Nicholson's latest film now playing at theaters

JAKARTA (JP): This is the time in the week to excuse yourself from the humdrum daily routine.

Movie ticket prices may have increased by an average of 20 percent, but taking in an hour or two of celluloid is still much cheaper than a night out at a bar or fancy restaurant dinners.

Two new offerings on local screens, a comedy and an action- packed thriller, are ready to take you into their worlds.

As Good As It Gets. Cast: Helen Hunt, Jack Nicholson. Director: Paul Verhoeven.

At a ripe old 61 years, Jack Nicholson, one of the greatest working actors alive, keeps on going from strength to strength.

Beginning his Hollywood career as an office boy in MGM's cartoon department, Nicholson is today the recipient of two Oscars, one as Best Actor in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and the other for Best Supporting Actor in Terms of Endearment. He also has Oscar nominations for eight other roles.

In his latest movie, As Good As It Gets, he is Melvin Udall, a cynical and aging writer romancing Helen Hunt and harassing Simon Nye (Greg Kinnear), a talented gay artist living across the hall of his apartment.

Hunt is no ordinary actress. Best known for her hit role in the sitcom Mad About You, this former child star gained big- screen fame in Twister, where she battled dreaded tornadoes for the sake of science and humanity.

In As Good As It Gets, she is no longer the tough, tornado- chasing scientist, but the only waitress who is willing to serve breakfast for the sarcastic Melvin. She is also raising her chronically ill son.

The Replacement Killer. Cast: Chow Yun-Fat, Mira Sorvino. Director: Antoine Fuoua.

Known for his leading role in God of Gambler sequels in Mandarin movies, Chow Yun-Fat gets a new role as John Lee, a Chinese immigrant who moves to America to assure safe grounds for his family in their move from Beijing.

But Lee's violent past as a professional hit man comes back to harm him as a powerful underworld figure, Mr. Wei, assigns him to kill a police detective Stan Zedkov (Michael Rooker).

Instead of completing his deadly assignment, Lee fights Wei with the help of document forger Meg Coburn (Mira Sorvino).

Sorvino, Academy Award winner for her stunning performance as a prostitute in Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite and in real life a student of Chinese studies at Harvard, soon becomes Wei's target for helping Lee.

If these two movies are not to your cinematic taste buds, Alien Resurrection, Tomorrow Never Dies, Devil's Advocate, Kiss The Girls and Witch Way Love may be more to your liking. (ste)