Wednesday, January 16, 2002
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Wednesday, January 16, 2002 |
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Movies By MICHAEL
BOYLAN
Opening Friday Kung Pow: Enter The Fist Using old martial arts films and new footage, writer, director and star Steve Oedekerk brings us this spoof of Kung Fu movies. It is a great idea and could be very funny. Rated PG-13. Snow Dogs Cuba Gooding Jr. stars as a man who inherits sled dogs and races in a race similar to the Iditerod. This is from Disney, so it should be good-natured and fun for the family. Rated PG. Now Playing A Beautiful Mind The Oscar buzz has started and this film is in the center of it all. Russell Crowe, last year's Best Actor, could win his second straight with his portrayal of the brilliant but troubled John Forbes Nash Jr. Jennifer Connelly and Ed Harris also star in this film directed by Ron Howard. Rated PG-13. Ali Will Smith plays Muhammad Ali in this film directed by Michael Mann. Jon Voight and Jamie Foxx also star in the film. This film is getting mixed reviews. Some love it and say it is one of the year's best, while others say it is long and kind of boring. Rated R. Behind Enemy Lines Owen Wilson, growing more visible and popular by the day, stars in this film about a pilot who is shot down over some eastern European nation. Wilson has been in some great movies of late (Meet the Parents, Shanghai Noon) and could use this film to vault him to more leading roles. Gene Hackman stars as the captain who breaks protocol to go rescue Wilson. A nice, patriotic film for the family. Rated PG-13. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone This was excellent. As a fan of the books, I was very happy that the film stayed true to the tone and story. The characters looked great and I had Alan Rickman cast as Snape in my head a long time ago. This is fun for the whole family, though it is a little too long for really young kids. Rated PG. How High Two stoners, played by Method Man and Redman, get into Harvard University and cause hilarious mayhem. This movie starts off slow but gets better along the way. Method Man and Redman have good chemistry together but some of the film just isn't that funny. Rated R. Impostor Gary Sinise plays a man who is being framed as a cyborg with a bomb implanted in him. Mekhi Phifer is the man who will help him and Madeline Stowe is the woman who loves him. This looks better than most sci-fi films that come out with little to no fanfare. Rated PG-13. Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius A kid who is an inventor must save the world and his parents from aliens. Rated G. Joe Somebody Tim Allen gets beat up in front of his kid and decides he is going to take a stand and be somebody. He will probably learn that violence solves nothing. Rated PG. Kate and Leopold Meg Ryan is back doing what she does best: romantic comedies. In this one, she ends up falling for a man from 1876. Breckin Meyer plays her brother, Liev Schreiber plays her ex and Hugh Jackman, that's right, Wolverine, plays her time traveling lover boy. Rated PG-13. Lord of the Rings An epic fantasy comes to the screen with a solid cast and amazing special effects. This film, directed by Peter Jackson (The Frighteners) is a little long and too intense for the younger children, but is an excellent film overall. The performances are great, especially Viggo Mortensen's as Aragorn. This feels like a Best Picture nominee. Rated PG-13. 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. Ocean's Eleven Steven Soderbergh directs one of the greatest casts ever assembled in this remake. The story revolves around Danny Ocean and ten of his friends robbing three casinos on the night of a heavyweight prizefight. This was like a Tarantino film without the profanity and violence. It was a very entertaining film. Rated PG-13. Orange County Jack Black is back! This time he plays an underachieving slob who helps his brother get admitted to Stanford. Colin Hanks, Tom's son, Catherine O'Hara, Chevy Chase and Kevin Kline also appear in this comedy. I have high hopes for this film. Rated PG-13. The Majestic Jim Carrey is a blacklisted writer who crashes his car, gets amnesia and washes up in a town where they think he is somebody else. He becomes somebody else until his memory returns. Rated PG. Vanilla Sky This is not as confusing as everyone say it is. It plays with your mind, but the answers are all revealed at the end. Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz are terrific, as is Kurt Russell as the court appointed psychiatrist. The sound track is amazing and director Cameron Crowe is really trying to branch out as a director. Vanilla Sky feels like a Kubrick film in places and that is not a bad thing. Rated R. Also Playing Corky Romano A dorky guy must infiltrate the FBI to save his mobster father. Chris Kattan stars as Corky in this comedy, along with Peter Falk and Christopher Penn. Rated PG-13. Heist Gene Hackman stars in this David Mamet film about double crossing thieves. Danny Devito also stars. Rated R. Life as a House Kevin Kline stars as a man who attempts to rebuild his life and family while rebuilding an old house. Hayden Christensen (the new Anakin Skywalker) also stars. Rated R. Max Keeble's Big Move A Disney film about a young man causing mischief and mayhem in a middle school. It is probably very amusing for the preadolescents out there. Rated PG. Rush Hour 2 Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan team up once again to save the day with their deft police work and their Kung Fu. This time the film is set in Hong Kong. Rated PG-13. Serendipity John Cusack and Kate Beckinsdale star in this romantic comedy spanning many years. This looks very cute and Cusack rocks in romantic comedies. Rated PG-13. Soul Survivors This thriller asks the question, 'What happens to you in the afterlife and how can you tell that you're not already there?' The real question is why should you care about this movie, which tanked at the box office and was panned by critics. Rated PG-13. Spy Game Robert Redford stars as a former spy that must go back under to save his protege, played by Brad Pitt. This is a nice cast and should be a solid drama. Rated R. The One Jet Li stars as many people from different dimensions in this film about crossing dimensions and becoming the most powerful being. Jet Li is amazing but I hear the movie is kind of lame. Rated PG-13.
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