My First Mister (R) This unlikely platonic-love story between a heavily pierced, Goth ice-queen (Leelee Sobieski) and a boring, middle-aged clothing salesman (Albert Brooks) plays out a bit like Ghost World with an infinitely more conventional storyline and a heaping helping of sentimentality. Actress-turned-filmmaker Christine Lahti directs much of My First Mister with a sure hand and a healthy respect for her actors, but the film falters badly during a lazily written last act that threatens to transform itself into a Lifetime made-for-cable weeper. Also stars Carol Kane and Mary Kay Place.
On The Line (PG) Lance Bass, once derisively called the cross-eyed dude in N'Sync by a comic, and fellow member Joey Fatone, make their film debut in the romantic comedy On The Line. Bass plays Kevin Gibbons, a 24-year-old advertising agent who's infamous among his friends for choking when it comes to girls. As fate should have it, Bass meets the girl of his dreams on the El train and amps up his infamy. Not only does he forget to get the mysterious girl's digits, but her first name too. The movie the takes several unexpected twists until Bass steps up to plate. N'Sync fans, and even those over the age of 15, won't be disappointed by these pop icons' invasion of the big screen.
—Casey Jennings 
The One (PG-13) Apparently failing to learn any sort of lesson from all those awful Jean-Claude Van Damme flicks where the Muscle from Brussels plays battling twins, Jet Li takes on himself in this vaguely sci-fi-ish action blow-out. Of course, one Jet Li is worth a dozen Van Dammes, but that's not nearly enough to save this generic mish-mash of The Matrix, Terminator and Twilight Zone. The premise here is that Bad Jet has arrived from a parallel universe to kill Good Jet and absorb his power, leading to a seemingly endless series of extended chases and digitally manipulated fight sequences. The non-stop heavy metal soundtrack is alone enough to drive you from the theater. Also stars Delroy Lindo and Carla Gugino. Opens Nov. 2 at local theaters. 
The Others (PG-13) A good old fashioned spook story, creepy and quietly menacing in an elegant, understated way that hardly ever finds its way into horror movies any more. Nicole Kidman stars as a high-strung widow with two small, sunlight-allergic children and, possibly, a ghost or two hanging about the house. All the right elements are here — weeping and wailing from invisible entities in the night, inanimate objects that take on ominous life, creepy children, withered crones with weird eyes, inscrutable servants with terrible secrets. 
Riding in Cars with Boys (PG-13) Beverly Donofrio (Drew Barrymore) lives out the first two decades of her life of as a nice Catholic girl who gets pregnant at age 15 and then finds her dreams of college and a career constantly squashed by the demands of her dead-end life. The first 90 minutes of this overlong movie are listless, stodgy comedy, alternately screechy and sappy, detailing Bev's life with a small child and well-meaning but simpleminded husband (Steve Zahn). The last half-hour makes a bizarre and unpleasant turn into the realm of bargain-basement soul-searching and soap opera. The cumulative effect, despite a handful of effective moments, is a mess. 
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. 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.
Serendipity (PG-13) Another sticky-sweet and thoroughly uncomplicated romantic comedy about fate and true love, in which the main characters spend the entire movie trying to find each other. The movie is basically harmless but overly long, and its allusions to destiny and mystical connections are just short of pretentious. Stars John Cusack and the chick from Pearl Harbor.
Training Day (R) Rookie narc Ethan Hawke gets in way over his head during his first day on the job, when his partner/mentor (Denzel Washington) turns out to be the worst role-model cop since Harvey Keitel's character in Bad Lieutenant. Washington spends virtually the entire movie indulging in all manner of corrupt, sadistic and immoral behavior, and yet the movie is so essentially clueless it can't resist intermittently making him into some sort of hero in a way that appeals strictly to the audience's basest instincts. Training Day is grimy, confused, ugly and depressing stuff. Just what the world needs now. Also stars Scott Glenn.
