40 Days and 40 Nights (R) A moderately pleasant little surprise for anyone simply expecting another mindless, cookie-cutter sex comedy. The story here is certainly slight enough — sex-crazed twentysomething Matt (Josh Hartnett) takes a vow of celibacy for 40 days, during which time he meets the perfectly charming and hot, hot, hot girl of his dreams (Shannyn Sossamon) — but under the assured, stylish direction of Michael Lehmann (Heathers, The Truth about Cats and Dogs) the movie feels like considerably more than it really is. 40 Days and 40 Nights springs from the same aggressively raunchy, bubble-brained wellsprings as most teen and post-teen sex comedies, but the touch is lighter and more self-aware, the script and acting a cut or two above the norm, and the movie's whole mix of sex and (for lack of a better word) spirituality is the most weirdly watchable conflation since the glory days of Prince. Also stars Paulo Costanzo. Opens March 1 at local theaters.
Amelie (NR) Plucky, quintessentially quirky Amelie (saucer-eyed Audrey Tautou) spends her time choreographing good deeds and love connections for her neighbors and, eventually, herself. Amelie, which is as much a fairy tale as it is a cartoon, brims with imagination and emotion. 
A Beautiful Mind (PG-13) A Russell Crowe performance that has Oscar written all over it is the main reason to see this atypically twisty Ron Howard production about an emotionally fragile genius whose life spins out of control in all sorts of unexpected ways. The movie's later sections feel a little too close for comfort to a disease-of-the-week movie, and the whole thing could be shortened by at least 20 minutes, but A Beautiful Mind is still rarely less than engaging.
Beauty and the Beast (G) The modern Disney classic is alive with great scenes, songs and characters, and features a script by turns clever and emotionally resonant, and stripped down the essence of its timeless tale. Playing at IMAX Dome Theater and at Channelside Cinemas IMAX. Call theaters to confirm. 
Big Fat Liar (PG) Malcolm in the Middle's Frankie Muniz stars as an irate kid who tracks down the bigshot Hollywood producer who stole his class paper and turned into a hit movie. Also stars Paul Giamatti and Amanda Bynes. (Not Reviewed)
Birthday Girl (R) The less one knows about Birthday Girl the more one is probably apt to enjoy it, so don't expect a full plot run-down here. Suffice to say that the movie starts out being about the oddly touching romance between a bashful British bank clerk (Ben Chaplin) and his Russian mail order bride (Nicole Kidman), and then transforms into something quite different and, in its way, exciting.
Black Hawk Down (R) Basically just a breathless account of the last hours of a small group of American soldiers trapped deep within enemy territory in Somalia and brutally besieged by hordes of unseen enemies hell-bent on making them bleed. The movie's agenda is a purely visceral one, putting us squarely into the fray, and Scott films it all in a pumped-up but gritty, claustrophobic manner that seems to suck all the air out of the room. Stars Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor, Tom Sizemore and Sam Shephard.
Collateral Damage (R) Arnold Scharzenegger single-handedly takes on the international network of terror in this murky and not terribly exciting action vehicle. Schwarzenegger basically assumes Charles Bronson's Death Wish role, making for a sort of Arnold vs. mock-Osama mano a mano, as our hero goes to the ends of the earth (well, Colombia) tracking down the terrorist who snuffed his wife and kid. 
The Count of Monte Cristo (PG-13) Director Kevin Reynold's big screen adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' classic plays even more like a Cliffs Notes version than we might have imagined, although that doesn't necessarily make the film unwatchable. The movie looks good, the action scenes are fairly well choreographed and some of the performances are worth a look. 
Crossroads (PG-13) Pop star Britney Spears stars as young woman taking a cross-country trip with her two best pals from childhood. Also stars Zoe Saldana and Taryn Manning. (Not Reviewed)
Dragonfly (PG-13) It's probably impressive that a nearly two-hour movie can seem like three or four, but it doesn't make for a strong story. Kevin Costner stars in what must be his shortest movie in a decade as Dr. Joe Donner, whose wooden mask of a face is well suited for a man grieving the death of his wife and soulmate. Early on, Dragonfly feels like a simplistic but truly felt story about grieving and moving on … until it turns into a combination of The Sixth Sense (children are seeing Joe's dead wife) and What Dreams Will Come. With the help of a meddling nun and the always-great Kathy Bates, not to mention a bald parrot, Joe eventually figures out he has to go to the village in Venezuela where his wife died. What follows includes a conveniently isolated tribe that has a handy answer for Joe's problems, not to mention the film's interminable pacing.
—Greg Gipson 2
The Endurance (PG) Director George Butler's fascinating documentary is essentially an expanded and even more emotionally devastating version of his 40-minute IMAX featurette, Shackelton's Antarctic Adventure. As in that film, Butler mixes breathtaking modern-day cinematography with incredible archival footage to tell the story of Sir Ernst Shackleton's initially disastrous but ultimately triumphant 1914 expedition to cross the Antarctic continent by foot. Much like the films of Ken Burns, The Endurance often fashions itself as a faux firsthand account, making fine use of voice-over readings from the personal letters and diaries of the crew. Butler layers in interviews with historians and descendants for even more texture, creating a film that gets maximum effect from a story both suspenseful and inspirational. Opens March 1 at local theaters.
