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Movie Log

Movies are rated on a letter-grade scale, from A to F. Opinions by R-J movie critic Carol Cling (C.C.) or R-J entertainment writer Mike Weatherford (M.W.) are indicated by initials. Other opinions are from wire service critics.

Motion Picture Association of America ratings:

G - General audiences, all ages.

PG - Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13 - Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children under 13.

R - Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or guardian.

NC-17 - No one under 17 admitted.

NR - Not rated.

ADVENTURES IN WILD CALIFORNIA

(B) Now playing at Luxor's Imax Theatre, this crowd-pleasing journey takes viewers through some spectacular scenery, throwing in snapshots of pioneers and inventors (from John Muir to Walt Disney) with thrilling segments on dizzying stunt sportsmen who surf in the sky, snowboard on Sierra slopes and ride monster waves in Half Moon Bay. Jimmy Smits narrates, explaining that California's unique geography, its edge-of-America flavor and open spirit inspire people to take chances. But the giant-screen visual experience is the reason to go, with awe-inspiring views of Yosemite's towering peaks and trees, the rugged Pacific coast and everything in between. (47 min.) NR; all ages.

ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE

(B) In 1914, a young linguist and cartographer (voiced by Michael J. Fox) joins an intrepid undersea odyssey to find the fabled lost city of Atlantis. James Garner (the crusty mission commander), Leonard Nimoy (the ancient Atlantean king), "Frasier's" John Mahoney and the late Jim "Ernest" Varney join the vocal team in an animated adventure from Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise ("Beauty and the Beast") that plays like a live-action romp. No talking animals, no musical numbers, just otherworldly vistas and out-of-this-world animation. And if "Atlantis" seems a bit more mechanical, a bit less magical than many of its legendary predecessors, perhaps we've sailed these waters a bit too often for it to feel like anything other than a pleasure cruise to a diverting but awfully familiar destination. (96 min.) PG; action violence. (C.C.)

BANDITS

(B-) "Jules and Jim" meets "Bonnie and Clyde" meets "The Odd Couple" in this fast-paced buddy/road/caper movie about mismatched bank robbers (Bruce Willis, as a macho Oscar Madison, and the hilariously fussy, Felix-esque Billy Bob Thornton) and the manic-depressive femme fatale (an adorably annoying Cate Blanchett) who comes between them. All over the map figuratively as well as literally, "Bandits" falls apart as soon as you start thinking about it. But while it's on the road, and you're along for the ride, director Barry Levinson and his merry cast of maniacs (including the latest addition to the Fonda acting dynasty, Jane's son Troy Garrity, as the gang's dim-bulb getaway driver) keep the comic wheels in motion, even when "Bandits" threatens to run out of gas. (123 min.) PG-13; sexual situations, profanity, violence. (C.C.)

BONES

(C) The ghost of onetime ghetto king Jimmy Bones (Snoop Dogg) seeks payback for his murder 22 years before, haunting an abandoned tenement an ambitious buppie (Khalil Khan) plans to transform into a dance hall. Pam Grier (as the friendly neighborhood psychic) and "The Pretender's" Michael T. Weiss (as a crooked cop) co-star for "Juice" director Ernest Dickerson. The jury's still out on Snoop Dogg can act, but at least "Bones" proves he can be plenty scary, and he does look flash all pimped-out in '70s mack-daddy fashions. (96 min.) R; violence and gore, profanity, sexual situations, drug use.

CORKY ROMANO

(F) A hapless vehicle for "Saturday Night Live's" Chris Kattan, as the unacceptably sunny scion of a major mob family, palmed off as the world's most unlikely FBI agent. It's common knowledge that if you're interested in anything remotely resembling bright, sophisticated humor, wit or even smart physical comedy, you should steer clear of anything starring anyone from "SNL." Abysmal on every level, "Corky" strands such capable performers as Peter Falk, Peter Berg, Chris Penn, Fred Ward and Richard Roundtree. It also confirms every suspicion you might have had about the man behind Mango the exotic dancer, the Roxbury Guys or the simian Mr. Peppers: Kattan is a guy you can laugh at, but very infrequently with. In other words, "Corky" ought to put a cork in it. (86 min.) PG-13; profanity, drug- and sex-related humor.

