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January

January 2

American Wedding [2003] [R] - 7.3.10
The kids from "American Pie" are all young adults now and perhaps ready to settle down. Indeed, one couple (Jason Biggs and Alyson Hannigan) is getting married but first they have to survive a bachelor party and all manner of other traditional and untraditional rites. Meanwhile, the groom struggles to keep his bride-to-be from getting too anxious.

January 6

Out of Time [2003] [PG-13] - 6.5.4
The police chief of Banyon Key, Florida, (Denzel Washington) finds himself in a bad situation that's quickly getting worse when he tries to help his lover (Sanaa Lathan), only to find out that she's never cared for him and is ready to betray him. Hounded by the DEA when they're looking for evidence money that he "borrowed," as well as his estranged wife, he's quickly running out of options.

Underworld [2003] [R] - 2.9.5
Horror thriller set in a Gothic metropolis where vampires and werewolves have been at war with each other for centuries. The two species inhabit different social strata and have distinct cultures: Vampires are sophisticated and aristocratic, whereas werewolves are street smart and thuggish. Ancient animosities are tested when a vampire warrior known for her prowess as a hunter of werewolves (Kate Beckinsale) and a human with werewolf ancestry (Scott Speedman) fall in love with each other.

Uptown Girls [2003] [PG-13] - 4.4.4
A famous rock star's freewheeling daughter (Brittany Murphy) is left with an inheritance after his death and expects to continue as the toast of the Manhattan social scene. However, when her inheritance is embezzled, she is forced to look for a job. She becomes the nanny of a neglected, precocious 8-year-old girl (Dakota Fanning) and together they learn to trust each other and have fun.

January 13

Freddy Vs. Jason [2003] [R] - 7.10.10
Horror film that pits Freddy Kruger (Robert Englund), the slasher from the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series, against Jason Voorhees (Ken Kirzinger), the undead hockey goalie from the "Friday the 13th" series. A gaggle of teen stereotypes also shows up in the middle of the battle, and they're promptly slashed and slaughtered.

Johnny English [2003] [PG] - 3.4.3
Spy spoof with Rowan Atkinson as accident-prone MI-7 agent Johnny English, who takes on a Machiavellian French business magnate (John Malkovich) after all of the other secret agents have been killed. Helping English protect the British monarchy are Ben Miller as his sidekick and recording artist Natalie Imbruglia as his object of affection.

Swimming Pool [2003] [R] - 8.4.5
A successful British mystery author (Charlotte Rampling) struggles with her latest work and is offered a country home in France by her publisher (Charles Dance) as a place where she can refresh herself. Upon her arrival, however, she meets the man's daughter (Ludivine Sagnier) who unexpectedly arrives and proceeds to turn her life upside down, as well as reveal many closeted family secrets.

Buffalo Soldiers [2003] [R] - 6.7.10
The film is set just before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and it examines the criminal sub-culture among U.S. army units posted in what was then West Germany: Joaquin Phoenix stars as a soldier who has joined the army in order to avoid going to jail. A sergeant, and the clerk to the battalion commander, he finds interesting ways to ward off boredom while developing a very profitable business dealing drugs.

January 20

Open Range [2003] [R] - 2.6.4
Kevin Costner directs and stars in this Western about four freegrazers -- cattlemen who wander the countryside without owning a piece of land. The freegrazers (Costner, Robert Duvall, Diego Luna and Abraham Benrubi) run into a ruthless, ambitious rancher (Michael Gambon) who's violently opposed to sharing his land with anyone. The four men must decide whether to stay and fight for their way of life or to leave and forfeit their cattle.

Once Upon a Time in Mexico [2003] [R] - 5.9.7
This time director Robert Rodriguez's guitar-slinging hero El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas) seeks revenge against the man who murdered his wife (Salma Hayek) and young daughter years before. He's hired by a corrupt CIA man (Johnny Depp) to kill a drug cartel kingpin (Willem Dafoe) who is planning a coup against the Mexican president.

Cabin Fever [2003] [R] - 6.10.10
A group of college students takes off for a vacation in a secluded log cabin in the woods, with plans for a lot of drinking and sex. Not long after they arrive a very sick, delirious man covered in bloody sores knocks on their door pleading for help but he's chased away after being set on fire. But contact has been made and soon one of them seems to have contracted whatever their visitor had. Uncontrollable paranoia and terror ensue and the friends turn on each other.

Spellbound [2003] [G] - 0.0.1
Documentary feature that follows eight children as they win regional Spelling Bee competitions to finally face each other (and two hundred or so other winners) in the 1999 Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee finals in Washington, D.C. The featured spellers come from different backgrounds, parts of the country and social classes, and they are Harry Altman, Ted Brigham, Neil Kadakia, Emily Stagg, Angela Arenivar, April Degideo, Nupur Lala and Ashley White -- one of them does win the national prize.

January 27

Thirteen [2003] [R] - 7.4.9
A 13-year-old A-student (Evan Rachel Wood) living in Los Angeles relates how her life changed dramatically after meeting another teen (Nikki Reed) who taught her about drugs and sex and the intricacies of body piercing.

The Secret Lives of Dentists [2003] [R] - 7.4.5
A married couple (Hope Davis and Campbell Scott) share not only their lives and three children, with each other but also their dental practice. However, neither is happy with the way their life together turned out. They have become distant and suspicions of infidelity lead to imaginary encounters with a patient (Denis Leary) who offers marital advice. Based on "The Age of Grief" by Jane Smiley.

Le Divorce [2003] [PG-13] - 5.4.4
Drama of manners about a California woman (Kate Hudson) who travels to Paris to be with her expectant sister (Naomi Watts) whose French painter husband is leaving her. The two women must learn to adjust to French ways and culture, while also trying to endure divorce proceedings and keep an extramarital affair a secret from the rest of family.

Radio [2003] [PG] - 3.4.4
Inspired by the true story of James Robert Kennedy (Cuba Gooding Jr.), a mentally handicapped young man living in South Carolina in 1976, nicknamed Radio. His relationship with the football coach (Ed Harris) of the nearby high school raised some eyebrows at first, but eventually inspired the entire community.

Grind [2003] [PG-13] - 4.3.5
A young man is determined to join the skateboard circuit, and he convinces his friends to join him in a cross-country trip from Illinois to California, hoping they'll eventually become skateboarding stars and land a major sponsor.

February

February 3

American Splendor [2003] [R] - 3.4.5
Film based on the life of underground comic book writer Harvey Pekar: We see through cartoons and live action his life while he struggles professionally, he meets his wife, survives cancer treatments and becomes a cultural icon. While Paul Giamatti stars as Pekar, the real Pekar also shows up to set scenes and elucidate events. Also with Hope Davis, James Urbaniak and Judah Friedlander.

Lost In Translation [2003] [R] - 6.2.4
A not-so-famous any longer American movie star (Bill Murray) travels to Tokyo to shoot whiskey commercials. While there he meets a young woman (Scarlett Johansson) who has traveled to Tokyo with her photographer husband. A friendship blossoms between them, and together they try to find out who they are and why they are where they are in their lives.

Secondhand Lions [2003] [PG] - 2.4.4
Set in 1960s Texas, two retired adventurers (Michael Caine and Robert Duvall) take up residence on a small farm and plan to live out their last days alone and in peace. But when their great-nephew (Haley Joel Osment) is dropped off one day and ends up moving in, the two eccentric old men and the timid teenager struggle to form a new family.

Under the Tuscan Sun [2003] [PG-13] - 6.3.5
A recently divorced woman (Diane Lane) goes on a tour of Tuscany, Italy, and while there she decides to quit her stressful job, buy a rundown villa and start a new life, on her own. She soon befriends a Polish work crew that helps her fix up the house, she learns how to cook and learns how to fall in love again.

The Fighting Temptations [2003] [PG-13] - 5.2.4
Cultures clash when a slick and urbane urbanite (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), travels from New York City to his small and rural Georgia hometown to claim the inheritance a great-aunt left him. But there's one condition he must first fulfill: he has to put together a successful gospel choir, in a town not noted for musicality. A nightclub singer with a wondrous voice enters the scene (Beyonce Knowles) but she's shunned by the congregation who assume her virtue is questionable.

My Boss's Daughter [2003] [PG-13] - 5.4.5
A young man (Ashton Kutcher) working for a tyrannical publishing mogul has dreams of doing great things if only he could get a promotion. He also happens to be very fond of his boss's daughter (Tara Reid). When asked to housesit for the boss's prized owl, he thinks that everything is turning his way, but he ends up trying to survive the evening without destroying the boss's house and killing his owl, as well as defending himself from a crazed drug dealer.

