8 Mile
Jimmy Smith, Jr. (Eminem) struggles to close the eight mile gap that separates his trailer park from the suburban neighborhoods of Detroit. A factory worker by day, Smith spends his nights perfecting his raps, but he must overcome a fear of performing in front of an audience. 8 Mile doesn’t transcend the autobiographical rags-to-riches story much, but with a decent cast, an acceptable script, and a surprise ending it could be worth your time.
Grade: B+ At the Esquire, Galleria 6 Cinemas

Analyze That
Director and WashU MVG (Most Valuable Graduate) Harold Ramis returns to the winning formula of Analyze This, with all the main players reprising their roles. This time Paul Vitti (Robert De Niro) is released from Sing Sing into the care of Dr. Sobel (Billy Crystal). Vitti must get help for his psychological problems and assimilate into society but Dr. Sobel has problems of his own.
(Not yet reviewed) At the Esquire starting Friday

Far From Heaven
In this critical look at the 1950s, Julianne Moore plays Cathy Whitaker, an ideal housewife married to a perfect husband (Dennis Quaid) with a model family. When Mr. Whitaker has a homosexual affair, however, Cathy’s idyllic life is thrown into disarray, and she turns to her black gardener Raymond (Dennis Haysbert), inciting even more gossip from her small-minded town. Although well-intentioned, Far From Heaven tries too hard to do too much.
Grade: B At the Chase Park Plaza
Femme Fatale
For the sex crazed, this film is a 110-minute visual lap dance. Blonde bombshell Laure (Rebbecca Romijn-Stamos) spends plenty of time cavorting around in her birthday suit to get what she wants. After a risky heist, however, she leaves her partners behind, and the angered crew follows her to Paris for revenge. Aside from the nudity, Femme Fatale doesn’t have much to offer.
Grade: C+ At Galleria 6 Cinemas

Friday After Next
In the third Friday movie, cousins Craig (Ice Cube) and Day-Day (Mike Epps) finally move out of their parents’ houses and into the real world. Unfortunately, a corrupt ghetto Santa rips them off, forcing them to find jobs as security guards in the local strip mall. Stupid laughs guaranteed.
(Not yet reviewed) At the Esquire

Punch-Drunk Love
Paul Thomas Anderson (of Boogie Nights fame) directs this quirky love story starring, of all people, Adam Sandler as the emotionally unstable Barry Egan. Egan fumbles through a romance with Lena (Emily Watson), but a sleazy con man (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) stands in their way. Anderson successfully guides Sandler through his most legitimate role to date.
Grade: B+ At the Chase Park Plaza

The Ring
Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) investigates the mysterious death of her niece and discovers a bizarre videotape that supposedly kills viewers seven days later. Keller races to uncover the truth behind the tape as time ticks away for her and her son Aiden (David Dorfman). Despite its PG-13 rating and a minimum of gore, The Ring successfully scares the pants off of even the most jaded horror fan.
Grade: B+ At the Esquire

Solaris
Dr. Chris Kelvin (George Clooney) investigates the strange behavior of scientists in a space station, only to come into contact with a vision (clone?) of his dead wife (Natascha McElhone). Solaris looks to be thin on plot but heavy on visuals and philosophy. A remake of the 1972 Russian art film by Andrei Tarkovsky.
(Not yet reviewed) At the Esquire

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