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I Am Sam (PG-13)
Steve Bertrand: Sean Penn stars as Sam, the mentally disabled father of a young girl. Their love is so strong that daughter Lucy begins to withdraw from school rather than grow smarter than her single-parent father. That troubles educators and the state moves in to take custody. Sam is determined to fight. This one pulls at all the heartstrings. Bring the hanky. Penn is fantastic as the determined, but limited father.
Nick: A shameless, manipulative drama about a mentally challenged man and his battle for the custody of his young daughter. Sean Penn (yes, the best actor of his generation is doing a corny film like this) is fine in the lead and he's surrounded by good performers, but Michelle Pfieffer (as his lawyer) is stuck with a horrendously underdeveloped role that leads to an emotional breakdown that is the least convincing I've seen on screen in years. The soundtrack consists of cover versions of classic Beatles' tunes. At first, it's fun to listen to, but it sounds like a bad '70s K-Tel record after a while, and you're left wondering why they didn't just use the original songs. Anyway, the film is manipulative, predictable, too long and ultimately a chore to sit through. I am most disappointed that Penn would even do a film this trite, and when the movie was over, a colleague and fellow Penn fan said to me: "Jeez, that's a film that will make you feel really bad about yourself, huh?" Yep.

I Heart Huckabees (R)
Nick: A wonderfully strange and smashingly original comedy of existential thoughts and problematic lives. Jason Schwartzman plays an environmentalist who hires two detectives (a great Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin) to help him sort out the problems in his life. The supporting cast is top notch: Jude Law, Naomi Watts and the incredibly funny and surprisingly brilliant Mark Wahlberg all add immeasurably to the proceedings. This is a very, very weird movie and it’s not for everyone, but I think director/screenwriter David O. Russell has put together a remarkably dense comedy filled with massive ideas and big, big laughs.

Ice Age (PG)
Steve Bertrand: Ice Age is an animated buddy movie that will stay with you about as long as the popcorn you eat while watching it. It's not bad. It's just that there's nothing special about it. Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Dennis Leary lend their voices to the film. The bright spot is a character named Scrat. He doesn't speak, instead just chases an acorn through the entire film.
Nick: - A bit of a disappointment. This wonderfully animated, but slight film is easy on the eyes, but it's not the most original animated film in the past few years. The characters aren't all that memorable (except for a squirrel-like rat named Skrat, who may be one of the funniest characters ever in an animated movie...there's not enough of him in this thing) and the story is mediocre at best. It has a lot of talented people involved and they seem to be having fun, but it never takes off like the best stuff Pixar puts out, and it's not as snappy as Shrek. Still,despite its flaws (and there are many), it's perfectly entertaining for most kids, and I'm sure many adults will like it.

Identity (R)
Nick: A wild ride, a fabulous thriller and a gutsy horror film. I am probably going to be in the minority on this one, but I loved this movie. It's scary, smart, funny and ultimately one of the most singular films about mental illness I have ever seen. The less you now about it the better (the surprises are fabulous), for now, just know that a group of strangers end up in a spooky motel on a dark stormy night, and all hell breaks loose. Director James Mangold (Copland, Girl Interrupted) tightens the screws beautifully, and sucks the audience in with brilliant skill. The film plays like a creepy whodunit until a big twist happens about 3/4s of the way through the film. Now, you will either hate this twist, or love it...I loved it. When it's all over, Mangold has managed to completely mess with your brain and it's the best head trip of the year. The cast is terrific (John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, John C. McGinley, Alfred Molina, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Rebecca DeMornay in a great and funny small role - among others), and they bring such immediacy to the material that you can't help but follow them into hell. This is a real treat for horror film fans and in my opinion, one of the years best, and certainly, most original films.

AN IDEAL HUSBAND
Nick: "It's a pleasure to watch these actors." "I loved it, thought it was really good."

Igby Goes Down - (R)
Nick: Weird for the sake of being weird, and ultimately completely uninteresting, this "quirky" Catcher in the Rye variation is really hard to sit through. A fine cast does the best they can (Jeff Goldblum, Susan Sarandon, Bill Pullman and Ryan Phillipe are all quite good), and Keiran Culkin is a revelation in the lead, but they can't overcome the obnoxiousness of director Burr Steers' manic screenplay. Nothing seems real, and everything seems forced.

