There's no way to place a value on something like the All Access experience. The price of the ticket guarantees admission into the music. -- ttc (Unrated.)

AMÉLIE -- (Grade: A) The most magical film this year is French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet's playful fantasy Amélie. This eye-popping tale follows the adventures of a pixyish waitress named Amélie (Audrey Tautou) in Paris' Montmartre neighborhood.Amélie watches movies with wide--eyed amazement, oblivious to the packed Parisian theater audience around her. She catches small details that ordinary moviegoers would ordinarily miss. She loves movies, and in a magical way, the movies seem to love Amélie right back.

Dizzy photography and slapstick comedy keep the film moving. Amélie has more than enough trick shots to keep Jeunet's long-time fans happy. Still, if I had to choose the one thing about this film that completely wins me over, it would be Tautou's childlike performance. Watching Amélie watching movies, I feel a close kinship with Jeunet's pretty heroine. She loves movies as much as I do. -- SR (Rated R.)

BANDITS -- (Grade: A) "All you need to make a movie," French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard once said, "is a girl and a gun." In the case of director Barry Levinson's Bandits, the essential ingredients are a girl, a gun and two bank robbers played by Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton. As "The Sleepover Bandits," Joe (Willis) and Terry (Thornton) have a winning plan for robbing banks. They hold a bank manager hostage overnight, then head into the bank with him the next morning for the heist. Everything is running smoothly until a high-strung housewife, Kate Wheeler (Cate Blanchett) joins the team after hitting Terry with her car. Willis balances charm and tension as the roguish Joe. Thornton puts his nervous energy to good use as the hypochondriac Terry. But Bandits ultimately belongs to Blanchett's performance as the quirky, mysterious woman who comes between the criminal pals. -- SR (Rated PG-13.)

BONES -- (Grade: C) This Halloween, director Ernest Dickerson and Snoop Dogg try to bring old school horror to the hood. Original Gangsta "OG" Jimmy Bones (Dogg) was murdered back in 1979 and has returned 20 years later to get his revenge. Back in the day, this OG was beloved in the neighborhood, but now there's no love in him or the hood.

Bones plays like The Crow meets Nightmare on Elm Street. Snoop's laid-back appeal is perfect for the flashback sequences where Bones' Robin Hood charm earns sympathy before he becomes a present-day supernatural avenger. If the role had been written with a bit more humor, Snoop could have given Freddy Krueger a run for his money. What you want are the laughs and the cheap thrills. Unfortunately, Bones opts for special effects and a run-of-the-mill conclusion that sets the stage for Bones II: A Family Affair. -- SR (Rated PG-13.)

BREAD AND TULIPS -- (Grade: B) An unlikely love affair is the driving force in director Silvio Soldini's lively romantic comedy. The adventure begins after Rosalba (Licia Maglietta), a bored housewife, is left at a rest stop by her tour bus group. A hitchhiking trip to Venice puts Rosalba in contact with a somber Icelandic waiter named Fernando (Bruno Ganz). Their romance soon ignites the hearts of the eccentric friends around them. The question is whether or not love will prevail after Rosalba returns to her uncaring husband Mimmo (Antonio Catania).

Soldini credits Woody Allen and Billy Wilder as inspirations for the intentionally screwy Bread and Tulips. Ganz is believably downcast as the suicidal Fernando. Still, Maglietta's hearty performance as the awkward Rosalba ultimately turns out to be the best thing about this likable comedy. -- SR (Unrated.)

DOMESTIC DISTURBANCE -- (Grade: F) -- John Travolta is ready for his next comeback. I say "comeback" because, even though he's been here, I wish he hadn't. Not in this shape. I'm going back to Get Shorty for the last time I enjoyed seeing his big self-satisfied face. And that goes double for Vince Vaughn, who goes from "so money" to "flat broke" when he's not calling on his buddy Jon Favreau for a life line.

These two come together for a little Domestic Disturbance, which succeeds only in dumbing down Hitchcock's philosophy of suspense. We see the bad guys (Vaughn and a Steve Buscemi cameo barely worth the price of a ticket) a mile off. We cheer for the good guy (Travolta) as he defeats the bad guy and saves his son (Matthew O'Leary), ex-wife (Teri Polo), himself and whoever else (the audience) happens to be in double jeopardy.

