Previews

it's called	who's responsible	what you can expect for your money
A Good Woman (2004)	Director: Mike Barker Screenwriter: Howard Himelstein, based on the play by Oscar Wilde Producer: Jonathan English, Alan Greenspan, Howard Himelstein, and Steven Siebert Distributed by: Lions Gate Films, Inc. Cast: Helen Hunt, Scarlett Johansson, Stephen Campbell Moore, Mark Umbers, and Tom Wilkinson	In the tradition of 1999’s An Ideal Husband (with Rupert Everett) and the 2002 version of The Importance of Being Earnest (also with Rupert Everett) comes the deliciously witty romantic comedy A Good Woman, the latest big screen adaptation of a play by Oscar Wilde not to feature Rupert Everett. The playwright’s Lady Windermere’s Fan, a tale of seduction, sex, and scandal, has been transplanted from 1890’s England to the sparkling Italian Riviera in the 1930s courtesy director Mike Barker (Eddie and the East Coast Bouffants) and screenwriter Howard Himelstein. Helen Hunt (What Women Want) plays a disreputable and deep-in-debt Manhattan socialite, Mrs. Stella Erlynne, who flees New York City to Italy’s Amalfi coast to begin life anew. There she quickly befriends the young Lady Windermere (Scarlett Johansson) and her husband Robert (Mark Umbers). But when Lord Windermere’s attempts to reintroduce Mrs. Erlynne into respectable high society, tongues start wagging, and the scene is set for Wilde at his most elegantly erudite.
November (2004)	Director: Greg Harrison Screenwriter: Benjamin Brand Producer: Jake Abraham, Danielle Renfrew, and Gary Winick Distributed by: Sony Pictures Classics Cast: Courteney Cox, James Le Gros, Nora Dunn, Michael Ealy, Nick Offerman, and Anne Archer	Donning spectacles and a noticeably downplayed, deglamorized look, Courteney Cox tries to shed her successful (but restrictive) Friends image in November, an intense psychological thriller from director Greg Harrison (Groove). In the film, Cox’s Sophie Jacobs, a Los Angeles photographer, attempts to deal with the death of her boyfriend (James Le Gros), killed during a convenience store hold-up while Sophie idled in her car outside. Borrowing heavily from several recent “reverse chronology” films such as Memento and Irréversible (not to mention Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 classic Rashômon, in which a rape is explained via three separate yet conflicting interpretations), screenwriter Benjamin Brand fashions his storyline by replaying the events leading up to and during the incident as remembered by Sophie. Each time her recollection of the “facts” at hand is subtly changed, a technique that ultimately serves to blur the line between reality and fantasy. Does Sophie actually remember what happened, or might her emotionally damaged imagination be playing cruel, disturbing tricks on her?
Hamlet (1996)	Director: Kenneth Branagh Screenwriter: Kenneth Branagh, based on the play by William Shakespeare Producer: David Barron Distributed by: Castle Rock Entertainment Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Julie Christie, Kate Winslet, RIchard Briers, Brian Blessed, Richard Attenborough, Judi Dench, Billy Crystal, Jack Lemmon, Robin Williams, Gérard Depardieu, John Gielgud, Charlton Heston, John Mills, Rufus Sewell and Timothy Spall	Those who consider Bob and Doug McKenzie’s Strange Brew to be the best Hamlet ever put on film must have missed Kenneth Branagh’s masterful version during its initial 1996 run. The reasons for skipping Branagh’s film were plentiful though. For one thing, it’s Shakespeare, and a lot of people still consider Shakespeare as something they had forced down their throats in elementary school, like turkey meatloaf or green leafy vegetables. Secondly, Branagh’s Hamlet is four hours long, and few people have posteriors hardy enough to sustain that amount of down time in a theater seat. In addition, this was supposed to be a relatively straightforward (if groundbreaking “full text”) adaptation, not a clever contemporary update (ala Luhrmann) or some sneaky sonnet masquerading as an urban reality play. And then there’s some guy named Laurence Olivier, whose 1948 translation of the play has often been referred to by many as–McKenzie Bros. devotees take note–the “definitive” version. What’s the frequency, Kenneth? Did you think you could out-muscle Sir Larry? With so many strikeouts going in Branagh might as well have shot his film in black and white! But if anyone could prove there’s more than one way to tackle this most cautionary of cautionary tales it was Branagh, who’d already proven himself a worthy Shakespeare wrangler with his 1989 interpretation of Henry V (in fact, half of Branagh’s directorial output to date have been worthy interpretations of the Bard). Hamlet boasts impeccable credentials: a sumptuous cast, gorgeous costumes, impressive set design, and phenomenal performances that range from the sublime (Derek Jacobi as Claudius; Julie Christie as Gertrude) to the ridiculous (Billy Crystal as a gravedigger; Ken Dodd as alas poor Yorick). And Branagh himself contributes a performance in front of the camera (as the conflicted Dane) that’s every bit as staggering as the one behind it. Eat your vegetables. Read the book. Then see this film.
The Butcher Boy (1997)	Director: Neil Jordan Screenwriter: Neil Jordan, based on the novel by Pat McCabe Producer: Neil Jordan, Redmond Morris and Stephen Woolley Distributed by: Warner Bros. Cast: Stephen Rea, Eammon Owens, Alan Boyle, Aisling O'Sullivan, Andrew Fullerton and Fiona Shaw	At the center of Neil (The Good Thief, The End of the Affair) Jordan’s darkly rich and rewarding The Butcher Boy (which was considered too dark by many back in 1997 and avoided almost unilaterally) is a revelatory performance by newcomer Eamonn Owens as Francie Brady, the troubled butcher boy of the title. Much as Stephen Rea’s silky smooth Irish brogue floods the film’s soundtrack (Rea plays Brady later in life, a small town drunk in an unnamed Irish community in the 1960s, narrating the piece in a voice that deliciously conjures images both porcine and puerile, like those out of Delicatessen, or The Tin Drum) so too does Owens command virtually every frame. It's impossible to take your eyes off him. With his crop of carrot-colored hair, ruddy complexion, and overall grubby appearance, Francie Brady is an unlikely hero, refusing to be done in by his alcoholic, trumpet-playing father, his depressive, suicidal mother, or the neighboring, bespectacled monster known as Mrs. Nugent (Fiona Shaw), whose very presence sends Francie in an increasingly agitated downward spiral. Director Jordan's vivid treatment of Pat McCabe's nightmare novel produces a sometime disturbing comedy littered with surreal touches (Sinéad O'Connor playing the Virgin Mary, for example). It's not as outlandish as it might sound on paper, or as the lack of interest might suggest; instead, this remarkable film focuses on the effects external influences have on the friendship between Francie and his best friend Joe, played by Alan Boyle (schoolboy chums in real life), allowing us to empathize with their plight in the presence of extraordinary behavior. It's bleak and it's black but it's fundamentally very funny. Rea talks us through it beautifully, like a pint of Guinness, and Owens drags us though it admirably, like the surefire talent he is and, in tandem with Jordan's sure hand, theirs are contributions to make The Butcher Boy a film worth savoring.
