Comedy, hard-edged melodrama to arrive in theaters this weekend
The new motion pictures opening today at a theater near you are: – “Borstal Boy”: During World War II, an Irish teen-ager (Shawn Hatosy of “John Q”) is dispatched to England with a bomb and ordered by the IRA to detonate it in Liverpool. During the mission, he is apprehended by British authorities, sentenced to a reform institution for young offenders and begins to see people he previously viewed as enemies in a different way. Irish filmmaker Peter Sheridan (“The Breakfast”) directed the unrated drama, based on the novel by Brendan Behan.
– “Deuces Wild”: Set in 1958 Brooklyn, this R-rated melodrama follows a hot-tempered leader of the pack (Stephen Dorff of “Blade”) who won’t allow some armed wiseguys to take over the turf of his rough-and-ready gang, the Deuces. The supporting cast includes Fairuza Balk (“Almost Famous”), Frankie Muniz (TV’s “Malcolm in the Middle”), Vincent Pastore (HBO’s “The Sopranos”), Johnny Knoxville (MTV’s “Jackass”) and Brad Renfro (“Bully”). Scott Kalvert (“The Basketball Diaries”) directed.
– “Hollywood Ending”: A neurotic director (Woody Allen of “The Curse of the Jade Scorpion”) receives an unexpected opportunity to re-invigorate his stale career when his ex-wife (Tea Leoni of “Jurassic Park III”) becomes a Tinsel Town executive. She convinces her studio-chief boyfriend (Treat Williams of “The Devil’s Own”) to hire her talented but troubled ex-husband, who quickly turns his former spouse’s life into a living hell as all of his fears and insecurities rise to the surface during the shooting. Debra Messing (TV’s “Will & Grace”) and George Hamilton (“The Godfather III”) co-star in the PG-13 comedy. Allen also wrote and directed.
– “Nine Queens”: Two small-time con men (Gaston Pauls and Ricardo Darin) see an opportunity for a huge score in a single day. They plot to swindle a wealthy businessman (Ignasi Abadal) by convincing him a set of forgeries are actually the Nine Queens, a series of extremely rare and highly valuable German stamps. Other crooks and con artists whose skills they need to complete the sting, however, complicate their seemingly simple plan. Fabian Bielinsky made his directing debut with the involving R-rated import from Argentina.
– “Pauline & Paulette”: During this heartfelt import from Belgium, a lonely small-town woman, Paulette (Ann Petersen), suddenly finds her world turned upside down when she must care for her 66-year-old mentally challenged sister, Pauline (Dora van der Groen). Lieven Debrauwer made his directing debut with the PG-rated slice-of-life drama.
– “Spider-Man”: After years of promises (including a time when director James Cameron and Leonardo DiCaprio planned to tackle the project), the most popular character in the history of Marvel Comics is crawling on to the silver screen in a $120 million production. Tobey Maguire (“Wonder Boys”) stars as meek and mild Peter Parker, who becomes a web-slinging super hero after being bitten by a radioactive spider. He’s soon fighting Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe of “Shadow of the Vampire”), a high-flying villain driven insane by a deadly formula that also turned his skin the color of money. Kirsten Dunst (“Bring It On”) co-stars as Parker’s girlfriend, Mary Jane. Sam Raimi (“The Evil Dead”) directed the PG-13 fantasy epic.
– “Triumph of Love”: A young princess (Mira Sorvino of “Mighty Aphrodite”) masquerades as a man in an effort to return the rightful heir to the throne during this whimsical work, based on French playwright Pierre Marivaux’s 300-year-old romantic comedy, “Le Triomphe de L’Amour.” Ben Kingsley (“Sexy Beast”) and Fiona Shaw (“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”) co-star as the wealthy brother and sister who must be fooled by the princess’ bold cross-dressing plan. Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci (“The Last Emperor”) adapted Marivaux’s play and produced the PG-13 picture. Clare Peploe (“Rough Magic”) directed.
At the buck$ office
The Rock ruled again at the box office last weekend.
For the second consecutive week, the WWF star’s sword-and-sandal epic, “The Scorpion King,” took the No. 1 spot at the box office.
Angelina Jolie didn’t receive a very warm reception in theaters. Her heavily promoted romantic comedy, “Life or Something Like It,” grossed less than $7 million.
The top-grossing films in the country last weekend were:
1. “The Scorpion King” ($17.6 million)
2. “Changing Lanes” ($9 million)
3. “Life or Something Like It” ($6.65 million)
4. “Jason X” ($6.5 million)
5. “Murder by Numbers” ($6.3 million)
6. “The Rookie” ($5.4 million)
7. “Ice Age” ($4.6 million)
8. “Panic Room” ($4.2 million)
9. “High Crimes” ($3 million)
10. “The Sweetest Thing” ($2.9 million)