Austin Powers in Goldmember (PG-13) The least fabulous of all the Powers entries to date. As usual, Dr. Evil and Mini-Me steal the show, although Myers gets off a few good licks with the latest addition to his roster of villains, the revolting and thoroughly irritating title character. Stars Mike Myers, Beyonce Knowles, Michael York and Seth Green. 
Australia: Land Beyond Time (PG) The film takes us Down Under to the flattest, driest continent on earth, immerses us in parched, otherworldly landscapes and introduces us to tons of incredibly odd and supremely adaptable animals — from cute koalas and feisty dingoes, to an endless variety of bizarrely shaped lizards, to the amazing and little-understood kangaroo. Animal lovers will want to pounce on this one. 
The Banger Sisters (R) Susan Sarandon and Goldie Hawn star in this comedy/drama about two former rock groupies and best friends who reunite after 20 years. One has remained a wild woman; the other has turned conservative. Also stars Geoffrey Rush. Opens Sept. 13 at local theaters.
(Not reviewed)
Barber Shop (PG-13) Ice Cube stars in this mediocre yarn about barbershop camaraderie. Cube (Calvin) is bequeathed the shop by his late father. As a struggling entrepreneur, he loses sight of the humbling culture that encompasses the business. Calvin's desperation leads to dubious means to pay past-due rent. Interwoven throughout the main plot is an ATM heist carried out by two clumsy criminals whose shenanigans seem more like filler than a true subplot. Calvin's employees, on the other hand, provide the bulk of amusement with their conflicting personalities. At times, the crews' banter is reminiscent of the barbershop scenes from Coming to America. Also stars Cedric the Entertainer, Eve, Sean Patrick Thomas and Michael Ealy. Opens Sept. 13 at local theaters.
—Corey Myers 
Blood Work (R) Clint Eastwood's latest is a workmanlike and wholly unremarkable thriller about a retired FBI agent with a brand new heart transplant and a serial killer on his tail. Eastwood stars and directs and, as in almost all of his films, there are some nicely detailed, low-key moments here. Most of the movie is far too predictable and very close to being an outright bore, however, and there are several dramatic moments that wind up seeming unintentionally funny (one being old Clint's lovemaking scene with yet another starlet 30 years his junior). Also starring Jeff Daniels, Anjelica Huston, Wanda De Jesus and Tina Lifford. 
Blue Crush (PG-13) For all its faults, this is one surf movie that takes its cue more from Bruce Brown's Endless Summer than from Baywatch. Offering a glimpse into the lives of a group of young female surfers in Oahu, Blue Crush is a fairly interesting movie when it's just following its characters around. When the film attempts to tell us a story — something about finding love, regaining your confidence and becoming the best darned surfer in the word — it's predictable, shallow and not very good. The movie is unusually watchable, though, for such a lame narrative. Stars Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez, Matthew Davis and Sanoe Lake.
The Bourne Identity (PG-13) Matt Damon plays an amnesiac who also just happens to be a world-class fighter, linguist, escape artist — in fact, he pretty much possesses all the skills of a top-notch spy/sleuth/assassin. Complicating matters is the fact that, even as he tries to reclaim his memory, Damon's being hunted by the ultimate bad guys who appear to be his old bosses — our old pals, the CIA. The Bourne Identity is basically an action movie, but it's an overly murky one that lacks a real sense of urgency or purpose.
City by the Sea (PG-13) Coincidences and emotional baggage are piled on to predictably numbing effect in City by the Sea, director Michael Caton-Jones workmanlike tale of crime, urban decay and familial dysfunction. Robert De Niro stars as a Manhattan cop who moved away from the now deteriorating community of Long Beach when his marriage went bad. Now, many years later, De Niro's character is emotionally distant to his current girlfriend (Frances McDormand) and investigating a murder in which it just so happens the primary suspect is none other than his estranged, junkie son (James Franco). The plot moves along in an overly transparent, slightly clunky manner, and, outside of Franco, none of the actors turn in particularly memorable performances. De Niro isn't bad here but, frankly, his performance is mostly just another reminder that this is a man who stopped caring a long time ago about being a great actor. On the other hand, there's not much room for greatness here. Also stars Eliza Dushku.
The Country Bears (G) A bear cub raised by humans sets out to discover his roots and winds up hanging with an all-bear band in Nashville. Stars Haley Joel Osment, Christopher Walken and Charles S. Dutton.
