Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Michelle Monaghan
BY LEAH ROZEN
ACTION
Here's hoping that Tom Cruise wore a protective cup while making this latest Mission: Impossible. The frequency with which his character, super-secret agent Ethan Hunt, slams into buildings, slides under cars, falls from great heights and otherwise suffers major bodily harm makes a viewer mutter repeatedly, "Jeez, that's gotta hurt."
The action is nonstop in M:I III, which is a good thing since the plot is international-intrigue mumbo jumbo (Ethan travels to Berlin, Rome and Shanghai, all in a few days) cribbed from director-cowriter J.J. Abrams's TV series Alias and dozens of other spy guy films. The supposed twist in this Mission chapter is that Ethan plans to wed (a nurse, played by Monaghan) and stick to a quiet life of just training agents. But the bad guys have other plans. The truly refreshing change is that there's less reliance on those ridiculous mask disguises than in previous Missions (though we do finally get to see how they're made).
Cruise is at his most gung ho here, running, jumping and cranking up the intensity. He strains mightily—so much so that when he squeezes out a single tear a viewer, instead of feeling Ethan's pain, merely wonders how hard Cruise practiced to learn that trick.
(PG-13)
FAMILY
They're young, tan and care about the environment. That would be the appealing trio of kid activists in Hoot —a message movie for the middle-school set—who try to sabotage the building of a chain restaurant in their coastal Florida town because the eatery threatens the habitat of rare owls. Their cause is just, and Hoot, a faithful if pedestrian adaptation of a 2002 novel by Carl Hiaasen, portrays the three as concerned conservationists, though at least one of them has the makings of a fledgling eco-terrorist (he ties up and gags the chain's evil boss). That won't trouble kid viewers—but it might give chaperoning adults pause.
(PG)
DRAMA
There is a subspecies of guy who preys on high school girls—knowing they're too young to comprehend fully that he's a loser. And Harlan (Norton) is one of those guys. He pumps gas in California's San Fernando Valley, wears a cowboy hat, speaks with a twang and seems to have no fixed address or family when he meets Tobe (Wood), a motherless teenager with a rebellious streak. She's smitten. Her father (Morse) disapproves, but both Tobe and her kid brother (Culkin) are drawn to the mysterious loner—with tragic results. While Down in the Valley bursts with provocative characters and themes, it goes on too long and keeps needlessly piling on the plot twists. Still, it holds your attention throughout, bolstered by excellent performances and the ability of director-writer David Jacobson (Dahmer) to make powerful points about our national attachment to a mythical Old West and Hollywood's role in keeping that illusion alive. When Harlan, astride a horse, rides along a bustling California freeway, the sense of dislocation is palpable and troubling. Playing a man desperate to be someone other than who he is, Norton gives a gut-wrenching performance.
(R)
It's savage and bloody, but this Australian western makes for compelling viewing. After being captured by a lawman (Ray Winstone), a murderous outlaw (Guy Pearce) is sent out on a deadly mission. The movie raises questions about family loyalty, the need for revenge and what constitutes civilized behavior. Emily Watson and Danny Huston costar. Rocker Nick Cave wrote the screenplay and music. (R)
Art School Confidential
A killer is on the loose at an art college. Early on, when mocking the pretensions of these baby Picassos and their profs, the film is fun, but its whodunit latter half goes flat. Max Minghella, Matt Keeslar and John Malkovich star. (R)
United 93
It's tough to sit through—distressing memories come rushing back—but this documentary-like film about passengers on a 9/11 flight is tremendously moving. (R)
This summer, Hoot and other flicks based on kids' books are headed to your multiplex.
THE ANT BULLY (Aug. 4) In this animated film based on John Nickle's picture book, Julia Roberts is an ant who shrinks a friendly kid to insect size.
ZOOM (Aug. 11) This adaptation of Jason Lethcoe's Zoom's Academy for the Super Gifted stars Tim Allen and Courteney Cox Arquette as teachers at a superhero school.
HOW TO EAT FRIED WORMS (Aug. 25) Tom Cavanagh of Ed stars in an update of Thomas Rockwell's '73 classic about a fifth grader who is dared to eat 15 worms in 15 days.
MAN ON A MISSION
He writes, he directs and even composed the themes for his shows Felicity, Alias and Lost. As he jumps to the big screen with Mission: Impossible III, J.J. Abrams, 39, shares his pop culture obsessions.
FAVORITE PLOT TWIST When Burgess Meredith's glasses break in the Twilight Zone show "Time Enough at Last." He plays a man who's farsighted and loves to read. A nuclear bomb is detonated and everyone is killed but him. He can finally read all he wants, and his glasses fall off and shatter. It's just a heartbreaking, unexpected twist, a devastating moment.
FAVORITE DIALOGUE Almost anything from [1971's] Harold and Maude. It is so incredibly emotional, painful and sweet.
FAVORITE THEME MUSIC The greatest theme song in the history of television must be Sanford and Son. Quincy Jones, it's so good it kills me.
FAVORITE BOOK TO READ TO HIS THREE KIDS The current one is a biography of [magician Harry] Houdini. It's a real book. Every night we read a chapter, and they're always asking me, "So how does Houdini die?" They're really on the edge of their seats.
Munich ($39.98) What price vengeance? Steven Spielberg examines the soul-crushing toll on a hit squad (led by Eric Bana) avenging the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics. Unnerving and unforgettable. Extras: The two-disc collector's edition chronicles the filmmakers' behind-the-scenes work in substantial featurettes, but sadly, Spielberg does not contribute a commentary.
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The Poseidon Adventure ($19.98)
If the upcoming remake tempts you to catch this '72 disaster flick about a flipped-over cruise ship, don't bother. The over-the-top acting and soggy script have grown even more moldy with age. Extras: The documentaries are intriguing, but a cast commentary is ridiculously self-congratulatory.
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Rumor Has It ($28.98)
What's funny about a woman (Jennifer Aniston) who sleeps with a guy (Kevin Costner) who already bedded her mom and grandmother (allegedly inspiring The Graduate), and might actually be her biological dad? Absolutely nothing. Extras: One measly trailer. Guess Aniston and the filmmakers opted to cut their losses.
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Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