About Schmidt	Director: Alexander Payne Screenwriter: Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, based on the novel by Louis Begley Producer: Michael Besman and Harry Gittes Distributed by: New Line Cinema Cast: Jack Nicholson, Kathy Bates, Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney and June Squibb	Warren Schmidt (Jack Nicholson) has had a comfortable but unexciting life. A Nebraskan native, he’s spent his entire career working for a big corporate insurance company downtown and, as About Schmidt opens, is about to retire. After his wife–“an elderly woman who lives in his house”–dies unexpectedly, Warren hits the road in his oversized and aptly-named Winnegabo Adventurer to do some soul-searching and perhaps talk his daughter (played by Hope Davis) out of marrying that loser fiancé of hers (Dermot Mulroney sporting scary-looking facial hair). Oddly enough, About Schmidt isn’t the laugh riot you’d expect. Writer/director Alexander Payne (Election, Citizen Ruth) paints a bleak picture of middle America and for much of the time it’s only Nicholson’s credible, down-to-earth performance that keeps us interested; the film moves slower than molasses. Enlivening the proceedings no end is Kathy Bates, who turns in a wonderfully effervescent performance (including a brief nude scene–pretty darned spunky for a woman of her condition!) as Warren’s free thinking mother-in-law-to be. About Schmidt isn’t a great film but Nicholson is definitely worth the miles.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers	Director: Peter Jackson Screenwriter: Frances Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Stephen Sinclair and Peter Jackson, based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien Producer: Peter Jackson, Barrie M. Osborne and Frances Walsh Distributed by: New Line Cinema Cast: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Liv Tyler, Christopher Lee, Bernard Hill and Cate Blanchett.	Although the titular towers themselves don’t feature too strongly in Peter Jackson’s second chapter of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic trilogy, there’s more than enough to keep you busy (and another three-hour running length to go with it!). In The Two Towers, Jackson picks up where part one’s The Fellowship of the Ring left off, with Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) journeying to Mordor to destroy said ring, and pretty boys Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and the not-so-pretty Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) once again doing battle against the dark forces of Saruman (headed up by Christopher Lee). There’s more emphasis on character this time around, although the “hero” Frodo mostly seems at loose ends, but the battle sequences, when they come, are sweeping and epic and majestic, upstaging everything else in the film. In addition to the impressive New Zealand landscapes doubling for Middle-earth The Two Towers also boasts a sinewy, schizophrenic CGI creature named Gollum, goofy trees that walk and talk, and a Star Wars-y feel to it all that whets the appetite and then some for next Christmas’s The Return of the King. Given what we’ve seen so far, part three should be some finale.
Talk to Her (Hable con Ella)	Written and Directed by: Pedro Almodóvar Producer: Agustín Almodóvar and Michel Ruben Distributed by: Good Machine Cast: Javier Cámara, Darío Grandinetti, Rosario Flores, Leonor Watling and Geraldine Chaplin	Pedro Almodóvar’s latest creation has as good a chance as any of winning this year’s Best Foreign Language Film Oscar®. Set in a Madrid clinic called The Forest, the film tells of two men, Marco (Darío Grandinetti) and Benigno (Javier Cámara), who tend to the women they love, women who lay unfeeling, unconscious, in comas. Lydia (Rosario Flores), a successful toreador, was gored in the ring shortly after Marco first met her (he was writing a piece about her for his magazine) whereas Benigno, a male nurse, developed a crush on Alicia (Leonor Watling) from afar shortly before she was involved in an automobile accident. Through flashbacks and flashforwards we come to understand the complexities of these men and the depth of their unrequited loves. Talk to Her is not only Almodóvar’s most mature film to date it’s also his most humanistic. And it proves, without a doubt, that he’s one of the most original filmmakers working today.
Insomnia	Director: Christopher Nolan Screenwriter: Nikolaj Frobenius and Erik Skjoldbjærg Producer: Paul Junger Witt, Broderick Johnson, Andrew A. Kosove and Edward McDonnell Distributed by: Warner Bros. Cast: Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Martin Donovan, Maura Tierney and Paul Dooley	It’s hard to decide what’s more awe-inspiring in Insomnia–the spectacular Alaskan scenery, with its mile-high pine trees, encroaching glaciers smooth as glass, and the desolate, rain-swept streets of Nightmute, 99690. Or Hilary Swank–gossamer-lipped, awkward, gorgeous. As written, the role of “rookie cop” might not have seemed that challenging an assignment yet Swank, clearly excited by the opportunity to work with one of Hollywood’s leading thespians (Al Pacino, as the L.A. dick who journeys to Nightmute to solve a local murder of a young girl), gives her Ellie Burr her all and it’s a lovely, understated performance that ranks alongside Pacino’s raspy, conflicted Will Dormer and Robin Williams’s toned-down lead suspect Walter Finch, a Nightmute novelist who was one of the last people to see the girl alive. Maura Tierney is once again reduced to playing a character with a “the” in the title (here it’s The Motel Proprietor), and director Christopher Nolan (Memento) gives this remake of a 1997 Norwegian thriller a conventional air (the editing is nevertheless superb). But it’s Swank who gets my vote as a principal among men.
Windtalkers	Director: John Woo Screenwriter: John Rice and Joe Batteer Producer: John Woo, Terence Chang, Tracie Graham and Alison R. Rosenzweig Distributed by: MGM Cast: Nicolas Cage, Adam Beach, Peter Stormare, Noah Emmerich, Mark Ruffalo and Christian Slater	During World War II, the US developed a secret military code based on the unwritten Navajo language which initially proved so indecipherable by the Japanese that US armed forces could discuss strategies freely. Until the enemy started capturing Navajo soldiers, that is. Each Navajo code talker was therefore assigned a “protector,” a marine charged with preventing their capture at all costs. In John Woo’s patriotic war movie, Nicolas Cage (Captain Corelli’s Mandolin) plays the bodyguard to Adam Beach’s Navajo cipher and, even though Woo’s trademark visual style is there in pyrotechnic abundance, Windtalkers takes its time to focus on the human side of war, as Sergeant Joe Enders (Cage) and Private Ben Yahzee (Beach) reach a mutual respect for each other through the shared experience of life on the battlefront.
