Movies

Julie Taymor’s “Across the Universe” is visually amazing, but to call it a movie stretches the definition of one. It consists of a two-hour string of music videos tied together with only a sketch of a plot.

Wow. It’s the best word to describe the movie 300. The plot is simple. A group of 300 Spartans must stop the forces of the Persian Empire from invading Greece. Yet to see this played out on the screen is visually stunning. Wow is just right.

Even before it hit the theaters this past Friday, Kevin Smith's latest film, "Clerks II," received alot of attention in the press. Following a critic's screening of the film in New York City, reports began to surface that long-time ABC television critic Joel Siegel had endured 40 minutes of the feature before storming out of the theater.

The Center for Italian Studies at Stony Brook University invite you to the premiere screening of "Oltremare," a new film on the Sicilian emigration experience, on Sunday, November 20, 2005 at 2 p.m. in the Charles B. Wang Center, Lecture Hall 1. (Enter campus at Main entrance, at stop sign Wang Center is on your right and parking garage is on your left, proceed straight into parking garage)

The film is in Italian with English subtitles. Special guests from Italy will participate in the event: Dr. Scoma, the Sicilian Secretary of the Labor and Immigration Dept., Prof. Saija of the University of Messina, cinema critic Prof. Gesu, and film director Nello Correale.

Director Kevin Smith has always been in very close touch with his fanbase. He regularly organizes Q&A sessions and signing appearances, as well as makes regular appearances in both of his comic book shops (appropriately named "Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash"). When his films are released to the home video market, Smith always makes sure that his packages are chock full of special features and bonus attractions that any fan would endlessly cherish. But with the making of his latest film, the sequel to his debut feature "Clerks," Smith is giving his fans perhaps the best gift of all: constant updates.

Next month, the annual Hamptons International Film Festival will take place on Long Island's beautiful East End. The always-tremendous event is committed to exhibiting films that express fresh voices and differing global perspectives with the hope that these programs will enlighten audiences, provide invaluable exposure for filmmakers and present inspired entertainment for all. It's an event that is on par with the more universally-known festivals, like this month's Toronto Film Festival and the mecca of all independent film showcases, the Sundance Film Festival. This year's festival, the thirteenth to be held, will feature many big names and superior films in its lineup. But perhaps the most intriguing to Long Island residents will be the inclusion of own of its own artists, writer/director Kevin Jordan.

It was inevitable that THE DUKES OF HAZZARD would leap onto the big screen, and now, thanks to Broken Lizard's Jay Chandrasekhar (SUPER TROOPERS, CLUB DREAD), it finally has. Slipping into the boots made famous by John Schneider and Tom Wopat, Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville play moonshine-selling cousins, Bo and Luke Duke. Along with their ridiculously gorgeous cousin Daisy (Jessica Simpson) and joke-telling Uncle Jessie (Willie Nelson), the Duke boys love to get the goat of Hazzard County's most crooked law enforcement officials, including Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane (M.C. Gainey) and county commissioner Boss Hogg (Burt Reynolds). But when they discover that Boss Hogg is using his leverage to run them off their farm in order to turn Hazzard County into a strip mine for coal, things get personal. With the help of their faithful friends, Bo and Luke set off on their riskiest adventure yet.

It was inevitable that THE DUKES OF HAZZARD would leap onto the big screen, and now, thanks to Broken Lizard's Jay Chandrasekhar (SUPER TROOPERS, CLUB DREAD), it finally has. Slipping into the boots made famous by John Schneider and Tom Wopat, Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville play moonshine-selling cousins, Bo and Luke Duke. Along with their ridiculously gorgeous cousin Daisy (Jessica Simpson) and joke-telling Uncle Jessie (Willie Nelson), the Duke boys love to get the goat of Hazzard County's most crooked law enforcement officials, including Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane (M.C. Gainey) and county commissioner Boss Hogg (Burt Reynolds). But when they discover that Boss Hogg is using his leverage to run them off their farm in order to turn Hazzard County into a strip mine for coal, things get personal. With the help of their faithful friends, Bo and Luke set off on their riskiest adventure yet.

It was inevitable that THE DUKES OF HAZZARD would leap onto the big screen, and now, thanks to Broken Lizard's Jay Chandrasekhar (SUPER TROOPERS, CLUB DREAD), it finally has. Slipping into the boots made famous by John Schneider and Tom Wopat, Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville play moonshine-selling cousins, Bo and Luke Duke. Along with their ridiculously gorgeous cousin Daisy (Jessica Simpson) and joke-telling Uncle Jessie (Willie Nelson), the Duke boys love to get the goat of Hazzard County's most crooked law enforcement officials, including Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane (M.C. Gainey) and county commissioner Boss Hogg (Burt Reynolds). But when they discover that Boss Hogg is using his leverage to run them off their farm in order to turn Hazzard County into a strip mine for coal, things get personal. With the help of their faithful friends, Bo and Luke set off on their riskiest adventure yet.

Michael Bay ("Armageddon," "Pearl Harbor") directs the futuristic action thriller "The Island," starring Ewan McGregor ("Star Wars: Episodes I, II & III," "Moulin Rouge!") and Scarlett Johansson ("Lost in Translation," "Girl With a Pearl Earring").

Michael Bay ("Armageddon," "Pearl Harbor") directs the futuristic action thriller "The Island," starring Ewan McGregor ("Star Wars: Episodes I, II & III," "Moulin Rouge!") and Scarlett Johansson ("Lost in Translation," "Girl With a Pearl Earring").

Michael Bay ("Armageddon," "Pearl Harbor") directs the futuristic action thriller "The Island," starring Ewan McGregor ("Star Wars: Episodes I, II & III," "Moulin Rouge!") and Scarlett Johansson ("Lost in Translation," "Girl With a Pearl Earring").

Acclaimed director Tim Burton brings his vividly imaginative style to the beloved Roald Dahl classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, about eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka (JOHNNY DEPP) and Charlie Bucket (FREDDIE HIGHMORE), a good-hearted boy from a poor family who lives in the shadow of Wonka's extraordinary factory.

Acclaimed director Tim Burton brings his vividly imaginative style to the beloved Roald Dahl classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, about eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka (JOHNNY DEPP) and Charlie Bucket (FREDDIE HIGHMORE), a good-hearted boy from a poor family who lives in the shadow of Wonka's extraordinary factory.

Acclaimed director Tim Burton brings his vividly imaginative style to the beloved Roald Dahl classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, about eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka (JOHNNY DEPP) and Charlie Bucket (FREDDIE HIGHMORE), a good-hearted boy from a poor family who lives in the shadow of Wonka's extraordinary factory.