Wednesday, November 14, 2001
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Wednesday, November 14, 2001 |
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Movies By MICHAEL BOYLAN Opening Friday Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Finally! The first installment of the mega-popular series hits the screens this Friday. The story focuses on an orphan who comes from a family of wizards. He is invited to attend the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the first book/movie follows his adventures there. The film originally clocked in at close to four hours but has been trimmed a bit, keeping kids and fans happy with the result. I will be seeing this movie. Probably more than once. Rated PG. Now Playing Bandits Billy Bob Thornton and Bruce Willis star in this film about bank robbers that sleep over at the house of the bank manager the night before the robbery. Directed by Barry Levinson, this movie should be a winner. Rated PG-13. Bones Snoop Doggy Dogg plays a former "gangsta" who comes back from the dead to protect his "hood." This is getting decent reviews. I am not kidding. Pam Grier also stars in the film. Rated R. Domestic Disturbance John Travolta must save his son from the boy's stepfather. Vince Vaughn stars as the evil step dad. I guess this will be better than Look Who's Talking, Too. Rated R. From Hell Johnny Depp stars in this film about Jack the Ripper. The film is based on a popular graphic novel and also stars Heather Graham. The Hughes Brothers (Menace II Society) were at the helm of this picture. Rated R. Hardball Keanu Reeves plays a man who coaches a Little League baseball team in the inner city. This is based on a true story. Rated R. K-Pax Kevin Spacey goes for another Oscar with his performance as an alien from Planet K-Pax. I knew a guy from Planet K-Tel, he sang the best hit songs of the '60s and '70s. Rated PG-13. Life as a House Kevin Kline is a dying man. He rebuilds his house and his life, which includes a broken marriage and a broken relationship with a broken son. Rated R. Monsters, Inc. The latest computer generated film from Pixar, the people who brought you the Toy Story films. This film focuses on monsters that live in closets and are afraid of children. This is an awfully cute, and entertaining family film. Rated G. Riding In Cars With Boys Drew Barrymore plays a girl who gets pregnant too young and the film follows her life. This is directed by Penny Marshall and also stars James Woods, Lorraine Bracco and Steve Zahn. Rated PG-13. Shallow Hal A man sees women only for their inner beauty after being hypnotized. This comedy stars Jack Black and Gwyneth Paltrow and is directed by The Farrelly Brothers. Rated PG-13. The Heist This is David Mamet's new film. Expect gritty dialogue and crime oriented drama. Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito and strong language star. Rated R. The Last Castle Robert Redford and James Gandolfini butt heads in this action-thriller set in a military prison. Mark Ruffalo also stars in this film about leadership and revolution. Rated R. The One Jet Li plays a thousand different Jet Lis in this film. As each alternate dimension form of Jet Li is eliminated, the remaining Jet Lis become stronger. The final battle between good Jet Li and evil Jet Li will be for all the marbles. Rated PG-13. Thirteen Ghosts The makers of "House on Haunted Hill" are out to scare you again with this film about, you guessed it, 13 ghosts. Rated R. Training Day Denzel Washington in his first role as a villain. He plays a Los Angeles policeman who is training Ethan Hawke, a rookie, on how to be a cop in L.A. This looks pretty good. Rated R. Also Playing American Pie 2 The sequel to the popular comedy. This film is set after freshman year of college and the kids are just as crazy as ever. Rated R. America's Sweethearts A film that had so much potential and flopped. Billy Crystal, Julia Roberts, John Cusack and Catherine Zeta-Jones all starred in this film about a Hollywood couple's meltdown. It didn't do very well and I'm not sure why. You can go find out for a dollar. Rated PG-13. Atlantis: The Lost Empire Perhaps it should have been called Disney: the Lost Empire. This movie bombed at the box office and did not look like classic Disney fare. Rated PG. Cats and Dogs A comedy for the kids. This has some very funny scenes and some cute moments, but it did not live up to my expectations. I was expecting a film that was fun for both kids and adults and was disappointed. Your kids won't be. Rated PG. Jeepers Creepers A horror movie that focuses on a brother and sister who stumble upon an evil creature and his lair. The film clocks in at just a little over 80 minutes. That is shorter than most Disney films. They really aren't giving you any credit for having much of an attention span, are they? Rated R. Jurassic Park III Dr. Grant gets called back to the island of dinosaurs and tries to stay out of trouble. Lots of good effects and dinosaurs. Rated PG-13. Legally Blonde Reese Witherspoon goes to Harvard law to win back her man. This looked like a nice way to escape the summer heat. Unfortunately, it is not hot anymore. Rated PG-13. Planet of the Apes Tim Burton's "re-imagining" of the classic film about astronauts stranded on a planet of, well, apes. Mark Wahlberg stars. They are also showing this in Spanish. Rated PG-13. Shrek Yes, this is out on video and DVD, but it is still cheaper if you see it at the dollar theater. It is a funny film and fairly family friendly. Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy lend their voices to the movie. Rated PG. The Glass House Leelee Sobieski stars in this thriller about guardians gone wild. Stellan Skarsgard plays the evil family friend that takes care of Sobieski's character. Rated PG-13. The Princess Diaries A nerdy girl finds out she is really a princess. She learns the value of friendship and being who you really are. Awww. Rated G.
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