LITTLE BLACK BOOK Is it possible for an actress to out-twinkle Meg Ryan? In movie after movie, Ryan too often falls back on those mannerisms that once endeared her to Middle America: that lopsided grin, that crinkling of the nose, that squinting of the eyes. Brittany Murphy has apparently not only learned from the champ but has also supplanted her: This rising actress trots out so many adorable tics during the course of this film that she ends up making Ryan in Sleepless In Seattle seem as dour as Anne Ramsey in Throw Momma From the Train. She's a cutie for sure, but 90 minutes of watching her declare her fabulousness is ultimately as exhausting as jogging to Nashville and back. It's better to focus on the excellent performances by Holly Hunter and Julianne Nicholson, the primary reasons this mean-spirited comedy can be tolerated at all. That the film centers around one of those reprehensible trash-talk TV shows of the "My grandmother is a hooker" variety immediately signals the sort of crowd this is targeting -- here, it's the fictional Kippie Kann (Kathy Bates) who's the queen of the airwaves, with Murphy and Hunter cast as two of her show's associate producers. Egged on by her co-workers, Murphy decides to sneak a peek inside the Palm of her boyfriend (Ron Livingston), whereupon she discovers the names of three women whom he might be seeing behind her back: a sensitive chef (Nicholson), a self-centered gynecologist (Rashida Jones) and a shallow model (Josie Maran). We've come to expect the best from Hunter, so the real surprise is Nicholson, who almost humanizes this otherwise nasty tale. 
THUNDERBIRDS For those not into trivial pursuit, Thunderbirds was a British TV series from the 1960s (now a popular cult item) in which the characters were all played by marionettes. This pointless update replaces the wooden dummies with human actors, though one would scarcely notice the difference. The series focused on billionaire astronaut Jeff Tracy and his sons, who spent every episode saving the world with the help of such nifty vehicles as spaceships and submarines ("Thunderbirds are go!"). Here, Jeff Tracy (Bill Paxton) and the older boys are largely tossed aside for most of the running time, leaving it up to Jeff's youngest son (Brady Corbet) and his pals (Soren Fulton and Vanessa Anne Hudgens, the latter so pleased to find herself in a movie that she usually forgets to act) to take on a dastardly villain known as The Hood (Ben Kingsley). Clearly, the emphasis on the brats tags this as a blatant Spy Kids rip-off, but for a supposedly wholesome family film, there are disturbing distractions -- namely, that the clean-cut Tracy heroes seem almost Aryan in design, while the main villain is a dark-skinned foreigner, his right-hand man is a murderous Anglo-African thug (Deobia Oparei) constantly lusting after white women, and their accomplice is a brainy lady (Rose Keegan) whose homeliness is meant to suggest that she deserves neither love nor respect. But maybe I'm reading too much into a movie that, by every other indication, contains the depth of a petri dish that's already filled to the rim.
THE VILLAGE There's probably a reason Alfred Hitchcock didn't write the vast majority of his movies: He knew his forte was directing, and he left the scribbling to others more seasoned at putting pen to paper. M. Night Shyamalan, who's absurdly been compared to Hitchcock more than once, would do well to learn from The Master. As a director, Shyamalan has a distinct visual style, and there are scenes in The Village that shimmer with an eerie beauty. But as a writer, he's becoming a parody of himself: Eager to top the climactic twist of The Sixth Sense, he has masterminded three subsequent movies in which (unlike Sense) the "gotcha!" endings seem to be the only reason for their existence. The Village isn't really much worse than Unbreakable or the silly Signs, but Shyamalan's carny act already feels like it's decades old -- it's a shame, because some good ideas are squandered in a muddled thriller that ends up duping itself. William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver and promising newcomer Bryce Dallas Howard (Ron's daughter) are among those playing the residents of a 19th century burg that's surrounded by woods containing fearsome monsters. As long as the townspeople stay put, there's no danger, but one inquisitive citizen (Joaquin Phoenix) toys with the idea of overstepping the boundaries. Disney elected not to screen The Village for reviewers until the last possible moment -- that's generally a sign that a studio is worried about poor critical reception, though Disney insists it's because they wanted to avoid leaks about the ending. Whatever you say, guys.