Only the Strong Survive [2003] [PG-13] - 3.0.5
A documentary focusing on some of the R&B and Soul recording artists who survived and thrived after the time of Motown, Stax and Royal studios collapsed. The artists we hang out with include Isaac Hayes, Sam Moore, Wilson Pickett, Mary Wilson, Rufus and Carla Thomas, the Chi-Lites, Jerry Butler (currently the Cooke County Commissioner) and Ann Peebles. It includes extensive interviews and performance footage.

February 10

Intolerable Cruelty [2003] [PG-13] - 6.4.5
Coen brothers film with George Clooney as a slick Beverly Hills divorce attorney who's never lost a case. But he meets his match when he runs into a woman (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who makes a sport out of marrying men and divorcing them, in order to cash in on large divorce settlements. Having helped her latest husband avoid paying her off, she vows revenge and the attorney himself becomes her next potential victim. What she doesn't expect is actually falling in love with him.

In The Cut [2003] [R] - 9.7.10
An NYU professor (Meg Ryan) living in Manhattan is questioned by a police detective (Mark Ruffalo) after the severed head of a murder victim is found in her garden. The two begin a steamy affair, but their relationship changes when she begins to suspect that the detective is actually responsible for the murder.

Wonderland [2003] [R] - 7.9.10
True story based on the life of porn star John Holmes and his teenage girlfriend, who got involved in a brutal quadruple homicide that took place in Los Angeles in 1981. Val Kilmer stars, and the film concentrates on Holmes' later years as a drug addicted drifter who would do anything to get drugs. His problems began when he crossed the wrong people.

February 17

Runaway Jury [2003] [PG-13] - 4.4.5
A man is gunned down in his office by a disgruntled employee and the case is getting ready to go to trial. Dustin Hoffman plays the prosecutor, who does not believe in engaging in sophisticated processes in jury selection, while Gene Hackman is a slick and savvy jury selection specialist whose clients have never lost a case. Things get complicated when, after selection, the members of the jury begin switching from their original leanings. One of the jurors (John Cusack) is apparently successful in influencing the others, while his girlfriend (Rachel Weisz) is attempting to convince the attorneys to pay millions of dollars to have the jury return the verdict they want.

Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star [2003] [PG-13] - 4.3.5
David Spade stars as Dickie Roberts, a former child star whose 1970's sitcom was cancelled and his mother abandoned him. Since then he has been struggling to stage a comeback and he thinks he has found the perfect script to do exactly that. He is told though that the only way he can get close to understanding the character he will be playing is if he re-lives an average childhood. He tries to do so by paying a family $20,000 to teach him how to be a normal, everyday kid.

February 24

Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over [2003] [PG] - 0.3.0
3-D glasses are required to watch the action sequences in this "Spy Kids" installment, which plays like a video game. Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara) is summoned back to the O.S.S. after having resigned his position as an agent. His sister Carmen (Alexa Vega) has been trapped in a video game by a mad genius known as the Toymaker (Sylvester Stallone). His mission is to enter the game, rescue Carmen and end the game before the Toymaker takes over the world.

Matchstick Men [2003] [PG-13] - 5.5.5
Nicolas Cage stars as a neurotic confidence man, who, along with his partner (Sam Rockwell), works over the telephone, swindling the naïve and gullible out of their money. He has a big hit planned when his estranged 14-year-old daughter appears on his doorstep and wants to become a part of his life. Should he turn her away knowing what kind of life he leads or should he bring her in on the high-risk scam? It's one more stressful issue he has to deal with and it intensifies his neurotic episodes.

The Missing [2003] [R] - 4.8.3
Set in New Mexico in 1886, a woman (Cate Blanchett) and her two young daughters do their best to survive. When her elder daughter disappears, her companion is murdered and the local officials are not interested in helping her, she turns to her estranged father (Tommy Lee Jones) who had left his family to live with the Apaches when she was very young.

Camp [2003] [PG-13] - 4.3.5
A group of teenage theater aficionados meet at Camp Ovation during summer vacation and live and learn and love and perform. The plot revolves around a former Broadway songwriter forced to work at the camp after a series of flops, who is inspired by the teenagers' enthusiasm and decides to put together a new production.

March

March 2

The School of Rock [2003] [PG-13] - 3.3.3
Jack Black stars as a rock guitarist who refuses to grow up and become an ostensibly responsible person. When his band dumps him and his roommate threatens to kick him out if he doesn't pay his share of the rent, he masquerades as a 4th grade substitute teacher and gets a job at a snooty prep school. There, instead of following the curriculum, he keeps his class entertained with rock history and music lessons and tries to recruit a 9-year-old guitar prodigy for an upcoming "battle of the bands" contest.

Cold Creek Manor [2003] [R] - 7.6.6
A psychological thriller about a couple (Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone) who, along with their two children, decide to buy an old, sprawling house in the country, after feeling suffocated in the city. However, unbeknownst to them the farmhouse has secrets, and when the previous owner comes back from prison and wants his home back, he becomes a very unwelcome part of their lives.

Looney Tunes: Back in Action [2003] [PG] - 2.3.2
The Looney Tunes characters are placed in a world where they are stars of the Warner Bros. studio and get to interact with human characters. The story revolves around the efforts of the son (Brendan Fraser) of a movie star and secret agent (Timothy Dalton) to save his father and the world from the mad machinations of the ACME president (Steve Martin). Bugs and Daffy help out the good guys, while the Tasmanian Devil, Wile E. Coyote and others help ACME.

Good Boy! [2003] [PG] - 0.3.3
A boy who's running a neighborhood dog-walking service, happens upon a dog that appears mean. However, after befriending the dog he realizes that his new canine friend is actually an alien agent who's on Earth to gather information which will lead to an invasion from a distant planet. Realizing that all dogs are aliens who decided to stay and become the best friends to humanity, the boy must somehow save them from being shipped back to their home world.

Duplex [2003] [PG-13] - 5.5.4
Black comedy about a young couple (Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore) who think they found their perfect home in New York City's competitive real estate market: A huge, affordable brownstone in Brooklyn that happens to be a converted duplex apartment: But an apparently sweet old lady (Eileen Essell) lives in the upstairs apartment and she soon consumes every moment of their lives with inane requests that lead to various accidents. They have to wait until she leaves or dies -- naturally, or with a little help.

March 9

Mona Lisa Smile [2003] [PG-13] - 4.2.4
Julia Roberts stars as Katherine Willis, a progressive woman whose determination lands her a professorship at a prestigious women's university in 1953 New England. She loves her job and she loves getting to know her students until she realizes that their goals are completely different from her own. Although they are all brilliant, their mission after graduation is to get married and have children and leave academic pursuits behind. At the same time, the university administration does not believe Ms. Willis' teaching techniques are appropriate and do their best to rein her in.

March 16

21 Grams [2003] [R] - 7.7.7
The story about the evolving, complicated relationship between a woman (Naomi Watts) whose husband and two daughters are run down and killed by a drunk driver, and the man (Sean Penn) who becomes the recipient of her husband's heart. Their lives cross paths and they struggle with the pain of loss and the desire for revenge.

Veronica Guerin [2003] [R] - 6.8.9
Based on the true story of Dublin's Sunday Independent reporter Veronica Guerin (Cate Blanchett) whose unflinching investigations into the city's drug underworld led to her murder by drug baron John Gilligan in 1996.

Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat [2003] [PG] - 3.3.2
Mike Myers stars in the title role of Dr. Seuss' classic 1957 story of mischief: Conrad and Sally are left at home with a sleepy sitter and are ordered not to go into the living room "or else" by their mom. Well, just when things become more boring than they can bear, a giant, talking, not-so-good-at-rhyming cat in a striped stove-pipe hat appears at their door wanting to play. And, play he does until their house is in rubble and the children are begging him to leave.

March 23

Something's Gotta Give [2003] [PG-13] - 6.2.5
Jack Nicholson stars as a successful business man whose sexual relationships with younger women allow him to avoid becoming emotionally entangled. But when he's forced to spend several days with the middle aged mother of his latest young girlfriend, a playwright living in the Hamptons, he ends up falling in love with her. Competing for her affections is a younger man (Keanu Reeves).

Gothika [2003] [R] - 7.7.5
In this supernatural thriller a successful and well-respected psychologist (Halle Berry) on staff in a prison for the criminally insane, awakens to find herself an inmate in the prison after a car accident. She is unable to remember what happened, but is told that she brutally murdered her husband (Charles S. Dutton). As the events of that night begin to come back to her she realizes that she was not alone and someone or something else was responsible for the death of her husband.

Magdalene Sisters [2003] [R] - 8.6.6
Based on true events from the history of the Magdalene Asylum, a Catholic home for wayward girls in 1960s Ireland. The film recounts the lives of three young women who were condemned to indefinite sentences of servitude in the notorious Magdalene Laundries for various presumed trespasses: one had a child out of wedlock, one was flirtatious, and another had been raped by her cousin. While there they undergo various forms of abuse from the nuns and priests in residence.