Comeback? Better yet, John, why not really go away for a while and then try it for real? -- ttc (Rated R.)

DON'T SAY A WORD -- (Grade: D) Don't Say A Word is not about a criminal mastermind. The film's Euro-thug villain, played by Sean Bean, does have an array of technological tools at his disposal and a fairly competent team of professionals supporting him. But it's no surprise when they come up short. I feel the same way about director Gary Fleder (Kiss the Girls).

As the film's fatherly hero, Michael Douglas presents the latest in his designer line of white-man-in-moral-jeopardy roles. This time, Douglas solicits the help of a young mental patient (Brittany Murphy) in the search for his kidnapped daughter. Don't Say A Word has the slick commercial sheen and what must have seemed like a high concept story on paper. But the film just lays on the screen instead of coming at us. It doesn't attack our senses, which means it won't leave a lasting impression. -- ttc (Rated R.)

THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS -- (Grade: D) The paper I wrote in sixth grade on Abraham Lincoln, the one that I copied verbatim out of the encyclopedia, was less plagiaristic than The Fast and the Furious. Certainly, there are movie formulas. But the blatant copying of an entire script is out of control. The Fast and the Furious is Point Break. Substitute surfing for street racing, bank-robbing for electronics heists and the Zen-like misunderstood gang leader played by Patrick Swayze for the Zen-like misunderstood gang leader played by Vin Diesel.

Campy bad actor Paul Walker takes Keanu Reeves' role as the dreamy agent who infiltrates the underworld and then gets caught up in it. (It's amazing how both actors' line readings manage to sound exactly the same). Furious does have a few thrilling moments but you'll be too distracted, wondering why it all seems so familiar, to really enjoy them. -- RP (Rated PG-13.)

FOCUS -- (Grade: D) Photographer Neal Slavin has the sophisticated technique necessary to make a feature film. His challenge is to create the storytelling necessary for a good drama. Focus, his adaptation of Arthur Miller's 1945 novel, is content to rest on its serious subject matter and credible casting.

A pair of glasses is all it takes for nerdy Lawrence Newman (William H. Macy) to become the target of growing anti-Semitism. Newman isn't about to let any thugs stand in the way of his new job and pretty wife (Laura Dern). What's unclear is just how far Newman's sinister neighbor (Meat Loaf Aday) is willing to take things.

The normally reliable Macy seems tired and one-dimensional. Dern tries hard to bring her character to life, but it's as if every scene demands her to be shrill. Only Rock singer-turned-actor Aday manages to pull a believable performance out of the transparent Focus, giving me at least one good thing to say about Slavin's forgettable movie. -- SR (Rated PG-13.)

FROM HELL -- (Grade: C) Directors Albert and Allen Hughes follow in the Grand Guignol tradition for a period thriller that theorizes on the motives and identity of Jack the Ripper. Re-creating the five murders of Whitechapel prostitutes in 1888 London, everything about From Hell is slickly depressing. What's surprising is how little suspense the Hughes brothers are able to build with their Ripper tale.

Johnny Depp is a humanistic center to the violence. He plays Scotland Yard Inspector Abberline, an unorthodox policeman whose psychic powers help him solve the case. Depp's edgy performance matches From Hell's lush production.

Based on Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell's acclaimed graphic novel, From Hell is proof that the Hughes brothers can tell a story different from their gangster dramas, Menace II Society (1993) and Dead Presidents (1995). Can they make a scary movie? That remains to be seen. -- SR (Rated R.)

HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE -- (Grade: D) Little humor, fun or feeling finds its way into director Chris Columbus' adaptation of J.K. Rowling's popular children's book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

For those who haven't read the book, the story follows an 11-year-old orphan named Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), who lives with his cruel aunt and uncle. Harry's dreams of escaping his hard-knock life are answered when he is accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Despite an entertaining ensemble of supporting roles, the film's young star, Daniel Radcliffe, manages only to succeed in looking like Potter. Radcliffe displays none of the personality or charisma his hero needs.

