These are the most recent films that have come and gone from the Jefferson Theater. This is posted here to give you an idea of what we show. Please note that once we've played a film, it's immediately shipped back to the distributor, never to play here again.

Prior years: 2002 - 2001 - 2000

NOW PLAYING Friday, January 24 - Thursday, January 30:

THE BANGER SISTERS 7:00 & 9:00 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:00 matinees Sat/Sun An aging unrepentent rock groupie played by Goldie Hawn goes in search of her former best freind and fellow groupie, played by Susan Sarandon. "Hawn and Sarandon hit the ground running, and are so funny and goofy that they distract and delight us," says Roger Ebert. (Curiously, it was Hawn's daughter, Kate Hudson, who played the groupied named Penny Lane in "Almost Famous. Rated R for language, sexual content, and some drug use. (Fox Searchlight Pictures) Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 37min.

SWEET HOME ALABAMA 7:15 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:15 matinees Sat/Sun "You can take the girl out of the honky-tonk, but you can't take the honky-tonk out of the girl." Reese Witherspoon stars as the young woman with a white trash background runs away from her husband in Alabama and reinvents herself as a New York socialite. Also starring Patrick Dempsey, Mary Kay Place, and Candice Bergen . Rated PG-13 for some language and sexual references. (Buena Vista) Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 42min.

NOW PLAYING through Thursday, January 23:

TUCK EVERLASTING 7:00 & 9:00 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:00 matinees Sat/Sun Based on the 1975 cult children's novel by Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting explores love and mortality, from the Walt Disney studios. The Los Angeles Times says Tuck is "made with such skill and sensitivity that its appeal spans generations." Starring Albemarle County's biggest star, Sissy Spacek, as well as William Hurt, Jonathan Jackson, and newcomer Alexis Bledel. Rated PG for some violence. (Buena Vista) Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 30min.

SWEET HOME ALABAMA 7:15 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:15 matinees Sat/Sun "You can take the girl out of the honky-tonk, but you can't take the honky-tonk out of the girl." Reese Witherspoon stars as the young woman with a white trash background runs away from her husband in Alabama and reinvents herself as a New York socialite. Also starring Patrick Dempsey, Mary Kay Place, and Candice Bergen . Rated PG-13 for some language and sexual references. (Buena Vista) Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 42min.

NOW PLAYING Friday, Jan 3 - Thurs, January 9, 2003:

WHITE OLEANDER 7:00 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:15 matinees Sat/Sun Based on the best-selling novel by Janet Fitch. "In the realm of mother-daughter movies," writes the New York Times, White Oleander is a cut above Anywhere but Here, and "about equal" to Tumbleweeds, and, of course "several cuts above" Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Starring Robin Wright Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Renee Zellweger, and Alison Lohman. Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements concerning dysfunctional relationships, drug content, language, sexuality and violence. (Warner Brothers) Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 50min.

SIMONE 7:15 & 9:30 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:30 matinees Sat/Sun When the starlet storms off a movie set, the director comes up with a brilliant idea: he'll create a digital substitute. But the virtual actress quickly becomes becoming an overnight sensation. Oh, oh! Written, produced and directed by Andrew Niccol, who wrote The Truman Show and starring Al Pacino and Rachel Roberts. Rated PG-13 for sexuality and some thematic elements. (NewLine) Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 57min.

UPCOMING Friday, Dec 27 2002, - Thurs, Jan 2, 2003: No movies on New Year's Eve. That's Tuesday, December 31, when concerts for First Night Virginia will be here.

13 CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONE THING 7:15 & 9:15 nightly Starring Matthew McConaughey, Alan Arkin, John Turturro, Amy Irving, "The movie is brilliant, really," exclaims Roger Ebert. "It is philosophy, illustrated through everyday events." Written by Jill Sprecher and Karen Sprecher. Rated R for language and brief drug use. (sony classics) Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 42min.

POSSESSION 7:00 & 9:00 nightly Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Aaron Eckhart, and Jeremy Northam, Possession is a "brainy romance," according to Roger Ebert. Here, a pair of literary sleuths unearth the amorous secret of two Victorian poets only to find themselves falling under a passionate spell. "In a world where most movie romances consist of hormonal triggers and plumbing procedures, it's sexy to observe two couples who think and debate their connections, who quote poetry to each other, who consciously try to enhance their relationships by seeking metaphors and symbols they can attach to." Rated PG-13 for sexuality and some thematic elements. (focus features) Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 42min.

NOW PLAYING Friday, December 20 - Thursday, December 26: No movies on Christmas Eve. That's Tuesday, December 24, when most movie-goers seem to find other things to do.

TADPOLE 7:15 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:15 matinees Sat/Sun A coming of age movie about with a twist. Fifteen-year-old Oscar Grubman is home in Manhattan from boarding school when he falls in love with... his stepmother, played by Sigourney Weaver. Thanks to what Rolling Stone calls a "sinfully funny script" and great acting, including newcomer Aaron Stanford as Oscar, along with John Ritter and Bebe Neuwirth, Tadpole may be small, concludes Rolling Stone, "but it's something special-- a cheeky comedy knockout." Rated PG-13 for sexual content, mature thematic elements and language. (miramax) Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 18min.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST 7:00 & 9:00 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:00 matinees Sat/Sun Yes, it's based on the classic play by Oscar Wilde. Hilarity ensues when two friends in 1890s London unwittingly use the same pseudonym ("Ernest") for their on-the-sly activities. Roger Ebert lauds it as "an exercise in wit." Starring Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon, and Judi Dench and directed by Oliver Parker who gave us A Perfect Husband. Rated PG for mild sensuality. (miramax) Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 40min.

Friday, December 6 -Thursday, December 19:

BLUE CRUSH 7:15 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:15 matinees Sat/Sun "Looking at the posters for Blue Crush," writes famed critic Roger Ebert, "I expected another mindless surfing movie. Blue Crush is anything but." Indeed, it's based on a famous magazine article entitled "Surf Girls of Maui" which, like Saturday Night Fever, found that underneath the beautiful people veneer, hard-working people with complicated lives work blue-color jobs to support their surf habit. (universal) Rated PG-13 for sexual content, teen partying, language, and a fight. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 44min.

SIGNS 7:00 & 9:30 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:30 matinees Sat/Sun From the director of Unbreakable and The Sixth Sense comes a film so quietly mysterious and terrifying that Roger Ebert dubs it "genius." Director M. Night Shyamalan does what Hitchcock said he liked to do, Ebert writes, "and plays the audience like a piano." Starring Mel Gibson. Joaquin Phoenix, and Rory Culkin. (buena vista pictures) Rated PG-13 for some frightening moments. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 2hrs.

