ABANDON (PG-13) Abandon spends a good portion of its running time pulling the rug out from under our feet and keeping us guessing. The plot elements here are standard — a pretty grad student (Katie Holmes), a vanished ex-boyfriend who might be stalking her, and a handsome cop on the case (Benjamin Bratt) — but writer/director Stephen Gahgan continually reconfigures those elements in a variety of ways that, right up until the end, defy formula. Also stars the always-wonderful Zooey Deschanel and Charlie Hunnam, who looks like a blond version of Val Kilmer playing Jim Morrison. 
AUSTRALIA: LAND BEYOND TIME (PG) The film takes us Down Under to the flattest, driest continent on earth, immerses us in parched, otherworldly landscapes and introduces us to tons of incredibly odd and supremely adaptable animals
AUTO FOCUS (R) Bob Crane was an All-American guy and a typical family man who was also the star of the popular 70s sitcom Hogan's Heroes. But behind the wholesome, innocuous public persona, Crane was living a sordid, secret existence, having sex with pretty much anything that moved and recording his exploits on video. Auto Focus is an odd and lurid little movie, but not nearly as odd or as lurid as it probably should have been. Stars Greg Kinnear, Willem Dafoe, Rita Wilson and Maria Bello. 
BALLISTIC: ECKS VS. SEVER (R) Bad guy Robert Gant (Gregg Henry) steals a prototype of Softkill, a microscopic, robotic assassin that could change the face of professional killing. Ex-agent Sever (Lucy Liu) intercepts Softkill and soon Gant and ex-FBI agent Jeremiah Ecks (Antonio Banderas) are in pursuit to get it back. Explosions galore and some impressive fight scenes somewhat salvage the movie's weak plot. Also stars Ray Park, Talisa Soto and Miguel Sandoval. 
—Ana Lopez
THE BANGER SISTERS (R) Susan Sarandon and Goldie Hawn star in this comedy/drama about two former rock groupies and best friends who reunite after 20 years. One has remained a wild woman; the other has turned conservative. Also stars Geoffrey Rush. (Not reviewed)
BARBERSHOP (PG-13) Ice Cube stars in this mediocre yarn about barbershop camaraderie. Cube (Calvin) is bequeathed the shop by his late father. His desperation leads to dubious means to pay past-due rent. Calvin's employees provide the bulk of amusement with their conflicting personalities. Also stars Cedric the Entertainer, Eve, Sean Patrick Thomas and Michael Ealy. 
—Corey Myers
BELOW (R) The Shining on a ship, anyone? Making excellent use of a concept that sounds pretty absurd on the surface (so to speak), Below is just about as good a haunted submarine movie as you could hope to see. (It is also by no means to be confused with Ghost Ship).
BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE (PG-13) Michael Moore's final word (for the moment) on our culture of violence and, specifically, America's love affair with guns. Lively, often funny and sometimes devastating, the film takes a close look at a culture where a gun can be easily purchased at a bank or while getting a trim at the barbershop. Moore's argument is simplistic but effective, ultimately attributing American bloodlust to a particularly nasty brew of fear and racism fueled primarily by the government and the media. Moore doesn't bother much with details, including the fact that his own film is part of the very problem he identifies. The main difference, as Moore himself would probably agree, is that the ends justify the means. Funnily enough, that's just what the head of the NRA might tell you too.
COMEDIAN (R) TV commercial director Christian Charles follows two comedians — the very popular Jerry Seinfeld and the very unknown Orny Adams — as they navigate their way through New York City's notoriously cutthroat comedy scene. Other comics making appearances include Chris Rock, Kevin Nealon, Colin Quin, Dave Chappelle andJay Leno. (Not Reviewed)
DIE ANOTHER DAY (PG-13) It's a long way from Once Were Warriors for director Lee Tamahori, who helms this latest Bond blow-out in which 007 tracks traitors and terrorists from North Korea to Cuba to Iceland. On the plus side is Halle Berry, who shows up to exchange innuendoes and bodily fluids with the Bondster, and two fairly cool villains — one of whom is an inverted version of 007 himself (ie: a swaggering, pretty-boy adventurer). On the down side, the plot's pretty convoluted (as all the recent Bonds have been), some of the CGI effects are awfully cheesy, and the movie overstays its welcome by a good 20 minutes. Still, not even a lame cameo by Madonna (yep, she's here too) can ruin what is essentially yet another serviceable mix of sex, glamour and high-tech toys. Stars Pierce Brosnan, Rosamund Pike and Stephen Yune. Opens Nov. 22 at local theaters.
