Three movies open in Lawrence this weekend, and two of them will likely make my year-end list for the best films of 2003.

First up is “School of Rock,” one of the funniest flicks about rock and roll since “Spinal Tap.” Actor Jack Black is a force of nature as a slovenly, over-the-hill guitarist who cons a class of fifth graders into being his backup band. Pitch perfect in its musical observations, the picture gives Black the ultimate venue to exploit his comedic gifts.

In “Lost in Translation,” Bill Murray plays a fading movie star and Scarlett Johansson is a young newlywed who meet while sequestered for a week at a swanky Tokyo hotel. The film stresses atmosphere over excitement, but the central relationship between the disconnected leads achieves a rare level of emotional depth.

Also opening is the potboiler “Out of Time,” which stars Denzel Washington as a corrupt Florida police chief whose mistress winds up dead and whose estranged wife heads the homicide investigation.

Man, I hate it when that happens.

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