At The Cinema: 2002

PLOT: The quest to destroy the One Ring continues as Frodo (Elijah Wood) nears Mordor, while Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) battles Saruman's armies...
REVIEW: Part Two of Peter Jackson's superb adaptation of Tolkien's masterpiece is another winner, cramming in a three separate storylines, new and returning characters (including the impressive Gollum), and a thrilling battle at the end. Excellent in every department. Roll on Part Three! 5/5

PLOT: Vietnam, 1952: a disillusioned British reporter (Michael Caine) crosses paths with an idealistic American (Brendan Fraser) who loves his mistress...
REVIEW: Ostensibly a love triangle set in colonial Vietnam, film (based on Graham Greene's classic book) is a clever analogy of colonialism and its effects on the mother country as well as the host. Gripping, atmospheric, and truly relevant to current events. Performances are excellent. A must-see. 5/5

PLOT: James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) is betrayed, captured and tortured in North Korea. Released 14 months later, he sets out to uncover the traitor...
REVIEW: The Brosnan-era Bond veers into Roger Moore territory with this fourth entry (20th film overall). A good first half allows some darker shadings to the character, before the special FX and plot silliness drown out the second half. Brosnan is ace, though. Nice references to previous Bond films too. 3/5

PLOT: Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) returns to Hogwarts for his second year, unaware of the evil that has been unleashed from the Chamber of Secrets...
REVIEW: Highly enjoyable second entry in the adaptations of J K Rowling's famous Hogwarts' pupil. Exciting story rips along with the same old-fashioned ingredients, along with a few new characters (like Kenneth Branagh's foppish teacher). Child actors are more settled too. Hype be damned - great fun. 4/5

PLOT: A virus is unleashed upon the British public, sending its victims into a murderous rage, killing anyone they can. What do the few survivors do...?
REVIEW: Director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) delivers a terrifying horror tale, bringing the zombie sub-genre bang up-to-date and showing Britain can do scary too. Low-budget, no-star flick delivers great action, reworking old ideas (man awakens from coma to empty city) into a modern apolcalypse story. 4/5

PLOT: Shaun (Colin Hanks) applies for the great Stanford University, but his application is rejected after being mistaken for another. Can he still get in...?
REVIEW: Enjoyable teen comedy starring the son of Tom Hanks and daughter of Sissy Spacek that favours smart rather than smut in the humour stakes. Jack Black as the stoner brother of Shaun steals the show. We've all seen this before, but you'll still find yourself laughing. Nice cameos too. 3/5

PLOT: Two men (Ben Affleck and Samuel L. Jackson) involved in a minor traffic accident escalate their dispute into a worsening feud through the day...
REVIEW: Engaging exploration of the dubious morals of two people who battle each other when selfishness wins over common sense. Good performances from both leads back up this modern day fable on the hypocritical nature of today's society. An intelligent rarity from Hollywood. 4/5

PLOT: 1961: the USSR's flagship nuclear submarine is launched to counter America's naval stength. World War III looms when the reactor melts down...
REVIEW: Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson star in this tense drama based on actual events, as the sub's new captain and her original, now demoted captain. The stand-offs and sacrifices that ensue make for gripping viewing, though it occasionally slips into cliché. Accents are mostly acceptable. 3/5

PLOT: In 1988 troubled student Donnie Darko is told by a man-sized rabbit that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds...
REVIEW: Don't run away! It may sound bizarre (and it is, to a certain extent), but this is a great film, mixing comedy, drama, sci-fi, horror, and high school genres to fantastic effect. Jake Gyllenhaal as Donnie is excellent, with good support from 80s stars Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze. Just see it! 5/5

PLOT: Extreme sportsman/criminal Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) is coerced into becoming an American spy to infiltrate terrorist group Anarchy 99...
REVIEW: Enjoyable (if dumb) action romp starring new Hollywood hardman Diesel as anti-hero Triple X. The stunts are fun to watch, the locations are great, the action is quite good; and though the script leaves a little to be desired, Vin has more charm and charisma than has-been Arnie. 3/5

