28 DAYS LATER (R) The country's been devastated by a strange virus and small bands of ragtag survivors fight off hordes of snarling, once-human creatures in this horror movie for the New Dark Ages. Despite the occasional burst of warmth and light, 28 Days Later is a fiercely gritty and even ugly affair, made even more so by jittery editing and the flat, no-frills look of its digital video footage. Many will find the tone a little too faux-hip frenetic (flying in the face of tradition, these zombies move fast), but the raw power and ambitious scale of this blood-drenched journey into the heart of darkness can't be denied. Stars Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Christopher Eccleston, Megan Burns and Brendan Gleeson. 
AMERICAN WEDDING (R) American Wedding brings us to the third and hopefully final chapter of the American Pie saga. In this installment, we find some of the original cast missing while those remaining are left with the task of planning a wedding for Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan). The missing characters actually allow for the rest to become a bit more developed, if more annoying, as is the case with Stifler (Sean William Scott). Hijinks ensue as the characters travel on to the next level of disgusting behavior, most of which puts Jim or Stifler into situations that are anywhere from mildly embarrassing to downright humiliating. Amercian Wedding reaches new peaks of absurdity, but its rudimentary style works somehow. Despite the predictable slapstick and unoriginal story line, the movie is surprisingly entertaining. —Leilani Polk
BAD BOYS II (R) Nothing more than the traditional buddy cops action-adventure, this predictable flick is full of gory, gratuitous violence set around the heart of Miami. Body-bagged corpses fly from vehicles in high-speed car chases and bullets splat foreheads and hit other unmentionable body parts, becoming the butt of many jokes. In the midst of all the stylized stunts, co-stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence share several laugh-out-loud scenes that lighten the mood, but also digress from the boys' original purpose of taking down ecstasy traffickers in this two-and-a-half-hour sequel. Also stars Gabrielle Union. 1/2—Sharilyn Wiskup
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.
CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE (PG-13) If you liked the first one, odds are this sequel will do the trick too. Full Throttle follows the same exact model as the first Charlie's Angels movie and piles on more of everything that made the original so popular. There's more comedy (pretty much everything here is played for laughs), more silly sexual innuendoes, bigger explosions and more costume changes and cute outfits. The girls all seem to be having the time of their lives as they giggle, shake their booties to MC Hammer and divide their time between ogling boys and kicking some serious male butt (although some of the choicest scenes are the cat fights, of course). Demi Moore shows up, too, flashing her hard body and blinding white smile, the bones in her face jutting out at such dramatic angles it feels like you could cut yourself just by looking at her. Stars Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Bernie Mac.
THE EYE (R) Riding in on the wave of Asian horror ushered into the West by The Ring comes this effective but not particularly original effort by Hong Kong's Pang Brothers, Danny and the wonderfully named Oxide. The Eye tells the story of Mun, a blind girl who undergoes a cornea transplant and winds up seeing more than she wants to. Shadowy, black-clad figures who look suspiciously like mimes begin turning up, as well as a number of considerably creepier sights, and it soon becomes clear that Mun's visions are direct glimpses into the not-so-sweet hereafter. The I-see-dead-people stuff is straight out of The Sixth Sense, while the film also manages to cram in nods to everything from The Mothman Prophecies to The Eyes of Laura Mars, but it's all fused into a mostly entertaining and surprisingly scary whole. An American remake is reportedly in the works, so see this one first so you can one-up your friends by telling them how much better the original was. Stars Sin-Je Lee, Laurence Chou and Cutcha Rujinanon. 1/2
FREAKY FRIDAY (PG) Taking a look at the lighter side of the generation gap, early 21st century-style, Disney remakes its 1976 comedy about a young girl switching bodies with her mom. It might have been fun if Jodie Foster, who was 14 when she played the daughter in the original movie, returned as the mom in the remake. Instead, we get an incessantly mugging but seriously unfunny Jamie Lee Curtis doing the honors, while fresh-faced Lindsay Lohan (star of Disney's Parent Trap remake) steps into Foster's old shoes. The movie's not so much bad as it is utterly unsurprising, although some of the humor borders on the cringe-worthy. (In one typical joke, a wedding's "maid of honor" becomes "maid of whore.") Lohan is mildly amusing playing the post-switcheroo teen with an adult's personality, but it's often just plain embarrassing watching Curtis strut around playing "young" - something the movie gives us way too much of. Also stars Mark Harmon and Chad Murray. Opens Aug. 6 at local theaters.