Friday, November 29 - Thursday, December 5:

THE GOOD GIRL 7:15 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:15 matinees Sunday only Finally, a break-out role in a devilish black comedy for Friends star Jennifer Aniston. Here, she's a cashier at Retail Rodeo, a sort of K-Martish place where the shoppers are so dulled that they don't notice the put-downs hurled their way on the P.A. system. When Aniston's character's lethargic husband smokes one joint too many, she embarks upon an affair with a fellow cashier with unpredictable results. The New York Times calls The Good Girl a "winner." (fox searchlight) Rated R for sexuality, some language, and drug content. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 33min.

ONE HOUR PHOTO 7:00 & 9:30 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:30 matinees Sunday only Starring Robin Williams as the seemingly nice but ultimately very bad guy who works as a photo-finisher. "Meticulously chilling," says the San Francisco Examiner, adding that the film"comes closer than any other thriller in recent memory to achieving the Hitchcockian ideal of mortal terror in broad daylight." Also starring Eriq LaSalle. (fox searchlight) Rated R for sexual content and language. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 38min.

NOW PLAYING Friday, November 22 - Thursday, November 28:

BLOOD WORK 7:00 & 9:15 nightly Clint Eastwood is back, baby, and he's not afraid to show his age-- as Terry McCaleb, the retired FBI profiler given the chance to investigate the death of a woman two years earlier. The victim, it seems, was the donor for McCaleb's new heart. He takes the case. "The movie is not simply a sentimental revenge picture," writes Roger Ebert, "but a police procedural that leads us into an intriguing investigation." Also starring Jeff Daniels, Anjelica Huston, and Wanda De Jesus, the film is directed by Eastwood himself. (warner brothers) Rated R for violence and language. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 51min.

EIGHT LEGGED FREAKS 7:30 & 9:30 nightly "This may be the movie that people were hoping for when they went to see Men in Black II," writes Roger Ebert. It has "laughs, thrills, wit, and scary monsters, and is one of those goofy movies like Critters that kids itself and gets away with it." The director, Ellory Elkayem, grabbed attention by directing a shorter version of this idea at the Telluride Film Festival before landing this leggy assignment. Starring David Arquette. (warner brothers) Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence, brief sexuality, and language. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 39min.

NOW SHOWING through Thursday, November 21:

THE BOURNE IDENTITY 7:00 & 9:30 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:30 Sat/Sun An action thriller by an indie director. Doug Liman (who made "Go" and "Swingers") casts Matt Damon as a man who is pulled unconscious from the water by a Mediterranean fisherman. He's got two bullet holes in him, a Swiss bank-account number embedded under his skin, and he wants to find out who he is-- with the aid of a pretty German girl played by Franka Potente of "Run Lola Run" fame. (universal) Rated PG-13 for violence and some language. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 58min.

THE ROAD TO PERDITION 7:15 & 9:45 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:45 Sat/Sun The masterpiece starring Tom Hanks and Paul Newman. More importantly, it's the second film from director Sam Mendes, whose first picture, "American Beauty," won the 1999 Oscars for best director, best picture, best screenplay, best actor, and even cinematography. Here, we're back in 1931 trying to find out through this gangster film whether the narrator's father was "a decent man" or "no good at all." (dreamworks) Rated R for violence and language. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 59min.

NOW PLAYING Friday, October 25 - Thursday, October 31:

ENIGMA 7:00 & 9:30 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:30 Sat/Sun Directed by Michael Apted and starring Kate Winslet, this World War II-era drama involves not only a love triangle but the British breaking of the thought-to-be-unbreakable German code machine called Enigma. "What I like about the movie," writes Roger Ebert, "is its combination of suspense and intelligence." (manhatan pictures) Rated R for a sex scene and language. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 57 min.

FESTIVAL IN CANNES 7:15 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:15 Sat/Sun The L.A. Times calls this film a "giddy comic fantasy, full of romance, chicanery and beguiling, sophisticated players." It's set at the Cannes Film Festival-- which is sorta like the Virginia Film Festival, only it's been around a bit longer and has more of a world-wide reputation. There's the cheesy big-shot producer, a small-time hustler, an even an aging star. They're all vying for attention and film deals on the sunny French Riviera. (paramount classics) Rated PG-13 for brief, strong language. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 39min.

NOW PLAYING Friday, October 18 - Thursday, October 24:

LIFE OR SOMETHING LIKE IT 7:00 & 9:00 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:00 Sat/Sun A romantic drama about a TV newswoman relentlessly in pursuit of the next interview-- until a homeless clairvoyant says she has exactly one week to live. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "That setup, as well as the suspense that goes with it, takes this romantic drama a long way toward excellence. What brings it home are two stars who are easy on the eyes-- Angelina Jolie and Edward Burns-- and a screenplay that's actually about something." (twentieth century fox). Rated PG-13 for sexual content, brief violence and language. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 44 min.

ABOUT A BOY 7:15 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:15 Sat/Sun It's about a jaded man who learns how to grow up-- thanks to a little boy. Based on the novel by Nick Hornby of High Fidelity fame and directed by the brothers whose American Pie became the most imitated comedy of last year, it stars Hugh Grant, who plays the man who, realizing he's a bit of cad, tries to date single moms. Roger Ebert calls this a comedy of "confidence and grace." (universal pictures) Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some thematic elements. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 40min.

Friday, October 11 - Thursday, October 17:

ABOUT A BOY 7:15 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:15 Sat/Sun It's about a jaded man who learns how to grow up-- thanks to a little boy. Based on the novel by Nick Hornby of High Fidelity fame and directed by the brothers whose American Pie became the most imitated comedy of last year, it stars Hugh Grant, who plays the man who, realizing he's a bit of cad, tries to date single moms. Roger Ebert calls this a comedy of "confidence and grace." (universal pictures) Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some thematic elements. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 40min.

AUSTIN POWERS IN GOLDMEMBER 7:00 & 9:00 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:00 Sat/Sun Upon learning that his father has been kidnapped, Austin Powers must travel to 1975 and defeat the villain Johann van der Smutt-- also known as Goldmember, a criminal mastermind who lost his genitalia in an "unfortunate smelting accident." The Washington Post says Myers, back again with Dr. Evil, Fat Bastard, and Mini Me-- "unleashes the entire contents of his comic mind." (new line cinema) Rated PG-13 for sexual innuendo, crude humor, and language. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 36min.

Friday, September 20-26, 27-3, Oct 4-10 (3wks):

MONSOON WEDDING 7:00 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:15 Saturday It's an Indian wedding. The bride's got a secret, and the groom in this arranged marriage, although Indian-born-- is living in Houston. Texas. Monsoon Wedding-- as Roger Ebert puts it-- "is one of those joyous films that leaps over national boundaries and celebrates universal human nature." (focus films) Rated R for language, including some sex-related dialogue. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 53min.

