Awaited sequel, police thriller bring action to theaters
n “American Adobo”: The friendships and sexual relations between five Filipino Americans living in Manhattan form the basis of this modestly mounted comedy, which unfolds over a 12-month period. Actress-turned-filmmaker Laurice Guillen (“Salome”) directed. – “Blood Work”: Clint Eastwood may have retired from playing tough cop “Dirty Harry” Callahan, but that doesn’t mean he’s over the hill. In this edgy R-rated thriller, he plays a former FBI agent who retires after a heart attack and then risks his life to pursue a serial killer who had previously eluded him. Jeff Daniels (“Terms of Endearment”) co-stars. Brian Helgeland (“Payback”) directed.
– “Happy Times”: Due to the changing economic climate in China, a middle-aged factory worker is laid off and then begins an unexpected relationship with a blind woman. Famed Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou (“Raise the Red Lantern”) directed the comedy.
– “The Kid Stays in the Picture”: The career of bigger-than-life producer Robert Evans, whose credits include “Love Story,” “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Godfather,” is chronicled during this critically hailed R-rated documentary. It’s adapted from the subject’s best-selling autobiography and features celebrities such as Jack Nicholson, Al Pacino and Ali MacGraw. Brett Morgen and Nanette Burstein (“On the Ropes”) co-directed.
– “Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams”: Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino return as crime-fighting parents who again involve their children (Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara) in the espionage business when they travel to a remote island and encounter dangerous man-made creatures. Steve Buscemi (“Ghost World”) and Bill Paxton (“Frailty”) co-star in the colorful PG-rated family picture. Robert Rodriguez again wrote and directed.
– “XXX”: A veteran government agent (Samuel L. Jackson of “Pulp Fiction”) agrees to teach an extreme-sports athlete (Vin Diesel of “Pitch Black”) all of the deadly tricks of the espionage trade and transforms him into a new-age James Bond. Italian actress Asia Argento (“B. Monkey”) co-stars. The outlandish PG-13 action thriller re-teams Diesel with Rob Cohen, who previously directed the hot actor in the rapid-paced hit “The Fast and the Furious.”
At the buck$ office
M. Night Shyamalan mystified the film-going public with his frightening and uplifting “Signs.”
The critically acclaimed PG-13 picture, starring Mel Gibson as a Bucks County farmer battling space invaders, opened with more than $60 million. Mike Myers also continued his golden ways as “Austin Powers in Goldmember” grossed more than $30 million in its second week of release.
Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh (“Traffic”) didn’t fare nearly as well. His heavily promoted “Full Frontal,” featuring superstars such as Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt, opened with just $725,000.
The top 10 films last weekend were:
1. “Signs” ($60.3 million)
2. “Austin Powers in Goldmember” ($32.4 million)
3. “The Master of Disguise” ($13 million)
4. “Martin Lawrence Live: Runteldat” ($7.5 million)
5. “Road to Perdition” ($6.6 million)
6. “Stuart Little 2” ($6 million)
7. “Men in Black 2” ($4.7 million)
8. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” ($3.01 million)
9. “K-19: The Widowmaker” ($3 million)
10. (tie) “The Country Bears” ($3 million)