CURRENT RELEASES
ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY Aimed squarely at the open-mouth-breathers who turned Dumb and Dumber and Big Daddy into hits, Anchorman is the movie as litmus test -- specifically, how much Will Ferrell is too much Will Ferrell? As a chauvinistic news anchor in 1970s San Diego, Ferrell gets to wear ugly clothes, make silly faces, and lust after the ladies, but unless you hold the opinion that the actor is a comic genius worthy of Chaplin or Tati comparisons, then this sort of obnoxious oafishness gets stale quickly. There are a handful of inspired moments, but these clever bits seem almost accidental in the midst of so much kitsch. 1/2
BEFORE SUNSET Richard Linklater's 1995 Before Sunrise was about two college-age kids who meet in Vienna, spend the night talking (and loving), and then go their separate ways. Before Sunset continues their story: Unfolding in real minutes (about 80 of them), this finds American Jesse (Ethan Hawke), now an author, and French Celine (Julie Delpy), an environmental activist, crossing paths in Paris nine years later. Superior to its predecessor in every way, this lovely film does an exemplary job of conveying the manner in which the freedom and naivety of youth inevitably fall by the wayside, leaving only cherished memories, present regrets, and the rigor mortis of a future that can only be avoided by those willing to take risks. Hawke and Delpy have never been better, and the ending is letter-perfect. 1/2
THE BOURNE SUPREMACY Taken together, both Bourne films feel like consecutive episodes of a mildly entertaining television drama that can't touch Alias in its attempts at trickery and, more importantly, character development. Here, Matt Damon's ex-CIA assassin Jason Bourne is even more tight-lipped than before; without girlfriend Marie (Franka Potente, former co-star reduced to cameo player) to bounce off, he's a rather one-dimensional figure, going through the motions as he tries to find out who's framing him for murder. The good stuff mostly comes during the first half; as the film progresses, the mystery slackens rather than deepens, and the movie culminates with a sloppily edited car chase that goes on for so long that I had to be reminded: Was Matt Damon playing Jason Bourne or Sheriff Buford T. Justice? 1/2
CATWOMAN Only time will tell if this dud will become a camp classic on the order of Myra Breckinridge or Plan 9 From Outer Space, but for now, it will have to content itself with being the best bad movie of the summer. Halle Berry struggles gamely as a mousy murder victim who's resurrected as Catwoman, a leather-clad, whip-wielding dominatrix who looks like the star attraction on an S&M website. The early sequences are deadly dull, but once Berry suits up, the movie enters MST3K territory and never looks back. Ultimately, it's impossible to ascertain what's most laughable: the chintzy effects, the leaden dialogue, or villainess Sharon Stone's attempts to out-vamp Faye Dunaway's similar turn in Supergirl. In any event, cat lovers will be horrified by this film -- does PETA handle defamation suits?
THE CLEARING No superheroes, no car crashes, no sword-swinging knights, no animated critters -- for older viewers not interested in the glamour and glitz of the summer season, The Clearing would appear to be the winning ticket. Unfortunately, there's also no urgency in the execution and no point to the resolution -- all in all, a major disappointment for those seeking cinematic sanctuary. At least this is fortunate to be blessed with a powerhouse cast: Robert Redford as a self-made millionaire who gets abducted, Helen Mirren as his wife, and Willem Dafoe as the kidnapper. Their performances remain riveting throughout, yet the story that contains them is flimsy, with hints of psychological complexity being scuttled as this meandering movie heads for a conclusion that's meant to be devastating but instead proves desultory.
