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WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT Clay animator Nick Park first showcased his characters -- befuddled, cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his more intelligent canine companion Gromit -- in a trio of award-winning short films, then gave the pair a rest as he put his efforts into the delightful Chicken Run. This is the first feature-length W&G outing, and it's a gem -- endlessly witty, it's the best animated effort of 2005. In this yarn, Wallace (voiced as always by Peter Sallis) and his silent sidekick form a pest control outfit (Anti-Pesto) to humanely take care of their burg's bunny population, but they soon have their hands full dealing with a monstrous rabbit that's been destroying all the neighbors' crops. Tom & Jerry? Mutt & Jeff? Chip & Dale? Amateurs all. It appears that in the toon world, the clay's the thing, with Wallace & Gromit as the new pioneers of Plasticine. HHH 1/2
THE WEATHER MAN Nicolas Cage, who throughout the past decade has been more grating than ingratiating, here delivers one of his better performances in a movie that mines much of the same emotional terrain as About Schmidt. This serio-comic piece finds Cage cast as David Spritz, a Chicago TV weatherman whose potential career ascension only accentuates the messiness of his personal life. Writer Steven Conrad and director Gore Verbinski offer an affecting tale about a man who has trouble seeing the big picture because all of life's little asides keep obstructing his view. The film's sensibilities are just off-center enough to make it interesting, yet there's always a tug of universal recognition in David's travails. HHH
OPENS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9:
GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN': Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, Terrence Howard.
OPENS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11:
DERAILED: Jennifer Aniston, Clive Owen.
KISS KISS BANG BANG: Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer.
LOGGERHEADS: Bonnie Hunt, Tess Harper.
PRIDE & PREJUDICE: Keira Knightley, Donald Sutherland.
ZATHURA: Jonah Bobo, Josh Hutcherson.