Movies Worth Watching This Month

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone REVIEW
This is one of the most buzzed-about, sure-to-be-blockbuster movies on the 2001 release schedule — even without Steven Spielberg at the helm. Based on J.K. Rowling's wildly popular series of children's books, this fantasy follows the adventures of young Master Harry Potter, who escapes his unhappy orphan's life when he discovers Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Here, Harry learns to fly, cast spells, and perform other feats of sorcery in a world where anything's possible — with the help of some 21st-century special effects.

Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis
Directed by Chris Columbus

Adventure, Fantasy
Release on November 16, 2001
PG - for some scary moments and mild language.
153 minutes

Lord of the Rings REVIEW
The Dark Lord Sauron seeks to enslave the free peoples of the mythical realm of Middle-earth by recovering a mighty ring of power he forged in the fires beneath Mount Doom. After many generations, the ruling ring, cut from Sauron's hand by the human hero Isildur, has fallen by chance into the keeping of the hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Ian Holm). Guided by the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and assisted by companions representing the free races of elves, dwarves, men, and hobbits, Bilbo's heir, Frodo (Elijah Wood), embarks on a perilous quest to destroy the ring before Sauron's minions can recapture it. The film is based on J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy classic The Lord of the Rings, composed by Tolkien as a single volume but divided (against the author's wishes) by his British and American publishers into three volumes: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King.

Starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett
Directed by Peter Jackson
Written by Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh

Collateral Damage REVIEW
After losing his wife and child in a bomb explosion, federal officer Ben Stride (Arnold Schwarzenegger) becomes obsessed with capturing their killer.

Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Elias Koteas, Francesca Neri, Cliff Curtis, John Leguizamo, John Turturro
Directed by Andrew Davis
Written by David Griffiths , Peter Griffiths

A Beautiful Mind
This film tracks the true-life story of John Forbes Nash Jr. (Russell Crowe), the man who established the Nobel Prize-winning Game Theory of economics. Nash's personal trials include marital struggles and recovery from paranoid schizophrenia.

Starring Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer, Paul Bettany, Adam Goldberg
Directed by Ron Howard
Written by Akiva Goldsman

The Count of Monte Cristo REVIEW
A young sailor, Edmond Dantes (Jim Caviezel), falsely accused of treason, is imprisoned without trail on an island fortress. He orchestrates an elaborate escape and sets out to discover treasure on the isle of Monte Cristo, all the while swearing revenge on his captors.

Starring Jim Caviezel, Guy Pearce, Richard Harris, James Frain, Dagmara Dominczyk, Luis Guzman
Directed by Kevin Reynolds
Written by Jay Wolpert

The Mothman Prophecies
Based on the John A. Keel book by the same title, this film chronicles strange UFO occurrences which Keel reported to have taken place in the 1960s. Richard Gere plays a reporter investigating the strange happenings, which take place in a small town in West Virginia.

Starring Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Debra Messing, Will Patton, Alan Bates, Lucinda Jenney
Directed by Mark Pellington
Written by Richard Hatem

Slackers
A college geek in love with a popular girl stumbles on a scam run by three slacker dudes who get good grades without doing any work. The geek blackmails the slackers into setting him up with the girl.

Starring Jason Schwartzman, James King, Michael Maronna, Laura Prepon, Devon Sawa, Jason Segel
Directed by Dewey Nicks
Written by David Steinberg

 

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