(Not Reviewed)
The Fast Runner (NR) The Fast Runner is a movie that breaks all sorts of new ground (while sifting through some of the oldest ground on earth), and it's doubtful that you've ever seen anything remotely like it. This is the world's first Inuit production, and it relates a timeless Inuit legend told and retold over the centuries. The basic story revolves around Atanarjuat (Natar Ungalaaq), who has a thing for a local beauty named Atuat (Sylvia Ivalu), even though she's already pledged to a nasty-tempered type called Oki (Peter-Henry Arnatsiaq). There's plenty of juicy, bad behavior in the film's universal tale of secrets, lies, lust, murder, rape, revenge and seal blubber — but the bulk of the movie is concerned with carefully observed details of 11th century Inuit life. Out attention is constantly directed to hands at tasks — cutting, lifting, fanning fires — to the stitching on a garment, to the snot frozen on the upper lip of an infant, to the tending of the seal oil perpetually burning in the center of a room. This is a movie about life's simple pleasures and pains (primal, if you will), and the film depicts it all with austere but enormous beauty. Playing at Channelside Cinemas. Call theater to confirm. 
feardot.com (R) A series of murder victims are linked by a Web site they've all visited. Stars Stephen Dorf, Udo Kier and Stephen Rea.
(Not Reviewed)
The Good Girl (PG-13) There's not a whole lot that's particularly memorable about the slightly better than passable black comedy The Good Girl. Outside of some clever comic dialogue and a handful of amusing bit characters, this is a more or less lackluster film about lackluster lives. Lackluster existence numero uno belongs to the aptly named Justine Last (Jennifer Aniston, de-glammed and limp-haired), a frustrated young Texan leading a life of quiet desperation from behind the checkout counter of the Retail Rodeo. Just turned 30, unhappily married and childless, Justine strikes up a friendship with a 22-year-old loner (Jake Gyllenhaal) who's named himself after the hero of The Catcher in the Rye. Friendship soon crosses the line into romance, or at least sex, and from there into obsession, paving the way for Justine to begin realizing there's no way she's ever going to be happy without first removing a few people permanently from her life. Also stars John C. Reilly and Tim Black Nelson.
The Kid Stays in the Picture (R) A pulpy, highly entertaining piece of personal mythmaking colliding with a self-referential film about Hollywood-style delusion, this sorta-documentary charts the glorious rise and ouch-that-hurt fall of notorious and revered mega '70s producer Robert Evans. Opens Sept. 13 at Tampa Theatre. Call to confirm.
—Felicia Feaster 
Lilo and Stitch (PG) Another hit from the Disney team, although not quite out of the ballpark. Lilo and Stitch is basically a brightened-up, kid-friendly reinvention of the Frankenstein story, in which a manmade monster (or, in this case, alien-created critter) comes to grips with his own, um, uniqueness and, in the process, finds something not unlike a soul. Disney's extraterrestrial Frankenstein is Stitch, a big-eyed, genetically altered experiment who crash lands on earth and hooks up with a lonely little Hawaiian girl named Lilo.
Like Mike (PG) Hip-hop mini-icon Lil' Bow Wow makes his, um, acting debut as a tiny teen who dons a pair of magical sneakers to become a great NBA star. Also stars old-timer Morris Chestnut and Jonathan Lipnicki.
(Not Reviewed)
Martin Lawrence Live After traipsing around as a medieval knight and in a fatsuit in some forgettable recent films, Lawrence returns to what he allegedly does best: standup. The material is raunchy and offensive and perhaps even shocking. What else would you expect? Reviews have been generally unkind.
(Not Reviewed)
The Master of Disguise (PG) Dana Carvey gets a chance to showcase his considerable skills at mimicry as a multi-morphing sleuth battling a brilliant criminal mastermind. Expect lots of special effects and big, fat, physical comedy. Also stars Brent Spinner and Jennifer Esposito.
(Not Reviewed)
Men in Black II (PG-13) Although it might just have well been titled Men in Black I, Slight Return, this briskly paced 80-some minute romp offers considerable fun, particularly for the undiscriminating summer viewer. There are no real surprises here to speak of, with the movie's main characters and wisp of a plot basically just reprising them. The chemistry between stars Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones still works, although it's a bit more labored and even more minimalist than in the original. The nasty little talking dog steals the show. Also stars Johnny Knoxville, Rosario Dawson and Rip Torn.