PLOT: Retired FBI agent Will Graham (Ed Norton) is forced to seek Hannibal Lecter's (Anthony Hopkins) help in capturing serial killer the 'Tooth Fairy'...
REVIEW: This prequel to 'Silence of the Lambs' seeks to return the Lecter series to suspense after last year's stylishly gory 'Hannibal'. Hopkins is as reliable as ever, playing a rather more angry Lecter than before, but it feels a tad stale now. Still, a great cast keeps this entry way above average. 4/5

PLOT: An Indian dance tutor (Jimi Mistry) who leaves for America to become a film star instead becomes famous as a sex guru for wealthy New Yorkers...
REVIEW: Romantic comedy that tries to blend Bollywood colour and energy with Hollywood's fairy-tale love stories. Result is a funny film, with Heather Graham quite good as a porn star that gives advice to Mistry who dispenses it as advice for his customers. Amusing but forgettable. 3/5

PLOT: CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Ben Affleck) is forced to save the world from nuclear armageddon when terrorists try to ignite a US-Russian conflict...
REVIEW: Affleck takes over the role of Ryan from Harrison Ford (Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger) and Alec Baldwin (Hunt for Red October) in the latest Tom Clancy adaptation. De-ageing Ryan works well, and the film itself is a tense international espionage thriller. Morgan Freeman co-stars. 4/5

PLOT: A toxic leak in a river in a small town in Arizona causes spiders to mutate - increasing their size tenfold and more...
REVIEW: Enjoyable revival of the old monster B-movies of the 1950s, with today's special effects. Never as witty or exciting as the now-classic 'Tremors' (1990), but it has enough laughs and action to get by, without ever really capitalising on the potential of the premise. David Arquette stars. 3/5

PLOT: Agent J (Will Smith) is forced to bring back K (Tommy Lee Jones) to MIB duty when an evil alien threatens to destroy planet Earth...
REVIEW: This long-awaited sequel finally arrives, and though it is certainly funny and enjoyable, it lacks the freshness and originality of its predecessor - five years is a long time in the movie business. Still, what worked before still works, and its good to see Smith & Jones putting their thing down again. 3/5

PLOT: Austin (Mike Myers) returns to do battle with Dr Evil (Myers) and a new enemy, Goldmember (Myers), who've kidnapped his father (Michael Caine)...
REVIEW: Third outing for Myers' International Man of Mystery is the least funniest, lacking the inspired laughs of The Spy Who Shagged Me, and the wit and freshness of the excellent original. Too many characters in a very muddled plot, but Myers still manages the odd great gag. 3/5

PLOT: The Mystery, Inc gang split up, only to be reunited on the Spooky Island holiday resort at the request of its owner to investigate bizarre events...
REVIEW: Failed attempt to revive the old 'Scooby-Doo' cartoons to the modern age, in live action with a CGI Scoobs. Starts off promisingly, but soon goes crashing downhill thanks to a lame script and stodgy direction. Matt Lillard's excellent Shaggy helps things a bit. 2/5

PLOT: In a secret research facility, a virus that revives the dead has escaped. Marines try to retake the lab, aided by amnesiac employee Alice...
REVIEW: Dumb but mostly exciting version of the highly popular video game. Writer-director Paul Anderson forgets about characterisation and even plot logic at times, but still manages to produce edge-of-the-seat action. Milla Jovovich is ok but Michelle Rodriguez is better in one-dimensional roles. 3/5

PLOT: 2054: John Anderton (Tom Cruise) runs a Police 'Pre-Crime' unit that arrests people before they commit murder. But then he becomes a suspect...
REVIEW: Spielberg's second sci-fi piece in a row is a sterling thriller which offers a frighteningly realistic vision of where we might be fifty years from now. Not as clever as it thinks it is (no moral examination of pre-crime at all, for instance), but still a must-see. Cruise is on good form; great SFX. 4/5

PLOT: School nerd Peter Parker (Tobey Maguire) is bitten by a genetically altered spider which gives him super-human abilites of the arachnid variety...
REVIEW: Highly enjoyable big-screen adaptation of the classic Marvel Comics character. Sam Raimi directs an old-fashioned superhero tale with large dollops of energy and emotion to create a hero to root for, a love story you can believe in, and a fantastic good vs. evil showdown. Amazing! 4/5