MINORITY REPORT 6:45 & 9:30 nightly plus 1:20 & 4:00 Saturday Starring Tom Cruise and directed by Steven Spielberg, this engaging future study poses the question, "If in the future, criminals are punished for crimes they have yet to commit, what happens when a man is accused who was not going to commit the crime." Minority Report earned noted critic Roger Ebert's highest rating. "This film is such a virtuoso high-wire act, daring so much, achieving it with such grace and skill. Minority Report reminds us why we go to the movies in the first place." (twentieth century fox) Rated PG-13 for violence, brief language, some sexuality and drug content. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 2hrs, 25min

No matinees (daytime shows) on Sunday, September 22 (due to chamber music fest 295-5395)

Friday, September 13 - Wednesday, September 18:

INSOMNIA 7:00 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:15 Sat/Sun INSOMNIA-- From the director of Memento, this film is about two police officers sent to Alaska to investigate the murder of a teenage girl. What happens next turns this film from a thriller into a morality tale. "Taut, tense, and terrific," says Rolling Stone. Starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank. (warner brothers) Rated R for language, some violence, and brief nudity. Al Pacino and Robin Williams are superb. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 2hrs.

STAR WARS -- EPISODE 2: ATTACK OF THE CLONES 6:45 & 9:30 nightly plus 1:30 & 4:15 Sat/Sun From director George Lucas comes the latest and most technically amazing of the popular sci-fi series. From the opening chase through the canyons to the climactic battle scene, there is-- as the L.A. Times puts it-- "more menace and less Jar Jar." Starring Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, and Hayden Christensen in the role of Anakin Skywalker... and of course music by John Williams. (twentieth century fox) Rated PG for sustained sequences of sci-fi action/violence. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 2hrs, 20min.

No Movies on Thursday, September 19 (due to chamber music fest 295-5395)

SPECIAL SAD NOTE:
We had planned to show Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN this fall, but contractual issues between the MPAA and the film's distributor caused it to be yanked from distribution. Sorry.

Friday, September 6 - Wednesday, September 11: No Movies on Thursday, September 12 and no matinees (daytime shows) on Sunday, September 8 (due to chamber music fest 295-5395)

40 DAYS & 40 NIGHTS 7:30 & 9:30 nightly plus 2:30 & 4:30 Saturday the 7th A light comedy starring Josh Hartnett as Matt, a guy so troubled by his libido that he swears off intimate relations during Lent. Oh, what a crazy comedy. However... "the details are fresh," writers Roger Ebert, "and writer Rob Perez's dialogue about sex has more complexity and nuance than we expect." (miramax films) Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity and language. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 33min.

ITALIAN FOR BEGINNERS 7:00 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:15 Saturday the 7th "A charming Danish comedy" says Roger Ebert, who lauds the "freshness and quirkiness of its characters and their interlinked stories." They're all tied together by-- you guessed it-- an Italian-for-beginners-class. There's a smorgasbord of characters: the young pastor, the hothead short order cook from the sports restaurant, the clumsy girl from the bakery etc. etc. "These melancholy Danes create something sexy, funny, and touching," says Rolling Stone. In Danish with English subtitles. (miramax films) Rated R for language and some sexuality. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 52min.

Friday, August 30 - Thursday, September 5:

THE SUM OF ALL FEARS 7:00 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:15 Sat/Sun Ben Affleck stars as CIA agent Jack Ryan along with Morgan Freeman as a high-level CIA boss in this horrifying vision of nuclear terror in an American city based on the novel by Tom Clancy. Read what Roger Ebert says: "Director Phil Alden Robinson and his writers, Paul Attanasio and Daniel Pyne, do a spellbinding job of cranking up the tension; they create a portrait of convincing realism, and then they add the other stuff because, well, if anybody ever makes a movie like this without the obligatory Hollywood softeners, audiences might flee the theater in despair." (paramount pictures) Rated PG-13 for violence, disaster images, and brief strong language. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 59min.

CHANGING LANES 7:30 & 9:30 nightly plus 2:30 & 4:30 Sat/Sun It sounds like a cat and mouse game, when two angry men have a fender-bender in New York City. But, as Roger Ebert, who gives it four stars, says, Changing Lanes is "a thoughtful film that by its very existence shames studio movies that have been dumbed down into cat-and-mouse cartoons." Starring Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson with Sydney Pollack and William Hurt. (paramount pictures) Rated R for language. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 40min.

Friday, August 23 - Thursday, August 29:

THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES 7:30 & 9:30 nightly plus 2:30 & 4:30 Sat/Sun "Fiendishly entertaining," says the Washington Post-- a "truly, madly, deeply satisfying creep-out." Starring Richard Gere as a Washington Post reporter who heads south from Georgetown to Richmond to interview the governor and winds up in Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Based on a true story. (sony pictures) Rated PG-13 for obscenity, a quick glimpse of a make-out session, and a pervasive aura of eeriness. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 19min.

PANIC ROOM 7:00 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:15 Sat/Sun Jodie Foster stars and Forest Whitaker in this thoughtful, creepy drama that unfolds like a chess match. Foster plays a newly divorced woman spending her first night in her house: a big old Manhattan brownstone modernized with a safe room: a space equipped with air, water, and solid doors to keep out predators-- such as the trio that thinks there's money in there. Roger Ebert says Foster is "spellbinding-- she has the gutsy, brainy resilience of a stubborn scrapper, and when all other resources fail her she can still think fast--and obliquely, like a chessmaster hiding one line of attack inside another." (sony pictures) Rated R for violence and language. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 52min.

Friday, August 16- Thursday, August 22:

BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF 7:15 & 9:45 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:45 Sat/Sun This is based on a true story based on the so-called Beast of Gevaudan. In 1764, the beast terrorized a remote district of France, killing more than 60 women and children and tearing out their hearts and other organs. One of the five most popular films of the year in France, this film, writes the L.A. Times is a "cross-cultural hoot that no one should take too seriously." Rated R for strong violence and gore, and sexuality, nudity (Universal Focus) Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 2hrs, 22min.

E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL 7:00 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:15 Sat/Sun The Steven Spielberg classic starring Drew Barrymore as Gertie and Henry Thomas as Elliott. In his original 1982 review, Roger Ebert knew this one was special. "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial"is a reminder of what movies are for. Some are to make us think, some to make us feel, some to take us away from our problems, some to help us examine them. What is enchanting about "E.T." is that, in some measure, it does all of those things." (universal studios) Rated PG for language and mild thematic elements. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 2 hours.

Friday, August 9- Thursday, August 15:

LANTANA 7:00 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:15 Sat/Sun The lives of several people are interwined in this darkly deceptive Australian drama. It all starts with a body found in the grass. By the time it's over, the lives of four couples have been laid bare for their deceptions and disaffections. The L.A. Times lauds the film as "sly, complex." Perhaps that's why it won win seven Australian Film Institute awards, including an unprecedented sweep of all four acting categories. (lions gate films) Rated PG-13 for language and sexuality. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 2hrs.

