“The Dancer Upstairs”
Fox Searchlight Films
Rated R
(out of four)

In his directorial debut, John Malkovich demonstrates a strong knack for atmosphere and mood. Javier Bardem stars as a police detective in a South American country who used to be a lawyer, but switched to get closer to law enforcement.

Screenwriter Nicholas Shakespeare, who also wrote the novel, looks at the fear that terrorism inspires and investigates Bardem’s character’s personal life as well as the political issues. While the dialogue is sometimes hard to understand through the accents, Malkovich’s direction is consistently strong and shows that he was paying attention while working as an actor for several talented helmers.

“Finding Nemo”
Walt Disney Pictures
Rated G
(Not Reviewed)

Even if the “Toy Story” films are a tad corny, the Pixar animation studios have yet to make a bad film. So, let’s hope that John Lasseter’s crew, this time led by writer/director Andrew Stanton, deliver the goods. The vocal talent includes Albert Brooks, Willem Dafoe, Geoffrey Rush, Ellen DeGeneres, so nothing could go super wrong, right?

“The Italian Job”
2.5 reels (out of four)
—LMV
(See review)

“Wrong Turn”
20th Century Fox
Rated R
(Not reviewed)

Dead teenagers? Such a film has never been made before! Six teens travelling by car find themselves in the West Virginia woods, hunted by disfigured inbred cannibal mountain men. As far as I know, this plot isn’t a joke.