PLOT: Connie Sumner (Diane Lane) is happily married to Edward (Richard Gere); then she begins an affair with a young Frenchman...
REVIEW: Director Adrian Lyne (Fatal Attraction) once again wreaks emotional havoc on happy families, but displays a more mature approach here than in earlier works, rewarded with excellent performances from both stars. Begins to lose its way a little towards the end, but still a decent drama. 3/5

PLOT: Matt (Josh Hartnett) takes a vow of celibacy for Lent to help get over his ex - but will he succeed against the efforts of his friends to break it...?
REVIEW: Amusing comedy detailing the tribulations of a young man forced to keep the vow he made even as he falls for a new girl. His workmates start taking bets on how long he can keep his libido in check. Well played and funny enough to offset the sometimes crude nature of the plot. 3/5

PLOT: Professor Alexander Hartdegen (Guy Pearce) uses his newly-invented time machine to try and prevent his fiancee from being murdered...
REVIEW: Mildly entertaining adaptation of H.G. Wells' classic sci-fi novel. New elements include a sub-plot about the inventor trying to alter the past to save his beloved, before being catapulted into the distant future where humans have evolved into two species. Fine acting & effects, but not very involving. 3/5

PLOT: December 1944: Lt. Hart (Colin Farrell) is captured and taken to a Nazi PoW camp, where he must defend a fellow officer against a murder charge...
REVIEW: Engaging WW2 tale set in the dying days of the conflict, examining the contradictory nature of the American stance against fascism (anti-Nazi, yet coloureds were badly treated within their own army). Solid stuff. Bruce Willis co-stars as a Colonel eager to escape and return to the front line. 3/5

PLOT: Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) are assigned to protect Senator Amidala (Natalie Portman) as the Galactic Republic faces collapse...
REVIEW: Latest installment in the space opera series ups the action level from the enjoyable but stilted Episode I, providing an epic feel to the events that will bring about the Empire. Great effects and certainly more fun, but very basic script and acting ensure the stiltedness isn't completely shaken off. 4/5

PLOT: A squad of six British soldiers training in a remote part of the Highlands find themselves being picked off by a group of werewolves...
REVIEW: Very enjoyable low-budget British horror adventure, spiked with a great sense of humour and game performances (take a bow, Sean Pertwee). Newcomer director Neil Marshall teases us with brief glimpses of the creatures, raising the tension and atmosphere. Derivative for sure, but fun. 4/5

PLOT: Will (Hugh Grant) is happily single and rich, without a worry or emotional tie to mess up his life. That is, until he tries to date single mums...
REVIEW: A good mix of comedy and drama, based on the book by Nick Hornby. Grant delivers another fine performance, following on from his turn in Bridget Jones last year, which allows him to extend his range somewhat. Supporting cast just as good, and nice soundtrack from Badly Drawn Boy. 4/5

PLOT: Mathayus (The Rock), assassin and warrior of 5000 years ago, vows to kill Memnon, tyrant and conqueror, becoming a king along the way...
REVIEW: Spin-off from last year's blockbuster The Mummy Returns. Very much inspired by the Conan films, flick has fast-paced action and a few very enjoyable scenes, but suffers from underwritten characters and a weedy villain (Steven Brand). The Rock is OK though. Just about passes muster. 3/5

PLOT: 1814: Edmond Dantès (Jim Caviezel) is betrayed by best friend Mondego (Guy Pearce). Wrongly imprisoned for 13 years, he seeks revenge...
REVIEW: Hugely enjoyable film, loosely based on the classic novel by Alexander Dumas. Directed by Kevin Reynolds (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves), this is period swashbuckling entertainment done the old-fasioned way: intrigue, swordfights, romance, treasure and comeuppances. Hurrah! 4/5

PLOT: Jess (Parminder K. Nagra) loves playing football and worships her hero David Beckham. Her traditionalist Indian family are not pleased....
REVIEW: British comedy following the fortunes of Jess in football, family and love. So-so mixture of comedy and drama, in the tradition of its elders and betters (Full Monty, East is East, etc.), but lacking the belly laughs, memorable characters and moving moments of those films. 2/5

