About a Boy (PG-13) It's a long way from American Pie to this compact little charmer about the redemption of a sexual predator, but that's exactly the journey taken by writer-directors Paul and Chris Weitz. About a Boy is based on a 1998 book by popular Brit novelist Nick Hornby (High Fidelity) and boasts a clever, snappy script co-written by Peter Hedges. The best thing about the film, though, is Hugh Grant, whose performance as a shallow skirt-chaser avoids most of the actor's trademark ticks and flutters, and manages to be both winningly narcissistic and sweetly self-deprecating. The core of the film is about the bond that forms between Grant's character and the young boy he's using as a prop to seduce single moms, but the movie is usually smart enough to avoid tugging too hard on our collective heartstrings. Also stars Toni Collette, Rachel Weisz and Nicholas Hoult. 
Bad Company (PG-13) See Film for review. 
Blade II (R) Wesley Snipes returns as Marvel Comics' hybrid human-vampire super-hero in a sequel that's decidedly scarier — and gorier — than the original. The story, while not exactly elaborate, boasts an interesting enough premise: Blade enters into an uneasy alliance with his arch foes in order to eliminate a deadly new mutant strain of uber-vampires.
The Cat's Meow (PG-13) This semi-successful comeback project for director Peter Bogdanovich (Paper Moon, The Last Picture Show) is loosely based on actual events that took place late in 1924. The film is half-serious and half-humorous as it goes about the business of positing what might have happened during a curious weekend cruise aboard a yacht owned by William Randolph Hearst — a cruise in which one of the guests mysteriously died. 
Changing Lanes (R) Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson star as two guys who literally crash into each other in a fender bender that escalates into a strange vendetta. The film is more complex and nuanced than we might imagine in a big-budget film. The only real problem with the lean and edgy story is the slightly flabby treatment given to it by director Roger Michell. Also stars Toni Collette, Sydney Pollack, William Hurt and Amanda Peet.
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (PG-13) See Film for review. 
Enigma (R) A good old fashioned Brit spy caper with a touch of romance, scads of nasty Nazis and a damaged genius straight out of A Beautiful Mind at its center. The damaged genius is a brilliant code breaker (Dougray Scott) who hooks up with a plucky young lass (Kate Winslet) in order to solve the mystery of a disappeared beauty and, in the process, crack a Nazi code that threatens the Allies' efforts in World War II. The movie feels a little like a grown-up version of Spy Kids at times (or, if you prefer, a Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys mystery), and a times very much like one of Hitchock's early thrillers. Held over at Regal Channelside 9. Call to confirm.
Enough (R) This film completely screws up a premise that cries out for a serious celluloid treatment. Director Michael Apted and screenwriter Nicholas Kazan (who penned Reversal of Fortune in another lifetime) aren't interested in exploring such an explosive topic as wife-beating; they're more interested in dolling up star Jennifer Lopez and letting her kick ass in an obvious finale that can be predicted even by those who haven't seen the tell-all trailer. It would take too much space and effort to list the countless plot holes littering the movie, but this is the sort of inane flick in which our heroine plans ahead of time for situations that she couldn't possibly know will happen later — but of course they do, and of course she's able to then wiggle her way out of them. —Matt Brunson
High Crimes (PG-13) Everything's coming up roses for successful, attractive, happily married yuppie lawyer Claire (Ashley Judd) — that is, until she discovers that her sweet, reliable hubby (Jim Caviezel) has been leading a double life and now finds himself on trial for participating in a military massacre in El Salvador many years ago. There are way too many implausible plot points and predictable turns in this atypically ham-fisted effort from director Carl Franklin (One False Move), but the film's really no worse than your standard made-for-cable thriller.
The Importance of Being Earnest (PG) Oscar Wilde's signature piece was, in its day, the ultimate case of identity both mistaken and assumed, but the play is also the ultimate bauble — and frankly, it hasn't aged particularly well. The Importance of Being Earnest still contains some of the wittiest one-liners around — most of which survive in this latest film version — but the plot machinations just seem sillier and more convoluted with each passing decade. Director Oliver Parker (An Ideal Husband) does his best to goose things up with fantasy interludes and a sprinkling of modern flourishes, but most of it just seems overly coy and obviously transplanted. Likewise, the top-notch cast is game enough, but still can't quite disguise that the essence of the material, while made up of undeniably pleasant and sporadically clever bits, is very nearly fatigued. Stars Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Frances O'Connor, Reese Witherspoon, Judi Dench and Tom Wilkinson. Held over at Tampa Theatre. Call to confirm.
