NEW THIS WEEK
NEW THIS WEEK
'A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD'
ss 1/2 Colin Farrell, Dallas Roberts and Robin Wright Penn star as friends who become family (and lovers) in this heartfelt adaptation of the Michael Cunningham novel. There is joy, there is sorrow, there are spiffy period clothes and coifs, and there are achingly cute and agonizingly precious lines. (R) for sex, drugs, language, adult themes; at Austintown Movies 3.
'ANACONDAS: THE HUNT FOR THE BLOOD ORCHID'
ss 1/2 The follow-up to the 1997 action hit "Anaconda" tracks an expedition in the jungles of Borneo that stumbles into mating season for monstrously large, ravenous snakes, which have a taste for swallowing humans whole. (PG-13) for action violence, scary images and some language; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Cinema South, Hermitage, Elm Road Drive-In, Westgate.
'HERO'
sss 1/2 Director Zhang Yimou presents a grand saga of ancient China with this briskly paced, cleverly plotted martial arts epic that unfolds through a circuitous series of flashbacks. Jet Li stars as a man called Nameless who presents himself to the king of Qin (Chen Dao Ming), bearing weapons of three enemy assassins (Maggie Cheung, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Donnie Yen) and a tale of how he came to slay the ruler's would-be killers. Variations on Nameless' story are told and retold, by himself and the king, as the film hurtles toward the ultimate truth. (PG-13) for stylized martial arts violence and a scene of sensuality; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Tinseltown.
'SUSPECT ZERO'
ss The premise of E. Elias Merhige's psychological thriller that a serial killer is preying on serial killers is fresh on the surface, but the movie wallows in disjointed visual montages that often make afterthoughts of Merhige's principal players -- Aaron Eckhart and Carrie-Anne Moss as FBI agents, Ben Kingsley as a shadowy manipulator baiting them. (R) for violent content, language and some nudity; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Cinema South, Hermitage, Westgate.
'SUPERBABIES: BABY GENIUSES 2'
s A follow-up to the 1999 mishap "Baby Geniuses," "Superbabies" may quite easily put an end to any discussion of what is the worst theatrical release of 2004. Further burying a conceit the "Look Who's Talking" movies ran into the ground more than a decade ago, "Superbabies" holds that infants have a language only they can comprehend, but forget as they get older. All those gurgles and coos seemingly add up to an ongoing commentary on life from the diaper set. (PG) for action violence and some rude humor; at Boulevard Centre, Cinema South, Westgate.
LAST WEEK'S TOP 10
'ALIEN VS. PREDATOR'
ss Two of moviedom's most menacing monsters square off in Antarctica, where an ancient pyramid is discovered. (PG-13) for violence, language, horror images, slime and gore; at Cinema South, Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Hermitage, Westgate.
'THE BOURNE SUPREMACY'
sss Seamlessly resuming the tale of the amnesiac assassin from "The Bourne Identity," Matt Damon's sequel overcomes a couple of distracting flaws to deliver another solid thrill ride. (PG-13) for violence and intense action and for brief language; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Cinema South.
'COLLATERAL'
ssss Skillfully directed by Michael Mann and featuring strong work by Jamie Foxx as a night shift cab driver and Tom Cruise as his all-night hit-man passenger. (R) for violence and language; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Elm Road Drive-In, Hermitage, Tinseltown, Westgate.
'EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING'
s If there was any life left in this satanic franchise, director Renny Harlin has snuffed it with this cinematic abomination that's about as bad as you could possibly imagine a prequel to "The Exorcist" might be. (R); at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Cinema South, Elm Road Drive-In, Hermitage, Westgate Cinemas.
'THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE'
ss Jonathan Demme disappoints with his update of the 1962 thriller about brainwashed soldiers as puppets in an assassination conspiracy, despite first-rate performances from Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep and Liev Schreiber. (R) for violence and some language; at Cinema South.
'OPEN WATER'
sss What do you call several sharks circling a bickering couple that has been stranded in the middle of the ocean? No, this isn't another lawyer joke, but the setup for a nifty new thriller. And what you call it is "frightening." (R) for nudity, profanity; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Hermitage, Tinseltown, Westgate Cinemas.
'PRINCESS DIARIES 2:ROYAL ENGAGEMENT'
ss Princess Mia (Anne Hathaway) trades in her tiara for the Genovian crown but first must find a husband. (G); at Cinema South, Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Hermitage, Westgate.
'THE VILLAGE'
ssss M. Night Shyamalan delivers his best work yet with this fright flick about a pioneer village cut off from the world by woods that harbor terrifying creatures. (PG-13) for a scene of violence and frightening situations; at Boulevard Centre, Tinseltown.
'WITHOUT A PADDLE'
ss Directed by Steven Brill, "Without a Paddle" follows three pals who take a pratfall-riddled canoe trip looking for the loot of legendary skyjacker D.B. Cooper. (PG-13) for drug content, sexual material, language, crude humor and some violence; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Hermitage, Tinseltown, Westgate Cinemas.
'YU-GI-OH! THE MOVIE'
sss A boy is caught up in a trading card game that offers more than mere fun -- the fate of the world is at stake. Directed by Ryosuke Takahashi. (PG) for scary combat and monster images; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Tinseltown, Westgate.
