Films Now Playing

Alaska - A solid natural history documentary that explores the beauty and harsh realities of nature in an extreme environment, Alaska is deserving of its 1997 Oscar for best documentary short. At the IMAX. (Randy Matin)





The Bourne Identity - A thriller about an amnesiac who discovers his dark past at the same time as the audience. Director Doug Liman brings the virtues of his intimate, indie filmmaking style to what could have been another dated Cold War retread. With Matt Damon, never better, and Franka Potente (Run Lola Run), always fine. (RP) RATED: PG-13





Crocodile Hunter - Fans of the Animal Planet already know all about Steve Irwin. He's the genial, John Denver-esque Aussie often found teasing cranky pit vipers or wrestling willful alligators to the ground. In his big-screen debut, Steve rescues a wild crocodile that turns out to be a top-secret tool of the CIA. What does it do, we wonder? Translate codes? Carry a briefcase? At any rate, expect lots of good old reptilian fun and near misses with those sharp, pointy teeth. RATED: PG





Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood - Based on Rebecca Wells' enormously popular 1996 novel, Divine Secrets tells the story of four irrepressible and close-knit friends growing up in 1950s Louisiana. Through flashbacks and storytelling, one of their own (played by Ellen Burstyn) repairs her relationship with her estranged daughter (Sandra Bullock) by sharing the secrets of the Ya-Yas. Rated: PG-13





Eight Legged Freaks - All you need to do in order to enjoy this throwback to the "big bug" movies of the '50s is plant your tongue even further into your cheek than the filmmakers have. Toxic waste and capitalistic greed are the villains; gigantic, speedy, hungry spiders are the result; the nice townsfolk of a little Arizona town (with a huge shopping mall!) are the victims. The acting is just okay, but the effects are terrific. And so what if the plot holes are almost as big as the monsters. (ES) Rated: PG-13





Halloween: Resurrection - Those crazy teens just don't learn. In this installment (the eighth) of the mighty Halloween franchise, a group of kids opt to spend a night in the house once inhabited by serial killer Michael Myers. The plan is to launch a live Internet chat show but it's not long before their server -- and a few of their comrades -- are down. With Tyra Banks, Busta Rhymes and a cameo by Jamie Lee Curtis. RATED: R





K-19: The Widowmaker - Harrison Ford is the Russian submarine captain called in to replace captain Liam Neeson when too many things go wrong in their new Cold War-era super sub. But the problem isn't Captain Neeson, it's the defective machinery and green crew, which lead to more serious problems. Kathryn Bigelow's action film is full of tense moments and cool camera shots, but it's too brooding and too bloated. Bad decisions lead to idiotic ones, and even the faux Russian accents become annoying. (ES) RATED: PG-13





Like Mike - Rapper Lil Bow Wow makes his cinematic debut as a 14-year-old orphan who can't shoot, can't dribble, can't slam dunk and he's also pretty short. He finds an old pair of sneakers, mysteriously inscribed with the initials "M.J." and when he dons them, he's suddenly a basketball pro. Let's hope he didn't find Michael Jackson's shoes by mistake! With Eugene Levy and Jonathan Lipnicki. RATED: PG





Lilo & amp; Stitch - The Disney studio returns to traditional drawing techniques, using some gorgeous watercolor effects with a decidedly nontraditional story. Stitch is a dangerous creature from another world, being hunted by his own, who lands on Earth and manages to get adopted by orphaned sisters Nani and Lilo, who are having their own problems with each other. The theme of the film is "family," and, no surprise, everyone, from Earth and beyond, manages to live happily ever after. (ES) RATED: PG





Men in Black II - In the relentless 88 minutes of Men In Black II, Director Barry Sonnenfeld does justice to the now-familiar Laurel and Hardy-style teaming of secret agent/planetary guardians Jay (Will Smith) and Kay (Tommy Lee Jones) without deepening the earlier installment. Newcomers include evil alien-turned-underwear model Lara Flynn Boyle, a two-headed halfwit sidekick played by Johnny Knoxville, and the startlingly beautiful Rosario Dawson as a potential love interest for Smith -- if he doesn't have to erase her memory. (RP) Rated: PG-13





Minority Report - Steven Spielberg's latest finds Tom Cruise the head of the D.C. "Department of Pre-Crime," which has prevented homicides for six years through the exploitation of the "Pre-Cogs," a mysterious trio of seers who can predict the future -- or at least one dark part of it. The greatest strength of the dark, yet brisk Minority Report is that it elaborates Philip K. Dick's seething paranoia in a Hitchcock-style murder mystery, while also using the sci-fi genre's conventions to reflect disturbing social themes that are relevant today. RATED: PG-13 (RP)





