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 | U.S. OPENINGS THIS WEEK - APRIL 8th |  |
| Title |
The Players |
The Plot |
The Buzz
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Kung Fu Hustle
[LA/NY]
Showtimes
Trailers
Photos
| Director:
Stephen Chow
Stars:
Stephen Chow
Wah Yuen
Qiu Yuen
Leung Siu Lung
Shengyi Huang
...See Full CastStudio:
Sony Pictures Classics | Despite his shortcomings, Sing (Chow) looks to get in with the Axe Gang, a notorious mob with designs on running things in Pig Style, the toughest district in Canton, China. Soon, though, Sing realizes his destiny is quite different than his original desire. | Here's hoping Chow gets treated better at Sony Pictures Classics than he did at Miramax (who delayed his Shaolin Soccer for over two years before burying it last spring). From what we see and hear it appears as though Hustle's a sweet follow-up to Soccer, with a lot of American pop culture parodies that could help the film find a decent audience. Message�Board
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Sahara
Showtimes
Trailers
Photos
| Director:
Breck Eisner
Stars:
Matthew McConaughey
Pen�lope Cruz
Steve Zahn
...See Full CastStudio:
Paramount Pictures | As he searches the Sahara desert for an elusive toxin that's killing off marine life, adventurer Dirk Pitt (McConaughey) is sidetracked by a U.N. scientist (Cruz) targeted by assassins. Teaming up, the pair learn that their respective causes both lead to a West African tyrant whose water disposal plant might be one of the biggest threats to the planet's ecosystem. | Rife with drama, this production is the stuff of grand success -- or notable failure. It's no secret that the producers, the studio, and McConaughey are looking to establish a Dirk Pitt franchise, and that insiders are snickering at the director, the inexperienced son of Michael Eisner. Mix this with the reported romance between the two stars, and you have a recipe for media saturation.
Perhaps the most noteworthy drama, however, comes via novelist Clive Cussler, who first tried to halt production, indicating that he had never approved a shooting script, and was at one time rumored to be considering a breach-of-contract lawsuit.
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Fever Pitch
Showtimes
Trailers
Photos
| Director:
Bobby Farrelly
Peter Farrelly
Stars:
Drew Barrymore
Jimmy Fallon
...See Full CastStudio:
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. | Lindsay (Barrymore) is stuck in the middle of her relationship with Ben (Fallon) and his passion for the Boston Red Sox.
| Barrymore's back in her romantic comedy safe zone, chasing after Fallon, who didn't quite make a graceful SNL-to-film transition with Taxi. Fallon has somehow amassed as many fans as detractors, but if he clicks with Barrymore, Fever Pitch should [insert baseball metaphor here]. Rumor has it the Farrellys are playing it mostly straight with their adaptation of Nick Hornby's novel (which was already made into a movie in 1997 with Colin Firth); accordingly, look for the studio to downplay the whole "from the directors of" angle. Meanwhile, the writers (who are responsible for A League of Their Own, coincidentally) scrambled to rework the ending after the Sox miraculously won the World Series. Looks like Fallon gets the girl and the pennant. Message�Board
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Smile
[limited]
Showtimes
Trailers
Photos
| Director:
Jeffrey Kramer
Stars:
Mika Boorem
Yi Ding
Sean Astin
...See Full CastStudio:
B.D. Fox Marketing and Distribution | A volunteer opportunity takes Katie (Boorem) to China, where she meets Lin (Yi Ding), a girl with whom she shares a birthday. Lin's facial deformity discourages her from ever showing her face, but her friendship with Katie helps her start to see life in a new way. | I'm going to shutdown my cynical side and simply acknowledge that Smile is one of the first Western films to be fully licensed by the Chinese government for release and production in their country. And we like Boorem, if only for her days on Dawson's Creek and the fact that she's impervious to tabloids. Astin leads a cast of celebs in minor roles looking to boost the indie's chances. Message�Board
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Winter Solstice
[limited]
Showtimes
Trailers
Photos
| Director:
Josh Sternfeld
Stars:
Anthony LaPaglia
Aaron Stanford
Mark Webber
...See Full CastStudio:
Paramount Classics | A widower (LaPaglia) confronts his eldest son (Stanford), who has decided to leave home.
