relocated to a country house during World War II, the four Pevensie children are left at loose ends most of the day, and it's during a game of hide and seek that the youngest of them, Lucy (Georgie Henley), conceals herself inside a large wardrobe and discovers the mystical land of Narnia. Nominated for three Academy Awards. (Thompson) AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Holiday 12

DOLPHINS (G) — Marine biologists study the communication of dolphins in nature. Narrated by Pierce Brosnan with music by Sting. Kenner MegaDome

THE FAMILY STONE (PG-13) — Ensemble family/romantic comedy set during the holiday season stars Dermot Mulroney, Diane Keaton, Sarah Jessica Parker, Claire Danes, Rachel McAdams, Luke Wilson and Craig T. Nelson. Written and directed by Tom Bezucha. AMC Palace 12

FUN WITH DICK AND JANE (PG-13) — Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni fill in for George Segal and Jane Fonda in this remake of the 1977 comedy about a once-well-to-do couple forced into a life of crime during troubled economic times. Dean Parisot directs. AMC Palace 10, AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20

GLORY ROAD (PG-13) — Historical inaccuracies ultimately bring down this promising story about Don Haskins (Josh Lucas), the Texas Western basketball coach who led his team to the NCAA title with an all-black starting lineup. (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.) AMC Palace 10, AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9

GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK (PG) — Writer-director George Clooney's look at the See It Now 1950s broadcasts by which Edward R. Murrow exposed the demagoguery of Joseph McCarthy is a vehicle for concern about the commercialization of television news. David Strathairn gives a great performance as Murrow. And Clooney, who co-stars as Murrow's producer Fred Friendly, makes his point that journalists have a greater obligation than merely broadcasting opposing opinions; they have an obligation to discover and present the truth. Nominated for six Academy Awards. (Barton) AMC Palace 16

HOODWINKED (PG-13) — The old Little Red Riding Hood story gets the animated-film treatment in this offering from the newly formed Weinstein Company, with Cory Edwards making his feature-film directing and screenwriting debut, and voices provided by Anne Hathaway, Glenn Close, Anthony Anderson, James Belushi and Patrick Warburton. AMC Palace 10, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9

HOSTEL (R) — Writer/director Eli Roth tells the story of the horror two American backpackers (Jay Hernandez and Derek Richardson) and their new Icelandic friend (Eythor Gudjonsson) encounter in an Eastern European hostel. AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20

KING KONG (PG-13) — Peter Jackson swings from Lord of the Rings to Lord of the Apes, and it ain't Tarzan we're talking about but one big-ass gorilla, Kong, in another remake of the 1933 classic. Weighing in at three hours, this version stars Adrien Brody, Naomi Watts and Jack Black. Nominated for four Academy Awards. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, Causeway Cinema

LAST HOLIDAY (PG-13) — A New Orleans cookware resident (Queen Latifah), who has led a sheltered, no-risk existence, shifts into Carpe Diem mode when she finds out she is terminally ill in this comedy directed by Wayne Wang ( Because of Winn-Dixie ) and co-starring LL Cool J, Gerard Depardieu, Alicia Witt and New Orleans' own red canary, Julia LaShae. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9

THE MATADOR (R) — Pierce Brosnan stars as a hitman going through a midlife crisis in this dark comedy directed by Richard Shepard and co-starring Hope Davis, Greg Kinnear and Philip Baker Hall. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 20

MATCH POINT (R) — Woody Allen explores the notions of luck and fate in this smart and involving drama about a tennis pro (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) who creates a series of complications for himself after ingratiating himself into a wealthy London family that includes a rich new friend's fiancee (Scarlett Johansson). Allen's spot-on dialogue produces fine and nuanced performances from the cast, though his pessimistic views send us home uncomfortable and depressed. Allen's script received an Academy Award nomiation for Best Original Screenplay. (Barton) AMC Palace 20

MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA (PG-13) — Rob Marshall (Chicago) directs the story of one woman's rise from a poverty-stricken fishing village to the privileged life of Japan's most celebated geisha. Nominated for six Academy Awards. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Causeway Cinema

MUNICH (R) — Steven Spielberg directed this look at Israel's response to the 1972 Summer Olympics massacre in Munich, Germany, in which Palestinian terrorists held hostage and then murdered 11 Israeli athletes. Stars Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Geoffrey Rush and Matthieu Kassovitz. Nominated for five Academy Awards. AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20

NANNY MCPHEE (PG) — Emma Thompson brings to life (both as screenwriter and star) Christianna Brand's popular Nurse Matilda children's book series as a nanny in charge of a large brood of rowdy kids. Directed by Kirk Jones ( Waking Ned Devine ). AMC Palace 10, AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9

THE NEW WORLD (PG-13) — Terrence Malick directs the epic love story of John Smith (Colin Farrell) and Pocahontas (Q'orianka Kilcher) and explores the 17th century relations between English colonists and Native Americans. Christian Bale and Christopher Plummer also star. Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 20

