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THE FIGHTING TEMPTATIONS Cuba Gooding Jr., so animated a performer that he even appears to be overacting on this movie's poster, plays a crafty New York ad executive who returns to his hometown of Montecarlo, GA, to attend the funeral of his beloved aunt. Before he can collect his inheritance, though, he must fulfill his aunt's wish of steering the church choir to success in the prestigious Gospel Explosion. For the most part, the movie's non-musical segments are painfully formulaic bits centering around Gooding's wholly uninspired character, yet when the gospel tunes take center stage (which thankfully is often), the movie transcends its trite surroundings and emerges as a theater-shaking crowd-pleaser. 1/2

INTOLERABLE CRUELTY It's hard to determine whether George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones brought out the best in each other or whether the Coen Brothers brought out the best in both of them. At any rate, they're perfectly cast in this sharp romantic comedy that ably captures the long-established rhythms of the screwball form. Clooney exhibits the right degree of screwball aptitude as a hotshot divorce lawyer who may have finally met his match in a client's wife (Zeta-Jones, who hasn't been this alluring since her breakthrough in The Mask of Zorro). When he's not playing dull heroes, Clooney comes across as the class clown trapped in the class president's body, and his zest in mocking his own leading man status works to glorious advantage here.

KILL BILL VOL. 1 Online film geeks who believe cinema was only invented in their lifetimes will consider this prime porn, but more knowledgable viewers will be let down after all the hype. Simple, straightforward and streamlined, Quentin Tarantino's latest is an action flick in which a woman warrior (Uma Thurman) seeks revenge against her former associates. There's no reason this wafer of a story should be supported by multiple movies (Vol. 2 arrives in February), not when the trimming of countless repetitious shots might possibly have resulted in one zippy, kick-ass film. Tarantino's gimmicky approach eventually becomes tiresome; if the second volume is anything like this one, they might want to consider changing its name to Overkill Bill.

LOST IN TRANSLATION In what may be the finest performance of his career, Bill Murray stars as Bob Harris, an American movie star who's come to Tokyo to appear in a whiskey commercial. Initially, he appears to be suffering from jet lag, but it soon becomes apparent that this malaise isn't temporary -- on the contrary, Bob's in a perpetual gloomy funk. He befriends a young American woman (Scarlett Johansson) staying at the swanky hotel, and they eventually form a special bond. A specialized movie for a specialized audience, director Sofia Coppola's fabulous new film is one of those unique, introverted gems that either enfolds you with its generosity of spirit or leaves you cold. And filmgoers who complain about the artificiality of most American movies are especially encouraged to check it out -- as is usually the case in the real world, this picture shows that there are no happy endings or sad endings, and, sometimes, there are no endings at all. Many people will call this film a slice of life. I call it a slice of heaven.

MYSTIC RIVER Director Clint Eastwood has fashioned a strong drama about three childhood friends brought together years later by a tragedy. Jimmy Markum (Sean Penn) may have a violent past, but he fiercely loves his daughter and is shattered when she's found murdered. One of Jimmy's former pals (Kevin Bacon) is the detective assigned to the case, while the other former chum (Tim Robbins) emerges as a leading suspect. The performances are immaculate, and Brian Helgeland's script addresses several noteworthy themes, meaty enough that the obviousness of the mystery feels even more of a cheat. Still, despite its shortcomings, the acting and the atmospherics continue to haunt me; it's almost certain, then, that this will remain the year's best disappointment.

OUT OF TIME Denzel Washington is the marquee attraction, and Eva Mendes and Sanaa Lathan are the heavily promoted up-and-comers, but it's unknown John Billingsley who pumps up this negligible piece of pulp fiction. The film itself is a sloppily assembled variation on the Kevin Costner hit No Way Out, with Washington cast as a small-town police chief who comes to realize that all the evidence in a double homicide paints him as the murderer. It's always a treat to watch Washington ply his trade, but the predictability of the mystery coupled with credibility-stretching circumstances render it dopey rather than deft. The sole fresh ingredient is Billingsley's noteworthy turn as Washington's wisecracking sidekick.