Friday, January 21, 2000; Page N45 Film Capsules

Capsule reviews by Desson Howe unless noted. A star (*) denotes a movie recommended by our critics.

Openings

ANGELA'S ASHES (R) -- See review, Page 43.

DOWN TO YOU (PG-13) -- This romantic comedy stars Freddie Prinze Jr. (of "She's All That") as Al Connelly, a New York college kid aiming for a career as a world-class chef who falls in love with art student Imogen (Julia Stiles from "10 Things I Hate About You"). The story also features a cast of flamboyant characters, including Monk (Zak Orth), a pornographic filmmaker, and Jim Morrison (Ashton Kutcher), a young man who does everything he can to imitate his namesake, the rock star icon Jim Morrison. Due to unforeseen laboratory processing problems, a print for this movie was not ready in time for us to review. But a capsule review will appear in next week's Weekend. The movie opens Friday at area theaters.

PLAY IT TO THE BONE (R) -- See review, Page 44.

TOPSY-TURVY (R) -- See review, Page 43.

First Runs & Revivals

*ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER (R, 101 minutes) -- Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar's most mature exploration of the female psyche to date is not the romp of "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" or the farce of "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!" but whatever laughs it lacks have been sacrificed on the altar of emotional potency. There's not a false note or performance in this tale of Manuela (Cecilia Roth), a Madrid woman whose teenage son's accidental death precipitates a search for the father -- now a transsexual (Toni Canto) living in Barcelona. In the course of her search she encounters and takes under her wing another transsexual (the histrionic Antonia San Juan) and a troubled nun (Penelope Cruz) as well as a middle-aged actress (Marisa Paredes) and her junkie girlfriend (Candela Pena). Almodovar's message? That being a woman, let alone a mother, has less to do with the womb than with the mind. Contains flashes of breasts, obscenity, discussion of sex and prostitution. In Spanish with subtitles. Cineplex Odeon Dupont Circle 5, Regal Ballston Common 12.

-- Michael O'Sullivan

*AMERICAN BEAUTY (R, 118 minutes) -- By turns hilarious, painful and brutally frank, "American Beauty" gets America right where it lives: in the cookie-cutter paradise of green lawns, manicured roses and automatic garage doors known as suburbia. And no one brings this familiar place closer to home than Kevin Spacey. As Lester, he's a beaten-down husband who shocks his successful wife (Annette Bening) and sullen teenage daughter Jane (Thora Birch) when he becomes infatuated with his daughter's sexy 17-year-old friend (Mena Suvari). The infatuation becomes a full-fledged revolution when Lester tells his family he's not a loser anymore and proceeds to do exactly as he pleases. Bening is a blast as Lester's archly aloof wife. But "American Beauty" is Spacey's exclusive property. His portrayal of the beleaguered suburban male of the species practically glows with vulnerability. Contains sex scenes, nudity, masturbation, obscenity and gunshot violence. Loews Pentagon City 6, University Mall, Cineplex Odeon Inner Circle 3.

ANNA AND THE KING (PG-13, 140 minutes) -- Jodie Foster is Anna Leonowens, an English schoolteacher who accepts an invitation to Siam to tutor the 58 children of King Mongkut (Chow Yun-Fat). But the movie isn't much more than a one-dimensional romance of opposites between uptight Anna and patriarchal King Mongkut. As if to make up for this formulaic emptiness, there's a lot of spectacle: the Siamese palace, gorgeous vegetation, big elephants and so forth. Another problem: There's only one heart between the principals, and it beats solely in Chow's chest. He's more sensitive and feminine than Foster, who's a good, but not particularly warm actor. As for her "English" accent, the less said the better. Contains offscreen violence. Area theaters.

ANY GIVEN SUNDAY (R, 170 minutes) -- Al Pacino's head coach of the fictitious Miami Sharks football team. Cameron Diaz is the Sharks' scheming new owner. And Jamie Foxx is the immediately successful, arrogant replacement when veteran QB Dennis Quaid gets injured. For its first 90 minutes, director Oliver Stone's extended blitz on the great game is an exhilarating, smash-mouth experience, with fast-moving montages of thudding bodies and spectacular ball spirals. But holy timeout, Stone wants to make a movie about life. He eats up the clock with commentary about the evils of media big business. Ollie, I love the football part, but don't get preachy on me, unless you're going to tell me something I don't know. -- Contains nudity, obscenity and on-field violence, with absolutely no time for sex. Area theaters.

*ANYWHERE BUT HERE (PG-13, 113 minutes) -- Wacky mom Susan Sarandon believes that moving to Beverly Hills is the answer to her dismal life in Bay City, Wis. Natalie Portman is Ann, the unwilling, sullen daughter she drags along with her. This sojourn -- which lasts a few years -- is a bumpy one, as mother and daughter adjust to the West Coast, their lack of means and each other. Little does Ann know that this story is really about establishing a link with the enemy Herself: Mom. It's a movie sparkling with amusing moments that sneak up and surprise you. Sarandon is the movie's most enduring pleasure, strutting around in unflattering housewife stretch pants, but exuding such brazen self-confidence, it's enough to persuade you she's sexy, funny and alive. Contains strong language and mild sexual situations. Manassas Cinemas.

