A MAN APART (R) Sean Vetter (Vin Diesel) and his partner work together as DEA agents fighting in the drug wars that rage along the U.S./Mexican border. An intriguing drama from director F. Gary Gray. Also stars Larenz Tate and Timothy Olyphant. (Not Reviewed)
ANGER MANAGEMENT (PG-13) Another drab installment of recycled humor starring Adam Sandler, the most typecast comic actor of our time. Sandler plays Dave Buznik, a neurotic who struggles to masquerade his angst by being non-confrontational. And after an altercation with a flight attendant, Dave is court ordered to participate in an anger management program. His therapist, Dr. Buddy Rydell (Jack Nicholson), takes an unconventional approach in treating him. Jack Nicholson is the only new element in this formulaic Sandler flick. The plot relies on the same mold as his other films. Reoccurring characters and gags are aplenty. Also stars Marisa Tomei, John Turturro, Kevin Nealon and Woody Harrelson. 
—Corey Myers
A MIGHTY WIND (PG-13) From Waiting to Guffman to Best of Show to this slight but splendid send-up of resurgent retro-folkies, Christopher Guest's movies have increasingly come to resemble exquisitely crafted miniatures, perfectly detailed and each set in a specific sub-culture of America. These delightful little films are commonly thought of as mockumentaries, but there really isn't all that much mocking going on. Guest and long-time co-conspirators Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Eugene Levy know their subject matter inside out, and — even when it borders on the insipid, as in the ersatz '60s folk music on display here — treat it with great care and affection. The movie plays things loose and naturalistic, with even the best and craziest zingers delivered in a deadpan manner so bone dry it sometimes takes a second or two for the sheer hilarity of what's just transpired to sink in. Even if A Mighty Wind isn't quite up to the standards of Guest's previous work, it's still a treat, and better than 99 percent of what passes for comedies out there in the Megaplexes this summer. Also stars Catherine O'Hara and Parker Posey.
BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM (PG-13) A far more satisfying spin on modern gals grappling with Old World cultural values (and cliches) than My Big Fat Greek Wedding. At the center of the story is Jess (Jesminder to her parents), a nice Indian girl who just wants to follow her dream to play soccer, much to the dismay of dear old mum and dad. Much of what follows is fairly predictable but ultimately winning stuff. Director Gurinder Chadha (Bhaji on the Beach) toys with scores of cliches and conventions, but manages to transcend them all by keeping a firm grip on the bottom line: creating appealing and believable characters, and giving them an interesting and convincing world to live in. The movie gives us a little bit of everything, crossing smoothly from genre to genre and packing all of its elements tightly together in one groovy little package: romantic comedy, coming-of-age drama, sports movie. Stars Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Anupam Kher.
BETTER LUCK TOMORROW (R) Finally, a teen flick that provides a satisfying answer to the burning question "What happens when model students go bad?" Better Luck Tomorrow is an engaging look at a group of smart, successful Asian-American high school kids who, mostly out of boredom, get involved in a series of lucrative scams that become increasingly bigger and more dangerous. The movie tackles racial stereotyping, but only in a roundabout way, which is as it should be; these kids could be anybody. There's no real soapbox here, just some genuinely intriguing characters and an authentic-feeling scenario about nice suburban kids having fun doing bad things. Director Justin Lin shoots and edits the film in a fast, flashy way that drives home the youthful energy. Stars Parry Sheh, Jason J. Tobin and Roger Fan. 1/2
BLUE CAR (R) Karen Moncrieff gives a sensitive nod to girl creativity and suffering in her portrait of two waifs, Meg and Lily, emotionally devastated by their parents, recent divorce. Meg (Agnes Moncrieff) creates poetry out of the emotional ruins, but the nurturing attentiveness of her English teacher (David Strathairn) who coaches her toward an out-of-town poetry competition soon moves from paternal to wolfish. Moncrieff has a fairly straightforward and often predictable approach to this charged material, but conveys an earnest interest in creating an unusual coming-of-age story. —Felicia Feaster
BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE (PG-13) Steve Martin and Queen Latifah star in what the previews reveal to be the standard Hollywood comedy that starts with a wacky Internet match-up but winds up with Ms. Latifah as helper-to-the-rescue a la Mrs. Doubtfire. (Not Reviewed)
BULLETPROOF MONK (PG-13) Bland, action movie nonsense featuring Chow Yun Fat as a nameless monk entrusted with the protection of a mystical scroll that can bring about the end of the world. In what's clearly calculated as a "break-out role," Seann William Scott (Stifler from American Pie) does his best Harrison Ford impersonation as the charming petty thief who teams up with the monk and helps save the universe. Scott's not as annoying as you might imagine, but he's not particularly memorable or appealing either. Ditto for the movie. Most of what ensues amounts to a series of clumsily choreographed fights and chases, with a few exotic flourishes from the Mysterious East to pad things out. Chow, Asia's once and former prime candidate for East-West crossover stardom mostly looks a little bored here. Also stars Jaime King. 1/2
CHICAGO (PG-13) Rob Marshall pulls out all the stops in this lavish, big-screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical about a 1920s chorus girl who shoots her lover, goes to jail and becomes a big celebrity. Taking place simultaneously in gritty reality and in the projected fantasies of its characters, the movie cleverly folds its story into a series of show-stopping musical numbers. Stars Renee Zellweger, Richard Gere, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John C. Reilly and Taye Diggs.
