Opening Friday

Reindeer Games — Ben Affleck stars in this new action film from John McTiernan. The film focuses on an ex-con who gets dragged back into a life of crime by his girlfriend's brother. This looks pretty cool. Rated R.

Wonder Boys — Mr. Catherine Zeta Jones (Michael Douglas) stars as an author in this quirky comedy drama. The film also stars Frances McDormand, Tobey Maguire and Katie Holmes. The advanced buzz is good. Rated R.

Now Playing

American Beauty — I saw this film for a second time last weekend and enjoyed it even more. Nominated for eight Academy Awards, this is a great film. American Beauty has a sparkling script and knockout performances from Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening. Rated R.

Anna and the King — Jodie Foster and Chow Yun Fat star in this movie based on “The King and I.” This is not a musical. The sets look lavish, the actors look right and their big push for Oscar might be worthwhile. Rated PG-13.

Boiler Room — A drama about shady stockbrokers starring Ben Affleck and Giovanni Ribisi. Like Wall Street but without the Sheens. This was the only film to come out last weekend that got good reviews across the board. Rated R.

Down to You — Freddie Prinze Jr. stars in this romantic comedy with Julia Stiles (“Ten Things I Hate about You”). I don't know what this movie is about but I'm sure they get together at the end. Rated PG-13.

Eye of the Beholder — Ewen MacGregor plays a voyeur in this mystery. The woman he follows is played by Ashley Judd. The film looks quite good but the reviews have been really uneven. Rated R.

Green Mile — Stephen King's serial novel comes to the screen. This is not a horror film, but more of a spiritual drama. It is getting high praise all around, despite its length and the brutality of an execution scene. Rated R.

Gun Shy — Liam Neeson plays an undercover cop with some problems. Oliver Platt plays his hitman nemensis and Sandra Bullock plays a nurse. This looks entertaining. Rated R.

Hanging Up — Lisa Kudrow, Meg Ryan and Diane Keaton star in this movie about a family with a wild elderly father played by Walter Matthau. Rated PG-13.

The Hurricane — Denzel Washington stars as a man falsely accused of murder. This is based on a true story and has been wowing audiences for weeks. Rated R.

Next Friday — Ice Cube stars in this sequel to his hit film, Friday. He has left hs parents' house to hide out with his cousins in the suburbs. Be warned: There is no Chris Tucker in this film and the topic of drugs comes up frequently. Rated R.

Pitch Black — A crew of a spaceship is terrorized by a species of aliens that attack in the dark. Hooray, another “blow up the aliens” movie! Rated R.

Scream 3 — This is not just a cash cow film. The producers and directors intended on making this a trilogy from the beginning. I loved the first two installments. In fact, I am an extra in Scream 2. I look forward to this movie and hope that they end the series on a good note, meaning that it is both funny and scary. Rated R.

Simpatico — Based on Sam Shepard's play about horse racing, Simpatico has a great cast (Stone, Nolte, Bridges) and obviously a good script. Rated R.

Snow Day — This movie is getting panned, but maybe it is as good as Good Burger, Give it a shot, I guess. Rated PG.

Stuart Little — Based on E.B. White's children's story, Stuart is a small mouse that lives with a normal sized human family. It looks like lots of new stuff was added for the kids and the traditional plot elements have fallen by the wayside. We shall see though. Rated PG.

The Beach — Want a hit? Sprinkle a bit of Leonardo DiCaprio among some other beautiful people and just add water. This film is based on the popular novel by Alex Garland and is very reminiscient of “Lord of the Flies.” This is not lighthearted Leo fare. Rated R.

The Tigger Movie — This is obviously about Tigger, Winnie the Pooh's friend.If you love Pooh, you'll love the movie. Rated R.

Toy Story 2 — Woody and Buzz are back and this time it's Woody who needs rescuing. Utterly enjoyable and possibly better than the first one. It has a great sense of humor and is the perfect holiday film. Stay in your seats to enjoy the bloopers. They have just been added to the credits. Rated G.

Whole Nine Yards — Bruce Willis is the hitman and Matthew Perry is the frightened, sarcastic guy. There may be too many movies about hitmen these days but Willis is always good for a laugh. Rated R.

Also Playing

Anywhere But Here — Susan Sarandon and Natalie Portman play mother and daughter in this sentimental movie for women. The film “Tumbleweeds” tells the same tale and got better reviews and a few awards. Rated PG-13.

Blue Streak — Martin Lawrence plays a jewel thief who passes as a detective. If Eddie Murphy can do police comedy, Martin can do police comedy. I hear this is pretty good. Rated PG-13.

The Bone Collector — This was a great book, so be careful of the film. Denzel Washington plays a paralyzed man who was formerly a detective. He helps a rookie cop track down a serial killer. It has been out for awhile, so it has to be pretty good. Rated R.

Double Jeopardy — This was the movie with Ashley Judd and Tommy Lee Jones. She went to jail for the murder of her husband, but he's not dead. You can't be convicted twice for the same crime, so what will happen? For a buck, this might be worth it. Rated R.

Deuce Bigelowe: Male Gigolo — This is a funny movie and you shouldn't expect much more than a stupid comedy. Rob Schneider is better than Norm McDonald was in Dirty Work and there are more hits than misses. Rated R.

End of Days — Arnold Schwarzenegger returns to the big screen as a cop battling the forces of evil. How much you want to bet the story takes place in Los Angeles? Rated R.

Man on the Moon - Jim Carrey was amazing as Andy Kaufman in this film. It didn't live up to some people's expectations, but I found the film to be entertaining. Rated R.

The Messenger — Luc Besson's stylish retelling of the story of Joan of Arc. The film has a good cast and great visual effects, but the story is a bit slow. Rated R.

Runaway Bride — There was so much hype about Richard Gere and Julia Roberts teaming up again that you thought Sonny and Cher were reuniting. This opened to warm reviews this summer, but it didn't clean up at the box office. If you think you'll be surprised and entertained, you probably will. Rated PG.

Tarzan — A very good Disney movie about our favorite king of the jungle. The animation is out of this world and it was refreshing to hear a soundtrack that did not feature Peabo Bryson. A great movie for the whole family and only a dollar right now. Rated G.

Three Kings — Set in the Gulf War, this is the story of four soldiers who go on a mission to recover some stolen gold. Starring Ice Cube, George Clooney, Spike Jonze and Mark Wahlberg, Three Kings got solid reviews and may pop up at the Oscars. Rated R.

Back to the Top of the PageBack to the Weekend Home Page