Kerry Omniplex, Tralee

Listings from Fri. 18th - Thurs. 24th Oct. Booking Info

| Red Dragon | Lilo & Stitch

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| Road To Perdition | xXx

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| My Big Fat Greek Wedding | Children's Cineclub |

( indicates a new addition this week).

xXx

Showing: Daily: 2:45pm, 6:05pm, 8:40pm
Extra Show Sat + Sun: 12:10pm
Late Show Fri + Sat: 11:15pm

xXx
USA 110 mins
Directed by: Rob Cohen
Starring: Vin Diesel, Asia Argento, Marton Csokas, Samuel L. Jackson, Danny Trejo, Michael Roof, Tom Everett.

First, the bad news; xXx is probably the most ridiculous movie of the year with precious little in the way of a good script, nuanced performances or anything that could be mistaken for depth. The good news? xXx is so over-the-top and ruthlessly energetic that no matter how cynical you are, it becomes rather difficult not to warm to. The gravel voiced Vin Diesel plays Xander Cage, an extreme sports athlete who is constantly on the wrong side of the law. Recognising his ability to fly in the face of authority as well as his remarkable skills, Special Agent Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) recruits Xander as an undercover agent. His first mission sees him being sent off to Prague to stop a super villain called Yorgi (Martin Csokas) from exposing the world to a killer biological weapon called Silent Night. And, of course, along the way to saving the world, he encounters a foxy maiden (Argento) and gets up to all manner of hi-jinks and stunt-heavy shenanigans. Less a bona fida movie than a collection of remarkable set pieces loosely tied together by a suitably idiotic premise, xXx is a no holds barred assault on the senses. With no pretensions towards art, the movie thunders along at a fine pace and is for the most part, enjoyably silly fare.......

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Lilo & Stitch

Showing: Daily: 2:05pm, 4:10pm, 6:40pm, 9:00pm
Extra Show Sat + Sun: 12:10pm
Late Show Fri + Sat: 11:00pm

Lilo & Stitch
USA 95 mins
Directed by: Chris Sanders and Dean Deblois
Starring: (the voices of) Chris Sanders, Daveigh Chase, Tia Carrere, Ving Rhames, David Ogden Stiers, Kevin McDonald, Jason Scott Lee, Zoe Caldwell, Kevin Michael Richardson, Kunewa Mook.

Although Lilo and Stitch may represent a reversion to the more traditional stylistics of animated films, the theme of this charming film is one unaffected by technological advancement; the Disney favourites of friendship and acceptance. In the early scenes of the movie, on a faraway planet, a disgraced scientist has been convicted of conducting an illegal genetic experiment. The product of his experiment is a vicious blue creature that seems to be driven by its destructive tendencies. This creature, Experiment 626, is banished, but before the sentence can be carried out, the little critter escapes and somehow lands in Hawaii. It's there that he encounters the deeply unhappy Lilo, a quick tempered young girl who is being raised by her older sister, Nani (voiced by Tia Carrere). Trouble is not far behind as the creature's creator and his sidekick are hot on his trail, while Nani and Lilo have problems of their own. To call Lilo and Stitch 'old fashioned' would be doing it a major disservice but there is a familiar feel to this gloriously and gorgeously rendered film. More interested in establishing a mood and characters than engaging in any pointless action sequences, Lilo and Stitch is an intelligent and worthwhile animated that despite not packing the instant thrill of the likes of Shrek is still a major, albeit subtle, success.......

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My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Showing: Daily: 2:10pm, 4:20pm, 6:30pm

My Big Fat Greek Wedding
USA 95 mins
Directed by: Joel Zwick
Starring: Nia Vardolas, John Corbett, Michael Constaine, Lainie Kazan, Andrea Martin, Joey Fatone, Gia Carides, Louis Mandylor, Ian Gomez.

An above average, if hardly inspired, romantic comedy, My Big Fat Greek Wedding is based on star Nia Vardolas' one woman stage show. At the start of the movie, Toula (Vardolas) is a frumpy 30-year-old woman, who works in her family's Greek restaurant, Zorba's. As she's never had a meaningful romantic relationship, her incredibly overbearing family wonder whether Toula will ever find a nice Greek boy to marry, feed and have lots of babies with. Nonetheless, Toula manages to get a grip of her life and one change of career later; she meets and falls in love with Ian (Corbett). After a whirlwind romance, the pair decide to marry, bringing us neatly back to the title of the film, which, of course, is Toula's greatest fear. Although it is formulaic enough fare in both its style and delivery (if you've heard one ethical gag, you've heard them all), My Big Fat Greek Wedding remains oddly likeable throughout. Much of this has to do with the energy that the actors - especially Vardolas and Kazan - inject into their characters. Okay, there may be nothing really original about it, but this is harmless froth.......

