Minority Report (PG-13) The best movie of the summer, and one of the best movies of recent years, 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. Minority Report is an exciting movie and, dare I say it, an important movie, made timelier than ever in the preemptive political environment of today. Although there's plenty of action, Minority Report is anything but an action movie; it's a smart, tough and tantalizing remapping of the familiar territory known as the crime thriller. Also stars Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton and Max Von Sydow. 
Mostly Martha (PG) A German romantic comedy about a headstrong chef who takes charge of her equally stubborn 8-year-old niece. Tensions mount, then an Italian sous-chef arrives to lighten things up.
(Not Reviewed)
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. 
Notorious C.H.O. (NR) If you love I'm the One That I Want, odds are you'll be up for another serving with Notorious C.H.O., which is essentially more of the same, just a bit more tediously choreographed and shot. This is a live concert movie of comedian Margaret Cho shot before an appreciative audience in Seattle, in which she weighs in (in typically outrageous fashion) on everything from racial/cultural stereotyping to the ins and outs of her sexual proclivities. Lot of funny, raunchy stuff here, but Cho's routine tends to get repetitious after a while, and even the most shocking bits can wind up seeming a little numbing. Tentatively opens Sept. 20 at Channelside. Call theatre to confirm.
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. A man with no real life of his own, Sy is secretly obsessed with one of the families for whom he processes pictures at his job at a Wal-Mart-type chain and the movie details that obsession as it crosses the line from odd to dangerously malignant. One Hour Photo is a disturbing little movie about how true horror lies in the minute shifting of perspectives, the changing of vantage point by which the small, normal moment becomes distorted, gross and hateful. Williams is understated, self-effacing and generally excellent throughout — all hard-set features and awkward, uptight body language — and his dull, middle-aged character becomes both ominous and pitiable. One Hour Photo operates mostly on a slow burn, with a style that's intentionally a little flat and off-center, just so we know that this isn't your typical Hollywood production. It's not exactly profound stuff, but it's the kind of movie that's bound to make you think twice the next time you bring in photographs to be developed. It's a terrific 98-minute advertisement for digital cameras. Also stars Connie Nielsen, Michael Vartan, Gary Cole and Dylan Smith. Playing at Channelside Cinemas.
The Piano Teacher (NR) Another astonishing effort from one of the most provocative filmmakers of our time, Michael Haneke. As elegant as it is perverse, The Piano Teacher is one of the most extreme depictions of aberrant sexuality ever seen on the screen. The film features a mesmerizing performance by Isabelle Hubbert as Erika Kohut, a middle-aged professor of music at the Vienna Conservatory. Haneke takes a no-nonsense but utterly devastating approach to Erika's tortured relationship with her mother and with herself, and then carefully observes her as she enters into a sadomasochistic affair with one of her students that makes the proceedings in Last Tango in Paris look like an episode from Sesame Street. The Piano Teacher is very nearly a great film, but it requires a special caveat for its scenes of intense emotional/psychological violence, as well as for some brief glimpses of hardcore pornographic imagery. It's a very, very tough film but one that demands to be seen and thought about.There will be those who find The Piano Teacher to be the most offensive, worthless piece of trash they've ever encountered but it's safe to say that even the naysayers will never forget it. Also stars Annie Girardot and Benoit Magimel. Plays at Tampa Theatre on Sept. 20 and 21 at 10 p.m. only. Call theater to confirm.