Minority Report	Director: Steven Spielberg Screenwriter: Scott Frank and Jon Cohen, based on the short story by Philip K. Dick Producer: Gerald R. Molen, Bonnie Curtis, Walter F. Parkes and Jan de Bont Distributed by: 20th Century Fox Cast: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, Max Von Sydow and Peter Stormare	In the future, technology has become so advanced that criminals can be arrested for a crime they are about to commit. Based on a short story by Philip K. Dick (whose novels Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and We Can Remember It For You Wholesale respectively spawned and inspired the sci-fi epics Blade Runner and Total Recall), Minority Report stars Tom Cruise as Detective John Anderton. A special unit officer charged with the apprehension of future criminals, Anderton quickly finds himself on the other side of the law when the system he once considered to be perfect comes after him. Accused of a murder, John sets out to prove his innocence. This action thriller is directed by Steven Spielberg with special effects by Industrial Light & Magic.
The Bourne Identity	Director: Doug Liman Screenwriter: Tony Gilroy and Willam Blake Herron, based on the novel by Robert Ludlum Producer: Patrick Crowley, Richard N. Gladstein and Doug Liman Distributed by: Universal Pictures Cast: Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Clive Owen, Chris Cooper, Julia Stiles, Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje, Brian Cox and Judy Parfitt	Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) is a man with no identity, no past. Pulled, near death, from the Mediterranean by an Italian fishing boat, his body riddled with bullet holes, “J.B.” has no memory, no background, just a few clues that might help him understand who he is, and why he’s been marked for death by a pack of murderous assassins. These clues include extraordinary linguistic and self-defense skills, a frame of microfilm implanted in his hip, plastic surgery scars, a rebellious aide (Run Lola Run’s Franka Potente), and a four million dollar fortune in a Swiss bank account. Robert Ludlum’s international best-seller is given the big screen treatment by Swingers director Doug Liman and an all-star cast that includes Clive Owen, Chris Cooper, and Julia Stiles.
Unfaithful	Director: Adrian Lyne Screenwriter: Claude Chabrol (based on his film “La Femme Infidel”), Alvin Sargent and William Broyles Jr. Producer: G. Mac Brown and Adrian Lyne Distributed by: 20th Century Fox Cast: Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Oliver Martinez, Erik Per Sullivan and Chad Lowe	Controversial director Adrian Lyne (9 1/2 Weeks, Indecent Proposal, Lolita) fashions his latest erotically charged tale of infidelity in Greenwich Village where a well-to-do upstate New Yorker (Richard Gere) begins to suspect his wife (Diane Lane) of having an affair with a sexy young collector of rare books (Oliver Martinez). Says director Lyne of the project, “I’ve always liked relationship pieces and you can’t really have a relationship piece without sex. I’ve always been interested in the anatomy and body language of adultery, and the smoke screens we put up when we’re lying.” Actor Richard Gere adds, “Anyone who’s gone through a difficult relationship or a divorce or marriage knows it’s very rare that you make a decision that it’s over and walk away.”
CQ	Written and Directed by: Roman Coppola Producer: Gary Marcus, Willi Bär, Georgia Kacandes and Francis Ford Coppola Distributed by: United Artists Cast: Jeremy Davies, Angela Lindvall, Élodie Bouchez, Gérard Depardieu, Giancarlo Giannini, Jason Schwartzman, John Phillip Law and Billy Zane	With a Coppola pedigree and an A-list international cast, CQ is a must see from its production credits alone! The story, set in Paris circa 1969, focuses on the filming of a science-fiction movie set in a “distant” year 2000. With the film’s director obsessing over his leading lady to the point that the project has no ending, the producers call in an American in Paris (Jeremy Davies) to finish the job. But he too is quickly seduced by the charms of Dragonfly (played by the voluptuous Angela Lindvall), the sexy secret agent/femme fatale at the center of this lavish extravaganza. In addition to Coppola’s inventive direction, CQ features impressive costumes and set design that threaten to upstage the actors at every turn.
Enough	Director: Michael Apted Screenwriter: Nicholas Kazan Producer: Rob Cowan and Irwin Winkler Distributed by: Sony Pictures Entertainment Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Bill Campbell, Russell Milton, Juliette Lewis, Tessa Allen and Noah Wyle	In Jennifer Lopez’s last film Angel Eyes, the actress-turned-pop-diva-turned-actress-again played a Chicago cop who falls for someone she pulled from a car wreck, unbeknownst to J-Lo’s character at the time. In her new picture Enough, Lopez switches gears completely, this time playing a working class waitress with an abused past who falls for a wealthy contractor (Bill Campbell) who turns out to be somewhat less than the man of her dreams. Finding herself right back in an abusive relationship, J-Lo’s character is forced to fight back, and fight back she does, with the help of director Simon West (who guided Angelina Jolie on Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) and over three months of martial arts training with the Israeli military!
Igby Goes Down	Written and Directed by: Burr Steers Producer: Lisa Tornell and Marco Weber Distributed by: MGM Cast: Kieran Culkin, Claire Danes, Jeff Goldblum, Jared Harris, Amanda Peet, Ryan Phillippe, Bill Pullman and Susan Sarandon	Igby Slocumb (Kieran Culkin) is the 17-year-old product of a seriously dysfunctional family. His father, Jason (Bill Pullman) is bewilderingly and insanely eccentric; his mother, Mimi (Susan Sarandon) is a granite-edged matriarch with a long-term dependency on over-the-counter drugs; and his over-achieving older brother Oliver (Ryan Philippe), in whose shadow Igby has forever found himself, has his sights set on Columbia University via the path to young Republicanism! Following his father’s inevitable nervous breakdown, Igby’s world starts spiraling out of control as Mimi bounces him from one East Coast prep school to another. His only chance of salvation arrives in the comely form of Sookie Sapperstein (Claire Danes), an earnest undergrad/existentialist who offers Igby the two things he has never had–love, and the realization that maybe he's not all alone in this world.
Hollywood Ending	Written and Directed by: Woody Allen Producer: Letty Aronson Distributed by: DreamWorks SKG Cast: Woody Allen, George Hamilton, Téa Leoni, Debra Messing, Mark Rydell, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen and Treat Williams	Following in the footsteps of Day for Night, Living in Oblivion, Bowfinger, and other films dealing with the movie-making process comes Woody Allen’s latest frenetic farce Hollywood Ending, in which the Woodman once again plays a thinly disguised version of himself. A slightly neurotic director of seminal art films from the mid-Seventies, Val Waxman (Allen) has fallen on difficult times, reduced to churning out TV commercials for a living. In an attempt to revitalize his flagging career, Val reluctantly takes on a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster but loses sight of things in the process (literally–he develops psychosomatic blindness in the middle of the shoot!). Hilarity of the slapstick kind ensues. Téa Leoni plays Allen’s ex-wife whose new fiancé, to complicate matters further, is producing the ill-fated venture.
Spider-Man	Directed by: Sam Raimi Written by: Stan Lee and Stan Ditko Produced by: Laura Ziskin and Ian Bryce Distributed by: Sony Pictures Entertainment Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe, James Franco, Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris	The summer blockbusters kick-off early with the May 3rd opening of this highly anticipated comic book adventure. Tobey Maguire (The Cider House Rules, Wonder Boys) plays nerdy Peter Parker, who takes on superhuman powers after being bitten by a radioactive spider (hey, it happens!). Willem Dafoe is his arch nemesis the Green Goblin, and Kirsten Dunst plays the love interest. Says Maguire of the project “I’m just looking at it like, is this a good story? Are there good relationships here? Who’s directing?” Sam Raimi (A Simple Plan), that’s who. Should be a blast.
