Opening Films

by Inlander Staff


Alien vs. Predator -- Hollywood has been trying to get these two badasses together for years, and the idea sounds fantastic. The two vicious, human-hunting alien species have already butted heads in comic books and video games, so there are a number of scenarios that filmmakers can draw upon. In any case, since both the baddies rely on special effects more than acting to succeed onscreen, most of the film's work will have to be done by the director. In this case, that means Paul W. S. Anderson, who brought the world the cheese-bombs Resident Evil and Event Horizon. Rated: PG-13





The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement -- Five years after the events of The Princess Diaries, perky Princess Mia (Anne Hathaway), heiress of the Rinaldi family, is caught up in an intrigue for the throne of Genovia, Unfortunately, 70-year-old director Garry Marshall litters what's ostensibly a girl-empowerment spin on fairy tale dreams with way too many in-jokes and appearances by his doddering old cronies. The sets are shabby, the costumes are awful, and there is so much superfluous junk going on in ill-framed shots, you wonder about Marshall's deteriorating attention span. (RP) Rated: G





Yu Gi Oh -- Another animated movie based on an impenetrable Japanese trading card game. This one features an ancient Egyptian force -- Anubis -- awakening to seek revenge on a card game he lost years earlier. Both the game and the spin-off cartoon are remarkably popular. And Japanese directors have a way of making even the cheesiest stories seem like epic, timeless tales, even if they're designed primarily to sell toys. But don't look for any help in understanding the game -- at least not if you're older than 12. Rated: PG





Publication date: 08/12/04