MONSTERS BALL 7:30 & 9:30 nightly plus 2:30 & 4:30 Sat/Sun "Riveting," "unpredictable," and "compelling" says the L.A. Times. Roger Ebert gives it four stars. The Academy gave Halle Berry the Oscar, as Leticia, a black woman whose life collides with Hank, played by Billy Bob Thornton. "What a shock to find these two characters freed from the conventions of political correctness," writes Ebert. Also starring Heath Ledger, Peter Boyle, and Sean "Puffy" Combs, as Leticia's ex-husband on death row. (lions gate films) Rated R for strong sexual content, language and violence. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 39min.

Friday, August 2- Thursday, August 8:

KISSING JESSICA STEIN 7:30 & 9:30 nightly plus 2:30 & 4:30 Sat/Sun Jessica Stein has many bad dates, and so she takes a peek at the personal ads in the "women seeking women" section. When she meets the sexy and adventurous Helen, who is essentially a straight girl looking for new experiences, they're surprised to find themselves falling in love. Starring Heather Juergensen and Jennifer Westfeldt, the film, according to the L.A. Times, "has the sheen of a polished Hollywood production but is never glossy or glib as it deals with serious matters with delicacy, good humor and, at times, outright hilarity." (fox searchlight films) Rated R for self-consciously cute sexual situations and strong language. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 36min.

UNFAITHFUL 7:00 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:15 Sat/Sun Diane Lane stars in this nuanced tale of a Westchester County woman who begins an affair with a Latin bookseller. Then her hubby, played by Richard Gere, finds out, and something happens. "That's what's intriguing about the film," says Roger Ebert. "Instead of pumping up the plot with recycled manufactured thrills, it's content to contemplate two reasonably sane adults who get themselves into an almost insoluble dilemma." (twentieth century fox) Rated R for sexuality, partial nudity, language, and a scene of violence. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 2hrs.

Friday, July 26- Thursday, August 1:

AMELIE HELD OVER for an amazing fourth (and final) week!! 7:00 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:15 Sat/Sun Although it's still in release, this film has been widely acclaimed as one of the best of all time. According to Roger Ebert, it's a "delicious pastry of a movie, a lighthearted fantasy in which a winsome heroine overcomes a sad childhood and grows up to bring cheer to the needful and joy to herself." Amelie is a waitress in Paris, and she just wants to make people happy. (Miramax films) Rated R for some very mild sexual content. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 2hrs.

THE BUSINESS OF STRANGERS 7:30 & 9:30 nightly plus 2:30 & 4:30 Sat/Sun A dark thriller about a successful businesswoman, played by Stockard Channing, and her young assistant, played by Julia Stiles. After a very strange day at the office in which Channing's character has fired Stiles' charcter, they wind up stuck at an airport together. They boldly and quietly hatch a plan to humiliate a slow-witted corporate head-hunter played by Frederick Weller. Unleashing a career's worth of rage, Channing takes charge of what the L.A. Times calls a "witty, razor-sharp study of character." (ifc films) Rated R for strong language and some sexuality. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 23min.

Friday, July 19- Thursday, July 25:

HUMAN NATURE 7:30 & 9:30 plus 2:30 & 4:30 Sat/Sun Are humans governed only by sex and self-interest? This comedy explores the question. Patricia Arquette stars as a young woman who moves to the woods after her entire body is covered with hair. Bizarre? Oh, yes. But it works. Roger Ebert lauds the film's "screwball charm." It was written by Charlie Kaufman, whose "brilliant funhouse brain," as the New York Times describes it, also hatched Being John Malkovich. Also starring Rhys Ifan and Tim Robbins. (fine line features) Rated R for sexuality, nudity, and language. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 36min.

AMELIE HELD OVER!! 7:00 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:15 Sat/Sun Although it's still in release, this film has been widely acclaimed as one of the best of all time. According to Roger Ebert, it's a "delicious pastry of a movie, a lighthearted fantasy in which a winsome heroine overcomes a sad childhood and grows up to bring cheer to the needful and joy to herself." Amelie is a waitress in Paris, and she just wants to make people happy. (Miramax films) Rated R for some very mild sexual content. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 2hrs.

Friday July 5 thru Thursday, July 18:2 WEEKS!!

THE SHIPPING NEWS 7:00 & 9:10 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:10 Sat/Sun An inksetter in New York, Quoyle returns to his family's longtime home, a small fishing town in Newfoundland, with his young daughter, after a traumatizing experience with her mother, Petal, who sold her to an illegal adoption agency. Though Quoyle has had little success thus far in life, his shipping news column in the newspaper "The Gammy Bird" finds an audience, and his experiences in the town change his life. Then he meets the widow Wavey...(miramax)

AMELIE 7:15 & 9:35 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:35 Sat/Sun Although it's still in release, this film has been widely acclaimed as one of the best of all time. According to Roger Ebert, it's a "delicious pastry of a movie, a lighthearted fantasy in which a winsome heroine overcomes a sad childhood and grows up to bring cheer to the needful and joy to herself." Amelie is a waitress in Paris, and she just wants to make people happy. (Miramax films) Rated R for some very mild sexual content. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 2hrs.

Friday, June 21- Thursday, June 27 Friday, June 28- Thursday, July 4: (2wks)

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO 7:00 & 9:30 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:30 Sat/Sun Do ya like revenge? If so, you'll love The Count of Monte Cristo, the latest version of the Alexandre Dumas novel. You probably already know the story: Our protagonist is unjustly jailed, gets out, gets rich-- but there are scores to settle. And settle them he does! Jim Caviezel stars as Edmond Dantes, who reinvents himself after escaping from jail as "The Count of Monte Cristo." (buena vista) Rated PG-13 for adventure violence, swordplay, and some sexuality. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 2hours.

THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS 7:15 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:15 Sat/Sun A literary farce about a highly disfunctional family of former child prodigies. The film dances, writes Roger Ebert "on a knife edge between comedy and sadness-- there are big laughs, and then quiet moments when we're touched." Starring Gene Hackman as the patriarch-- as well as Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Bill Murray. (buena vista) Rated R for some language, sexuality/nudity, and drug content. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 43min.

The Man Who Wasn't There	R	7:15 & 9:25 nightly plus 2:30 & 4:30 Sat/Sun only
Gosford Park	R	7:00 & 9:40 nightly plus 1:30 & 4:20 Sat/Sun only

THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE-- A Cohen Brothers film. Actually, a Cohen Brothers film noir-- starring Billy Bob Thornton as the chain-smoking barber who blackmails his wife's boss and lover in order to start a dry-cleaning business. Until, of course, his plan goes terribly awry. It's shot in black and white-- "so elegantly," writes noted critic Roger Ebert, "it reminds us of a 1940s station wagon-- chrome, wood, leather and steel all burnished to a contented glow." Also starring Frances McDormand and James Gandolfini. (USA Films) Rated R for a scene of violence. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 56min.

