The Powerpuff Girls Movie (PG) Animation iconoclast Craig McCracken's Powerpuff Girls is one of the coolest cartoons currently on TV, which is only one of the reasons that this big-screen version is so disappointing. The Powerpuff Girls Movie shares the same stylishly minimalist design sense of its small-screen counterpart, but that's where the resemblance ends. Whereas the television episodes are generally smart, snappy and just edgy enough to keep us watching, the big-screen version feels strangely conventional and padded with a formulaic mix of sentimentality and straightforward action sequences. It's all edited in a quick, chaotic fashion that makes full use of the sorts of annoying strobe effects that have been known to send certain young viewers into epileptic states. The style here is certainly worth a look, but that's really about all The Powerpuff Girls Movie has going for it. Other than that, even with all the fireworks and rapid-cut PG violence, the movie feels like the one thing we least expected: bland. Featuring the voices of Catherine Cavadini, Tara Strong and E.G. Daily. Opens July 5 at local theaters.
Scooby Doo (PG) A big-screen experience pretty similar to watching an old Scooby Doo cartoon on TV, only longer. Outside a very small handful of semi-hip inside jokes (including a drug reference or two), the live action movie of Scooby Doo is a pretty bland affair, whose target audience consists of kids ages 3 to 7. Even older youngsters will begin to have problems with the predictable, middle-of-the-road nature of the movie — it's not competent enough to be taken at all seriously and not silly enough to have any actual camp appeal. 
Sex Becomes Her: The True Life Story of Chi Chi LaRue (NR) On the set, behind the scenes and down memory lane with director, starmaker, storyteller and party girl drag queen Chi Chi LaRue (a.k.a. Larry Paciotti), the most famous name in gay pornography. Even at a brisk 66-minute running time (couldn't they have gone for 69?), this low-budget documentary packs more amusement, entertainment and, here it comes, raw sex than movies twice its length. Be forewarned that the film is filled with all manner of explicit and often outrageous sexual activity (fellatio in trees, group sex in swimming pools and a raging erection or three every couple of minutes), so consider this NR production a very hard X and don't even think about attending if you're easily shocked. On the other hand, for those who can deal, Sex Becomes Her is one of the best inside looks at the porn industry, gay or straight, that you're likely to get. Worth the price of admission all by its lonesome is a visit to the Gay Erotic Video Awards, where we witness an unforgettable production number called I Beat My Meat. This exclusive, one-time only screening/party is part of the Tampa Gay and Lesbian Film Festival's Some Like It Hot summer film series. The evening's festivities include music from DJ Jeffrey J. and a visit from none other than the fabulous Ms. LaRue herself, who will introduce the film and entertain questions from the audience. Plays one night only, July 3, 8 p.m. at Twilight, 1507 E. Seventh Ave., Ybor City, Tampa. Call 813-879-4220 for information
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)
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (G) An animated, all-American tale of freedom and bravery that's very nearly a kid-friendly remake of Little Big Man with Dustin Hoffman's role being taken by a talking horse. The movie's equine protagonist is actually far more heroic than Hoffman's chameleon-like survivor, but both characters wind up serving as virtual tour guides on a condensed history of the Old West by passing back and forth between the Native American and white man's civilizations that defined the era.
Spider-Man (PG) Sam Raimi's big screen adaptation of Spider-Man is surprisingly faithful to Spidey's origins as an outsider superhero, even if the edges have been smoothed out a touch. The movie's first half lays the story out in a manner that has all the symmetry and primal oomph of modern myth, with Peter Parker spending most of the movie simply adjusting to his new powers (we don't even see Spidey in full costume until a full hour into the movie). Even though the second half of Spider-Man is infinitely more action-packed than the setup, the movie gives the distinct impression of slowing down as it progresses. The main reason the movie's second half suffers is due to the fundamental shift from characters to CGI-dominated action — and, frankly, some of the digital effects aren't quite up to the task. Also stars Kirsten Dunst and James Franco.
