SEPTEMBER 2003

ZERO DAY: Andre Keuck, Calvin Robertson, Rachel Benichak, Gerhard Keuck, Johanne Keuck (Directed by Ben Coccio; Avatar Films) They’re frustrated and angry, and they hate their high school classmates even more than the classmates hate them. So Andre and Cal, who have access to firepower, decide to do something about their situation. This Columbine-inspired indie, written and directed by Ben Coccio, has been getting a positive response on the festival circuit. Now Playing

CARNAGE: Chiara Mastroianni, Angela Molina, Lio, Lucia Sanchez, Esther Gorintin, Marilyne Even, Clovis Cornillac, Jacques Gamblin, Feodor Atkine, Bernard Sens (Directed by Delphine Gleize; Wellspring Media) In a Spanish ring, a bull meets his death. Afterward, in various parts of the world, a wide assortment of people come into contact with his remains. One of them, an Italian actress played by Chiara Mastroianni (above), the daughter of Marcello Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve, sells the bull's bones as part of a supermarket promotion (hey, it’s a photo op!). Writer-director Delphine Gleize’s comedy-drama was a big hit in Europe. Now Playing

DICKIE ROBERTS: FORMER CHILD STAR: David Spade, Ashley Edner, Scott Terra, Jon Lovitz, Mary McCormack, Doris Roberts, Craig Bierko, Alyssa Milano, Rob Reiner, Corey Feldman, Leif Garrett (Directed by Sam Weisman; Paramount) When he was a kid, Dickie was a star, but now, at 35, he’s strictly a has-been. What’s to do? Rent a family, find out what it’s like to be normal, and then make a movie comeback, playing the all-American-guy-next-door. Sounds pretty simple, doesn’t it? Now Playing

HOME ROOM: Busy Philipps, Erika Christensen, Victor Garber, Raphael Sbarge, Ken Jenkins, Holland Taylor, Agnes Bruckner (Directed by Paul F. Ryan; DEJ Distribution) A high school student shoots eight of his classmates and then turns his gun on himself. He does spare one girl, however--a painfully shy misfit (Busy Philipps) who turns out to be the central character in writer-director Paul F. Ryan’s debut film. Now Playing

THE ORDER: Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, Mark Addy, Benno Furman, Peter Weller (Directed by Brian Helgeland; Fox) We gotta eat, right? But what kind of sicko sups from the belly of a corpse? A twisted, predatory priest, of course--one who's seeking atonement for the sins of the deceased. Who's for dessert? Now Playing

PARTY MONSTER: Macaulay Culkin, Dylan McDermott, Seth Green, Marilyn Manson, Chloe Sevigny, Natasha Lyonne (Directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato; Strand Releasing) Proving that nobody's life is too sordid to merit a biopic, this true-life tale from the writer-director team of "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" dishes up the unappetizing stats about Michael Alig, the club-scene gadabout who dispatched his drug dealer with an injection of Drano, dumped him into the East River and felt giddily confident that he could get away with it. Whatever. We're just happy that Little Mac is no longer home alone. Now Playing

TAKING SIDES: Harvey Keitel, Stellan Skarsgard, Moritz Bleibtreu, Birgit Minichmayr, Oleg Tabakov, R. Lee Ermey (Directed by Istvan Szabo; New Yorker Films) Wilhelm Furtwangler, the great conductor and director of the Berlin Philharmonic, opted to remain in Germany during World War II, prompting some to accuse him of being a Nazi sympathizer. Stellan Skarsgard is said to give a towering performance as Furtwangler, and Harvey Keitel plays an American major who conducts a postwar interrogation of the master musician. Screenwriter Ronald Harwood, who won an Oscar for "The Pianist," penned this adaptation of his own 1995 play. Now Playing

CABIN FEVER: Jordan Ladd, Rider Strong, James DeBello, Cerina Vincent, Joey Kern, Arie Verveen (Directed by Eli Roth; Lions Gate) Some college boys and girls vacationing in a cabin high on a mountain do not exactly have the time of their lives. That’s because first one and then another and another get attacked by a flesh-eating virus. The kids may never see another semester. Now Playing