DE-LOVELY There's a funny moment in De-Lovely when, after screening the Cole Porter biopic Night and Day (starring Cary Grant), Cole (Kevin Kline) turns to his wife Linda (Ashley Judd) and cracks, "If I can survive this movie, I can survive anything." Cole will not only survive De-Lovely but may well find his already lofty reputation enhanced by it. The film is often narratively suspect -- director Irwin Winkler has admitted as much -- but as a musical, it's a dandy, using an innovative framing device and sharp cameos by today's stars (Sheryl Crow, Elvis Costello, Natalie Cole and more) to capture the passion that Cole poured into his tunes. Kline was the perfect choice for the role, and Judd's sympathetic portrayal reminds us how fine an actress she can be when she tears herself away from inane thrillers.
THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR Based on a sizable chunk of John Irving's A Widow for One Year, this outwardly melancholy but inwardly hopeful movie stars Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger as children's book author Ted Cole and his wife Marion, silently suffering parents who, years later, are still unable to cope with the deaths of their two teenage sons. Their grief is impacted by the arrival of Eddie (Jon Foster), a young man who's been hired for the summer to apprentice under Ted but who ends up spending more time in the sack with Marion. The "coming of age" angle involving Eddie is the weakest part of the story; far more potent are the sequences in which Bridges (terrific), Basinger (touching) and/or young Elle Fanning (as their daughter) illustrate the difficulties in holding together a family when obligations are in arrears.
HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE Harold and Maude Go to White Castle might have been a better bet, but this is nevertheless a gross-out comedy with a difference -- it tosses some sharp social satire into the usual mix of amiable dopeheads, repulsive rednecks and homosexual bit players. And instead of making its lead characters typical morons like Bill and Ted, this gives us two smart kids in mild-mannered Korean-American Harold (John Cho) and rebellious Indian-American Kumar (Kal Penn). The plot is lifted from the Cheech and Chong playbook, as Harold and Kumar spend a Friday night getting high and then deciding their munchies can only be satisfied by White Castle burgers. The crass humor works only sporadically, but the movie's knowing digs at the casual racism witnessed by the pair provide it with a whiff of added subtext. 1/2
I, ROBOT "Inspired" by Isaac Asimov's book, this delivers the goods as a zippy piece of sci-fi pulp. Will Smith stars as Del Spooner, a detective in 2035 Chicago who's convinced that a scientist has been murdered by one of his own robot creations. Only thing is, robots are programmed not to harm humans -- ever -- and Spooner's suspicions are dismissed as prejudice and paranoia. This recalls a couple dozen futuristic flicks from our collective past (Blade Runner, Minority Report, you name it), but director Alex Proyas (The Crow) still manages to give the film a distinctive look. And even if Asimov's deep delving into the complexities and contradictions inherent in these artificial beings is only given lip service, the movie works as a compelling murder-mystery. And the robots are out of this world.
THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE Granted, this isn't a masterpiece like the '62 edition, which still reigns as one of the finest thrillers ever made. Yet in most other respects, this is that rare remake that paves its own way without exploiting or cheapening its predecessor. No longer a Cold War product, this finds the action updated, with Denzel Washington as an army officer who realizes that a former comrade (Liev Schreiber), now a politician running for his party's Vice Presidential slot, might be the unwitting pawn of a major corporation (Manchurian Global) that's trying to seize control of the country. The film's topicality can't hurt -- this could easily have been called The Halliburton Candidate -- yet director Jonathan Demme's principal goal is to produce a taut, efficient thriller. On that score, he succeeds.
SPIDER-MAN 2 It was a given that the long-awaited Spider-Man movie, released in 2002 after a 39-year gestation period on the comic book page, would make millions even if its hero had been played by John Travolta sporting his Battlefield Earth dreadlocks. But director Sam Raimi's surefooted adaptation turned out to be a phenomenal success with both audiences and critics, thereby raising the bar for its sequel to a stratospheric level; luckily, they don't screw it up. S-M 2 isn't as accomplished -- or even as enjoyable -- a movie as its predecessor, but it's a more ambitious one, with Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) coping with personal problems while the villainous Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina) tears up the town. Despite a few flaws, this offers enough thrills and humor to qualify as sparkling summer entertainment.
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