The Importance of Being Earnest (PG)
Steve Bertrand: This film adaptation of the Oscar Wilde play is elegantly filmed and enjoyable enough, but I can't help but believe that some of Wilde's snap was lost in the translation. Colin Firth and Rupert Everett star as the alternating Earnests. Judi Dench, Reese Witherspoon and Frances O'Connor also star.
Nick: Oscar Wilde's terrific play gets a nice treatment from director Oliver Parker (An Ideal Husband). The cast is great (Rupert Everet, Reece Witherspoon, Colin Firth and a great Judi Dench), and although some of Wilde's wit is not as sharp as it could be, this is a very entertaining movie.

Imposter
Nick: Gary Sinise does his best with this muddled film based on the great Philip K. Dick story about a man whose identity has been taken. It's a subject that Dick has covered many times before, and this film does not do it justice. Vincent D'Onfrio is a great villian, but the film stumpbles to a weak surprise ending.

IN DREAMS
Nick: A beautifully made suspense thriller with some good performances by Annette Bening, Robert Downey and Stephen Rea.

The Incredibles (PG)
Nick: Yet another homerun for Pixar. This great computer animated feature is fabulous entertainment for the whole family and can proudly be placed on the shelf next to Toy Story, Monsters Inc. and A Bug’s Life. Great voice work by Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Jason Lee, Samuel L. Jackson and director Brad Bird.

The In-Laws (PG-13)
Steve Bertrand: There's not much to say about this one. Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks star in the remake of two fathers coming to terms with the impending marriage of their children. It's not bad, funny at times (especially when Brooks explains that his skin is not waterproof) but it's nothing special either.
Nick: A completely unnecessary remake of the classic 1978 farce starring Alan Arkin and the brilliantly funny Peter Falk, this time starring a stiff Michael Douglas and a seemingly embarrassed Albert Brooks. The plots of the two films are almost identical, but the laughs are fewer and the chemistry between the leads is pretty much nonexistent. Andrew Fleming actually does a better job directing the material here than Arthur "The Hack" Hiller did twenty-some years ago, but the script lacks the punch that Andrew Bergman's had, and Brooks and Douglas just don't cut it. Not as bad as I thought it would be, but I'd still just rent the original.

Intimate Strangers (R)
Nick: One of France’s finest filmmakers, Patrice Leconte continues to create seductive, beautiful and wise pictures with this psychological romance about a woman who pours out her soul to a man she thinks is a psychiatrist, but really isn’t. The premise could have gone straight down the toilet, but in the hands of Leconte and his remarkable pair of actors (Fabrice Luchini and the wondrous Sandrine Bonnaire) this is witty, erotic, complex and deeply moving. One of the year’s best.

The Italian Job (PG-13)
Steve Bertrand: This remake of a Michael Caine film is smart and fun at the same time. Mark Wahlberg stars as a professional thief who sets out to avenge the death of his mentor (Donald Sutherland). One of his gang has turned on him, now it's time to get even. Seth Green, Jason Stratham, Franky G and Mos Def round out the band of merry men. They're helped by the mentor's daughter Stella (Charlize Theron). There's just enough suspense around the laughs and action to help you forget your troubles for a couple of hours. This is what summer movies are supposed to do: entertain, pure and simple.
Nick: A surprisingly decent remake of the classic caper film from the 60s, this update features Mark Wahlberg, Donald Sutherland, Charleze Theron, Seth Green and a bored Edward Norton. Gold is stolen, betrayals happen and mini-coopers fly down stairs. It's all prety brainless and at time a bit goofy, but director F. Gary Gray keeps things moving along, and the action sequences are fun. Lightweight stuff, but entertaining.

In The Bedroom
Nick:- Actor Todd Fields makes a stunning directorial debut with this searing drama that is dominated by remarkable performances across the board. Sissy Spacek is Oscar bound here and Marisa Tomei again proves what an underused talent she really is. It's a downbeat, and wonderfully told tale that sort of fits into the category that You Can Count On Me filled last year at this time. Smart, efficient and very effective independent filmmaking.

