SYNOPSIS: A seventh-grader (Evan Rachel Wood) experiments with drugs and sex in order to be as popular as a classmate (Nikki Reed, who co-wrote the screenplay).
WHAT WE SAID: Times film critic Steve Persall chose this as one of his top movies of 2003, calling it "a scared-straight story all parents should see with their teenage children. Not that it provides answers to the questions of youthful self-destruction. That's what parents are for. But Thirteen is a provocative conversation-starter about the pitfalls of peer pressure, and talking about adolescent problems is the best, albeit toughest, way to solve them. . . . It's raw, honest and riveting. And it's rated R. That means people who would benefit most from seeing Thirteen can't get into the theater; they probably won't want to see it with their parents either, simply to avoid confrontation. Any high school teachers who wanted to show the movie in classes to spark personal-development discussions would have my vote of approval. Why shield teenagers from a responsible screen interpretation of what they live through every day?"
MPAA RATING: R for drug use, self-destructive violence, language and sexuality
RUNNING TIME: 100 min.
Radio
DIRECTOR: Michael Tollin
CAST: Cuba Gooding Jr., Ed Harris, Debra Winger, Chris Mulkey, Alfre Woodard, Sarah Drew, Riley Smith
SYNOPSIS: A tough high school football coach (Harris) takes a mentally challenged man (Gooding) under his wing. Based on a true story.
WHAT WE SAID: Persall gave the film a B. "Watch Ed Harris closely in Radio and you'll see an actor working mightily to keep the material from becoming too sentimental," Persall wrote. "As a result, Radio turns out to be a better movie than even cynical viewers might imagine. Not a great movie, although some will leap to describe it as such. Yet it shows that there is such a thing as graceful schmaltz, manipulation so skillful, the audience doesn't care that strings are being pulled."
MPAA RATING: PG for profanity, mature themes
RUNNING TIME: 109 min.
Capturing the Friedmans
DIRECTOR: Andrew Jarecki
CAST: Arnold Friedman, David Friedman, Elaine Friedman, Jesse Friedman
SYNOPSIS: Documentary account of a middle-class household rocked by scandal when the father and a son are charged with child molestation. The film draws heavily from home movies shot by another son while his family suffered an emotional meltdown. Grand Jury Prize winner at Sundance 2003.
WHAT WE SAID: The Times did not review this film. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times called the film "disturbing and haunting. . . . By the end of Capturing the Friedmans, we have more information, from both inside and outside the family, than we dreamed would be possible. We have many people telling us exactly what happened. And we have no idea of the truth. None."
MPAA RATING: Not rated, but contains strong sexual content and adult themes
RUNNING TIME: 107 min.
Le Divorce
DIRECTOR: James Ivory
CAST: Kate Hudson, Naomi Watts, Glenn Close, Stockard Channing, Matthew Modine, Sam Waterston, Leslie Caron, Melvil Poupaud, Thierry Lhermitte, Bebe Neuwirth SYNOPSIS: An American in Paris (Hudson) lends emotional support to her sister (Watts) going through divorce.
WHAT WE SAID: Times reviewer Philip Booth said the film, which he gave a B-, had too many story lines, none of them involving. "It all adds up to a souffle of a romantic comedy, with a commentary about American-Gallic relations - the cultures are simply born to clash - that's less than trenchant. Call it a letdown."
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for mature themes and sexual content
RUNNING TIME: 115 min.
Grind
DIRECTOR: Casey La Scala
CAST: Mike Vogel, Vince Vieluf, Adam Brody, Joey Kern, Jennifer Morrison, Jason London, Dave Foley
SYNOPSIS: Three high school graduates attempt to crack the pro skateboarding circuit with help from a veteran.
WHAT WE SAID: The Times did not review this film. Stephen Holden of the New York Times wrote, "Far too much of the movie's energy is devoted to rampaging hormones and irritable bowel. For the four-member crew of aspiring superstars who follow their idol, Jimmy Wilson (Jason London), across the country, hoping to obtain his sponsorship, the main reason for pursuing skating glory isn't love of the sport but the fantasy of scoring with the girls who prostrate themselves before the star."
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for crude humor, sexual content and language
RUNNING TIME: 103 min.
House of the Dead
DIRECTOR: Uwe Boll
CAST: Jonathan Cherry, Ona Grauer, Jurgen Prochnow, Clint Howard, Tyron Leitso, Enuka Okuma, Ellie Cornell, Will Sanderson, Steve Byers
SYNOPSIS: A rave party on a remote island gets invaded by zombies.
WHAT WE SAID: The Times did not review this film.
MPAA RATING: R for pervasive strong violence/gore, language and some nudity