CONFIDENCE (R) Ed Burns is the black hole at the center of yet another heist movie recycling familiar bits and pieces of Tarantino, David Mamet and old fashioned film noir. Burns is smooth but bland as Jake Vig, a slick grifter who eventually fleeces the wrong guy and winds up working a scam by way of paying off a debt to a very strange little gangster (played to the hilt by Dustin Hoffman. The film's plot ultimately just boils down to the convoluted mechanics of the various scams and heists that occur, and the characters simply aren't appealing or human enough to make us really care about too much of it. Doug Jung's lazy script relies way too heavily on flashbacks and voice-overs, and director James Foley lights it all in ghoulish reds and greens right out of Glengarry Glen Ross, but doesn't quite know how to save the movie. Also stars Rachel Weisz, Paul Glamatti and Andy Garcia. 1/2
COWBOY BEBOP: THE MOVIE (R) An animated film set on Mars in the year 2071. Japanese director Shinichiro Watanabe bases Cowboy Bebop on the much-loved animated television series. The film is a visually dramatic and combines several styles of illustration into one beautiful, cohesive animated environment. (Not Reviewed)
DADDY DAY CARE (PG) Trading in the cute, precocious animals of Dr. Doolittle for a bunch of cute, precocious kids, Eddie Murphy stars as a recently unemployed, stay-at-home Dad who decides to open his own day care facility. Steve Zahn, presumably in mugging mode, co-stars. (Not Reviewed)
THE DANCER UPSTAIRS (R) Actor John Malkovich's directorial debut is most enticing for what it suggests of things to come. An imperfect film that uses South America's violent past of political coups and Marxist guerrillas for thriller effect, this adaptation of Nicholas Shakespeare's novel follows a weary detective (Javier Bardem) in an unnamed South American country trying to track down a guerrilla group staging violent murders. Malkovich too often uses the location as atmospheric palette for traditional thrills and chills, but his command of a dark, dreadful ambiance shows real promise. —Felicia Feaster
DAREDEVIL (PG-13) A blind lawyer by day, a costumed, superpower vigilante by night, Daredevil has a thirst for justice that borders on the pathological, so that our vicious, crime-fighting hero often seems to have crossed the line from self-doubting neurotic (a la Spider-Man) to full-blown nutcase. Daredevil is a violent, relentlessly downbeat and dark movie on almost every level (amazingly, it wasn't rated "R"), often coming across like Death Wish crossed with vintage film noir, with just a bit of extreme sports thrown in the mix. 1/2
GHOSTS OF THE ABYSS G James Cameron assembles a team of scientists, documentarians, and actor-narrator Bill Paxton to descend 12,000 feet to the wreckage of the Titanic. Two mini robotic cameras are unleashed to explore the nooks and crannies of the ship, with director Cameron superimposing shots of actors playing out scenes that may have occurred in the final hours of the dying ship. The IMAX process is utilized to produce a stunning effect that is mesmerizing. (Not Reviewed)
THE GOOD THIEF (R) Director Neil Jordan transposes Jean Pierre Melville's magnificent 1955 gangster noir Bob Le Flambeur (Bob the Gambler) to the sunny south of modern day France, a decidedly less kind and gentle place of vendettas, lap dances and quick fixes. The local color is pleasantly exotic, but the real reason to watch The Good Thief is Nolte himself. The actor's ravaged face and croak of a voice are a perfect fit with Bob's world-weary persona, while Nolte's real-life history is close enough to that of his character's to add a whole other level of resonance to the role. Other than that, the movie is content to basically just coast along, propelled by a self-consciously hip style and a blaring soundtrack fusing French hip-hop and Arabic Rai music. Jordan periodically ends a scene by briefly freezing the final image, as if he's trying to alert us to the iconic nature of his material by artificially extending the natural life span of a certain face or action. It's an interesting effect the first few times we see it, but it quickly becomes just another empty, stylistic tick in a movie that doesn't seem to have sufficient faith in the subtleties of its own story. Also stars Tcheky Karyo, Ralph Fiennes and Nutsa Kukhiani.
