Wednesday, January 22, 2003
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Wednesday, January 22, 2003 |
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Movies By MICHAEL
BOYLAN Opening Friday Chicago The film version of the popular Bob Fosse musical starring Catherine Zeta Jones, Richard Gere and Rene Zellweger. This has generated lots of good buzz and critical acclaim. Rated PG-13. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind Based on the allegedly true story of Chuck Barris' involvement with the CIA. Barris was a producer of many hit games shows and was also host of "The Gong Show." George Clooney stars and directs. Other actors include Julia Roberts, Drew Barrymore and Sam Rockwell. Rated R. Darkness Falls A thriller about children being haunted by a scary old woman on the night their final baby tooth falls out. This could be as good as "The Ring" and it could be as bad as "fear dot com." You never know. Rated PG-13.
Now Playing A Guy Thing A romantic comedy starring Jason Lee and Julia Stiles. Lee is about to be married but one morning he waks up next to a woman and can't remember if he had an affair with her or not. Now, he must hide the possible affair from his fiancee, played by Selma Blair. Rated PG-13. Antwone Fisher Denzel Washington stars and directs this true tale of a troubled Naval officer who finds redemption. Could Denzel win an Oscar back to back? Perhaps. Rated PG-13. Catch Me If You Can Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks star in this film based on the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr., a young con-man who posed as a pilot, a doctor and a lawyer. The film was detly directed by Steven Spielberg and had a feel of a film from the 1960s. Hanks and Dicaprio were both excellent, as was Christopher Walken, who played Frank's father. This will probably be on my top five of the year. Rated PG-13. 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. Gangs of New York This is definitely an Oscar contender. Daniel Day Lewis stars as Bill the Butcher, a ganglord of early New York City, while Leonardo DiCaprio stars as a young man whose father was killed by the Butcher. This film is exceptionally well directed by Martin Scorcese and is a must see. Rated R. 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. Just Married Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy play newlyweds from different social classes in this comedy. As the first comedy released in 2003, here are hopes that it is funny and not too gross and stupid. Rated PG-13. Kangaroo Jack Two guys are trying to deliver money to mobsters when it is stolen by a kangaroo. Now, the guys must chase down the kangaroo and get the money back or face the consequences. Rated PG. 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, the other hobbits, Merry and Pippin, and destroy Saruman. This was even better than the first one with more action and humor. Why must we wait until next December for the final installment? Rated PG-13. 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. National Security It's another buddy cop movie starring Martin Lawrence. His sidekick this time around is Steve Zahn, who is very funny. Will this be as good as "Blue Streak" or as bad as "Black Knight?"We shall see. Rated PG-13. Pinnochio The Italian box office smash comes to America with English voices dubbed in. The word is that this is a very entertaining family film. Rated G. 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. 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 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. 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. 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 Also Playing 8 Mile Eminem stars in this film as a young rapper aspiring to get out of his poor neighborhood and make it as a rap star. This movie was well directed by Curtis Hanson and Eminem has real magnetism on the screen. It was a good film but not Best Movie of the Year material. Rated R. 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. Brown Sugar This is a romantic comedy/drama set in the world of hip hop. The film got a mix of good and mediocre reviews and could be a good date movie. There are a lot of other things I would want to see first though. Rated PG-13. Extreme Ops A group of extreme skiers, snowboarders and other athletes stumble across a terroristic plot while filming a commercial. Now the athletes must thwart the terrorists and escape the mountain with their lives. The action sequences look great but the script is a little corny. Rated PG-13. Ghost Ship Another remake of a William Castle horror movie. This one stars Julianna Marguiles and Gabriel Byrne and has a few good scares. This does move very slow in parts and is not as good as either "Thirteen Ghosts" or "House on Haunted Hill." Rated R. I Spy Owen Wilson and Eddie Murphy team up in this film based on the tv series of the same name. The studio has to be disappointed that the film didn't do better at the box office, though I'm sure it is entertaining for a dollar. Rated PG-13. Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie The Veggie Tales tell the story of Jonah in this computer animated film. If your kids like Veggie Tales, they will like this movie. Rated G. 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. 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. 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 Emperor's Club Kevin Kline stars a s teacher who breaks the rules to help a student and later wonders if he did the right thing. Kline is always good and this movie looks interesting. 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.
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