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Road To Perdition

Showing: Fri-Wed: 8:50pm
Late Show Fri + Sat: 11:25pm

Road To Perdition
USA 120 mins
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Starring: Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ciaran Hinds, Dylan Baker, Stanley Tucci, Tyler Hoechlin, Daniel Craig, Liam Aiken.

Lavishly produced drama set in 1931 which centres on a hitman's desperate quest for vengeance and redemption. That hitman's name is Michael Sullivan (Hanks), a personal enforcer for John Rooney (Newman), an Irish mob boss living just outside Chicago. When a tragic chain of events, culminating in the murder of Sullivan's wife and youngest child, is set in motion, the hitman and his eldest son, Michael Jr (Hoechlin) are forced to go on the run from Rooney and his associates. First things first, Road to Perdition is a beautifully made film. Conrad L. Hall's cinematography shimmers majestically, while Mendes' sure hand belies his relatively meagre cinematic experience. Yet therein lies one of the problems with Road to Perdition, it's too assured, too textbook-like. The picture appears to be so calculated and so deliberate there's little room for manoeuvre. In other words, infectious spontaneity is not at a premium here. Still, for the most part, the performances are rather impressive. Newman's mere presence is formidable, while Law is surprisingly effective in his supporting role. Hanks, too, is his usual dependable self, but the subconscious air of decency that he naturally exudes doesn't help to make for a really believable performance. Or maybe I'm just being a cynical old hack.......

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Red Dragon

Showing: Daily: 3:00pm, 6:15pm, 8:50pm
Late Show Fri + Sat: 11:20pm

Red Dragon
USA 125 mins
Directed by: Brett Ratner
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson, Mary Louise Parker, Harvey Keitel, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Anthony Heald.

The prequel to The Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon is the opening instalment in Thomas Harris' Hannibal trilogy. Opening with a short prologue detailing how Hannibal was caught in the first place, the bulk of the narrative focuses on the search for another serial killer, nicknamed 'The Tooth Fairy'. Reluctantly leading the investigation is Will Graham (Norton), the man who apprehended Lector, and who has to ask for the good doctor's advice when it comes to finding the tooth fairy. A remake of the infinitely superior Manhunter (directed by Michael Mann), the reason for the existence of this version of Red Dragon appears to be a simple cash-in after the massive commercial success of Hannibal some 18 months ago. Even the choice of director is indicative of this - Ratner is a competent, journeyman filmmaker, but is devoid of any real inspiration, lacking even a hint of the dexterity that Mann welded in his original vision. Ted Tally's screenplay also lacks depth, characters' motivations are never explained and the shallowness of the entire project is impossible to ignore. Like an ageing rock star on his last legs, Hopkins turns up and gives a half-hearted performance, throwing out a routine that lacks conviction and errs more on the side of (bad) humour. Yes, it's better than Hannibal, but not by much........

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Children's Cine Club

The Crocodile Hunter

Showing: Sat 19th and Sun 20th Oct.: 12:15pm

The Crocodile Hunter
AUS 90 mins
Directed by: John Stainton
Starring: Steve Irwin, Terri Irwin, Magda Szubanski, David Wenham, Lachy Hulme, Kenneth Ransom, Kate Beahan, Aden Young.

The major problem in reviewing Steve Irwin's first foray onto the big screen is managing to negotiate the entire review, without using the words 'Blimey', 'Beauty' or 'Crikey'. Of course, as regular viewers of his show, The Crocodile Hunter on the Discovery Channel, will readily testify, this is next to impossible, as Irwin himself can barely manage to construct a sentence without slipping one of those words in. Still, Irwin seems well aware that his cult following is as much down to his larger-than-life personality as his escapades wrestling dangerous animals - both of which feature heavily in the decidedly un-cinematic but mildly entertaining Crocodile Hunter. Essentially, a feature-length episode of the TV series built around a nonsensical plot involving the CIA and a satellite, the Crocodile Hunter sees Irwin in the Outback with his missus, Terri. Over the course of the 90 minutes, he wrestles a couple of crocs, as well as handling poisonous snakes, an extremely large spider and dispenses some justice - "Stevo style" - to some American undercover agents. Irwin's buoyant humour keeps things bubbling along, but there isn't really enough invention here to encourage anyone other than die-hard fans to fork out their hard earned cash. Wait for it on the Discovery Channel......

The Crocodile Hunter