CYBERWORLD 3D

(B-) What you see is what you get -- and what you see will whet your appetite for coming attractions in the world of three-dimensional computer animation with this grab-bag of eight segments, now showing at Luxor's Imax Theatre. "CyberWorld 3D" ranges from the experimental to the comedic, with the trippy "Monkey Brain Sushi," the ethereal "Flipbook/Waterfall City," the Pet Shop Boys' "Liberation" and the haunting cyber-circus of "Tonight's Performance" illustrating the medium's aesthetic potential. Yet it's the more humorous segments -- especially an "Antz" dance sequence and "Simpsons' " Halloween segment -- that fully establish the power of three-dimensional animation to capture and captivate audiences. (44 min.) G; all ages. (C.C.)

DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE

(C-) Low Travoltage: John Travolta returns to thriller territory, playing a divorced father desperate to protect his son (Matt Barnes) from his new stepfather (Vince Vaughn), who may be a killer. Teri Polo ("Meet the Parents") and Steve Buscemi (a standout, as usual) co-star for director Harold Becker, who's come a long way -- down -- from "Sea of Love." Unlike that compelling thriller, this one is a junky, obvious button-pusher, pure product and proud of it. If the premise interests you at all, rent 1987's "The Stepfather" instead. It's everything "Domestic Disturbance" isn't: taut, suspenseful, unpredictable, and not the slightest bit condescending. (88 min.) PG-13; violence, brief sexual situations, profanity.

FROM HELL

(B-) As the notorious Jack the Ripper terrorizes 1888 London, slaying prostitutes in the city's East End, a troubled police inspector (cinematic chameleon Johnny Depp) tracks him down with help from a streetwalker (Heather Graham) who knows the victims and a physician (Ian Holm) who knows the killer's methods. "Menace II Society" directors Allen and Albert Hughes seem a strange choice for this period tale, but "From Hell's" grimly atmospheric portrait of Victorian London overpowers the script's inconsistencies, enabling the movie to generate a genuine sense of dread as the Ripper wreaks the sort of bloody (and we do mean bloody) havoc that, a century later, would have made him an instant star on the tabloid TV circuit. (123 min.) R; extreme violence and gore, profanity, nudity, sexual situations, drug use. (C.C.)

HEIST

(B) Love makes the world go 'round. Love of loot, that is, when a veteran thief (Gene Hackman, in prime form) finds himself forced to pull one final job to satisfy the demands of his fence (Danny DeVito). David Mamet writes and directs this twisty thriller, which boasts a solid-gold pedigree (including a co-starring cast that includes Delroy Lindo, "The Green Mile's" Sam Rockwell and Mamet regular Ricky Jay) but never quite lives up to its 24-karat promise. (110 min.) R; profanity, violence. (C.C.)

JURASSIC PARK III

(C) Director Joe Johnston ("October Sky," "Jumanji") takes over for the third chapter of the dino-mighty franchise, in which paleontologist Alan Grant (Sam Neill) is lured to Isla Sorna, the dinosaur-infested "Site B" adjacent to the infamous Isla Nublar, by a wealthy couple (William H. Macy, Téa Leoni) with a hidden agenda. Those mammoth dinosaurs (including a new menace, the gigantic Spinosaurus) still look amazingly convincing, but by the other "Jurassic" elements seem so routine that the whole thing plays out the way you'd expect: perfunctorily, obligingly, without much enthusiasm and with very little terror. It also violates one of the cardinal rules of sci-fi: don't create characters the audience will want to see eaten at the earliest possible moment. (92 min.) PG-13; intense sci-fi terror and violence. (C.C.)

K-PAX

(C+) When a gentle, mysterious man (Kevin Spacey, showing off his technique) turns up at New York's Grand Central Station, claiming to be from a distant planet, he winds up at a psychiatric hospital where a dedicated therapist (Jeff Bridges, subtle and precise as always) tries to break through his delusions -- assuming they are delusions -- in an ambitious comedy-drama that aims to explore the contrasts between head and heart. "K-Pax" may have its heart in the right place, but its head doesn't always go along for the ride, often treating its intriguing premise in a superficial, beer-commercial kind of way. As a result, watching it sometimes resembles a cross-country car trip in which stirring sights alternate with long stretches of seemingly endless highway. (124 min.) PG-13; violent images, brief profanity, mature themes. (C.C.)