We Were Soldiers	R	7:00 & 9:35 plus 2:00 & 4:35 Sat/Sun
Lord of the Rings	PG-13	7:30 nightly plus 3:00 Sat/Sun

WE WERE SOLDIERS-- Mel Gibson and Sam Elliott star in this patriotic drama about the battle that brought the horror of Vietman back to the home front. Badly outnumbered, the 7th Cavalry suffers stunning losses as 400 Americans take on 2,000 Vietcong in the war's first major battle. The New York Times, lauding the film's honesty, declares it "moving." (paramount pictures) Rated R for sustained sequences of graphic war violence and for language. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 2hrs, 18min.

LORD OF THE RINGS-- "Made with intelligence, imagination, passion and skill, propulsively paced and shot through with an aged-in-oak sense of wonder, the trilogy's first film so thrillingly catches us up in its sweeping story that nothing matters but the vivid and compelling events unfolding on the screen." That's the verdict from the L.A. Times on this Hobbit tale based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. Starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin, Ian Holm, and Liv Tyler. (new line cinema) Rated PG-13 for epic battle sequences and some scary images. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 2hrs, 58min.

Life as a House	R	7:00 & 9:30 plus 2:00 & 4:30 Sat/Sun
Lord of the Rings	PG-13	7:30 nightly plus 3:00 Sat/Sun

LIFE AS A HOUSE--A dying man tries to repair the damage of a collapsed relationship with his son in this drama. Starring Kevin Kline as a 45-year-old divorced architectural model builder, the film is a "skillful, uncannily timely heart-tugger," according to the L.A. Times. (new line cinema) R, for language, sexuality and drug use. Playing in our downstairs cinema--2 hours, 8 minutes.

LORD OF THE RINGS-- "Made with intelligence, imagination, passion and skill, propulsively paced and shot through with an aged-in-oak sense of wonder, the trilogy's first film so thrillingly catches us up in its sweeping story that nothing matters but the vivid and compelling events unfolding on the screen." That's the verdict from the L.A. Times on this Hobbit tale based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. Starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Sean Astin, Ian Holm, and Liv Tyler. (new line cinema) Rated PG-13 for epic battle sequences and some scary images. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 2hrs, 58min.

In the Bedroom	R	7:00 & 9:30 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:30 Sat/Sun
A Beautiful Mind	PG-13	7:15 & 9:45 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:45 Sat/Sun

IN THE BEDROOM-- The family drama that almost brought home an Oscar for Albemarle's hometown hero, Sissy Spacek. The whole film earned high praise from critics, including this from Roger Ebert: "There are scenes as true as movies can make them, and even when the story develops thriller elements, they are redeemed, because the movie isn't about what happens, but about why." Also starring Tom Wilkinson and Marisa Tomei. (miramax) Rated R for some violence and language. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 2hrs, 10min.

A BEAUTIFUL MIND-- The true-- if somewhat air-brushed-- story of John Forbes Nash, the Princeton mathematician who fell to the depths of insanity and then returned to provide stunning insights into game theory and win the Nobel Prize. Russell Crowe was nominated for an Oscar as Nash, and Jennifer Connelly, as Nash's wife, won the Best Actress Oscar. Ron Howard took the Best Director Oscar, and A Beautiful Mind itself won for Best Picture and best adapted screenplay. Also starring Ed Harris, Christopher Plummer, and Judd Hirsch. (universal pictures) Rated PG-13 for intense thematic material, sexual content, and a scene of violence. Playing in our downstairs cinema--2hrs, 9min.

In the Bedroom	R	7:00 & 9:30 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:30 Sat/Sun
A Beautiful Mind	PG-13	7:15 & 9:45 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:45 Sat/Sun

IN THE BEDROOM-- The family drama that almost brought home an Oscar for Albemarle's hometown hero, Sissy Spacek. The whole film earned high praise from critics, including this from Roger Ebert: "There are scenes as true as movies can make them, and even when the story develops thriller elements, they are redeemed, because the movie isn't about what happens, but about why." Also starring Tom Wilkinson and Marisa Tomei. (miramax) Rated R for some violence and language. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 2hrs, 10min.

A BEAUTIFUL MIND-- The true-- if somewhat air-brushed-- story of John Forbes Nash, the Princeton mathematician who fell to the depths of insanity and then returned to provide stunning insights into game theory and win the Nobel Prize. Russell Crowe was nominated for an Oscar as Nash, and Jennifer Connelly, as Nash's wife, won the Best Actress Oscar. Ron Howard took the Best Director Oscar, and A Beautiful Mind itself won for Best Picture and best adapted screenplay. Also starring Ed Harris, Christopher Plummer, and Judd Hirsch. (universal pictures) Rated PG-13 for intense thematic material, sexual content, and a scene of violence. Playing in our downstairs cinema--2hrs, 9min.

Kate & Leopold	PG-13	7:15 & 9:40 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:40 Sat/Sun
In the Bedroom	R	7:00 & 9:25 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:25 Sat/Sun

KATE & LEOPOLD-- Meg Ryan plays Kate, and Hugh Jackman plays Leopold in this time-travel romance in which the third Duke of Albany leaves the New York of 1876 and arrives in the New York of Meg Ryan. The polite British guy runs into all kinds of culture clashes and unsavory aspects of modern-day America-- from having to taste margarine to scooping his dog's poop. "One of the reasons the movie works," writes Roger Ebert, "is because we like the goodness of the characters." (miramax) Rated PG-13 for brief strong language. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 56min.

IN THE BEDROOM-- The family drama that almost brought home an Oscar for Albemarle's hometown hero, Sissy Spacek. The whole film earned high praise from critics, including this from Roger Ebert: "There are scenes as true as movies can make them, and even when the story develops thriller elements, they are redeemed, because the movie isn't about what happens, but about why." Also starring Tom Wilkinson and Marisa Tomei. (miramax) Rated R for some violence and language. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 2hrs, 10min.

Black Hawk Down	R	7:00 & 9:45 nightly plus 1:30 & 4:15 Sat/Sun
Ali	R	8:00 nightly plus 2:00 & 5:00 Sat/Sun

BLACK HAWK DOWN-- Back in 1993, United States special forces went on a humanitarian mission in Mogadishu, Somalia. On October 3, the troops set out on what should have been a half-hour mission. Instead, it turned into an 18-hour battle against mobs of well-armed Somali citizens in which18 U.S. soldiers were killed. Roger Ebert gives it four stars. The L.A. Times calls it "thought-provoking" and "convincing." It stars Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, and Sam Shepard and it's directed by Ridley Scott. (sony pictures) Rated R for intense, realistic, graphic war violence, and for language. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 2hrs, 23min.

