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=Excellent
=Very good =Average = Not worth it 
=BOMBA
Cautionary tale about what happens to
a young first-time felon (Edward Furlong) after he's thrown into
hard-core prison life. Director Steve Buscemi's film has been
highly touted for its realistic portrayal of life behind bars.
Furlong's character, imprisoned for a drug offense, is taken under
the wing of a veteran convict played with authenticity by Willem
Dafoe. Not for the faint-of-heart Co-stars Seymour Cassel, Tom
Arnold and Mickey Rourke. Rated R.
B
Jamie Foxx displayed a considerable talent for comedy during his stint on TV's "In Living Color," all of which seems to have been wasted on this often offensive movie about a small time crook who accidentally finds out where $42 million in gold bullion has been stashed. But Foxx then becomes the bait in an elaborate game of cat-and-mouse set up by the FBI - who implant a tracking device on him while he's in jail - to catch the cold-blooded killer who's hidden the gold. Director Antoine Fuqua goes for the lowest common denominator for laughs. Co-stars David Morse, Doug Hutchison, Robert Pastorelli and Kimberly Elise. Rated R.
John Travolta became the poster child for pet film projects gone awry with this adaptation of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard's acclaimed science fiction novel. From the crazy tilted-angle shots to the phoney-baloney costumes to the performances that hit a level somewhere below a-very-special "Facts of Life" episode, this film is bad all the way around. Story concerns a distant future earth that has become enslaved by a race of nine-foot-tall dreadlocked aliens called Psychlos, led by Travolta himself, and the one human being who is able to sow the seeds of revolution. Director Roger Christian fails to make elements of dated sci-fi story work in the age of "The Matrix" and "Star Wars: Episode I." May be good for a "bad movie night" if you've got someone at the party who is good at heckling. Co-stars Barry Pepper and Forrest Whitaker. Rated PG-13.
C
If only independent filmmakers didn't
take themselves so seriously. Otherwise there might be more out
there with the nerve to live up to the antics of the fictionalized
director in John Waters' latest quirky effort. Stephen Dorff plays
an edgy underground filmmaker (not unlike Waters himself) named
Cecil B. DeMented who, along with a gang of his followers calling
themselves the Sprocket Holes, kidnap a Hollywood diva (Melanie
Griffith) and force her to star in his bizarre movie. Funny, but
certainly odd. Co-stars Alicia Witt, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Larry
Gilliard Jr. Not rated, but contains mature themes.
Katrin Cartlidge plays the title character, an Irish immigrant who is forced to work as a call girl in Manhattan to pay off a never-ending debt to her pimp (Colm Meaney). When her mother dies in a nursing home, she tries to disengage herself from "the life" and hooks up with a cab driver (Vincent D'Onofrio), even moving to Newark, N.J. to make like normal. But, somehow, "the life" proves too difficult to leave behind. Not rated.
Sweet young Jersey girl, who aspires to become a professional songwriter in New York City, finds it's harder than she thought so decides to make some cash by auditioning to work as a bartender at a notorious saloon called "Coyote Ugly." Tough enough, but toss in the fact the female bartenders there wear skimpy outfits and perform strip club-style routines on the bar while fending off the advances of slobbery patrons and you get the picture. Based on a GQ magazine article about a New York bar run by women, this sexy romantic comedy-drama is actually not as bad as it seems. Stars Piper Perabo, Maria Bello, Tyra Banks and John Goodman. Rated PG-13.
D
Based on the Fox Kids Network popular animated series (from Japan's Toei Animation) about digital monsters who live mostly in the digital world but nevertheless can wreak havoc in the real world. In this feature, good Digimon and their kid friends battle a bad Internet Digimon who is destroying worldwide communications. Not very interesting. Rated PG.
Disney's computer-generated epic set in the age of thunder lizards could have been a magnificent achievement had the studio not given in to its marketing department and endowed the dinosaurs with human characteristics and wisecracking dialogue. Still, during a breath-taking - and wordless - opening sequence you get a taste of what could've been. Story follows the fate of Aladar, a huge iguanodon (voiced by D.B. Sweeney) who, as an egg, becomes isolated on an island populated only by lithe little lemurs who, after he hatches, raise him as their own. In a scene reminiscent of "Fantasia's" "Rite of Spring" episode, a now-grown up Aladar and his lemur buddies escape during a cataclysmic meteor shower. On dry land, they join a group of various other dinosaurs on a perilous trek to find a fabled land of plenty. (Does the "Land Before Time" animated film series ring a bell?) Voices include Ossie Davis, Joan Plowright, Della Reese, Alfre Woodard and Julianna Margulies. Rated PG.
Image is king in the entertainment world
and Bruce Willis' character in this movie is number one at making
even garbage smell sweet. But the problem is that he's a total
adult who has never been able to acknowledge his inner child -
until one day when suddenly he comes face-to-face with a boy who
very likely is himself at age 8. The boy is, of course, everything
he isn't: chubby, sloppy, ill-mannered and vulnerable. The two
eventually help each other to come to grips with both the past
and present, paving the way for a much better future. An effective
film that may work best when seen by the whole family. Co-stars
Spencer Breslin, Emily Mortimer, Lily Tomlin and Jean Smart. Rated
PG.
