13 Ghosts (PG-13) 21st century remake of the old William Castle spookfest about a family trapped in the haunted house they've just inherited. Stars F. Murray Abraham, Tony Shalhoub and Shannon Elizabeth.
(Not Reviewed)
Amazing Journeys (PG) IMAX films are about scale, size — from the unfathomably huge (the oceans, the cosmos themselves) to the microscopically small — and this latest IMAX production gives us a little bit to look at from both ends of the spectrum. Amazing Journeys examines the migration habits of various creatures.
Amelie (NR) Plucky, quintessentially quirky Amelie (saucer-eyed Audrey Tautou) spends her time choreographing good deeds and love connections for her neighbors and, eventually, herself. Amelie, which is as much a fairy tale as it is a cartoon, brims with imagination and emotion, and the impossibly fetching Montemartre neighborhood in which it's set is as much a dreamscape as it is an actual physical location. As is his stylistic want, director Jean-Pierre Jeunet crams every inch of the film with marvelously composed shots of bric-a-brac and arcane doodads, lavishing equal, fetishistic attention upon a kitschy garden gnome and the sensual pleasure of cracking open the crust on a well-turned creme brulee. Also stars Mathieu Kassovitz. Held over at Tampa Theatre. Call theater to confirm.
Bandits (PG-13) Director Barry Levinson mixes buddy-crime-flick shtick and romantic comedy (a la Ally McBeal) and peppers it with the stylish verite camera moves and music video-style montages he employed in his TV show Homicide. The combination makes for an entertaining, though unevenly paced and overly quirky, two hours of madcap caper fun. Stars Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton and Cate Blanchett.
—Julie Garisto
Behind Enemy Lines (R) This film was completed before 9-11, so instead of jihad-crazy Muslims, the nasty bad guys here are the murderous Serbs who shoot down bored Yankee fly-boy Owen Wilson during a routine reconnaissance mission over Bosnia. Wilson then spends the entire movie on the run from his vicious pursuers while his NATO superiors bicker over the delicate particulars of his rescue. The movie has all the depth of a Little Lulu comic, but director John Moore shoots the action in such a blatantly visceral, hyper-kinetic manner that we just can't look away. Even at its most disposable, Behind Enemy Lines is undeniably exciting, and some of the special effects sequences are amazing. Also stars Gene Hackman.
Black Knight (PG-13) Martin Lawrence plays a medieval theme park employee who gets dunked in a funky looking moat and finds himself magically transported back to the actual 14th Century. The movie's too lacking in energy to bother developing a few decent jokes (not to mention characters), and simply goes through the motions of telling its story, not exactly incompetently, but certainly as if it had been written on autopilot. The feeling is contagious, and it's not long before those of us in the audience begin to feel as if we too were on autopilot, barely there and just waiting for the final credits to roll. Also stars Marsha Thomason and Tom Wilkinson.
Bones (R) Stylishly lensed but incoherently told horror tale about — as near as we can tell, anyway — a ghetto boss who returns from the dead. Bones is a vapid, convoluted mishmash of Hellraiser, Candyman and a dozen other, better horror films, and, despite top billing, Snoop Dogg isn't even in the movie very much. That's a blessing, actually, since he's pretty awful.
Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man (G) Multimedia performance artists/acrobats/magicians Cirque du Soleil find their way to the big screen — the really big screen — in this visually spectacular IMAX 3-D experience. The film's astonishing imagery constitutes an authentic document of Cirque du Soleil in motion, as well as a beautifully poetic tribute to the glory of the human body. At IMAX Channelside.
Domestic Disturbance (PG-13) A cute little kid is terrorized by his evil step dad (Vince Vaughan). Never fear, though: Bio-pop John Travolta is on to him. Also stars Steve Buscemi. (Not Reviewed)
Don't Say a Word (R) A slickly made but only modestly interesting thriller in which a child psychologist (Michael Douglas) races against time to meet the ransom demanded by his daughter's kidnappers. There's much less here than meets the eye, but there are some passable moments of suspense, and the film is skillfully crafted enough to occasionally give the thin storyline the illusion of substance.
Everest (PG) The best IMAX movie to date returns. Everest chronicles an expedition to the world's tallest peak. As with most other IMAX films, breathtaking, vertigo-inducing cinematography and nifty science facts abound. But unlike most other IMAX films, there's an actual narrative here, complete with humor, suspense, real human characters and mythic scope. Plays 6p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9, at MOSI's IMAX Dome Theater. Call theater to confirm.