ALI-- Ten crucial years, from 1964 to 1974, in the life of the man who floated like a butterfly, stung like a bee, and dared to call himself "the greatest." Will Smith stars in this biography of the man who would fight in the ring, but not in Vietnam. The man who left his "slave name" Cassius Clay but who later broke away from Malcolm X (played by Mario Van Peebles). The film, writes the San Francisco Chronicle connects "so often and so persuasively." Also starring Jon Voigt as Howard Cosell and Jada Pinkett Smith (Smith's real wife) as Ali's first wife. (sony pictures) Rated R for violence inside the ring and out, strong language, and sexual situations. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 2hrs, 38min.

Vanilla Sky	R	7:00 & 9:30 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:30 Sat/Sun
Orange County	PG-13	7:15 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:15 Sat/Sun

VANILLA SKY-- Cameron Crowe directs this controversial picture starring Tom Cruise as a 33-year-old tycoon who inherited a publishing empire when his parents were killed in a car crash. Why controversial? Because some people loved it, and others hated it. Roger Ebert took a third route: he liked it. Like Mulholland Drive and Mememto, he writes, "this is a film that requres the audience to do some heavy lifting. It has one of those plots that doubles back on itself like an Escher staircase." Also starring Penelope Cruz, Kurt Russell, and Jason Lee. (paramount pictures) Rated R for sexuality and strong language. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 2hrs, 15min.

ORANGE COUNTY-- Roger Ebert says Orange County "has the form of a teenage movie, the spirit of an independent comedy, and the subversive zeal of Jack Black, whose grin is the least reassuring since Jack Nicholson." Its director is the son of legendary Lawrence Kasdan, and the two top stars happen to be the kids of big stars-- Colin Hanks, the son of Tom, and Schuyler Fisk, daughter of Albemarle's own Sissy Spacek. It's about a teen who wants to get into Stanford after a guidance counselor botches his application. "There's It's one of those movies," writes Ebert, "like Ghost World and Legally Blonde where the description can't do justice to the experience." Also starring John Lithgow, Kevin Kline, and Lily Tomlin. (paramount pictures) Rated PG-13 for drug content, language and sexuality. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 30min.

Waking Life	R	7:15 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:15 Sat/Sun
Shallow Hal	PG-13	7:00 & 9:00 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:00 Sat/Sun

WAKING LIFE-- Who would have thought that the director of the surprise hit of 1991, Slacker, would make an animated film? Even more surprising is that it works. Although this film is about dreams, the positive reviews are very much reality. "The movie is as exhilarating in its style and visuals as in its ideas," writes Roger Ebert, who gives it four stars and says that after seeing it three times he wants to see it again. With the voices and images of Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, and Steven Soderbergh. Rated R for language and some violent images. (fox searchlight) Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 40min.

SHALLOW HAL-- High Fidelity funnyman Jack Black only goes after slender model-looking women-- he's not interested in their personalities. But then professional motivator Tony Robbins, playing himself, hypnotizes Hal into seeing a person's inner beauty, and suddenly 300-pound social worker Rosemary looks to him just like-- Gwyneth Paltrow. Unlike most Farrelly Brothers pictures, this one is short of gross-out gags and long on sweetness. (twentieth century fox) Rated PG-13 for language and sexual content. (twentieth century fox) Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr. 43 min.

Serendipity	PG-13	7:00 & 9:00 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:00 Sat/Sun
The Others	PG-13	7:15 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:15 Sat/Sun

SERENDIPTY-- It's Christmas in Manhattan, and potential soul mates played by John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale argue over a pair of gloves at Bloomindales. The next morning she writes her number in a book and sells it to a used bookstore. If he finds it, they're meant to be together. Cusack and Beckinsale sparkle onscreen as romantic leads. The perfect date movie. Also starring Molly Shannon from "Saturday Night Live" and "Sex and the City's John Corbett. Rated PG-13 for a scene of sexuality and for brief language. (miramax) Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 31min.

THE OTHERS-- The story, set off the English coast during World War II, stars Nicole Kidman as a woman who lives in a darkened old house with her two photo-sensitive children. It's classic English fright fiction, or as Rita Kempley of the Washington Post puts it: a "tantalyzing spine-tingler." PG-13 for thematic elements and frightening moments. (miramax) Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 44min.

Ocean's 11	PG-13	7:00 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:15 Sat/Sun
Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone	PG	6:40 & 9:35 nightly plus 12:40 & 3:35 Sat/Sun

OCEAN'S 11-- Steven Soderbergh's remake of the Rat Pack classic is a "stylish winner," says Rita Kempley of the Washington Post. George Clooney headlines an all-star assemblage of master criminals to pull the ultimate heist: simultaneously robbing three Las Vegas casinos which are owned by the husband of Ocean's ex-wife, played by Julia Roberts. Also starring Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and Andy Garcia. (warner brothers) Rated PG-13 for some language and sexual content. Playing in our upstairs theater-- 1hr, 56 min.

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE-- "I was pretty sure I was watching a classic," writes Roger Ebert, "one that will be around for a long time, and make many generations of fans." Ebert compares this film, based on the novel by J.K. Rowling, to The Wizard of Oz, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Star Wars, and E.T. "It doesn't hammer the audience with easy thrills, but cares to tell a story, and to create its characters carefully." (warner brothers) Rated PG for some scary moments and mild language. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 2hrs, 32 minutes. 

Startup.com	none	7:15 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:15 Sat/Sun
Novocaine	R	7:00 & 9:00 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:00 Sat/Sun

STARTUP.COM-- What were they thinking? Startup.com tells the story of two longtime friends who go into business together, create a Web site, raise millions, and at one point are worth $12 million-- apiece. Like the folks who ran Value America into the ground, they must have thought they had a great idea. They'd build a place online where people could go to pay their parking tickets. If you've ever read a newspaper, you can guess how this documentary ends. Directed by Chris Hegedus and Jehane Noujaim. No rating because there's nothing objectionable, but intended for mature audiences. (artisan entertainment) Playing in our upstairs cinema--1hr, 43min.

NOVOCAINE-- Novocaine, writes Roger Ebert, is "funny all the way through, and ingenious all the way through." It's a film noir about a dentist who finds himself a murder suspect after a sexy patient seduces him into prescribing her some drugs. Starring Steve Martin, Helena Bonham Carter, Laura Dern, Scott Caan, and a deluxe cameo from none other than Kevin Bacon. Rated R for violence, sexuality, language, and drug content. (artisan entertainment) Playing in our downstairs cinema--1hr, 35min.

Hedwig & the Angry Inch	R	7:15 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:15 Sat/Sun
The Anniversary Party	R	7:00 & 9:30 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:30 Sat/Sun

HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH-- A drag queen from East Berlin tours America with her rock band. "Trash perfection," says the New Yorker. It's also an original rock musical based on a huge off-Broadway hit. The director and star, John Cameron Mitchell calls it "post-punk neo-glam rock musical." Whatever it's called, it's a lot of fun. Rated R for sexual content and language. (fine line features) Playing in our upstairs cinema--1hr, 35min.

