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. Opens July 2 at local theaters
MAN ON THE TRAIN (R) Patrice Leconte, the gifted filmmaker responsible for such lovely cine-poems as Monsieur Hire and The Hairdresser's Husband, returns with this slight but elegantly bittersweet comedy about changing places. Leconte's latest is, in many ways, a fairly standard odd couple affair about a reserved teacher and a shifty crook who each envy the other's life, but the director's customary style and the amazing stars transform the movie into something that is anything but standard. The great Jean Rochefort delivers yet another memorable performance as the homebody yearning for danger, while French pop icon Johnny Hallyday is equally fine as the craggy thief who just wants a warm fire and a pair of cozy slippers. The stars' chemistry is irresistible and, despite an overly self-conscious faux-metaphysical finale, so is the film. Opens July 2 at Channelside
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. 1/2
RUGRATS GO WILD (PG) Two batches of Nickelodeon cartoon characters for the price of one, although the fun factor is barely half of what you might reasonably expect from a project like this. This team-up of the animated kiddies from Nick's popular Rugrats and Wild Thornberrys TV shows does feature one nice (albeit underused) gimmick — a scratch 'n' sniff card — but it's all downhill from there. The movie contains the requisite boogers and poop jokes and should do well with its primary 3- to 7-year-old target audience, but most adult chaperones will find little of interest. The script feels like it was knocked out in an afternoon, the animation has a cheaper-than-usual look, and there's almost nothing here as funny or interesting as the previous Rugrats movies, or even one of the half-hour TV episodes. Featuring the voices of Bruce Willis, Jodi Carlisle, Christine Cavanaugh and Tim Curry.
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. Opens July 2 at local theaters 1/2