THE LAST CASTLE

(C+) A once-legendary Army general (a craggily iconic Robert Redford), court-martialed and stripped of his rank, arrives to serve his sentence at a maximum-security military prison, putting him on a collision course with a cruel warden who's never seen combat ("The Sopranos' " James Gandolfini, overdoing the descent-into-despotism thing). This initially intriguing, ultimately routine melodrama has a haven't-we-met-before look, as befits its blend of elements from such classic confrontations as "Cool Hand Luke," "The Caine Mutiny" and "Stalag 17" (with "You Can Count On Me's" terrific Mark Ruffalo as the resident cynic). Despite director Rod Lurie's delusions of profundity, "The Last Castle" has a certain schlocky appeal, thanks to consistently watchable performances and a slam-bang finale that neatly illustrates Lurie's talents for staging action and manipulating the audience in equal measure. (120 min.) R; violence, profanity. (C.C.)

LIFE AS A HOUSE

(B-) "American Beauty"-style family dysfunction meets disease-of-the-week melodrama in a heart-tugging hybrid that rises above its cutesy contrivances and mawkishness -- at least some of the time -- by some superior performances. Chief among them: Kevin Kline, as an oddball architect who gets one last chance to realize a dream -- building a dream home overlooking the sea -- and one last chance to win the love of his alienated teen-age son (the intense, compelling Hayden Christensen, who plays Anakin Skywalker in "Star Wars: Episode Two"). The endlessly luminous Kristin Scott Thomas shines in an underwritten role as Kline's ex-wife; the relationships among these three may not always ring true, but their performances always do. (128 min.) R; sexual situation, nudity, drug use, profanity. (C.C.)

THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE

(B+) Film-buff filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen, fresh from their odyssey to the sunny Depression-era South (in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"), journey to darker territory in this award-winning thriller, set in 1949, about a disgruntled small-town barber (Billy Bob Thornton, in a spectacularly deadpan performance) who turns blackmailer -- and more -- when he discovers that his wife (Frances McDormand, Mrs. Joel Coen in real life) is cheating on him with her blustery boss ("The Sopranos' " James Gandolfini). Filmed by the Coens' genius cinematographer, Roger Deakins, in glorious black-and-white, this James M. Cain-style melodrama boasts the Coens' trademark perverse humor and period precision, playfully sparking memories of such noir classics as "Double Indemnity," "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and "Kiss Me Deadly" as it weaves a peculiarly compelling spell all its own. (116 min.) R; violence. (C.C.)

MONSTERS INC.

(B+) Another winner from the wonderful folks at Pixar (who brought you both "Toy Story" tales and "A Bug's Life"), this computer-animated romp focuses on the thriving metropolis of Monstropolis, where a pair of monster pals (voiced by John Goodman and Billy Crystal) match wits with a scheming rival (voiced by "Domestic Disturbance's" Steve Buscemi) and -- horrors! -- a human toddler who inadvertently ventures into the monsters' realm. In these days of terrorist attacks and anthrax-by-mail scares, we're all in desperate need of shared experiences that offer precious diversion. "Monsters Inc." answers the call with sprightly spirit, providing jolly good (and definitely welcome) fun for youngsters of all ages. (92 min.) G; not-so-scary monsters. (C.C.)

MYSTERIES OF EGYPT

(B+) Returning to a most appropriate venue, the Luxor Imax Theatre, this National Geographic tour features Egypt's greatest star, Omar Sharif, recounting his homeland's legends for the benefit of his on-screen granddaughter ("The Secret Garden's" Kate Maberly). As he shares the myths and magic of the chambers of the sacred tomb of King Tutankhamen, his words open up like a huge picture book -- and we're invited to look over his shoulder as he escorts her through magnificent Egypt, sharing intimate views of its treasures. Watching "Mysteries of Egypt" -- and pondering the staggering 5,000 years of history it represents -- it almost seems as though the pyramids were built with the giant-format Imax camera in mind. (45 min.) NR; all ages.