THE ANNIVERSARY PARTY-- The truth shall set you free-- or at least the truth serum may set these party-goers free from their lies and inhibitions. In this case, a character played by Gwyneth Paltrow brings the drug Ecstasy to a Hollywood Party. It's the 6th wedding anniversary of the characters played by Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming-- who also wrote the script and directed this long day's journey into truth and consequences. The New York Times calls this an "articulate, acutely observant film." Also starring John Benjamin Hickey, Jennifer Beals, Kevin Kline, and Phoebe Cates. (fine line features) Rated R for language, drug use and nudity. Playing in our downstairs cinema--1hr, 55min.

America's Sweethearts	PG-13	7:15 & 9:15 nightly plus 2:15 & 4:15 Sat/Sun
Riding in Cars with Boys	PG-13	7:00 & 9:30 nightly plus 2:00 & 4:30 Sat/Sun

AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS-- The Washington Post calls this "a terrifically funny romantic comedy-- a slam-dunk for Julia Roberts, the Michael Jordan of cuteness." It's a mockery of movie-star egos, managerial hijinx, and easily duped reporters. It takes place at a press junket, where actors are brought together with the media for a volley of interviews, and it also stars Billy Crystal, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Cusack, and Stanley Tucci. (sony pictures) Rated PG-13 for language plus some crude and sexual humor. Playing in our upstairs cinemas-- 1hr, 42 min.

RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS-- "A film like this," writes Roger Ebert, "is refreshing and startling in the way it cuts loose from formula and shows us confused lives we recognize." Here we have Drew Barrymore in what Ebert calls a "showcase performance," a role based on a memoir by Beverly Donofrio. Steve Zahn plays the aimless slacker with a basically good heart and not too many smarts. (sony pictures) Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, drug and sexual content. Playing in our downstairs cinemas-- 2hrs, 12 min.

Mulholland Drive	R	7:00 & 9:40 plus 1:40 & 4:20 Sat/Sun
Apocalypse Now Redux	R	7:45pm nightly plus 3pm Sat/Sun

MULHOLLAND DRIVE-- From David Lynch, the director of "Twin Peaks" "Blue Velvet" comes his most hypnotic work ever. Even noted critic Roger Ebert can't quite describe the plot or even why this film is great, but he does lavish four hard-earned stars upon it. "This is a movie to surrender yourself to," he writes. "Mulholland Drive works directly on the emotions, like music." (universal pictures) Rated R for violence, language, nudity and sexuality. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 2hrs, 26min.

APOCALYPSE NOW REDUX-- "One of the great films of all time," writes Roger Ebert, who gives his highest rating: four stars. "It shames modern Hollywood's timidity." With an additional 49 minutes, this is director Francis Ford Coppola's cut of his 1979 masterpiece on Vietnam. "To watch it," Ebert says, "is to feel yourself lifted up to the heights where the cinema can take you, but so rarely does." Starring Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, Dennis Hopper, Laurence Fishburne, and Harrison Ford. (miramax films) Rated R for disturbing violent images, language, sexual content, and some drug use. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 3hrs, 17minutes.

Rock Star	R	7:15 & 9:20 plus 2:00 & 4:05 Sat/Sun
Mulholland Drive	R	7:00 & 9:40 plus 1:40 & 4:20 Sat/Sun

ROCK STAR-- The San Francisco Chronicle calls this "an irresistible movie about a guy who goes on a journey, the kind an audience can't wait to take with him. He goes from dreaming a dream to living it, from obsessing about rock stars to being one, from screaming from the front row of a concert to soaking up the love, center stage." Starring Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston. (warner brothers) Rated R for language, sexuality, and some drug content. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 48 min.

MULHOLLAND DRIVE-- From David Lynch, the director of "Twin Peaks" "Blue Velvet" comes his most hypnotic work ever. Even noted critic Roger Ebert can't quite describe the plot or even why this film is great, but he does lavish four hard-earned stars upon it. "This is a movie to surrender yourself to," he writes. "Mulholland Drive works directly on the emotions, like music." (universal pictures) Rated R for violence, language, nudity and sexuality Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 2hrs, 26min.

Curse of the Jade Scorpion	PG-13	7:15 & 9:15 plus 2:15 & 4:15
The Last Castle	R	7:00 & 9:30 plus 2:00 & 4:30

CURSE OF THE JADE SCORPION-- Woody Allen directs and stars in this comedy about a savvy old-time insurance investigator who can sniff out fraud like a hound seeks blood. Set in New York in the 1940s, it's complete with pristine streets, a jazzy score, and an all-star cast that includes Dan Aykroyd, Elizabeth Berkley, Helen Hunt,Wallace Shawn, David Ogen Stiers, and Charlize Theron. The San Francisco Examiner calls it "highly amusing." (dreamworks) Rated PG-13 for some sexual content. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 43 minutes.

THE LAST CASTLE-- A film about patriotism and doing what is right. It's set in a military prison, where Robert Redford plays a disgraced three-star general rebelling under the sadistic warden. Director by Rod Lurie who gave us the recent political drama "The Contender." is drawn to "issue" movies. (dreamworks) Rated R for manly prison-yard violence and strong language. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 2hrs, 11min.

Bandits	PG-13	7:00 & 9:20 plus 2:00 & 4:20
Ghost World	R	7:15 & 9:35 plus 2:15 & 4:35

BANDITS-- Two bank robbers fall in love with the girl they've kidnapped. Predictable, right? Wrong. The L.A. Times calls Bandits "an entertainment with a rogue's imagination." Directed by the ever-humane Barry Levinson, this comedic heist film stars Bruce Willis, Cate Blanchett, and Billy Bob Thornton. (mgm) Rated PG-13 for some sexual content, language and violence. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 2hrs, 2min.

GHOST WORLD-- Roger Ebert gives this film a stunning four-star rating. It's about a super-smart and ironic young woman named Enid. "I wanted to hug this movie," says Ebert. "It takes such a risky journey and never steps wrong. It creates specific, original, believable, lovable characters, and meanders with them through their inconsolable days, never losing its sense of humor." Starring Thora Birch, Terri Garr, Brad Renfro, and Steve Buscemi. (mgm) Rated R for strong language and some sexual content. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 51min.

Crazy/Beautiful	PG-13	7:15 & 9:15 plus 2:15 & 4:15
The Princess Diaries	G	7:00 & 9:25 plus 2:00 & 4:25

CRAZY/BEAUTIFUL-- Two students at Pacific Palisades High School come from different worlds. She's the reckless daughter of white Congressman, while he's the serious son of a hard-working Latino mom. Kirsten Dunst and Jay Hernandez star as Nicole and Carlos in what might look like just another teen romance of star-crossed lovers. However, the usual cliches are upended, and Roger Ebert calls this "an unusually observant film about adolescence." (touchstone pictures) Rated PG-13 for mature themes involving teens, drug/alcohol content, sexuality, and language. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 35 minutes.