*BEING JOHN MALKOVICH (R, 112 minutes) -- In Spike Jonze's brilliant, bizarre fantasy, world-weary puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) and dour opportunist Maxine (Catherine Keener) find a way to enter actor John Malkovich's brain and operate him like a marionette. Things get really weird when Maxine conspires to make love with Malkovich while Craig's wife, Lotte (Cameron Diaz) is nestled inside the actor's brain. This movie would not have been possible without Malkovich's sporting consent. As the central object of everyone's affections, he plays himself with wonderful ironic restraint. His state of bewilderment -- especially when those unseen invaders learn to control his words, actions and even lovemaking -- is hilarious. Contains obscenity, nudity and sexual scenes. Cineplex Odeon Shirlington 7 and Dupont Circle 5, Regal Ballston Common 12.

BICENTENNIAL MAN (PG, 133 minutes) -- Robin Williams plays Andrew, a domestic robot whose human qualities make him yearn for freedom and, finally, love. But he must become fully human to experience such things. Williams is funny when he's first bumping up against such quirks of humanity as humor. But the story simply takes too long. He has to cool metallic heels for 200 years, as he waits for the appropriate technology to evolve. This means outliving the people he has grown to love, including his first owner (Sam Neill) and a sweet girl called Little Miss (Hallie Kate Eisenberg). After Andrew becomes close with one set of characters, time marches on, leaving those mortals (as well as our emotional investment) in the dust. Although there's poignancy over the years, as Andrew meets new person after new person, something is definitely lost in the ellipses. Contains very strong language for a PG rating, as well as discussion of sexual matters. Area theaters.

THE BONE COLLECTOR (R, 118 minutes) -- You've got to love Hollywood's notion of the serial killer: someone deranged enough to perpetrate the most gruesome murders (again and again), yet fussy enough to leave the cops a crime scene decorated with clues straight out of "Martha Stewart Living." The criminal mastermind here is no exception, and the weary cliche weighs down Phillips Noyce's otherwise gripping "The Bone Collector," based on the best-selling novel by Jeffery Deaver. Despite fine performances from Denzel Washington as a quadriplegic forensics expert and Angelina Jolie as the beat cop who acts as his eyes and ears in the field, this "Bone" tastes a little stale. Contains obscenity, bloody corpses and icky rats. University Mall, Manassas Cinemas, Cineplex Odeon Foundry.

-- Michael O'Sullivan

*BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB (G, 101 minutes) -- In this charming documentary, German director Wim Wenders chronicles his friend Ry Cooder's successful attempt to persuade a lost generation of legendary musicians to make a comeback album called "Buena Vista Social Club." It sold more than a million copies. Between the beats of this so-called son music, you can feel a touching camaraderie among the musicians, including 80-year-old pianist Ruben Gonzalez and Ibrahim Ferrer, a k a "The Nat King Cole of Cuba," whose soft, 70-year-old voice will slay anyone with an appreciation of fine music. When the band makes its final appearance on the Carnegie stage, to the sweetly mournful strains of "Quizas, Quizas, Quizas," you realize you're hooked on these musicians for life. In Spanish and English with subtitles. Contains nothing objectionable except mildly risque lyrics. Arlington Cinema 'N' Drafthouse.

*THE CIDER HOUSE RULES (PG-13, 129 minutes) -- Under the sensitive direction of director Lasse ("My Life as a Dog") Hallstrom and the intelligent adaptation by John Irving from his own epic novel, "The Cider House Rules" may have lost a few pounds, a year here and there, a subplot or two and a handful of characters, but it retains all of its moral ambiguity and sense that we must each invent our own ethics. The tale of orphaned Homer Wells (magnificently natural Tobey Maguire) and his struggle to find himself after being raised to adulthood and trained as an obstetrician by Dr. Wilbur Larch (Michael Caine), is not just a story of a man-child discovering love (with Charlize Theron). It is also the saga of someone coming to terms with his own destiny -- and the fact that life outside the walls of the orphanage where he grew up is not black and white but filled with deliciously messy gray areas. Contains nudity, a sexual encounter, bloody wounds and discussion of abortion. Area theaters. -- Michael O'Sullivan

CRADLE WILL ROCK (R, 133 minutes) -- In Tim Robbins's partially fictionalized fantasy, set in the 1930s, the Federal Theatre Project, a government program designed to bring low-cost theater to Americans, has become the domain of left-leaning artists. Congress probes these "un-American" tendencies, while its goon squad shuts down a show ("The Cradle Will Rock") staged by emerging director, Orson Welles. Newcomer Angus Macfadyen makes a wacky, eccentric Orson Welles. John Cusack makes a charmingly oozy Nelson Rockefeller. Susan Sarandon has her moments, too, as a propagandist for Benito Mussolini's war machine. And as a tell-it-like-it-is Diego Rivera, Ruben Blades is rather entertaining. But the idea of these people milling together in one place at one particular time is always bigger than the drama. They're just famous leftists, rightists, capitalists and artists in quotation marks. And the movie has so many subplots, it's hard to sustain our interest. Contains nudity and obscenity. Area theaters.