Dirty Pretty Things [2003] [R] - 6.5.6
Drama about the extent to which two immigrants to Britain, a Nigerian working as a night porter at a posh hotel and a Turkish chambermaid, must go to to improve their lives. When they stumble across evidence of a bizarre murder a prostitute helps them uncover the truth, which in turn improves their lot.

The Rundown [2003] [PG-13] - 5.5.4
When the son (Seann William Scott) of an underworld kingpin disappears in the Amazon while looking for a priceless artifact, the kingpin sends his "retrieval" expert (Dwayne Douglas Johnson, aka The Rock) to get him back. The two men must eventually join forces to fight their way through the Brazilian jungle, running into very aggressive baboons, rebels, and the henchmen of an unsavory mine owner (Christopher Walken) who wants the artifact for himself.

Shattered Glass [2003] [PG-13] - 2.2.5
The true story of how inexperienced twenty-something journalist Stephen Glass became one of the most sought-after feature writers in Washington, DC during the mid-90s. However, his greatest success was in repeatedly hoodwinking the presumably lucid editors of the political magazine The New Republic into publishing faked stories.

Beyond Borders [2003] [R] - 4.8.7
A wealthy socialite (Angelina Jolie) is overwhelmed by the plight of the starving and abused people of Ethiopia. In an effort to make some difference in their lives, she travels to Africa with food and medicine, and is confronted by a cynical doctor (Clive Owen) who's suffering from the pain and loss he sees all around him. She must now decide whether to commit herself to trying to help or to return to her privileged life.

March 30

House of Sand and Fog [2003] [R] - 7.6.6
A woman (Jennifer Connelly) is evicted from her home after the county auditor makes an error, claiming that she owes back taxes. Before the legal wheels are set in motion however, an Iranian immigrant (Ben Kingsley) buys the house at auction for a quarter of what it is worth, hoping to sell it and make enough profit to buy a larger home -- like the one he had on the Caspian Sea as a privileged member of the Shah's inner circle. Into the mix comes a police deputy (Ron Eldard) who tries to help the distraught woman, until pride, greed and loneliness turn the whole affair into a horrible muddle.

Brother Bear [2003] [G] - 1.3.0
Disney animated film set in the Pacific Northwest before Europeans came to the Americas. An undisciplined young man seeking revenge kills the mother bear he blames for his brother's death. In a supernatural twist, he becomes a bear himself, befriends bears and other forest animals and learns that who's a monster and who isn't is often a matter of perspective.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre [2003] [R] - 4.10.8
A sequel that in many ways is also a remake of the 1974 cult horror film: Supposedly inspired by the "true events" depicted in the original, the brutal slaying by chainsaw of 33 people in August of 1973 in Texas were apparently not solved by the police. Eventually, the only survivor has finally come forward to reveal what really happened when five young people run into the killer dubbed "Leatherface."

April

April 6

The Matrix Revolutions [2003] [R] - 5.7.4
The third installment of the sci-fi action adventure finds the last free humans surviving underground and preparing for an onslaught by the machines who are bent on destroying them. Meanwhile Neo continues exploring his powers and trying to understand what his destiny is, and Agent Smith keeps multiplying and getting stronger and stronger, threatening both the real world and the Matrix. Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss) and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) are along to lend a hand.

Cheaper by the Dozen [2003] [PG] - 3.3.3
Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt star as a man and a woman who have 12 children and decide to try to run a two career family (he's a football coach and she's an author) while still maintaining some semblance of a normal home life. The pressures and demands of their jobs take their toll on the family, and they must choose what is most important for their happiness.

April 13

Kill Bill Vol. 1 [2003] [R] - 6.10.6
The first volume of this Quentin Tarantino film concerns a group of skilled assassins called Deadly Viper Assassination Squad that turn on one of their own (Uma Thurman) when she decides to quit, get married and have a family. Leaving her for dead, she comes out of a coma four years later and seeks revenge against her former colleagues (Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah and Vivica A. Fox and Michael Madsen) and their boss, Bill (David Carradine).

April 20

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World [2003] [PG-13] - 3.6.5
Naval adventure taking place during the Napoleonic wars, based on Patrick O'Brian's books: British captain Lucky Jack Aubrey (Russell Crowe) got his name from being lucky at outmaneuvering his opponents in any situation. His current orders are to sail his vessel, The Surprise, across the seas, to seek, intercept and capture French ships. The ship's doctor (Paul Bettany) serves as the captain's confidant and conscience.

The Haunted Mansion [2003] [PG] - 2.5.3
A workaholic real estate agent (Eddie Murphy) and his wife (Marsha Thomason) meet a prospective client at a mansion where mysterious things are rumored to be going on. When the road washes out due to a storm the couple and their two children (Marc John Jefferies and Aree Davis) stay the night, and finally learn the truth about the house by way of a creepy butler (Terrence Stamp), a woman in a crystal ball (Jennifer Tilly) and two ethereal caretakers (Wallace Shawn and Dina Waters).

Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! [2004] [PG-13] - 4.2.4
A young woman (Kate Bosworth) from a small West Virginia hamlet wins a date with a famous movie star (Josh Duhamel). She travels to Hollywood for the date but when she returns home it's evident that she has had a profound impact on the star, who follows her back to her small town. That's until, however, the part he's been waiting for comes through. At the same time, the manager of the grocery store (Topher Grace) where she works admits that he loves her.

Step Into Liquid [2003] [NR] - 1.1.2
Documentary about the mystique of surfing, that profiles prominent surfers and several prime, exotic and odd surfing locations from all over the world: We see surfers tackling the enormous waves of Oahu's North Shore, riding waves created by oil supertankers in the Gulf, immersing themselves in the frigid waters of Ireland, and even being conveyed by the undersized waves of Lake Michigan.

April 27

Big Fish [2003] [PG-13] - 4.4.3
Tim Burton directs this modern fairy tale about a man (Albert Finney) who's been telling tall tales all his life, telling everybody how as a young man (played by Ewan McGregor) he left his small Alabama town to go around the world, and back again, and how he encountered giants and witches. But now he's dying, and his estranged son (Billy Crudup) tries to make sense of his father.

The Cooler [2003] [R] - 8.7.10
A thoroughly unlucky man (William H. Macy) is employed by a Las Vegas casino as a "cooler": His job is to make sure that winning streaks by casino patrons are "cooled" down, since his unluckiness is evidently contagious. However, when he and a cocktail waitress (Maria Bello) fall in love, his luck changes, and so does his usefulness. So the casino's crooked director (Alec Baldwin) tries to break up the romance.

Love Actually [2003] [R] - 7.1.6
This ensemble comedy tells several slightly intertwining stories set mostly in London: Hugh Grant stars as the newly elected British Prime Minister, who wants to make a difference and feels that he should not support American policies blindly. He is unmarried and falls in love with a young woman (Martine McCutcheon) working in his office but doesn't know what to do about it. Liam Neeson is a man whose wife has recently died and is struggling to connect with his young, unhappy stepson. And Alan Rickman finds himself being swept into an affair with a young co-worker, while his wife, Emma Thompson, tries to keep their family together.

Timeline [2003] [PG-13] - 2.5.5
A group of student archaeologists on a dig in France stumble onto time travel technology and use it to rescue their team leader who has traveled back to 14th century feudal France. They don't realize that the day they will be traveling back in time is the day of the French invasion on the English in Castlegard, and they find themselves drawn into the battle. Based on Michael Crichton's novel. With Ethan Embry, Anna Friel, Neal McDonough, Paul Walker and Frances O'Connor. Directed by Richard Donner. [1:56]

Stuck On You [2003] [PG-13] - 6.3.5
Comedy about conjoined twins (Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear) who discover that their dreams take them in different directions. One wishes for a Hollywood career, while the other is content as a restaurateur in a small island town in Maine.

Love Don't Cost a Thing [2003] [PG-13] - 5.3.4
An unpopular but very intelligent young man (Nick Cannon ) in the last semester of his senior year in high school comes up with a plan to become popular: It involves paying a popular cheerleader (Christina Milian) to pretend to be his girlfriend for two weeks.

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May

May 4

The Last Samurai [2003] [R] - 1.10.3
A captain in the United States military (Tom Cruise) who's been disillusioned by the Civil War and the wars against Native Americans, travels to 1876 Japan to help modernize the emperor's army by helping him do away with the samurai who are insisting on maintaining some of their traditional warrior heritage. The tables are turned when the captain is captured by the samurai, and eventually he must decide where his loyalty truly lies.

Girl with a Pearl Earring [2003] [PG-13] - 6.3.1
A speculative account of the life of Griet, a 16 year old girl (Scarlett Johansson) who becomes the artistic inspiration for Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth) in 17th century Holland. Originally employed as a housemaid, Vermeer's wife suspects her husband and Griet of having an affair. She becomes enraged when the girl borrows her pearl earrings to sit for the famous portrait.