DUMMY: Adrien Brody, Milla Jovovich, Illeana Douglas, Vera Farmiga, Jessica Walter, Ron Leibman, Jared Harris, Mirabella Pisani, Helen Hanft (Directed by Greg Pritikin; Artisan Entertainment) A decent, if goony, young introvert finds he can only say what he means to say through his dummy. His family, dysfunctional at most, pooh-poohs his ambition to become a fine, upstanding ventriloquist. Do you find it surprising that Brody would go from his Oscar-winning performance in "The Pianist" to playing a dummy’s dummy? Well, the real surprise may turn out to be that "Dummy," which has spent years on the shelf, is actually having a theatrical release. Now Playing

LOST IN TRANSLATION: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris (Directed by Sofia Coppola; Focus/Universal) Two unhappily married people—a middle-aged movie star shooting a liquor commercial in Japan and a photographer’s tag-along, very young spouse—cross paths at the Tokyo Hilton Hotel and find ways to soothe their emotional anxiety. The advance word on this offbeat drama—Sofia Coppola’s follow-up to her directorial debut, "Virgin Suicides"—is extremely enthusiastic. Now Playing

LUSTER: Justin Herwick, Willie Garson, Jonah Blechman, Pamela Gidley, Shane Powers, Sen Thibodeau, B. Wyatt, Susannah Melvoin (Directed by Everett Lewis; TLA Releasing) A gay L.A. poet sets out to seduce his straight, fresh-from-Ohio cousin. And a secretly gay rock star seems to want a part of the action. Now Playing


MATCHSTICK MEN: Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Alison Lohman, Bruce Altman, Bruce McGill, Melora Walters, Steve Eastin (Directed by Ridley Scott; Warner Bros.) Roy, a pill-popping, obsessive-compulsive con man, and Frank, his crazed protégé, hatch a nifty plan for a heist, but their scheme is complicated by the arrival of a tough teen—the daughter Roy never knew he fathered. Now Playing

MILLENNIUM ACTRESS: Miyoko Shoji, Mami Koyama, Fumiko Orikasa, Shouzou Iizuka, Masaya Onosaka, Shouko Tsuda, Irotaka Suzuoki, Joichi Yamadera, Masatane Tsukayama (Directed by Satoshi Kon; DreamWorks) When a movie studio is slated for the wrecking ball, an enterprising TV reporter feels driven to find the studio’s most colorful star --now rumored to be a recluse—and probe her memories of a more romantic time. Now Playing

ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Johnny Depp, Ruben Blades, Eva Mendes, Willem Dafoe, Mickey Rourke, Cecilia Tijerina, Danny Trejo, Gerardo Vigil, Enrique Iglesias, Marco Leonardi, Cheech Marin (Directed by Robert Rodriguez; Columbia/Dimension) Banderas is the mystically macho Mariachi, Dafoe’s a slimy drug lord, Depp makes more shady deals than his job as a CIA agent absolutely requires him to make, and Salma Hayek is, well, Salma Hayek. As for Mickey Rourke, don’t ask. Now Playing

PASSIONADA: Jason Isaacs, Sofia Milos, Emmy Rossum, Theresa Russell, Seymour Cassel, Lupe Ontiveros, Chris Tardio (Directed by Dan Ireland; Samuel Goldwyn Films) A widow who thinks she will never fall in love again is gloriously stunned when she meets a handsome, conspicuously wealthy man who seems determined to make her his wife. But the woman’s teenage daughter knows a secret about this romantic stranger. Now Playing

SO CLOSE: Shu Qi, Karen Mok, Vicki Zhao, Yasuaki Kurata, Candy Lo, Ricardo Mamood (Directed by Corey Yuen; Strand Releasing) A lovely detective looks for the killer of a business tycoon and finds not one, but two, suspects. They’re beautiful, and they’re sisters. And they’re deadly. Now Playing

WARRIOR OF LIGHT: Alvaro Bezerra de Mello, Yvonne Bezerra de Mello (Directed by Monika Treut; Filmweldt) German documentary filmmaker Monika Treut focuses on Yvonne Bezzerra de Mello, a Brazilian activist who has stirred up controversy by providing shelter for the impoverished, frequently unruly street children of Rio de Janeiro. Now Playing

