Apr 4, 2003 By Lou Gaul Calkins Media Film Critic 4 min read

An offbeat thriller (“Phone Booth”), a teen tale (“What a Girl Wants”), an action picture (“A Man Apart”), a character study (“Assassination Tango”) and a concert film (“DysFunKtional Family”) are the top titles arriving on this daylight-saving time weekend. The new motion pictures (with release dates subject to change) scheduled to open today at a theater near you include:

– “Assassination Tango”: During this 114-minute melodrama, rated R, a veteran mob hit man (72-year-old Robert Duvall of “The Apostle”) reluctantly agrees to travel to Argentina to assassinate a general involved in horrible war crimes. While at the exotic locale, he becomes intrigued by tango dancing and is drawn to a much younger woman (31-year-old Luciana Pedraza). Duvall also directed, wrote and co-produced.

– “Bend It Like Beckham”: An Indian family living in London tries to raise its athletically inclined daughter (Parminder Nagra) in a traditional way, but the young woman only wants to dedicate herself to soccer and play as well as her idol, David Beckham. Gurinder Chadha (“What’s Cooking?”) wrote and directed the 112-minute picture, which is rated PG-13 and has been a huge hit in England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

– “DysFunKtional Family”: Comic actor Eddie Griffin (“Undercover Brother”) blends scenes from his stand-up act with documentary footage of the family members who helped to form his often hilarious view of the world. It proves a winning combination during this R-rated picture, which runs 83 minutes. George Gallo (“Double Take”) directed.

– “The Guys”: During this well-intentioned no-frills picture, a journalist (Sigourney Weaver of “Aliens”) agrees to help a New York City fire captain (Anthony LaPaglia of TV’s “Without a Trace”) write eulogies for the men under his command whose lives were lost at the World Trade Center during the terrorist attack on Sept, 11, 2001. The 100-minute drama, rated PG, is based on the off-Broadway play by Anne Nelson, a Columbia University journalism professor.

– “A Man Apart”: An undercover DEA agent (Vin Diesel of “XXX”) seeks bloody revenge after some drug dealers murder his wife. Larenz Tate (“Menace II Society”) co-stars as the agent’s loyal partner in the hard-edged 105-minute action tale, rated R. F. Gary Gray (“The Negotiator”) directed.

– “Phone Booth”: During this R-rated picture, which was delayed from release due to last year’s sniper shootings in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia, a fast-talking publicist (Colin Farrell of “The Recruit”) answers a ringing phone on a Manhattan street. A voice on the line then tells the self-satisfied man that he will be shot by a high-powered rifle if he hangs up. Written by cult favorite Larry Cohen, the modestly budgeted $12 million picture captured the attention of superstars Mel Gibson, Jim Carrey and Will Smith, all of whom eventually left it. The 100-minute thriller co-stars Katie Holmes (TV’s “Dawson’s Creek”) and Forest Whitaker (“Panic Room”). Joel Schumacher (“The Client”) directed.

– “What a Girl Wants”: An American teen-ager (Amanda Bynes of “Big Fat Liar”) discovers that her father is a high-profile British politician (Colin Firth of “Bridget Jones’s Diary”).

She then goes to England to visit and turns his seemingly well ordered world upside down. Kelly Preston (“Jerry Maguire”) co-stars in the 104-minute family fairy tale, rated PG.

Dennie Gordon (“The Adventures of Joe Dirt”) directed.

At the buck$ office

Chris Rock went to the “Head” of the Hollywood class last weekend.

“Head of State,” which Rock stars in and directed, took the No. 1 spot at the box office.

It was followed closely by “Bringing Down the House,” “The Core” and “Basic.”

The top 10 films last weekend were:

1. “Head of State” ($14 million)

2. “Bringing Down the House” ($12.5 million)

3. “The Core” ($12.4 million)

4. “Basic” ($12.1 million)

5. “Chicago” ($7.4 million)

6. “Dreamcatcher” ($6.4 million)

7. “Agent Cody Banks” ($6.1 million)

8. “Piglet’s Big Movie” ($4.6 million)

9. “View From the Top” ($3.8 million)

10. “The Hunted” ($3.7 million)

Coming Soon!

Major titles tentatively scheduled to open April 11 include: “Anger Management,” a comedy with Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson, and “Ghosts of the Abyss,” director James Cameron’s IMAX production that looks at the undersea remains of the Titanic.