Calendar Girls [2003] [PG-13] - 5.1.4
A group of middle-aged women in a small English country town decide to use their women's group charity drive to raise money for new furniture in a hospital waiting room after one of them loses her husband to leukemia. They decide that the only way to raise real money is to sell a calendar of themselves posing in the nude. Based on a true story.

Chasing Liberty [2004] [PG-13] - 4.3.4
The U.S. President's 18-year-old daughter (Mandy Moore) cannot stand the oppressive state of her personal life. Dates end up with Secret Service personnel wrestling young men to the ground, and although she is never alone, she is very lonely. So, she embarks on a whirlwind tour of Europe in the company of a dashing British man (Matthew Goode) who may not be exactly who she thinks. And despite her father's (Mark Harmon) wishes she is headed for Berlin's "Love Parade."

Peter Pan [2003] [PG] - 3.5.0
Another crack at the classic tale about the boy who never grows up. This time he's played by a real boy, Jeremy Sumpter, and the adventure, as always, takes place in Never Land and Peter has many run ins with Captain Hook (Jason Isaacs, who also plays Mr. Darling).

May 11

In America [2003] [PG-13] - 5.4.5
Set in contemporary times, a young Irish family moves to New York after losing their son to a brain tumor in order to pursue the husband's (Paddy Consadine) dream of becoming an actor. After moving into a rundown apartment building occupied primarily by drug addicts and transvestites, they try to adjust but are unable to find work they like. Eventually, they are able to find some peace through the help and advice of a dying neighbor (Djimon Hounsou).

Scary Movie 3 [2003] [PG-13] - 6.6.5
The horror movie spoof series continues with its third installment, which introduces a science fiction and fantasy theme, looking at the funny side of such films as the "Lord of the Rings," "The Ring," "Signs" and "The Matrix."

May 18

Paycheck [2003] [PG-13] - 4.5.4
An electronics whiz (Ben Affleck) is able to copy any technology and improve upon it. The only hitch is that after each project he must erase his memory so that he will not be a liability to the company that used his skills. But his latest job gets him into trouble with the feds, causing him to wonder what exactly the outcome of his efforts was.

Torque [2003] [PG-13] - 4.5.4
A man (Martin Henderson) suspected of drug dealing flees to Thailand, but eventually returns to the U.S. planning to clear his name. He is framed for the murder of a man, and is threatened by the man's brother (Ice Cube) and his motorcycle gang, the man (Matt Schulze) who framed him and his motorcycle gang, and the FBI. All is eventually resolved through motorcycle racing.

Miracle [2004] [PG] - 2.4.3
The true story of coach Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell) who, during the contentious 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid -- and despite overwhelming odds -- led the U.S. hockey team to victory against the highly regarded U.S.S.R. team. The victory was seen as a triumph of democracy over communism.

You Got Served [2004] [PG-13] - 4.4.4
Hip-hop drama revolving around the subculture of street dancing: two young men (Omari Grandberry and Marques Houston), best friends who work as couriers for a local thug, are hoping to escape their situation by winning $50,000 in the Big Bounce dance contest. Their friendship is tested as they prepare for the competition until a tragedy brings them back together.

May 25

The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King [2003] [PG-13] - 1.7.1
The final installment in J.R.R. Tolkien's fantastical trilogy: Elijah Wood returns as Frodo, the Hobbit keeper of the ring that, unless it is destroyed, will bring the end of humankind in Middle Earth. Accompanied by loyal Hobbit Sam (Sean Astin) and the cursed and transformed Hobbit Gollum, Frodo struggles to reach the mountain where he can destroy the ring in fiery lava. Meanwhile his friends, the warriors Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and the wizard Gandolf (Ian McKellen) prepare for the final battle against the evil wizard Saruman and his Orcs.

Broken Lizard's Club Dread [2004] [R] - 8.8.8
Horror comedy about an aging rock star, Coconut Pete (Bill Paxton), who opens an island resort called Pleasure Island where the guests' sexual satisfaction is guaranteed. The party is dampened, however, when the staff members begin turning up dead and the killer appears to be playing out the verses of one of Pete's tunes.

Welcome to Mooseport [2004] [PG-13] - 4.3.3
Gene Hackman plays a former -- but still popular -- U.S. President who moves to a small town in Maine and is convinced to run for Mayor. The town's hardware store owner and plumber (Ray Romano) has also put his name on the ballot, and to complicate matters further, the two men are also competing for the affections of the same woman (Maura Tierney).

June

June 1

Catch That Kid [2004] [PG] - 3.3.2
A teen (Kristen Stewart) with a passion for rock climbing needs $200,000 to pay for her father's surgery -- an old spinal injury has paralyzed him. After her family is refused a bank loan, she decides the only way to get the money is to steal it from the bank's ultra high-tech vault. She enlists two friends to help her with the heist, which requires her to climb 100 feet straight up.

Eurotrip [2004] [R] - 10.6.6
A young man (Scott Mechlowicz) graduates from high school thinking his life is all in order: he plans to go to college and have his long-time girlfriend join him the following year when she graduates. She surprises him when she dumps him on graduation day and feeling lost he decides to travel to Berlin to meet his German pen pal -- since he just realized she's a beautiful young woman.

My Baby's Daddy [2003] [PG-13] - 5.3.5
Three best friends (Eddie Griffin, Anthony Anderson and Michael Imperioli) have grown up together and now live together in the house of an uncle. Their three girlfriends become pregnant at the same time, and each man must decide whether they should remain immature, partying failures or grow up, take responsibility and become fathers to their children.

June 8

Mystic River [2003] [R] - 7.8.10
Three childhood friends Sean (Kevin Bacon), Jimmy (Sean Penn) and Dave (Tim Robbins) from a rough Boston neighborhood find themselves embroiled in a web of lies and secrets when Jimmy's 19-year-old daughter is found brutally murdered. The police investigation is led by Sean, but when it doesn't seem to be progressing, Jimmy gives the police a deadline to solve the case or he'll take matters into his own hands. Meanwhile, there's something decidedly strange about Dave's behavior.

Along Came Polly [2003] [PG-13] - 6.4.6
Ben Stiller stars as a man who's always playing it safe, trying to avoid any and all risk. But when his new wife dumps him on their honeymoon he's stunned and humiliated and when he meets an adventure-craving, childhood friend named Polly (Jennifer Aniston) he's swept along in a whirlwind of extreme sports, spicy foods, and other dangers.

June 15

50 First Dates [2004] [PG-13] - 5.4.4
Adam Sandler plays a veterinarian working in a Hawaii aquarium, who is so afraid of commitment that he concentrates on having affairs with tourists, since he knows he will probably never see them again. One day he meets a local high school art teacher (Drew Barrymore) who suffers from short-term memory loss and he finally falls in love and is ready to make a commitment. There's a complication however: Since she can no longer form new memories and never remembers who he is, he has to make her fall in love with him every day.

The Station Agent [2003] [R] - 4.4.6
A man who just wants to be left alone moves into a rural town's abandoned train depot. However, another man who operates a mobile snack shop and has an insatiable appetite for conversation insinuates himself into his life, and then a woman whose young son has recently died is also brought into the mix. The three do their best not to get too close to each other, but eventually have to give in and admit that they do indeed care about each other.

Spartan [2004] [R] - 5.6.7
David Mamet thriller about an experienced and lethally efficient spy (Val Kilmer) who's teamed up with a special ops novice (Derek Luke) and assigned to find the kidnapped daughter of a high ranking government official. The two men soon suspect that the young woman was kidnapped by a white slavery ring, but as their investigation progresses it becomes obvious that the circumstances surrounding the abduction are far more complex and there is a dangerous conspiracy that may involve the highest political levels.

June 22

Secret Window [2004] [PG-13] - 3.7.5
Based on Stephen King's novella "Secret Window, Secret Garden": Johnny Depp stars as Morton Rainey, a writer who's frustrated due to a recent divorce and a lack of new ideas for short stories. That's when he is confronted and then stalked by an odd man (John Turturro) who insists that Rainey has stolen one of his stories. Rainey struggles to prove that he is not a plagiarist.

Bad Santa [2003] [R] - 6.5.10
A grifter and his partner (Billy Bob Thornton and Tony Cox) meet every Christmas season to case department stores while dressed as Santa and his lead elf. Between seasons the Santa spends his time in a drunken stupor, bitter and angry and anything but the way we normally imagine Santa to be. But an introverted boy (Brett Kelly) approaches him one day and changes his life by showing him what the spirit of being Santa is all about.

June 29

Cold Mountain [2003] [R] - 7.7.4
Set in 1864: After a woman (Nicole Kidman) loses everything except her decaying farm, she must try to survive while waiting for the man (Jude Law) she loves to return to her from the Civil War. She is helped by another woman (Renee Zellweger) and some neighbors, but she finds that she must also fight off the attentions of a man who has proclaimed himself the law in her community.