*DEUCE BIGALOW: MALE GIGOLO (R, 90 minutes) -- Yes, it's from "Big Daddy" producers Adam Sandler and Jack Giarraputo. Yes, it stars Rob "Men Behaving Badly" Schneider. And yes, it contains jokes about feces, flatulence, venereal disease, disability, sexual arousal and rectal exams. What distinguishes this from the crop of sophomoric comedies by such "SNL" alums as Will Ferrell, Chris Kattan, Molly Shannon, David Spade and Norm Macdonald is its -- get this -- feminist world view. You heard me right: the tale of a reluctant male hooker (Schneider) who pleases his clients not by shagging them but by making them feel good about themselves actually answers the age-old question of what women really want. As hapless fish tank cleaner-cum-lothario Bigalow, Schneider never grates, while love interest Arija Bareikis strikes just the right balance between sexy and funny. Contains obscenity, naked derrieres, sexual innuendo and a recurring joke involving a wet T-shirt. Area theaters.

-- Michael O'Sullivan

DOGMA (R, 125 minutes) -- In Kevin Smith's pitifully unfunny religious comedy, the end of the world is at stake. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck play fallen angels Loki and Bartleby, who want to reenter Heaven and nullify God -- whose judgment will be deemed imperfect if they return to the Pearly Gates. Also figuring in this: Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Smith) the great team from "Clerks"; the tough-minded Bethany (Linda Fiorentino), who works at an abortion clinic; a 13th apostle (Chris Rock); and, uh, God. Yes, the Supreme Being gets a part too. Unfortunately, "Dogma" demonstrates Smith's limitations. This project is simply too complex for his twentysomething sensibilities. Contains relentless obscenity, profanity and gross material. Also nudity. Cineplex Odeon Foundry.

DOUBLE JEOPARDY (R, 106 minutes) -- Even "The Fugitive's" Tommy Lee Jones as a pit-bullish parole officer on the trail of a slippery quarry cannot save this made for TV-caliber thriller about a paroled felon (Ashley Judd) out to punish her husband (Bruce Greenwood) after she discovers that she has been framed for his staged murder and that the lying sack of you-know-what has absconded with their young son. The far-fetched premise -- that she can shoot him with impunity because she has already been convicted of his murder once -- is only the most egregious in a litany of implausibilities. Judd might actually be a good actress, but you'd never know it from this forgettable project, the latest evidence of director Bruce Beresford's long slide from his days of "Breaker Morant" and "Driving Miss Daisy" glory. Contains sex, obscenity, a bloody crime scene, gunfire and unprofessional wrestling and bad legal advice. Area theaters.

-- Michael O'Sullivan

DUDLEY DO-RIGHT (PG, 83 minutes) -- There's something missing in this film version of the TV cartoon show. Maybe it's innocence or charm. Brendan Fraser plays the upstanding, goofy Canadian Mountie, Dudley D.R., who owns a horse called Horse, fights with property-stealing archvillain Snidely Whiplash (Alfred Molina) and dreams of romance with Nell Fenwick (Sarah Jessica Parker). These may be the right elements of the TV show, but the chemistry is gone. Fraser replays the slapstick, non-pretentious charm he brought to "George of the Jungle." In fact, "Dudley" is basically "George" dressed up in Mountie uniform. But there's little he can do in a movie that is too smart for little kids and too dumb for preteens. What is anyone under 15 to make of a scene in which "Riverdance" is mocked in an "Indian Corn Pageant" number involving singing-dancing braves in a well-choreographed stage show? Contains flatulence and slapstick. Bethesda Theatre Cafe.

*THE END OF THE AFFAIR (R, 105 minutes) -- In this adaptation of the Graham Greene novel, Ralph Fiennes is perfectly cast as Maurice Bendrix, a novelist living in London during the 1940s, who is trying to make sense -- two years later -- of the extramarital affair he had with Sarah Miles (Julianne Moore). As Sarah, Moore is unforgettable: a seemingly remote yet passionate beauty who keeps enticing secrets behind that even gaze. Writer-director Neil Jordan's dedication to the spirit of the novel is also exemplary. And with cinematographer Roger Pratt and production designer Anthony Pratt, he wraps this England in a gray-green, yet romantic pall. Too bad Jordan makes the last-minute mistake of showing us too much of the novel's spiritual hallelujah ending. Faced with such oversimplification, we lose our faith. Contains nudity, sex scenes. Area theaters.

