NEW THIS WEEK

NEW THIS WEEK
'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, Elm Road Drive-In, Hermitage, Tinseltown, Westgate.
'SPRING, SUMMER, FALL,WINTER ... AND SPRING'
sss 1/2 Exquisitely wrought Korean film about the seasons of life as seen in the life cycle of a young monk. R for brief nudity, sex; at Austintown Movies 3.
'DODGEBALL: A TRUEUNDERDOG 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, with the fate of Vaughn's business in the balance. PG-13 for rude and sexual humor and language; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Cinema South, Hermitage, Westgate.
'FAHRENHEIT 9/11'
ss A mixed bag of material from Michael Moore. It's possible to argue with the conclusions Moore draws in this anti-Bush polemic, but there's little question that the movie will serve as a long-awaited catharsis for those who hate the president. 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. Still, Moore's filmmaking -- which can be troubling for both the right and wrong reasons -- always seems to strike a national nerve. It's rated R for violent scenes; at Austintown Movies 3, Boulevard Centre, Cinema South, Westgate.
'GARFIELD: THE MOVIE'
s 1/2 The fat cat has gone to the dogs in his very unfunny big-screen debut. The filmmakers' vocal coup -- landing Bill Murray as mouthpiece for droll Garfield, hero of Jim Davis' comic strip -- falls flat amid the banal lines he's given to mew. PG for brief mild language; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Elm Road Drive-In, Tinseltown, Westgate.
'HARRY POTTER AND THEPRISONER OF AZKABAN'
sss There are many reasons why "Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban" is the best of the three "Harry Potter" pics to date: It's shorter, it seems less like a theme-park ride and more like a real movie, and its heroes (and several assorted rogues) are beginning to feel familiar, like old friends. PG for scares, creatures and violence; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Hermitage, Tinseltown, Westgate.
'THE NOTEBOOK'
ssss This love story is a weepie, dealing in cliches and hitting you where you're most vulnerable. But it may be the most effective weepie in nearly a decade -- since the film version of "The Bridges of Madison County." PG-13 for some sexuality; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Cinema South, Hermitage, Westgate.
'SHREK 2'
sss 1/2 During the course of its 93 galloping minutes, "Shrek 2" carries the standard for self-esteem while spoofing showbiz, fairy tales, self-help books and every other cultural phenom from animal-testing to the Oscars. The movie is a dream, 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 Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Cinema South, Elm Road Drive-In, Hermitage, Westgate.
'THE STEPFORD WIVES'
ss This remake of the 1975 thriller about robot housewives (here, played for comedy) begins promisingly enough as a fast and funny satire of a lily-white, Lilly Pulitzer existence. And it seems you couldn't go wrong with the cast, which includes Nicole Kidman, Matthew Broderick, Glenn Close, Christopher Walken and Bette Midler. Then it takes an abrupt turn to a darker tone, and the last half-hour feels hastily tacked-on. PG-13 for sexual content, thematic material and language; at Tinseltown.
'THE TERMINAL'
ss 1/2 The third big-screen pairing of Steven Spielberg as director and Tom Hanks as actor is monumentally staged, with an authentic three-story airport terminal built by Spielberg's crew. The comedy tends toward syrupy mush in its dramatic peaks and lines up an overly calculated parade of supporting players orbiting Hanks, who plays an Eastern European man stranded for months in Kennedy airport after a coup back home invalidates his passport. PG-13 for brief language and drug references; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Hermitage, Tinseltown, Westgate.
'TWO BROTHERS'
ss 1/2 "Two Brothers" never reaches heart-pounding heights, but there is both sentiment and fun along the way, and the feline brethren move with expected grace and majesty. PG for violence; at Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Cinema South, Hermitage.
'WHITE CHICKS'
s Crotch-grabbing jokes, bathroom humor and lots and lots of flatulence gags in this cross-dressing turkey from the Wayans brothers. PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language and some drug content; at Elm Road Drive-In, Austintown Commons 10, Boulevard Centre, Cinema South, Westgate.