FINDING NEMO (PG) Although it doesn't quite scale the heights of previous Pixar projects like Monsters Inc or the Toy Story movies, this latest animated opus is still one heck of a fish story. The computer-generated visuals are as dazzling as ever, the characters are appealing and the gags are consistently clever (and typically savvy of pop culture, with frequent nods to everything from The Shining to 12-step programs). The story just feels a little less inspired this time out. This is the more traditional side of Pixar, sort of an underwater A Bug's Life — but there's still plenty of heart. The little hero's mama gets killed off in the very first scene, opening the way for a narrative that's as much about separation anxiety and overprotective (single) parents as Toy Story 2 was about childhood's end. Featuring the voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould and Willem Dafoe. 1/2
GIGLI (R) The awards for the summer's worst pre- opening buzz, worst original premise and most difficult to pronounce title would have to go to this Ben Affleck-Jennifer Lopez project (previously dubbed Tough Love). Gigli (pronounced, as near as I can tell, GEE-Lee) features the ubiquitous celebrity couple as a pair of mob associates watching over a mentally challenged hostage. If this one actually manages to avoid the kiss of death, I might just have to eat my shoe. Maybe both of them. Also stars Justin Bartha and Lainie Kazan. (Not Reviewed)
HOW TO DEAL (PG-13) Things keep going terribly wrong for Halley, a mature-beyond-her-years 17-year-old played by up-and-coming actress Mandy Moore. Divorce, sudden death, unplanned pregnancy and many more undesirable situations appear around every corner of her life. In fact, so many things go awry, not long into the flick you'll begin to halfheartedly wonder what more can happen to Halley — but something good is sure to pop up soon. Advertised as a teen romance, How to Deal is actually more of a coming of age drama, and Halley's contrived romance with Macon (Trent Ford) actually plays a minor part in the movie. Not even Moore's rising star power can save this one. Also stars Allison Janney, Nina Foch, Alexandra Holden, Dylan Baker and Peter Gallagher. —Chris Berger
THE HEART OF ME (R) Secrets, lies and passion, both bridled and unbridled, are ingredients in this study of a romantic triangle during the years before, during and after World War II. Helena Bonham Carter plays a well-born but unconventional Londoner embroiled in a secret affair with Rickie (Paul Bettany), the husband of her straight-laced sister (Olivia Williams). Based on the best-selling 1953 novel by Rosamond Lehmann. Opens Aug. 8 at Channelside Cinemas. Call theater to confirm. (Not Reviewed)
THE HULK (PG-13) Eric Bana (resembling, from the right angle, a young Christopher Reeves with bad skin) plays mild-mannered scientist Bruce Banner, who, when angered, turns into the gigantic, Mean Green Machine beloved by fans of the original Hulk comic and TV show. Lee turns the story into an Oedipal freak-out about repressed memories, but the movie's freighted with silliness, beginning and ending with a blatantly computer generated central character who elicits more unintentional giggles than gasps of awe. The movie follows the basic Spider-Man model — with the first half devoted to character development, and the later sections filled with action and special effects — but it makes us wait way too long for too little pay-off. Also stars Jennifer Connelly, Nick Nolte and Sam Elliott. 1/2
THE HUMAN BODY (PG) It's hard not to feel positively microscopic while watching The Human Body, what with all those gigantic internal organs and bodily fluids filling up that seven-story-tall IMAX screen. The movie was three years in the making, but The Human Body is the culmination of decades of technological advances. Pencil-thin endoscopic cameras, thermal imaging and time-slice photography (a Matrix-like freeze-effect) are only some of the cutting-edge techniques employed to great effect here. What couldn't actually be achieved by hook or crook was simulated through computer animation that's often difficult to distinguish from the real thing. The movie is a sort of day in the life of us all, a look at the routine functions performed by many of us in the course of our daily existences, albeit as seen from the inside. 1/2
INTO THE DEEP (G) If your eyes have already darted down to the extravagant number of planets awarded this film, bear in mind that the rating owes as much to the phenomenal IMAX 3-D experience as it does to the movie itself. Into the Deep is an extremely well made 40-minute documentary on underwater creatures, but in 3-D, it becomes an absolutely breathtaking experience. Watch millions of mating, opalescent squid swarmming all around your head, frisky sea lions dropping right into your lap and sharks poking their noses directly in your face. Whatever we're watching, we feel ourselves immersed in the image to the point where it literally becomes difficult to tell what's part of the movie and what's not. The IMAX 3-D picture is precise, utterly life-like and, frankly, so revolutionary that I could easily see these sorts of films one day replacing standard 2-D movies.