Minority Report (PG-13) The best movie of the summer, and one of the best movies of recent years, Steven Spielberg's sci-fi noir boasts a fascinating premise beautifully expanded into a provocative and consistently gripping feature-length film. Based on a story by Philip K. Dick, Minority Report takes place in a not-so-distant future where crimes are predicted and criminals arrested before they actually commit their offense. Tom Cruise plays the top cop who becomes the glitch in a perfect system when he finds himself falsely accused and on the run. Minority Report is an exciting movie and, dare I say it, an important movie, made timelier than ever in the preemptive political environment of today. Although there's plenty of action, Minority Report is anything but an action movie; it's a smart, tough and tantalizing remapping of the familiar territory known as the crime thriller. Also stars Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton and Max Von Sydow.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (PG) Nia Vardalos stars in this sweet-natured, sporadically amusing adaptation of her one-woman show about a plain Greek-American woman who transforms herself into a babe and hooks up with her Prince Charming — who, much to the chagrin of her loud and proud Greek family, turns out to be as WASP-y as they come. In all, Greek Wedding probably worked better on stage than on the big screen. Also stars John Corbett, Michael Constantine, Lainie Kazan and Andrea Martin.
Possession (PG-13) Two stuffy academics begin an affair while researching the lives of a pair of long dead poets who also had a secret relationship. By most accounts, director Neil LaButte in a softer, gentler mood. Stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Aaron Eckhart and Jeremy Northam.
(Not Reviewed)
Read My Lips (NR) This is one of the year's best films, a tasty little Euro-thriller pitched somewhere between Hitchcock, Claude Chabrol and Neil LaButte (the old, nasty LaButte), laying on a suspenseful and gorgeously moody atmosphere charged with just a hint of perverse eroticism. Director Jacque Audiard (who also wrote the intriguing Venus Beauty Salon) weaves a quietly fascinating story about two loners — a mistreated deaf secretary and a clueless ex-con — who become more than the sum of their parts when they team up for a bizarre heist or two. Read My Lips is an engaging and oddly humanist tale of empowerment through crime, with Vincent Cassell and Emmanuelle Devos turning in two of the best performances you'll see this year. Also stars Olivier Gourmet.
Reign of Fire (PG-13) A ragtag band of humans square off against a deadly species of fire-breathing dragons in the decimated future of 2020. Director Rob Bowman's movie looks good, if you go in for tons of grubby, post-apocalyptic atmosphere, but the plot arc here is just short of by-the-numbers, the action scenes are far too murky to generate much excitement, and the characters are uniformly underwritten or annoying. Stars Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale and Izabella Scorupco. 
Road to Perdition (R) Director Sam Mendes follows up American Beauty with a densely textured but occasionally magnificent gangland epic. Tom Hanks stars in an uncharacteristically ambiguous role as a paid killer who doesn't like what he does, but does it anyway. Targeted by his former boss and a couple of mad dog killers, Hanks and his young son take to the road seeking revenge and survival, and finding (this is a Hollywood movie, after all) redemption. While not as immediately hooky as Mendes' debut, Perdition may just be an even better film. Also stars Paul Newman, Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Stanley Tucci, Daniel Craig and Tyler Hoechlin.
Serving Sara (PG-13) Ex-Lawyer turned process server Joe (Matthew Perry) is assigned to serve divorce papers to Sara (Elizabeth Hurley). Joe's early attempts are stymied by an unscrupulous and oafish co-worker played by Vincent Pastore of Sopranos' fame. Their vacuous efforts to thwart each other's strategy and serve Sara fail to deliver laughs. If Sara is served, she will lose half the share of her millionaire husband's assets. Upon their predictable encounter, an empathic Joe agrees to abet Sara who in return offers a lucrative reward. What transpires is a cross-country pursuit to salvage Sara's fortune. Could be slightly entertaining for a rainy day. Also stars Bruce Campbell and Cedric the Entertainer.
—Corey Myers
Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure (PG) An engaging mix of history, drama, fascinating archival footage and breathtaking, state-of-the-art photography, Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure tells the incredible true tale of an epic battle for survival in the wake of a failed expedition to cross Antarctica in 1914. Playing at IMAX Dome Theater at MOSI. Call theater to confirm.
Siegfried and Roy: The Magic Box (PG) There are very few things in this world cooler than a good 3-D movie. Even a bad 3-D movie has its merits, and Siegfried and Roy: The Magic Box is a more than a little of each. As magnificently overblown a piece of Uber Kitsch as you could ever want to find, Siggy and Roy's 3-D movie is a big, gaudy, guilty pleasure for the whole family. Everything in Siegfried and Roy: The Magic Box is deliberately unnatural and gloriously artificial, like a Leni Riefenstahl movie mixed with a little Ken Russell hysteria, or Terry Gilliam's Monty Python work or maybe even Maxfield Parrish. What pushes this fantasy-cum-documentary all way into the stratosphere, of course, is that everything in the movie's intricately ersatz world is rendered in state-of-the-art 3-D. We get abstract beams of lights whizzing past our eyes, baroque shapes of all sorts seemingly floating in the seat next to us, elephants rearing up on their hindquarters just above our heads, and, finally, Roy himself with one of his beloved tigers, levitating heavenward on a disco ball. The movie takes pains to dress up its more ridiculous excesses in a cloak of respectability, even going so far as to recruit class act Sir Anthony Hopkins to provide the narration (mostly a lot of noble gobbledygook about pursuing dreams, padded with the occasional quote from Blake). The respectability ruse is only partially successful, thank goodness, and the movie remains an awful lot of fun to watch. In any event, it's certainly a whole lot cheaper than a plane ticket to Vegas. Stars Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Uwe Ludwig Horn. Playing at Channelside IMAX.