In The Cut (R)
Nick: A creepy, twisted and surprisingly predictable whodunit from the brilliant Jane Campion (The Piano, Holy Smoke). The big shocker here is Meg Ryan who strips away everything about her image (and I mean everything) to play a sexually aggressive professor who gets mixed up in a murder mystery and an affair with a cop (Mark Ruffalo). The plot is standard Cinemax After Dark stuff, and although Campion brings a nice energy and a hypnotic visual style to the material, it never really comes together. As for Ryan's trip to the dark side, it's a convincing one and should prove to folks that's she's a lot more than perky curls and a bright smile.

Innocence (Not Rated)
Nick: A wonderful, mature love story about finding a soulmate in the twilight of your life. Paul Cox directs his script with sensitivity, care and a real talent for allowing his actors to shine. This is a wholly satisfying experience that is about actual human beings dealing with actual human emotions. A terrific, heartwarming film that I can't wait to see again.

Insomnia (R)
Steve Bertrand: Director Christopher Nolan has succeeded in following his critically acclaimed Memento with another fine film. Insomnia tells the story of an LA police detective whose otherwise strong record is tarnished by one regrettable decision. As he travels north to Alaska to work a murder investigation, he is forced to come to terms with that decision. Making it harder for Will Dormer (Al Pacino) is his inability to sleep during Alaska's darkless nights. Robin Williams also stars as the understated villain who has an offer that might, or might not, tempt Dormer. This is one of the best movies of the year with a interesting turn around every corner.
Nick: I don't know what's going on, but suddenly Hollywood is releasing smart, complex movies...let's hope it continues. This fabulous thriller is hypnotic, layered, scary and endlessly unexpected. Al Pacino is a cop who gets tangled up in a weird relationship with a killer (a surprisingly good Robin Williams) while investigating a murder in Alaska. Director Christopher Nolan follows up his great Memento with this stark and brilliant movie. The performances are uniformly great (Pacino in fine form here) and the atmosphere is appropriately moody and dire. I loved it, and with the release of this, Changing Lanes, About a Boy and Frailty, sudenly 2002 is looking like a great year for commercial American cinema.

INSTINCT
Nick: A remarkably silly and often laughable drama with a hammy performance from Anthony Hopkins and a painfully restrained turn by Cuba Gooding, Jr.

The Interpreter (PG-13)
Nick: A classy, smart, old school thriller from Sidney Pollack that harkens back to his own fabulous thrillers like Three Days of the Condor. The cast is great: Sean Penn, Nicole Kidman, Catherine Keener, Pollack himself, the script is smart and it’s beautifully made. A fine piece of Hollywood filmmaking for adults who crave intelligent entertainment.

Intolerable Cruetly (PG 13)
Steve Bertrand: The Coen brothers and George Clooney team up again for another off-kilter comedy, this one about the divorce industry in California. Clooney is a top flight attorney who falls for one of his clients. She (Catherine Zeta-Jones) collects husbands or, more to the point, their money. Will the two changed their ways and actually fall in love? Or will hilarious characters like Wheezy Joe get in the way?
Nick: A snappy, funny, well acted, but eventually underwhelming romantic comedy from the Coen Brothers (Fargo, Blood Simple, Barton Fink). Catherine Zeta-Jones and George Clooney lead a smart cast in this double-crossing black comedy about money and love. There are some big, big laughs here, and the dialogue is quick and old fashioned, but the characters are inconsistent and the Coens sometimes sacrifice integrity for the sake of a laugh. It's a great looking movie that should entertain a lot of people, I just wanted a little more.

Iris (R)
Steve Bertrand: Academy Award nominees Judi Dench and Jim Broadbent strut their stuff in this depiction of British novelist Iris Murdoch's slide into Alzheimers disease. Broadbent is especially effective as a sort of addled husband who finds himself more and more in charge as his wife slips away. While the acting is tremendous and the story touching, the whole here is less than the sum of its parts, ultimately disappointing.
Nick: Kate Winslet and Judi Dench portray the young version and old version of British writer Iris Murdoch in this messy, yet compelling biopic that is saved be the great performances. Jim Broadbent also shines in a film that is worth seeing for its acting.

