"About Schmidt"
Jack Nicholson steals the show as a man who, upon his wife's death, realizes he's wasted his life. The film manages to be warm, sad and funny but can't mask being somewhat dull. Rated R. 3 stars
"Adaptation."
A rare flower poacher, a novelist, a screenwriter and his sweetly moronic twin brother intertwine in this offering from director Spike Jonze and screenwriter brothers Charlie and Donald Kaufman. It's strange, clever and quite hilarious - maybe too much for its own good. Rated R. 4 stars
"Daredevil"
Ben Affleck stars as the man without fear in this uneven adaptation of the popular comic book. Dark and surprisingly violent, the film has as many good moments as it does bad. Rated PG-13. 2.5 stars
"Dark Blue"
Kurt Russell is good in this decidedly stale good cop/bad cop drama set in Los Angeles during the Rodney King riots. There are some excellent moments, but overall it can't shake the plodding feel of its recycled plot. Rated R. 2.5 stars
"How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days"
A shallow journalist takes an assignment to get a guy to break up with her in 10 days. A shallow advertising man takes a bet to make a girl fall in love with him in 10 days. Predictable and extremely obnoxious. Rated PG-13. 2 stars
"The Life of David Gale"
Kevin Spacey stars as a brilliant capital punishment abolitionist on death row in this often intriguing, sometimes silly drama. Rated R. 3 stars
"The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"
The second installment in Peter Jackson's adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's novels surpasses the first. Excellent character and story development and an hour-long battle sequence set this in a class all its own. Rated PG-13. 5 stars
"Old School"
Will Ferrell is great in this welcome addition to the college comedy genre as a group of thirtysomethings who start their own frat. It's as stupid as it sounds, but it is also one of the funnier films in the theaters. Rated R. 4 stars
"Shanghai Knights"
Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson team up again, this time seeking a diamond in turn-of-the-century England. A few good action sequences and a couple one-liners from Wilson can't hide the poor writing and been-there-done-that feel of this one. Rated PG-13. 2 stars
"Tears of the Sun"
Bruce Willis leads a group of Navy SEALs on a rescue mission into genocide-plagued Nigeria. Plodding and insultingly bad, this poor attempt stinks of pro-militaristic propaganda. Rated R. 1.5 stars
Opening this weekend:
"The Hunted" Rated R, Action/suspense
"Willard" Rated PG-13, Horror
"Agent Cody Banks" Rated PG, Kids/Action
"Bend It Like Beckham" Rated PG-13, Comedy
A.P. Kryza is the State News film reporter. Reach him at kryzaand@msu.edu.
