FlixApril
Updated April 25, 2003
Capsule Reviews

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Adaptation
Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman writes a script about himself… writing a script. Based on his own real-life experience, Kaufman (played by Nicholas Cage) is struggling to adapt Susan Orlean’s novel “The Orchid Thief” – and failing miserably. Overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy, Kaufman seeks out the source: Orlean (Meryl Streep) and the orchid thief himself (Chris Cooper). (1:54. R for language, sexuality, some drug use and violent images.)

Agent Cody Banks<--click here for in depth review
Frankie Muniz ('Big Fat Liar,' TV’s "Malcolm in the Middle") stars in this teen spy thriller as a normal kid recruited by a top-secret teenage CIA team. He must put all his training to the test when he’s assigned to foil the plans of an evil organization bent on destroying America. (1:42. PG for action violence, mild language and some sensual content.)

Anger Management<--click here for in depth review
After a misunderstanding aboard an airplane that escalates out of control, the mild-mannered Dave Buznik is ordered by Judge Daniels to attend anger management sessions run by Doctor Buddy Rydell, which are filled with highly eccentric and volatile men and women. Buddy's unorthodox approach to therapy is confrontational and abrasive and Dave is bewildered by it. Then, after yet another mishap, Judge Daniels orders Dave to step up his therapy or wind up in jail. So, Buddy moves in with Dave to help him battle his inner demons. Buddy himself has no inner demons since he acts out at every opportunity and that includes making lewd comments about Dave's girlfriend Linda and goading Dave into confronting every slight, past or present, head-on. But Buddy finally goes too far and Dave must decide whether to crawl back into his shell or stand up for himself. Could it be that Buddy's confounding and contradictory treatment is just what the doctor ordered? (1:46. PG-13 for crude sexual content and language,)

Basic
A rogue DEA agent (John Travolta) investigates the disappearance of a legendary Army drill sergeant (Samuel L. Jackson) and a squad of his cadets after a training exercise in Panama goes mysteriously awry. (1:38. R for violence and language.)

Bend It Like Beckham
An Indian family in London tries to raise their soccer-playing daughter in a traditional way. Unlike her traditional older sister, Pinky, who is preparing for a lavish Indian wedding and a lifetime of cooking the perfect chapati, Jess dreams of playing soccer professionally, like her hero David Beckham. Wholeheartedly against Jess' unorthodox ambition, her parents eventually reveal that their reservations have more to do with protecting her, than with holding her back. When Jess is forced to make a choice between tradition and her beloved sport, her family must decide whether to let her chase her dream--and a soccer ball--or follow a more orthodox path. (1:52. PG-13 .)

Bringing Down The House<--click here for in depth review
A lonely New York man (Steve Martin) strikes up an online relationship with a mysterious woman (Queen Latifah) who breaks out of jail and shows up at his front door, wreaking havoc on his sheltered upper-middle-class life. (1:45. PG-13 for language, sexual humor and drug material.)

Bulletproof Monk<--click here for in depth review
The Monk (Chow Yun-Fat) is a Zen-calm martial arts master whose duty has been to protect a powerful ancient scroll. Faced with finding the scroll's next guardian, the Monk's quest brings him to New York City where, to his disbelief, it appears his successor is a smart-mouthed pickpocket named Kar (Seann William Scott). Kar's a charming, street-tough wild card who enjoys his life of no responsibility. As the Monk instructs Kar the unlikely duo become partners in protecting the scroll from a power-monger who's been chasing it for 60 years. Amidst high-flying acrobatics and martial arts action, this comical odd couple has to work together to keep the scroll -- and mankind -- safe. (1:43. PG-13 for violence, language and some sexual content.)

Chicago
In this long-awaited film version of the Broadway hit, Chicago chorus girl Roxie Hart (Zellweger) lands in jail after shooting her lover. There she meets Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones), another chorus girl and murderess. Soon, they're competing for the legal services of slick lawyer, Billy Flynn (Gere), and for attention from the media. (1:47. PG-13 for sexual content and dialogue, violence and thematic elements.)

City of God
In a shocking mix of style and realism, Fernando Meirelles's eye-opening film takes you inside the poverty-stricken favelas of Rio de Janeiro, where residents cower in fear while squads of brutal teenagers run the neighborhood drug trade. While watching his peers seduced by lives of crime and violence, one young man determines to break free and become a professional photographer. (2:11. R for strong brutal violence, sexuality, drug content and language.)

