Movie Reviews

SEX AND THE CITY (2008) PR: * * *
Directed by Michael Patrick King
Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Chris Noth, David Eigenberg
New Line/Rated R/Comedy/145 min
Finally, a chick flick with legs -- eight of them, to be exact. Those lovely gams belong to New Yorkers, Carrie Bradshaw (Parker) and her three best friends, Samantha (Cattrall), Charlotte (Davis) and Miranda (Nixon), reunited to celebrate Carrie's engagement. Chris Noth returns as Mr. Big (Noth) -- Carrie's billionaire love interest whose given name is finally revealed, the culmination of a 10-year wait. Miranda, having married her baby's daddy (Eigenberg), struggles to stay on the career fast track while holding her marriage together. Charlotte has adopted a Chinese daughter, and everybody is wearing anybody whose somebody in design. Fashionistas unable to catch a showing ("Project Runway" contestants?), should check out MovieWeb's trailers -- three of which spotlight the extensive wardrobes that surely account for half the film's $65 million dollar budget.

INDIANA JONES AND THE
KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
(2008) * *1/2
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Shia LaBeouf, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, John Hurt
Paramount/Rated PG-13/Action/124 min
Steven Spielberg's first film since 2005's "Munich," returns the director and Harrison Ford to a much beloved series. When archaeologist, Indiana Jones (Ford), competes with the Russians to locate powerful artifacts, he comes face-to-face with Soviet villainess, Irina (Blanchett), a femme fatale able to out run, out punch, and out kick the aging adventurer. During an archeological race that leads him through the Amazon rain forest, Indy and his sidekick, Mac McHale (Winstone), are joined by Marion (Allen) -- Indy's girlfriend from the first film, young Mutt Williams (LaBeouf), and an aging professor (Hurt) possessing knowledge of ancient languages. If it sounds like "National Treasure" and "The Mummy," with different characters, it's because those franchises have closely studied "Indiana Jones." Not to worry. Our favorite matinee idol still has a trick or two up his sleeve.

88 MINUTES (2007) CR: * *
Directed by Jon Avnet
Starring Al Pacino, Alicia Witt, Benjamin McKenzie, Leelee Sobieski, Amy Brenneman, William Forsythe, Deborah Kara Unger, Benjamin McKenzie, Neal McDonough
Columbia Tristar/Rated R/108 min
Al Pacino tries to hide from the inferior execution of a cliche plot beneath his 80's mop. He plays FBI forensic psychiatrist, Jack Gramm, responsible for convicting serial killer, Jon Forster (McDonough). On the eve of Forster's scheduled execution, Gramm receives a call stating the psychiatrist 88 minutes to live. As Gramm races around Seattle trying to prevent his own death, it becomes clear he is being set up for a string of killings replicating Forster's M.O.. Not only is it impossible to buy Pacino as a victim, the only mystery is how the actor keeps his hairdo looking so Covergirl in all that Seattle rain.