In a near-empty Northfork orphanage, Father Harlan gently tends to Irwin, an eight-year-old who lies between a dream state and death. As orphanage caretaker Harlan reads aloud about Northfork’s years-ago forced evacuation to make way for a hydro-electric dam, Irwin’s imagination takes flight. While a team of six men evacuate the last remaining citizens of the town, Irwin, too, invents a cast of characters to prepare himself for his own evacuation. (the above states the caretaker - who is actually the priest - is reading about a years-ago evacuation. In the movie, the evacuation is taking place as the boy lays dying!) Written by Sujit R. Varma

Just hearing the word ‘sequel’ makes me cringe. Too many times the fond memories of a good movie have been ruined by a lame, cash-in-while-the-getting-is-good sequel. The bad sequel list goes on ad nauseam, populated with misguided, unnecessary and annoying attempts to recapture the spirit – and the box office dollars – of a successful movie. And no matter how you try to forget them, bad sequels leave a rotten taste in your mouth that taints the enjoyment of the original film. But the powers behind “Shrek” got it right. They pulled off the near impossible and created a sequel that’s better than the original. Even the computer generated animation, which was pretty darn good in the first film, has been vastly improved. This “Shrek” looks gorgeous, feels fresh, and touches your heart on a grander scale than the first movie.

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It was with a great deal of trepidation that I found myself at a recent preview screening of “Finding Nemo.” First off, I don’t usually like ‘kids’ movies. Secondly, I’m not a big fan of animated films in general. “Finding Nemo” combines the two, making it the sort of film I dread seeing the most.

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The hero of an unlikely airplane disaster must overcome his own inadequacies, improbable accidents and his former girlfriend in order to save a space shuttle from destruction in this spoof sequel of the disaster parody Airplane! Written by Keith Loh {loh@sfu.ca}

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“Two Knights…Two Horses…Two Pieces of Sharp Lumber…
But, Only One Chick…Do the Math”

Backed by the throbbing sound of Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” “A Knight’s Tale” opens by immediately letting you know, in no uncertain terms, that this is no ordinary tale of jousting and medieval times. Mixing classic rock with medieval stylings, “A Knight’s Tale” is a wild ride that never takes itself seriously. From the booming beat of “The Boys are Back in Town” to the mixture of modern-day and medieval dialogue, “A Knight’s Tale” is pure entertainment.

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Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck are up to their feuding ways again. Tired of playing second fiddle to Bugs, Daffy has decided to leave the Studio for good. He is aided by Warner Bros.’ humor impaired Vice President of Comedy, Kate Houghton, who releases him from his contract and instructs WB security guard/aspiring stunt man DJ Drake to capture and “escort” Daffy off the studio lot. Suddenly a sidekick without a hero, the duck decides to ally himself with DJ, whether he likes it or not. Consequently, Daffy is on the scene when DJ discovers that his famous movie star father was Damian Drake, known for playing suave international spies onscreen, is actually a suave international spy in real life–and has been kidnapped by the evil insane nerdy, prancing villain known as Mr. Chairman of the equally nefarious Acme Corporation. It seems that Damian knows the whereabouts of the mysterious magical and powerful Blue Monkey Diamond, and the Chairman will do anything to get his hands on it! With Daffy in tow, DJ hits the road in a desperate attempt to outrace the evil Acme stooges to the diamond and save the world from their evil clutches. Unbeknownst to the two neo-spies, they are also being followed by VP Kate and Bugs–the studio brass has decided that the rabbit needs a comic foil after all, and Kate’s job is on the line if she can’t get Daffy back to work ASAP. Written by Anthony Pereyra (hypersonic91yahoo.com)

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The Angels–Natalie, Dylan, and Alex are back again but this time they’re preparing for a strike without even warning as they go undercover to retrieve two missing silver bands. These are no ordinary rings. They contain valuable encrypted information that reveal the new identities of every person in the Federal Witness Protection Program. When witnesses start turning up dead, only the Angels, using their expertise as masters of disguise, espionage and martial arts can stop the perpetrator, a mysterious “fallen” Angel. Aided by their trusty colleague, Jimmy Bosley, the Angels’ adventure begins at a remote Mongolian outpost and ends only after Dylan is forced to face a dark secret from her past–a secret that puts the lives of her two best friends in danger. Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

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Tyrants - Monsters - Heroes - Ear Wax.

This is one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in years. It’s also one of the sweetest romances. Who would have thought that a huge, ugly, bug-eating, tube-eared, gassy green ogre could be so loveable? Mike Myers voice was the perfect match for this animated creature, though personally I believe Eddie Murphy stole the show with his Donkey doings.

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The story of irreverent supernatural detective John Constantine, who has literally been to Hell and back. When Constantine teams up with skeptical policewoman Angela Dodson to solve the mysterious suicide of her twin sister, their investigation takes them through the world of demons and angels that exists just beneath the landscape of contemporary Los Angeles. Caught in a catastrophic series of otherworldly events, the two become inextricably involved and seek to find their own peace at whatever cost. Written by unit publicist/WB

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Let me admit right off the bat that the trailers for “Madagascar” did nothing for me. While “Shrek” and its sequel both had me at hello, “Madagascar” was a tough sell. Chris Rock has a decent voice for animated movies, but Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett-Smith and David Schwimmer aren’t exactly known for their voice work, and the trailers and clips didn’t convince me they should look for more jobs in that particular field. Fortunately for moviegoers, the humor – in large part supplied by four wily, scene-stealing penguins - is strong enough to make up for the film’s lack of enchanting voices.

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