The heartwarming message behind Rowling's books -- that an ordinary boy can become a heroic wizard -- is lost amidst Columbus' deluge of special effects. In short, Harry Potter is just Hollywood's latest manufactured extravaganza, void of emotional honesty and storytelling.-- SR (Rated PG.)

HEIST -- (Grade: A) With David Mamet at the helm, you can pretty much bank on what you'll get: a talented cast, eager to give Mamet's über-hip dialogue a try, plot twists galore, con games as a central story device and ridiculously bland camera work. For Mamet, it all begins and ends with the script. Heist follows a crew of gold thieves out to do "that Swiss thing," a job so unheard of that Mamet gives it a typically bland name. Joe Moore (Gene Hackman) agrees to do one last job for gangster Bergman (Danny DeVito) before setting sail with his wife (Rebecca Pigeon). Bergman sends his nephew (Sam Rockwell) along to keep Joe honest. The script pops and sizzles with Mamet's phrase-turns. Perhaps audiences are starving for word play after the droll summer action season. Is Mamet this good, or are we that malnourished literally? Who cares? Heist is a fine adult script that manages to be both challenging and consumer-friendly. -- RP (Rated R.) K-PAX -- (Grade: B) Most actors would consider losing direct eye contact a dramatic obstacle. Not Kevin Spacey, whose tight-lipped smirk is the key expression breathing life into his mystyerious spaceman, Prot. Spacey uses his dark sunglasses as an emotional asset. You can't decide whether Prot, a mental patient at a Manhattan hospital, is really from the faraway planet K-Pax or not.Based on Gene Brewer's 1995 novel, K-Pax is not entirely original. Past films have tackled the "visiting alien" story in a humanist manner. Prot's fellow patients resemble colorful extras from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Prot's psychologist, Dr. Mark Powell (Jeff Bridges) would fit easily in any hospital melodrama. It is the emotional chemistry between Bridges and Spacey that keeps K-Pax compelling. The magic lies in Prot's words, the mystery in Powell's sense of disbelief over Prot's storytelling. -- SR (Rated PG-13.)

THE LAST CASTLE -- (Grade: D) Robert Redford's stoic performance as a court-martialed general is the best thing about director Rod Lurie's military prison drama. Redford's larger-than-life charisma is put to good use as a man of principal who leads a revolt against a corrupt prison warden (James Gandolfini). Lurie (Deterrence, The Contender) appears overwhelmed by the film's large-scale action. As a result, The Last Castle feels messy.

Gandolfini's miscast performance as the villainous warden adds to the film's problem. The origins of Redford's fight are never quite clear.

Redford does more with his eyes and facial expressions than all of the film's elaborate explosions and gunfire. Midway into The Last Castle, it's clear that Redford is the last man standing in a sloppy story. -- SR (Rated R.)

LIFE AS A HOUSE -- (Grade: C) In Life As A House, Kevin Kline is George, an emotionally frozen man whose cancer diagnosis gives him four months to live. Kline quits his job as an architect, takes his wayward Goth son Sam (Hayden Christensen) from his ex-wife (Kristen Scott Thomas), and goes about the work of building a house.

American Beauty was praised for its ironic vision of suburban funk. It maintained a certain distance from sentimentality and rang true, even in its stilted moments.

Beyond big metaphors and weepy moments, a film needs resonance. A reason to enjoy the life onscreen. Unfortunately, Life As A House is not too embarrassed to take comfort in the drama. Too much of the plot seems like a formula approach to making a movie about the terminally ill. -- ttc (Rated R.)

THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE -- (Grade: A) Let the debate begin as to whether or not this rates as a great Coen Brothers film. As noir, is it as engrossing as Blood Simple or Miller's Crossing? Does it have the offbeat humor and crossover appeal of Fargo? Is the titular character as engaging as The Big Lebowski? Better yet, try watching the film without considering the past works of the Coens. Focus on Billy Bob Thornton. As Ed Crane, he digs into a depthless character, out of his element as he initiates a scheme to blackmail his wife's lover (James Gandolfini) into investing in a dry cleaning scam. As the plot twists, Crane never finds himself either one step ahead or behind the action. Thanks to Thornton's understated work, he is firmly rooted in a moment from which he can never escape.