THE ITALIAN JOB (PG-13) If you're longing for the flair of the Michael Caine original or even some exotic footage of Italy, beware (despite the title, only the brief prologue of this remake is set outside the United States). That said, this generic but energetically choreographed heist flick is passable, no-brainer fun for those able to leave expectations at the door. The movie's plot is nothing more than the boy-meets-girl of its particular sub-genre: a heist, followed by a double-cross, followed by a second heist devised and executed as payback for the first. There's the requisite geeky tech-wizard on hand, a beautiful safecracker, a dashing getaway driver, and the gang's mastermind (the ever-banal Mark Wahlberg), along with a trio of cool little red, white and blue Minis that all but steal the show. Most of the cast looks nearly as bored and robotic as Wahlberg, but several of the heist sequences are entertaining enough to compensate. Also stars Edward Norton, Charlize Theron and Seth Green. 1/2
JOHNNY ENGLISH (PG) After the vulgarity of the Austin Powers franchise, this PG-rated romp about a bungling British spy (hilarious Rowan Atkinson) seems like a quaint throwback. It doesn't hurt that two of the screenwriters were responsible for Die Another Day, the best James Bond outing in ages — clearly, these men know the genre and how to best tweak it. A car chase scene proves to be as equally clever as the much-ballyhooed ones in The Matrix Reloaded and T3, and John Malkovich shows he's game by playing the "fruity" French villain. In a season of heavily hyped titles, it's nice to find a small-scale picture that delivers on its promise without making a big deal about it. Also stars Natalie Imbruglia, Ben Miller, Tim Pigott-Smith and Oliver Ford Davies. —Matt Brunson
LARA CROFT TOMB RAIDER: THE CRADLE OF LIFE (PG-13) Action movies were not meant to be as boring as the first two pictures in the Tomb Raider franchise. Where's the quickening of the pulse, the racing of the heart, the holding of the breath? Here, expect the closing of the eyelids. Clearly, Angelina Jolie's series is meant to evoke the spirit of the Indiana Jones films, but when the exposition is so arid, the stunts so standard, and the effects so ordinary, they can't generate the excitement of a Scooby-Doo cartoon. Also stars Djimon Hounsou, Gerard Butler, Ciaran Hinds, Djimon Hounsou, Til Schweiger and Noah Taylor. —Matt Brunson
THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN (PG-13) It's 1899 in an alternate England, where a group of "singular individuals" join forces to combat an evil genius who's about to plunge the world into chaos. Sean Connery stars as the legendary adventurer Allen Quartermain, leader of the titular League, a super-powered crew that also includes Captain Nemo, The Invisible Man, Dorian Grey, a vampiric acquaintance of Dracula's, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The mix-and-match isn't quite as absurd as it sounds, but the characters never quite click as a cohesive superhero unit, nor do they really engage us as individuals. Likewise, the movie itself is a somewhat clumsy mish-mash of a quaintly old-fashioned adventure story for boys and a modern special effects blow-out. Also stars Shane West and Jason Fleming.