FIGHT CLUB (R, 141 minutes) -- If you want boys bashing boys in bloody, living color, David Fincher's "Fight Club" is your flick, dude. But if you want a movie that makes sense and doesn't make you chuckle at its sophomoric satire, laugh this one right off your list. When disillusioned worker bee Edward Norton meets tough-talking Brad Pitt, it's a match made in hell. They create a fight club where people who hate the superficiality of modern life can meet and beat the crap out of each other. As the Fight Club leads to darker things, the movie succumbs to Hollywood story inflation. It flops to the concrete, artificial blood gushing from its picturesque wounds. Pitt becomes increasingly speechy about the great plague of consumerism that has befallen the globe, but that's precisely the consumerism that spawns movies like this. Contains brutal violence, nudity, obscenity and sex scenes. Arlington Cinema 'N' Drafthouse, Cineplex Odeon Foundry.

*GALAXY QUEST (PG, 102 minutes) -- For every "Star Trek" fan who has ever wondered why Captain Kirk couldn't keep his shirt on in a fight or his pants on around a good-looking alien babe, or why the Enterprise only ever encountered humanoids living on planets with plenty of oxygen, this goofy, spoofy film from director Dean ("Home Fries") Parisot plays delightfully fast and loose with these and other conventions of the sci-fi genre. It's years after the popular "Galaxy Quest" series has been canceled and its washed up cast (led by Tim Allen) now make a living by signing autographs at fan conventions. When a delegation of Thermians (actual aliens led by Enrico Colatoni of "Just Shoot Me") mistakes reruns of the show for "historical documents," the crew of actors find themselves on board a working reproduction of their ship, where they are expected to use their legendary (not!) battle skills to save the Thermians from a barbaric race of lizard-men. Contains science fiction goo and "Star Trek"-style combat. Area theaters.

-- Michael O'Sullivan

*GIRL, INTERRUPTED (R, 123 minutes) -- Based on author Susanna Kaysen's 1993 memoir of her nearly two-year stint in an exclusive Massachusetts mental hospital in the late '60s, writer-director James Mangold's sensitive, understated film paints the asylum as less like the hellhole of Fred Wiseman's documentary expose "Titicut Follies" than a college dormitory filled with colorful eccentrics. As the suicidally depressive heroine Susanna, Winona Ryder is touching and believable, and Angelina Jolie gives a memorable turn as fellow patient Lisa. Transforming herself from a wordly-wise friend into an emotionally dangerous Pied Piper, the Svenagli-like antagonist proves herself to be ultimately more therapeutic in Susanna's process of recovery than any of the institution's staff, including even the humane and stoic nurse Valerie, played by a toned-down Whoopi Goldberg. Contains obscenity, a sexual situation and self-destructive behavior. Area theaters.

-- Michael O'Sullivan

*THE GREEN MILE (R, 180 minutes) -- Writer-director Frank Darabont's brilliant campfire story, adapted from Stephen King's six-part, serialized novel, is built around big-hearted John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan), a 7-foot-tall inmate at the Cold Mountain Penitentiary in Louisiana in the 1930s. Tom Hanks is Paul Edgecomb, the head guard, who thinks Coffey may be innocent of his crimes and recruits his men, including Brutus "Brutal" Howell (David Morse) and Dean Stanton (Barry Pepper), to do something about it. This being a King-derived movie, the villains are memorable, including Percy Wetmore (Doug Hutchison), a sadistic new guard with connections to the governor, and William "Wild Bill" Wharton (Sam Rockwell), a demented killer with Bubba charms. But the movie belongs to Duncan, whose presence is literally and figuratively, the biggest thing in the movie. Contains occasional disturbing violence and obscenity. Area theaters.

*HAPPY, TEXAS (PG-13, 100 minutes) -- Escaped convicts Harry (Jeremy Northam) and Wayne Wayne Wayne Jr. (Steve Zahn) pose as beauty pageant officials -- gay ones, too -- in Happy, Texas until the heat dies down. Wayne applies himself to the task of teaching song-and-dance routines to the girls, while Harry hobnobs with the townsfolk and falls in love with Josephine (Ally Walker), the local bank owner. This beauty pageant comedy, directed by Mark Illsley (who wrote it with Ed Stone and Phil Reeves) gets better and better. Imagine an engaging combination of "Raising Arizona," "Smile" and "In & Out." Then imagine funnier. As the local sheriff, William H. Macy proves what a great character actor he can be. And as a pseudo-gay dance instructor, Zahn is a scream. Contains sexual scenes, major innuendo and strong language. Arlington Cinema 'N' Drafthouse, Cineplex Odeon Foundry.

THE HURRICANE (R, 146 minutes) -- Denzel Washington's intense performance brings a tragic miscarriage of justice home in director Norman Jewison's hagiography of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, the middleweight boxer wrongfully imprisoned for two decades for murder. Washington is thoroughly believable as a man whose pride was his boxing, but who is forced to counterpunch for 20 years. But the movie ignores the work of Carter's defense lawyers and glories the role of three Canadians (Liev Schreiber, John Hannah and Deborah Kara Unger) and one dedicated young African American (Vicellous Reon Shannon) who helped him. Dramatically, the Canadians come across as a group of Hardy Boys, living in such a goofy, sweet haze you wonder if they pump their home full of nitrous oxide. Contains boxing and police violence and strong language. Area theaters.