Robert Altman ensemble comedy about a doctor who appears to have it all - a thriving practice frequented by adoring, good-looking women; a loving wife and a cheerleading daughter. But things begin to unravel as his wife has a nervous breakdown, the soon-to-be-married daughter has a thing for her maid of honor and he falls for a local female golf pro. Oh yes - there's a typical big Altman crazy-quilt wedding and a Texas twister on the way. Stars Richard Gere, Helen Hunt, Farrah Fawcett, Laura Dern, Shelley Long, Kate Hudson and Liv Tyler. Rated R
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You get two Jim Carreys for the price of one in this off-center comedy by those infamous Farrelly Brothers, makers of "There's Something About Mary." In this movie, Carrey plays a Rhode Island state trooper named, Charlie, whose life has been the subject of a long series of abuses, among which include the time his first wife ran off with a black midget chauffeur leaving him with twin boys to raise by himself. Not one to make trouble, Charlie keeps it all inside - until he snaps and a nutjob alter-ego emerges named, Hank. Where Charlie was all smiles and easy-going calm, Hank is rude, crude and lusty, which puts Charlie's employment status in doubt. Given one last chance, Charlie gets assigned to escort a hit-and-run suspect named, Irene (Renee Zellweger), to court. Naturally things get out of hand. Co-stars Robert Forster. Rated R.
Australian comedian Yahoo Serious directs
and stars in this picture about a happy-go-lucky guy, employed
as a handy man at a massive egg factory, who attempts to foil
a plan by his new boss who wants to take over the world by spiking
eggs with nicotine. No worries, it's all for fun, that is if you
can stand the director's peculiar style of humor. Co-stars Helen
Dallimore. Rated PG-13.
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Latest adventure finds Scooby, Shaggy
and Scrappy taking jobs at Miss Grimwood's Academy for Girls,
leading them into an eerie adventure. Turns out the students are
daughters of the world's most famous monsters. When a sinister
sorceress tries to kidnap the girls - Elsa Frankenstein, Winnie
the Werewolf and Sibella Dracula - the boys move in to save the
day. Not rated.
In case you missed the recent theatrical
screening here by Taos Talking Pictures, here's your chance to
catch this worthwhile film. Set against the backdrop of racial
tensions and industrial unrest in the Welsh Valleys of 1911, this
award-winning romantic drama by director Paul Morrisson tells
the passionate story of illicit love between a Welsh girl and
a Jewish boy. Stars Ioan Gruffudd and Nia Roberts. Rated R.
T
U - X
This sequel in which a series of murders are committed based on contemporary folk tales hits a brick wall after dumping its original premise and basically follows the same old slasher plot. Killings center on those who worked on a student film at Alpine University, where the Alfred Hitchcock Award is to die for, so to speak. Stars Jennifer Morrison, Mathew Davis and Hart Bochner. Rated R
Sex comedy about three friends, would-be
lotharios who meet every Sunday at a diner to discuss their conquests
with women, who all fall for the same woman (played coarsely by
Amanda Peet). Unbeknownst to them - or despite the truth facing
them - the young woman plays them all for chumps. Film made news
when ratings board nearly gave it an NC-17 because of the language
alone. Co-stars Brian Van Holt. Rated R
While on hiatus during the production
of "Cast Away," director Robert Zemeckis churned out
this spooky little thriller that wound up doing quite well at
the box office. Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer play a happily
married couple living in beautiful rural Vermont. He's a workaholic
professor; she's a talented musician who's set her profession
aside. Everything seems idyllic, but there is an air of mystery
surrounding the circumstances of a car accident that happened
to Pfeiffer's character the year before, along with a growing
number of strange occurrences, some of which may be tied to their
seemingly reclusive new neighbors. Zemeckis takes a page from
Alfred Hitchcock's primer on suspense by dropping little hints
regarding the origin of supernatural frights that begin plaguing
the couple. Ending, though, is just plain silly. Watch for a hilarious
bit of dark humor involving actor James Remar making fun of something
his character is suspected of doing. Co-stars Diana Scarwid and
Joe Morton. Rated PG-13.
Why director Curtis Hanson's ("L.A.
Confidential") movie wasn't received well at the box office
or by critics hasn't been exactly explained, but we do know that
it was rereleased to theaters in time to remind Oscar-voters what
a good movie somebody thought it was. And it is, to a point. Michael
Douglas plays a disheveled, pot-smoking English professor with
one successful novel under his belt and seven years of writer's
block. He's having an affair with the college chancellor - who
happens to be the wife of the English department chairman - and
seems content to let one semester pass into another until he meets
and befriends an oddball student (the overrated Tobey Maguire)
who seems to embody the potential he once had. Co-stars Frances
McDormand, Robert Downey Jr., Katie Holmes and Richard Thomas.
Rated R.
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