Is it a great film? That depends on how you take to Thonton's turn as a man haunting his own life. The Man Who Wasn't There is full of stylistic tricks, but its main treat is that we can't miss the Coens' singular vision. -- ttc (Rated R.)

MONSTERS, INC. -- (Grade: B) The best part of director Peter Docter's witty animated adventure is Billy Crystal's screechy voice. Crystal's sarcasm and dead-on comic timing brings Mike, a bulbuos, green, one-eyed manager at the monster-run company that turns children's screams into electrical power, to life.Produced by Pixar, the kingpins of three-dimensional animation, Monsters, Inc. trades the humanistic themes of their Toy Story films for something sassier. John Goodman brings a jovial spirit to a furry blue beast named Sulley. Steve Buscemi is nails-on-the-chalkboard annoying as the conniving lizard, Randall. The monsters' lives are turned upside-down after a small girl named Boo accidentally stumbles into Monstropolis.

Monsters, Inc. doesn't rate as a Snow White-type Disney classic, but it's a fun diversion. Crystal's feisty Mike will make every member of the family laugh, and that's an impressive achievement for any family movie. -- SR (Rated G.)

MULHOLLAND DRIVE -- (Grade: A) A handgun, a girl, a limousine and a collision are the elements that jump-start David Lynch's mind-blowing mystery. But the magic behind Lynch's storytelling lies in his ability to twist characters, time and space into an unforgettable puzzle. Naomi Watts delivers plenty of wide-eyed optimism as the innocent Betty, who arrives in Los Angeles intent on becoming a famous actress. Laura Elena Harring overflows with sensuality as the dark mystery woman whom Betty befriends. Their believable relationship makes this one of Lynch's more humanistic films.

Bizarre characters, strange settings and shifting identities connect Mulholland Drive with Lynch's previous work, especially Lost Highway, Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks. But Mulholland Drive rises above the rest with an avant-garde finish that takes one's breath away. Out of his girl-comes-to-Hollywood story, Lynch has created something unique and artistic. -- SR (Rated R.)

NOVACAINE -- (Grade: D) Steve Martin plays it straight as Doctor Frank Sangster, a low-key dentist caught in a double-cross of drugs and murder, in writer/director David Atkins' sloppy film noir. Martin's deadpan performance makes Sangster into a forgettable straight man. The always reliable Laura Dern is more interesting as Sangster's uptight fiancée and dental hygienist. But the true star of Novacaine is Helena Bonham Carter who sizzles as the shady femme fatale who yanks Sangster into trouble.

Unfortunately, Atkins proves incapable of juggling the film's equal helpings of laughs and thrills. As a result, Novacaine turns out to be another failed attempt at updating the film noir genre. In the process, the talents of its three lead actors are wasted. -- SR (Rated R.)

THE ONE -- (Grade: F) It's baffling how director Jim Wong manages to make kung-fu legend Jet Li look boring in the pulpy fiasco, The One. An incoherent comic-book plot doesn't help matters. A pair of Jet Li dopplegangers battle for power over the multi-universe. Yulaw (Li) is the baddie from another world. Gace (also Li) is the LAPD cop just trying to keep himself from being assassinated by the mysterious superman who looks a lot like himself.

Part of The One's problem is that Li spends too much time holding a gun. Any chop-socky fan will tell you that Li can do more with his feet and fists than an entire gang of gun-toting villains.

Carla Gugino is cast aside as Li's veterinarian wife. Delroy Lindo brings little credibility to the multiverse as a futuristic detective on the evil Li's tail. The likable Li does smile throughout the film. He appears to be having a good time, and it's safe to say that he's the only one. -- SR (Rated PG-13.)

THE OTHERS -- (Grade: B) Strange noises take presidence over spoken dialogue in a traditional English Gothic like The Others. Unseen people converse behind closed doors. A girl (Alakina Mann) and her younger brother (James Bentley) insist they've seen ghosts. The children's irritable mother (Nicole Kidman) is not convinced by their supernatural stories. Still, it's not long before she realizes that something otherworldly is inhabiting their country house.Writer/director Alejandro Amenábar's core mystery -- who are the Others? -- is somewhat of a movie cliché. But I'm hard-pressed to recall the last film that made me squirm in my seat as much as The Others. -- SR (Rated PG-13.)