THE IRON GIANT
Nick: A terrific animated film about the relationship between a boy and a misunderstood giant robot. Fun for the whole family.

Iron Monkey (PG-13)
Nick: Thanks to the success of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, American audiences can now begin experiencing the same thrills Eastern audiences have enjoyed for many years. The first of a gigantic catalog of Hong Kong actioners (featuring similar fights and magic that was found in Ang Lee's masterpiece) has made it to our shores and it's the terrific Iron Monkey from 1993. It's a fabulous chop socky film with amazing fights, and although it lacks the heart of Crouching Tiger, it's fights are just as amazing. Highly recommended! -

ISN'T SHE GREAT
Nick: No she isn't.

I Spy - (PG-13)
Steve Bertrand: Owen Wilson turns in his typically entertaining performance, but it's not enough to overcome the lame story in this ripoff of the 1960s television series. Wilson is a spy fighting in the shadow of a more flashy coworker (Gary Cole). He's teamed up with a boxing champion (Eddie Murphy) in order to thwart an international weapons scheme. Unfortunately Kelly Robinson ( Murphy) is one of those sidekick characters who won't shut up...even when his life depends on it. That gets old fast. No. That starts old. This movie is watchable...but it's only run of the mill.
Nick: The only thing this movie has in common with the popular TV series of the 60s is its title. A goofy, predictable buddy film that manages to be fitfully entertaining because of Owen Wilson, and a hilarious Eddie Murphy (never more energetic, despite the weak material). Betty Thomas lifelessly directs this standard fare, and while there are certainly better ways to spend two hours, this isn't horrible. I laughed consistently, and almost fell off of my chair during a hysterical sequence in a sewer, and that's all you could ask from goofiness like this. Not good, but not bad either.

It Runs in the Family (PG-13)
Steve Bertrand: Director Fred Schepisi joins up with Douglas family (Michael, Kirk, Cameran and Diana) to tell this story of a New York City family that learns to embrace itself, despite the facts. Alex Gromberg (Michael) is a lawyer who feels trapped in his father's shadow. His father Mitchell (Kirk) deals with family situations with domination rather than consideration while (Cameron) is perhaps at the greatestrisk, trying to navigate through the choppy waters in the wake left by his father and grandfather. Director Schepisi and screenwriter Jesse Wigutow drop in on this family for a while, we watch and then each the audience and the Gromberg's move on. There are some feel good moments here, as well as some real moments of truth.
Nick: A big disappointment. The great director Fred Schepisi (Last Orders, The Russia House, A Cry in the Dark) slums it with this family drama about a troubled clan and all of the joys and crises that happen to them. Interesting only because of the casting of three generations of Douglases (Kirk, son Michael, and his son Cameron) and the parallels between fact and fiction. It's great to see them on screen together, and of course there are some fine moments, I just wish it were a better script than this lightweight soap opera. A missed opportunity.

Jackass: The Movie - (R)
Nick: I can't remember the last time I laughed this hard at a movie, and as a result, at a nation. I also can't remember the last time I sat in an audience filled with people laughing, screaming and enjoying themselves as much as they did during this film. The MTV show comes to the movies, and while it only makes a few alterations for the big screen (a fabulously over-the-top opening credits sequence, and a post-credit special effects extravaganza), it is every bit as funny, shocking and gloriously stupid as the TV show....and I loved every single frame of it. The entire gang, led by Johnny Knoxville, execute tons of the kind or moronic, jawdropping and incredibly hilarious stunts they are famous for, and I ate it up, completely. My favorite stuff involves jackass Bam Margera and the endless jokes he plays on his parents, in fact, I am still laughing. The boys shoot fireworks out of their rear ends, slice each other apart with paper cuts, drive golf carts into each other, pole vault into sewer water, and in one terrifyingly funny moment, get shot with riot guns. Some might call it a freak show, or the decline of Western Civilization as we know it, and some might be right, and that's exactly why I think this is one of the best films of the year. It's an honest documentary giving explicit examples of the psychology of the 21st century American white male. It's postmodern genius, and watching this film in an auditorium full of it's target audience is a thrill you can only experience a few times in your life. This movie, while admittedly crude, gross, idiotic, offensive and horrifying, is also the best reflection of young society you'll see in any theater this year. It's also, hands down, the most sidesplittingly hilarious movie I have seen in years.