Barbershop 2: Back In Business [2004] [PG-13] - 4.4.5
Calvin (Ice Cube), his friends, family and co-workers are back at his barbershop, and this time around he's married and has a young baby. He also has a business decision to make: A large hair care salon looms across the street from his more modest tonsorial establishment, and urban developers want to replace small stores with name-brand chains. Should he give into progress and sell, or should he hold onto what's left of the community his father helped build?

The Perfect Score [2004] [PG-13] - 5.4.5
Six high school seniors are desperate to do well on their S.A.T. exams, realizing that a high score can help them achieve their goals. Together they organize what they think is the perfect plan to beat the system and steal the answers from the testing company.

July

July 6

The Butterfly Effect [2004] [R] - 8.8.10
After moments of great stress a young man (Ashton Kutcher) is unable to remember what he was doing. Because his father was institutionalized for a similar problem, he feared for his own fate. But he discovers how to transport himself to the past, and uses the knowledge to change his future. What he doesn't count on is that each time he changes something in his past, everything else changes in the present, and many results are unwelcome.

July 13

Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London [2004] [PG] - 2.4.3
Frankie Muniz returns as teen secret agent Cody Banks: A rogue CIA agent, who was Cody's trainer at a CIA summer camp, has stolen a mind-control device and is now working for a British aristocrat who wants to control the world's leaders. Cody has to pretend he is a musical prodigy attending an elite London music academy in order to track the bad guys down. He's accompanied by a wisecracking handler (Anthony Anderson).

The Dreamers [2004] [NC-17] - 10.4.5
Set in Paris in 1968, a time of turmoil and student riots, an American college student (Michael Pitt) befriends a French young man (Louis Garrel) and his twin sister (Eva Green). The trio shares a love of the cinema and sexual adventure. Also with Jean-Pierre Kalfon and Anna Chancellor.

Never Die Alone [2004] [R] - 8.8.10
A man who was a hard-boiled drug dealer (DMX) returns to his home after ten years seeking redemption. But those he left behind are not happy to see him and do everything they can to prevent him. He meets a writer (David Arquette) along the way, and when he's killed, the writer decides to document the last few hours of his life and find out why he was killed.

Against the Ropes [2004] [PG-13] - 5.5.4
Loosely-based on the life of Jackie Kallen, boxing's most successful female manager, with Meg Ryan in the starring role: Kallen has spent her entire life around boxers and tired of working for a thuggish boxing manager who treats her like a flunky, she sets off on her own by buying a boxer's contract from him for $1.00. But she stumbles onto a champ-in-the-making when she meets Luther Shaw (Omar Epps) and convinces him that he has the skills to win and she has the skills to manage him.

July 20

The Human Stain [2003] [R] - 7.4.9
The tranquil life of a distinguished professor (Anthony Hopkins) at a prestigious college begins to unravel when he's accused of racism. His career and reputation ruined, he begins a passionate affair with a younger woman (Nicole Kidman) who works as a janitor, waitress and farm hand and also has a very jealous and slightly psychotic ex-husband (Ed Harris) who's stalking her. Based on Philip Roth's novel.

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen [2004] [PG] - 3.2.2
Lola (Lindsay Lohan) has grown up in New York City and feels that her life is over when her mother (Glenne Headly) moves her and her two young sisters to the suburbs of New Jersey. She takes solace in the words of her favorite rock star, and she tries out for the school play, hoping for the lead in "Pygmalion." Her competition is the school's most popular girl and their battle of one-upmanship begins in earnest.

Starsky & Hutch [2004] [PG-13] - 5.5.5
Presumably the set-up for the popular 1970s TV show about the detectives with the souped-up 1974 Ford Torino. Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller take on the roles of police detectives Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson and Dave Starsky, partners on the seedy streets of Bay City, and Snoop Dogg costars as Huggy Bear. Their first case is to determine the killer of a man they find floating in the water. A business card in his wallet leads them to a crooked business man (Vince Vaughn).

July 27

Hellboy [2004] [PG-13] - 3.7.3
A Nazi world domination scheme in the 1940s opens a portal to a mystical dimension inhabited by otherworldly creatures. Through the portal comes a demon who’s supposed to be Satan's offspring and is dubbed Hellboy (Ron Perlman). Hellboy is red, huge, has horn nubs on his forehead, yellowish eyes, a tail and an armored hand, and he grows up to be a force for good, becoming the protector of the citizens of Earth. Other creatures include Abe Sapien, an amphibian hominid who has gills, webbed fingers and feet, a pyrokinetic woman who can set things on fire at will, Hell Hound, a reincarnating beast with large fangs, a really long tongue, tentacles and several yellow eyes, and a man wearing a black plastic mask who has a penchant for self mutilation.

The Whole Ten Yards [2004] [R] - 5.5.5
Sequel to "The Whole Nine Yards," with Matthew Perry reprising his role as a mild-mannered dentist who becomes an unlikely friend to a likable hitman played by Bruce Willis. The dentist is now married to the hitman's ex-wife (Natasha Henstridge), who's been kidnapped by the Hungarian mob, and the hitman, who's married to the dentist's former dental assistant (Amanda Peet), comes to the dentist's aid.

August

August 3

13 Going on 30 [2004] [PG-13] - 4.3.4
Jennifer Garner stars as a dorky 13-year-old girl who fast-forwards from 1987 to 2004 and finds herself in a 30-year-old woman's body. Her grown-up version is gorgeous, successful and popular but she soon realizes that the way she is at 30 is not the person she wanted to grow up to be.

Hidalgo [2004] [PG-13] - 3.6.2
Adventure film based on the life of Frank T. Hopkins (portrayed by Viggo Mortensen): It's 1890, and a wealthy Sheik (Omar Sharif) invites Hopkins, who had been a cowboy and dispatch rider for the U.S. cavalry, to enter the Ocean of Fire horse race -- a punishing 3,000 miles across the Arabian Desert. Hopkins enters the race with his famous horse Hidalgo.

August 10

Kill Bill Vol. 2 [2004] [R] - 3.10.7
In the final volume of Quentin Tarantino's revenge film we find The Bride (Uma Thurman) exacting vengeance on the rest of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, her former colleagues who left her for dead four years earlier. Also with David Carradine, Daryl Hannah, Michael Madsen and Sonny Chiba.

The Prince and Me [2004] [PG] - 4.3.3
A young woman (Julia Stiles) committed to getting her medical degree without allowing romantic entanglements to get in her way is blind-sided by a young man (Luke Mably) who happens to be the prince of Denmark. She doesn't find out that he's a prince until the paparazzi catch up with them and turn their relationship into a scandal. She must decide whether to follow her heart or her career goals.

Envy [2004] [PG-13] - 4.4.5
A man (Jack Black) develops a spray that when applied to animal droppings makes them disappear, and becomes rich overnight. Having initially scoffed at the invention and refused to invest in it, his neighbor and best friend (Ben Stiller) becomes extremely envious and is convinced by a stranger (Christopher Walken) to try and destroy his friend's success.

Johnson Family Vacation [2004] [PG-13] - 4.4.5
A separated couple (Vanessa L. Williams and Cedric the Entertainer) plans a trip with their three children to a family reunion. The husband wants desperately to win the "Family of the Year" award, and also hopes to win back his wife in the process.

August 17

Taking Lives [2004] [R] - 7.8.6
Top FBI profiler Illeana Scott (Angelina Jolie) is called in to assist in a murder case that has Canadian officials baffled. Scott has unusual techniques and a frosty demeanor that alienate the other detectives. She quickly hones in on a suspect and determines that the murderer assumes the lives and identities of his victims after killing them, but an unexpected romantic entanglement compromises her objectivity.

Connie and Carla [2004] [PG-13] - 4.4.3
Two women (Nia Vardalos and Toni Collette) who are struggling Chicago dinner theater performers, accidentally witness a drug related killing and decide to run away and hide in Los Angeles, pretending to be drag queens. They feel safe until their show becomes a big hit and they begin to attract more attention than they had hoped.

New York Minute [2004] [PG] - 3.3.1
17-year-old twin sisters (Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen) who look identical but could not be any more different, are forced to spend a day together in New York city. They each try to visit disparate places, which are important to them but due to a series of mishaps their schedules are messed up. Meanwhile, a truancy officer (Eugene Levy) is after them and determined to catch at least one of them.

August 24

Ella Enchanted [2004] [PG] - 3.4.1
A new take on the classic fairy tale of Cinderella: Ella's father marries an unpleasant woman whose two abusive daughters do their utmost to make Ella (Anne Hathaway) miserable. In this version Ella is given the "gift" of obedience at birth by a fairy, and she has no choice but to obey any command, by anybody. As Ella gets older it becomes more difficult to keep the spell a secret from people who wish to take advantage of her inability to say no.