Insomnia (R) Unlike Memento, the movie that unfolded in reverse and put director Christopher Nolan on the map, the filmmaker's new project propels its story forward in a relentlessly linear manner. Insomnia is one of the darker films you'll see this year, but it's also one of the brightest, with the movie taking place in Alaska during that time of year when the sun hovers in the sky for 24 hours a day. Al Pacino stars as a cop who makes some very bad decisions and then becomes so sleep-deprived that he is unable to tell when he's crossed the line from good guy to bad guy. Pacino's performance here is a good one, happily free of most of those annoying, blustery ticks he's picked up over the years, but his movie star charisma ultimately hinders the film from getting all the way under our skins. Even at his most dislikable, Pacino's character is just a little too easy to like, and never quite makes the transformation from wise, folksy hero cop to the reptilian Anti-Serpico that would have made this a much creepier and more interesting movie. Also stars Hilary Swank, Robin Williams, Maura Tierney and Martin Donovan.
Italian for Beginners (R) A Dogme film for people who hate Dogme films, Italian for Beginners takes a thoroughly ordinary, often silly story and adds handheld cameras and the other anti-tricks of the Dogme crowd, as if all this will somehow turn cliche into art. It doesn't. Director Lone Scherfig throws together a half-dozen lonely and somewhat eccentric thirtysomethings and allows them to gradually and, generally, quite implausibly come together, filming the process in the gritty, no-frills manner proscribed by the Dogme manifesto. Held over at Regal Channelside 9. Call to confirm.
Life or Something Like It (PG-13) Angelina Jolie stars as Lanie Kerrigan, a popular and aggressively shallow Seattle television personality whose perfect life is forever rattled when a homeless seer with an alarmingly high accuracy rate (Tony Shalhoub), summarily informs her that she has one week to live. It's not exactly rocket science or poetry, but in the hands of a more accomplished filmmaker it's doubtful that it would all have seemed so routine or hopelessly transparent. Also stars Stockard Channing.
The New Guy (PG-13) Painfully unfunny comedy about a high school dweeb who, under the dubious guidance of a crazy con, re-invents himself as the coolest kid in class. Stars DJ Qualls, Eliza Dushku, Zooey Deschanel and a string of pointless cameos by the likes of Henry Rollins, Gene Simmons, Tommy Lee and skateboarder Tony Hawk.
Ocean Men (PG) As beautiful and bombastic as a Wagner opera, this latest IMAX documentary tells the story of the friendly (and sometimes not-so-friendly) competition between two world-class athletes, each striving to dive to unimaginable depths without the aid of any sort of breathing apparatus. At IMAX Channelside. Call theater to confirm.
Panic Room (R) The latest from David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club) is a modern riff on such classic home-invasion exploitation films as Wait Until Dark and Lady in a Cage. A newly divorced mother (Jodie Foster) and her young daughter (Kristen Stewart) awaken to discover armed intruders lurking just outside their bedroom doors. Foster turns in another finely nuanced performance as the imperiled heroine, as does Forest Whitaker as the intruder with a conscience.
The Scorpion King (PG-13) Dying to see The Rock in a loincloth and a mullet, opening up one can of whupass after another? Then by all means hurry to your nearest megaplex and catch The Scorpion King. This blatant attempt to turn The Rock (who has acting chops of stone) into the next Arnold or Sly is based in a time before the pyramids when a really nasty guy named Memnon was trying to take over the known world. It falls to Mathayus (The Rock), who comes from a nearly extinct race of assassin/mercenaries, to stop him. Chuck Russell directs this inane epic with a sledgehammer, and trots out every action/adventure cliche imaginable.
—Eric Snider
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. Dreamworks' latest foray into animation-land is a much more serious outing than their last outing, the brilliantly irreverent Shrek, and, while it's not nearly as inspired as that last go-round, it's still fairly high quality if somewhat stiff stuff. The major drawback here is the annoying faux-inspirational music by Bryan Adams.
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.
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (PG) As enticing as anything George Lucas has ever done, Episode II is good enough to not only ease the pain of the fiasco otherwise known as Episode I, it quite nearly redeems it. The middle installment of Lucas' new trilogy is a big, juicy entertainment that manages to put into perspective everything that's come before and neatly set up what's to follow. The action sequences are among Lucas' most muscular and exciting to date, but the movie's narrative is surprisingly intriguing as well. There are problems here, to be sure — hokey dialogue, too many pandering, cartoony bit players, a romance that verges on kitsch, a grand finale battle royale that includes everything including the kitchen sink and just goes on forever — but it's a Star Wars movie, after all, and that's just part of the charm. Stars Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson and Christopher Lee.
