Sweet November (2001)

Drama Rated PG-13

It’s hard to say which is worse, this romantic drama’s annoying first half, in which Charlize Theron plays a perpetually perky free spirit who cracks the shell of a selfish advertising executive (Keanu Reeves), or the baldly manipulative, tear-jerking climax. Put together, it’s like watching a manic-depressive crash and burn.

Son of the Mask (2005)

Comedy Rated PG

This Jim Carrey-less sequel to the 1994 comedy about a mask that unleashes the wearer’s id offers not just one, but two entries into the annals of repulsive computer-generated movie characters. Jamie Kennedy’s nightmarish game-show host shtick while wearing the mask is only slightly less unnerving than the antics of his character’s infant son, who

Christmas With the Kranks (2004)

Family Rated PG

This holiday exploitation piece, based on John Grisham’s “Skipping Christmas,” beats a dead reindeer for most of its 99-minute running time. A married couple (Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis) decide to conduct a “total boycott” of the holiday season, and each time they announce this, their friends, neighbors, colleagues, etc. stare at them open-mouthed

Swordfish (2001)

Thriller Rated R

This computer thriller, about a criminal mastermind (John Travolta) and the oh-so-hip hacker he corrupts (Hugh Jackman), showcases Hollywood at its most soulless. Full of nasty, empty attitudes and overblown, callous action, it even manages to drain the charisma from Travolta (who once again overacts while playing the bad guy). Also featuring Halle Berry’s breasts.

Driven (2001)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

Big, loud and dumb in every possible way, Sylvester Stallone’s racing debacle (he wrote the script and stars) can’t even qualify as a car wreck since it’s not interesting enough to look at as you drive by. In trying to capture his past glory, Stallone’s made a movie that seems plucked from some Hollywood time

Ultimate X (2002)

Documentary Rated PG

A large-format film chronicling the 2001 X Games in Philadelphia. Produced by ESPN, which also is behind the X Games, this a promotional piece as much as a documentary, but the movie offers an enthralling glimpse into the extreme-sports subculture nonetheless. As riders careen nearly 100 feet in the air and then flip over and

Friday After Next (2002)

Comedy Rated R

Another Ice Cube ode to laziness, pot smoking and other negative African-American stereotypes, this time set to a jingle-bell beat. Along with Mike Epps, the rapper returns to his old south-central Los Angeles neighborhood in this third installment of the comedy series, primarily to chase down a renegade Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. Decidedly less

Chicken Little (2005)

Family Rated G

Disney’s floundering animation arm tried to get hip with Chicken Little, a computer-generated comedy with some of the sharp visuals of Pixar’s pictures, a bit of the deconstructionist wit of the Shrek movies and about an ounce of the fabled charm of the studio’s early classics. The movie is a wannabe, but on those terms

In Her Shoes (2005)

Drama Rated PG-13

Audiences have stuck with Cameron Diaz through a lot – the There’s Something About Mary rip-off The Sweetest Thing, even Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle – but In Her Shoes pushes the star’s likability to the limit. That’s partly the movie’s point – this is meant to be a tale of betrayal and reconciliation between sisters

Little Black Book (2004)

Romantic Comedy Rated PG-13

Brittany Murphy has rarely ceased to annoy, whether she’s being psychotically perky in Uptown Girls or perkily psychotic in Spun. Little Black Book finds her somewhere in between: she’s a peppy young woman who has the unhealthy idea of tracking down her boyfriend’s former flames. Going down with the ship are legitimate talents such as