Gosford Park (PG-13) Just a few years shy of his eighth decade of life, Robert Altman has ventured into virgin territory once more in Gosford Park, although the results lack the fire and sheer imagination of Altman's best works. Gosford Park is Altman's spin on one of those English dramas where a bunch of well-heeled types congregate at someone's swanky country estate for the weekend and, eventually, someone gets murdered. Stars Emily Watson, Ryan Phillippe, Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith, Jeremy Northam and Alan Bates. 
Hart's War (R) Despite top billing, Bruce Willis is not the featured attraction in this well-produced but problematic courtroom drama disguised as a World War II adventure. Colin Farrell, as idealistic young Lt. Tom Hart, is the film's real focus, while Willis takes a back seat as Col. William McNamara, a hardboiled war hero in charge of the American prisoners in a German POW camp. The film begins as a fairly engaging tale of men at war but turns into something else entirely when an African-American soldier (Terrence Howard) is brought into the all-white POW camp.
I Am Sam (PG-13) Sean Penn gives Dustin Hoffman a run for his money, offering up a respectable Rain Man routine in the otherwise unremarkable I Am Sam. Penn plays a lovable, mentally challenged adult who struggles with being a single father to a 7-year-old girl who's smarter than he is. The movie switches gears midway through to focus on a troubled yuppie lawyer (Michele Pfeiffer), who takes on Sam's case when his daughter's taken away from him. The movie's intentions seem to start out from a halfway respectable place, but the film soon winds up tripping all over itself in a rush to push our buttons.
The Independent (R) Stephen Kessler's hilarious mockumentary about a fictitious maverick moviemaker doesn't add up to much in terms of story, but it contains some of the funniest bits and pieces you'll ever see on screen. The subject of The Independent is Morty Fineman (Jerry Stiller, Ben's dad), a schlock filmmaker and self-described artist who churns out flicks filled with big-breasted babes, explosions and ham-fisted social messages. Clips from those Fineman productions punctuate The Independent, and most of them are insanely funny.
In the Bedroom (R) A remarkable drama by turns subtle and fearsomely intense, Todd Fields' directorial debut always seems to be one step ahead of our expectations. The character-driven film introduces us to a handful of small-town folks (mostly the members of a white collar family living in a predominantly blue collar New England town) and then, just when we think we've figured out who and what the movie's about, we find the rug's been pulled out from under us and the movie's main focus is really somewhere else entirely. Stars Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson and Marisa Tomei, all nominated for Academy awards for their performances in this film.
Iris (R) A flawed but beautifully acted memory piece about, among other things, how memory betrayed a brilliant woman. Based on a true story, Iris is the tale of the 40-year relationship between eccentric English intellectuals John Bayley and Iris Murdoch, a writer whose exceptional mind eventually surrendered to the ravages of Alzheimer's.
John Q (PG-13) This shrill, preachy two-hour commercial for National Health Care is a major disappointment from everyone involved. Denzel Washington stars as the title character, a decent but down-on-his-luck dad who takes an emergency room hostage when he finds his insurance won't cover an expensive heart transplant operation for his adorable little son. The movie's righteously indignant heart is certainly in the right place, but John Q unintentionally verges on caricature. 
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (PG-13) The first of Peter Jackson's long-awaited adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's trilogy succeeds on just about every level it's supposed to. For virtually its entire three-hour running time, Jackson's epic fantasy keeps us happily immersed in the stuff of legends, sort of like a Harry Potter for grown-ups. Stars Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Cate Blanchett and Christopher Lee.
Monster's Ball (R) Not exactly a character study and not quite a love story, although there are elements of both here: Monster's Ball is essentially about two very different people whose lives happen to intersect at a given moment when both are very much in need of something that the other is able to give. That one of the characters is black and the other white (and a bigot to boot), just makes the film all the more interesting, although by the end, Monster's Ball winds up coming a little too close to simply being a morality play about the redemption of a racist. Stars Billy Bob Thornton and Halle Berry. 3
The Mothman Prophecies (PG-13) Richard Gere plays a Washington Post reporter who's sucked right into the town of Point Pleasant, W. Va., where all sorts of freaky shit is happening; Laura Linney is the local cop at his side.
No Man's Land (NR) The Oscar-nominated No Man's Land is a slapstick farce that carries the weight of the world on its shoulders. The movie is both absurdist and intensely anguished as it offers up what sometimes seems to be a tongue-in-cheek take on the oh-so-serious subject of Serb-Bosnian politics, re-imagined as the blackest, bloodiest comedy on the block. The film is essentially a chamber piece focused on a mutually antagonistic Serb and Bosnian trapped together in ridiculously close quarters — an existentialist hell worthy of Sartre by way of the Marx Brothers. The whole thing plays out like a version of the Serb-Bosnian conflict in miniature, with two bitter enemies stuck together in a hole between enemy lines, in limbo, with only a human bomb for company. The media and the UN eventually get involved, at which point No Man's Land begins manifesting a circus-like atmosphere a little like something that Preston Sturges or even Fellini might have concocted. Held over at Channelside Cinemas. Call theater to confirm.
