Movie Openings
 |
| Judi Dench, right, plays the older Iris Murdoch in "Iris." She and Jim Broadbent, left, are nominated for an Oscar for their roles in the movie about the novelist.
Miramax Films |
"The Devil's Backbone": In the closing days of the Spanish Civil War, boys in an orphanage await capture by fascist troops. Carlos, a newcomer, learns of old mysteries and of a nightly visitor — "the one who sighs." Meanwhile, the staff members of the orphanage, who behave in weird and secretive ways, seem to be tiptoeing on the graves of past misdeeds. Opens tomorrow at Varsity Twin. (R).
"40 Days and 40 Nights": Josh Hartnett plays a man who grows weary of his knee-jerk sexual behavior and swears off sex for Lent. Then he meets the girl of his dreams (Shannyn Sossamon), but can't explain why he's so stand-offish. Opens tomorrow at Dole Cannery 18 Theatres, Restaurant Row Theatres, Ward Stadium 16-Plex, Kahala 8-Plex, Pearl Highlands 12, Enchanted Lake Cinemas, Windward Stadium 10, Prince Kuhio Stadium Cinemas (Big Island), Keauhou 7-Plex (Big Island), Makalapua Cinemas (Big Island), Kaahumanu 6-Plex (Maui), Front Street Theatres (Maui). (R).
"Iris": The great British novelist Iris Murdoch is played at the beginning of her life by Kate Winslet, and at the end by Judi Dench, in this biopic that focuses less on Murdoch's artistry, more on her passions, adventures and descent into Alzheimer's disease. Opens tomorrow at Kahala 8-Plex. (R).
"Spike and Mike's sick and twisted festival of animation": This installment in the Spike and Mike series is for adults. Opens tomorrow at Restaurant Row Theatres. (Not rated.)
"Story Telling": Exploring themes of sex, celebrity, race and other issues, this movie is in two parts: the first a battle of the wills between a white student and her black professor, the second about a suburban family, led by a seething John Goodman. Opens tomorrow at Dole Cannery 18 Theatres. (R).
"We Were Soldiers": Mel Gibson and Sam Elliott play cool, brave professionals leading their men into the first land battle of the Vietnam War, in 1964. When 400 men are surrounded and outnumbered, tactics and theory are used to try to save the situation, in a film that's as much about professionalism as patriotism. Opens tomorrow at Dole Cannery 18 Theatres, Restaurant Row Theatres, Ward Stadium 16-Plex, Waikiki 3-Plex, Kahala 8-Plex, Pearl Highlands 12, Pearlridge West 16-Plex, Kapolei 16-Plex, Mililani 14-Plex, Ko'olau 10-Plex, Keolu Center Cinemas, Windward Stadium 10, Prince Kuhio Stadium Cinemas (Big Island), Keauhou 7-Plex (Big Island), Makalapua Cinemas (Big Island), Maui Mall Megaplex Cinemas (Maui), Front Street Theatres (Maui), Kukui Mall 4-Plex (Maui), Coconut Marketplace Cinemas (Kaua'i). (R).
