At the movies
A sneak preview of what's in theaters
Take the Lead
Antonio Banderas stars as a former professional ballroom dancer who volunteers at a New York public school to teach dance, even though the hip-hop instincts of his students clash, at first, with his methods. (PG-13)
Opening
Ask the Dust
Colin Farrell and Salma Hayek star in this drama about a young man, castigated back home for his Italian heritage, who moves to 1930s Los Angeles to become a novelist, where he becomes obsessed with a Mexican barmaid. Review in Saturday's Today section. (R)
ATL
Antwone Fisher (the source of Denzel Washington's film a couple of years back) provided the script about a quartet of working-class Atlanta teens who love both hip-hop and roller skating. Review on Friday Entertainment page. (PG-13)
Basic Instinct 2
1/2
Sharon Stone reprises her career-making role of Catherine Tramell. This time, the crime novelist relocates from San Francisco to London, where once again she finds herself on the wrong side of the law. She's brought in by a Scotland Yard detective following the death of a sports star. Professional boundaries are obliterated when she uncovers his own basic instincts. Review on Thursday Entertainment page. (R)
Find Me Guilty
1/2
Vin Diesel stars in veteran director Sidney Lumet's comic drama about the true-life story of Jackie Dinorsio, who refused to turn government witness against his former associates in the New Jersey Lucchesi crime family. Review in Thursday's Today section. (R)
Ice Age: The Meltdown
1/2
In this sequel to 2002's animated hit, the ice age is ending, and while the animals are delighting in the melting paradise, there is a major drawback: A glacial dam is about to break, threatening their valley home. And Skrat is back, still trying to grab that elusive acorn. Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary and Queen Latifah head the voice cast. Review on Page 22. (PG)
Slither
Residents of a small town are terrorized by an alien plague in the form of bloodthirsty slugs, whose bite transforms people into mutant monsters. Review on Page 21. (R)
Now Playing
PG - Parental guidance suggested.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Based on C.S. Lewis' classic novel, the story follows four siblings who enter the world of Narnia through a magical wardrobe. There they join a noble lion, Aslan, in fighting an evil White Witch, Jadis.
Eight Below
Paul Walker is a researcher in Antarctica who takes an expedition to recover thedogs they left behind after they were caught in a storm.
Nanny McPhee
1/2
Emma Thompson stars as a magical but tough nanny who shapes up a family with seven badly behaved children.
The Shaggy Dog
Another remake, this time of the 1959 Disney classic. A top-secret serum turns a district attorney (Tim Allen) into a pooch. Before he can become human again, he must stop the evil forces behind the serum.
PG-13 - Parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate from children under age 13.
16 Blocks
1/2
A New York cop (Bruce Willis) must escort a squirrelly convict (Mos Def) from jail to court, but dangerous forces are out to stop them.
Annapolis
A dream comes true for a young man from the wrong side of the tracks when he is accepted into the Naval Academy. But once there, he's not sure he measures up.
Big Momma's House 2
1/2
Martin Lawrence goes back undercover in his disguise as a grandmother, this time to be a nanny for the three kids of a suspected killer.
Date Movie
1/2
Alyson Hannigan stars in a parody of modern romantic comedies from a couple of the writers of the "Scary Movie" series.
Failure to Launch
Matthew McConaughey plays a 30-something slacker who still lives with his parents. They hire a professional motivator (Sarah Jessica Parker) to lure him out of the nest.
Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector
The comedian from the Blue Collar Tour stars as a workaday guy happy with his usual round of greasy spoon diners. His life is turned upside down, however, when he's assigned to investigate an outbreak of food poisonings at swanky restaurants.
Memoirs of a Geisha
1/2
Based on the bestselling novel, a poor girl (Ziyi Zhang) is taken from her penniless family in the years before World War II and trained to be a geisha.
She's the Man
This movie takes a little bit of "Bend It Like Beckham" and a lot of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" and twists them into a cross-dressing teen farce. Amanda Bynes pretends to be a guy in this energetic but unspectacular comedy.
Stay Alive
Frankie Muniz and Samaire Armstrong are part of a group of teens who play a mysterious video game -- and suddenly find themselves being murdered the same ways as their game characters.
When a Stranger Calls
This slick remake of the 1979 horror-thriller is about a teenage baby sitter (Camilla Belle) who is terrorized by a stranger's phone calls.
The World's Fastest Indian
Anthony Hopkins stars in the true story of a New Zealand man who, at age 68, took his motorcycle to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah to try to break the world speed record.
R - Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Brokeback Mountain
1/2
Oscar-winning director Ang Lee's epic love story between a ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy boasts a staggeringly fine performance by Heath Ledger.
Caché (Hidden)
Writer/director Michael Haneke delivers a masterpiece of unsettlement. The comfortable lives of a bourgeois Parisian couple (Daniel Auteuil and Juliette Binoche) and their adolescent son starts spiraling out of control when a videotape turns up on their doorstep, showing their house under surveillance. It's a creepy psychological thriller.
The Hills Have Eyes
A remake of Wes Craven's 1977 cult flick about a family stalked by a group of mutant killers.
Inside Man
1/2
A detective matches wits with a bank robber as a cat-and-mouse game unfolds during a perfectly planned bank robbery. Director Spike Lee pulls fine performances from stars Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster.
Match Point
Woody Allen's latest is about a former tennis pro who climbs into the world of the British upper class through his engagement to one of his students. But then he falls for an American actress who is dating his future brother-in-law.
Syriana
1/2
This political thriller weaves powerful moments of pathos, compassion, and insight into its lesson on the realities of greed in international commerce. George Clooney won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role as a CIA agent who uncovers the dark secrets behind the oil industry.
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Actor Tommy Lee Jones directs this moralistic tale of a Texan taking the corpse of his Mexican best friend across the border south to bury him, accompanied by the patrolman that killed the man.
Transamerica
Felicity Huffman plays a transsexual who takes a cross-country road trip with her estranged son. Huffman shows astounding range in playing a battered soul.
V for Vendetta
1/2
Natalie Portman stars as a woman enlisted by a masked revolutionary to help fight a totalitarian government, in this futuristic thriller.
Art House | Revival
THE DORIS DUKE THEATRE, HONOLULU ACADEMY OF ARTS
900 S. Beretania St.; $7 general; $6 seniors, students and military; $5 Academy members (532-8768):
Fateless
At 1, 4 and 7:30 p.m. Friday; 1 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday; 7:30 p.m. April 3; and 1 and 7:30 p.m. April 4 and 5.
Occupation: Dreamland
At 1 p.m. April 6.
MOVIE MUSEUM
3566 Harding Ave.; $5, $4 members; reservations recommended due to limited seating (735-8771):
Nora
At 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Friday.
Supermarket Woman (Supah no Onna)
At 12:30, 3, 5:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday.
Bird of Paradise
At 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. Sunday.
The Case of the Cold Fish (Yue Hei Feng Gao)
At 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. April 3.
The Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family (Todake no Kyodai)
At 2, 4, 6 and 8 p.m. April 6.
"THE HEALING WORLD" FILM SERIES
Spalding Hall Auditorium, University of Hawaii-Manoa,; $5 general and $3 for UH students, faculty and staff (223-0130):
The Tiger's Apprentice / Between Two Worlds: The Hmong Shaman in America
At 7 p.m. April 6.