PLOT: A mysterious man called Prot (Kevin Spacey) claiming to be from the planet K-PAX is committed to the care of a psychiatric hospital...
REVIEW: Curious drama that teases the audience into trying to figure out whether Prot is actually an alien visitor or just another looney. This is a very engaging film (if a little plodding occasionally) that rewards the audience, and features great performances from Spacey and Jeff Bridges as his doctor. 3/5

PLOT: Vampire slayer Blade (Wesley Snipes) returns, this time forced to unite with his enemies to confront a new menace: the Reapers...
REVIEW: Frenetic sequel to the cult 1998 comic book adaptation. Director Guillermo Del Toro favours action to atmosphere, but it does retain some of the feel of its moodier predecessor, and when the action comes, it's thick and fast, edge-of-the-seat stuff. Snipes is cool in what is now a trademark role. 4/5

PLOT: Ali G (Sacha Baron Cohen) is forced to become MP for Staines when the local youth centre is threatened with closure...
REVIEW: Surprisingly amusing comedy featuring the eponymous Channel 4 character. No prizes for plot or subtlety of course, and it is fairly predictable, but it's all done with a spot of wit, a dollop of satire, occasional charm and (importantly) plenty of good timing. You will laugh, despite yourself. 3/5

PLOT: A mammoth, sabre-tooth tiger and sloth join forces to try and return a human baby to its father on the eve of the last ice age...
REVIEW: Another computer-animated film, another winner: this joins last year's 'Shrek' as strong commpetition to Disney/Pixar's mastery of the genre. Always engaging, frequently hilarious (for both kids and adults), lovely animaton, and - bless them - no tedious songs. Priceless beginning too. 4/5

PLOT: Ghost hunter Cyrus (F. Murray Abraham) leaves his nephew's family an ultra-futuristic house in his will: but what is its deadly secret?
REVIEW: Good looking but toothless horror flick is a remake of the 1960 film of the same name. Cursed with one of the worst scripts ever, the chills are few and far between, and the B-grade cast (Abraham, Tony Shalhoub, Matthew Lillard, Shannon Elizabeth) are mostly just annoying. 2/5

PLOT: The exceedingly dysfunctional Tenenbaum family is reunited when estranged father Royal (Gene Hackman) announces his imminent death...
REVIEW: Offbeat comedy offers an abundance of deadpan humour and a few genuinely touching moments, delivered by a top drawer cast: Gene Hackman turns in the standout performance, but great support comes from (amongst others) Angelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow and Bill Murray. 4/5

PLOT: November 1965: The Vietnam war begins in the Valley of Death, when Col. Hal Moore (Mel Gibson) and his troops get cut off and surrounded...
REVIEW: Not as terrifying as 'Saving Private Ryan', or even 'Black Hawk Down', this film tries to depict the first major engagement in Vietnam in a similar way. That said, it does have its moments, and Gibson is on excellent form, as is Sam Elliott as the gruff old Sergeant Major. 3/5

PLOT: When Quoyle (Keven Spacey) becomes widowed, he and his daughter move to their ancestoral home in Newfoundland, with their aunt (Judi Dench)...
REVIEW: An engaging piece of drama in which Spacey delivers another excellent performance as a hopeless loser who discovers he can better himself when he moves to the bleak and inhospitable east coast of Canada. Funny and touching, boosted by a great cast and fantastic photography. 3/5

PLOT: A biographical drama charting the troubled life of John Nash, brilliant mathematician and Nobel Prize winner...
REVIEW: Russell Crowe gives a magnetic performance as Nash in this slick, well made, well told film of his formative years at university, his subsequent career and the schizophrenia that plagued his later life. Good support from Ed Harris as a shady spy and Jennifer Connelly as his wife. 4/5

PLOT: A recently widowed reporter (Richard Gere) sets out to investigate sightings of a 'Mothman', demon and harbinger of tragedy...
REVIEW: Eerie premise is based on "real events" that took place in the U.S. in the 1960s. Gere is on good form as the widower who tries to discover if the Mothman actually exists, and why drawings by his late wife match those who have supposedly seen it. If you like 'The X-Files', you'll like this. 3/5

PLOT: A potted history of boxer Muhammed Ali, during the rollercoster years of his career between 1964-74...
REVIEW: Director Michael Mann's dramatic retelling of the key events in Muhammed Ali's life is a thoroughly absorbing and at times exciting film, anchored by an excellent performance from Will Smith. There is little attempt to unearth the real Ali, but otherwise it satisfies on every level. 4/5

