Movies

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@thecitizennews.com

Opening Friday

Ladies Man The latest in a long line (too long) of SNL characters crossing over to the big screen. Can a sketch that drags out too long stay entertaining for close to 90 minutes? Let's hope so. Wayne and Garth did. Rated R.

Lost Souls Winona Ryder stars in this film about a woman who believes a man she has just met will become the antichrist. Rated R.

The Contender Gary Oldman stars in this political thriller about a man trying to sabotage a female vice presidential candidate, Oldman looks terrific. Rated R.

Now Playing

Almost Famous The semi-true story of Cameron Crowe's gigs with Rolling Stone magazine as a 16-year-old. This is the best movie out right now. The writing and directing are out of this world and the performances are wonderful. Rated R.

Autumn in New York Richard Gere (close to 50) starts to date Winona Ryder (not close to 50) in this drama about a terminally ill girl and the man she falls in love with. Bring a hanky, 'cause this one is going to have a sad ending. Rated PG-13.

Bait Jamie Foxx is now a bona fide leading man and tries to carry this film about a confused criminal who knows the location of some stolen gold. This looks funny and Foxx is charismatic enough to carry this film. Rated R.

Beautiful Minnie Driver stars as a scheming girl who travels up the Miss America circuit. This is directed by Sally Field. Do we like her ? Do we really, really, like her ? Rated PG-13.

Bring It On A movie about cheerleading starring Kirsten Dunst. This is the number one movie in America, can you believe it? Dunst is very attractive and America loves their cheerleaders, but is the movie any good? I don't know. Rated PG-13.

Coyote Ugly If you oppose Hooters, you should oppose this film about a bar staffed by supermodel-esque babes. If this has a multilevel plot and multidimensional characters, I'll be very surprised. Rated PG-13.

Digimon: The Movie I'm sure there are differences between this and Pokemon, I just don't care. At least the kiddie shave something to go see before the Grinch comes out, so enjoy. Rated G.

Duets Gwyneth Paltrow stars in this film about Karaoke hustlers trying to get to the Nationals in Omaha. One of the few films where people are actually trying to get to Nebraska and not out. Rated R.

The Exorcist One of the greatest horror movies of all time, in all of it's split pea soup spitting glory. Where was the hoopla over this film's release ? Rated R.

Get Carter Stallone is back and he is badder than ever. In this film, he exacts revenge on the thugs that killed his brother. This is a remake of a British film from the '70s. It could be good. Rated R.

Meet the Parents Here is my pick for a sleeper hit of the year. It has a great cast (Robert DeNiro and Ben Stiller), a funny story and the director of the two Austin Powers movies. You will see this and you know it. Rated PG-13.

Nurse Betty In my opinion, this is the first serious Oscar contender. Great performances from Rene Zellweger and Morgan Freeman make this dark comedy a winner. Note: I said dark. Rated R.

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps This movie was horrible. It lacked everything good from the first movie and filled it with humor that was too lowbrow for lowbrow humor. Rated PG-13.

Remember The Titans Based on the true story of Virginia's first integrated high school football team, this film stars Denzel Washington and is fun for the whole family. Rated PG.

Space Cowboys A bunch of old (and incredible) actors play old astronauts that are sent up to space for a rescue mission. We love outer space and we love Clint Eastwood. This film should be very well-made. Rated PG-13.

The Kings of Comedy Steve Harvey, D.L. Hughley, Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac perform stand up in this film from Spike Lee. These are four very funny comedians. Rated R.

The Replacements No, this is not a biopic about Minnesota's greatest band. This film is about the scab players who played football during an NFL strike. This was very funny and fairly accessible as a family film, more so than the Nutty Professor II. Keanu Reeves stars, but there is no slow motion Kung Fu. Rated PG-13.

The Watcher Keanu Reeves plays a bad guy and James Spader is the cop who vows to catch him. This could be better than many films with this plot. Here's hoping it will be anyway. Rated R.

Urban Legends: Final Cut The sequel of sorts to Urban Legend, which was an O.K. slasher pic about a psycho who bases his/her murders on urban legends. This could be O.K. Rated R.

What Lies Beneath Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer star in this thriller from Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump). The reviews have all been solid and my mom (a good critic in her own right) says this is a Hitchcockian thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Rated R.

Also Playing

Big Momma's House This had a long and successful run and pleased a lot of audiences. If you see this, you pretty much know what you're getting yourself into and you won't be disappointed. Rated PG-13.

Chicken Run A very well-reviewed movie from the summer, Chicken Run is fun for the whole family. Rated G.

Dinosaur Disney's film from the summer focuses on a dinosaur that is lost and the friends that help him find his way. Rated PG.

Disney's The Kid Bruce Willis plays a mean, old 40 year old who rediscovers being nice and following his dreams when he meets himself as an eight year old. I won't standi in your way of seeing this, but I won't go with you. Rated PG.

Gladiator Russell Crowe stars as a slave who fights to defeat the evil Emperor. It is like Star Wars in ancient Rome. Probably the most evenly reviewed (and praised) movie of the summer. I enjoyed this thoroughly. Rated R.

Gone in 60 Seconds A movie about car thieves and how cool they are. Car thieves are honorable people that stick up for each other. They stick it to the people who pay for their cars. Lifting cars to loud

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