Jason X (R)
Nick: Don't be fooled by the very funny commercials and trailers, this is just another lame entry in a series that has never contained a good film. The Friday the 13th movies are the dumbest film series of all time, the latest addition finds the unstoppable killer-with-the-hockey-mask frozen and sent into the future, which, oddly enough, is also populated with half naked teenagers having sex, just waiting to be butchered. This was the time to do something fresh and funny with this moronic group of movies, but this ain't it. Desperate, awful filmmaking.

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (R)
Nick: Hilarious. The opening 20 minutes is sidesplitting. The middle is a little slow (a diamond heist subplot involving a group of hotties in leather slows the film down a lot), but the last half hour is extraordinarily funny. Granted, this is a film made specifically for Kevin Smith fans, and they will love it. The rest of you should probably stay away. Filled with Smith's trademark poetic & beautiful use of vulgarity (rarely have stupid low brow four-letter jokes been this funny...well, except since the last Kevin Smith movie) and millions of movie-geek injokes that should have big cinephiles cracking up. Everyone is a target, and, despite the middle third, most of the jokes are really, really funny and I laughed my expletive off.
Steve Bertrand: Director Kevin Smith has brought his two favorite characters back for another movie. This time Jay and Silent Bob are much more than supporting bit players. They're the main men. That's a lot to ask of an audience. Jay and Silent Bob are the inspiration for the comic book duo Bluntman and Chronic. In the movie they learn Miramax is making a movie based on the comic. They're ticked they're not in on the deal, so they leave the safe environs of a New Jersey convenience store (where they smoke pot all day) and set out to California to demand their share. Some of this movie is very funny. Once they make it to Hollywood there are hilarious cameos by the likes of Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Jason Biggs and others. The trouble is, it takes a long time for them to get there and, by then, the heroes have already worn out their welcome.

JAWBREAKER
NIck: A stupid and often infantile comedy about high school that owes all of its charms ( and they are few) to the far superior "Heathers." Skip this one!

Jeepers Creepers (R)
Nick: A surprisingly well-made horror film that is great for the first two-thirds and then falls apart at the end. Victor Salva (Powder) directs with a fine sense of humor and style and creates a lot of creepy tension. It's standard slasher stuff and for a while it works beautifully, but boy that last half hour disappoints. Much better than I expected it to be, but still not great. You want horror: go see The Others, but, if it's sold out or you've seen it already, you could do worse than this goofy little movie.

Jeepers Creepers 2 (R)
Nick: Silly? Yes. Idiotic? You bet. Obnoxious? Often....But, it is also a remarkably zippy little horror movie with a fabulous opening set piece and some really imaginative horror movie shocks. The plot involves a school bus full of idiots who are knocked off one by one by a flying monster, but that's not important. The question is, does this very funny, very entertaining fright flick provide the goods? The answer is: Yes. It's also the most homo-erotic of recent horror releases, as well as one of the most beautifully photographed. There's some interesting stuff buried under all the goofiness. It's no Freddy Vs. Jason, but it is a good time.

Jersey Girl (PG-13)
Nick: Kevin Smith's disappointingly corny melodrama about a single father (a very good Ben Affleck) trying to raise a daughter and get his high-powered job back. Smith's sharp writing seems to be absent from most of the film, and it comes apart completely in the last half hour. Liv Tyler is terrific as a sassy video store clerk who tries to woo Affleck's lovelorn character and George Carlin plays Aflleck's father as though he were, well...George Carlin. It's been done a million times, and although it has moments (and a truly poetic final shot) this is the kind of film that Smith would normally make fun of. He's mistaken cliche for maturity here, and it's not nearly as good as the very mature Chasing Amy.

Jet Lag (R)
Nick: A nicely acted, low-key romantic comedy featuring two terrific performances from Juliette Binoche and Jean Reno. This is a film that really shouldn't work, but it does simply because of the magnetism of its stars. The plot has been done a million times before (mismatched couple...meet cute...stuck together...romance ensues, blah blah blah), but it seems fresh here. Not great, but better than it should have been.

Joe