Iris	Directed by: Richard Eyre Written by: Richard Eyre and Charles Wood, based on books by John Bayley Featuring: Judi Dench, Jim Broadbent, Kate Winslet, and Hugh Bonneville Distributed by: Miramax Films	It's not much fun watching someone, someone with a brilliant, academically astute mind like Iris Murdoch, slowly losing her faculties but we're asked to do it in Iris, a sober but bleak portrait of the successful British novelist who finally succumbed to Alzheimer's disease in 1999. Not only that but we're forced to flip-flop between the ailing, older Iris (played with typical resilience by Judy Dench) and the spunky, Oxford-bred version of herself (Kate Winslet in flashback; both actresses received Academy Award nominations for their fine contributions). The similarities are there (and even more so between Jim Broadbent–who was also recognized in a supporting role–and Hugh Bonneville, who play Murdoch's husband John Bayley in his formative/later years, and on whose memoirs the film is based), and every now and again there's a poignant moment established by the juxtaposition. But for the most part it's a frustrating construct that fails to give us enough time to savor, or sadden to, the heartwarming–and heartbreaking–sequences on either side of the page.
Monster's Ball	Directed by: Marc Forster Written by: Milo Addica and Will Rokos Featuring: Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry, Heath Ledger, and Peter Boyle Distributed by: Lions Gate Films	For Hank Grotowski (Billy Bob Thornton), racism and bigotry are a family affair. A corrections officer at a Georgia penitentiary, Hank escorts death row inmates to the chair just like his Daddy did before him. Nevertheless Hank's grown son Sonny (A Knight's Tale's Heath Ledger), a corrections officer at the same facility, struggles to reverse the trend and emerge untainted from the shadow of his racist family. In Monster’s Ball, things get complicated when Hank falls for the widow of a prisoner he’s recently executed (Halle Berry plays the widow Leticia Musgrove). Having shed her top for the first time in last summer’s Swordfish, Berry is now at liberty to do nude scenes in more serious dramas (apparently). While her work here is commendable, director Marc Forster tends to slobber over the sex scenes, which is almost as bad as his slobbering over the execution scenes. Boyle, as Grotowski Sr., is on screen a fraction of the time as Berry yet his performance, a seething mass of racial prejudice and hatred, is what should have caught the Academy’s eye.
Training Day	Directed by: Antoine Fuqua Written by: David Ayer Featuring: Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Doggy Dogg Distributed by: Warner Bros.	Quick. Name a bad Denzel Washington movie. Carbon Copy? Virtuosity, maybe? Definitely The Preacher's Wife. Now name a bad Denzel Washington performance. Much harder. In Training Day, the Oscar nominee is once again better than his material as rogue LA narcotics officer Alonzo Harris. Washington rarely plays a bad guy and he clearly relishes the opportunity to do so here. But credit too should be given to Ethan (Waking Life, Tape) Hawke, also nominated for his supporting work here, who’s less flashy but just as good as the rookie cop assigned to Harris who quickly runs afoul of his partner's extreme brand of street justice. Antoine Fuqua (Bait, The Replacement Killers) directs with some flair but not enough intelligence.
Ali	Directed by: Michael Mann Written by: Gregory Allen Howard Featuring: Will Smith, Janie Foxx, John Voight, Mario Van Peebles, Ron Silver, and Nona Gaye Distributed by: Columbia Pictures	Will Smith is the greatest in Ali. He effortlessly fills the former Cassius Clay's shoes, tiptoes around the opposition with ease, floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee. He has the look, the charm, the poetry of The Champ down pat. As heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, Smith's is a star making (not that he isn't already one), Oscar-caliber performance in a film brimming with strong performances: John Voight as Howard Cosell, unrecognizable under all those prosthetics; Jamie Foxx as Drew "Bundini" Brown; Mario Van Peebles as Malcolm X; Nona Gaye as Ali's wife, Belinda; and Ron Silver as his personal trainer, Angelo Dundee. Michael Mann (The Insider) propels the action along with blistering fight scenes, restless camerawork, and real human moments, framing his actors elegantly and with purpose. The story moves apace, from Clay's first heavyweight bout against Sonny Liston in 1964 to the famous Don King-promoted "Rumble in the Jungle" ten years later (in which the trash-talking Ali battled defending world champion George Foreman), all backed by a stunning soundtrack. Even if you’re not a boxing fan (and I’m not), you’ll be hooked.
A Beautiful Mind	Directed by: Ron Howard Written by: Akiva Goldsman based on the book by Sylvia Nasar Featuring: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connolly, Ed Harris, and Christopher Plummer Distributed by: Columbia Pictures	At a pivotal moment in A Beautiful Mind, director Ron Howard's slick and calculated biopic of the Princeton-educated mathematics genius John Nash, the paranoid delusional schizophrenic professor turned government code breaker finally figures out that the niece of his prodigal roommate cannot be real because she never ages. Unfortunately for Howard's well-received drama, nobody in the entire film (with the exception of Nash's son) ages throughout the 40+ years covered by the story's events until the closing Nobel Prize winning ceremony, in which the make-up experts do a very credible job on Jennifer Connolly, who plays Nash's long-suffering wife Alicia. This lack of concern on the part of the filmmakers is, of course, in conflict with their central conceit, and despite another strong performance by Russell Crowe (Gladiator) in a challenging role, the film often feels at odds with itself, best when it focuses on Nash and his game-theory struggle for an original idea, worse when it opens up the story and "dramatizes" it in a way that seems cheap and predictable. Perhaps, mistakenly, someone told Howard "a beautiful mind is a thing to waste."
Waking Life	Written and directed by: Richard Linklater Distributed by: Fox Searchlight Pictures	Rotoscoping is the art of tracing over live action footage and animating the results. Director Richard Linklater (Slackers, Dazed and Confused, and the recent Tape) has taken this definition, this experience, one dramatic step further by shooting an original story and then having computers “paint over” the footage, the result of which is an animated feature unlike any other. In Waking Life, actors and non-actors (among them Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Steven Soderbergh, Timothy ‘Speed’ Levitch, and Linklater himself) intellectualize with mind-numbing consistency about the meaning of life, love, self, identity, and dreams, all the while brought to dramatic waking life by a resplendent, eye-opening collage of dizzying animation techniques. It’s talky it’s true, since everyone Linklater (playing a dazed and confused student who can’t seem to wake up) meets has a personal–and vivid–philosophy on life. But if these existential axioms go way over your head (as they did mine I admit it), you can enjoy the movie on a purely visual level, reveling in the way in which Linklater’s team of thirty animators have created a truly unique and vibrant world. As one character succinctly puts it: “There is no story, just people, gestures, moments, bits of rapture, fleeting emotions–in short, the greatest story ever told.”
