Too hot? Take in a movie
"Original Sin" -- At least seven deadly sins of rotten filmmaking are at work in writer-director Michael Cristofer's thrill-less romantic thriller starring Antonio Banderas and Angelina Jolie: Grating melodramatics, bad dialogue, tiresome voice-overs, hack editing, overbearing music, cheesy camera work, unpleasant characters with incomprehensible motivation. Banderas plays a Cuban coffee merchant whose beautiful American bride (Jolie) turns out to be a pretty scary piece of work. The action is beyond lethargic and the characters uninvolving. It's quite a dubious achievement by Christofer to so fully douse the sparks that Banderas and Jolie could and should have made fly. R for strong sexual content and some violence. 116 minutes.
-- David Germain, AP Movie Writer
"The Princess Diaries" -- A Pygmalion story told in Pollyanna terms, this one's as sappy as they come. But sometimes sappy works, and this is one of those times. Powered by a stately turn from Julie Andrews and a sunny performance from relative newcomer Anne Hathaway, "Princess Diaries" is one to savor for its good humor and big heart, not its hackneyed fairy-tale notions. Hathaway plays a shy, awkward teen thrust into the spotlight when her royal grandma (Andrews) shows up and tells her she's heir to a tiny kingdom's throne. Director Garry Marshall lets the movie run longer than it should and allows the action to veer into lame high school shenanigans that detract from the story. But he recovers the focus in time for the predictable yet convivial conclusion. G. 114 minutes.
-- David Germain, AP Movie Writer
"Rush Hour 2" -- Neither great comedy nor great action, "Rush Hour 2" still has enough of both to make it a fun ride from start to finish. Once again directed by Brett Ratner, Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker return as the best squabbling-cop duo since the early "Lethal Weapon" movies. This time, they track a counterfeit ring from Hong Kong to Los Angeles to Las Vegas. The sequel has better balance, with Tucker throwing a few more punches and Chan hurling more insults. The repartee is fairly ordinary, but earnest delivery by Lee and especially Tucker makes the dialogue feel snappier than it is. John Lone and Zhang Ziyi provide solid support as villains. With slightly better comedy and action, "Rush Hour 2" is that rare sequel that exceeds the original. PG-13 for action violence, language and some sexual material. 90 minutes.
-- David Germain, AP Movie Writer