*LIBERTY HEIGHTS (R, 122 minutes) -- When Ben Kurtzman (Ben Foster) develops a crush on his high school's first black student (Rebekah Johnson) in the 1950s, he learns what it means to cross racial and cultural boundaries on the eve of desegregation. In Barry Levinson's highly affecting drama, Ben's family members, too, will find themselves dealing with a changing America. His father (Joe Mantegna) and his illegal numbers racket lead to desperate dealings with a black, petty gangster (Orlando Jones); and Ben's older brother Van (Adrien Brody) becomes infatuated with Dubbie (Carolyn Murphy), a blonde gentile who hangs around exclusively with WASPs. "Liberty Heights" demonstrates what writer-director Levinson does best: evoke the sights, smells and atmosphere of his youth with intelligence, humor and a keen sense of social perspective. And as with "Diner" and "Tin Men," he animates his characters with unforgettable charm and hilarious dialogue. Contains obscenity, racial epithets, sexual situations and violence. Cineplex Odeon Rio 14, Shirlington 7 and Avalon.

MAGNOLIA (R, 170 minutes) -- Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson's Altmanesque, multi-plotted follow-up to "Boogie Nights" is just an extended screamfest. Tom Cruise, Jason Robards, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy and others spend three hours flipping their lids, venting their spleens and blowing head gaskets. Did California run out of Prozac or something? Anderson's movie grabs ferociously at every available topic he can dream up: chance, coincidence, synchronicity, anger, bitterness, deception, unrequited love, child abuse, family bile and biblical retribution, to name a few. But although Anderson has virtuoso talents, his movie has nothing to say behind all that shrieking doom and gloom. Contains intense emotional material, violence, nudity and ceaseless obscenity. Area theaters.

MAN ON THE MOON (R, 118 minutes) -- As Andy Kaufman, the widely misunderstood funny man who made a short-lived career out of trying not to be funny, Jim Carrey is dead-on, fabulous. But director Milos Forman's biopic about the late comedian is less than stellar. The story covers the highlights of Kaufman's life, including his unhappy stint as Latka on the "Taxi" series, his much-publicized wrestling bouts with women and his love-hate relationship with a character called Tony Clifton. Forman and his scriptwriters, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, would like us to believe in Kaufman's brilliance and genius. But although there's no question we leave the movie with a new affection for Kaufman, this is not the legendary endorsement the moviemakers had in mind. Contains sexual scenes, nudity and obscenity. Area theaters.

MANSFIELD PARK PG-13, 112 minutes) -- When her impoverished family sends her to live with wealthy relatives, Fanny Price (Frances O'Connor) finds herself a second-class citizen with the Bertrams. But she has two avenues of relief: her writing, at which she excels, and Edmund (Jonny Lee Miller), a Bertram son of similar age with whom she builds a close, undying love. As these faux siblings grow older and closer, their relationship seems too pure to evolve to romantic love. The cast, which includes Embeth Davidtz and the playwright Harold Pinter, is definitely second-tier. The possibility of a union between Fanny and Edmund (a dedicated but somewhat wan Miller) doesn't truly engage us. And Canadian director Patricia Rozema occasionally pushes subtle Jane Austen off the cliff of discretion and into feminist, quasi-lesbian waters. But any Austen goes a long way; this movie is entertaining enough. Contains sex and nudity. Regal Ballston Common 12, Cinema Arts Fairfax, Cineplex Odeon Janus 3.

*NEXT FRIDAY (R, 93 minutes) -- In this no-less-hilarious sequel to the 1995 hit comedy "Friday," Chris Tucker may be missing as the deliciously addled dope fiend Smokey, but his absence (explained by the fact that his character is now in drug rehab) is made up for by newcomer Mike Epps. The promising young stand-up comic plays Day-Day, the squirrelly suburban cousin of our returning hero Craig (rapper-actor Ice Cube), who flees South Central L.A. for the peace and quiet (ha!) of Rancho Cucamonga when his life of unemployed ease is threatened by the escape from jail of Debo (Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr.). Debo, you will recall, was the bully knocked out by Craig at the end of the first film. Written and produced by Ice Cube, this "Friday" is just as gut-busting -- and twice as lowbrow -- as the last one. Contains obscenity, drug use, scatological and sexual humor and comic violence. Area theaters.