THE PRINCESS DIARIES-- From Garry Marshall, the director of Pretty Woman, comes a G-rated turn on the ugly duckling-becomes-a-beautiful-princess theme. "Surprisingly enjoyable," says the San Francisco Examiner, and it's largely due to the comic graces of its young star, Anne Hathaway. She plays a geeky teen living in a converted firehouse until the day her grandmother, played by Julie Andrews, comes a-calling with some startling news. (Walt Disney Pictures) Rated G. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 55 min.

The Heist	R	7:00 & 9:30 plus 2:00 & 4:30
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back	R	7:15 & 9:15 plus 2:15 & 4:15

THE HEIST-- Written and directed by David Mamet, the best Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright who ever moonlighted as a moviemaker. According to the San Francisco Examiner, the film "percolates with enough fake outs, false clues, double whammies and triple-crosses to flummox the cagey con artists who prowled through two of his earlier films, "House of Games" and "The Spanish Prisoner." Just as important, he supplies his world-class cast with reams of his trademark Mametian dialogue. Starring Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito, and Delroy Lindo. (warner brothers) Rated R for language and some violence. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 51min.

JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK-- From the creator of Clerks comes this story of two real life stoners who discover that a film is being made of their life. When Jay and Silent Bob (played by Jason Mewes and director Kevin Smith) learn that they'll get no profits from the movie, they set out wreck it. They hang out, smoke and sell pot, and Silent Bob listens while Jay tells penis jokes and makes lewd references. Lots of hilarious cameos from such stars as Chris Rock, George Carlin, and Shannen Doherty. Rated R for nonstop crude and sexual humor, pervasive strong language, and drug content. (miramax films) Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 44min.

K-Pax	PG-13	7:00 & 9:15 plus 2:00 & 4:15 Sat/Sun
Spy Game	R	7:15 & 9:35 plus 2:15 & 4:35 Sat/Sun

K-PAX-- Is he from outer space or just spaced out? He's Spacey all right-- Kevin Spacey, as the calm guy called Prot who shakes up the psychiatric practice of a doctor played by Jeff Bridges. Funny and heart-warming. (universal) Rated PG-13 for a sequence of brief but violent images, and brief language and sensuality. Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 58min

SPY GAME-- Director Tony Scott delivers the works in "Spy Game," a taut, timely and intelligent thriller with cloak-and-swaggering performances from Robert Redford and Brad Pitt," says Rita Kempley in the Washington Post. "The movie is sleek and shiny as a new bullet, reflecting Scott's patented surplus of style, but in this case that only enhances a stirring drama about the moral ambiguities native to intelligence-gathering." Redford, at his most compelling and charismatic, gives his best performance in memory. (universal) Rated R for language, some violence and brief sexuality. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 2hrs, 6 min.

The Deep End	R	7:00 & 9:00 plus 2:00 & 4:00 Sat/Sun
Joy Ride	R	7:15 & 9:15 plus 2:15 & 4:15 Sat/Sun

THE DEEP END-- All seems so calm on Lake Tahoe where a mother, played by Tilda Swinton, lives with her three children while dad is away in the Navy. Then oldest son becomes close to an adult who dies in mysterious circumstances, and this thriller begins to thrill. Roger Ebert writes: 'The Deep End uses relentless ingenuity to dig its heroine into deeper and deeper holes-- until finally, when she seems defeated by the weight of her problems, it's equally ingenious in digging her out again." Rated R for some violence and language, and for a strong sex scene. (fox searchlight) Playing in our upstairs cinema-- 1hr, 39min.

JOY RIDE-- A horror movie that's a chase through the American heartland. Great reviews including from Roger Ebert who concludes, "You want to be scared and have a few laughs and not have your intelligence insulted? Here you go." Best of all, there's a local connection. Satch Huizinga, a recent Charlottesville transplant, has earned raves for his small role as the demented Ice Truck Man. Rated R for violence/terror and language. (twentieth century fox) Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 36min.

The Score	R	7:00 & 9:20 plus 2:00 & 4:20 Sat/Sun
Zoolander	PG-13	7:15 & 9:15 plus 2:15 & 4:15 Sat/Sun

THE SCORE-- Roger Ebert calls it "the best pure heist movie in recent years." With a cast that includes Robert De Niro, Marlon Brando, Edward Norton, and Angela Bassett, "The Score," writes the San Francsisco Chronicle, "is filled with heavy hitters who are also having a good time. So will the audience. This is a solid suspense thriller that's fun." (paramount) Rated R for language. It plays in our upstairs cinema-- 2hrs, 4min

ZOOLANDER-- At the end of his career, a clueless fashion model named Derek Zoolander is brainwashed to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Silly laughs starring Ben Stiller; his dad, Jerry Stiller-- along with Jon Voigt, Will Ferrall, Milla Jovovich, and the man who gave out all those hugs right here on the Downtown Mall for the new Dave Matthews "Everyday" video, Judah Freedlander, in the role of Scrappy Zoolander. (paramount) Rated PG-13 for sexual content and drug references. It plays in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 29min.

Amores Perros	R	6:30 & 9:15 plus 2:45 Sat/Sun
O (Othello)	R	7:00 & 9:00 plus 2:00 & 4:00 Sat/Sun

BEWARE: WE'RE NOT SHOWING MOVIES ON NEW YEAR'S EVE DEC. 31
SO THAT FIRST NIGHT VIRGINIA CONCERTS CAN TAKE PLACE HERE.

AMORES PERROS-- This Oscar-nominated film comes from Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. "It is the work," Roger Ebert writes, "of a born filmmaker," and it tells three interlinked stories that span the social classes in Mexico City, from rich TV people to the working class to the homeless. The title is roughly translated as "Love's a Bitch," and dogs figure prominently in all these those stories along with a strong nod to Quentin Tarantino-- especially his now-classic Pulp Fiction. (lion's gate films) Rated R for violence/gore, language and sexuality. In Spanish with English subtitles. It plays in our upstairs cinema-- 2hrs, 33min.

O (Othello)-- This version of Shakespeare's Othello is set in a Southern prep school. Here, the Othello role is played by newcomer Mekhi Phifer. Also starring Josh Hartnett, Julia Stiles, and Martin Sheen. Roger Ebert calls this "a good film for most of the way, and then a powerful film at the end, when, in the traditional Shakespearean manner, all of the plot threads come together," and-- well-- you know what happens. Curiously, in the knee-jerk reactions coming out of Washington and L.A. after the Columbine massacre, this film was put on the shelf for two years. Ebert scoffs: "To suggest that ''O'' was part of the solution and not part of the problem would have required a sophistication that our public officials either lack, or are afraid to reveal, for fear of offending the bottom-feeders among their constituents. (lion's gate films) Rated R for violence, a scene of strong sexuality, language, and drug use. Playing in our downstairs cinema-- 1hr, 35 minutes.

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