Queen of the Damned (R) Probably just the shlocky and idiotic movie that deserved to be made of Anne Rice's shlocky and idiotic book. The unbelievably lame Stuart Townsend takes over for Tom Cruise as the vampire Lestat, who's now become a rock star whose groovy vampiric tunesmithery has the power to awaken the long-dormant, blood-suckin' Uber-Queenie herself (Aaliyah, pathetically uncharismatic in her final role). What little story there is here is told a manner that verges on the incomprehensible, the score of bland sludge-rock never lets up, and the movie is simply too boring and inept to succeed even on the level of camp. Also stars Marguerite Moreau, Lena Olin and a very goofy-looking Vincent Perez, all adam's apple and overbite, and looking for all the world like a vampiric Don Knotts. 
Punk Rock/Heavy Metal Karaoke (NR) Everybody's favorite film series, Movies That Move, returns from hiatus with this curious little home-grown documentary on the latest craze sweeping the country (well, at least New York and L.A.) — a variation on karaoke in which average Joes and Janes take to the stage and, with the help of an accommodating house band, belt out classic punk and heavy metal tunes by the likes of The Sex Pistols, Guns N' Roses, and Motorhead (whose Ace of Spades provides one of the movie's indisputable highlights). The movie's interesting enough for anyone who's new to the phenomenon, but, frankly, Punk Rock/Heavy Metal Karaoke works best as a prelude to the real thing. See the movie by all means (it's playing at St. Pete's fabulous Globe, which should be a trip all by itself), but make sure to check out the post-film karaoke field trip to the neighboring Emerald Bar. Plays Thursday, Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m. at the Globe Coffeehouse and Lounge, 532 First Ave. N., St Petersburg. Post-film Skaryoke at the Emerald Bar, 550 Central Ave. St. Petersburg. For more information, call 727-381-4894.
Return to Neverland (G) Return to Neverland simply moves Peter Pan forward in time a decade or two, reprises most of the popular characters (subbing Wendy's daughter, Jane, for the now grown-up Wendy), and allows them to chase around after each other for 70 minutes or so.
Rollerball (PG-13) Chris Klein, L.L. Cool J and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos are teammates playing the world's most dangerous game in the proverbial not-so-distant future. An update of Norman Jewison's forgettable 1975 sci-fi movie, courtesy of director John McTiernan (who oddly enough also remade yet another tepid Jewison film not so long ago, The Thomas Crown Affair). Also stars Jean Reno. (Not Reviewed)
The Royal Tenenbaums (PG-13) Tragedy has rarely been so much fun as in this latest black comedy extravaganza from director Wes Anderson (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore). This time out, Anderson and co-writer Owen Wilson (who also appears in this film) give us the epic tale of the rise and fall of a brilliant, relentlessly bizarre and fatally damaged American family — the cumulative effect of the film being a sort of cross between The Magnificent Ambersons, a J.D. Salinger short story and The Addams Family. Stars Gene Hackman, Angelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke and Owen Wilson, Bill Murray and Danny Glover.
Slackers (R) A terminally obnoxious nerd (Rushmore's Jason Schwartzman) threatens to expose a trio of college con artists unless they hook him up with the girl of his dreams. Outside of a few scattered moments of inexplicable savvy, this is an astonishingly inept and unfunny comedy in which perhaps one joke out of every 10 manages to not fall flat on its face.
A Walk to Remember (PG) High school romance between the coolest guy in class (Shane West) and a preacher's daughter (pop star Mandy Moore). Also stars Peter Coyote and Daryl Hannah. (Not Reviewed)
We Were Soldiers (R) Braveheart goes to 'Nam. Reuniting with Braveheart writer Randall Wallace, Mel Gibson stars as another heroic leader of men — Lt. Col. Hal Moore, a tough but fair career soldier who leads his troops into the first real battle of the Vietnam war. The movie is a little like a poor man's Black Hawk Down, with an unremarkable opening half-hour of human drama (in which we learn that Mel's character has a lively brood of five and a fashion-model-gorgeous wife), followed by one long, nonstop battle. The combat scenes are brutal and bloody but not particularly effective, basically amounting to a relentless barrage of unimaginatively staged action (blame the overkill on all the suckers who slobbered over the clunky battle scenes in Braveheart and clamored for more). We Were Soldiers alternates the carnage with periodic Big Speeches set to swelling, elegiac music (think Platoon) but the movie's pacing feels clumsy and the final effect is of a film that's not all that sure of itself. Also stars Chris Klein, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliott and Madeline Stowe. Opens March 1 at local theaters.
—Reviewed entries by Lance Goldenberg unless otherwise noted.
This article appears in Feb 27 – Mar 5, 2002.