The Sum of All Fears (PG-13) An expertly crafted thriller that delivers a terrifyingly believable account of the doomsday scenario so many of us now consider inevitable — terrorists smuggle in a nuclear device and detonate it on U.S. soil. The Sum of All Fears will be a little too real for many. The movie features a Bush-like Commander-in-Chief who can't pronounce the names of foreign countries (Whatever, he barks when corrected), a Colin Powell-like presence played by Morgan Freeman and a power-hungry Neo-Nazi (Alan Bates) who seems all too clearly modeled after Le Pen and the countless other fascist, anti-Semitic nutcases popping up across Europe these days. The nutty Nazi plans to play the U.S. and Russia against each other, orchestrating attacks in each country for which the other will be blamed and consequently triggering Armageddon — causing the movie to play out a little like Dr. Strangelove redone as a Hollywood thriller, with Bates assuming the Sterling Hayden role crossed with a Bond-ian supervillain. Although it's smarter and more politically astute than your average popcorn flick, the smartest thing of all about The Sum of All Fears is that it recognizes the value of sitting back in an air-conditioned theater and watching the world end. Also stars Ben Affleck and Liev Schreiber.
The Sweetest Thing (R) Even Cameron Diaz's considerable charm can't save this disjointed and extremely unappealing effort about a commitment-phobic party girl who meets Mr. Right. The Sweetest Thing awkwardly straddles the line between standard romantic comedy fluff and quasi-edgy American Pie-styled gross-out humor, and isn't particularly convincing at either.
Time Out (PG-13) A welcome relief from the bright, mindless maelstrom of Hollywood Summer, French director Laurent Cantet's widely acclaimed sophomore effort will stick with you long after you can no longer remember what the heck the Green Goblin's beef was with Spidey anyway. Aurelien Recoing stars as a downsized executive who takes to sleeping in his car and conning old friends and family out of money, even as his lies about the true nature of his life begin to take on epic and uncontrollable proportions. The film's tone is darkly poetic, and what Cantet seems to be suggesting about the human capacity for survival and self-deception manages to be both reassuring and deeply disturbing. Tough stuff, but extremely rewarding. Also stars Karen Viard and Serge Livrozet. Held over at Regal Channelside 9. Call to confirm.
Triumph of Love (PG-13) Mira Sorvino stars as a cross-dressing princess in this self-consciously arty adaptation of a forgettable 18th Century play by Marvaux. Clare Peploe (wife of the film's producer, Bernardo Bertolucci) directs with a gratuitous flurry of jump cuts and postmodern flourishes almost completely at odds with the light and airy nature of what is basically just a predictable romantic comedy in which all the characters are buffoons, caricatures or both. Held over at Regal Channelside 9. Call to confirm.
Y Tu Mama Tambien (NR) Alternately exuberant, wry and bittersweet, this blatantly sexual Mexican import is something of a road-trip movie as well as a coming of age film. Best pals Tenoch and Julio (Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna from Amores Perros) are typical happy-go-lucky, hormone-crazed, teen party animals, who can barely believe their luck when an attractive older woman (Maribel Verdu), impulsively agrees to come with them on a trip to the beach. Y Tu Mama Tambien trades in material that in Hollywood would most likely translate into another variation on American Pie. Here it makes for one hell of a movie. Held over at Regal Channelside 9 in Tampa. Call to confirm.
Ultimate X (PG) Not your standard IMAX movie by a long shot, Ultimate X cops an attitude that's almost as edgy and irreverent as its subject matter — those Extreme Sports featured in ESPN's popular X Games, like BMX biking, skateboarding, street luge, wakeboarding, speed climbing and all other manner of daredevil events. The stunts and tricks are spectacular, and so are the wipeouts. Featured are skaters Tony Hawk, Bob Burnquist and Bucky Lasek, BMX stunt riders Ryan Nyquist and Cory Nasty Nastazio and Moto X rider Carey Hart. At Channelside IMAX. Call theater to confirm.
Undercover Brother (PG-13) Austin Powers meets Shaft in this blaxploitation/spy spoof about an Afro-sporting, platform-shoes-wearing crime fighter stuck in the Parliament-Funkadelic '70s. Stars Eddie Griffin, Chris Kattan and Denise Richards.
(Not Reviewed)
Unfaithful (R) A tale of marital deception that starts out as a fairly standard erotic thriller but becomes much more interesting in its later stages, when it tackles the aftermath of the affair. Diane Lane stars as a more-or-less happy suburban housewife who enters into a steamy affair with a sexy French bohemian (Olivier Martinez) who soon has her reading esoteric poetry, attending Jacques Tati film festivals and engaging in mildly kinky sex in public bathrooms. Lane (who's quite convincing as a woman both thrilled and repelled by what she's doing) and hubby Richard Gere sink gradually into an abyss of secrets and lies, with the movie's real strength being the unflinching detailing of that unhappy process.
—Reviewed entries by Lance Goldenberg unless otherwise noted
This article appears in Jun 5-11, 2002.