HEAD OF STATE (PG-13) Are you ready for Presidential candidate Chris Rock? If so, this latest Rock comedy might be for you. Also stars Bernie Mac and Dylan Baker. (Not Reviewed)
HOLES (PG) Shia La Beouf and Sigourney Weaver star in this adaptation of the award-winning children's book of the same name. Holes is about a teen sent to a detention camp for a crime he didn't commit. (Not Reviewed)
HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES (R) Rob Zombie's long delayed (and reportedly troubled) production finally gets a national release. Expect lots of gore, recycled 1970's atmosphere, cannibalism, inbred mutant families and other odds and ends left over from The Hills Have Eyes. Stars Rainn Wilson, Chris Hardwick and Jennifer Jostyn. (Not Reviewed)
HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS (PG-13) This one marks the first time that Kate Hudson has truly been able to command the screen: She's utterly winning as a women's magazine columnist. She settles on a slick ad man (Matthew McConaughey), unaware that he's made a bet that he can get any woman to fall in love with him. For a film that wallows in the usual male/female stereotypes, this one's surprisingly light on its feet, thanks in no small part to its well-matched leads. Alas, the third act follows the exact pattern as almost every other romantic comedy made today: The deceptions become unearthed, the pair break up, some soul searching takes place, and bliss arrives after a madcap chase. 1/2
IDENTITY(R) A torrentially rainy night leaves a group of strangers stranded in a remote Nevada motel, prey to an unidentified killer. Their only hope is to pinpoint the murderer before they are all wiped out, but suspicion shifts from one character to another almost as rapidly as their numbers diminish. As the tension and suspense escalate almost to the breaking point, they stumble upon a connection that eerily unites them and makes them wonder exactly what is at work in this death trap. The action starts in the first few minutes of the movie and doesn't really ever let up — even in the slower parts — the story unfolds in critical ways. A Big Bang of a plot twist and believable portrayals supplied by a diverse and well-known cast, led by John Cusack as Ed, the level-headed, ex-cop leader of the group, allow this to rise above the basic horror genre. Also stars Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet and Alfred Molina. —Ana Lopez
THE IN-LAWS (PG-13) Prospective fathers-in-law meet for the first time. One is a mild-mannered podiatrist with a well-organized daily routine designed. The other is a CIA operative who moves through life at a crazy pace. But when their children need them, the men become an effective team. Stars Michael Douglas, Albert Brooks and Candice Bergen. (Not Reviewed)
IRREVERSIBLE (NR) Gaspar Noe's technically accomplished exercise in brutality is like watching a one-hour snuff film with a final third of "normal" behavior. A la Memento, we see the major scenes in reverse order, including a nine-minute rape of a beautiful woman (Monica Bellucci) that may be the ugliest such sequence ever shot. Noe's cheap misanthropy proves a weak justification for such unsparingly repellent material, which ultimately rests on such thin ideas as "Revenge is self-defeating" and "Hindsight is 20-20."—Curt Holman
IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY (PG-13) A virtual love fest of all things familial, It Runs in the Family teams Michael Douglas with 86-year old dad Kirk for the first time in their careers and adds a gaggle of other Douglas' in the bargain. Michael's tattooed, twentysomething son Cameron turns up as his character's tattooed twentysomething son, and his mom Evelyn makes an appearance as his mom. They're all part of an eccentric family of upper middle class New Yorkers of the sort that wouldn't be out-of-place in a Woody Allen movie – except that director Fred Schepisi's film lacks the basic wit and flair of even the most mediocre Allen offering. Good intentions aside, the characters in It Runs in the Family are little more than colorful stereotypes adrift in a sea of cliches, with fathers and sons predictably butting heads and everybody coping with a big tragedy at mid-point. The movie is ultimately little more than a sweetly sanitized ethnic comedy that serves as a minor footnote to several of the careers involved. Also stars Bernadette Peters and Rory Culkin. 1/2