OUR LADY OF THE ASSASSINS -- (Grade: A) Director Barbet Schroeder adapts Fernando Vallejo's 1994 novel La Virgen de los Sicaros into a searing drama that combines the violent chaos of Medillin, Columbia, with humanistic themes borrowed from Thomas Mann's Death in Venice. Columbian stage actor German Jaramillo delivers a powerful performance as the weary Fernando, an acclaimed writer who has returned to his hometown of Medillin to die. Anderson Ballesteros is appropriately tough as the street punk who Fernando befriends. Directing his first foreign-language film in 16 years, Schroeder makes the most of the digital video format with a wheeling visual style that boosts the film's sense of immediacy. But Vallejo is the true star of Our Lady of the Assassins. By adapting his own novel into the screenplay, Vallejo insures the film's brutal honesty. -- SR (Rated R.)

THE PRINCESS DIARIES -- (Grade: D) Young Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) is a real princess who just doesn't know about her birthright. Her grandmother, Queen Clarisse Renaldi (Julie Andrews) comes to set her straight and brings along the dutiful Joe (Hector Elizondo) to assist with Mia's grooming. The film even has a real-life young teen queen in co-star Mandy Moore, who plays a popular high schooler getting her comeuppance. I'm exposing myself to charges of redundancy by noting that The Princess Diaries is a rehashing of Pygmalion and not a very good one at that. Such negativity will only show my age. The young girls in the audience will love the movie. -- ttc (Rated G.)

RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS -- (Grade: C) Both attuned to the humor and warmth in personal stories, Drew Barrymore and director Penny Marshall should be the perfect match. But Riding in Cars with Boys lacks the uplifting spirit of these two women. It also fails to capture that quality in Beverly Donofrio, the writer on whose life the movie's based.

Barrymore plays Donofrio in a drama that looks at teen pregnancy, personal sacrifices and the bad decisions that pushed the 15-year-old girl to the verge of adulthood. Despite her comedic innocence, Barrymore works best in the dramatic moments between Donofrio and her best friend (Brittany Murphy) and her father (James Woods). Bringing the film down a notch are the scenes between Donofrio and her drug-addict husband (Steve Zahn). Barrymore and Zahn seem incapable of supporting each other.

This is by no means a bad film. It hopefully marks a transition for Barrymore. Next time, maybe she won't just settle for playing grown-up. -- ttc (Rated PG-13.)

SHALLOW HAL -- (Grade: D) -- The guys who brought you sperm-gelled hair in Something About Mary and frozen snot in Dumb and Dumber turn their attentions to the issue of inner beauty. The result isn't pretty.

Peter and Bobby Farrelly had a great concept for a comedy: a shallow guy is hypnotized into only seeing a woman based on her inner beauty. Enter Rosemary (Gwyneth Paltrow), in reality a 300-pound "nice girl" who volunteers for children's hospitals and served in the Peace Corps. Of course to Hal she looks like a movie star. The hijinks ensue.

Or should ensue. The fact is, the guys who thought to show Ben Stiller's privates trapped in a zipper actually go too far the wrong way. Dare I say, they try to be touching?

Afraid so. -- RP (Rated R.)

SERENDIPITY -- (Grade: A) Director Peter Chelsom blends a witty script with breezy pacing and a top-notch cast to concoct a please-everyone love story. After a chance encounter, Sara (Kate Beckinsale) and Jonathan (John Cusack) flirtatiously agree that the spark between them exists, but Sara insists that fate be tested. He puts his name on a five-dollar bill and she puts hers in a book. They part and let destiny run its course.

Serendipity isn't groundbreaking. But the film manages to find magic during its course. Chalk that up to great chemistry between Beckinsale and Cusack. -- RP (Rated PG-13.)

