A.I. (PG-13) A film directed by Steven Spielberg based on a long-gestating idea by Stanley Kubrick, A.I. is an odd and intriguing hybrid of a movie, combining elements that smack of both filmmakers but not really fully in either's camp. The story tells us of a little robot boy (Haley Joel Osment) who has troubles adjusting to the human world (and vice versa. Individual moments in the movie are striking, but A.I. doesn't really hold together, and it never comes to grips with what it really is: a tragedy of epic proportions. Spielberg just can't seem to let go of the desire to make us smile through our tears, and the movie ultimately becomes awkward and repetitious as it drags on, straining to find just the right series of upbeat notes in what is essentially a rather dour, discordant piece. Also stars Frances O'Connor, Jude Law and William Hurt. 
America's Sweethearts (PG-13) If anyone could prop up the all but moribund romantic comedy genre, you'd think it would be John Cusack and Julia Roberts. Not quite. America's Sweethearts, co-written by and co-starring Billy Crystal, collects an array of funny, sorta-funny and not-particularly-funny vignettes, but never quite congeals into a cohesive story. What's supposed to be a sprightly paced film comes off as lugubrious, sometimes plodding, until the final act. Cusack and Catherine Zeta-Jones play the titular roles: an estranged married couple — adoringly known as Gwen and Eddie — whose teaming on hit movies is about to end with one last sci-fi flick. Crystal plays a lovingly conniving studio publicist who manipulates them into appearing at a press junket. Roberts is Zeta-Jones' once-frumpy assistant and sister (she's lost 60 pounds). A love triangle ensues, replete with all the requisite hijinks, pratfalls and rants, but much of it feels forced and formulaic.
—Eric Snider
Atlantis (PG) Disney's latest animated feature is a Jules Verne-ish looking adventure about a group of explorers who discover a civilization beneath the sea. Michael J. Fox, who seems to enjoy this sort of thing, supplies the hero's voice.
(Not Reviewed)
Baby Boy (R) Ten years after Boyz N the Hood, director John Singleton revisits his old South Central stomping grounds with less than satisfying results. Singleton's title character is Jody (Tyrese Gibson), a likable but aimless 20-year-old arrested adolescent with no job, commitment issues, two small children by different women, who still lives at home sponging off his mama.
Bride of the Wind (NR) Alma Mahler was by most accounts one of the more interesting women who ever lived: the wife of the great composer Gustav Mahler, and romantically linked with the expressionist painter Oskar Kokoschka, modern architect Walter Gropius and novelist Franz Werfel (among others), Alma was also a gifted composer in her own right. Still, she apparently had to content herself with serving as a muse to all even as she was constantly thwarted in her desire to nurture her own considerable artistic talent. Bride of the Wind gives us very little sense of any of this. The movie simply introduces us to Alma (an oddly affectless performance from newcomer Sarah Wynter) and then parades a seemingly endless series of great artists, musicians, poets, painters and architects before us. Each character is given a handful of scenes and allowed to dutifully utter one or two memorable lines before departing. Director Bruce Beresford generally seems more concerned with the sumptuous costumes and decors of his film than with making sure his characters come off as creatures made of flesh and blood and ideas that extend beyond sound bites. Also stars Jonathan Pryce and Vincent Perez. Held over at Channelside Cinemas. Call theater to confirm.
Cats and Dogs (PG) More talking animals than you can shake a talking animal at. Stars Jeff Goldblum and a whole lot of digitally manipulated furballs.
(Not Reviewed)
The Closet (NR) The latest effort from French filmmaker Francis Veber involves an insignificant little man who pretends to be gay in order to keep from being fired from his dead-end job at a condom factory. Veber's big joke is that our newly outed hero doesn't change his behavior in the slightest but everyone's perceptions of him alter radically. Daniel Auteuil's performance is understated to the point of blandness in the lead role, but Gerard Depardieu, as a macho co-worker, makes up for his co-star's subtlety by delivering a blustery, nearly hysterical performance that pushes every scene he's in way over the top. The movie is worth seeing for Depardieu alone, but, for the most part, the material itself feels more than just a little tepid and sitcomish. The Closet is relatively fast-paced, for what it's worth, but basically frivolous and uninspired stuff that never really transcends its slight, one-note premise. Also stars Michel Aumont. Held over at Tampa Theatre. Call theater to confirm.
Cyberworld (PG) Billed as the world's first 3-D animated film, this latest Imax spectacular features some stunning images, amazing 3-D technique, and consistently lame writing. An overly quirky-cute techno-sprite called Phig is our guide through a state-of-the-art gallery of short digital animations. The shorts are pretty to look at and generally pretty vacant. At IMAX Channelside.