THE EMPEROR'S CLUB (PG-13) Not to be confused with The Dead Poets Society or any number of other similarly titled or similarly plotted productions, The Emperor's Club is another of those well-meaning movies about a teacher who tries to make a difference. Kevin Kline plays Mr. Hundert, who engages in a battle of wills with a rebellious new student who has a taste for Godard, Dylan and skin mags. The film's heart is in the right place but it is essentially, as Kline himself finally tells us, "a story without surprises." Also stars Emile Hirsch, Embeth Davidtz and Rob Morrow.
FEMME FATALE (R) Despite some elaborately orchestrated and gorgeously stylized sequences, Brian De Palma's latest film is convoluted fluff sure to disappoint anyone looking for something resembling a coherent story. The movie is wall-to-wall red herrings, with all of the signature elements of film noir (double-crossing guys and dames, lust as a manipulative tool, identity changing, a good heist or two), but little of the intrigue or charisma. Rebecca Romijn-Stamos is some sort of bad girl/jewel thief who spends the first part of the movie pursuing various characters and the second half being pursued. Antonio Banderas shows up looking bored and distracted as a photographer drawn into the action. Also stars Peter Coyote. Opens Nov. 6 at local theaters.
FORMULA 51 (R) Director Ronny Yu brings a touch of Hong Kong-styled mayhem and a lot of recycled Guy Ritchie riffs to this quirky action-comedy. Samuel L. Jackson stars as a pharmaceutical wizard in a kilt hanging out in the UK and battling all manner of lowlifes while trying to make a killing on a new designer drug he's just invented. Also stars Robert Carlysle, Rhys Ifans and Meat Loaf.
FRIDA (R) A long-gestating dream project of many (including its star, Salma Hayek), Frida is a competently made but not particularly remarkable film that falls victim to many of the problems commonly associated with bio-pics. The film is true to its life of its subject — the great mono-browed Mexican painter Frida Kahlo — and director Julie Taymor (Titus) makes herself subservient to the material, often to the point of invisibility. The result isn't bad so much as it's an overly restrained and disappointingly conventional affair. Playing at Tampa Theatre. Call theatre to confirm.
FRIDAY AFTER NEXT (R) The third installment of the popular Friday series re-teams Ice Cube and Mike Epps as cousins Craig and Day-Day, who, after a brief fling in the suburbs, now find themselves back in their original urban L.A. "hood. This time out, the cousins take jobs to make some quick money for Christmas presents and rent when a criminally inclined Santa breaks in to their crib and steals them blind. Also stars John Witherspoon. Opens Nov. 22 at local theaters. (Not Reviewed)
GHOST SHIP (R) Beware of missing ocean liners, from bygone days, mysteriously afloat in the Bering Sea. The Antonia Graza, a luxurious Italian passenger ship, vanished from radar in 1962. It's spotted by an opportunistic pilot who brokers a deal with a salvage team. What basically separates this horror flick from all the others is the setting, with the caveat that this one's more gory than scary. Stars Julianna Margulies, Gabriel Byrne and Desmond Harrington. —Corey Myers
HALF PAST DEAD (PG-13) Beginning with its title, most of this new Steven Seagal movie is steeped in such boldly audacious ineptitude it almost plays like a spoof. Luckily, it's also crammed with in-your-face fights, chases and very loud explosions, so plot and dialogue aren't exactly going to be the main thing on your mind. Seagal and Ja Rule (who's nearly as talentless an actor as Seagal) play a couple of petty thieves who wind up doing time at Alcatraz. The action really kicks in when a team of leather-clad commandos break into the prison, take a supreme court justice hostage, and battle the inmates for information about a hidden fortune. Also stars Morris Chestnut and Nia Peeples.
HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (PG) While it's still a hugely entertaining affair, the new Harry Potter movie almost inevitably lacks some of the, well, magic of the first film. The two movies are very similar in both structure and feel, but most of the big money shots in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets are essentially reprises of elements from H.P. and the Sorcerer's Stone, and lack that thrill of initial discovery. Also stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith and Richard Harris. Opens Nov. 15 at local theaters.