The One	Directed by: James Wong Written by: Glen Morgan and James Wong Featuring: Jet Li, Delroy Lindo, Carla Gugino, and Jason Statham Distributed by: Columbia Pictures	Two Jet Lis for the price of one might sound like a pretty good deal on paper but the casting of the Kiss of the Dragon star not once but twice in The One proves you can have too much of a good thing. In this James Wong-directed feature there is not one universe (we’re told) but many–a “multiverse,” with multiple versions of ourselves keeping everything in check. But there is one who wishes to change all that, a cold-blooded killer named Yulaw (Li number one) who has so far offed 123 of his “selves” in his quest to be The One, the most powerful man alive. The last individual to block his path to omnipotence is an L.A. sheriff’s deputy named Gabe (Li number two), who has noticed his strength and other physical powers increasing recently as his alter-ego knocks off another body double. Delroy Lindo plays a cop from another universe assigned to apprehend Yulaw and teleport him out to some penal colony on the outer reaches of the Hades galaxy. The fun of the film is watching Li kicking himself in the head, of course, but it gets pretty tired pretty quickly, since that’s the film’s only gimmick. The soundtrack explodes with heavy rock music every time the Lis, separately and together, work out and that’s about the most subtlety you can expect from this occasionally exciting but often preposterous martial arts actioner.
Mulholland Dr.	Written and directed by: David Lynch Featuring: Laura Harring, Naomi Watts, Justin Theroux, and Ann Miller Distributed by: Universal Pictures	Weird, even by David Lynch’s standards, Mulholland Drive is a winding, complex Hollywood noir replete with the director’s trademark touches (not all of them good). It tells the tale of a beautiful woman (Laura Harring) involved in a limo accident in the Hollywood Hills (that she walks away from the crash scene with but a small cut on her forehead is the first of many times you’re expected to suspend disbelief). Rita, as she now calls herself, has lost her memory and wanders into the apartment of one Betty Elms (the gifted Naomi Watts), a wide-eyed wannabe hot off the bus from Canada with dreams of making it big in Tinseltown. The innocent, caring Betty vows to help Rita learn her true identity, and their quest brings them into contact with a number of oddballs and even odder situations. It’s no surprise the film makes little sense, given that Lynch has taken his pilot for an abandoned 13-hour television series (ala Twin Peaks) and turned it into a two-and-a-half hour movie. Things are nevertheless intriguing but frustrating until the last 20 minutes or so at which point, realizing he has little time left to tie things up, Lynch serves up multiple characterizations, a mysterious blue box, and enough shifts in time to leave you feeling sorely cheated. Don’t go looking for well-rounded performances from Robert Forster and Dan Hedaya either; they’re in the film for all of five minutes total.
Kiss of the Dragon	Directed by: Chris Nahon Written by: Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen Featuring: Jet Li, Bridget Fonda and Tchéky Karyo Distributed by: 20th Century Fox	For a short guy, Jet Li has remarkable stature. Although co-star Bridget Fonda towers over him in his latest film, Kiss of the Dragon, Li appears undaunted, moving effortlessly through a Parisian hotel lobby like a silent hit man (dressed all in Jet black, of course). You can almost envisage the pigeons going up, or that other Fonda Henry stepping out from behind the bar, cigarillo dangling from between his weather-beaten lips, to block Li’s way. Action fans that are starting to tire of Jackie Chan’s mugshots will find something a little more substantial (and a lot more bloody) here. Li plays a Beijing cop on assignment in Paris who quickly finds himself on the wrong side of a double cross. Tchéky Karyo (The Patriot) is spectacularly nasty as the bad guy, and there are some inventive and well-choreographed action sequences (I particularly liked the creative use of a billiard ball). Underneath her hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold’s garb Fonda’s acting occasionally rises above the material but she’s got to start looking for more substantial roles (no more wigs for one thing). Kiss of the Dragon is a long way from Art (even though Luc Besson had a hand in it) but, even at only five and a bit foot tall, Jet Li remains an authoritative screen presence.
Crazy/Beautiful	Directed by: John Stockwell Written by: Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi Featuring: Kirsten Dunst, Jay Hernandez and Bruce Davison Distributed by: Buena Vista Pictures	Crazy/Beautiful tries awfully hard not to be your average teen romance and you have to give it brownie points for trying. In many ways it succeeds: Kirsten Dunst plays a rich kid with emotional and family problems; Jay Hernandez is the guy from the poor side of the tracks who’d rather study than party. High school students at Pacific Palisades High, Nicole and Carlos meet, they Bring it On, they Get Over It. There are typical teen conflicts along the road to true love but they never really amount to anything (which is part of the pleasure–a probable brawl outside a coffee house, for example, simply blows over). Dunst and Hernandez get inside their characters surprisingly well, and there isn’t a cheerleader in sight (except at the big football game, of course). In fact, it’s not until the last 15 minutes that the melodrama kicks in, partly, but even then it’s quickly toned down by director John Stockwell who, I imagine, recognizes he has something of worth here.
The Anniversary Party	Directed by: Alan Cumming and Jennifer Jason Leigh Written by: Alan Cumming and Jennifer Jason Leigh Featuring: Alan Cumming, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Kline, Phoebe Cates, Jane Adams, John C. Reilly, John Benjamin Hickey, Parker Posey, Denis O'Hare, Mina Badie, Michael Panes and Jennifer Beals Distributed by: Fine Line Features	For The Anniversary Party, Hollywood actress Jennifer Jason Leigh and British stage actor Alan Cumming got together with their friends to produce (in the fullest sense of word) a digital video about a Hollywood actress and a British writer who get together with their friends. How hard could that be? Recently reunited after a brief separation, Sally and Joe host a party to toast their sixth anniversary and to celebrate Joe’s autobiographical novel being adapted by a major Hollywood studio. Even before the first guest sets foot through the door the tensions begin to mount, and you get the sense early on that this is going to end up with one of those big Mike Leigh Moments. To move things along, Skye Davidson (the actress Joe has chosen to play the part of his wife in the film–duh!) pops some Ecstasy into the mix and that’s when things really take off. The Anniversary Party is an intriguing semi-improvisational piece that draws you in with the candor of its performances. There is no standout here, all are good–from the two leads to Kevin Kline, Parker Posey, Gwyneth Paltrow, Phoebe Cates, John C. Reilly, and Jennifer Beals, to the not-so-well-known Jane Adams, Michael Panes, and Mina Badie. Leigh and Cumming set out to make something “smart, funny, and scathing” and to that end they’ve succeeded.