Laws of Attraction [2004] [PG-13] - 5.2.4
Two divorce lawyers (Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore) face off in a New York courtroom, only to end up debating whether marriage is something worth fighting for or an archaic institution destined for obsolescence. As they become increasingly antagonistic, they also realize that they are falling in love with each other.

The Girl Next Door [2004] [R] - 8.4.9
A young woman (Elisha Cuthbert) moves to a quiet town hoping to escape her past as an actress in pornographic movies. A young man (Emile Hirsch) attending the local high school dreams of getting away from this quiet town and making a name for himself academically. When their paths cross and secrets are uncovered they see that they can help each other find who they really want to be.

Dogville [2004] [R] - 8.8.2
A frightened woman (Nicole Kidman) appears on the streets of the isolated township of Dogville needing assistance. Gangsters arrive too, looking for her and the town "philosopher" (Paul Bettany) covers up the fact that she is there. After holding a town meeting it is decided that the woman may stay in hiding in Dogville as long as she is willing to offer assistance and services to the townspeople. Soon the residents increase their demands, and she goes along, until one townsperson can no longer keep quiet.

Clifford's Really Big Movie [2004] [G] - 0.2.0
The loveable, really, really big red dog makes his big screen debut: Clifford leaves Birdwell Island with his friends T-Bone and Cleo to follow a carnival troupe of amazing animals as they make their way toward a contest for fame, fortune and a lifetime supply of Tummy Yummies -- Clifford feels guilty for being such a burden on Emily Elizabeth and her family and feels the only way he can help is to win free food.

August 31

The Passion of the Christ [2004] [R] - 1.10.1
Director Mel Gibson's depiction of the trial, torture, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth (James Caviezel). The script was based upon several sources, including the 19th century diaries of St. Anne Catherine Emmerich, "The Mystical City of God" by St. Mary of Agreda, and the New Testament books of John, Luke, Mark and Matthew.

Twisted [2004] [R] - 7.7.7
Ashley Judd stars as a newly promoted homicide inspector who starts finding the bodies of brutally murdered victims and suspects a serial killer. It turns out though that all of the victims are men with whom she has had affairs, and she becomes concerned that she may be somehow involved. Especially since her own father was a serial killer.

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September

September 7

Soul Plane [2004] [R] - 9.3.9
A man (Kevin Hart) who is awarded $100 million in a lawsuit against an airline decides to use the money to make something of himself. He decides to start an airline of his own, which will cater to African-Americans, complete with sexy stewardesses, funky music and an onboard dance club. The first flight is a bumpy one when the pilot turns out to be Snoop Dogg, and Tom Arnold and his family are passengers.

The Punisher [2004] [R] - 6.10.8
A Delta Force operative and FBI special agent (Thomas Jane) plans to retire. But when his family is brutally murdered and he is left for dead, his only thought is to avenge their death. In his quest he confronts a powerful and ruthless Tampa businessman (John Travolta).

September 14

Man on Fire [2004] [R] - 4.10.6
Denzel Washington stars as a down-and-out ex-assassin who goes to Mexico City to work as a bodyguard for a businessman's (Marc Anthony) young daughter (Dakota Fanning) -- Mexico apparently has a very high kidnapping rate and the only way to protect the children of the wealthy is to hire expensive bodyguards. Having befriended the young girl, when she's abducted and feared dead, he vows terrible revenge against all who are responsible.

Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed [2004] [PG] - 3.4.3
The members of Mystery Inc. return in their second feature film. This time around they are all questioning their abilities as super sleuths, when a museum devoted to their past successes is ransacked and the costumes of their many foes stolen. The press and the citizens begin to turn on them accusing them of being fakes. The only way they can fight the groundswell of negative opinion is to figure out who robbed the museum.

Home on the Range [2004] [PG] - 1.3.1
Animated Disney film about the animals-in-residence on a small western farm, that take it upon themselves to ensure that the farm will not be sold to an unscrupulous, yodeling cattle rustler who masquerades as a wealthy businessman. With the voices of Roseanne, Judi Dench, Jennifer Tilly, Cuba Gooding Jr., Randy Quaid and Steve Buscemi.

Jersey Girl [2004] [PG-13] - 5.3.5
A man (Ben Affleck) and his infant daughter move to New Jersey leaving their glamorous life in Manhattan behind after his wife dies in child birth and he is fired from his job. The man struggles to cope with his grief and become a single parent with the help of his father (George Carlin). He longs for his old life and continues to try to recapture the old days by interviewing for jobs in New York. When he finally gets a job offer he must decide between that and the family he has created with his daughter and father in New Jersey.

The Ladykillers [2004] [R] - 4.5.10
A Coen brothers' remake of the Ealing Studios' 1955 black comedy with Alec Guinness: A group of men (led by Tom Hanks) plot to rob a casino, but must first ingratiate themselves with an elderly woman whose basement wall is the portal to the treasure. Their plans are turned upside down when the woman discovers what they have done and tries to force them to return the money and confess their sins. Now murder is on the men's minds, but although they are all criminals they're not comfortable with the idea of killing a defenseless woman.

September 21

Mean Girls [2004] [PG-13] - 5.4.4
A home-schooled teenager (Lindsay Lohan) who has spent her early life traveling with her archaeologist parents, has to attend a public high school for the first time when her mother accepts a position at a university. Befuddlement begins immediately as she tries to determine whether being popular is better than being herself, and has to confront the unwritten social rules and psychological intricacies that govern high school life.

September 28

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind [2004] [R] - 6.5.7
Jim Carrey stars as Joel, a man desperate to relieve the pain from a recent breakup with his girlfriend Clementine (Kate Winslet). When he discovers that Clementine has literally erased him from her memory by visiting a company that specializes in memory erasure, he endeavors to do the same with his own memories of her. As the procedure begins he realizes that he doesn't want to live without any memory of their time together, and so must fight (within his own mind) to hold onto some reminiscences.

Envy [2004] [PG-13] - 4.4.5
A man (Jack Black) develops a spray that when applied to animal droppings makes them disappear, and becomes rich overnight. Having initially scoffed at the invention and refused to invest in it, his neighbor and best friend (Ben Stiller) becomes extremely envious and is convinced by a stranger (Christopher Walken) to try and destroy his friend's success.

The Alamo [2004] [PG-13] - 2.6.3
The Alamo, originally a Spanish Mission, became the site of one of the bloodiest standoffs in the spring of 1836 between 200 Texans (or Texeans, as they originally called themselves) led by Colonel William Travis, James Bowie and Davy Crockett and the Mexican army led by General Santa Anna.

Walking Tall [2004] [PG-13] - 5.7.5
Remake of the 1973 film, with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as a man who returns home after 8 years in the army to find a town run by an unscrupulous casino owner who also distributes drugs. Not willing to accept the situation, he vows to become the sheriff and clean the town up using mostly a 2x4. Ostensibly inspired by true events.

Super Size Me [2004] [NR] - 4.4.5
Documentary feature that follows a man's month-long McDonald's diet. Morgan Spurlock, healthy and fit at the beginning of the month, decides to see what will happen to his body and health if he eats and drinks only things that are on McDonald's menu for 30 days, while reducing physical activity to that of an average American (no more than 5,000 steps a day and no other exercise). He ends up gaining 20 lbs. and his liver deteriorates very fast.

October

October 5

Aladdin [1992] [G] - 1.3.0
Animated comedic action/adventure with a romantic subplot, inspired by the fairy-tale character. Robin Williams voices the Genie.

Fahrenheit 9/11 [2004] [R] - 4.8.5
Political documentary by Michael Moore, which examines connections between President Bush's family and the Saudi royal family, and argues that because of these connections the administration did not pursue connections between Al Qaeda and the Saudis, but instead used the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. to launch a war against Iraq. It also argues that the U.S.A. Patriot Act infringes on basic civil rights. The feature became controversial when the Disney company refused to release it, and it won the Palme d'Or at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.

Saved! [2004] [PG-13] - 5.3.5
Two devout young women (Mandy Moore and Jenna Malone) are starting their senior year at the American Christian High School. When one finds out that she not only is pregnant, but that her boyfriend is gay and he's been sent to a Christian treatment center for "de-gayification," she is confused about everything in her life. She begins to question her best friend's motives and what being a Christian really means.

October 12

The Day After Tomorrow [2004] [PG-13] - 3.6.4
When the predictions of global warming come true and the polar ice caps melt, the survival of humankind is in question. A climatologist (Dennis Quaid) embarks on a treacherous trek through the frozen and snow-covered Eastern U.S., from Washington, D.C. to New York City, in order to find his son (Jake Gyllenhaal) who may or may not have survived.

