DIRECTORS: Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, Conrad Vernon
CAST: Voices of Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Jennifer Saunders, Rupert Everett
SYNOPSIS: The beloved ogre (voice of Myers) finds his marriage to Fiona (Diaz) threatened by her disapproving parents (Cleese, Andrews), jealous Prince Charming (Everett) and a hit cat (Banderas).
WHAT WE SAID: Times film critic Steve Persall gave the sequel an A. "With only a few minor lapses, Shrek 2 is the most completely realized sequel, animated or live action, that anyone could imagine," Persall wrote. "Returning characters have something different to do, new characters are clearly, comically defined, and the story heads in directions that nobody could have guessed three years ago. It's almost as if the creators of Shrek divided one long movie into two volumes. . . . The second film exceeds the first yet leans heavily on that surpassed material."
SYNOPSIS: Romantic affairs 60 years apart are linked in Ozpetek's drama. Shown with English subtitles.
WHAT WE SAID: Times reviewer Philip Booth gave the film a B+ in his review last month when Facing Windows played briefly in the Tampa Bay area. He wrote that the movie "is a well-acted, often absorbing Italian drama which suffers from an excess of sometimes silly subplots."
MPAA RATING: R; language and some sexuality
RUNNING TIME: 102 min.
FESTIVAL EXPRESS
DIRECTOR: Bob Smeaton
CAST: Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, The Band, Buddy Guy, Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, The Flying Burrito Bros, Ian & Sylvia & The Great Speckled Bird, Mash Makan, Sha Na Na, Buddy Guy Blues Band, Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, Rick Danko, Ken Pearson, Richard Bell, John Till, Sylvia Tyson, Jerry Mercer, Kenny Gradney, Eric Andersen, David Dalton, James Cullingham, Rob Bowman, Ken Walker
SYNOPSIS: A train crossing Canada in 1970 contains such rock 'n' roll legends as Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead and the Band, and a film crew was along for the ride. The footage sat in attics and archives for years until music aficionado Garth Douglas put it together, spruced it up and added interviews with surviving participants.
WHAT WE SAID: Persall also gave this film an A, writing that it is "an immediately invaluable rock 'n' roll chronicle. Even without the extra touches, the chance to witness Janis Joplin two months before her death, or Jerry Garcia 25 years before his, would be irresistible. This is lightning captured in a film can, not only from the stage but from club cars converted into perpetual jam sessions."
MPAA RATING: R; language
RUNNING TIME: 88 min.
HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD
DIRECTOR: Michael Mayer
CAST: Colin Farrell, Robin Wright Penn, Dallas Roberts, Sissy Spacek
SYNOPSIS: Lifelong friends (Farrell and Roberts) face life, AIDS and a third wheel (Penn) together. Based on a novel by Michael Cunningham (The Hours).
WHAT WE SAID: Persall gave the film a D, writing that it was "grating, clocking in at 96 minutes while feeling twice that long. Its two established movie stars - Colin Farrell and Robin Wright Penn - play hippie dressup games while a relative rookie (Dallas Roberts) steals the show, an act that should be classified as petty larceny."
MPAA RATING: R; strong profanity and sexual themes, drug abuse, brief nudity, harsh profanity
