—Curt Holman
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (PG) Ang Lee's poetic reinvention of the martial arts genre takes place in China in the early 19th century (although the look and feel is as magically timeless as the film's characters are eternal), where recently retired master warrior Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) has agreed to take on one final mission to retrieve a prized sword and avenge the death of his master. The other crucial elements to Crouching Tiger's deliriously romantic human schema are Mu Bai's fellow warrior, Yu Shu Lien (Michele Yeoh) — who is deeply in love with him, as is he with her, although each has found it impossible to openly express love — and Jen (Zhang Ziyi), an independent young noblewoman who may not be quite who she appears to be. Crouching Tiger is filled with marvelous archetypes, charismatic performances and, perhaps best of all, some of the most astonishing and lyrical action scenes ever filmed.
Down to Earth (PG-13) Chris Rock plays an amateur comedian whose dream is to play the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. After a traffic accident causes him to be taken off to heaven before his time, he's returned to Earth in the body of a wealthy old white man. The movie is inconsistent, the big laughs spotty. Rock is a talented comedian, but unfortunately Down to Earth does not advance the quality of his film career.
—Cooper Cruz
Enemy at the Gates (R) As the Russian and German armies face off during World War II's decisive battle of Stalingrad, director Jean-Jacques Annaud's engaging new film zeroes in on the personal and very intense war of nerves between two dueling snipers. Jude Law plays the Soviet sharpshooter Vissili Zaitsev, a simple lad who becomes something of folk hero and a major morale booster to the besieged Russian populace. Ed Harris delivers yet another outstanding performance as Konig, the Nazi marksman called in to eliminate Zaitsev, an act designed to break the spirit of the Russian army. The film is engrossing from beginning to end, effectively balanced between the massive, ugly sprawl of the war and the intimate push and pull between its individual characters. It's all shot with a gritty, almost monochromatic palette of pale, metallic blues and grays that perfectly captures the bleak, chaotic times. The Russians are nominally the good guys, of course, but Enemy at the Gates really does believe that war is hell, and the Ruskies are ultimately revealed to be nearly as skanky as the Krauts. Best of all, for some at least, there are no pesky subtitles to read. Also stars Joseph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz.
4
Exit Wounds (R) Steven Seagal, cops and corruption. And Tom Arnold. What more do you need to know? Also starring DMX, Isaiah Washington.
(Not Reviewed)
Fantasia/2000 (G) A perfect choice for the new Channelside IMAX, Fantasia 2000 was designed for that format. The seven animated segments here are basically all over the stylistic map. Amid several attractive but somewhat disposable segments are the movie's two, unmitigated success stories: a depression-era fantasy set to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and peopled with wonderfully stylized Al Hirschfield drawings; and a reprise of the original Fantasia's Sorcercer's Apprentice segment.
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Get Over It (PG-13) In this teen comedy, dude gets the boot from his long-time girlfriend, then turns his attention to his best friend's younger sister. Stars Kirsten Dunst, Ben Foster, Martin Short.
(Not Reviewed)
Hannibal (R) Screenwriters David Mamet and Steven Zaillian do a faithful and reasonably good job adapting this sensationalistic but uninspired sequel to The Silence of the Lambs. Most problematic of all is that we see so much of Dr. Lecter himself that he becomes infinitely less mysterious, interesting and frightening than he was in the original movie, finally coming off as simply routine — much like Hannibal itself. Also stars Ray Liotta and Giancarlo Giannini.
Heartbreakers (PG-13) Heartbreakers is one of those cheerfully idiotic flicks that sticks to a rigid, easily digestible formula where nothing really makes sense and where almost everybody behaves like a moron simply to move the story along. Sigourney Weaver and Jennifer Love Hewitt star as a mother-daughter grifter team who support themselves by defrauding rich, gullible men. The women are repeatedly referred to as clever and even brilliant, but never once rise above being seen as a collective assortment of boobs, butts and legs — a celebration of the female form that comes off as tired, prurient and as hopelessly retarded as something you'd find on an old episode of Three's Company. Also stars Gene Hackman, Jason Lee and Ray Liotta.
