Opening Films

by Inlander Staff
*** Better Luck Tomorrow -- Better Luck Tomorrow, Justin Lin's second feature, is a kicky original. With its quartet of Chinese-American high schoolers peer-pressured into increasingly deadly crime, Lin's smart, entertaining descent into a yet-unseen hell is a worthy successor to Scorsese's Mean Streets and Goodfellas. It's the best teen movie I've seen since Donnie Darko. Rated: R (RP)





*** Confidence -- You'll need a scorecard to keep track of the twists and turns and of who's doublecrossing whom, but this tale of grifters trying to rip off the rich moves along in a stylish atmosphere of colorful set design and even more colorful characters. Edward Burns heads up a small gang that cons the wrong guy, then tries to give the money back to his quiet but dangerous boss (Dustin Hoffman). Entertaining and confusing at the same time, nicely assembled by director James Foley. (ES) Rated: R





*** Identity -- A plot twist is a terrible thing to waste: James Mangold's latest is a taut yet playful what-the-hell-was-that thriller, as if Agatha Christie tried her hand at The Usual Suspects. To say more gives away the slick fun. The cast members, including John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet and Pruitt Taylor Vince, have fun re-imagining clich & eacute;d horror-film characters. Rated: R (RP)





It Runs In the Family -- Although the title sounds a trifle sweet, this much-hyped Douglas family project was initially titled Family Jewels, and before that, A Smack in the Puss. As might be expected, the Douglas men -- Kirk, Michael and Cameron -- are three generations of fightin', lovin', lady-killin' masculinity, all trying to get along with each other. Rated: PG-13





The Real Cancun -- All the potential nudity of Girls Gone Wild with the behind-the-scenes bickering of Survivor? Reality filmmaking just doesn't get any more salacious than this. The Real World producers Mary Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray dreamed up this Spring Break-themed "shockumentary," which follows 16 photogenic college students to Cancun and back. Rated: R





**** Stevie -- Steve James' Stevie, is a portrait deeper, denser and darker than his hopeful classic, Hoop Dreams. James revisits the young man he once mentored through the Big Brothers program; shortly after his first visit the young man is accused of a terrible crime. Stevie is at its core a painfully empathetic, richly etched portrait of a 27-year-old man who has confounded everyone. But it's also a challenge to our preconceived notions of poor Southerners and family bonds. Not Rated. (RP) Playing at the Met on Thursday, May 1, at 5:30 and 8:30 pm.





**** Don't Miss It *** Worth $7 ** Wait For The Video * Save Your Money








& lt;i & Capsule reviews are written by Ed Symkus (ES) and Ray Pride (RP), unless otherwise noted. & lt;/i &





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Publication date: 04/24/03