| File next to such contemporary dramas as Imaginary Heroes ... Writer-director Sternfeld nurtured his film at Sundance's Screenwriters Lab. Aside from Allison Janney and Ron Livingston, it's nice to see Brendan Sexton III in the cast. Message�Board
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Eros
[limited]
Showtimes
Trailers
Photos
| Director:
Michelangelo Antonioni
Steven Soderbergh
Stars:
Robert Downey Jr.
Alan Arkin
Li Gong
Chen Chang
Christopher Buchholz
Regina Nemni
...See Full CastStudio:
Warner Independent Pictures | Three short films address the themes of love and sex. Wong Kai-wai tells the story of a tailor's longtime fixation on a prostitute; Steven Soderbergh travels back to 1955 to explore a man's recurring dream, as told to his psychiatrist; Michelangelo Antonioni shows an unhappy married couple who have very different experiences with the same woman. | The feverish anticipation for this film may be cooled by its pre-release buzz, which claims that Eros might not be worth the wait. Initial interest should be high, however, especially once people know that Pedro Almodovar (whose Bad Education kind of pulled up lame this year, eh?) created sequences that link the shorts. Message�Board
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| CURRENT TOP TEN - IN THEATERS | |
| Title |
The Players |
The Plot |
The Buzz
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Sin City
Showtimes
Trailers
Photos
| Director:
Frank Miller
Robert Rodriguez
Stars:
Mickey Rourke
Clive Owen
Bruce Willis
...See Full CastStudio:
Dimension Films | The destinies of three different people converge in a morally bankrupt metropolis: streetfighter Marv (Rourke) trawls the darkest areas of town, looking for the person who murdered Goldie (King) while she lay sleeping in his bed; a photographer (Owen) bent on revenge is blindsided by a cop's murder; and a policeman (Willis) near retirement is framed, and subsequently incarcerated, for a crime he didn't commit. | 4 out of 10 stars I think it was Woody Allen who said of watching pornographic movies, "For the first half hour all you want to do is have sex, after that you never want to have sex again for the rest of your life."...more Message�Board
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Beauty Shop
Showtimes
Trailers
Photos
| Director:
Bille Woodruff
Stars:
Queen Latifah
Alicia Silverstone
Djimon Hounsou
Lil J
...See Full CastStudio:
MGM/UA Distribution Company | Gina (Latifah), who used to work 'round the way from Calvin's barbershop, relocates to Atlanta for her musically gifted daughter. After she makes a name for herself in a posh salon, troubles with her boss convince her to open her own salon, where employs a motley crew of stylists and caters to an increasingly eccentric clientele. | 7 out of 10 stars:
Beauty Shop poses the following question: Does a movie require a story, a director, or even decent lighting when Queen Latifah's in the house? The answer to this is... more
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Guess Who
Showtimes
Trailers
Photos
| Director:
Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Stars:
Ashton Kutcher
Bernie Mac
Zoe Saldana
...See Full CastStudio:
Columbia Pictures | A sarcastic father (Mac) has plenty to say about his daughter (Saldana) wanting to marry a white boy (Kutcher).