ANYTHING ELSE: Woody Allen, Jason Biggs, Christina Ricci, Stockard Channing, Danny DeVito, Jimmy Fallon (Directed by Woody Allen; DreamWorks) Two intellectual buddies (Woody Allen and Jason Biggs) have different takes on a sexy young thing (Chistina Ricci). One of them thinks she's Miss Wonderful, and the other thinks she's a two-timing slut. But you’re wrong if you think the bedazzled gent is Allen. This time out, the Woodman plays a bitter school teacher eager to give the young romantic the benefit of his cockeyed wisdom. Now Playing

CASA DE LOS BABYS: Daryl Hannah, Marcia Gay Harden, Mary Steenburgen, Rita Moreno, Lili Taylor, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Susan Lynch (Directed by John Sayles; IFC Films) Half a dozen U.S. citizens make an emotional connection down in South America, where each has traveled to adopt a child. Surprisingly—or perhaps not so surprisingly—not one of these travelers is male. Now Playing

COLD CREEK MANOR: Dennis Quaid, Sharon Stone, Stephen Dorff, Juliette Lewis, Christopher Plummer, Dana Eskelson, Paula Brancati (Directed by Mike Figgis; Disney) Fed up with the New York scene, a married couple (Quaid and Stone) pack up their belongings—including the kids—and flee for the country, where they buy an old house that has perhaps a bit too much character. Making matters truly unbearable for them is the arrival of a recently sprung convict (Dorff) who once owned the house—and, judging by his behavior, thinks he still does. Now Playing

DEMONLOVE: Connie Nielsen, Charles Berling, Chloe Sevigny, Gina Gershon, Jean-Baptiste Malartre, Dominique Reymond, Deswin Gerard, Thomas M. Pollard, Abi Sakamoto (Directed by Olivier Assayas; Palm Pictures) A stealthy, not-very-nice employee of a high-tech corporation (Connie Nielsen) plays dirty tricks in order to out-maneuver the competition, and she really doesn’t seem to mind keeping company with characters who dabble in sex, violence, porn and God only knows what else. Now Playing

THE FIGHTING TEMPTATIONS: Cuba Gooding Jr., Beyonce Knowles, Mike Epps, Chloe Bailey, Faith Evans, Nigel Washington, Ann Nesby, Melba Moore (Directed by Jonathan Lynn; Paramount) Can a hustling Manhattan advertising executive return to his Georgia hometown, round up a gospel choir and transform the unknown youngsters into a whoppingly popular group? He not only can, but he must do it to collect a substantial inheritance from his eccentric aunt. Now Playing

IN THIS WORLD: Jami Udin Torabi, Enayatullah, Imran Paracha, Hiddayatullah, Allah Bauhsh (Directed by Michael Winterbottom) Two young, physically drained, spiritually determined Afghanis attempt a bold flight toward freedom and what they hope will be a better life in England. Now Playing

MAMBO ITALIANO: Luke Kirby, Ginette Reno, Paul Sorvino, Mary Walsh, Claudia Ferri, Peter Miller, Sophie Lorain (Directed by Emile Gaudreault; Samuel Goldwyn Films) A young man toying with the idea of coming out of the closet bumps into a former classmate he once had a stupendous crush on, and they soon become lovers. When their families discover they are more than mere roommates, tempers flare and heavy-duty pressure is applied. For what it's worth, people are saying this one has the heart, the humor and the subtlety of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Now Playing

SECONDHAND LIONS: Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, Haley Joel Osment, Kyra Sedgwick, Emanuelle Vaugier, Nicky Katt, Jennifer Stone (Directed by Tim McCanlies; New Line) Once upon a time in the sixties, a timid kid was forced by his flaky mom to spend time with two mysterious uncles on a Texas farm. The unlucky lad is played by the inevitably endearing Osment, and the western kinfolk are Duvall and Caine. How’s that for typecasting? Now Playing

TO BE AND TO HAVE: (Directed by Nicolas Philibert; New Yorker Films) This documentary about the day-to-day relationship between teacher Georges Lopez and his young students was a huge hit in France. Those who saw it there or in one of several festivals say it is truly unforgettable. Now Playing