Mr. Deeds - Adam Sandler takes on the old Gary Cooper role of Longfellow Deeds. He's a simple man with simple tastes, who comes into an inherited fortune and is brought to the big city, only to be taken apart by the media and duped by a woman (Winona Ryder) who eventually begins to see that he's a terrific guy. Lots of slapstick and goofy gags, with high-octane scene-stealing by John Turturro as a servant. (ES) Rated PG-13





My Big Fat Greek Wedding - This Chicago-set, Second City-developed comedy is the slobbo American version of Four Weddings and a Funeral, getting no marks for subtlety but laughs from those of us who can laugh at the idea of an obnoxious ethnic family getting into the marital spirit -- funny Greeks in this case. A hit nationwide, its writer Nia Vardalos plays the plain-Jane live-wire bride; John Corbett is her signficantly non-Greek other. (RP) RATED: PG





Reign of Fire - TV vet and director of the X-Files movie, Rob Bowman does his best with this allegedly future-set story of ash-coveting hungry dragons who want to burn London's humans to the ground. Leave your watch and cell phone at home; you'll be checking them a lot. (RP) RATED: PG-13





Road to Perdition - Is July too early to talk about Oscar nominations? Not if they concern this 1930s, Chicago-set gangster piece about father-son relationships and dishonor among murderers. Paul Newman plays the boss, Tom Hanks is his major hitman and "adopted" son; newcomer Tyler Hoechlin is Hanks' son, who finds out what Dad does for a living, thereby setting into motion some disastrous situations. Terrifically acted and directed (by Sam Mendes), and brilliantly photographed (by Conrad L. Hall). (ES) Rated: R





Scooby-Doo - The ridiculously awful TV cartoon makes a surprisingly good transition to the screen, thanks to the spirited cast and to the creative use of computer-generated animation for the big, hungry dog. The story is about the former pals of Mystery Inc. getting back together to figure out the strange goings on at Spooky Island. Goofy fun for all. (ES) RATED: PG





Space Station - The newest IMAX experience shoots its giant screen cameras up to the International Space Station to watch its assembly and visit with different crews during their long stays. It also generates amazing special effects, magnificently showing astronauts and cosmonauts out in the middle of spacewalks, with the Earth glowing in the blackness around them. (ES) Rated: G3





Spider-Man - As superhero origin stories go, Sam Raimi does a decent job of bringing zing and neurosis to the screen, and the web-swinging along the real and imagined streets of New York City is a thrill. Tobey Maguire's very good; Kirsten Dunst is sweet. Willem Dafoe's good, but his Green Goblin character is an un-involving computer-generated fizzle. (RP) Rated: PG-13





Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron - The summer's first animated feature is about a wild horse in the Old West who is captured by the military, shown the way of freedom by Native Americans and spends most of the film -- a quietly dazzling blend of traditional and computer animation -- getting in and out of major crises. Some funny stuff, lots of drama and a tepid batch of songs from Bryan Adams. (ES) RATED: G





Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones - Somewhere in between Episode One and Episode Two, the Force came back. Clones is a mix of exciting action and youthful romance. It's 10 years later, and young Anakin has become a feisty apprentice to Obi-Wan in the ways of the Jedi. Queen Amidala is now a senator, with assassins on her trail. Obi-Wan and Anakin do their best to save the day. (ES) Rated PG





Stuart Little 2 - Here I am getting tender over dry-cleaned vermin, but I do love this little mouse. Sweetly calculated, building on the good humor and good will of the first, the 78 minutes of Stuart Little 2 don't have to stress lessons: a three-inch-high critter accepted by his family against the crushing outer world says it all. Geena Davis, Jonathan Lipnicki, Nathan Lane's grumpy-puss Snowbell and Michael J. Fox's Stuart repeat; Melanie Griffith is on hand as Margalo, a finch who teaches Stuart about unrequited longing. And the storybook Manhattan is a glistening treat. Directed by Rob Minkoff. (RP) RATED: PG





The Sum of All Fears - A long-lost nuclear bomb is found and is soon in some very wrong hands. It's up to CIA analyst Ben Affleck, the newest Jack Ryan, to save the day. But Affleck is as flat in the part as the story is confusing. He's either wandering with a blank look on his face or yelling at people over radios and phones. The film is a big, explosive bore. (ES) Rated: PG-13





Ultimate X - The note under the Rated PG symbol says it all: "Daredevil sports action and mild language." ESPN's wildly popular Summer X Games 2001 in Philadelphia come to life on the five-story IMAX screen, with breathtaking footage of street luge, moto X, biking, skateboarding and more. RATED: PG





Windtalkers - John Woo's newest violent epic borrows from the true story of Navajo Indians who, as Marines, used their own language in World War II to confound Japanese code breakers. Nic Cage is the troubled soldier who must protect the code at all costs. The problem is that the film spends too much time on him and his problems rather than on the windtalkers who actually helped to win the war. (ES) RATED: R





& lt;i & Capsule reviews are written by Ed Symkus (ES) and Ray Pride (RP), unless otherwise noted. & lt;/i &





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