Friday, April 09, 2004 Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Opening this Week

THE ALAMO

Frontier legends Davy Crockett (Billy Bob Thornton) and Jim Bowie (Jason Patric) find themselves at destiny's crossroads in 1836 San Antonio, where they join the doomed Texas struggle to defend the title outpost against thousands of soldiers led by Mexican dictator Santa Anna ("Amores Perros' " Emilio Echevarria). Houston-born Dennis Quaid, playing his hometown namesake, Sam Houston, reunites with his "Rookie" director, John Lee Hancock, for this historical epic. At multiple locations. (137 min.) PG-13; sustained, intense battle sequences. (Reviewed in this edition.)

ELLA ENCHANTED

After her petulant fairy godmother (Vivica A. Fox) blesses her with the "gift" of obedience, beleaguered Ella ("The Princess Diaries' " Anne Hathaway) hits the road, hoping to reverse the curse in this revisionist fairy tale featuring Hugh Dancy (PBS' "Masterpiece Theatre" production of "Daniel Deronda") as the charming Prince Charmont, "Absolutely Fabulous' " Joanna Lumley as the requisite wicked stepmother and "The Princess Bride's" Cary Elwes as Prince Char's evil uncle. At multiple locations. (100 min.) PG; crude humor and language.

THE GIRL NEXT DOOR

A straight-arrow, 18-year-old overachiever (Emile Hirsch of "The Emperor's Club") falls for his beautiful, seemingly innocent new next-door neighbor ("24's" Elisha Cuthbert) -- who turns out to be a former porn star eager to embrace "normal" life. Timothy Olyphant (currently in HBO's "Deadwood") and James Remar (late of "Sex and the City") round out the starring cast, playing rival porn producers in this risky-business comedy. At multiple locations. (109 min.) R; sexual situations, profanity, drug/alcohol use.

JOHNSON FAMILY VACATION

Cedric the Entertainer plays a bumbling patriarch trying to steer his cranky brood from their L.A. home to a family reunion in Missouri in this road-trip comedy featuring Vanessa Williams, Steve Harvey, Bow Wow (who's Lil no more), Shannon

Elizabeth and Solange Knowles, alias Beyoncé's little sister. At multiple locations. (96 min.) PG-13; sexual references, crude humor, brief drug material.

THE WHOLE 10 YARDS

In this sequel to the 2000 hit-man hit, retired killer Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski (Bruce Willis) has embraced domestic life -- much to the chagrin of his wife ("Something's Gotta Give's" Amanda Peet) -- until his dentist pal Nicholas "Oz" Oseransky (Matthew Perry) begs them to help rescue his wife (Natasha Henstridge), who's been kidnapped by the crime clan Jimmy double-crossed in "The Whole Nine Yards." (99 min.) PG-13; sexual situations, violence, profanity.

By CAROL CLING