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Warner Bros. programmed the highest screen count ever for The Matrix Reloaded, and the box office reality lived up to the hype on opening day.

Fans of The Matrix will probably find its sequel, The Matrix Reloaded, a satisfying, enjoyable prelude to this November's final chapter The Matrix Revolutions. Those joining the queues to find out what all the hype is about will probably leave the theatre scratching their heads or downright angry.

X2: X-Men United was divided by two in its second weekend, but was still able to fend off a strong showing by the Eddie Murphy family comedy Daddy Day Care. Steve Martin

X2: X-Men United took the nation by storm over the weekend, delivering a stunning opening salvo for the summer movie season. Hilary Duff

Picking up where the first movie left off, X2: X-Men United suffers from the same flaws as its predecessor, namely emphasizing action over plot and character development.

Mutants may be in the minority, but this weekend they'll be dominating the majority of the nation's theaters.X2: X-Men United will be unleashed at 3,741 venues, breaking Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets's 3,682-theater record as the widest opening release ever. To put that in perspective, the $100 million plus sequel will be playing at 62% of the nation's 6,050 theaters. Although, the actual screens will be significantly lower than Chamber of Secrets's 8,515 record. Rebecca RomijnHugh Jackman

Christopher Guest's latest mockumentary foray into the land of the ditzy, A Mighty Wind, is about as amiable and nice as satire can get. Instead of taking some obvious potshots at the conventions, lifestyles and beliefs of his newest assortment of eccentric characters, Guest and co-writer Eugene Levy instill in them a pathos and sympathy that defangs the satire just at the moments when it should be most biting.

With the war, SARS and, worst of all, the April 15 tax deadline plaguing real life, America vented with Anger Management. Adam SandlerJack NicholsonSteve MartinEddie MurphyRobin Williams

Adam Sandler presents his familiar dim-innocent-against-the-world shtick yet again in Anger Management, bringing nothing new to the dumb-is-virtuous brand of comedy made popular by Jerry Lewis.

The following is a selection of letters sent to us in response to Scott Holleran's commentary "Glamour and Depravity Collide at the Oscars." Click here to read the original article. Some responses have been edited for clarity or shortened for length requirements. Thanks to all who responded as we do read every e-mail. We look forward to more of your feedback. <HR align=justify>

Joel Schumacher's latest offering, Phone Booth is a rarity among modern films—short on set up and long on dramatic action, and this is both its strength and its weakness. The film concerns Stu Shepherd (Colin Farrell), a New York press agent who lives in a jungle of lies. It is because of these lies that he eventually finds himself trapped in the last freestanding phone booth in Manhattan besieged both by police and a mad sniper (Kiefer Sutherland).

Could it be? Yes, it could. Somethin's coming—somethin' good: MGM's special edition DVD of its 1961 musical, West Side Story, based on the popular Broadway production, priced at $39.98 (suggested retail), being released April 1, is worth every cent.

Don't blame John Travolta for the gimmicky Basic, directed by John McTiernan (Die Hard). He does his best in a poorly written role.

The Academy Awards, like the motion pictures they reward, reflect today's culture: much of it is depraved and most of it is unexceptional. Yet, at their best, the Oscars are a celebration of glamour -- and it's about the only one we've got.

HOLLYWOOD (Box Office Mojo) - A windy night in Los Angeles did not keep the cast of Del Shores' Texas farce, Sordid Lives, from filing into the Regent Theatre this week for a screening to celebrate the comedy's release on DVD ($34.99, Fox Home Entertainment).

A smash movie musical—energetic dance scenes set to jazzy music—a story about a troubled pair in the big city—multiple Oscar nominations, including Best Picture—Chicago? Yes. But one could also be referring to West Side Story, the musical reworking of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet that swept the Oscars—including Best Picture—42 years ago in Santa Monica, California.

In the opening scene of Defending Your Life (1991), Albert Brooks's character is driving his convertible while listening to "Something's Coming," from West Side Story. While butchering the tune, Brooks fumbles with the CD case and smashes into another car.

Punctuated by a catchy soundtrack that's powered by Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up," Bend It Like Beckham offers a slow, satisfying burn about the conflict between conformity, in this case religion, and independence, displayed here in the arena of girls' sports.

Director Adam Shankman's choreography skills make Bringing Down the House, starring Steve Martin and Queen Latifah, a funny motion picture. Though marred by an inferior plot, House, considered in today's cultural vacuum, offers enough good humor to make it worth the price of admission.

One's reaction to The Life of David Gale is dependent on one's political and philosophical point of reference. For those moviegoers who are for the death penalty, the two hours or so they will waste watching Alan Parker's newest political diatribe will give them an idea of what it must be like waiting on death row—incessant boredom turning to a plea for a quick, clean ending. For those opposed to the death penalty, they will find The Life of David Gale a justification of ending what they see as the ultimate example of man's inhumanity to man—maybe.