ALSO PLAYING
'AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS'
s 1/2 In this disappointing and fussy adaptation of Jules Verne's classic novel, Jackie Chan joins an eccentric inventor (Steve Coogan) who accepts a bet that he can circumnavigate the globe in 80 days. (PG) for crude humor, action violence; at Cinemark.
'DE-LOVELY'
s Cole Porter, played by the appealing if miscast Kevin Kline, was a barely closeted, vigorously sexual gay man who nonetheless seemed to find some kind of happiness with his marriage. More important, Porter composed countless classics that wed popular music to lyrics ranging from naughty to nice. He was a phenomenal talent, a national treasure, and he deserves better. (PG-13) for sexual content; at Austintown Movies 3.
'DODGEBALL: A TRUEUNDERDOG STORY'
ss Nice-guy slacker Vince Vaughn and bullying rival Ben Stiller are competing gym owners whose teams square off in a dodgeball showdown. (PG-13) for rude and sexual humor and language; at Cinemark.
'DOOR IN THE FLOOR'
sss Comedy and tragedy mingle, but, at its heart, "Door in the Floor" is a serious attempt to deal with the horrible grief experienced by an estranged couple over the deaths of their two teenaged sons. (R) for profanity, nudity; at Austintown Movies 3.
'FAHRENHEIT 9/11'
ss Michael Moore attempts to tell us why we're in Iraq, but his movie skims over subjects. That makes "Fahrenheit" more of a drive-by than a deep, direct hit. (R) for violent scenes; at Austintown Movies 3.
'GARDEN STATE'
ss Zach Braff, one of the stars of TV's "Scrubs," plays a young actor who revisits his New Jersey hometown for his mother's funeral. There, he reunites with his buddies and meets an idiosyncratic young woman (Natalie Portman). (R) for profanity, drug use and sexual material; at Cinema South.
'GARFIELD: THE MOVIE'
ss Because Bill Murray supplies the voice of the fat cat, "Garfield: The Movie," based on the title of the Jim Davis comic strip, is mildly amusing. One could say the same about gallows humor. (PG) for profanity; at Cinemark.
'HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN'
sss There are many reasons why this is the best of the three "Harry Potter" pics to date: It's shorter, it seems less like a theme-park ride and more like a real movie, and its heroes (and several assorted rogues) are beginning to feel familiar, like old friends. (PG) for scares, creatures, violence; at Cinemark.
'I, ROBOT'
ss 1/2 Another summer blockbuster starring Will Smith -- a slick, shiny video game of a movie, bursting with computer-generated chase scenes and cool gadgets, though under the direction of Alex Proyas ("The Crow") it also has a darkly apocalyptic visual scheme. (PG-13) for intense stylized action and some brief partial nudity; at Tinseltown.
'KING ARTHUR'
ss A dull, brooding attempt to bring authenticity to the King Arthur legend. Clive Owen stars as Arthur and Keira Knightley portrays his Guinevere, but this version of the story favors mud and blood rather than shining armor. (PG-13) for violence, adult material; at Cinemark.
'LITTLE BLACK BOOK'
ss There's a conflict between lovers (played by Brittany Murphy and Ron Livingston). She stalks all the exes listed in his little black book when he goes on a business trip. The movie gets stronger as it goes, acknowledging that nice people don't always behave nicely. (PG-13) for language; at Boulevard Centre, Cinema South.
'NAPOLEON DYNAMITE'
ss 1/2 A slightly condescending but ultimately winning look at a geeky young man (Jon Heder) growing up weird in Idaho. Moments of real humor collide with moments in which director Jared Hess strains to be this year's winner in the geek-chic sweepstakes. (PG); at Boulevard Centre.
'THE NOTEBOOK'
ssss This love story deals in clich & eacute;s and hits you where you're most vulnerable. But it may be the most effective weepie since the film version of "The Bridges of Madison County." (PG-13) for some sexuality; at Cinema South.
'SHREK 2'
sss 1/2 During the course of its 93 galloping minutes, "Shrek 2" carries the standard for self-esteem while spoofing showbiz, fairy tales, self-help books, and every other cultural phenom from animal-testing to the Oscars. (PG) for brief drug reference, crude humor, discreet sexual humor; at Cinemark.
'SPIDER-MAN 2'
sss 1/2 "With great power comes great responsibility" was the tag line for the first "Spider-Man" picture, and now it forms the basis for Sam Raimi's breathtaking and emotionally satisfying sequel, "Spider-Man 2," a comic-book movie par excellence. (PG-13) for stylized action violence; at Boulevard Centre, Elm Road Drive-In, Tinseltown, Westgate.
'THE STEPFORD WIVES'
ss Network exec Joanna (Nicole Kidman) is fired and wakes up with a Prozac hangover in the Connecticut hamlet of Stepford. This uneven satire based on the 1975 sci-fi thriller suggests that Joanna is a candidate for reprogramming by milquetoast men who've had it with the way overachieving women run things. (PG-13) for profanity, sexual candor; at Cinemark.
'WHITE CHICKS'
ss 1/2 Impersonating a pair of spoiled white socialites allows Marlon and Shawn Wayans to play fast and loose with race, gender and class distinctions in this crude but amusing farce. (PG-13) for crude and sexual humor, profanity, drug content; at Cinemark.
Combined wire services