Dr. Dolittle 2 (PG) Eddie Murphy reprises the role of the infamous animal love doctor, and this time he has a message. After being lured into the woods by a raccoon with Mafia connections, Dolittle hears from the Godbeaver himself that the forest is about to be destroyed. In order to save the pristine wilderness from evil loggers, Dr. Dolittle attempts to get two endangered and completely incompatible Pacific Western bears to mate.
—Dustin Dwyer
The Fast and the Furious (R) A total video game of a movie, in the best sense, and everything Driven should have been: a racing flick that's one big, unabashed rush, sprinkled with larger-than-life characters who swagger between iconic stature and campy cartoonishness. Director Rob Cohen (Dragon: the Bruce Lee Story) re-imagines L.A. as a glossy no-man's land ruled by speed-crazed street racers. Stars Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (PG-13) Move over Mickey, there's a new animated sheriff in town. Her name's Dr. Aki Ross, heroine of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, and she has something you will never possess — 3D breasts. Filmmaker Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of the Final Fantasy video games, took great care in crafting a world that would, were it not for a few subtle nuances, allow the audience to suspend disbelief long enough to think they're looking at flesh-and-blood characters. As fast as CG technology moves, however, it hasn't moved quite fast enough to make Final Fantasy audiences believe they're looking at anything other than cartoon characters, albeit beautifully rendered ones. The story line is an amalgamation of science-fiction movie plots we've seen ad nauseam, complete with cheesy dialogue.
—Kelli K
Jurassic Park 3 (R) Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Tea Leoni and a couple of other unlucky customers crash land on the island of the you-know-whats. The least plot-and-character-oriented of the Jurassic franchise, JP3 cuts right to the chase. That said, this is a much better and more exciting movie than we might have expected, with some expertly handled action sequences, almost no padding, and the best special effects of the series.
Kiss of the Dragon (R) A nasty little piece of work highlighted by some gloriously over-the-top action sequences, lots of blood and guts, firepower, flying fists and, of course, Jet Li. He plays a Chinese cop on the lam from an army of corrupt cops in Paris. Kiss of the Dragon is thoroughly satisfying summer fare, at least if you're open to having your action tempered by more intense violence and borderline nihilism than you'll see this side of a vintage spaghetti western.
Lara Croft Tomb Raider (PG-13) Yet another reason why movies should not be based on video games. Angelina Jolie stars as Lara Croft, a busty, butt-kickin adventuress with a serious daddy complex. The movie is essentially just an excuse to fetishize Jolie and showcase some exotic locations and annoying digital effects. 
Legally Blonde (PG-13) Reese Witherspoon's sheer adorability carries Legally Blonde. She plays Elle Woods, a privileged graduate of a sunny California campus who not only possesses naturally luxuriant blond locks and copious perkiness but is whip-smart and has a heart of gold. After she's dumped by her Eastern blue-blood boyfriend, for not fitting his future politico image, she wrangles her way into Harvard law, where Plan A is to win the guy back. She proceeds to strikes many blows for would-be dumb blondes everywhere.
—Eric Snider
Lost and Delirious (NR) Passions erupt and mutate in all sorts of wonderful and horrible ways at a posh, all-girl boarding school in this latest poetic freak-out from French-Canadian director Lea Pool (Set Me Free). The film is sweetly sensitive and morally instructive, but with a brutally fatalistic, almost Gothic, weightiness to it, so that it often resembles an updated Madchen in Uniform crossed with an ABC Afterschool Special. Misha Barton (The Sixth Sense) stars as Mouse, a shy, confused youngster who arrives at school and quickly discovers that her two roommates are lovers. When the girls' relationship is discovered, they split apart painfully — one bitterly denies her sexuality and the other has a protracted nervous breakdown — while Mouse finds herself awkwardly positioned between them both. There are some over-obvious touches here (Mouse's bond with a wise old gardener; a bird of prey repeatedly used as a symbol; several long sequences set to weepy love-lost ballads) but overall, Lost and Delirious seems like the real thing, informed by steady doses of truth and passion. Also stars Piper Perabo and Jessica Pare. A special Sneak Peak of Lost and Delirious will be held at Channelside Cinemas on Thursday, Aug. 2, to benefit the brand new alternative film series Reel Queer Cinema. Lost and Delirious opens for a regular run on Aug. 3 at Channelside.