UNDERWORLD: Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman, Shane Brolly, Michael Sheen, Bill Nighy, Erwin Leder, Sophia Myles (Directed by Len Wiseman; Screen Gems Inc.) When a ravishing vampire falls head over fangs in love with a hunky werewolf, something’s gotta give. And it does. Now Playing

YOSSI & JAGGER: Ohad Knoller, Yehuda Levi, Assi Cohen, Hani Furstenberg, Aya Steinovitz (Directed by Eytan Fox; Strand Releasing) Two young Israeli male officers stationed in a remote outpost are strongly drawn toward one another. Now Playing

BOLLYWOOD/HOLLYWOOD: Rahul Khanna, Lisa Ray, Rishma Malik, Jazz Mann, Moushumi Chatterjee, Dina Pathak, Kulbhushan Kharbanda (Directed by Deepa Mehta; Mongrel Media) He’s rich and sexy, but he’s in no mood to marry—even though his parents threaten to cancel his sister’s wedding if he doesn’t find himself a wife. What’s a brother to do? Now Playing

BUBBA HO-TEP: Bruce Campbell, Ossie Davis, Reggie Bannister, Heidi Marnhout, Larry Pennell, Daniel Roebuck (Directed by Don Coscarelli; Silver Sphere Corporation) All those weirdos were right—Elvis Presley did not pass away; he merely passed on to a secret location, not even surfacing for the funeral of that Elvis impersonator. Finally, the real Elvis does come out of hiding in order to thwart the evil international scheme of a monstrous creep. Long live The King! Now Playing

DUPLEX: Drew Barrymore, Ben Stiller, Eileen Essell, Harvey Fierstein, Justin Theroux, Robert Wisdom, Amber Valletta, James Remar, Wallace Shawn, Maya Randolph, Sheryl Klein, Swoosie Kurtz, Tim Maculan (Directed by Danny DeVito; Miramax) Decent housing is not easy to come by in New York, so if lovebirds Drew and Ben decide to murder the senior citizen (Eileen Essell) who refuses to vacate the top floor of their dream home, who can blame them? Robert Wisdom, so memorable as the pompous, sodomizing creative-writing professor in "Storytelling," plays a cop--though not necessarily one of New York's finest. But can the killing of a defenseless old lady really be all that funny? Just remember, DeVito is the director who dared to tickle us darkly in "Throw Momma From the Train," "The War of the Roses," "Drowning Mona" and the immortal "Death to Smoochy." Now Playing

THE RUNDOWN: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Seann William Scott, Christopher Walken, Rosario Dawson, Ewen Bremner, Nina Kaczorowski, Jon Gries, Arnold Schwarzenegger (Directed by Peter Berg; Universal) An obsessive bounty hunter hastens to the Amazon in pursuit of the criminal who got away, only to discover the man is innocent. So they pool their resources in the hope of making a killing—one that may not be totally within the law. Now Playing

LUTHER: Joseph Fiennes, Alfred Molina, Jonathan Firth, Claire Cox, Peter Ustinov, Bruno Ganz, Uwe Ochsenknecht, Mathieu Carriere, Marco Hofschneider, Torben Liebrecht (Directed by Eric Till; R. S. Entertainment Inc.) Martin Luther, an outraged 16th-cenury monk, speaks out against what he considers papal corruption and brings about the Protestant Reformation. The current pope may not loathe this film as much as he loathes "The Magdalene Sisters," but he probably isn’t going to put it at the top of his must-see list, either. Now Playing

MY LIFE WITHOUT ME: Sarah Polley, Scott Speedman, Mark Ruffalo, Deborah Harry, Leonor Watling, Amanda Plummer, Julian Richings, Maria de Medeiros, Alfred Molina (Directed by Isabel Coixet; Sony Pictures Classics) Ann is 23, lives in a trailer with her husband and two kids, and seems relatively content. Then she’s told she has terminal cancer and only two months to live. You may be surprised to see what she does with that precious time. Now Playing

UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN: Diane Lane, Raoul Bova, Sandra Oh, Vincent Riotta, Dan Bucatinsky, Lindsay Duncan, Kate Walsh (Directed by Audrey Wells; Disney/Buena Vista) Stressed-out by the demands of her job, a San Franciscan escapes to Tuscany, where she finds the run-down villa of her dreams, plus a man who brings her flowers. Now Playing