Signs (PG-13) The least convoluted but, in some ways, the least compelling movie yet from M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable). Mel Gibson stars as a faith-challenged former clergyman who spends most of the movie sweating bullets and waiting, along with the rest of the world, for a devastating attack from hostile extraterrestrials. The movie is all mood — ominous, still and full of apocalyptic mystery. Nothing much happens, but it's good, uncomplicated pulp entertainment, with a vaguely spiritual underpinning that rises to the surface in the last act. Also stars Joaquin Phoenix, Cherry Jones and Rory Culkin.
Simone (PG-13) Andrew Niccol, who previously explored the virtual life and designer humanity in The Truman Show and Gattaca, is up to his old high-concept tricks again, but this time in the context of his breeziest and most down-to-earth movie. Al Pacino stars as a Hollywood filmmaker who stumbles upon a revolutionary program that allows him to create a computer-generated actress who's so lifelike and charismatic the entire world is fooled into believing she's real. The movie is consistently watchable and filled with clever asides, but isn't nearly as strong or deep as either of Niccol's previous efforts. Also stars Catherine Keener, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and Winona Ryder.
Space Station (PG) New IMAX featurette documenting a pair of voyages to the international space station floating high above planet Earth. The multinational crews include a mix of American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts. At IMAX Dome Theater.
(Not Reviewed)
Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams (PG) Just to get the caveats out of the way, this is even more of a turn your brain off at the door and just enjoy it sort of affair than the first one, but if you're down with that, the sky's the limit. Like its predecessor, Spy Kids 2 is an unapologetically silly little romp that's so full of energy and sincerity it's almost impossible to dislike. It's not a great movie, but it's a pretty darned good kids' movie because it does what it does very well and, most important of all, it almost never condescends to its audience. Stars Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Steve Buscemi, Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara.
Stealing Harvard (PG-13) Jason Lee plays a middle-class guy who turns to crime in order to send his niece to Harvard. Tom Green is the friend who is a decidedly bad influence. Opens Sept 13 at local theaters.
(Not Reviewed)
Stuart Little 2 (G) Teeny tiny tykes will eat up this barely 75-minute sequel to Stuart Little, but most grown-ups will either be bored out of their skulls or find their teeth tingling from all the sugar-coated sap. Despite the expensive-looking production values and state-of-the-art CGI effects, Stuart Little has the bland, throwaway feel of a direct-to-video sequel. There wasn't much of an edge to the first Stuart project, but in this one, virtually everybody is as sweetly innocuous as the title rodent. Stars Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie and the voices of Michael J. Fox, Melanie Griffith and Nathan Lane.
Swimfan (PG-13) Jesse Bradford and Erika Christensen star in this thriller about a high school swimming star who has a one-night stand leading to tangled and dangerous consequences.
(Not Reviewed)
Undisputed (R) Wesley Snipes stars as a professional heavyweight boxer who's falsely accused of a crime and winds up in jail, where he goes up against the prison boxing champ. Also stars Ving Rhames.
(Not Reviewed)
XXX (R) A movie so relentlessly forward propelled that we hardly even have a chance to catch our breath and realize how utterly idiotic it all is. Vin Diesel is the star here, and he's very much in the mold of other terrible actors who get paid to anchor big, comic book movies (think Keanu in The Matrix or Arnold in almost anything). Diesel (who names these guys, anyway?) plays Xander Cage, X for short, a bald, tattooed slab of flesh given to looking straight into the camera and screaming lines like, I live for this shit! Enter Samuel L. Jackson in a wig and with latex scar tissue over half his face, as an NSA agent looking for fresh blood to combat a group of international bad guys. X is recruited, infiltrates the bad guys' group, and spends the rest of movie striding around in a ratty sheepskin coat, pulling off outrageous stunts and shouting glib catch phrases while clobbering baddies and saving the world. Also stars Samuel L. Jackson, Asia Argento and Michael Roof.
—Reviewed entries by Lance Goldenberg unless otherwise noted
This article appears in Sep 11-17, 2002.