I SPY (PG-13) The plot's as negligible as you'd expect and the action scenes aren't even anything to write home about, but for what it's worth, the stars do hold up their end in this big-screen adaptation of yet another popular television show from yesteryear. Eddie Murphy is back in form as an arrogant celebrity boxer who becomes the reluctant partner of a bumbling spy, played by Owen Wilson in full aw-shucks-aren't-I-adorable mode. Also stars Famke Janssen and Malcolm McDowell.
JACKASS: THE MOVIE (R) Johnny Knoxville fronts a pack of pranksters in what amounts to a 90-minute episode of the popular MTV series Jackass. The same characters from the TV show appear on the big screen in a string of scenes that runs the gamut from practical jokes to potentially dangerous stunts. —Ana Lopez
JONAH: A VEGGIETALES MOVIE (G) For what it's worth, Jonah has to be the most entertaining and unintentionally bizarre mix of religion and talking vegetables since the reign of Jim and Tammy Faye Baker. The cast of cute cucumbers, tomatoes and asparagus play out a version of the Old Testament tale of the reluctant prophet who wound up in the belly of a whale, complete with a smattering of songs, pirates, kiddie-friendly antics and God- friendly message. Featuring the voices of Phil Vischer, Mike Nawrocki and Tim Hodge.
THE KNOCKAROUND GUYS (R) In yet another spin on the age-old saga of what happens when the country comes to the city (and vice versa), we get the tale of a quartet of young Brooklyn tough guys looking for a lost stash of cash in rural Montana. Despite a premise that sounds an awful lot like one of those lame gangster comedies in which De Niro so loves to slum, the movie isn't nearly as stupid as you might imagine. Stars Barry Pepper, John Malkovich and Dennis Hopper.
LILO AND STITCH (PG) Another hit from the Disney team, although not quite out of the ballpark. Lilo and Stitch is basically a brightened-up, kid-friendly reinvention of the Frankenstein story, in which a manmade monster (or, in this case, alien-created critter) comes to grips with his own, um, uniqueness and, in the process, finds something not unlike a soul.
THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS (R) A multilayered morality tale from director George Hinkenlooper, starring Andy Garcia as a struggling writer whose life becomes one strange can of worms when he becomes a male escort. Also stars Julianna Margulies, the recently deceased James Coburn, and Mick Jagger. Playing at Channelside Cinemas and Beach Theatre. Call theaters to confirm. (Not Reviewed)
MINORITY REPORT (PG-13) Steven Spielberg's sci-fi noir boasts a fascinating premise beautifully expanded into a provocative and consistently gripping feature-length film. Based on a story by Philip K. Dick, Minority Report takes place in a not-so-distant future where crimes are predicted and criminals arrested before they actually commit their offense. Tom Cruise plays the top cop who becomes the glitch in a perfect system when he finds himself falsely accused and on the run. Also stars Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton and Max Von Sydow. 
MOONLIGHT MILE (PG-13) After the senseless slaying of his fiancee, a young man moves into the home of her parents so they can retain a connection with their daughter. A few plot developments seem extraneous and certain conclusions feel too glib, but overall, this is a moving and occasionally insightful study of how individuals learn to cope with loss and grief in their own idiosyncratic manner. —Matt Brunson
MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING (PG) Nia Vardalos stars in this sweet-natured, sporadically amusing adaptation of her one-woman show about a plain Greek-American woman who transforms herself into a babe and hooks up with her Prince Charming — who, much to the chagrin of her loud and proud Greek family, turns out to be as WASP-y as they come. In all, Greek Wedding probably worked better on stage than on the big screen. Also stars John Corbett, Michael Constantine, Lainie Kazan and Andrea Martin.
ONE HOUR PHOTO (R) A cool, crisply elegant horror story told in flashback, there's a cloud of uneasiness that hangs over this entire movie as we wait for the film's nondescript protagonist to do the unspeakably awful thing we know he'll eventually do. Robin Williams plays Sy Parish, a mousy little man whose very ordinariness is a cover for the demons lurking within. Also stars Connie Nielsen, Michael Vartan, Gary Cole and Dylan Smith.