LAUREL CANYON (R) A lighter, perkier follow-up to her gut-wrenching Manhattan slugfest High Art, writer-director Lisa Cholodenko's smart, sexy comedy seems to be composed of odd little loose ends that don't make all that much conventional sense in and of themselves, but are strangely satisfying anyway. Christian Bale and Kate Beckinsale play a straight-laced, scholarly young couple who get their world rocked when they pay a visit to Bale's wildly eccentric mother (Frances McDormand), a long-time believer in sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. Bale has Mother Issues, Beckinsale flirts with breaking on through to the other side, and the whole film, despite the deliberate pace, seems to be constantly on the verge of overheating and bubbling over. It's all curiously believable, in a quirky sort of way and quite a bit of fun, although not the sort of thing you're apt to remember long after it's over. Also stars Natasha McElhone and Allesandro Nivola. 1/2
THE LIZZIE MCGUIRE MOVIE (PG) The latest family comedy from Disney. Lizzie McGuire and her pals pack their bags for a class trip to Italy. Once there, Lizzie is mistaken for an Italian pop star. Lizzie gets transformed from a gawky teen to a beautiful starlet and a whirlwind of surprising comic events follow. And it's Disney, so the moral of the story and happy ending are sure to ensue. Stars Hilary Duff, Adam Lamberg, Robert Carradine, Hallie Todd and Jake Thomas. (Not Reviewed)
MALIBU'S MOST WANTED (PG-13) This film is da shiznit, in the pejorative sense. Jamie Kennedy stars as Brad Gluckman a.k.a. B-Rad, the son of a prominent politician who is campaigning for governor of California. Brad and his gaggle of gangsta wannabe friends mistake their affluent Malibu suburb for the ghettoes of south central L.A. Brad is a hopeless white rapper whose flamboyant behavior endangers his father's bid for office. Each scene becomes more painful to watch as the exaggerated gangsta persona wears thin quickly. Don't even bother leaving your hizzy for this shizzle. Also stars Taye Diggs, Anthony Anderson, Regina Hall. —Corey Myers
THE MATRIX RELOADED (R) Although this long-awaited, technically dazzling sequel to The Matrix doesn't quite succeed in positioning itself in that lofty pantheon of mythic epics that include the original Star Wars cycle and Lord of the Rings movies, it's not for lack of trying. There's more of just about everything here, from the quasi-spiritual questing of Keanu Reeves' hero-messiah, to the pumped up shock and awe of the ingenious special effects, to the sheer size of the movie's scenario. Humans are raging on against the machines in a seemingly endless series of illusionary worlds within worlds. Almost inevitably though, The Matrix Reloaded is only sporadically successful at conjuring up the sense of mystery and unlimited possibilities that took us by surprise and hooked us in the first installment. That said, if you can get past your own unnaturally high expectations, there's a lot here to make anybody sit up and take notice. The state-of-art action sequences are still as exhilarating as they come and there are moments of grand poetic excess sprinkled throughout. It all ends on a literal cliffhanger that ultimately makes it difficult to judge the movie as anything beyond a prelude to the series' grand finale. Also stars Laurence Fishburne Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Hugo Weaving. Opens May 15 at all theaters. 1/2
OLD SCHOOL (R) Returning to his distinguished oeuvre of college comedies, director Todd Phillips (Frat House, Road Trip) takes a promising gimmick of three thirtysomething friends (Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn) who decide to start their own fraternity. Phillips unfortunately forms that tasty notion into a bland soy retread inspired by films like Animal House, but without the brains to retool the collegiate comedy genre. Vaughn and Ferrell, however, make an honorable effort to inject some much-needed goofiness into their parcel of the film. 1/2 —FELICIA FEASTER
PHONE BOOTH (PG-13) A nifty little pulp thriller that's considerably more than the advance publicity would lead us to expect. Collin Farrell turns in another fine performance as an ethically challenged PR guy who finds himself trapped in a booth and in the telescopic sights of a clever psychopath with a major grudge against him. The movie-length mindfuck that ensues is quite a ride, as they say, especially considering the film's minimalist premise — a hero unable to move from a patch of ground measuring only a few square feet — and the fact that one of the two main characters is a disembodied voice. It's a slight but, in its way, perfect concept, played with precision and verve, and building skillfully on a claustrophobic tension that keeps us on the edge of our proverbial seats. At an ultra-brisk 80 minutes, this is one no-frills popcorn movie that's high energy almost all the way. Also stars Forest Whitaker and Katie Holmes. 1/2
PIGLET'S BIG MOVIE (G) Audiences may feel exhausted at the prospect of another journey into the Hundred Acre Woods and at the feeling they'd seen all the Heffalumps and Woozles they could handle. But director Francis Glebas does a remarkable job injecting a much-needed dose of reality into A.A. Milne's tales of honey-crazed bears and manic-depressive donkeys. Stepping out from behind Pooh's shadow, Piglet proves himself a uniquely gifted and engaging performer, bringing poignancy to this story of a piglet who feels unappreciated and overlooked by the friends who eventually understand how much they need him. Bring a hankie. —Felicia Feaster