13 GHOSTS -- (Grade: D) When the original 13 Ghosts appeared in theaters in 1960, audiences were issued "ghost viewer" glasses that revealed the spirits on the screen. Gimmicky? Sure, but clever. And that's what's lacking in this year's take on the story. It's a thriller that doesn't thrill. Per usual, the flaw begins and ends with the script. If we don't care about the people getting killed, there's no point in killing them.

Arthur (Tony Shalhoub) inherits a house from a strange uncle (F. Murray Abraham), only to find that it is no house at all, but a machine made to unleash the powers of hell. To operate it, 12 ghosts' souls are sacrificed. Who will be the 13th?

Hipsters Matthew Lillard (Scream) and Shannon Elizabeth (American Pie 2) are on board, but their minimal star wattage can't salvage the film. There are enough cheap tricks to entertain some, unless you ask a little more of your scary movie. -- RP (Rated R.)

TORTILLA SOUP -- (Grade: B) Director Maria Ripoll tweaks Ang Lee's Eat Drink Man Woman in rousing fashion. By setting Lee's popular story in the latino community, Tortilla Soup proves the universal message in family, friendship and good food. Every Sunday, Master Chef Martin (Hector Elizondo) prepares a feast for his three daughters (Jacqueline Obradors, Tanara Mello and Elizabeth Peña). Maintaining the family tradition and enjoying their father's cooking are the reasons for their visit. But life lessons are what each grown daughter takes away from the table. Tortilla Soup is a humanistic drama that offers laughs and tears in credible manner. For the always reliable Elizondo, it's a welcome opportunity to shine in a film's spotlight role. -- SR (Rated PG.)

TRAINING DAY -- (Grade: B) Director Antoine Fuqua follows up his forgettable features The Replacement Killers (1998) and Bait (2000) with the taut police corruption thriller Training Day. Ethan Hawke gives a surprisingly gritty performance as a rookie beat cop assigned to an anti-drug squad. Denzel Washington is the squad's shady leader, Sgt. Alonzo Harris, a cop who fights as dirty as the dealers he's trying to catch.Fuqua directs Training Day with the visual panache we've come to expect of his films. But the film's greatest attribute is Washington's high-energy performance as the corrupt Harris. Balancing charm and creepiness with pinpoint agility, he makes Harris into a character too complex to be discarded as a cliché bad guy. When Training Day dissolves into routine car chases and shootouts, it's Washington's exuberant performance that keeps the story believable. -- SR (Rated R.)

TWO CAN PLAY THAT GAME -- (Grade: B) It's the age-old game of cat and mouse. In romance, two people will stop at nothing to get upper-hand. Two Can Play that Game is a fine retelling of this overdone (but always relevant) tale. A fresh cast, a smart script and a break-out lead performance from Vivica A. Fox redeem the film from its trite premise.Shante (Fox) thinks she has love all figured out until she finds her man Keith (Morris Chestnut) with another woman. What follows is Shante's personal textbook on how to get her man back.

Anthony Anderson is funny as Keith's pal Tony, who seems to have figured out how to get around "The Rules." But Fox's sassy performance leads the film. It takes a smart actor to pull off the talking-to-the-camera trick (see "Bueller, Ferris.") Fox manages and the film is better for it. Because in love, you really only know what's going on when you step inside someone's head. -- RP (Rated R.)

WAKING LIFE -- Veteran director Richard Linklater (Slacker, Dazed and Confused, Before Sunrise) combines rambling dialogue and innovative animation for a visionary film about the dream experience. Fans of Linklater's earlier films will recognize the smart dialogue that connects the various characters who meet each other in a dreamlike world. Still, it's the painterly animation that qualifies Waking Life as visionary filmmaking.Old-fashioned rotoscoping animation supplies the shimmering images. After Linklater shot the film, animators Tommy Pallotta and Bob Sabiston digitally painted on real images.

Linklater is also responsible for the plot outline's interlocking conversations about existence, consciousness and the meaning of life. Wiley Wiggins (who starred in Linklater's Dazed and Confused) leads the ensemble of 74 characters who appear in Waking Life's various segments. Further proof of his connection to the film, Linklater makes an animated appearance as a pinball philosopher. -- SR (Rated R.)

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