THE ONE

(D+) That Ariel of martial arts, Jet Li, goes head-to-head with his evil doppelganger in a futuristic no-brainer spanning multiple universes. They walk alike, they talk alike, at times they even stalk alike. You could lose your mind -- and you will. Hard rock, soft brains, flying feet: the stuff that a snarky 16-year-old's dreams are made of. Li may be cool, cocky and effortlessly nice-looking, and he can crush a cop between two motorcycles the way one might snuff a candle with one's fingers. But he's far too unthreatening a presence to cause much of a stir amid the din of hard rock music and the pall left by fight choreography that has had every last bit of life digitally drained away. (88 min.) PG-13; intense action violence, profanity.

THE PRINCESS DIARIES

(C) When a shy, klutzy San Francisco teen (Anne Hathaway) discovers she's a real live princess, her formidable grandmother (Julie Andrews) trains her for future regal duties in a plodding comedy from director Garry Marshall ("Runaway Bride") that's as sweet and squeaky-clean as something Walt Disney himself might have produced 40 years ago. The ageless, endlessly classy Andrews (reversing her star-making "My Fair Lady" stage turn) provides the spoonful of genuine sugar that helps the saccharine medicine go down, delivering a performance brimming with queenly sparkle and sprightly fun. But even she can't overcome "Princess' " prevailing message: smarts and inner strength may be fine, but don't forget the makeover, girls, because power without beauty still doesn't play in Hollywood fairy tales. (115 min.) G; nothing objectionable. (C.C.)

RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS

(C+) This fact-based tale follows the tumultuous life of Beverly Donofrio (ever-charming Drew Barrymore, in over her head), whose plan to become a writer winds up on the back burner when she becomes pregnant as a teen-ager, marries her dropout boyfriend ("Joyride's" Steve Zahn, a standout as a lovable loser) and struggles to hold on to her dreams. "Riding in Cars With Boys" has lofty ambitions, focusing on such Big Issues as teen angst, single motherhood, maternal resentment, divorce and that overwhelming sense that life has passed you by. But, with director Penny Marshall at the wheel, it keeps detouring into cutesy-poo nostalgia, betraying Marshall's tendency to milk scenes for slapstick laughs. That is, when she's not tugging (and tugging and tugging) at our heartstrings. (131 min.) PG-13; drug use, sexual situations, mature themes. (C.C.)

THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

(B+) Time to do the Time Warp again -- midnight Saturdays at the Paradise Cinema -- with the original, outrageously clever 1975 horror movie spoof, which details the gender-bending shocks awaiting sweet and innocent Brad and Janet (future Tony-winner Barry Bostwick and future Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon) after they stumble into the strange old house inhabited by sweet transvestite Dr. Frank N. Furter (Tim Curry) and his freaky friends from the planet Transylvania. (100 min.) R; profanity, sexual situations. (C.C.)

RUSH HOUR 2

(B-) It's reunion time for the fleetest feet in the East and the flippest lip in the West as mismatched buddy cops Lee (Jackie Chan) and Carter (Chris Tucker) reunite to tangle with a Chinese crime lord (the imperious John Lone), tracking him from Hong Kong to the Las Vegas Strip. This zippy sequel to the 1998 original co-stars Zhang Ziyi ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"), Vegas veteran Alan King ("Casino") and the venerable Desert Inn, which plays the fictional Red Dragon hotel-casino. "Rush Hour 2" doesn't exactly break new ground, but if you're in the mood for another one just like the other one, "Rush Hour 2" delivers with raucous energy. (90 min.) PG-13; action violence, profanity, sexual references. (C.C.)

SERENDIPITY

(B-) Once upon a time, in a fun city called New York, Jonathan (John Cusack of "America's Sweethearts") and Sara ("Pearl Harbor's" Kate Beckinsale) share a magical Manhattan evening, despite the fact that each is involved with someone else -- and must trust destiny to determine if their chance encounter equals a lasting fascination. Pure confection, brainless but very, very sweet, and funnier than you might expect (especially when supporting players Jeremy Piven and John Corbett are stealing scenes), "Serendipity" is totally improbable, shamelessly sentimental and channels more romantic fantasies than can possibly be good for your cardiovascular system. It's a big gooey love letter, largely to Manhattan. The timing couldn't be -- well, more serendipitous. (93 min.) PG-13; sexual situations, brief profanity. (C.C.)