Raising Helen [2004] [PG-13] - 4.2.4
A successful, on-the-rise modeling agent (Kate Hudson) becomes the guardian to her two nieces and nephew after her sister and brother-in-law die in a car accident. Her life is thrown into turmoil as she tries to adjust to her new life, and she also befriends a local pastor (John Corbett) who falls in love with her.

Breakin' All the Rules [2004] [PG-13] - 6.3.4
Jamie Foxx stars as a magazine editor who is unceremoniously dumped by his fiancée at their engagement party. Distraught, he begins to write a letter that becomes a guide book on breaking up, and he becomes a best-selling author. Wanting to save his friends from the same fate, he advises them on dumping their mates.

October 19

Van Helsing [2004] [PG-13] - 4.7.2
19th century monster hunter Dr. Gabriel Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) travels to Transylvania in an attempt to rid the world of supernatural evil as personified by Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh), the Wolf Man (Will Kemp), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Frankenstein's Monster (Shuler Hensley). He is assisted by the descendant (Kate Beckinsale) of a family committed to destroying Dracula.

The Butterfly [2002] [NR] - 1.3.1
Eight-year-old Elsa (Claire Bouanich) and her mom (Nade Dieu), move in next to an elderly entomologist (Michel Serrault) with a lavish butterfly collection in his apartment. Because her mother leaves her alone a lot, Elsa soon grows attached to her neighbor, and the two forge a friendship around the discovery of a rare butterfly.

Ed Wood [1994] [R] - 2.1.5
Johnny Depp stars as Edward D. Wood, Jr. -- the worst director of all time ("Glen or Glenda?" and "Plan 9 from Outer Space").

Garfield [2004] [PG] - 1.2.1
Bill Murray provides the voice to the wise-cracking, fat and happy animated cat: When Garfield's beleaguered owner Jon (Breckin Meyer) adopts a dog, Odie, Garfield is jealous and does whatever he can to get rid of him. However, when a TV personality steals Odie in order to make him do tricks on camera, Garfield summons his courage and several animal friends and manages to reunite his now expanded family.

Going Upriver: The Long War of John Kerry [2004] [PG-13] - 1.7.3
Documentary chronicling John F. Kerry's tour of duty in Vietnam as a navy swift boat commander, his subsequent leading role as a peace activist and spokesman against U.S. involvement in that war.

October 26

Mulan [1998] [G] - 1.3.1
Disney's 36th full-length animated feature chronicles the adventures of Mulan, a strong-willed young Chinese woman who clashes with her traditional culture.

White Chicks [2004] [PG-13] - 6.4.4
Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans star in this comedy as two African American FBI agents who are assigned to protect two white hotel heiresses from kidnapping. The agents decide to go undercover, and don women's clothes and lots of pale make-up in order to make themselves look like the two heiresses and take their place.

Dawn of the Dead [2004] [R] - 6.10.8
Horror flick about a strange plague that results in millions of corpses walking around as blood-thirsty zombies who make even more zombies by attacking the uninfected. A small group of survivors tries to find shelter in a shopping mall, not realizing that just like everybody else, zombies like hanging out at the mall.

November

November 2

Around the World in 80 Days [2004] [PG] - 3.4.3
Very loosely based on the Jules Verne classic tale set in 1872: Verne's hero Phileas Fogg is no longer merely an English gentleman but an English gentleman inventor (Steve Coogan), his resourceful valet Passepartout is not French but a Chinese thief (Jackie Chan) who wants to restore a valuable jade Buddha to his village, and the Indian princess is discarded as a character for a French artist (Cécile De France) who wants to see the world -- and becomes Fogg's love interest. The three embark on a journey around the world in a mere 80 days in order to win a wager.

Home at the End of the World [2004] [R] - 8.5.5
Two boys, Bobby and Jonathan (Colin Farrell and Dallas Roberts), meet and become best friends in Cleveland during the 1960s. They meet again in New York City during the 1980s, and Bobby moves in with Jonathan and his other roommate Clare (Robin Wright Penn). While Jonathan is gay, he was hoping to be the father of Clare's baby, but Bobby falls in love with her. When Clare becomes pregnant, they all move to the country, where their lives and relationships shift and change.

November 5

Shrek 2 [2004] [PG] - 3.3.2
This sequel begins where the first "Shrek" left off: Shrek and Fiona are on their honeymoon, and when they return to their swamp home they receive an invitation to visit the kingdom of Fiona's family in order to celebrate their marriage. Shrek is leery, anticipating disapproval because he's an ogre, but Fiona convinces him to go, and they run into many obstacles when Fiona's Fairy Godmother is revealed to be a double-crossing schemer with her own son's best interests in mind.

November 9

The Stepford Wives [2004] [PG-13] - 6.4.4
A comic re-imagining of the 1975 suspense classic, about suburban husbands that are replacing their wives with robots: After a successful television network president (Nicole Kidman) is fired and suffers a complete nervous breakdown, she moves with her husband (Matthew Broderick) and her family to the quiet, idyllic Connecticut town of Stepford. Everything is perfect there. So perfect that the new arrivals become suspicious.

Before Sunset [2004] [R] - 5.1.5
Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke reprise their roles as Celine and Jesse, the young couple that met in Paris and had a passionate one night affair in the film "Before Sunrise." It is nine years later, and Jesse is in Paris for a book tour while Celine is an environmental activist. They meet, and get re-acquainted while walking the streets and flowered paths of Paris.

The Clearing [2004] [R] - 4.5.5
Robert Redford and Helen Mirren star as Wayne and Eileen, a middle-aged couple that has seemingly made a success of their car rental business, as well as their lives. But when a desperate man (Willem Dafoe) kidnaps Wayne, Eileen finds her home full of FBI agents and her life under scrutiny. At the same time, while walking through deserted woods the kidnapper and Wayne, become acquainted and talk about the missteps each man has made in his life.

November 16
The Chronicles of Riddick [2004] [PG-13] - 3.7.5
Vin Diesel reprises his role from "Pitch Black" as Riddick, sole survivor from the planet Furion, an escaped convict, and a man who can see in the dark. This time he gets involved in a galactic war against a sect called the Necromongers that's waging the "10th Crusade" in the 26th century. Eventually he boards the Necromonger flagship, where he comes face to face with the sect's leader, Lord Marshal (Colm Feore).

Elf [2003] [PG] - 3.3.3
A baby crawls into Santa's gift sack and is transported to the North Pole where he is raised as an elf -- believing he is an elf himself, only much taller. The truth is eventually revealed and the now grown man (played by Will Ferrell) travels to New York to find his real family. But when he does he realizes that his father (James Caan) is Scrooge-like, and it's now up to him to use his elfin ways to remind him of the true meaning of Christmas.

Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Movie [2004] [PG] - 1.4.0
Two boys face off in a battle pitting their decks of magic cards against each other. What they do not know is that one of the boys is being helped by a dark power in the form of a long-dead, vengeful pharaoh who wants to come back and take over the world.

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead [2004] [R] - 6.8.10
A former gang leader (Clive Owen), who now leads an isolated life in the English countryside, sleeping in a van and doing odd jobs, returns to London where he learns that his younger brother has just died. The coroner's report lists the death as a suicide but it soon becomes apparent that there is far more to it.

November 23

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban [2004] [PG] - 1.5.2
The third installment in the Harry Potter saga finds Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and his friends (Emma Watson and Rupert Grint) back at Hogwarts school for their third year as apprentice wizards. Shortly after arriving it is reported that Sirius Black, a renegade wizard and apparently the man who murdered Harry's parents, has escaped from Azkaban prison and he is headed toward Hogwarts looking for Harry.

Sleepover [2004] [PG] - 4.3.2
A simple end-of-the-year sleepover party turns into an adventure when four teenage girls (Alexa Vega, Mika Boorem, Kallie Flynn Childress and Scout Taylor-Compton) end up competing against the clique of popular girls, and the night turns into a non-stop scavenger hunt. The prize is the cafeteria's "best" table and the girls end up in the city sneaking into nightclubs, while trying to keep their parents from finding out where they are.

November 30

Spider-Man 2 [2004] [PG-13] - 3.6.3
Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is still your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, and continues to harbor a secret love for Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst). In this sequel he must fight a new villain dubbed Dr. Octopus (Alfred Molina), a once brilliant scientist turned mad, who is determined to rule the world with a renewable energy device.

Hero [2004] [PG-13] - 4.6.0Jet Li stars as a mysterious warrior who presents himself to the King of Qin (one of the seven warring factions of ancient China) as the man who managed to kill three assassins who repeatedly tried to kill the king. The film unspools as a series of flashbacks, with Li's character as the narrator.

