NEW THIS WEEK

NEW THIS WEEK
'COLLATERAL'
ssss In "Collateral," Tom Cruise is at the top of his game, turning in a performance of such confident economy that he practically hands the movie over to his co-star, Jamie Foxx. Foxx plays Max, a hard-working guy who juggles jobs to make ends meet. Cruise is Vincent, a hit man, a big-time paid assassin, with five hits to make. Vincent hires Max for the evening and what follows is a pulpy, amoral thriller. (R) for violence and language; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Elm Road Drive-In, Hermitage, Tinseltown, Boulevard Centre, Westgate.
'LITTLE BLACK BOOK'
ss "Little Black Book" starts out very much like "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" or "My Best Friend's Wedding," comedies in which women do unpleasant things to get guys, but it turns into something weirder and more truthful. There's a conflict between its lovers (Brittany Murphy and Ron Livingston). She stalks all the exes listed in his little black book when he goes on a business trip. But the movie gets stronger as it goes, acknowledging that nice people don't always behave nicely. (PG-13) for language; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Cinema South, Hermitage, Westgate.
'METALLICA: SOME KINDOF MONSTER'
sss Though Metallica fans will know the bare bones of the ending, there are twists and turns in this novel rockumentary. The "Monster" turns out to be the band members themselves. The filmmakers capture the struggle as the musicians try to work as a collective than as individuals. Not rated, but contains strong language; at Austintown Movies 3.
LAST WEEK'S TOP 10
'ANCHORMAN: THE LEGENDOF RON BURGUNDY'
sss Observant comedy with a sharp (yet affectionate) eye for detail is just part of what makes this movie work. The top story is Will Ferrell, flinging his entire body with typical reckless abandon into the role of '70s TV news anchor Ron Burgundy, while at the same time infusing the character with a subtle sense of loneliness. (PG-13) for sexual humor, language and comic violence; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Cinema South.
'THE BOURNE SUPREMACY'
sss Seamlessly resuming the tale of the amnesiac assassin from "The Bourne Identity," Matt Damon's sequel overcomes a couple of distracting flaws to deliver another solid thrill ride. (PG-13) for violence and intense action and for brief language; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Cinema South, Elm Road Drive-In, Hermitage, Westgate.
'CATWOMAN'
s 1/2 If the "Spider-Man" movies represent all that can be wondrous and inspiring in a comic book adaptation, "Catwoman" represents the absolute worst. It's cinema for the attention span-challenged -- a soulless amalgamation of quick edits, computer imagery and swooping, nausea-inducing dolly shots. (PG-13) for action, violence and some sensuality; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Cinema South, Westgate.
'A CINDERELLA STORY'
s 1/2 Hilary Duff stars in a dreary fairy-tale update that casts Cinderella as a modern Valley Girl who leaves behind a cell phone rather than a glass slipper for her Prince Charming to find. (PG) for mild language and innuendo; at Boulevard Centre, Hermitage, Tinseltown, Westgate.
'FAHRENHEIT 9/11'
ss Michael Moore attempts to tell us why we're in Iraq, but his movie skims over subjects. That makes "Fahrenheit" more of a drive-by than a deep, direct hit. (R) for violent scenes; at Austintown Movies 3, Boulevard Centre, Cinema South.
'HAROLD & amp; KUMAR GO TOWHITE CASTLE'
s 1/2 Director Danny Leiner wallows in the same infantile turf as his mini-hit "Dude, Where's My Car?" With smarts and lucidity, Harold and Kumar are a cut above the stoner pals of "Dude," but Leiner and screenwriters Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg put them through a mostly witless rigamarole of pratfalls and rank sight gags. (R) for strong language, sexual content, drug use and some crude humor; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Cinema South, Hermitage, Westgate.
'I, ROBOT'
ss 1/2 "I, Robot" is another summer blockbuster starring Will Smith -- a slick, shiny video game of a movie, bursting with computer-generated chase scenes and cool gadgets, though under the direction of Alex Proyas ("The Crow") it also has a darkly apocalyptic visual scheme. (PG-13) for intense stylized action and some brief partial nudity; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Elm Road Drive-In, Hermitage, Tinseltown, Westgate.
'THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE'
ss Jonathan Demme disappoints with his update of the 1962 thriller about brainwashed soldiers as puppets in an assassination conspiracy, despite first-rate performances from Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep and Liev Schreiber. (R) for violence and some language; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Cinema South, Hermitage, Westgate.
'SPIDER-MAN 2'
sss 1/2 "With great power comes great responsibility" was the tag line for the first "Spider-Man" picture, and now it forms the basis for Sam Raimi's breathtaking and emotionally satisfying sequel, "Spider-Man 2," a comic-book movie par excellence. Spidey (Tobey Maguire) deals with duality as college student Peter Parker and the superhero. (PG-13) for stylized action violence; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Hermitage, Tinseltown, Westgate.
'THE VILLAGE'
ssss M. Night Shyamalan delivers his best work yet with this fright flick about a pioneer village cut off from the world by woods that harbor terrifying creatures. (PG-13) for a scene of violence and frightening situations; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Elm Road Drive-In, Hermitage, Tinseltown, Westgate.
'AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS'
s 1/2 In this disappointing and fussy adaptation of Jules Verne's classic novel, Jackie Chan joins an eccentric inventor (Steve Coogan) who accepts a bet that he can circumnavigate the globe in 80 days. (PG) for crude humor, action violence; at Cinemark.
'BEFORE SUNSET'
ssss Richard Linklater finds Ethan Hawke's and Julie Delpy's "Before Sunrise" characters nine years on, and lets them walk and talk through Paris, the clock ticking, as they catch up on each other's lives and wonder whether they've just been given a second chance. Full of talk that's funny and real, dumb and sweet, the picture is, quite simply, wonderful. (R) for profanity, adult themes; at Austintown Movies 3.
'THE NOTEBOOK'
ssss This love story deals in clich & eacute;s and hits you where you're most vulnerable. But it may be the most effective weepie since the film version of "The Bridges of Madison County." (PG-13) for some sexuality; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Cinema South.
'SHREK 2'
sss 1/2 The movie is a sequel as exhilarating and riotously funny as 2001's top-grossing original. (PG) for brief drug reference, crude humor and discreet sexual humor; at Cinema South.
'THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK'
s 1/2 Vin Diesel reprises his intergalactic muscleman sourpuss role from the 2000 sci-fi sleeper "Pitch Black," but this time out the results are less "Alien and "Mad Max" and more "Dune" and "Stargate." That is, kind of bad -- and really dumb. (PG-13) for violence, profanity; at Cinemark.
'THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW'
ss 1/2 A global warming disaster movie of epic proportions, with Planet Earth rapidly -- and unexpectedly -- entering a new Ice Age. The special effects are cool and convincing, but the plot twists are pure old-school corn. (PG-13) for world chaos, violence and peril; at Cinemark.
'DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY'
ss Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller's comedy is little more than an elongated TV skit, though it provides some genuine laughs. Nice-guy slacker Vaughn and bullying rival Stiller are competing gym owners whose teams square off in a dodge-ball showdown. (PG-13) for rude and sexual humor and language; at Cinemark.
'GARFIELD: THE MOVIE'
ss Because Bill Murray supplies the voice of the fat cat, "Garfield: The Movie," based on the title of the Jim Davis comic strip, is mildly amusing. One could say the same about gallows humor. (PG) for profanity; at Cinemark.
'NAPOLEON DYNAMITE'
ss 1/2 A slightly condescending but ultimately winning look at a geeky young man (Jon Heder) growing up weird in Idaho. Moments of real humor collide with moments in which director Jared Hess strains to be this year's winner in the geek-chic sweepstakes. (PG); at Cinema South.
'RAISING HELEN'
s After her sister and brother-in-law die in a car accident, flighty Manhattan career gal Kate Hudson becomes the legal guardian of their three kids. This hokey, relentlessly dreary tearjerker-cum-sitcom is as cloying as it is predictable. (PG-13) for thematic issues involving teens; at Cinemark.
'SAVED!'
ss 1/2 This high school satire of born-again Christianity takes the standard teen themes -- sex, friendship, peer pressure -- and throws a cloak of religious zealotry over them. But despite a strong cast and a willingness to lampoon the fundamentals of fundamentalism, it's not as funny, nor as wicked, as it should be. (PG-13) for profanity, sex, adult themes; at Cinemark.
'THE STORY OF THE WEEPING CAMEL'
sss 1/2 Story of Mongolian nomads who try to reconcile a mother camel from her estranged colt is enchanting. (PG) for camel childbirth; at Austintown Movies 3.
'13 GOING ON 30'
sss Jennifer Garner in a star-making role as a 13-year-old who gets her wish to grow up into a cool chick -- and then realizes that cool chicks are pretty shallow. (PG-13) for sexual candor and drug references; at Cinemark.
'THUNDERBIRDS'
ss A visually impressive but largely lifeless, limp noodle that strips away the details that made the 1960s TV series work and features a bland coming-of-age story and a by-the-numbers revenge plot. (PG) for mild violence; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Tinseltown, Westgate.
'TROY'
sss 1/2 Loosely based on Homer's "The Iliad," director Wolfgang Petersen's suitably brawny action-adventure is steeped in heroic grandeur and so magnificently appointed that 1200 B.C. comes alive onscreen as never before. Starring Eric Bana, Brendan Gleeson, Brian Cox, Peter O'Toole and Brad Pitt. (R) for graphic violence and sexuality/nudity; at Cinemark.
TWO BROTHERS
sss Part nature tour and part cautionary tale, "Two Brothers" stands as an intriguing story about twin tigers living dangerously in Southeast Asia during the 1920s. (PG); at Cinemark.
'VAN HELSING'
s 1/2 Hugh Jackman stars as a fearless vampire hunter in this turgid gurgle of cheesy special-effects and monster movie mayhem. (PG-13) for violence, vampirism and monsters; at Cinemark.
Combined wire services