-- Michael O'Sullivan

POKEMON THE FIRST MOVIE (G, 96 minutes) -- The Pokemon phenomenon is kind of like the WWF for toddlers. These Japanimated critters (the name is short for "pocket monsters) like nothing better than to beat each other to a pulp -- although nobody ever really gets hurt. The most disappointing thing, therefore, about the new feature based on the popular video game, TV cartoon and trading cards (aside from the cheap-looking animation and unengaging story about the showdown between the cat-type Pokemon Mew and his evil doppelganger Mewtwo) is the Pollyannaish moral it shoves down your throat. I'm all for universal peace, love and understanding, but if those are to be the new watchwords for Pikachu and his Pokepantheon of lean, mean fighting machines, what's next? Will Bulbasaur and Squirtle move in together and open a bed-and-breakfast in Vermont? Contains bloodless battle and scenes of a boy in jeopardy. Area theaters.

-- Michael O'Sullivan

*THE SIXTH SENSE (PG-13, 107 minutes) -- Brilliantly deliberative pacing and an eerie, contemplative timbre make this movie truly engrossing and touching. Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan builds atmosphere, brick by brick, until a very powerful design becomes clear. There is subtle work from Bruce Willis, who plays a child psychologist in Philadelphia trying to help an 8-year-old boy with a dark secret. As the child, whose visions are truly terrifying, Haley Joel Osment is outstanding. And Toni Collete is memorable as the mother who, despite her best intentions, seems unable to understand him. This is an entrancing film, which dabbles in profound character revelation and the paranormal -- a great combination you rarely see in a movie. And the twist ending will put your head in a swirl. Contains disturbing material and garish wounds. Foxchase 3.

SLEEPY HOLLOW (R, 105 minutes) -- Like the headless rider that figures so prominently in the story, Tim Burton's movie is missing something. Despite wonderful sets, great cinematography and all manner of special effects (including the regular and extremely involuntary removal of human heads), there's no real scariness or excitement. Johnny Depp's tormented, over-the-top performance as Ichabod Crane -- the constable sent into 18th-century Sleepy Hollow to investigate a string of ghastly murders -- is not as funny as the filmmakers would like to believe. His splendidly dressed, handsome Ichabod has more to do with the pages of GQ than Washington Irving's tome. And I remember infinitely more clamminess in the gut when I first saw Walt Disney's "The Headless Horseman." Contains major head slicing. Manassas Cinemas.

SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS (PG-13, 127 minutes) -- As lead character Ishmael Chambers, Ethan Hawke's tentative, pallid presence can't forcefully lead this adaptation of David Guderson's novel. In a fishing village on an island in the Pacific Northwest, Kazuo Miyamoto (Rick Yune) is arrested and tried for murder. Ishmael, a fledgling reporter covering the trial, has a personal stake in the matter. He's in love with Kazuo's wife, Hatsue (Youki Kudoh), who was his childhood sweetheart. The trial becomes a window to the era's climate of cultural misunderstanding, particularly the enmity, mistrust and internment of Japanese American citizens during World War II. But the message, that such bigotry was ignoble, feels forced. And dramatically, an over-long Japanese internment section makes us lose touch with the court case. -- Contains some violence, strong language and strong emotional themes. Area theaters.

*THE STRAIGHT STORY (G, 111 minutes) -- Based on the true story of Alvin Straight, a 73-year-old man who journeyed hundreds of miles on a riding mower to visit an ailing brother, David Lynch's delicate movie chugs through an American heartland ripened to bursting with human goodwill. Serenely bereft of postmodern cynicism, the movie stays that way, too, as Alvin (Richard Farnsworth) travels all the way from Laurenz, Iowa, to Mount Zion, Wis., at an operating land speed of five miles an hour. At the end of this emotionally affecting six-week odyssey, if the conclusion doesn't draw tears, it will certainly draw your admiration. Farnsworth gives the performance of his life; and Sissy Spacek, who seems to get better each passing year, is terrific as his stuttering daughter, Rose. Lynch and writers Mary Sweeney and John Roach revel in the subtle nuances of the great Midwest, from the omnipresent furrows to the rushing of wind through the trees. And Lynch's regular composer, Angelo Badalamenti, outdoes himself with a score that's the elegiac equivalent of threshing wheat. Contains nothing objectionable. Shepherdstown Opera House.

*STUART LITTLE (PG, 92 minutes) -- In this charming, modernized adaptation of E.B. White's book, Stuart (voice of Michael J. Fox) is no ordinary mouse. Adopted from an orphan agency, he's the latest addition to the very human Little family. He's to be treated as a person -- not family cat Snowbell's next meal. The movie's an uproariously good time, thanks to a beguiling combination of live action and animatronics, inspired wit from screenwriter M. Night Shyamalan, and lively offscreen (and onscreen) performances from Fox, Nathan Lane (as Snowbell), and others. The plot line is peppered with more than enough activity to occupy young, fidgety viewers. And director Rob Minkoff has a talent for great visual gags, most of them having to do with Stuart's smallness in the human world. Contains the prospect of violence, as well as puppy "doo." Area theaters.

