8 MILE (R) There's a brief moment in 8 Mile when we glimpse a TV playing Imitation of Life, Douglas Sirk's dated but still-juicy melodrama about a light-skinned black attempting to pass as white. In 8 Mile we see that phenomenon, having come full circle, attempt to mutate into some other, more interesting shape. This much-anticipated portrait-of-the-artist-as-a-young-dawg stars white-boy rapper/pop sensation Eminem as a barely disguised version of himself in younger days. Directed by Curtis Hanson (L.A. Confidential, Wonder Boys), the movie is set in Detroit's mid-'90s hip-hop scene, where aspiring rapper Jimmy "Rabbit" Smith (Eminem) lives in a trailer with his trashy mom (Kim Basinger), works a dead-end factory job by day, and hangs with his pals and performs by night. Eminem projects some real charisma in his screen debut (the comparisons with James Dean are all but inevitable), and his scenes with Brittany Murphy are nothing if not intense. While its basic story won't offer many surprises, 8 Mile captures a moment in time as succinctly as Saturday Night Fever and could end up just as potent a pop phenomenon. It's all extremely engaging, and the climactic battle between dueling rappers is half-Rocky, half-spaghetti western and an instant classic. Also stars Mekhi Phifer. 
ABANDON (PG-13) Abandon spends a good portion of its running time pulling the rug out from under our feet and keeping us guessing. The plot elements here are standard — a pretty grad student (Katie Holmes), a vanished ex-boyfriend who might be stalking her, and a handsome cop on the case (Benjamin Bratt) — but writer/director Stephen Gahgan continually reconfigures those elements in a variety of ways that, right up until the end, defy formula. Also stars the always-wonderful Zooey Deschanel and Charlie Hunnam, who looks like a blond version of Val Kilmer playing Jim Morrison. 
ADAM SANDLER'S EIGHT CRAZY NIGHTS (PG) Feature-length animation about an overgrown party animal performing community service by assisting a kindly basketball referee. Havoc ensues. Featuring the voices of Adam Sandler, Jon Lovitz, Kevin Nealon and Rob Schneider. (Not Reviewed)
ANALYZE THAT (R) Billy Crystal and Robert De Niro are back as the nerdy little shrink and his tough-guy mobster patient, in this installment of Harold Ramis' Mafioso comedy. The jokes this time out are even flatter than the first time around, and the movie never really seems able or willing to strike some sort of workable balance between humor (which basically consists of Crystal and De Niro mugging) and whatever's going on here that passes for drama. The big heist that takes up the movie's final 20 minutes might just be the most gratuitously tacked-on finale of the year. Also stars Lisa Kudrow. Opens Dec. 6 at local theaters. 
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
BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE (PG-13) Michael Moore's final word (for the moment) on our culture of violence and, specifically, America's love affair with guns. Lively, often funny and sometimes devastating, the film takes a close look at a culture where a gun can be easily purchased at a bank or while getting a trim at the barbershop. Moore's argument is simplistic but effective, ultimately attributing American bloodlust to a particularly nasty brew of fear and racism fueled primarily by the government and the media. Moore doesn't bother much with details, including the fact that his own film is part of the very problem he identifies. The main difference, as Moore himself would probably agree, is that the ends justify the means. Funnily enough, that's just what the head of the NRA might tell you too. Held over at Channelside Cinemas. Call to confirm.
COMEDIAN (R) TV commercial director Christian Charles follows two comedians — the very popular Jerry Seinfeld and the very unknown Orny Adams — as they navigate their way through New York City's notoriously cutthroat comedy scene. Other comics making appearances include Chris Rock, Kevin Nealon, Colin Quin, Dave Chappelle and Jay Leno. (Not Reviewed)
DIE ANOTHER DAY (PG-13) It's a long way from Once Were Warriors for director Lee Tamahori, who helms this latest Bond blowout in which 007 tracks traitors and terrorists from North Korea to Cuba to Iceland. On the plus side is Halle Berry, who shows up to exchange innuendoes and bodily fluids with the Bondster, and two fairly cool villains — one of whom is an inverted version of 007 himself (i.e., a swaggering, pretty-boy adventurer). On the down side, the plot's pretty convoluted (as all the recent Bonds have been), some of the CGI effects are awfully cheesy, and the movie overstays its welcome by a good 20 minutes. Still, not even a lame cameo by Madonna (yep, she's here too) can ruin what is essentially yet another serviceable mix of sex, glamour and high-tech toys. Stars Pierce Brosnan, Rosamund Pike and Stephen Yune.
