Sex and the City
2 1/2 starsFor a film based on a colorful show that celebrated the fast-paced Manhattan life, "Sex and the City" is an oddly subdued affair, from its muted visuals to its melancholic midsection to its unsatisfying ending. For all die-hard fans of the HBO series that ended in 2004, the film is still worthwhile, if only for the chance to see Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) together again. Even as it stumbles in other ways, the picture stays true to the friendship of these four women.
Rated R
Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat
Bruce Campbell co-stars with David Carradine in a bloodthirsty vampire tale. The vampires who inhabit the town of Purgatory are thrown into a frenzy when an unsuspecting family from "outside" arrives. Morgan Brittany and Maxwell Caulfield also appear.Rated R
Pathology
Milo Ventimiglia (TV's "Heroes") and Alyssa Milano (of "Charmed") co-star in a gruesome thriller that takes place in a morgue. One member of a group of medical residents is selected to commit a murder, and the others must determine the cause of death.Rated R
Deception
1 1/2 starsIn the cheeseball would-be erotic thriller "Deception," a suave, insinuating corporate lawyer (Hugh Jackman) introduces a nebbishy auditor (Ewan McGregor) to an underground sex club for professional men and women too busy for relationships. The first rule of the sex club is you do not talk about the sex club. The second rule, apparently, is that you don't wonder why the lawyer you just met has taken such a keen interest in you – even though, as an auditor, you should be curious. The auditor, Jonathan, never questions the motives of Wyatt, insta-pal and devil on his shoulder. Nor is "Deception," directed by commercial veteran Marcel Langenegger, ever believable as a film. High in gloss and light on brains, it plays like the fantasy of a temp worker who whiled away his data-processing hours imagining the boss lady's seamy private life.
Rated R
Leatherheads
2 1/2 starsWhen a film stars three people you adore and still falters, the instinct is to blame the director. But that's tricky when the director is one of the people you adore. So let's take a moment to distinguish George Clooney, star of "Leatherheads," from Clooney, director of "Leatherheads." Star: Talks fast. Director: Moves slowly. Star: Throws his body into football scenes. Director: Fails to include enough football scenes. Star: Is obviously fond of Renée Zellweger. Director: Ditto. See how it gets tricky? Such is the trouble with this 1920s-era romantic comedy with individual moments that zing and long stretches that drag. What's most fun about the role is that Clooney, one of the best-looking leading men of this or any screen era, has cast himself as romantic underdog. But Clooney is winning as a veteran player on a ragtag professional football team, Zellweger is witty as a newspaper reporter, and John Krasinski is an able straight man as a college football star, celebrated war veteran and all-around BMOC.
Rated PG-13
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