SUPERNOVA (PG-13, 91 minutes) -- This rancid lump of sci-fi cheese reeks so badly that MGM allowed director Walter Hill to replace his name with the pseudonymous "Thomas Lee." When the bored crew of a space ambulance (led by James Spader, Angela Bassett and, all too briefly, Robert Forster) rescues a stranger (Peter Facinelli) from a mining outpost, they discover he has something I will call, for lack of a clearer term in the film, a doomsday device. Variously described as a "bomb" and "extradimensional isotopic matter," it resembles little other than a giant, glowing mood ring with the power to transform Facinelli from a young Tom Cruise into Lou Ferrigno. In the expendable supporting cast, Robin Tunney and Wilson Cruz (so wonderful, respectively, in "Niagara, Niagara" and "My So-Called Life") are wasted here, but the real question is why everyone keeps hitting each other over the head with what look like fire extinguishers. Hasn't anyone heard of phasers? Contains brief nudity, mild swearing, tepid sexual situations and wan action. Area theaters.

-- Michael O'Sullivan

*SWEET AND LOWDOWN (PG-13, 95 minutes) -- In Woody Allen's sweetly amusing comedy, Sean Penn is Emmet Ray, a jazz guitarist, second only to Django Reinhardt. When he's not fretting over Reinhardt's superiority, performing or chasing women, Emmet's idea of a good time is shooting rats at the dump. Allen creates an authentic jazz atmosphere and compiles a solid soundtrack featuring music of the era. He adds to the verisimilitude with a "mockumentary" lineup of jazz historians and music experts, including himself, Nat Hentoff and Ben Duncan, who relate apocryphal Emmet Ray stories. It's an engaging mixture of period authenticity and sheer fun, as we follow the fictitious ups and downs of Emmet, who's torn between his obsession to outplay Reinhardt and his love for Hattie (Samantha Morton), a sweet-natured mute who's the only woman to steal his rakish heart. Contains sexual situations and strong language. Cineplex Odeon Shirlington 7 and Outer Circle.

THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (R, 160 minutes) -- Anthony Minghella's adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel, set in the late 1930s, is guilty fun before it lapses into ridiculousness. There's something intriguing about watching Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law playing doomed and idle rich in beautiful Italian cities. Damon is Tom Ripley, an angelic psychotic who befriends irresponsible rich boy Dickie Greenleaf (Law) and his forlorn girlfriend Marge (Paltrow). But Tom's motivations are suspect from the get-go. A friendly obsession becomes an overwhelming desire to consume Dickie, to take over his personality. In terms of psychological profundity, the movie isn't one millimeter deep. Law is persuasive and likable as Dickie. But Damon's Tom is weird and unexplained. And Paltrow isn't much of anything. The best actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman, as Dickie's pal Freddie, who's suspicious of Tom and needles him with nasty innuendo about his true motives. Now there's a scary fella. Contains nudity, violence and mature sexual themes. Area theaters.

*THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR (R, 114 minutes) -- This remake of the super 1968 Steve McQueen-Faye Dunaway classic is a full-throttle, heady fantasy, thanks to great performances from Pierce Brosnan and Rene Russo. As the gentleman-thief in this romantic heist flick, Brosnan's suave, sexy and about perfect. As insurance investigator Catherine Banning, who becomes convinced Crown is behind the elaborately engineered theft of a Monet, Rene Russo almost steals the picture. Director John McTiernan and screenwriters Leslie Dixon and Kurt Wimmer (who based the film on Alan R. Trustman's original screenplay) create a riveting balance of power between both principals. Thanks to their mutual presence, great direction and great writing, the flames of excitement and suspense lick ever higher. A guilty pleasure for any aspiring bon vivants in the audience. Contains nudity, sex scenes and some violence. Cineplex Odeon Foundry.

*THREE KINGS (R, 111 minutes) -- In David O. Russell's enormously entertaining, thought-provoking drama, Major Archie Gates (George Clooney) and reservists Conrad Vig (Spike Jonze), Troy Barlow (Mark Wahlberg) and Chief Elgin (Ice Cube) are left disappointed by their minor role in the Gulf War. So when they hear of a stash of Kuwaiti gold -- supposedly plundered by the Iraqis and held in desert bunkers -- they go after it. But the real treasure is the cultural lessons they learn from social encounters along the way, including a meeting with Amir Abdullah (Cliff Curtis), an Iraqi father and a political thinker, who suffers for his beliefs from Saddam's troops. The movie's too rich and varied to label: It ranges from war action-adventure to humanistic drama. Contains gunshot deaths, torture scenes, racial epithets and profanity. Area theaters.

*TOY STORY 2 (G, 85 minutes) -- When evil toy-store owner Al McWhiggin (voice of Wayne Knight) snatches Woody the cowboy (Tom Hanks) to sell him as a collector's item, it's time for his fellow toys to launch a rescue mission. Buzz Lightyear -- and friends -- to the rescue! The toys from John Lasseter's computer-animated "Toy Story" of 1995 are back with even more hilarious vengeance. The story's twice as inventive as its predecessor. And the vocal talents of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and others bring even more soul to the proceedings than before. Hanks practically owns the character of Woody, the cowboy. Allen is amusingly robotic as Buzz. And the others are equally full of beans, from Jim Varney's Slinky Dog to Don Rickles' Mr. Potato Head. The movie's a perfect fusion of genuinely affecting narrative and gut-creasing comedy. And the animation is out of this world. Contains nothing objectionable. Area theaters.