PUNCH DRUNK LOVE (PG-13) After wowing movie-goers with Boogie Nights and Magnolia, director Paul Thomas Anderson scales it all back with Punch Drunk Love, a very strange little movie that's both lighter than air and denser than a black hole. Anderson takes Sandler's familiar doofus man-child character and reconfigures him into something both infinitely more extreme and more genuine, dresses him in a Day-Glo blue suit and then positions him dead-center in the movie's chaos, like a postmodern Buster Keaton reacting to a series of increasingly surreal situations. The film is slight and, in its own bizarre way, sweet, with an extravagantly screwy beauty that feels like it might very well have come about from too many drugs or too little sleep. Also stars Emily Watson, Luis Guzman and Philip Seymour Hoffman. 
REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES (PG-13) The trials and tribulations of Ana (America Ferrera), a recently graduated high-schooler whose loving traditional Mexican-American family is doing its best to discourage her dreams of higher education. The main sore point is Ana's mom (Lupe Ontiveros) who's compelled to needle the girl's Rubenesque figure, forces her to work in her sister's dress shop, and would no doubt die if she knew Ana was involved with an Anglo boy. The local East L.A. color is nice, the characters are engaging, and the message is just sweet and life-affirming enough, in a MBFGW sort of way, to cut the movie's grimmer edges. As Ana's mom says, "It is because I love you so much that I make your life so miserable." Also stars Ingrid Oliu and George Lopez. Opens Nov. 22 at Channelside Cinemas.
RED DRAGON (R) The first installment of Thomas Harris' so-called Hannibal Lecter Trilogy gets a competent but uninspired big screen treatment. Edward Norton is a touch too understated as Will Graham, a retired FBI agent who's persuaded to enlist Lecter's help in catching a serial killer dubbed the Tooth Fairy (Ralph Fiennes, who steals the show here in a performance that's both creepy and moving). Ratner's done his homework and has the basic building blocks of the original Silence of the Lambs down cold, albeit without much of the nuances or psychology. Also stars Harvey Keitel, Emily Watson and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
THE RING (PG-13) A class-act creepfest. Naomi Watts confirms the star power she exhibited in Mulholland Drive, as a woman in the sway of a videotape that causes anyone who watches it to die within a week. The movie feels a little rushed and sloppy toward the end, but has the makings of a classic modern horror film, eerily dreamlike, suspenseful and possessed of a relentless forward momentum that can be absolutely terrifying. Also stars Martin Henderson.
THE SANTA CLAUSE 2 (G) Tim Allen is back as Scott Calvin, a heartless toy company exec who, in the first movie, accidentally killed Santa and was forced to assume his role. In part two, Santa is forced to find a wife (a stipulation of "the Mrs. Clause") by Christmas Eve or he'll stop being Santa forever. The elves help him out by creating Santa II to keep an eye on the workshop while Santa I is busy searching for a bride. Santa II goes a little power mad, the bride-to-be isn't getting along with Santa's son, Charlie, and, to top it all off, Charlie has landed on the "naughty" list (gasp!). Also stars Elizabeth Mitchell, Judge Reinhold, Molly Shannon and Jay Thomas. (Not Reviewed)
SHACKLETON'S ANTARCTIC ADVENTURE (PG) An engaging mix of history, drama, fascinating archival footage and breathtaking, state-of-the-art photography, Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure tells the incredible true tale of an epic battle for survival in the wake of a failed expedition to cross Antarctica in 1914. Playing at IMAX Dome Theater at MOSI. Call theater to confirm. 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. Playing at Channelside IMAX.
SIGNS (PG-13) The least convoluted but, in some ways, the least compelling movie yet from M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable). Mel Gibson stars as a faith-challenged former clergyman who spends most of the movie sweating bullets and waiting, along with the rest of the world, for a devastating attack from hostile extraterrestrials. Also stars Joaquin Phoenix, Cherry Jones and Rory Culkin.
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)
SPIRITED AWAY (PG) The latest film from revered director Hayao Miyazaki (Princess Mononoke, My Neighbor Totoro) unfolds with a dream logic as memorable as that of Alice in Wonderland, which seems to be the model here. The film is a wonderfully odd, extended journey, in which a young girl named Chihiro watches her parents transform into pigs and then enters into a surreal world of giant babies, big-headed witches, wolf-dragons, enchanted balls of soot, and incredible spirits of all make and manner. It might be a bit too long or too unusual for some small children, but others are bound to be absolutely enthralled. My 3-and-a-half-year-old liked it almost as much as I did. An instant classic. Featuring the voices of Daveigh Chase (the weird girl in The Ring), Michael Chiklis and Jason Marsden. Playing at AMC Veterans and Muvico Baywalk. Call theaters to confirm.