THE EMPEROR'S CLUB (PG-13) Not to be confused with The Dead Poets Society or any number of other similarly titled or similarly plotted productions, The Emperor's Club is another of those well-meaning movies about a teacher who tries to make a difference. Kevin Kline plays Mr. Hundert, who engages in a battle of wills with a rebellious new student who has a taste for Godard, Dylan and skin mags. The film's heart is in the right place but it is essentially, as Kline himself finally tells us, "a story without surprises." Also stars Emile Hirsch, Embeth Davidtz and Rob Morrow. 
EMPIRE (R) Virtually every cliche in the book is trotted out in this phenomenally awful vanity project starring John Leguizamo (who also produced it) as a drug pusher trying to go legit in whitey's world. Barely a single frame in the film rings true, from its ludicrously violent South Bronx scenes to its chic but stupid uptown views, and virtually every plot point of note is telegraphed well in advance of its actual appearance. It's never even clear if writer-director Franc Reyes is trying to make a gritty piece of realism, a satire, or some sort of half-baked allegory, but Leguizamo's performance is about the only thing here that isn't a total waste of time. Isabella Rossellini disgraces herself in an unintentionally campy performance as a big-haired crime boss, but the movie is an embarrassment to just about everyone concerned. Also stars Denise Richards and Peter Sarsgaard. Opens Dec. 6 at local theaters. $EXTREME OPS (PG-13) Exteme sports enthusiasts and terrorists mix it up in the Austrian alps. For those who like their explosions sprinkled with doses of snowboarding, skydiving, and jumping off motorcycles and helicopters. Stars Devon Sawa and Rufus Sewell. (Not Reviewed)
FAR FROM HEAVEN (PG-13) Todd Haynes' loving and exquisitely crafted homage to the 1950s melodramas of Douglas Sirk is set in white suburban American circa 1957, an easy target if ever there was one. The heroine of this remarkable neo-tearjerker is Cathy Whitaker (beautifully played by Julianne Moore), a model housewife whose world crumbles when her marriage to local businessman Frank (Dennis Quaid) turns out to be not nearly as perfect as she imagined. Style reigns supreme in this drop-dead gorgeous, designer's dream of a movie, which emulates the Technicolor look of "50s films so perfectly that its saturated hues take on an intensity bordering on the psychedelic. Haynes' movie is clearly a film buff's dream, but it's no mere exercise in style. There's a real story here, and Haynes uses the movie's formidable style to make connections between what was going on in America in the middle of the last century (but couldn't always be talked about) and what's happening here and now. Haynes isn't interested in poking fun at the classic form of melodrama so much as he wants to honor it and then massage it into some extended version of itself, one capable of addressing uniquely modern concerns. Also stars Dennis Haysbert. Playing at Tampa Theatre and at Hollywood 20 in Sarasota. Call theaters to confirm. 
FEMME FATALE (R) Despite some elaborately orchestrated and gorgeously stylized sequences, Brian De Palma's latest film is convoluted fluff sure to disappoint anyone looking for something resembling a coherent story. The movie is wall-to-wall red herrings, with all of the signature elements of film noir (double-crossing guys and dames, lust as a manipulative tool, identity changing, a good heist or two), but little of the intrigue or charisma. Rebecca Romijn-Stamos is some sort of bad girl/jewel thief who spends the first part of the movie pursuing various characters and the second half being pursued. Antonio Banderas shows up looking bored and distracted as a photographer drawn into the action. Also stars Peter Coyote.
FRIDA (R) A long-gestating dream project of many (including its star, Salma Hayek), Frida is a competently made but not particularly remarkable film that falls victim to many of the problems commonly associated with bio-pics. The film is true to its life of its subject — the great mono-browed Mexican painter Frida Kahlo — and director Julie Taymor (Titus) makes herself subservient to the material, often to the point of invisibility. The result isn't bad so much as it's an overly restrained and disappointingly conventional affair. Playing at Beach Theatre. Call to confirm.
FRIDAY AFTER NEXT (R) The third installment of the popular Friday series re-teams Ice Cube and Mike Epps as cousins Craig and Day-Day, who, after a brief fling in the suburbs, now find themselves back in their original urban L.A. "hood. This time out, the cousins take jobs to make some quick money for Christmas presents and rent when a criminally inclined Santa breaks in to their crib and steals them blind. Also stars John Witherspoon. (Not Reviewed)
HALF PAST DEAD (PG-13) Beginning with its title, most of this new Steven Seagal movie is steeped in such boldly audacious ineptitude it almost plays like a spoof. Luckily, it's also crammed with in-your-face fights, chases and very loud explosions, so plot and dialogue aren't exactly going to be the main thing on your mind. Seagal and Ja Rule (who's nearly as talentless an actor as Seagal) play a couple of petty thieves who wind up doing time at Alcatraz. The action really kicks in when a team of leather-clad commandos break into the prison, take a supreme court justice hostage, and battle the inmates for information about a hidden fortune. Also stars Morris Chestnut and Nia Peeples.
HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (PG) While it's still a hugely entertaining affair, the new Harry Potter movie almost inevitably lacks some of the, well, magic of the first film. The two movies are very similar in both structure and feel, but most of the big money shots in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets are essentially reprises of elements from H.P. and the Sorcerer's Stone, and lack that thrill of initial discovery. Also stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith and Richard Harris.
I SPY (PG-13) The plot's as negligible as you'd expect and the action scenes aren't even anything to write home about, but for what it's worth, the stars do hold up their end in this big-screen adaptation of yet another popular television show from yesteryear. Eddie Murphy is back in form as an arrogant celebrity boxer who becomes the reluctant partner of a bumbling spy, played by Owen Wilson in full aw-shucks-aren't-I-adorable mode. Also stars Famke Janssen and Malcolm McDowell.
JACKASS: THE MOVIE (R) Johnny Knoxville fronts a pack of pranksters in what amounts to a 90-minute episode of the popular MTV series Jackass. The same characters from the TV show appear on the big screen in a string of scenes that runs the gamut from practical jokes to potentially dangerous stunts. —Ana Lopez
JANE GOODALL'S WILD CHIMPANZEES (NR) The IMAX film depicts Goodall's 40-plus years' work among the chimps at Gombe Park on Lake Tanganyka in Africa and the Gombe chimp families. Playing at IMAX Dome Theater at MOSI. Call theater to confirm. (Not Reviewed)
JONAH: A VEGGIETALES MOVIE (G) For what it's worth, Jonah has to be the most entertaining and unintentionally bizarre mix of religion and talking vegetables since the reign of Jim and Tammy Faye Baker. The cast of cute cucumbers, tomatoes and asparagus play out a version of the Old Testament tale of the reluctant prophet who wound up in the belly of a whale, complete with a smattering of songs, pirates, kiddie-friendly antics and God-friendly message. Featuring the voices of Phil Vischer, Mike Nawrocki and Tim Hodge.
THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS (R) A multilayered morality tale from director George Hinkenlooper, starring Andy Garcia as a struggling writer whose life becomes one strange can of worms when he becomes a male escort. Also stars Julianna Margulies, the recently deceased James Coburn, and Mick Jagger. (Not Reviewed)
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.
PUNCH DRUNK LOVE (PG-13) After wowing movie-goers with Boogie Nights and Magnolia, director Paul Thomas Anderson scales it all back with Punch Drunk Love, a very strange little movie that's both lighter than air and denser than a black hole. Anderson takes Sandler's familiar doofus man-child character and reconfigures him into something both infinitely more extreme and more genuine, dresses him in a Day-Glo blue suit and then positions him dead-center in the movie's chaos, like a postmodern Buster Keaton reacting to a series of increasingly surreal situations. The film is slight and, in its own bizarre way, sweet, with an extravagantly screwy beauty that feels like it might very well have come about from too many drugs or too little sleep. Also stars Emily Watson, Luis Guzman and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES (PG-13) The trials and tribulations of Ana (America Ferrera), a recently graduated high-schooler whose loving traditional Mexican-American family is doing its best to discourage her dreams of higher education. The main sore point is Ana's mom (Lupe Ontiveros) who's compelled to needle the girl's Rubenesque figure, forces her to work in her sister's dress shop, and would no doubt die if she knew Ana was involved with an Anglo boy. The local East L.A. color is nice, the characters are engaging, and the message is just sweet and life-affirming enough, in a MBFGW sort of way, to cut the movie's grimmer edges. As Ana's mom says, "It is because I love you so much that I make your life so miserable." Also stars Ingrid Oliu and George Lopez. Held over at Channelside Cinemas. Call to confirm.
RED DRAGON (R) The first installment of Thomas Harris' so-called Hannibal Lecter Trilogy gets a competent but uninspired big screen treatment. Edward Norton is a touch too understated as Will Graham, a retired FBI agent who's persuaded to enlist Lecter's help in catching a serial killer dubbed the Tooth Fairy (Ralph Fiennes, who steals the show here in a performance that's both creepy and moving). Ratner's done his homework and has the basic building blocks of the original Silence of the Lambs down cold, albeit without much of the nuances or psychology. Also stars Harvey Keitel, Emily Watson and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
THE RING (PG-13) A class-act creepfest. Naomi Watts confirms the star power she exhibited in Mulholland Drive, as a woman in the sway of a videotape that causes anyone who watches it to die within a week. The movie feels a little rushed and sloppy toward the end, but has the makings of a classic modern horror film, eerily dreamlike, suspenseful and possessed of a relentless forward momentum that can be absolutely terrifying. Also stars Martin Henderson.
