The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
(PG-13)
Weekend gross: $25 million
Who’s in it: Elijah Wood, Sean Astin,
Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler
What it’s about: Gandalf returns to aid in the struggle against the united towers of Saruman and Sauron.
Worth watching?: A stupendous visual achievement.
Now showing
Movie: Catch Me If You Can
(PG-13)
Weekend gross: $21.1 million
Who’s in it: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken
What it’s about: By the age of 18, Frank Abagnale Jr. became the most successful check forger in the history of the U.S.
Worth watching?: Brilliant performances by DiCaprio as Frank Jr. and Christopher Walken as his fallen father.
Movie: Two Weeks Notice
(PG-13)
Weekend gross: $11.1 million
Who’s in it: Sandra Bullock, Hugh Grant, Alicia Witt
What it’s about: Is it ever too late to say “I love you?”
Worth watching?: A formulaic romantic comedy.
Movie: Maid in Manhattan
(PG-13)
Weekend gross: $8.6 million
Who’s in it: Jennifer Lopez, Ralph Fiennes, Natasha Richardson
What it’s about: A street-savvy, independent single mother who works as a maid in a Manhattan hotel meets a handsome politico.
Worth watching?: Yet another Cinderella story, albeit one without wicked stepsisters.
Movie: About Schmidt
(R)
Weekend gross: $8.5 million
Who’s in it: Jack Nicholson, Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney, Kathy Bates
What it’s about: A new widower sets out across the Nebraska Plains in hisWinnebago to attend his daughter’s wedding.
Worth watching?: A superb film.
Opening this weekend
Movie: 25th Hour
(R)
Who’s in it: Edward Norton, Barry Pepper, Rosario Dawson,
What it’s about: Monty Brogan (Norton) spends his final 24 hours before going to prison partying the night away with his two best friends–a bonds trader and a high school English teacher–and his girlfriend.
Movie: Narc
(R)
Who’s in it: Jason Patric, Ray Liotta, Busta Rhymes, Chi McBride
What it’s about: Undercover cop Nick Tellis (Patric) teams with Lt. Harry Oak (Liotta) to solve Oak’s slain partner’s murder. Tellis slips into bad patterns as the underworld he knows too well sucks him in.
Under the radar
Movie: Rabbit-Proof Fence
(PG)
Weekend gross: $365,298
Who’s in it: Everlyn Sampi, Tianna Sansbury, Laura Monaghan, Kenneth Branagh
What it’s about: The true story of three aboriginal girls in 1931 who escape from forced domestic servitude and embark on an epic 1,500-mile trek home.
Worth watching?: Peter Gabriel’s ambient soundtrack heightens emotional conflicts.