Confidence New This Week!
What Jake Vig doesn't know just might get him killed. A sharp and polished grifter, Jake has just swindled thousands of dollars from the unsuspecting Lionel Dolby with the help of his crew: Insideman Gordo, Shills Miles, and Big Al--and two corrupt LAPD officers, Lloyd Whitworth and Omar Manzano. But when both Lionel and Big Al turn up dead, it becomes clear that Lionel wasn't just any mark--as Jake soon learns, he was an accountant for eccentric crime boss Winston King. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Jake offers to repay "The King" by pulling off the biggest con of his career. The mark? Morgan Gillette, a banker with deep ties to organized crime. With so much riding on the outcome, Jake decides to bring in a brash, blonde pickpocket named Lily, who joins the crew in a complex scheme involving corporate loans, creative accounting, wire transfers and off-shore accounts. Jake and his crew will have to stay one step ahead of both the criminals and the cops to finally settle their debt. (1:38. R for language, violence and sexual/nudity.)
 

The Core
When Earth’s core stops rotating inexplicably, geophysicist Josh Keyes (Eckhart) must find a solution before the planet is destroyed. He and a team of scientists assemble a ship to journey through Earth's layers and reactive the core by detonating nuclear devices. (2:16. PG-13 for sci-fi life/death situations and brief strong language.)

Dark Blue<--click here for in depth review
Based on a story by James Ellroy (L.A. Confidential), a maverick L.A. detective (Kurt Russell) whose brutal and racist style puts him at odds with his boss (Ving Rhames) investigates a multiple homicide with a new rookie partner during the tense days leading up to the Rodney King verdict. (1:53. R for violence, language and brief sexuality.)

Dreamcatcher<--click here for in depth review
Based on the Stephen King bestseller, four young friends perform a heroic act and are transformed forever when they are endowed with special powers. Years later, they reunite for a hunting trip and encounter a sinister alien force that only they can prevent from destroying the world. (2:14. R for violence, gore and language.)

Gods & Generals
This Civil War epic -- a prequel to the 1993 saga 'Gettysburg' -- chronicles the life and battles of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson (Stephen Lang). Filmed on location on historic battlefields of the South, from Antietam to Chancellorsville, with Robert Duvall as General Robert E. Lee. (3:49. PG-13 for sustained battle sequences.)

Head of State<--click here for in depth review
When the Democratic presidential candidate dies in the middle of his campaign, the Party picks small-time Washington D.C. politician Mays Gilliam (Chris Rock) to be his replacement. Rock makes his debut as a director, with Bernie Mac co-starring. (1:35. PG-13 for language, some sexuality and drug references.)

Holes<--click here for in depth review
Stanley Yelnats is an unusual hero with dogged bad luck stemming from an ancient family curse. Perpetually in the wrong place at the wrong time, Stanley is unfairly sentenced to months of detention at Camp Green Lake for a crime he didn't commit. There, he and his campmates--Squid, Armpit, ZigZag, Magnet, X-Ray and Zero--are forced by the menacing warden and her right-hand men Mr. Sir and Mr. Pendanski to dig holes in order to build character. Nobody knows the real reason they're digging all these holes, but Stanley soon begins to question why the warden is so interested in anything "special" about the boys' find. Stanley and his campmates must stick together and keep one step ahead of the warden and her henchmen as they plot a daring escape from the camp to solve the mystery and break the Yelnats family curse. (1:51. PG for violence, mild language and some thematic elements.)

The Hours
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the film interweaves the stories of three women in different eras. In 1923, the author Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman), depressed and suicidal, is writing the novel 'Mrs. Dalloway.' In 1949, pregnant Los Angeles housewife Laura Brown (Julianne Moore) is planning a birthday bash for her husband, but can't stop reading that novel. And in present day, New York City book editor Clarissa Vaughn (Meryl Streep) is throwing a party for friend and former lover Richard (Ed Harris), who is dying of AIDS and gave her the nickname, Mrs. Dalloway. Directed by Stephen Daldry and also starring Toni Collette, Claire Danes and Allison Janne. (1:54. PG-13 for mature thematic elements, some disturbing images and brief language.)

