Le Divorce (2003)

Drama Rated PG-13

Period-drama director James Ivory (Howards End) visits contemporary Paris for this carelessly scribbled love letter to the romantic moods and manners of the city of lights. Kate Hudson and Naomi Watts play American sisters succumbing to the whims of French men. The tone veers back and forth between farce and tragedy, with a slight thriller

Suspect Zero (2004)

Thriller Rated R

Suspect Zero tries to resurrect the serial-killer thriller by sadly mimicking the television series “The X-Files.” It’s a double-whammy loser. Filling in for Scully and Mulder are Carrie-Anne Moss and Aaron Eckhart, both of whom deserve better roles than those of the romantically entangled FBI agents on the trail of a child-murderer here. Also questionably

Red Planet (2000)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

Hardly a mind-blowing piece of science fiction, Red Planet still entertains as an outer space version of television’s “Survivor.” After five men crash-land on Mars, they engage in a series of wily tactics, machinations and double-crosses that eventually result in only one of them returning to Earth.

Tuxedo, The (2002)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

This Jackie Chan vehicle – about a chauffeur who inherits his boss’ Inspector Gadget-style monkey suit – is a disastrous waste of the Hong Kong superstar’s comic-athletic talents. The tuxedo is operated by a wristwatch that offers a variety of commands, from rifle assembly to demolition mode. One additional option it could have used? How

Underclassman (2005)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

If Nickelodeon ever remade Beverly Hills Cop, it would look something like this. In other words, like something no one really needs. Nick Cannon, who got his start on Nickelodeon’s “All That” sketch series, plays Tracy “Tre” Stokes, a mouthy Los Angeles bike cop who gets stuck in a plot that’s as dated as his

Van Helsing (2004)

Action/Adventure Rated PG-13

Writer-director Stephen Sommers (The Mummy) means to marry classic horror icons in an effects-laden extravaganza centered on the title monster-hunter (Hugh Jackman), but the movie is done in by overkill – too many characters, too much action, too complicated of a plot. It’s a blockbuster that’s too big for its own hero.

Brown Sugar (2002)

Drama Rated PG-13

If it weren’t for its unique setting – namely the upper echelons of the hip-hop recording industry – Brown Sugar would be indistinguishable from the countless conventional romantic dramas Hollywood churns out. Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan are charming enough as the central couple – childhood friends who have gone on to careers in the

Disney’s The Kid (2000)

Drama Rated PG

Before it collapses under the weight of its own strained concept – that Bruce Willis’ narcissistic image consultant is visited by his 8-year-old self to learn what really matters in life – this hits on a few moments of knowing charm (the little boy cannot believe his older counterpart doesn’t remember the momentous day an

Holes (2003)

Family Rated PG

This adaptation of Louis Sachar’s novel, which follows a young nerd (Shia LaBeouf) who is mistakenly sent to a juvenile detention facility and forced to dig endless holes in the desert, may have worked on the page, but stretched out onto the big screen it’s a collection of would-be goofy moments that are almost painful.

Man From Elysian Fields, The (2001)

Drama Rated R

The central plot – about a struggling novelist named Byron (Andy Garcia) who becomes an upscale gigolo to support his young family – is as ludicrous and labored as it sounds, and would be a total loss if not for two supporting performances taking place at the movie’s edges. Mick Jagger brings elegance, wit and