ALSO PLAYING
'THE ALAMO'
ss 1/2 Despite Billy Bob Thornton's nuanced turn as folk hero David Crockett, Emilio Echevarria's magnificence as Santa Anna and director John Lee Hancock's admirable dedication to untangling the political and multicultural knots of history, this may be the least involving of the umpteen versions of the battle that birthed modern Texas. PG-13 for violence and profanity; at Cinemark.
'AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS'
s 1/2 Calling this a remake isn't entirely accurate, since it only vaguely resembles the source material and the 1873 Jules Verne novel that inspired the earlier film. It still features London gentleman Phileas Fogg (Steve Coogan), who agrees to circumnavigate the globe on a bet. But this is really a Jackie Chan movie, as evidenced by his name above the title and his prominent listing as stunt choreographer. PG for action violence, some crude humor and mild language; at Boulevard Centre, Cinema South.
'BON VOYAGE'
ssss This exhilarating and enjoyable movie gets off to a giddy start, with a nonstop flow of interconnected high adventures -- and high comedy -- to follow. PG-13 for some violence; at Austintown Movies 3.
'THE CHRONICLES OF RIDDICK'
s 1/2 Poor Vin Diesel. He has staked his Hollywood career, his future fortune, nay his very right to call himself Vin Diesel (real name, Mark Vincent) on a "Battlestar Galactica" remake. "The Chronicles of Riddick" is a messy, messianic slasher/blaster in the "Matrix Half-Loaded" tradition, all nonsense plot and baroque costumes, sets and special effects. PG-13 for violence and language; at Cinema South.
'CONTROL ROOM'
sss Two wars. Two culturally skewed perspectives. Both sides, naturally, working closely with God. These cultural and religious fault lines are made jarringly clear in "Control Room," Jehane Noujaim's enlightening documentary about last year's Iraq invasion: how the Pentagon presented it, how American press frequently rubber-stamped it and how the staff of news organization Al Jazeera did its own partisan part, too. Not rated, contains disturbing carnage of soldiers and civilians, including children. In English and some Arabic with subtitles; at Austintown Movies 3.
'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. With Dennis Quaid as a paleoclimatologist whose warnings go unheeded -- until it's too late! PG-13 for world chaos, violence and peril; at Boulevard Centre, Cinema South.
'50 FIRST DATES'
ss 1/2 Be warned that although this Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore courtship film announces itself as a romantic comedy, its humor is of the sort that might be found in a case study by neurologist Oliver Sacks. Call it "The Babe Who Mistook Her Beau for a Stalker." PG-13 for crude humor and marijuana references; at Cinemark.
'HELLBOY'
sss A dyed-red Ron Perlman, wearing horns and a devil's tail, stars as the hulking Hellboy -- chomping cigars, gobbling Baby Ruths and deploying his demonic powers for the forces of good in this rocking adaptation of the cult comic book series. Cracking wise while doing so? You betcha. PG-13 for violence, supernatural huggermugger and profanity; at Cinemark.
'HOME ON THE RANGE'
ss Call the U.S. Department of Agriculture, pronto. It needs to investigate Disney Studios for an incidence of mad cow disease. What else could account for "Home on the Range," a charmless animated musical about a bovine trio riding herd on a rustler? PG for mild crudeness; at Cinemark.
'KILL BILL: VOL. 2'
sss 1/2 The second half of Quentin Tarantino's epic revenge fable finds the strapping, stupendous Uma Thurman continuing her quest to find the man who left her for dead on the eve of her wedding. There's less over-the-top violence than "Vol. 1" (there's still plenty, though) and more character and back-story. R for violence, profanity and adult themes; at Cinemark.
'MAN ON FIRE'
ss Denzel Washington stars as a bodyguard out for vengeance after his charge -- a precocious, too-cute rich girl -- is kidnapped in Mexico City. Bloody killings and busy camerawork ensue in this over-long, over-stylized, Tony Scott-directed rampage. R for violence, profanity and adult themes; 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 and adult themes; at Cinema South.
'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. From "Mummy" director Stephen Sommers, who attempts to pull off a similar mix of larky humor and eye-popping fantasy adventure. He fails miserably. PG-13 for violence, vampirism and monsters; at Cinemark.
Combined wire services