Wednesday, March 20, 2002
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Wednesday, March 20, 2002 |
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Movies By MICHAEL
BOYLAN
Opening Friday Blade II Wesley Snipes returns as the half human/half vampire vampire slayer. In this film he must team up with vampires to fight even nastier vampires. If this sounds corny or stupid to you, this is probably not your cup of tea. However, if you liked the original, I hear the sequel is even better. Rated R. E.T. the Extra Terrestrial I can't believe it has been 20 years since this film first hit theaters. We are all getting so old. There are probably hundreds of thousands of children who have not seen this movie before. It will be a magical experience for all. In case you don't know, this is about a little boy named Elliot and his alien friend E.T. A guy named Steven Spielberg directed it. Rated PG. Sorority Boys It's Bosom Buddies set on a college campus and that may not be a bad thing. Three guys must live in a sorority to get into a fraternity. Things go haywire when the boys fall in love and eventually get found out. This looks funny. Rated R. Now Playing 40 Days and 40 Nights Josh Hartnett stars as a young man who decides to give up sex for Lent. His friends start to wager that he can't do it. Hartnett falls in love with a young girl, because he doesn't rush into intimacy with her. Everybody learns a lesson about life and love and why gambling on human emotions is a bad idea. Rated R. A Beautiful Mind This film has been nominated for several Oscars and is a strong contender for Best Picture. 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 terrific film directed by Ron Howard. Rated PG-13. All About The Benjamins Ice Cube and Mike Epps star in this action/comedy about tracking down jewels and jewel thieves. Cube is a good presence on screen and the previews are entertaining. Rated R. Big Fat Liar Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle) stars as a kid who gets a paper stolen by a movie executive. When his story becomes a Hollywood hit, Muniz goes to La-La Land for revenge on the executive. This one is for the kids. Rated PG. Black Hawk Down Ridley Scott's film about U.S. troops caught in Somalia in an attempt to take out a warlord. This is based on a true story. Ewan McGregor and Josh Hartnett star in this film, which garnered several critic's awards This held the number one spot for weeks. Rated R. Collateral Damage Originally slated for an October release, this film deals with bombs and terrorists. Arnold Schwarznegger stars as the normal Joe who stops the terrorist known as "The Wolf" from killing again. Rated R. Crossroads This was not as bad as I thought or hoped it would be. I wanted a laughably bad film and instead got a B -/C+ film. Britney is a decent actress and the sound track was pretty good too. Rated PG-13. Dragonfly Kevin Costner plays a man whose wife died and is trying to send him a message from beyond the grave. This looks freaky and could be fun. Rated PG-13. Ice Age A computer-animated film about four prehistoric animals taking a human child back to the human tribe. Denis Leary, Ray Romano and John Leguizamo are just some of the voice talent in the picture. Rated PG. John Q A prediction: Denzel Washington will give yet another Oscar worthy performance in a film which is not Oscar worthy. The plot revolves around a man who takes a hospital hostage when his son is refused treatment due to a lack of the correct medical insurance. Rated PG-13. Lord of the Rings Nominated for 13 Academy Awards, this epic fantasy gives audiences 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. Rated PG-13. Monster's Ball Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton star in this film about a guard on Death Row and the girlfriend of a recently executed man. The performances are amazing. Rated R. Resident Evil A movie based on a video game about zombies attacking soldiers. Milla Jovavich stars in this hopefully scary movie. Rated R. Return to Neverland Peter Pan and friends return in this sequel to the Disney classic. Usually these unnecessary sequels go straight to video. I wonder what makes this different? Rated G. Showtime Eddie Murphy and Robert DeNiro star as cops cast in a reality show about police officers. Rene Russo and William Shatner also star in this film. 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. The Count of Monte Cristo Jim Cazaviel and Guy Pearce star in this film based on Alexandre Dumas' novel. It is a story about betrayal and revenge. I loved the book and the movie could be very good as well. Rated PG-13. The Time Machine A remake of the classic H.G. Wells film. Guy Pearce plays a scientist who travels 800,000 years in the future and helps fight for humanity. Rated PG-13. We Were Soldiers Mel Gibson stars in this film based on one of the first battles in the Vietnam War. Parts were filmed in Georgia. Greg Kinnear, Chris Klein and Barry Pepper also star. Rated R. Also Playing Ali Will Smith stars as Muhammad Ali in this biopic directed by Michael Mann. This did not do great at the box office but got good reviews across the board. Rated R. Behind Enemy Lines Owen Wilson stars a pilot trapped behind enemy lines. This film is action packed and looks like a lot of fun. Rated PG-13. Birthday Girl Nicole Kidman stars as a Russian mail order bride who brings lots of danger to her new husband. Rated R. Black Knight Martin Lawrence stars as a man who travels back to the middle ages, causes a ruckus, saves the day and has a lot of fun. This looks silly but good enough for a dollar. Rated PG-13. Joe Somebody Tim Allen stars a man who gets beat up and decides to become somebody. This did OK at the theaters and wasn't hated by critics. It must be worth a dollar. Rated PG.
Kate and Leopold Meg Ryan stars as a woman who falls in love with a gentleman from the 1800s. This looks a charming romantic comedy. Rated PG-13. Kung Pow: Enter The Fist A spoof of martial arts films written and directed by the guy who brought you Ace Ventura. No, not Jim Carrey. I mean the guy who directed the Ace Ventura movie. Rated PG-13. Ocean's 11 A very cool film about an intricate heist of a Vegas casino. The cast is full of big name stars, such as Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Julia Roberts. Rated PG-13. Orange County This comedy about a kid who wants to get into Stanford was pretty funny. Jack Black is great as the young man's brother and the cameos from comedy legends like Chevy Chase, Harold Ramis and Catherine O'Hara are great. Rated PG-13. Slackers This movie bombed at the box office. The plot revolves around lots of very unlikable people doing very unlikable things. Rated R. Training Day Denzel Washington is the veteran cop and Ethan Hawke is the rookie. Washington takes Hawke out on his first day and shows him the ropes. This was a fairly intense film with outstanding performances. It keeps you guessing until the very end. I highly recommend seeing this film. Both Washington and Hawke were nominated for Oscars. Rated R. |
