Lawrence.com

Along Came a Spider

"Kiss the Girls" was probably off the radar in most people's minds as a picture that warranted a sequel. But "Along Came a Spider" weaves enough slick action sequences and screwy plot twists to give an audience its money's worth. And it manages to stay clear of its predecessor's over-worn contrivance of "the serial killer," instead focusing on an espionage-heavy tale. Morgan Freeman reprises his role as Det. Alex Cross, and he brings the requisite gravity to a thriller about a terrorist (Michael Wincott) who has kidnapped the young daughter of a U.S. senator from an elite private school. Despite Wincott's effectively restrained portrayal as the "bad guy," the rest of the cast flounders, especially bland blonde Monica Potter, who plays the secret service agent partner of Cross. Director Lee Tamahori ("The Edge") keeps the pacing lively enough that he doesn't allow the audience time to linger on the many plot implausibilities that pile up at an alarming rate. (R) -- JN

** 1/2 Southwind Twelve, 3433 Iowa.

Before Night Falls

Thanks to an engrossing performance by Javier Bardem and imaginative direction by painter Julian Schnabel (who also helmed "Basquiat"), "Before Night Falls" is a biopic that feels worthy of its hero, the late Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas. The author, whose memoir is the basis for the film, was persecuted in his native land because of his questioning attitude and homosexuality. While Arenas' life was full of misfortunes (he was born an illegitimate child and contracted AIDS while in exile), Schnabel's gorgeous images and consistent incorporation of the author's text give the film a sense of wonder and the viewer a sincere appreciation of Arenas' talent. Despite some slack pacing toward the end, "Before Night Falls" forcefully argues that the world is a lesser place because Arenas is no longer in it. (R) -- DL

*** Liberty Hall Cinemas, 644 Mass.

Blow

Johnny Depp plays real-life cocaine smuggler George Jung, who helped popularize the drug in 1970s America. Depp doesn't quite make Jung likable, but he does make him human, despite the fact that our "hero" isn't terribly bright (he never figures out that actually leaving the business might make his life a little easier). Director Ted Demme tries to energize the script, but it's simply too repetitive and lacking in real tension. Ultimately, the strongest impression made by "Blow" comes from a last-frame picture of the real George Jung, looking like hell as he serves out his latest prison sentence. It's a gut-level reminder of how far someone can sink in pursuit of the twisted American Dream. (R) -- LL

** 1/2 Southwind Twelve, 3433 Iowa.

Bridget Jones's Diary

British author Helen Fielding's novel "Bridget Jones's Diary" has become such a part of popular culture that even those who have not read the book are likely to be familiar with the central character and her futile but amusingly optimistic quest for self-improvement. For the most part, novice feature director Sharon Maguire, working from a script by Fielding, Andrew Davies (the television adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice") and Richard Curtis ("Notting Hill"), manages to recapture the outrageous situations and the attitudes in the book. Texan Renee Zellweger's agreeable performance of the world's most famous English singleton helps keep the film afloat despite a limp romantic rivalry between Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. It's hard not to like a movie that features a funny cameo by persecuted "Satanic Verses" author Salman Rushdie. Bridget Jones's musings may have been funnier in print, but they don't lose their impact on screen. (R) -- DL

*** Southwind Twelve, 3433 Iowa.

Chocolat

The latest flick from director Lasse Hallstrom is as light and charming as his "The Cider House Rules" was somber. A stiff, fussy French community is turned upside down when a single mother (Juliette Binoche, "The English Patient") opens up a chocolate shop in the middle of Lent. Her treats have an oddly medicinal quality that makes some locals addicts and the mayor (Alfred Molina) an enemy. While the supporting cast is splendid, Binoche's delightfully low-key performance anchors the flick. The endearing characters and the director's storybook tone make for some tasty (if fattening) cinema. (PG-13) -- DL

*** Plaza Six, 2339 Iowa.

Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles

Paul Hogan should stick with doing commercials. His laconic charm may make driving a Subaru station wagon seem adventurous, but it doesn't excuse this second lame reworking of his 1986 hit. Hogan and his co-screenwriters Matthew Berry and Eric Abrams recycle several of the memorable gags from the first movie (like his struggles with modern bathroom appliances, his bushman's ability to thwart muggers and the corny jokes about gays) to diminishing returns. The resulting film has an anemic storyline that makes it seem about as appetizing as 30-day-old leftovers from the Outback Steakhouse. Those who need their fix of Australian accents and "no worries" attitude are better off watching the far superior "The Dish." (PG) -- DL

* Southwind Twelve, 3433 Iowa.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