Memento (R) A haunting film about a man who can't trust his own memory. Our hero, Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), has a bizarre condition that makes it impossible for him to remember anything more recent than the night of his wife's brutal murder. Consequently, he travels from place to place searching for her killer, tattooing upon his own body the clues that he uncovers, clues that he would instantly forget if not for the fact that they were indelibly imprinted on his skin. Memento actually tells its story in reverse, but the movie isn't so much a radical experiment as it is a crime thriller in the classic film noir vein — all brooding atmosphere, paranoia and treachery. Also stars Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano.
Moulin Rouge (PG-13) Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman play a star-crossed pair, but the real star of Moulin Rouge is its sense of style: it's all staged as a musical. There's something a little too self-congratulatory and masturbatory, creating something of a dead end street, albeit possibly the most gorgeous and wildly cinematic dead end we may ever see. Playing at Main Street Cinema, Clearwater.
Original Sin (R) A tale set in Cuba a hundred years ago, with Antonio Banderas as a wealthy merchant smitten by a woman who may or may not be what she seems. Also stars Angelina Jolie. Opens Aug. 3 at local theaters.
(Not Reviewed)
Pearl Harbor (PG-13) Almost everything about Michael Bay's movie is epic. Balancing human drama and unabashedly cornball romance with balls-to-the-wall action — and told in big, stirring, simple (occasionally simplistic) strokes — Pearl Harbor is nothing if not a clear attempt to out-Titanic Titanic.
Rush Hour 2 (PG-13) Pretty much everything that happens in this Jackie Chan-Chris Tucker rematch is according to formula, but it's a workable and, for the most part, highly enjoyable formula. The pattern is set in the first few minutes, with a very funny karaoke scene featuring Tucker segueing immediately into a dazzling action set piece with Chan scampering straight up an enormous bamboo scaffolding after a pack of bad guys. The action-comedy mix continues unabated from there, as Chan and Tucker's characters travel from Hong Kong to L.A. to Las Vegas trying to break up a big counterfeiting ring. The movie's a modest success, but, in a dreary summer like this one, sure to rank as one of the highlights (and box office champs) of the season. Also stars John Lone, Roselyn Sanchez and Crouching Tiger's Zhang Ziyi, underused but extremely effective as a sadistic, bomb-loving henchwoman. Opens Aug. 3 at local theaters.
Scary Movie 2 (R) Despite a handful of solid moments, Scary Movie 2 is considerably less fresh and less fun than the original, and even at under 90 minutes, the movie frequently drags.
The Score (R) It's worth sitting through this more or less routine heist movie just for the final 15 minutes. And, of course, to see its stellar cast — Robert DeNiro, Edward Norton and Marlon Brando — in action. The plot's nothing special. De Niro plays a part-time jewel thief looking for a way out of the crime biz; Brando plays the colorful criminal mastermind pushing him to take on one final score; while Norton shows up as the brash newcomer who wants in on the action.
Sexy Beast (R) Gal Dove (Ray Winstone), a retired professional thief, recently relocated from gray, drizzly London to the sunny south of Spain, finds his good life disrupted in a major way when an awful face from the past shows up at his door with an offer he can't refuse. The face belongs to the volatile, barely human gangster Don Logan (Ben Kingsley in a career-topping performance), a London East End equivalent to Joe Pesci's loose cannon in GoodFellas, only scarier.
Shrek (PG) Dreamworks' animated fantasy is a deliciously irreverent bit of make-believe. Mike Myers, who supplies the voice (and personality) for the titular lime-green ogre, is great, as is all the voice talent here. The 3-D-like digital animation is also a treat, but the real star here, for once, is the writing.
Songcatcher (R) Shot on location in the mountains of North Carolina, Songcatcher's unique story takes place a century ago and concerns a strong-willed female musicologist (Janet McTeer) who treks through the wilds of Appalachia collecting and recording American ballads. Along the way, our heroine finds herself embroiled in all manner of backwoods melodrama (including a little romance for herself) much of which is at least a bit too predictable or picturesque. What redeems Songcatcher is a sense of authenticity, the incredible music that fills the film and some interesting (albeit occasionally heavy handed) feminist politics.
Swordfish (R) Form blows away content in this extremely stylish, fast-paced but (although you'll hardly have a chance to notice) fairly ordinary thriller about a high-tech heist. John Travolta stars as master cyber-criminal Gabriel Shear. Hugh Jackman (Wolverine from X-Men) supplies the human interest as the hacker, and Halle Berry shows plenty of skin as an enigmatic gang member. Good fun while we're watching it, but a day or two later it's hard to remember much about Swordfish.
—Reviewed entries by Lance Goldenberg unless otherwise noted
This article appears in Aug 2-8, 2001.