Opening Films

by Inlander Staff


Because of Winn-Dixie -- Ten-year-old Opal (Annasophia Robb) is NOT happy to move to sleepy Naomi, Fla., nor is she happy with her constantly traveling preacher father (Jeff Daniels). All she wants is to make some friends and put down a few roots. Enter Winn-Dixie, a big stray dog Opal names for the grocery store where she finds him. Based on the award-winning novel by Kate DiCamillo. Rated: PG





Constantine -- Keanu Reeves tries to break out of the Matrix mold with mixed results: He's as wooden as ever, but he gets to toss off some great gallows-inflected one-liners. To solve a mystery in the purgatory of L.A., he has to go to Hell for answers. With shades of Wings of Desire and even Chinatown, Reeves' demon-battling is better than Van Helsing but not as good as Hellboy. Rated R (Cole Smithey)





Son of the Mask -- Tim Avery (Jamie Kennedy) is a failed cartoonist, working in a brightly colored playhouse run by a scowling Steven Wright, whose wife (Traylor Howard) whines for a child. Predictably, the little bundle of joy is conceived after Tim's been at a party wearing the Mask of Loki (from a certain Jim Carrey movie of the '90s) that his dog discovered after it was lost by the Norse god Loki (Alan Cumming), much to the chagrin of his father, Odin (Bob Hoskins). A five-minute opening scene with a braying Ben Stein sets up the plot in truly annoying fashion. (RP) Rated: PG





Publication date: 2/17/05