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
A ladies’ man (Matthew McConaughey) bets his friends that he can stay in a relationship for more than 10 days, but he may have met his match in his latest date (Kate Hudson) who is trying to get rid of him just as fast. Loosely based on the book of the same name. (1:56. PG-13 for some sex-related material.)

Identity New This Week!
Ten strangers with secrets are brought together in a savage rainstorm: A limo driver, an '80s TV star, a cop who is transporting a killer, a call girl, a pair of newlyweds and a family in crisis, all take shelter at a desolate motel run by a nervous night manager. Relief in finding shelter is quickly replaced with fear as the ten travelers begin to die, one by one. They soon realize that, if they are to survive, they'll have to uncover the secret that has brought them all together. (1:27. R for strong violence and language.)

It Runs in the Family New This Week!
The Grombergs are a highly successful family--except when it comes to communicating with each other. Alex Gromberg is a man caught in the middle. Navigating the tricky, ever-changing roles of father, son, and husband, he's trying to avoid the mistakes his father made while coming to terms with the ones he's already passed on to his own sons. Alex's wife, Rebecca, is a psychologist trying to balance a professional life with her marriage and raising her kids. Mitchell Gromberg, the patriarch and a retired partner of one of New York's leading law firms, is having difficulty coming to grips with his mortality. Evelyn is his devoted wife and has been his emotional rock throughout their marriage--and the peacemaker between him and Alex. Asher Gromberg, Alex's eldest son, is a rebellious college student trying to cope with life, love, and sex in a confused society. And Eli, Alex's 11-year old, is perhaps the "oldest" and most levelheaded of all the Gromberg men. Three generations of an American family, they all live separate lives, each in their own dysfunctional way. But every once in awhile, there comes a time to come together--to celebrate, to laugh, to fight, to cry, and to care for each other. (1:49. PG-13 for drug content, sexual material and laguage.)

Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers
The action continues where 'Fellowship' left off, with Frodo and Sam journeying to Mordor to destroy The One Ring. Meanwhile, Aragorn and companions search for their kidnapped hobbit friends and find that the wizard Gandalf may yet help them. And as the Dark Lord's armies press closer, mankind must unite for battle. (2:59. PG-13 for epic battle sequences and scary images.)

Maid in Manhattan
Jennifer Lopez stars in this Cinderella tale as Marisa Ventura, an independent single mother who lives in the Bronx with her son and works as a maid in a first-class Manhattan hotel. There, she meets and falls for a handsome politician (Ralph Fiennes), who mistakes her for a wealthy guest. Will the truth about Marisa's background derail the romance? (1:45. PG-13 for some language/sexual references.)

Malibu's Most Wanted
Brad Gluckman is Malibu's most unwanted rapper. He spends his days hangin' at the Malibrew Coffee Shop with his pimpin' crew, Mocha, Monster and Hadji, and bustin' rhymes about his hard-core life up in "the 'Bu." Immersed in hip-hop culture, B-Rad spits lyrics about his phat life and this beach boy is convinced that his wack rhymes are tighter than Hadji's cornrows. While B-Rad thinks his lyrical stylings and hip-hop lifestyle are down, he's actually taking his whole family down with him - especially his father, Bill Gluckman, who is currently campaigning to be the next governor of California. Bill doesn't understand his son and thinks all B-Rad needs is some unusual family therapy--or tough love--to cure him of his gangsta delusions. But when therapy can't solve the B-Rad public relations problem in time to stop Bill Gluckman's disastrous slide in the polls, campaign manager Tom Gibbons concocts a scheme to neutralize the problem: they'll hire out-of-work actors Sean and PJ to play thugs, "kidnap" B-Rad and scare the poseur out of him with a drive-by tour of the real 'hood. The Gluckmans hope that a dose of urban reality will force their black sheep son to reveal his "true" color, but B-Rad proves to the playa-haters that even under fire in the middle of South Central, this plain white rapper is too legit to quit. In a wild ride from Malibu to Compton and back again, B-Rad keeps it rizz-eal and wins much love from booty-ful business savvy hottie Shondra along the way. (N/A. PG-13 .)
 

A Man Apart<--click here for in depth review
DEA agent Sean Vetter (Vin Diesel) and his partner (Larenz Tate) team up with a jailed druglord to take down a mysterious, dangerous man (Timothy Olyphant), known only as Diablo, who has taken over the powerful drug cartel. (1:49. R for strong graphic violence, language, drug content and sexuality.)