Shrek	Directed by: Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson Written by: Ted Elliot, Tony Rossio, Joe Stillman and Roger S.H. Schulman, based on hte book by William Steig Featuring the vocal talents of: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and John Lithgow Distributed by: DreamWorks	Myers. Murphy. Diaz. Lithgow. Their names tower over the credits like huge stone monoliths and it’s no accident since Shrek, a strikingly-animated fairytale for kids and adults alike, bills itself primarily on the vocal talents of its leading players (that’s Mike, Eddie, Cameron, and John between you and me). Murphy here is the most consistent (and funniest), reprising his Mushu the dragon scattervoice wisedoings from Mulan (plus a few extra earthy references thrown in for good measure). As a wisecracking donkey, Murphy’s character follows the green ogre Shrek (Myers) on a mission to collect a headstrong princess (Diaz) for a diminutive king (Lithgow) so that he can get his swamp back. Likewise, Diaz and Lithgow are both solid, but Myers is wasted (DreamWorks could have saved their money and hired just about anyone to do a Scottish accent–with two or three brief exceptions that’s pretty much what Myers’ “performance” is reduced to here). Still, there’s plenty to savor among the computer-generated imagery and irreverence, and at times the creativity is almost overwhelming.
Finding Forrester	Directed by: Gus Van Sant Written by: Mike Rich Featuring: Sean Connery, Rob Brown, Anna Paquin, F. Murray Abraham and Busta Rhymes Distributed by: Columbia Pictures	Sean Connery plays a reclusive novelist who takes a fledgling writer under his wing in Finding Forrester. Recruited by an otherwise all-white prep school on the strength of his athletic ability, Jamal Wallace (newcomer Rob Brown), a 16-year-old basketball player from the Bronx, dreams of becoming a successful author. His relationship with Connery's William Forrester forms the core of this character-driven drama. The film, directed by Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting) also boasts F. Murray Abraham as one of Forrester's professorial colleagues and Anna Paquin as the object of Wallace's affection. Finding Forrester is a fairy tale come true for screenwriter Mike Rich, a radio news director who won an AMPAS-sponsored competition and had his winning script snatched up by Sony for half a million dollars.
Moulin Rouge	Directed by: Baz Luhrmann Written by: Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce Featuring: Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent and Kylie Minogue Distributed by: 20th Century Fox	Australian director Baz Luhrmann's follow-up to 1996's provocative Romeo + Juliet takes the legend of Orpheus, shifts it to Paris circa 1899 and, in a "reinvention of the musical form," adds songs by 20th century performers. Moulin Rouge, loosely based on that Greek tragedy, stars Ewan McGregor as a poet who is enlisted to write a can-can spectacular under the painterly eye of Toulouse-Lautrec (played by John Leguizamo). McGregor's Christian soon becomes enmeshed in Lautrec's seedy, ooh la-la underworld of sex, drugs, and high-kicking dames where he meets–and ultimately falls in love with–a high-priced courtesan named Satin (Nicole Kidman). Christian? Satin? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the symbolism.
Cast Away	Directed by: Robert Zemeckis Written by: William Broyles, Jr. Featuring: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Christopher Noth and Nick Searcy Distributed by: 20th Century Fox	Cast Away reunites the director (Robert Zemeckis) and star (Tom Hanks) of the award-winning Forrest Gump in a bold tale about a time-obsessed Federal Express executive (Hanks) whose cargo plane crash lands on a remote desert island. As a modern-day Robinson Crusoe, Chuck Noland faces daunting challenges, both physical and emotional, in order to survive (not to mention explaining why those packages didn't absolutely positively make it there on time!). William Broyles, Jr.'s screenplay is a gargantuan leap of faith since, with only sun, sea, and sand to relate to, Chuck's amazing four-and-a-half year experience translates to about an hour's worth of screen time with little if any dialogue. The ubiquitous Helen Hunt plays Chuck's unwitting fiancée "stranded" back in civilization.
The Gift	Directed by: Sam Raimi Written by: Billy Bob Thornton and Tom Epperson Featuring: Cate Blanchett, Keanu Reeves, Hilary Swank, Giovanni Ribisi, Greg Kinnear and Katie Holmes Distributed by: Paramount Pictures	Director Sam Raimi (A Simple Plan) returns to the intrigues and corruptions of small-town Americana in this low-key thriller about a southern-fried clairvoyant (Cate Blanchett) who becomes embroiled in a murder investigation following the disappearance of a young woman (Katie Holmes from TV's Dawson's Creek). Also starring in The Gift is Giovanni Ribisi, who plays a troubled auto mechanic, and Keanu Reeves, whose redneck Donnie Barksdale becomes a prime suspect in the case after Annie Wilson (Blanchett) counsels Donnie's wife, played by Hilary Swank (Boys Don't Cry). Ribisi describes Reeves' performance as "truly scary and menacing. He's got this long hair and beard and he can make his gaze look so creepy. Keanu is going to surprise a lot of people. He plays a very convincing redneck."
The Family Man	Directed by: Brett Ratner Written by: David Diamond and David Weissman Featuring: Nicolas Cage, Téa Leoni, Jeremy Pivan, Don Cheadle, Troy Hall and Paul Sorvino Distributed by: Universal Pictures	What if the road not taken were taken? What if we were given a second chance to experience life as it might have been? In The Family Man, Jack Campbell (Nicolas Cage), a high-powered and successful Wall Street investment broker, is about to find out for himself. One snowy Christmas Eve, Jack enters a grocery store and stumbles upon an armed robbery in progress. With complete disregard for his own safety, Jack disarms the situation, and awakes the next morning lying beside his college sweetheart (Téa Leoni) with the frightening realization that his former life no longer exists. As Jack is forced to play out this synthetic suburban fantasy, he finds himself in increasing conflict between the single, life-in-the-fast-lane workaholic he once was, and the loving husband and father-of-two he has magically become.
What Women Want	Directed by: Nancy Meyers Written by: Nancy Meyers, Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa Featuring: Mel Gibson, Helen Hunt, Marisa Tomei, Bette Midler, Lauren Holly and Alan Alda Distributed by: Paramount Pictures	What DO women really want? Someone to talk to (and better yet, actually listen)? A shoulder to cry on? Bon bons, bubble baths, and a Prussian Hussar to massage their feet? Well, Chicago ad man Nick Marshall (Mel Gibson) knows EXACTLY what women want, since a freak accident has left him with the ability to read women's minds. While this new-found skill leaves the male chauvinist a little overwhelmed at first, he soon starts putting his gift to good use, especially when it comes to outsmarting his boss, Darcy McGuire (played by Helen Hunt). Privy to Darcy's innermost thoughts and desires, as well as those of his girlfriend (Marisa Tomei) and ex-wife (Lauren Holly), Nick gets a crash course in the female psyche, and a whole new perspective on the female condition.