THE RINGER (PG-13) — Johnny Knoxville, no stranger to Jackass humor, stars as a yuppy who begrudgingly participates in the Special Olympics in order to raise needed cash in this comedy directed by Barry Blaustein and co-starring Brian Cox. AMC Palace 10, AMC Palace 16

SOMETHING NEW (PG-13) — Power yuppie Sanaa Lathan has everything going on in her life professionally, but is looking for a man when she meets first Simon Baker and then Blair Underwood in this romantic comedy directed by Sanaa Henri and co-starring Alfre Woodard and Mike Epps. AMC Palace 10, AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9

THE SQUID AND THE WHALE (PG-13) — Two young boys (Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline) struggle to accept the separation of their parents (Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney) in this acclaimed comedy-drama from writer-director Noah Baumbach ( Mr. Jealousy ), who received an Oscar nomination for his original screenplay. AMC Palace 20

SYRIANA (R) — Stephen Gaghan's international thriller proceeds from the premise that America's foreign policy in the Middle East is dedicated to protecting the corporate interests of Big Oil. But Syriana 's politics are established background, not a thematic agenda. Gaghan's complicated plot dazzles us with his ability to juggle so many characters spread across such a huge geographical canvas. But impressive as this film is in many ways, it isn't essential because it never stirs us. In the end, Syriana is a film to admire but not one to love. Nominated for two Academy Awards. (Barton) AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20

TRANSAMERICA (R) — Felicity Huffman (TV's woefully overrated Desperate Housewives ) earned a Golden Globe as well as an Oscar nod for her novelty portrayal of a pre-op transvestite who finds out he has a son just before his surgery to become a woman. Everything coming from writer-director Duncan Tucker can be spotted a mile away, from the road-movie cliches — the life/journey metaphor, lost transportation, eyebrow-raising and kind strangers) — to the Òresolution.Ó And frankly, Huffman is as she appears to be: a woman playing a man wanting to become a woman. Its modest humor and good intentions keep Transamerica from being standard Lifetime Network fare. (Simmons) (Reviewed in this issue.) AMC Palace 20

TRISTAN & ISOLDE (PG-13) — Billed as the big love story before Romeo and Juliet , this one features the romance between an English knight (James Franco) and the daughter of an Irish king (Sophia Myles). Directed by Kevin Reynolds ( The Count of Monte Cristo ) and co-starring Rufus Sewell. Causeway Cinema

UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION (R) — Kate Beckinsale leaps back into the battle between vampires and werewolves for control of the planet in this sequel to the 2003 film. Len Wiseman returns to direct; Scott Speedman and Derek Jacobi co-star. AMC Palace 10, AMC Palace 12, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9

WALK THE LINE (PG-13) — Director and co-writer James Mangold all but gives us the day-to-day blow-by-blows of Johnny Cash's early years, from rising Sun to falling star almost done in by amphetamines. For all the affection Mangold feels for Cash (Joaquin Phoenix) and June Carter (Reese Witherspoon), the movie feels oddly dispassionate — more like a lecturer reading from a required text than someone recounting a story that needed to be told. Phoenix simply doesn't have the weight, the presence, the gravitas of Cash; he's no more Johnny Cash than a 2-year-old in a Halloween costume is Batman. He never disappears in the role the way Jamie Foxx did in Ray , never makes us forget we're watching an acolyte repeat the master's words without embodying their meaning. Nominated for five Academy Awards. (Wilonsky) AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Causeway Cinema, Prytania

WHEN A STRANGER CALLS (PG-13) — Babysitter Camilla Belle ( The Ballad of Jack and Rose ) finds tending to the kids is just one of her jobs when she takes a phone call that promises a night of terror in this remake of the 1979 film that starred Carol Kane. Directed by Simon West ( Lara Croft: Tomb Raider ). AMC Palace 10, AMC Palace 16, AMC Palace 20, Holiday 12, Hollywood Cinemas 9

Special Screenings

DAS EXPERIMENT — The New Orleans Lyceum screens a film made from the 1971 ÒStanford Prison ExperimentÓ in which 20 male participants are hired to play either prisoners or guards. David O'Donaghue facilitates the following discussion. 7 p.m. Sunday at Seven Devils Parlor (1111 St. Mary St.)

MARDI GRAS: MADE IN CHINA (NR) — David Redmon directed this timely and revealing documentary about the working conditions of the Chinese factory workers who produce the popular Mardi Gras beads. 8:30 Wed.-Sat. at Zeitgeist

SNOOZER — World premiere screening of Jason Affolder's short film. Music by the Good Guys and the Bally Who? follows. 8 Thursday at The Big Top Gallery

AMC Palace 10 (Hammond) 429-9090; AMC Palace 12 734-2020; AMC Palace 16 734-2020; AMC Palace 20 734-2020; The Big Top Gallery 569-2700; Causeway Cinema (985) 626-9853; Holiday 12 (985) 893-5444; Hollywood Cinemas 9 464-0990; Kenner MegaDome 468-7231; Prytania 891-2787; Zeitgeist 525-2767