Your Weekend: War of the Worlds flies high
Movies: Bombing at the box office was inevitable for the Paris Hilton vehicle House of Wax, but the poor showing by Cinderella Man, the Depression-era boxing flick starring Renee Zellweger and the tantrum-prone Russell Crowe, is truly baffling. So if you decide to plunk down your nine bucks on the movie at an AMC theater, the company is offering a money-back guarantee–its first since 1988's Mystic Pizza. Now that's a good deal. But the big deal of the weekend is sure to be Steven Spielberg's update of the H. G. Wells classic War of the Worlds, featuring that ubiquitous Scientologist, Tom Cruise. Turns out some nasty aliens buried huge tripod death machines in the ground a million years ago and they've come to Earth on lightning bolts and now plan to kill everybody. Cruise's character is trying to avoid that fate–for himself and his two kids. It's a cut above the usual summer blockbuster fare, not because of Cruise's performance (which is good) or Spielberg's direction (which is top-notch as usual), but because that tyke Dakota Fanning is one heck of a believable screamer. Something to note: Justin Chatwin, who plays Cruise's teenage son, is 22, just four years younger than fiancee Katie Holmes. TomKat have been engaging in their fair share of canoodling, but if you'd rather see something more adorably animal, check out the documentary March of the Penguins. It's totally the summer of the penguins–remember their star turn in Madagascar?
TV: Because of piracy concerns gone completely amok, no cellphones were allowed at any preview screenings of War of the Worlds–not even Spielberg's at the New York opening. So annoying, right? Imagine the horror then when 12 contemporary kids are forced to eschew such modern conveniences and move into MTV's The 70s House (debuts July 5, 10:30 p.m. ET). And get this–they even have to wear 70s style clothing. For real music television, tune into ABC for a Live 8 special (July 2, 8 p.m. ET) that will splice together some of the performances from the eight concerts happening around the globe to bring attention to African poverty. Expect to see Coldplay (the band topping the charts with the album X&Y), Paul McCartney, and U2. AOL will be streaming six of the shows online as well.
DVDs: If the concerts get you feeling all political, you can turn to Jon Stewart and The Daily Show gang's first DVD, Indecision 2004 ($40). Buy it in time for the Fourth of July, so you can barbecue to the sweet sounds of correspondents singing the National Anthem in four-part harmony. Fun music is also at the heart of Bride and Prejudice ($30), the Bollywood-influenced retelling of the Jane Austen tale in which snobby boy meets girl, girl hates boy, and boy and girl fall in love. It's suitable for the whole family, director Gurinder Chadha's commentary is an intriguing explanation of how she blended Indian and western film styles, and–most important–it's a hoot. Seriously, you'll start walking around singing, "No life without wife," the Fiddler on The Roof-ish number.
Books: Brain frying in the sun? There's a new beach read to the rescue. The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks ($25) quickly hooks you into its Matrix-esque world, where most "Travelers" live "off the grid" –away from surveillance systems–and "Harlequins" protect them from the menace of the "Tabula." Maya, a reluctant Harlequin, must save two brother Travelers. And thus, the butt kicking begins.
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