| 6 out of 10 stars: "Surprisingly understated" is a phrase you'd never think to associate with Ashton Kutcher, but his performance in the amiable comedy-remake Guess Who is just that, as is co-star Bernie Mac's. In fact, the two actors seem to be having a contest to see who can most underplay their role, and the result is a slow burn of a movie that's moderately funny if a bit meandering. ...more Message�Board
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Robots
Showtimes
Trailers
Photos
| Director:
Chris Wedge
Carlos Saldanha
Stars:
Ewan McGregor
Halle Berry
Mel Brooks
Robin Williams
...See Full CastStudio:
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp. | Boy genius Rodney (McGregor) has a dream to endow the robots of the world with humanitarian programming. But in his way stands tycoon Big Weld (Brooks), a master inventor in his own right, and Cappy (Berry), one of Weld's most alluring creations. | 5 out of 10 Robin Williams has become the Phil Collins, the Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, of family films. Like a bad penny he keeps turning up even though even he knows he's worn out his welcome...more Message�Board
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Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous
Showtimes
Trailers
Photos
| Director:
John Pasquin
Stars:
Sandra Bullock
Regina King
William Shatner
...See Full CastStudio:
Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. | Reluctantly teaming with a new partner, FBI agent Gracie Hart (Bullock) heads to Las Vegas to help solve a kidnapping case involving her friend, the current Miss United States. | 2 out of 10 stars: Literally all dressed up with no place to go, Sandra Bullock is a perfect little blank of a brunette Barbie doll in Miss Congeniality 2, which despite its subtitle is neither armed nor fabulous. ...more Message�Board
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The Pacifier
Showtimes
Trailers
Photos
| Director:
Adam Shankman
Stars:
Vin Diesel
Brittany Snow
Max Thieriot
Brad Garrett
...See Full CastStudio:
Buena Vista Pictures | Disgraced Navy S.E.A.L. John Summit (Diesel) is handed a new assignment: protect the five Plummer kids from enemies of their recently deceased father, a former government scientist whose top-secret experiment remains in the family home.
| 4 out of 10 stars
Want a formula for disaster?...more
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The Ring Two
Showtimes
Trailers
Photos
| Director:
Hideo Nakata
Stars:
Naomi Watts
David Dorfman
Sissy Spacek
Simon Baker
...See Full CastStudio:
DreamWorks Distribution LLC | After relocating to Astoria, Oregon, Rachel Keller (Watts) is alarmed by another case of death by videotape, causing her to further investigate the haunting legacy of Samara Morgan. | 4 out of 10 stars:
The Ring Two is narratively out-of-step with its predecessor, and crippled by a screenplay that's heavy on family psychodrama and light on the jarring horror for which I waited two and a half years to indulge in ...moreMessage�Board
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The Upside of Anger
Showtimes
Trailers
Photos
| Director:
Mike Binder
Stars:
Joan Allen
Kevin Costner
Erika Christensen
Evan Rachel Wood
Keri Russell
Alicia Witt
...See Full CastStudio:
New Line Cinema | Terry Wolfmeyer (Allen), reeling from her husband's abrupt departure, grieves alongside her four headstrong daughters. As she takes to the bottle, Denny Davies (Costner), an old Wolfmeyer family friend, starts to become a very familiar face around the house. | Binder wrote, directed, and grew a terrible mustache for his small role in Anger, his first high-profile project since The Mind of the Married Man was cancelled in 2001. Unsurprisingly, we hear that Allen dominates the film. Plus, Costner plays a former baseball player with a paunch -- also not a shock. The film was once granted a cushy, Oscar-y release late last December, but for reasons unknown to us it was pushed out into spring. Message�Board
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Hitch
Showtimes
Trailers
Photos
| Director:
Andy Tennant
Stars:
Will Smith
Eva Mendes
Kevin James
...See Full CastStudio:
Columbia Pictures | While helping his latest client woo the fine lady of his dreams, a professional "date doctor" (Smith) finds game doesn't quite work on the gossip columnist (Mendes) with whom he's smitten. | 7 out of 10 stars: Do you have problems experiencing simple pleasures? No? Good, then go see Hitch. ...more Message�Board
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Ice Princess
Showtimes
Trailers
Photos
| Director:
Tim Fywell
Stars:
Michelle Trachtenberg
Kim Cattrall
Trevor Blumas
...See Full CastStudio:
Buena Vista Pictures | Nothing can stop science-geek Casey Howard (Trachtenberg) from fulfilling her dream to be a champion figure skater. | 4 out of 10 stars:
Michelle Trachtenberg was frustratingly lovable in Buffy the Vampire Slayer ...moreMessage�Board
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