PLOT: Recent parolee Danny Ocean (George Clooney) plans to knock over a tightly guarded casino vault, aided by a team of ten other ex-cons...
REVIEW: Super-stylish entertainment from director Steven Soderbergh is the very definition of cool. All star cast (Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Julia Roberts, et al) have tremendous fun with the clever story (like an evil Mission: Impossible episode) that has you rooting for the robbers. 4/5

PLOT: Mike (voiced by Billy Crystal) and Sully (voiced by John Goodman) are monsters working for Monsters, Inc. - professional scarers of kids at night...
REVIEW: A wonderfully imaginative animation from the creators of the 'Toy Story' films: monsters scare children at night, and the subsequent screams are caught and used to power their city Monstropolis. But one child mysteriously escapes into the monsters' world...! Great fun for all ages. 4/5

PLOT: London, 1888: Jack the Ripper stalks the streets of Whitechapel. Can Detective Abberline (Johnny Depp) solve the case...?
REVIEW: The infamous Ripper case is given a great atmospheric makeover, with London never looking quite so dark and nightmarish. Mixed in is a plot involving Victorian conspiracies and the opium-addicted Depp's love for prostitute Heather Graham. Sort of a Tim Burton-does-Sherlock Holmes. 4/5

PLOT: Hal (Jack Black) only dates beautiful women, until he is hypnotised into seeing girls for their inner beauty - regardless of outside appearances...
REVIEW: A Farrelly (There's Something About Mary) Brothers comedy this may be, but thankfully rather more tame than usual. Hal falls for the hugely overweight Rosemary (Gwyneth Paltrow), seeing her personality represented as a stunning beauty. Clever, amusing and occasionally touching. 3/5

PLOT: In 1932, a quiet English country estate holds a shooting party over a weekend that ends in the murder of its host...
REVIEW: A wry look at the English social order during the last gasps of the aristocracy's heyday, film boasts excellent performances from a glut of famous names (too many to list here!) and the assured direction of Robert Altman, who keeps the observations and storyline cruising along. 4/5

PLOT: Rookie narcotics cop Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) is mentored by ruthless officer Alonzo (Denzel Washington) on his first day out...
REVIEW: This gritty urban cop drama that takes place over 24 hours in L.A. boasts a knockout, larger-than-life performance from Washington as a detective with shady dealings in the underworld he is supposed to be policing. An intelligent, thought-provoking thriller in the style of 'L.A.Confidential'. 4/5

PLOT: A wealthy playboy (Tom Cruise) is hideously disfigured when his girlfriend crashes her car; he awakes to a rather confusing world...
REVIEW: Cruise, Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruz are very good in this film that plays around with the notion of what is dreaming and what is reality. Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire) directs a sometimes dark tale of love and obsession with a bizarre ending that you'll love or hate. 4/5

PLOT: A dramatisation of the ill-fated attempt by American G.I.s to capture two lieutenants of a warlord in Mogadishu, Somalia in 1993...
REVIEW: Ridley Scott's film of this notorious incident is a nerve-wracking affair, a brilliantly shot recreation of a nighmarish battle to stay alive in a hostile city. Things like characterisation take second place admittedly, but the depiction of war is so terrifying, you won't notice. 4/5

PLOT: An eccentric Las Vegas millionaire offers $2million to the first person from a randomly selected group to reach it first - in a locker 700 miles away...
REVIEW: Enjoyable farce from Jerry Zucker (Airplane!, The Naked Gun). Decent cast includes Rowan Atkinson, Cuba Gooding Jr, Whoopi Goldberg and John Cleese as the mad millionaire who is running a bet on which rat will reach the money first. Plenty of hit-and-miss comedy - good fun. 3/5

PLOT: Something to do with an actress in Hollywood and an amnesiac woman teaming up to search for the latter's identity...
REVIEW: Typically bizarre David Lynch film is great on atmosphere and acting, but the plot, after starting out as an intriguing film noir affair, goes haywire and lands way up its own arse. Love it or loathe it, you'll find it hard to forget. 3/5