Friday, January 31, 2003

Movies

By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@TheCitizenNews.com

Opening Friday

Biker Boyz Think "The Fast and the Furious" but with motorcycles. The cast is pretty good (Larenz Tate, Laurence Fishburne, Kid Rock....) and I'm sure the racing sequences will be top notch. Rated PG-13.

Chicago I'm serious this time. This really is playing locally, although it is only on once a day at Tinseltown. The Golden Globe winning musical stars Rene Zellweger, Richard Gere and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Rated PG-13.

Final Destination 2 The sequel to a film about people who cheated death by escaping a plane crash but are still being chased by Death. Rated R.

The Recruit Al Pacino and Colin Farrell star in this action film about CIA recruits who may or may not be moles within the CIA. Rated R.

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.

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.

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 exception ally well directed by Martin Scorcese and is a must see. Rated R.

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. This does not need to be on two screens though. I seriously doubt there is that much demand. Rated PG-13.

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

Analyze That Billy Crystal and Robert DeNiro re-team in this sub-par sequel to "Analyze This." This did not do well with critics or audiences. It might be worth a look for a dollar though. Rated R

Die Another Day Bond fans have said this new installment was one of the Best Bond films in recent memory. It is action packed and stars Halle Berry alongside Pierce Brosnan's Bond. Rated PG-13.

Formula 51 Samuel L. Jackson in a kilt. This film features Jackson as a drug maker taking on thugs in Scotland. Robert Carlyle also stars. Rated R.

Half Past Dead Seagal goes undercover in a prison to protect an inmate who knows the location of lots of gold. Do you like Seagal? If so, then go. Rated PG-13.

My Big, Fat Greek Wedding One of the biggest hits of the year. A woman from a Greek-family marries a man with from a protestant background. Her fiancee' converts to the Greek Orthodox faith in order to marry her. This was funny but it wasn't the funniest movie ever. Rated PG-13.

Sweet Home Alabama Filmed around the state, including areas in Fayette County, this film focuses on a girl from thesouth 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 Ring A scary little movie about a videotape that kills the viewer seven days after a viewing. This was really good. 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 Treasure Island set in the future in space.This didn't do that great but kids liked it. Rated G.

Wes Craven Presents: They A horrible horror movie about people haunted by creatures in the dark. Wes Craven did not write or direct this film, he just gave it some money. Rated PG-13.

 


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