December

December 7

The Bourne Supremacy [2004] [PG-13] - 3.6.5
Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) returns in this sequel to "The Bourne Identity." Bourne has settled in with girlfriend Marie (Franka Potente) in India. However, when a rival agent begins to pursue the former black-ops assassin, Bourne knows it's time to go back on the run. Also with Julia Stiles, Brian Cox, and Joan Allen. Directed by Paul Greengrass. [1:48]

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story [2004] [PG-13] - 5.4.5
Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn star in this comedy about a group of misfits who enter a Las Vegas dodgeball tournament in order to save their local gym from the clutches of a corporate health fitness chain.

December 14

I, Robot [2004] [PG-13] - 3.5.4
Sci-fi thriller ostensibly suggested by Isaac Asimov's ideas of a near-future world where sophisticated, benign robots are ubiquitous household items that everyone trusts. Will Smith stars as a homicide detective who alone believes that a robot may have perpetrated a crime, and robots are sinister and ultimately a threat to humans.

Collateral [2004] [R] - 1.7.6
Max (Jamie Foxx) has been driving a cab for 12 years and dreams of owning his own limousine business. But when Vincent (Tom Cruise), a contract killer, gets into his cab, he's about to take a trip he will never forget: A narcotics trafficking cartel is about to be indicted by a federal grand jury, and they want the key witnesses dead. Vincent's job is to make that happen in one night, by forcing Max to make five deadly stops.

The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement [2004] [G] - 2.1.0
Princess Mia (Anne Hathaway) is finally settling into Genovian life, when new complications arise. Expected to take the throne as queen earlier than first planned, she learns of a law that requires her to be married prior to her coronation. With guidance from the current queen, who is also her grandmother (Julie Andrews), and their security chief (Hector Elizondo), Mia carefully tiptoes her way through an arranged courtship and attention from another suitor who appears to have ulterior motives.

We Don't Live Here Anymore [2004] [R] - 9.3.8
Two married couples (Naomi Watts and Peter Krause, Laura Dern and Mark Ruffalo) who have been friends for some time discover that they have drifted apart, allowing infidelity, jealousy and anger to change their lives.

December 21

The Manchurian Candidate [2004] [R] - 4.8.5
Remake of the John Frankenheimer 1962 Cold War classic, updated to contemporary times and paranoias: Denzel Washington stars as an army major who is tormented by dreams and memories of a firefight he survived in Kuwait in 1991 during the Persian Gulf War. Ten years have passed and he eventually remembers that his platoon was kidnapped by the enemy, and brainwashed. When he realizes that one of his fellow soldiers (Liev Schreiber) is ascending the political ladder, he tries to warn him and make him realize that he's a political pawn. Meryl Streep costars as a powerful political mother and wife with ulterior motives.

Shaun of the Dead [2004] [R] - 2.9.9
British horror comedy about Shaun (Simon Pegg), a twenty-nine-year-old who lives with his two best friends and is stuck in a boring, dead-end job. Everything changes when Shaun wakes up one day to find London overrun with zombies. Determined to save his girlfriend, Shaun and his mates go on a zombie killing spree.

De-Lovely [2004] [PG-13] - 6.3.3
Kevin Kline stars as the celebrated American composer Cole Porter, and Ashley Judd costars as his wife Linda Lee Porter. The film explores Porter's complicated relationship with his wife, and his bisexuality.

Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid [2004] [PG-13] - 4.7.5
A group of scientists undertakes an expedition into the thick jungles of Borneo hoping to find a rare orchid that blooms only once every seven years, and may hold the key to extending human life. They don't anticipate the dangers that await them, including the monsoon season and giant, hungry snakes that derive their size and strength from the flowers.

King Arthur [2004] [PG-13] - 5.7.4
This version of the Arthurian legend is set after 450 A.D. as the power of the Roman Empire over the British Isles begins to weaken and crumble. One king tries to pacify the warring noblemen with his concept of a Round Table of united knights. Clive Owen stars as Arthur, Keira Knightley as his queen Guinevere and Ioan Gruffudd as Lancelot.

Surviving Christmas [2004] [PG-13] - 5.3.4
Black comedy about a successful advertising professional (Ben Affleck) who finds himself alone on Christmas after his girlfriend (Jennifer Morrison) dumps him, and cannot bear it. So he returns to his childhood home where a new family (James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, Christina Applegate and Josh Zuckerman) now lives. He offers them $250,000 to act as his "family" for the holidays. They agree with reservations, and as they begin to act out the childhood memories of their visitor, they realize how unhappy their own lives really are.

Thunderbirds [2004] [PG] - 3.4.1
A big screen, live-action version of the marionette-manned British TV series from the 1960s: The Tracy family -- brilliant entrepreneur and former astronaut Jeff Tracy (Bill Paxton) and his five sons -- controls International Rescue, a top-secret organization that's dedicated to saving people from all over the Earth by using super advanced vehicles and equipment. When master criminal The Hood (Ben Kingsley) tries to take over the top-secret Tracy Island, the youngest Thunderbird (Brady Corbet) must come to the rescue of his entire family.

Two Brothers [2004] [PG] - 3.5.2
The story of twin tiger cubs who are separated from their parents and each other when men, led by a legendary hunter (Guy Pearce), come into their jungle home to hunt and loot ancient temples. One cub is shy and gentle, and the other is bold and fierce. Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, director of "The Bear."

Napoleon Dynamite [2004] [PG] - 3.4.3
A young man, with the unlikely moniker Napoleon Dynamite, lives in Idaho with his grandmother and older brother. One day his uncle comes to live with them when his grandmother is injured in an accident, and the rest of the film revolves around these three eccentric people trying to figure out how to get through their lives and find some kind of contentment.

Danny Deckchair [2004] [PG-13] - 6.3.4
Danny Morgan (Rhys Ifans) is a cement truck driver working in Sydney, Australia and dreaming of his next vacation. His live-in girlfriend (Justine Clarke) thinks that he has no ambition and is losing interest in him. When she cancels their scheduled camping vacation, Danny is desperate. He asks his friends to tie large helium-filled balloons to his folding chair and sits on it. No one expects it to really work, but it does and he sails high into the sky and across the Outback where he eventually crash lands and becomes an interesting addition to a small town called Clarence.

December 28

Resident Evil: Apocalypse [2004] [R] - 6.9.7
Sequel to the 2002 horror film "Resident Evil," which was based on the popular video game series: Milla Jovovich reprises her role as Alice, an elite military agent. This time she finds herself stranded in the ruins of a city following a virus outbreak that has turned the inhabitants into flesh eating zombies.

Wicker Park [2004] [PG-13] - 6.3.5
Josh Hartnett stars as a man who is a rising star in an advertising firm, who's just managed to put a failed love affair behind him and is on the verge of proposing to his new girlfriend. However, when he thinks he has seen his lost love in a café, he becomes obsessed with finding her. He puts his life on hold and scours the city, only to run up against lies, deceit and betrayal.

Anchorman [2004] [PG-13] - 6.5.5
Set in 1970s San Diego: TV news anchorman Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) is a local celebrity, although his expertise is really nothing more complicated than reading a teleprompter efficiently. His life and career plans are disrupted when an ambitious female newscaster (Christina Applegate) who actually knows a thing or two about real journalism joins the all-boys news team, and the two develop romantic feelings for one another.

Garden State [2004] [R] - 7.3.9
A young man (Zach Braff) returns to his New Jersey hometown after nine years to attend his mother's funeral. As the days pass we learn more and more about his past and what has kept him away for so long -- for instance, he recently stopped taking powerful antidepressants. He also meets a young woman (Natalie Portman) and together they explore some unusual places and people.

Intimate Strangers [2004] [R] - 6.3.5
A woman thinks she's visiting a psychiatrist, but she ends up confiding her marital problems to a tax attorney whose office is two doors down from the psychiatrist's. However, she continues to come to the attorney's office for weekly sessions and a peculiar bond develops between the two.

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence [2004] [PG-13] - 5.7.5
Japanese anime film set in 2032: A detective investigates several strange murders committed by female cyborgs that were created specifically to provide sexual companionship but ended up killing their owners.

Wimbledon [2004] [PG-13] - 5.2.5
Lizzie (Kirsten Dunst) is an up-and-coming U.S. tennis star, while Peter (Paul Bettany) has dropped from his lofty ranking of 11th, down to 119th, near the bottom of the world tennis ranks. Falling in love and lust with Lizzie, Peter's newfound amorous success seems to improve his game and he soon finds himself getting close to winning the men's title at Wimbledon.

Open Water [2004] [R] - 6.7.6
A man and a woman (Blanchard Ryan and Daniel Travis) are desperate for a relaxing vacation, and decide to participate in a day of scuba diving in deep sea waters, enjoying the underwater fauna, which includes sharks and eels. However, when they re-surface they realize they have been left behind by the tour boat. For the rest of the day and through the night they try to remain calm, while fighting seasickness, leg cramps, dehydration, jellyfish stings and sharks. Ostensibly based on true events.

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CAVEATS

Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.

We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.

Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.


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