LEGALLY BLONDE 2: RED, WHITE AND BLONDE (PG-13) LB2 has perky, perfectly put together Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) shaking up things in the nation's capitol when she goes on a crusade against animal testing. This sequel — which might have effectively been subtitled Blonde Ambition or Blonde Justice — isn't nearly as much fun as the original, which scored points for self-mocking irony and general pop silliness. This time out, the filmmakers opt more for sincerity, and the movie winds up too often just seeming blandly sanctimonious. The model here is clearly Frank Capra, and specifically his Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, but Reese's over-accessorized Everywoman has almost as difficult a time filling Jimmy Stewart's shoes as Adam Sandler did not so long ago. Also stars Regina King, Jennifer Coolidge, Bruce McGill, Bob Newhart and Luke Wilson.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN (PG-13) The story here isn't much more than you'd expect from a theme park ride turned big screen blockbuster, but so what? The real reason to see Pirates of the Caribbean is Johnny Depp, who's a total gas-gas-gas as the Keith Richards-inspired rock 'n' roll pirate Jack Sparrow. Depp flashes his gold teeth and mascara-lined eyes, swashbuckling and swishing about in an apparently perpetual stoned-out state of grace. Geoffrey Rush is no slouch either as the scenery-chewing leader of a pack of zombie pirates straight out of an old Scooby Doo cartoon. The rest of the movie basically amounts to a skillful and modestly engaging blend of battle scenes and comedy (with just a sprinkling of romance and horror thrown in), all given a nice spit-and-polish thanks to director Gore Verbinski's usual high production values. The movie's too long by almost a full half-hour and some of the score seems directly cribbed from Coppola's Dracula, but, again, this is Depp's show all the way, and not much else matters. Also stars Keira Knightley. 1/2
SEABISCUIT (PG-13) Seabiscuit chronicles the over achieving stallion that captured America's fancy during the height of the Great Depression. This sentimental drama focuses on the three diverse people in Seabiscuit's life, who team up to conquer long odds. Fire-blooded jockey Red Pollard (Tobey Maguire), eccentric trainer Tom Smith (Chris Cooper) and nice-guy owner Charles Howard (Jeff Bridges) work together to take the horse all the way to the top. The film's relatable characters and attention-grabbing race scenes prove that a historical sports drama can gallop ahead of other summer blockbusters. 1/2 —Chris Berger
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
SINBAD: LEGEND OF THE SEVEN SEAS (PG) As animated adventure-fantasies go, Sinbad gets everything pretty much right. As the cliche goes, kids will love it, and adults will be reasonably entertained as well. If you're looking for that something extra, though — that inexplicable spark of inspiration that infuses animated movies such as the Toy Story films, for instance, or even Finding Nemo — don't expect to find it here. What you will find in Sinbad is perfectly acceptable family fare. A briskly told tale of Sinbad's adventures as he encounters various mythological beasties on his quest to recover a missing, mystical book. There's a good bit of Indiana Jones in Sinbad's DNA, and, indeed, much of DreamWorks' movie resembles Raiders of the Lost Ark more than the classic Sinbad legends of yore. Featuring the voices of Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michelle Pfeiffer, Joseph Fiennes and Dennis Haysbert.
