Weekly movie planner

03/14/04

The pitch: Johnny Depp, right, is great as an author struggling with writer’s block in a remote cabin while he tries to fend off a crazed stranger and wrestles with his impending divorce. Based on the Stephen King novella. (Clint O’Connor)

Grade: B

Rating: PG-13

Running time: 97 minutes

Also just opened

Osama

The pitch: Over the course of 82 tightly wound minutes, Siddiq Barmak’s film, the first made in Afghanistan in years, explores the plight of women under the despotic Taliban regime. But it’s the double life of the film’s lead character a 12-year-old girl (played by Marina Golbahari) who pretends to be a boy in order to get a job, that adds another layer of identity to the tale of social injustice. Playing at the Cedar Lee Theatre, 2163 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights. (John Petkovic)

Grade: B

Rating: PG-13

Running time: 82 minutes

Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London

The pitch: Frankie Muniz is back as the CIA’s youngest operative. This time, Cody Banks is sent to London to foil an evil mind-control scheme. As lightweight fluff goes, this is pretty fluffy. (Clint O’Connor)

Grade: C

Rating: PG

Running time: 93 minutes

Coming soon

Friday

Jersey Girl - Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez try it again, this time in a film by Affleck pal Kevin Smith. He’s a workaholic music promoter whose life is utterly changed by a woman he meets (Lopez). They marry and have a baby.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Charlie Kaufman ("Adaptation," "Being John Malkovich") wrote this romantic comedy for director Michel Gondry ("Human Nature"). Jim Carrey stars as a man who discovers that the woman he loves (Kate Winslet) has allowed a psychiatrist (Tom Wilkinson) to do an experimental procedure, erasing Carrey from all her memories. Carrey agrees to the same procedure but changes his mind midway through, creating chaos of his memories.

Taking Lives - Angelina Jolie plays an FBI profiler who goes to Montreal to help track down a serial killer. Ethan Hawke co- stars.

Greendale - Neil Young wrote, directed and did the music for this homemade film, which adds visuals to his song cycle about a family and its farm.

Friday, March 26

The Ladykillers - Joel and Ethan Coen’s remake of the 1955 comedy from Britain’s Ealing Studios moves the story to New Orleans and stars Tom Hanks in the role originated by Alec Guinness, a professor who puts together a gang of thieves for a big heist. When their landlady gets wind of the plot, they have to kill her - which is not as easy as they think. Marlon Wayans and Irma P. Hall co-star.

Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed: Every dog has its sequel. The cast , right, of the first "Scooby" reunite for another moneymaking mystery involving a masked villain and control of the city of Coolsville. The live action/ animation mix features Matthew Lillard, Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alicia Silverstone and Seth Green.

Friday, April 2

Hellboy - Director Guillermo del Toro ("Blade II") tackles the Dark Horse comic-book story of a demon who fights for good. We can’t wait.

Envy - Can money wreck a friendship? When Jack Black becomes filthy rich, his best buddy and neighbor (Ben Stiller) can’t deal with it. Barry Levinson ("Diner," "Tin Men," "Rain Man") directs. Christopher Walken plays a drifter.

Home on the Range - Judi Dench and Sarah Jessica Parker lend their voices to some of the characters in this old-fashioned Disney animated adventure about farm animals that band together to save the ranch.

Walking Tall - Will the Rock be the new Arnold? Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson stars in a remake of the 1973 film about a heroic sheriff who stands up against the bad guys who are destroying his hometown.

Friday, April 9

The Alamo - John Lee Hancock’s film was expected last year, and we only can hope the delay doesn’t signal a Waterloo. Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton and Jason Patric star in the true story of a few daring Americans who defend the Texas fort against the Mexican Army.

The Whole Ten Yards - Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry are back in this sequel to the 2000 comedy "The Whole Nine Yards."