ROGER DODGER (R) If Neil LaBute himself hadn't taken to turning out movies that beg to be called "Neil LaBute-Lite," it might be tempting to apply that soundbite to this nasty-chatty little indie offering. Campbell Scott stars as the title character, a smart, cynical cad so ruthless, abrasive and sex-obsessed he might have just stepped out of In the Company of Men. First-time director Dylan Kidd paints a compelling portrait of sly, silver-tongued devil Roger, but the movie loses focus when the character's 16-year-old nephew (Jesse Eisenberg) comes to visit, and the razor-edged descent into the urban singles scene becomes a conventionally bittersweet take on male bonding. Also stars Isabella Rossellini, Jennifer Beals and Elizabeth Berkley. Tentatively scheduled to open at theaters this week. Please check listings.
THE SANTA CLAUSE 2 (G) Tim Allen is back as Scott Calvin, a heartless toy company exec who, in the first movie, accidentally killed Santa and was forced to assume his role. In part two, Santa is forced to find a wife (a stipulation of "the Mrs. Clause") by Christmas Eve or he'll stop being Santa forever. The elves help him out by creating Santa II to keep an eye on the workshop while Santa I is busy searching for a bride. Santa II goes a little power mad, the bride-to-be isn't getting along with Santa's son, Charlie, and, to top it all off, Charlie has landed on the "naughty" list (gasp!). Also stars Elizabeth Mitchell, Judge Reinhold, Molly Shannon and Jay Thomas. (Not Reviewed)
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) 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. Stars Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Uwe Ludwig Horn. Playing at Channelside IMAX.
SOLARIS (PG-13) Steven Soderbergh re-imagines Andrei Tarkovsky's three-hour metaphysical opus as a tougher, tighter yet anything but brisk 90-minute tone poem. We won't even attempt to talk about a "plot" here, but Soderbergh retains the essence of Tarkovsky's monumentally enigmatic film: A small crew of humans orbiting a strange, seemingly sentient planet find their memories are being seized upon and turned into what appear to be flesh and blood entities. The characters in Soderbergh's Solaris don't spend as much time ruminating about life and death as the tortured souls in Tarkovsky's film did, but there's still plenty of pregnant silences and soul searching to go around. The movie is a formally elegant, almost icy meditation on memory, of a type that can be traced directly to landmark art films like Hiroshima Mon Amour and Woman in the Dunes, although Soderbergh's philosophical and spiritual yearnings don't seem to run quite as deep. Stars George Clooney, Natascha McElhone, Jeremy Davies and Viola Davis.
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)
SWEET HOME ALABAMA A lazy romantic comedy that apparently looked no further back than 1991's Doc Hollywood Reese Witherspoon plays Melanie Carmichael, a rising New York fashion designer who's just accepted a marriage proposal from the son (smarmy Patrick Dempsey) of the city's mayor (Candice Bergen). First, though, she has to go back to her Alabama hometown and get her first husband (Josh Lucas) to sign the divorce papers, something he's been reluctant to do. —Matt Brunson
THE TRANSPORTER (PG-13) Hong Kong-styled action pic produced by Luc Besson, revolving around an American mercenary and a kidnapping scheme. Stars Jason Starham and Tchecky Karyo. (Not Reviewed)
TREASURE PLANET (PG) Disney's umpteenth gazillionth project is a sci-fi reworking of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, and it's a darker, slightly more adult Disney animation than most (think Atlantis and even Hunchback of Notre Dame). The obligatory bones are thrown to the very young — there's a cute little shape-shifting alien sidekick, a wacky robot voiced by Martin Short, and a being called Flatula who communicates exclusively through farting noises — but many of the characters will probably be too strange or too intense for smaller viewers. All in all, it's pretty close to the way Stevenson originally saw things, but the murky human dynamic doesn't make a particularly successful transposition to a cartoon opus aimed primarily at children. The movie's appeal is further limited by weak songs, a slightly convoluted narrative, and the fact that it's simply too gender-specific for its own good. As much as Pochahontas and Mulan were female fantasies, this is clearly one for the boys. Treasure Planet is as beautifully visualized as anything Disney's done in recent years, but the movie has the distinct feel of a minor effort in the studio's canon. Featuring the voices of Brian Murray, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emma Thompson, David Hyde Pierce, Martin Short and Patrick McGoohan.
—Reviewed entries by Lance Goldenberg unless otherwise noted
This article appears in Dec 4-10, 2002.