Wednesday, December 18, 2002
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Wednesday, December 18, 2002 |
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Movies By MICHAEL
BOYLAN Opening This Week Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers This film picks up where the last one left off. Frodo and Sam continue their quest to destroy the ring, while Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas try to find Sam and Frodo and destroy Saruman. This should be as good as the first one. Rated PG-13. Gangs of New York Martin Scorcese's epic about early New York City finally hits screens. Daniel Day Lewis stars as Bill the Butcher and is getting rave reviews. I hear this is a little brutal. Rated R. Two Weeks Notice Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant in a romantic comedy. This looks very entertaining and Grant has been on fire lately. Rated PG-13. The Wild Thornberrys Movie Nickelodeon's animated series hits the big screen. if you like the program, you'll like the movie. If not, don't expect too much. Rated PG. Now Playing 8 Mile Eminem stars as a young rapper, much like himself, in this film by Curtis Hanson. This was a pretty straight forward rap movie, and as rap movies go, it was great. As a regular movie, it is just good. It is well directed and well acted but it is probably not for everybody. Rated R. Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights An animated musical from Adam Sandler and friends. This is about a bad boy who learns about the holiday spirit from a little basketball referee named Whitey. Rated PG-13. Analyze That Billy Crystal and Robert Deniro reunite for a sequel to the successful comedy about a mobster and his psychiatrist. In this film, Deniro gets out of jail and is a consultant on a TV series about the mob. This should be as good as the first one. Rated R. Die Another Day Beautiful women, fascinating gadgets, car chases, double entendres and one-liners. You will find all that in the latest James Bond movie. Pierce Brosnan returns as Bond and Halle Berry stars as the love interest. Rated PG-13. Drumline Filmed in Atlanta, this movie focuses on a hotshot drummer who takes his college marching band and drumline to the championship. This looks like it could be fun. Rated PG-13. Extreme Ops A group of snowboarders and skiers head to the Alps to film a commercial. They encounter a terrorist and must use their skills to bring him down and save the day. The visuals look great and the movie could be a lot of fun. Rated PG-13. Friday After Next The first Friday movie was funny with a good heart, while the sequel was not as funny. As for the third installment, I'm not very optimistic. This film is set at Christmas and a burglar is dressing as Santa and robbing the hood. Until Chris Tucker can reprise his role as Smokey, this franchise is going down the tubes. Rated R. Half Past Dead Steven Seagal and Morris Chestnutt star in this film about breaking into a prison to get details of where lots of money is stashed. Seagal plays a good guy who is undercover as a prisoner. Expect lots of bones breaking. Rated PG-13. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Better than the original (and my how the kids have grown), there is more action, humor and heart in this film. Kenneth Branagh is great as Gilderoy Lockhart and the rest of the ensemble play their roles perfectly. Rated PG. Maid in Manhattan J. Lo stars in this update of the Cinderella story. She plays a maid who dresses in the clothes of a rich woman and falls for a handsome senatorial candidate. Rated PG-13. My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding This is the sleeper hit of the summer. It has enchanted audiences and stayed in theaters longer than The Scorpion King, Star Wars and Spiderman. The plot focuses on a girl from a Greek family marrying a WASP. All of the reviews from my friends and family say that it is hilarious. Enjoy. Rated PG. Solaris George Clooney reteams with director Steven Soderbergh for this remake of a sci-fi film from the 1970s. Clooney's character goes to a space station where two crew members are crazy and one is missing. While trying to figure out what happened, he encounters his dead wife. Rated PG-13. Star Trek: Nemesis This is possibly the final Next Generation Star Trek film. The plot of this one focuses on a peace treaty being destroyed by a man that is a clone of Picard. Rated PG-13. Sweet Home Alabama Filmed around the state, including areas in Fayette County, this film focuses on a girl from the south who has found fame, fortune and love up north. She returns below the Mason-Dixon line to finalize a divorce so she can marry the son of the mayor of New York but finds she still is attracted to her first husband. This stars Reese Witherspoon and Candice Bergen among others. Rated PG-13. The Hot Chick Rob Schneider makes amiable films that seem to really bother some people. I'm not one of them. In this film, he plays a teenage girl who has been cursed to appear to others as a 30-something year old man. The previews look hilarious, though the movie is probably only O.K. Rated PG-13. The Ring There is a video out there and if you watch it you will die seven days later. And no, it is not "Ernest Goes to Africa," though if you watch that you will feel nauseous. "The Ring" is a remake of one of the most popular Japanese movies of all time. It is a very creepy film and very effective as a thriller. Naomi Watts and Bryan Cox star. Rated PG-13. The Santa Clause 2 Tim Allen returns as the new Santa Claus, who finds out that he must get married if he wants to remain Santa. As he goes off looking for love, his Santa clone is preparing to take over the North Pole with toy soldiers. Rated G. Treasure Planet Disney updates Treasure Island by setting it in space. The story remains virtually the same, though Long John Silver is now a cyborg. This is one for the kids who have already seen Harry Potter 12 times. Rated PG. Wes Craven Presents: They What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than going to see what is likely a turkey? Don't get me wrong, I respect Wes Craven, but he didn't direct this, he just put up some cash. I hope it is good. It can't be much worse than Dracula 2000. Rated PG-13. Also Playing Abandon Katie Holmes and Benjamin Bratt star in this thriller about a girl being stalked by someone she believes is dead. I hear this is a cut above many of the recent teen thrillers. Rated PG-13. Barbershop Ice Cube stars in this film about a man who sells his late father's barbershop only to learn what the place meant to the community. He then must find a way to get it back. Rated PG-13. Femme Fatale Another Brian DePalma bomb that stunk up theaters only a few weeks ago. Rebecca Romijn Stamos is the beautiful and dangerous woman, while Antonio Banderas is the beautiful and dangerous man. Rated R. Men in Black II Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones reunite to save the world from an alien invasion again. The jokes are good, the creatures look cool and the movie is fun. Rated PG-13 Signs Mel Gibson stars as a former preacher who believes the crop circles on his farm might be from aliens. This was a very good film and had some intense scenes. Rated PG-13. Spy Kids II: Island of Lost Dreams The kids are back, now working as full time spies. This movie wasn't as magical as the first one but it was still a lot of fun. Great cameos from Steve Buscemi and Bill Paxton really added to the film. Rated PG. Stealing Harvard Directed by Bruce McCulloch of The Kids in the Hall and starring Jason Lee of Kevin Smith movie fame and Tom Green, this movie should have been hilarious. It wasn't. Rated R. Stuart Little 2 Stuart is back with more mouse sized hijinks in this sequel that can't possibly match the original. Nathan Lane reprises his role as the fat, sarcastic, cat. Rated PG. The Master of Disguise Dana Carvey plays a waiter who learns he has a talent for disguises. He must use his talent to save his family and the world. Rated PG. The Rules of Attraction I loved the book by Bret Easton Ellis and some scenes in this film are very true to the book and are fabulous. The rest of the movie stinks. They completely changed characters, plot points and time period and it did not make the movie better in any way. Booo. Rated R. The Tuxedo The first Jackie Chan bomb in a long time, maybe ever. In this film he plays a super spy's assistant who must put on a special tuxedo and save his boss. Jennifer Love Hewitt also stars. Rated PG-13. XXX Vin Diesel is an extreme sports stud who gets recruited by the government to save the day. This is mindless entertainment but of a higher quality than most mindless movies. Enjoy. Rated PG-13. |