Old School<--click here for in depth review
Three thirty-something guys desperate to relive their glory days move into a house near their old college and form an "unofficial fraternity" where students can party without abiding by the university's rules. Soon, however, the realities of their past lives catch up with them. (1:31. R for some strong sexual content, nudity and language.)

Phone Booth<--click here for in depth review
This intense drama, which takes place in and around a single phone booth in New York City, stars Colin Farrell as a slick publicist who randomly picks up a ringing receiver. He's told that if he hangs up, he'll be immediately killed, and soon realizes that he's being closely watched by a rooftop killer. (1:20. R for pervasive language and some violence.)

The Quiet American
A cynical British journalist (Michael Caine) and an idealistic American operative (Brendan Fraser) become friends and romantic rivals in pre-Vietnam War Saigon in this tense spy thriller based on Graham Greene’s classic novel that lays bare the dirty truths of American involvement in global conflict. (1:58. R for images of violence and some language.)

The Recruit
A brilliant young CIA rookie (Colin Farrell) is chosen by his boss (Al Pacino) to root out a double agent who may be spying for the Chinese. But as he learns the tricks of the spy trade, he starts to wonder whom he can truly trust. (1:45. PG-13 for violence, sexuality and language.)

The Real Cancun<--click here for in depth review New This Week!
After a nationwide casting search including college campuses across the country--Arizona State University, University of Oklahoma, University of Vermont, University of Wisconsin at Madison, University of Georgia, Texas Tech, Boston University and Washington State University--the filmmakers cast a unique collection of real people ready to explore reality's barriers beyond the limits of television, while on the ultimate Spring Break vacation, with surprising results. Designed to be the first true reality feature film, six camera crews followed the cast--made up of 16 American college students--and filmed their exploits as they immersed and indulged in the Spring Break revelry of Cancun, Mexico. Filmed 24 hours a day over the course of a week in March 2003, the movie was shot on location and reveals the students' exploits through interviews and planned group activities, as well as through their own spontaneous adventures. (1:36. R for strong sexuality/nudity, language and partying.)

Shanghai Knights
After taming the wild west in 2000's 'Shanghai Noon,' Chon Wang (Jackie Chan) and Roy O'Bannon (Owen Wilson) travel to London to pursue the man who murdered Chon's father. While Chon seeks vengeance, Roy falls for his partner's sister. (n/a. PG-13 for action violence and sexual content.)

Spirited Away
Slightly off the beaten path, there lies a mystical resort where gods come to visit and humans aren't allowed. In this fanciful new tale from Hayao Miyazaki ('Princess Mononoke'), young Chihiro stumbles upon the secret spot, only to watch as her mother and father are turned to pigs before her very eyes. To rescue her parents, Chihiro must face an adventure filled with dragons, enchantment and true love. Released by Disney, the animated film features English dialogue. (2:04. PG for some scary moments.)

Tears of the Sun<--click here for in depth review
Bruce Willis stars as a Navy commando sent to the Nigerian jungle to rescue a doctor (Monica Bellucci) in danger of being taken hostage by rebels. But she forces him to change his mission by refusing to leave unless they take a group of refugees with them. (1:58. R for strong war violence, some brutality and language.)

View from the Top<--click here for in depth review
Gwyneth Paltrow stars in this sexy comedy as a small-town Nevadan girl who yearns to live the high life by working as an international stewardess. She enlists the help of an industry veteran (Candice Bergen) to show her the ropes while competing against a fellow student (Christina Applegate) in flight-attendant school. (1:27. PG-13 for language/sexual references.)

What A Girl Wants<--click here for in depth review
Cultures clash when an American teenager (Amanda Bynes) raised in New York by her mother (Kelly Preston) heads to London to track down her long-lost British dad (Colin Firth) whose aristocratic parents never approved of his new family. (1:35. PG for mild language.)

Willard<--click here for in depth review
A shy young social misfit (Crispin Glover), mercilessly teased by his coworkers, takes bloody revenge on them by unleashing his army of pet rats for a series of gruesome murders. A remake of the classic 1971 horror film. (1:40. PG-13 for terror/violence, some sexual content and language.)

Synopsis courtesy of Moviefone.com

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