even when they are telling the truth, and coming home to a couple like the Glasses would be an unwelcome prospect even for
non-relatives. Still, one wishes Strick and TV-trained director Daniel Sackheim had taken a less hackneyed approach. Many characters might as well be wearing "Next to Die" T-shirts, and the film's overuse of "is he dead?" twists make one indifferent to the question. (PG-13) DL
★★ Southwind Twelve, 3433 Iowa.
Hardball
While Hollywood was expected to sanitize the material in Daniel Coyle's novel "Hardball: A Season in the Projects" - which could have ended up "Mighty Ducks in the Hood" - the resulting "Hardball" is a deceptively edgy adaptation. Keanu Reeves stars as Conor, a career gambler who's grown increasingly in debt to bookies. Strapped for cash, he turns to a successful friend who provides an unusual solution: If
Conor will coach a corporate-sponsored youth baseball team from Chicago's housing projects, he'll earn enough to pay off the thugs. A premise such as the one offered in director Brian Robbins' "story of triumph over adversity" is a magnet for clichés. But the material remains fresh, thanks to the distinct, convincing personalities of the little leaguers and because of Reeves' troubled protagonist. Although it's somewhat backhanded praise, Reeves gives his best performance yet - one of the few times he's actually played a character instead of just relying on his glazed movie star persona. It also helps the film's credibility that Robbins chooses to keep the street language of the kids intact. By its third act, however, "Hardball" pushes things too far, as the grim realities of residing in gang territory result in a plot twist that is simply too violent for a movie ostensibly aimed at children. Moreover, the team's quest for post-season play seems petty and insignificant when following this horrific mood swing. (PG-13) - JN
★★1/2 Southwind Twelve, 3433 Iowa.
Hearts in Atlantis
Anthony Hopkins is the kind of actor who can make almost any film interesting simply by being on screen, and "Hearts in Atlantis" is no exception. As Ted Brautigan, a mysterious psychic who moves into the home of a single mother (Hope Davis) and her young son (Anton Yelchin), Hopkins brings his trademark melancholy thoughtfulness to the role, and he provides an anchor for this otherwise scat-
tershot film, Director Scott Hicks ("Shine") and screenwriter William Goldman have adapted two of the five con-
ANTON YELCHIN portrays a youngster who is befriended by a mysterious border with supernatural abilities in the fantasy "Hearts in Atlantis."
holds his own with his formidable co-star For the most part, however, this is just a conventional coming-of-age story with a supernatural twist, and one that never quite holds together, despite the best efforts of its cast. (PG-13) - LL
nected stories from Stephen King's 1999 book, and the narrative gaps between them make the movie nearly incoherent. Most of the relationships, including that between Yelchin and Hopkins, are not drawn clearly enough to be affecting, and a subplot about a group of shadowy men harassing Hopkins just seems silly. With the exception of Davis, who has little to work with, the actors fare reasonably well, especially Yelchin, who
★★ Southwind Twelve, 3433 Iowa.
Max Keeble's Big Move
Every kid dreams of getting back at the sadistic bullies and dictatorial faculty that are part of the standard junior high school package. Max Keeble (Alex D. Linz) is about to live out that fantasy, thanks to
his parents' decision to move the family out of town. Knowing he won't be there to reap the consequences, Max turns the tables on the class thugs (Noel Fisher and Orlando Brown) and exposes the shady dealings of the school's vindictive principal (Larry Miller). Then he finds out his family isn't moving after all. Max is sort of a pint-sized Ferris Bueller, enlisting his friends (Zena Grey and Josh Peck) in elaborate schemes to undermine the petty jerks of the world, and there's a certain rebellious kick to watching them stand up for themselves. Director Tim Hill and his pack of screenwriters must have hired their kids to do most of the work, though - the humor in "Max Keeble's Big Move" is the kind that seems clever and original when you're 11, but becomes dull and stupid by the time you're, say, 12. This means that most adults will be bored out of their minds, but millions of sixth graders just found a new hero. (PG) - LL
The Others
★★ Southwind Twelve, 3433 Iowa.
The old dark house movie makes a comeback with this creepy ghost story, thanks to writer-director Alejandro Amenabar's gift for creating subtle chills and loads of atmosphere. Set on a remote, fog-enshrouded English estate during World War II, "The Others" gives its star, Nicole Kidman, a virtual onewoman show, as a mother trying to protect her children (Alakina Mann and James Bentley) from all manner of threats, both natural and supernatural. The audience is treated to an unusually intelligent ghost story, where discussions of religion, loneliness and familial devotion are comfortably intertwined with the things that go bump in the night. Kidman's performance is as layered and unnerving as the rest of the film, which
DIANE LANE, left, plays a teacher who becomes smitten with a gambler (Keanu Reeves) who is a baseball coach for some of her students in the inspirational tale "Hardball."
moves slowly, but delivers its jolls by making viewers use their imaginations. In this era of shallow, noisy spectacles passing themselves off as horror films, that's a rare gift indeed. (PG-13) - LL
★★★1/2 Southwind Twelve, 3433 Iowa.
Rush Hour 2
The pairing of veteran Hong Kong star Jackie Chan with loudmouth comic Chris Tucker isn't quite as novel with "Rush Hour 2," but there is enough of Chan's comic acrobatics to compensate for some of Tucker's less charming moments (what exactly IS he doing in Hong Kong besides making a jerk of himself?). This time around, Chief Inspector Lee (Chan) and Detective Carter (Tucker) try to take out a murderous gang of counterfeiters. The new film has a stronger villain. Zhang Ziyi from "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" may be pint-sized but she's all cold menace - not bad for someone who doesn't speak a word of English on-screen. Chan gets to put a wastebasket to novel use, and Tucker has a couple of bits (one where he demolishes a Michael Jackson song and another at a craps table) where he demonstrates some chops we haven't seen before. The story's thin and a bit flat, but there's enough action to feed the rush. (PG-13) - DL
★✩1/2 Southwind Twelve, 3433 Iowa.
Zoolander
If it's funny in a 5-minute sketch, chances are it won't be funny for an hour and a half. That's a rule countless "Saturday Night Live" alums have had to learn the hard way, but Ben Stiller and writing partner Drake Sather apparently thought they were immune. They weren't."Zoolander," based on a character the duo created for a skit at the 1996 VH1 Fashion Awards, is a perfect example of a joke that goes on 85 minutes too long. Stiller takes the lead as the sweet but idiotic Derek Zoolander, whose main worry in life is competing with rival Hansel (Owen Wilson) for the coveted Male Model of the Year statuette. There are bigger things going on, however, as he learns when pretty magazine reporter Matilda (Stiller's wife, Christine Taylor) discovers a plot to brainwash Derek and train him to assassinate the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Stiller and Wilson head up a great comedic cast, which includes Will Ferrell, Jerry Stiller (nearly stealing his son's movie) and a self-parodying David Duchovny, and there are some gags that are enjoyable (the "walk-off" rumble has to be seen to be believed). There simply isn't enough material here to last an entire movie, though. Watching Stiller suck in his cheeks and pose is only amusing the first 20 times. Then, like the rest of the movie, it just becomes annoying. (PG-13) - LL
★1/2 Southwind Twelve, 3433 Iowa.
CE JOURNAL-WORLD
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2001.17