STUART LITTLE 2 (G) Teeny tiny tykes will eat up this barely 75-minute sequel to Stuart Little, but most grown-ups will either be bored out of their skulls or find their teeth tingling from all the sugar-coated sap. Despite the expensive-looking production values and state-of-the-art CGI effects, Stuart Little has the bland, throwaway feel of a direct-to-video sequel.
SWEET HOME ALABAMA A lazy romantic comedy that apparently looked no further back than 1991's Doc Hollywood Reese Witherspoon plays Melanie Carmichael, a rising New York fashion designer who's just accepted a marriage proposal from the son (smarmy Patrick Dempsey) of the city's mayor (Candice Bergen). First, though, she has to go back to her Alabama hometown and get her first husband (Josh Lucas) to sign the divorce papers, something he's been reluctant to do. —Matt Brunson
SWIMFAN (PG-13) Jesse Bradford and Erika Christensen star in this thriller about a high school swimming star who has a one-night stand leading to tangled and dangerous consequences. (Not Reviewed)
THE TRANSPORTER (PG-13) Hong Kong-styled action pic produced by Luc Besson, revolving around an American mercenary and a kidnapping scheme. Stars Jason Starham and Tchecky Karyo. (Not Reviewed)
THE TRUTH ABOUT CHARLIE (PG-13) The first thing you notice about Jonathan Demme's unremarkable remake of Stanley Donen's 1963 charmer Charade is that Thandie Newton doesn't make a half-bad Audrey Hepburn. The second thing you notice is that Mark Walhberg (in a beret yet) should never even be mentioned in the same breath with Cary Grant, and that's what sticks with you throughout the rest of the movie. The movie seems like it's trying too hard, and the treatment looks more like a formulaic pastiche of any number of techniques borrowed from the past several decades. As in the original Charade, it's all pleasantly light and airy, with a plot about murdered husbands, missing fortunes and mistaken identities that's just an excuse for some fabulous location footage of Paris. Also stars Tim Robbins.
TUCK EVERLASTING (PG-13) An early 20th century romantic-fantasy from Disney that inexplicably wraps the atmospheric mystery of The Secret Garden into a kitschy kiddie kissfest not too far afield from The Blue Lagoon. Fine-featured beauty Alexis Bledel (from "The Gilmore Girls") stars as Winnie Foster, a little rich girl living a cloistered existence as stiff and restraining as the corsets she's forced to wear — but aching for something, anything, to come and change her life. When Winnie wanders into the woods and meets the mysterious, life-loving Tuck family, it seems like a heaven-made match, a connection signed and sealed when she falls for the Tuck's handsome son Jesse. The Tucks have a secret, though (as the movie's trailers will undoubtedly make all too clear), and complications inevitably ensue. Also stars William Hurt and Amy Irving.
THE TUXEDO (PG-13) This sporadically appealing but basically mediocre spy spoof stars Jackie Chan as an ordinary guy who dons a government-manufactured tux and transforms into a super- powered but anything-but-suave secret agent. Even with a healthy digital assist, the action sequences are by far the least exciting stuff Chan's ever done. Also stars Jason Isaacs and Debi Mazar.
UNDISPUTED (R) Wesley Snipes stars as a professional heavyweight boxer who's falsely accused of a crime and winds up in jail, where he goes up against the prison boxing champ. Also stars Ving Rhames. (Not Reviewed)
WAKING UP IN RENO White trash romantic comedy anyone? Billy Bob Thornton, Patrick Swayze, Charlize Theron and Natasha Richardson play two couples who hop in the brand new SUV for a trip to Reno and the monster truck show of their dreams. Entanglements of a personal nature ensue. (Not Reviewed)
WHITE OLEANDER (PG-13) Compelling story about the relationship between mother and daughter. Michelle Pfeiffer plays Ingrid Magnussen, a single mother whose uncompromising nature unravels the fabric of her life as an artist and parent. In a crime of passion, she kills her boyfriend, leaving her 15-year-old daughter Astrid to grow up in a series of foster homes. Astrid embarks on a journey of self-discovery through hard knocks. The beauty of this film lies in the characters' responses to their own emotional evolution. Also stars Alison Lohman, Robin Wright Penn, Renee Zellweger and Patrick Fugit. —Corey Myers
—Reviewed entries by Lance Goldenberg unless otherwise notedJulian'sSat.
This article appears in Nov 20-26, 2002.