In the hands of director Ang Lee ("Ride with the Devil"), the fight between two warriors (Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh) and two bandits (Chen Pei-Pei and Zhang Ziyi) for ownership of a 400-year-old sword becomes as urgent as a Biblical prophecy come true. While Lee is known for more introspective fare such as "The Ice Storm" and "Sense and Sensibility," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is loaded with eye-popping hand-to-hand battle scenes. It also contains many of the low-key dramatic touches that marked Lee's earlier films. For example, the actors make statements that are at odds with what their faces are telling the camera. Because of the care and detail devoted to each frame, "Crouching Tiger" is one of those rare films where the spectacle never comes at the expense of the story. As with the fabled sword itself, the elements combine into a lethally potent alloy. (PG-13) -- DL

**** Liberty Hall Cinemas, 644 Mass.

Driven

Sylvester Stallone's career suffers another fiery crash in this insipid action movie, whose only redeeming feature is about 45 minutes of fantastic racing scenes. Sly plays a washed-up driver who mentors a young hotshot (Kip Pardue from "Remember the Titans"), while all sorts of personal melodramas play out off the track. Stallone, who also wrote the script, can't even say his own dialogue with any conviction, and director Renny Harlin ("Deep Blue Sea") shoots the entire film in the same hyper, rapid-fire style he uses for the racing footage, as if this would somehow make the story more interesting. It doesn't. (PG) -- LL

** 1/2 Southwind Twelve, 3433 Iowa.

Enemy at the Gates

Inspired by one of the Soviet national heroes of World War II, "Enemy at the Gates" is an engrossing tale of two opposing snipers amid the backdrop of the Battle of Stalingrad. Jude Law plays Vassili Zaitsev, a humble Russian marksman groomed by an idealistic Communist officer (Joseph Fiennes) who believes the sharpshooter can be a weapon of propaganda for an army that is losing hope. When the sniper's exploits reach Berlin, a deadly Nazi major (Ed Harris) is dispatched to kill him, and the two begin a game of cat and mouse through the crumbling remnants of the city. Director Jean-Jacques Annaud mounts an ambitious war story with some harrowing, frenetic battle scenes, which he often films through holes in rubble and cracks in architecture like a sniper adjusting his scope. If the movie has a vulnerable spot, it's that the viewer never reaches much of an emotional connection with the characters -- Fiennes' role is a particular dud. But the quality of the action and intriguing setting compensate for this central flaw. (R) -- JN

*** Plaza Six, 2339 Iowa.

The Forsaken

This teen-market horror flick is basically a cross between "Near Dark" and "John Carpenter's Vampires." Unfortunately, it's a bit more like the latter than the former. "The Forsaken" stars a handful of WB network stars, including Kerr Smith ("Dawson's Creek") and Brendan Fehr ("Roswell"), as two guys chasing down a gang of vampires in the deserts of the Southwest (which is where all vampire movies seem to be set these days). Writer-director J.S. Cardone has complained that the studio cut out much of the film's violence, but what's left is still loud and gruesome enough to satisfy most splatter geeks. It's also extremely derivative, poorly written and more boring than a movie about good-looking bloodsuckers should ever be. (R) -- LL

* 1/2 Plaza Six, 2339 Iowa.

Joe Dirt

Comedian David Spade always has been obsessed with white trash culture. His standup routines have gotten a lot of mileage from Camaro and Def Leppard references, and nowhere does he more fully explore this than in "Joe Dirt." The film is told mainly in flashback, as Dirt (Spade) recounts his sad tale ("It's like a 'Behind the Music' without the music") to a smug radio host (Dennis Miller). It all revolves around Dirt's search for his parents who abandoned him, and his unwitting love for a Daisy Duke-type gal (Brittany Daniel). Miller gets to have amazing verbal bouts at the expense of Dirt's mullet hairstyle ("It looks like Jane Fonda in 'Klute'"), while the movie revels in more crude humor, some of which works (an inspired dog-licking gag) and some that doesn't (a go-nowhere encounter at an alligator farm). Spade carries the role comfortably, mainly because he is willing to look terrible and be humiliated at every turn. The film turns schmaltzy in its final moments and doesn't deliver on the come-uppance required for Dirt's rotten rival, played by someone the audience desperately wishes to see pounded, "rapper" Kid Rock. (PG-13) -- JN

** Southwind Twelve, 3433 Iowa.

The Mummy Returns

Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz return in this sequel to the 1999 hit, proving Hollywood's contention once again that script and characters are irrelevant when you've got really cool special effects. This time, the desecration of an ancient tomb not only brings back the first film's mummy (Arnold Vosloo), but also sets in motion the raising of a fearsome general (wrestler The Rock) and his supernatural army. Writer-director Stephen Sommers keeps the action going non-stop, and outdoes himself at every turn. Sure, the dialogue is lame and the characters are all stereotypes, but who cares? It's got thousands of computer-generated anthropomorphic jackals rampaging across the Egyptian desert, and that's all anyone should really need. (PG-13) -- LL