SPY KIDS 3-D: GAME OVER (PG) Director Robert Rodriguez seems to have invested so much of his creative energies in the wall-to-wall 3-D effects that dominate his new movie, that there was nothing left over for an actual story or even interesting characters. Spy Kids 3-D ultimately coasts on little more than a gimmick and an ability not to take itself too seriously. And even the 3-D effects, cool as they are, still depend upon looking through those funky blue-red glasses, something sure to eventually generate a headache. The movie winds up coming off as a little too close to the video games it's supposed to be spoofing. On the other hand, maybe it's just Tron with better visuals and fewer pretensions. Stars Daryl Sabara, Alexa Varga, Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas. 1/2
S.W.A.T. (PG-13) Cheerfully superficial rock 'em sock 'em action with Colin Farrell, Samuel L. Jackson and a host of significantly lesser luminaries playing a squad of elite cops keeping the streets of L.A. safe from all manner of armed and dangerous scum. There may be a poster of Steve McQueen's Bullitt hanging on the wall of Farrell's character's apartment, but S.W.A.T. is more like a monster truck rally: a fast and furious ode to the art of blowin' stuff up real good. Jackson's presence and Farrell's quietly magnetic performance give a touch (a very faint touch) of class to the project, but the movie's priorities clearly lie in pure adrenaline and gleefully embraced cliches. Stray moments of semi-sensitive, character-driven plot and dialogue are periodically thrown in to convince us there's an actual story in here somewhere. However, most of the time you're just quickly consumed by massive amounts of sound and fury. It's all based on the '70s TV show, although you'd hardly know it without that familiar disco-ball theme song popping up every so often. Also stars LL Cool J, Michelle Rodriguez and Josh Charles. Opens Aug. 6 at local theaters. 1/2
SWIMMING POOL (R) Acclaimed director Francois Ozon's latest is something akin to a classic Hitchcock mystery, albeit one filtered through an oddly metaphysical lens that opens up the events to any number of interpretations. For his first English language movie, Ozon reunites with his Under the Sand star Charlotte Rampling, who plays a stuffy writer bent out of shape when a slutty little nymphet (Ludivine Sagnier) shows up at her doorstep. As in all Ozon films, the characters we're offered are ultimately slippery ones, and their real story, as well as that of the movie itself, exists somewhere below the surface. The action becomes increasingly strange, and, even when we think things are headed toward some inevitable resolution, Ozon pulls a series of rugs out from under us, causing us to question everything we think we've come to know about these characters. Swimming Pool is a witty, hypnotic, and occasionally mystical experience, but one that's often simply too cryptic for its own good. How much of what we see on screen is "real" and how much is a figment of the various characters' imaginations is finally a riddle for us to ponder. What Swimming Pool offers is a nod, a wink, and plenty of hidden depths, heavy with all the possibilities that our imaginations will allow. Also stars Charles Dance.
TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES (R) Tempting as it is, we probably can't even say that the once-mighty Terminator franchise went out with a whimper, not with a bang. The sad truth of the matter is that The House That Arnold Built refuses to die, and this boring little mediocrity can barely contain its enthusiasm at setting us up for sequels to come. James Cameron wisely chose to distance himself from this faceless non-entity, which mostly just goes through the motions, recycling action riffs and catch phrases from the earlier Terminator movies and plopping them on the screen with little or no style, wit or imagination. The plot and dialogue are sophomoric, the acting forgettable (with the possible exception of Claire Danes), and the whole thing plays like a cross between a made-for-TV movie and a spoof of the original T1 and T2 as directed by the kid in Rushmore. No matter how low your expectations are for this one, they're apt to be shattered. Stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl and Kristannia Loken. 1/2
WHALE RIDER (R) It's easy to see why this New Zealand import is attracting so much praise from critics and audiences alike. Director Niki Caro infuses a heartwarming coming of age story with just the right amount of ethnic exotica, mother earth mysticism and political correctness. It results in an adventure tale that has something for everybody, from folklore aficionados to feminists to plain old film lovers. Eleven-year-old Keisha Castle-Huges makes a memorable debut as Pai, a Maori girl who wants to be taken seriously in the male-dominated society of her people. Pai comes from a long line of chiefs but, even though it's clear she's destined to carry on that tradition, stern but loving grandpa Koro (Rawiri Paratene) won't have any of it. The love/hate relationship between the young girl and the old man is at the heart of the film, but Whale Rider's uplifting message, interesting local color, beautiful New Zealand locations and sweetly revisionist mysticism are the icing on the cake. Also stars Vicki Haughton. 1/2
—Reviewed entries by Lance Goldenberg unless otherwise noted.