SHALLOW HAL

(C+) The ultimate shallow guy, the loutish Hal Larsen ("High Fidelity" scene-stealer Jack Black) won't date a woman with less-than-supermodel looks, until a hypnotic encounter with self-help guru Tony Robbins alters his perception and allows him to see inner beauty, leading to his instant infatuation with an overweight Peace Corps volunteer who looks, at least to him, just like Gwyneth Paltrow. Going for the heart rather than the solar plexus (and the funny bone), filmmaking brothers Peter and Bobby Farrelly ("There's Something About Mary") haven't yet learned how to balance sentimentality and laughs. "Shallow Hal" deserves points for dealing with weight-based discrimination, but not too many, because it's not really about the pain of being treated as nothing more than the number on your bathroom scale; it's about the pain of being the boyfriend of someone who's treated that way. Overall, it has nothing to add to that old adage: "Beauty is only skin deep." And, alas, the laughs are even shallower than that. (113 min.) PG-13; profanity, sexual situations and references. (C.C.)

SHREK

(B+) An ornery ogre (voiced by Mike Myers with an endearing Scottish burr) teams up with a wise-cracking donkey (voiced by Eddie Murphy, in prime jive-talking form) to rescue Princess Fiona (perfectly plucky Cameron Diaz) from a fire-breathing dragon -- and the even more fearsome clutches of the villainous Lord Farquaad (a gleefully evil John Lithgow) -- in a fractured, computer-animated fairy tale packed with hilariously irreverent pop-culture references. (The Disney digs are particularly delightful.) Along with its state-of-the-art computer imagery, "Shrek" boasts a smart, savvy (and occasionally rude-and-crude) script that offers equal amusement for young and old alike. "Shrek" may not be an ever-after storybook tale for the ages, but it'll certainly make you happy for the foreseeable future. (89 min.) PG; mild profanity, crude humor. (C.C.)

13 GHOSTS

(D) After updating "The House on Haunted Hill" in 1999, executive producers Robert Zemeckis and Joel Silver mangle another vintage William Castle chiller, this one about an impoverished family who inherit an old house from an eccentric uncle and lives -- or do they? -- to regret it. Oscar-winning F. Murray Abraham joins Tony Shalhoub, Shannon Elizabeth, Alec Roberts, Embeth Davidtz and Matthew Lillard in the starring cast of this murky, gruesome muddle, the type of project that all parties concerned will have to live down for the rest of their lives. Like the original, it trues to combine humor and horror. Unlike the original, it excels at neither. (90 min.) R; violence and gore, nudity, profanity.

TRAINING DAY

(B) Hoping to advance his career, an idealistic rookie cop (subtle, solid Ethan Hawke) joins a veteran narcotics officer (Denzel Washington, in a standout, if slightly show-offy star turn) for a ride-along to see if he has what it takes to make it on the mean streets of L.A., discovering a world of violence and corruption he never expected. In premise, this gritty thriller emerges as a hip-hop cousin to all those venerable Westerns in which a seasoned lawman shares his sadder-but-wiser wisdom with a young deputy. But 21st-century Los Angeles is no Dodge City, and being a good guy isn't quite the white-hat, black-hat proposition it used to be. In its zeal to ride the edge, "Training Day" zooms perilously close to the preposterous a little too often for its own good. But every time it does, Washington and Hawke ride to the rescue. (120 min.) R; strong brutal violence, pervasive profanity, drug use, brief nudity. (C.C.)

ZOOLANDER

(B) Male models go pose to pose in a giddy, goofy, if not exactly iconoclastic, sendup of fashion, ego and global economics. Ben Stiller (who also co-writes and directs) stars as the self-adoring, dumb-as-hairspray Derek Zoolander, the world's top male model, who may be dressed to kill but finds a greater purpose in life when he takes on the fashion underworld and gives his adoring fans a real reason to stand up and cheer. Political correctness goes out the window, but you can't blame the beautiful and daft (including dependably dopey co-star Owen Wilson as Zoolander's chief rival in the male model hierarchy) for being daft and funny. The momentum of "Zoolander" is toward total inanity, and anyone caught in its wake seems totally inane too. But the results are a refreshingly funny movie. And that couldn't be more timely. (90 min.) PG-13; sexual situations, drug references.