** 1/2 Southwind Twelve, 3433 Iowa.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

The eccentric Coen brothers combine Greek mythology and the legends of the American South in this somewhat disappointing comedy featuring George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson as a trio of escaped convicts who inadvertently gain fame as a singing group. If the movie's narrative (taken from Homer's "The Odyssey") loses steam at points, the Coen's give Clooney his juiciest role to date (as a hair-obsessed con man). Thanks to some gorgeous imagery, courtesy of cinematographer Roger Deakins and digital tweaking, and a great folk music soundtrack, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" is a decent question to ask even if the answer disappoints. (PG-13) -- DL

** 1/2 Plaza Six, 2339 Iowa.

One Night at McCool's

This black comedy seems to have all the essentials -- a sexy Liv Tyler, a shady Michael Douglas and a smarmy Paul Reiser -- but "One Night at McCool's" seems dated and lifeless. It comes across more like a late '80s TV movie, complete with an appearance by Andrew Dice Clay. A bartender (Matt Dillon), a detective (John Goodman) and a lawyer (Reiser) fall under the spell of an "innocent" but manipulative woman named Jewel (Tyler). Each recounts his experience filtered through his own perception (a la "Rashomon"), while a film noir narration ties the flashbacks together. Though an occasional smirk-inducing moment sneaks in (like a really amusing Village People sight gag), there's a distinct lack of belly laughs. The funniest bit, which involves Reiser's fate, is even spoiled in the trailer ads. The movie brings all its characters together for a decisive confrontation, but rather than settle the twisted relationships through words, the plot resorts to a bloody, violent conclusion. More disappointing than terrible, "One Night at McCool's" is as unambitious as its title. (R) -- JN

* 1/2 Plaza Six, 2339 Iowa.

Someone Like You

This movie is part of the same Single Neurotic Female genre as books like "Bridget Jones's Diary" and TV shows like "Ally McBeal" and "Sex and the City." In this case, the neurotic in question is a talk show producer (Ashley Judd) who gets dumped by her boyfriend (Greg Kinnear) then sets out to prove her "scientific" theory that men are, by nature, bed-hopping jerks. Of course, someone comes along to prove her wrong ("X-Men" star Hugh Jackman). Judd does reasonably well, even with the script's sillier moments, but her character is so utterly clueless, it's hard to sympathize with her -- the urge to yell unfriendly advice at the screen is almost overwhelming at times. That may be appropriate at bad horror movies, but it kind of ruins the mood of a romantic comedy. (PG-13) -- LL

** Plaza Six, 2339 Iowa.

Spy Kids

Normally known for churning out gory movies like "Desperado" and "From Dusk Till Dawn," writer-director Robert Rodriguez fashions an energetic kid's movie that features more creativity and excitement than the last few James Bond movies combined. Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara play a couple of youngsters who have to rescue their secret agent parents (Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino) from a villainous kiddy-show host (Alan Cumming). Rodriguez loads his film with nifty gadgets, like explosive bubble gum, and imaginative creatures (some of whom are literally all-thumbs). With a recent crop of indifferent flicks for children like "Recess: School's Out" and "See Spot Run," it's a pleasure to know that someone who makes these films still takes kids and the parents who have to accompany them seriously. (PG) -- DL

*** Southwind Twelve, 3433 Iowa.

Town and Country

Much has been made of the skyrocketing costs and the creative feuds behind the making of "Town and Country." It has been on the shelf for a couple of years and much of the post production tinkering is apparent. The ending is abrupt and the film fumbles from sequence to sequence with a curious lack of momentum. Warren Beatty stars as a middle-aged architect who risks his marriage by answering the call of his libido. He starts neglecting his wife (Diane Keaton) for her best friend (Goldie Hawn) and a flaky cellist (Nastassja Kinski). There are some choice sequences. Mocking the image detractors have of him, Charlton Heston is a riot as a brusque, rifle-toting tycoon who may have the hots for his own daughter (Andie MacDowell). Nonetheless, it's tough to care about a group of dim, amoral upper class white twits. It's even more difficult when the movie features so many offensive ethnic stereotypes. After parading a collection of Japanese investors, Latino servants and a general condescending attitude toward non-whites, it makes one doubt the liberal credentials of its star. (R) -- DL

* 1/2 Southwind Twelve, 3433 Iowa.