Stardom	Directed by: Denys Arcand Written by: Denys Arcand and Jacob Potashnik Featuring: Jessica Paré, Dan Aykroyd, Charles Berling, Thomas Gibson and Frank Langella Distributed by: Lion's Gate	Stardom. star·dom (stärdm) n. 1. The status of a performer or an entertainer acknowledged as a star. 2. Star performers considered as a group. 3. A film by Denys Arcand. "I started by working on the concept of beauty–what is a beautiful girl, where did their power over me come from? It's something I want to know about myself because I've been defenseless in front of a beautiful woman. I've made a fool of myself more than once... Supermodels are the most empty celebrities. When you're dealing with an actress, there's a core of a craft... A model–there's nothing. And for me, that was even more interesting to consider. You can learn the technique of modeling in about 22 seconds. It's walking. And not falling down." – Canadian writer/director Denys Arcand on his new film, Stardom.
What's Cooking?	Directed by: Gurinder Chadha Written by: Paul Meyeda Berges and Gurinder Chadha Featuring: Alfre Woodard, Dennis Haysbert, Mercedes Ruehl, Lainie Kazan, Kyra Sedgwick, Maury Chaykin, and Joan Chen Distributed by: Lion's Gate	Thanksgiving. The word conjures up the heady imagery of food, family, and festivities. Yet for all its lavish dinner-table presentations, the emphasis in Gurinder Chadha's cross-cultural holiday film is on the family. No matter from which culture we hail–Jewish, Vietnamese, Latino, or African-American–the issues raised when families come together–every powerful and subtle flavor of familial dysfunction–are universal. And Chadha exploits these prevalent themes by linking stories of four separate families united in celebration. Like all the best films of its genre (Like Water for Chocolate, Babette's Feast, Eat Drink Man Woman, Big Night), What's Cooking? is as much a smorgasbord of emotions as it is a feast for the eye.
Charlie's Angels	Directed by: McG Written by: Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts, Ryan Rowe, Ed Solomon and John Featuring: Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Bill Murray, Tim Curry and Crispin Glover Distributed by: Paramount Pictures	Sony, Paramount Pictures, and a first-time director with the mysterious moniker of McG invite you to be touched–BIF! BLAM! POW!–by an angel. Charlie's Angels. Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu hang from helicopters, parachute onto speedboats, crack codes, and high-kick plenty of bad-guy butt in this big-budget, post-feminist update of the '70's television series which starred Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, and Jaclyn Smith. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" says co-producer Barrymore of the film's troubled production, with rumors of more than a dozen screenwriters wrestling with over 30 story treatments dogging the over-extended shoot, not to mention a much-publicized punch-up between Liu and Murray! Glover, oddly absent from the screen since 1996's The People vs. Larry Flynt, plays one of the heavies.
The Legend of Bagger Vance	Directed by: Robert Redford Written by: Jeremy Leven based on the novel by Steven Pressfield Featuring: Will Smith, Matt Damon and Charlize Theron Distributed by: Dreamworks	From acclaimed director Robert Redford comes The Legend of Bagger Vance, a stylish period piece about a disillusioned WWI veteran (Matt Damon) who's given sage advice by a charismatic Savannah local (played by Will Smith). Damon's Capt. Rannulph Junuh, who hasn't swung a golf club in years, is reluctantly recruited to play in an important golf match against the legendary Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen to benefit the launch of a new golf course. Like a clean-cut version of Cheech Marin (who caddied for Kevin Costner's character in Tin Cup and got most of that film's best lines), Smith's Bagger Vance helps Capt. Junuh get his game up to speed, teaching him to transcend the physical world to overcome his handicaps in golf as well as the Game of Life.
Lucky Numbers	Directed by: Nora Ephron Written by: Adam Resnick Featuring: John Travolta, Lisa Kudrow, Tim Roth, Michael Rapaport and Bill Pullman Distributed by: Paramount Pictures	TV weatherman Russ Richards (John Travolta) sure could use some good news. His snowmobile dealership in Harrisburg, PA is about to go under and his house and car are on the verge of being repossessed. Luckily for Russ, salvation arrives in the form of the comely Crystal Latroy (Lisa Kudrow), Channel 6's lotto ball drawing gal, and a scheme to rig the nightly lottery drawing. With zero brains between them, Russ and Crystal enlist the help of a shady idea man (played by Tim Roth), but things don't quite go according to plan. Directed by Nora Ephron (Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail), Lucky Numbers is a fictional, comedic account of a real-life attempt to scam the Pennsylvania State Lottery out of millions.
Loving Jezebel	Written and Directed by: Kwyn Bader Featuring: Hill Harper, Laurel Holloman, Elisa Donovan, Sandrine Holt, David Moscow, Nicole Parker and Phylicia Rashad Produced by: David Lancaster Distributed by: The Shooting Gallery Film Series	The latest independent ticket from the popular Shooting Gallery Film Series is a romantic comedy about a man cursed with falling in love with unavailable women. As Theodorus "Theo" Melville, the neurotic, delightfully-confused romeo of director Kwyn Bader's film, Hill Harper stars in and narrates this quirky tale. With evenings at home with his overbearing mother (Phylicia Rashad) fast becoming his only option, Theo reminisces about the "Jezebels" he's known over the years, from kindergarten on up to Brooklyn's Poly Prep and on through college, a series of his best friends' girls. These include a cultured Trinidadian (Sandrine Holt), an unhappily married poet (Laurel Holloman), and an obsessed collector of cuddly Winnie the Poohs (Elisa Donovan). "What do women really want?" Loving Jezebel claims to have (some of) the answers.
Men of Honor	Directed by: George Tillman Jr. Written by: Scott Marshall Smith Featuring: Cuba Gooding Jr., Robert De Niro, Charlize Theron, David Keith, Hal Holbrook and Powers Boothe Produced by: Bill Badalato and Robert Teitel Distributed by: 20th Century Fox	George Tillman Jr. (Soul Food) directs Oscar®-winner Cuba Gooding Jr. in this true-life account of the first African-American Master Diver in the United States Navy. Facing racial discrimination from his peers, opposition from his tough-as-nails diving instructor (Robert De Niro, taking time out from his recent string of comedic roles), and a diving accident which cost him most of one leg, Carl Brashear (Gooding Jr.) fights to prove himself. Gooding Jr. trained with Navy Seals for his underwater action scenes in this military period drama but found the experience of wearing a 220-pound Mark Five diving suit intimidating. "You can't panic, because you know it's going to be while before you get out of there."