THE QUIET AMERICAN (R) In a stunning one-two punch that began with Rabbit-Proof Fence, director Phillip Noyce follows through with this evocative Graham Greene adaptation, filled with the writer's trademark intrigue and sophisticated, world-weary wit. On the surface, the movie's a romantic triangle set in early 1950s Indochina, with titular quiet American Brendan Fraser moving in on Brit journalist Michael Caine's young Vietnamese mistress (the lovely Do Thi Hai Yen from Vertical Ray of the Sun). The woman's a not-so subtle stand-in for the country of Vietnam, of course (mistress to a variety of Westerners, colonized by the world), and the film plays out as an intimate account of the battle for her soul. The movie's elegantly mysterious atmosphere is due in large part to cinematographer Christopher Doyle, the Caucasian master of Asian imagery. Also stars Rade Serbedzija. 1/2
THE REAL CANCUN (R) Can't get enough of The Real World? Then prepare to tuck into this feature-length helping of the same from the show's producers. The Real Cancun is a big screen version of so-called reality TV, following a handpicked group of a dozen or so attractive college kids as they hang out during spring break in Cancun, Mexico. Starring a bunch of soon-to-be-famous-for-15-minute wonders with names like Brittany, Amber, Nicole and Fletch. (Not Reviewed)
THE SAFETY OF OBJECTS (R) Four families' lives become entwined in an American suburb. Over the course of four days the characters discover new self-revealed truths. Stars Glenn Close, Dermot Mulroney, Moira Kelly and Patricia Clarkson. (Not Reviewed)
THE SHAPE OF THINGS (R) A classic nerd who's overweight and awkward is surprised when a sexy art student takes an interest in him. Staring Gretchen Mol, Frederick Weller and Rachel Weisz. (Not Reviewed)
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. 1/2
THRILL RIDE: THE SCIENCE OF FUN (G) IMAX technology captures every hairpin turn and stomach-turning drop of the history of thrill rides across the globe. (Not Reviewed)
TOP SPEED (NR) Another IMAX movie experience that is both entertaining and painlessly educational. Top Speed replicates the adrenaline rush of speed freaks and charts the endless human obsession of going really fast. (Not Reviewed)
VIEW FROM THE TOP (PG-13) Part Miss Congeniality, part Bring It On, View From the Top is Bruno Barreto's tale of a small-town girl who works her way up the flight attendant ladder. Mike Myers does his cross-eyed best to haul this average movie out of the quagmire but doesn't, and the upward mobility of Donna (Gwyneth Paltrow) is rarely matched by the movie itself. More a collection of passe stewardess jokes than an entirely self-supporting movie, View From the Top is big-hearted enough to transcend its slapdash approach to structure and script. Unfortunately, the bad casting, silly jokes and laughably improbable ending prove more difficult to transcend, leaving us with a frustrating misfire. —Dave Stevenson
WHAT A GIRL WANTS (PG) Stuffy English stereotypes galore in this excruciating Romantic Comedy Writing 101 exercise from Dennie Gordon, who inflicts intelligence-insulting and blindingly obvious father-daughter humor by way of Daphne (Amanda Bynes), the illegitimate child of a New York hippie and her dad (Colin Firth), a distinguished MP. Firth does his level best with what little script and cooperation from the surrounding cast he gets and lends credibility and comic timing to an exercise that would barely even raise an eyebrow without him. —Dave Stevenson
X2 (PG-13) Here is an action-fantasy blockbuster that begs to be taken seriously, even as it entertains the hell out of us. The story is richer and more intricate than in the original X-Men (itself a pretty fair ride), and the characters are fleshed out in ways that make them even more intriguing. On the surface, Singer's film has all the black/white, good/evil dichotomies necessary to fuel a good action flick, but the movie also reveals all sorts of subtleties and ambiguities. This time, the mutants find themselves in the middle of a sinister plot hatched by various forces bent on jump-starting an all-out war between humans and mutants, forcing them to team up with their old nemesis, the uber-mutant Magneto (Ian McKellen). The movie is filled with uneasy alliances: conflicted heroes who do bad things and conflicted villains who do good things. Contradictory agendas blow up in more than one face, dangerous secrets are revealed and a main character or two bites the dust. Also stars Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and Brian Cox. —Reviewed entries by Lance Goldenberg unless otherwise noted
This article appears in May 14-20, 2003.