*TUMBLEWEEDS (R, 100 minutes) -- Every time Mary Jo Walker (Janet McTeer) breaks up with another boyfriend, she and teenage daughter Ava (Kimberly J. Brown) move to another state. On the way to their latest relocation their car breaks down and Mary Jo almost hooks up with Jack, a passing truck driver (Gavin O'Connor). Get the picture? Independent movie. Character-driven scenes, full of extended dialogue; roots music as they drive cross-country; scenes in roadhouse bars. Once in California, Mary Jo and Ava run into Jack again. Mary Jo thinks he might be Mr. Right; Ava doesn't think so. The movie's charm lies mainly in the performances. McTeer is full of moxie; O'Connor presents a rich character hovering between nice guy and domestic problem; and Brown makes a believably down-to-earth kid. But the movie stays actor-friendly, rather than narratively-oriented. And the scenes keep repeating the same message: Mary Jo's mistakes and Ava's seething disappointment. Contains strong language, sexual situations and domestic tension. Foxchase 3.

THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH (PG-13, 128 minutes) -- If there'll always be an England, there'll always be a James Bond film. For the right fans, this formula is enjoyable. This film, starring Pierce Brosnan in his third Bond appearance, has something to do with the possible destruction of the Western world's biggest oil pipeline. Bond crosses paths with oil heiress Elektra King (Sophie Marceau) and "nuclear scientist" Christmas Jones (Denise Richards), as well as sinister terrorist Renard (Robert Carlyle) and double agent Valentin (Robbie Coltrane). Of course, Her Majesty's best agent attends the usual round of meetings with Q (Desmond Llewelyn), M (Judi Dench) and Miss Moneypenny (Samantha Bond). Bond movies are always about the sideshow: the girls, gadgetry, villains, international hot spots and, last but not least, saucy dialogue. Contains obscured nudity, extensive machine-gun deaths and risque dialogue. Area theaters.

Repertory AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM -- "To Fly!" daily at 10:10, 12:20, 2:30 and 4:40. "Cosmic Voyage," daily at 10:45, 12:55, 3:05 and 5:15. "Mission to Mir," daily at 11:30, 1:40 and 3:50. "Wolves," daily at 6. "Thrill Ride: The Science of Fun," Friday-Sunday at 6:45. "Men in Black," Friday at 8 (for this show, contact Protix 800/529-2440). Seventh and Independence SW. 202/357-1686.

AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE -- Friday: "My Best Friend," at 6:30; "Requiem for a Romantic Woman," at 8:15. Saturday: "My Best Friend," at 2; "We'll Be Keeping On," at 3:45; "Oskar and Leni," at 6:30; "Late Show," at 8:15. Sunday: "My Best Friend," at 1; "Night Shapes," at 2:45; "Requiem for a Romantic Woman," at 4:45; "Late Show," at 6:45; "Oskar and Leni," at 8:45. Kennedy Center. 202/785-4600.

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS -- "How I Won the War," Friday at 7. "Jazz 625: Erroll Garner, Bill Evans, Thelonious Monk," Thursday at 6:30. "Sherlock Holmes" and "House of Fear," Wednesday at 7. "Genevieve," Thursday at 7. Free. Mary Pickford Theater (64 seats), James Madison Building, First and Independence SE. 202/707-5677.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES -- Friday: "The Congress," at noon; "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," at 7. Free. Eighth and Pennsylvania NW. 202/501-5000.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES/COLLEGE PARK -- "Oh Freedom After While," Monday at noon. Free. 8601 Adelphi Rd. 202/501-5000.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART -- "Honore Daumier," Friday at 12:30. Saturday: "The Spider's Strategem," at 1; "The Conformist," at 3:15. Sunday: "Honore Daumier," at noon; "The Sheltering Sky," at 4. Free. East Building, Fourth and Constitution NW. 202/737-4215.

NAVY MEMORIAL -- "At Sea," Monday- Saturday at 11 and 1. 701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. 202/737-2300.

NEWSEUM -- "The First Freedom," Friday-Sunday and Wednesday-Thursday at 3:30. Free. 1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. 703/284-3544.

SLAYTON HOUSE THEATRE -- "Employee's Entrance," Friday at 7:30. Wilde Lake Village Green, 10451 Twin Rivers Rd., Columbia. 410/730-3987 or 301/596-4883.

WASHINGTON PSYCHOTRONIC FILM Society -- "The Astral Dog Film Festival 2000," Tuesday at 8. Lucky Bar, 1221 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202/736-1732.

© Copyright 2000 The Washington Post Company

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