Meet the Parents	Directed by: Jay Roach Written by: Greg Gilenna, Mary Ruth Clarke, James Herzfeld and John Hamburg Featuring: Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo and James Rebhorn Produced by: Jane Rosenthal and Nancy Tenenbaum Distributed by: Universal Pictures	Nobody plays put-upon quite like Ben Stiller. With his hysterically frustrated turns in Keeping the Faith, Mystery Men, and There's Something About Mary, Stiller has had more than his fair share of physical mistreatment at the hands of others (or, in the case of 'Mary, an uncooperative zipper). Now in the latest film from Austin Powers' director Jay Roach, Stiller's hapless Greg Focker is an involuntary punching bag to his girlfriend's father, an overprotective ex-CIA operative. Roach's over-the-top farce takes full advantage of Stiller's natural comic timing and willingness to take it on the chin in the name of big screen comedy. Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner play the parents, and Teri Polo (TV's Felicity, Sports Night) is the object of Stiller's affections.
Bedazzled	Directed by: Harold Ramis Written by: Larry Gelbart, Harold Ramis and Peter Tolan from an original screenplay by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore Featuring: Brendan Fraser, Elizabeth Hurley, Frances O'Connor, Gabriel Casseus and Orlando Jones	In 1967, the British comedy duo of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore wrote and starred in the cult classic Bedazzled, an update of the Faustian legend in which a short-order cook infatuated with a co-worker sells his soul to the devil in exchange for seven wishes... and seven chances to woo her. In this remake by director Harold Ramis (Analyze This, Groundhog Day, Caddyshack), Brendan Fraser inhabits the role originally realized by Dudley Moore and Elizabeth Hurley fills in for Peter Cook as Satan. Elliot Richardson (Fraser) is a computer geek at the end of his rope, desperately in love with an unobtainable colleague (Mansfield Park's luminous Frances O'Connor). Enter the devilish Ms. Hurley and the promise of seven wishes... with just a few strings attached.
The Contender	Written and Directed by: Rod Lurie Featuring: Joan Allen, Gary Oldman, Jeff Bridges, Sam Elliott, William L. Petersen, Philip Baker Hall and Mariel Hemingway	From movie-critic-turned-director Rod Lurie comes a powerful political thriller starring Joan Allen, Gary Oldman, and Jeff Bridges. When no-nonsense senator Laine Hanson (played by the always-stellar Allen of Pleasantville and The Ice Storm) is chosen by the President (Bridges) to replace his recently deceased Vice President, there are some who will stop at nothing to discredit her. Oldman is the reactionary political opponent bent on sullying Hanson's name by revealing tawdry secrets from her past. As timely as it is contentious, Lurie's film (he also wrote the screenplay) sparks the debate over the thin dividing line between public and private (mis-)conduct.
Billy Elliot	Directed by: Stephen Daldry Written by: Lee Hall Featuring: Julie Walters, Jamie Draven, Gary Lewis, Jean Heywood and introducing Jamie Bell	While other boys his age are playing football or rugby, eleven-year-old Billy Elliot dreams only of dancing. So instead of the boxing lessons his father intended, Billy spends his 50 pence on ballet lessons, given by the crotchety, chain-smoking Mrs. Wilkinson (Julie Walters) who soon comes to recognize Billy as Royal Ballet School material. Set against the backdrop of Thatcherian England with its infamous mid-Eighties coalminer's strike, Billy Elliot (aka Dancer) caused a stir at this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival, most notably for newcomer Jamie Bell's expressive performance as the eponymous Billy. Director Daldry has already pegged young Bell as "the next Leonardo DiCaprio."
Dancer in the Dark	Written and Directed by: Lars von Trier Featuring: Björk, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, Peter Stormare, Udo Kier, Stellan Skarsgård and Joel Grey	In the Danish film Dancer in the Dark, Icelandic pop ingenue Björk (formerly of the Sugarcubes) plays Selma, an Eastern European immigrant who, along with her ten-year-old son, is slowly losing her eyesight to a hereditary disease. Laboring in a factory to pay for her son's operation, Selma finds escape in the form of Hollywood musicals, often imagining herself leading lavish song-and-dance numbers. The latest film by Dogme 95 co-founder Lars von Trier (Breaking the Waves) is another striking example of the movement–hand-held camerawork, natural lighting, undressed sets, and a generously improvised look and feel. With assistance from Catherine Deneuve as Selma's friend and Peter Stormare as a kindly, slightly simple admirer, Dancer in the Dark took the Palm d'Or at Cannes this year and earned the waif-like Björk the Best Actress award.
Rififi	Directed by: Jules Dassin Written by: Jules Dassin, René Wheeler, and Auguste Le Breton (based on his novel) Featuring: Jean Servais, Carl Möhner, Robert Manuel and Jules Dassin	Borrowed from, paid homage to, and ripped off like crazy, Jules Dassin's Rififi was–and still very much is–the mother of all jewel heist movies, a how-to for would-be jewel thieves so exacting in detail the film was banned in several countries upon its initial release. Recently sprung from prison, Tony (Servais) quickly hooks up with his old crime buddies Jo and Mario (Möhner and Manuel) and an Italian safecracker named Cesar (Dassin, credited as Perlo Vita) to meticulously plan one last caper together. But as their tricky scheme unfolds, it's not the cops they need to fear, but each other. Shot in moody black and white, this reissue of the 1955 French noir classic has at its centerpiece a sparkling, 30-minute jewel heist that plays out with ice-cool, wordless splendor.
Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport	Written and Directed by: Mark Jonathan Harris Narrated by: Dame Judi Dench	"I've come to a conclusion about myself. In 1938 I escaped deportation in Poland. I got out of Germany in the Kindertransport. I was meant to survive. When I look at my children, and my grandchildren, I know there was a purpose to my life" –Alexander Gordon, Kindertransport survivor. Academy Award®-winning documentary filmmaker Mark Jonathan Harris (The Long Way Home) chronicles the life-affirming story of how, in the months leading up to World War II, over 10,000 Jewish and other children from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia journeyed to Great Britain and safety. After Kristallnacht, Britain's parliament had agreed to admit these children and place them in foster homes, orphanages, or working farms. Into the Arms of Strangers is told in the words of these survivors–words of hope, courage, and true inspiration.
Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God... Be Back by Five	Directed by: Richard Schenkman Written by: Jon Cryer and Richard Schenkman Featuring: Jon Cryer, Rick Stear, Rafael Báez, Ione Skye and Frank Whaley	Daniel and Stan are thirtysomething friends looking for their lost grade-school buddy Richie, rumored to be destitute, insane, and living under the boardwalk of the famous amusement park. Along the way they encounter a variety of oddballs who wax nostalgic about the way things once were... most memorably a demonic skee ball attendant. These encounters force Daniel and Stan to reexamine their own lives while developing a new appreciation for the lingering power of childhood friendships. Richard Schenkman's sweetly sentimental film, co-written by lead Jon Cryer (best remembered as Duckie in Pretty in Pink), holds the dubious honor of having one of the longest titles since Robert Altman's 1982 film Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean.
Bittersweet Motel	Directed by Featuring: Trey Ana

Previews

This section is reserved for previews, synopses, and/or capsule reviews of new, upcoming, and recent releases in a compact, easy-to-digest format.

Updated - 11/27/05

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