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
