Film capsules -- 1997-2001

Mad City (PG-13) 114 min. Garner's rating: 7 Review · Clips
Costa-Gavras' expose of an exploitative media, as seen in the story of a TV journalist (Dustin Hoffman) who manipulates the story of a disgruntled, out-of-work security guard (John Travolta) holding children hostage at a museum. Though conventional and predictable, the film bears a message worth repeating about who should make the news and who should report it. Alan Alda, Robert Prosky and William Atherton co-star. Warners. Rated PG-13, with profanity and moderate violence.

Made (R) 95 min. Garner's rating: 6 Review · Clips
Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn, of Swingers fame, reunite as two Los Angeles nitwits with mob ambitions, who find themselves in way over their heads when a gangland fixer (Peter Falk) gives them a job. Favreau also directs. Sean (P.Diddy) Combs co-stars. Artisan. Rated R, with profanity, drugs and sex.

Madeline (PG) 88 min. Garner's rating: 7 Review · Clips
Adaptation of Ludwig Bemelmans' classic children's stories about the adventures of a precocious youngster and the chaos she creates at a Paris girls' school. Starring Frances McDormand, Nigel Hawthorne and Hatty Jones. Columbia TriStar. Rated PG.

Mafia! (PG-13) 86 min. Garner's rating: 6 Review · Clips
The latest movie parody from a creator of Airplane! and Naked Gun, this time spearing mob movies. Lloyd Bridges, Jay Mohr and Christina Applegate star in this overly obvious, but frequently funny comedy. Touchstone. Rated PG-13, with comic violence and sexual references.

Magnolia (R) 188 min. Garner's rating: 10 Review · Clips
A long but fascinating study of a day in the life of several Southern California people, and the pain, anger and guilt they feel because of the lack of affection in their lives. Tom Cruise, Jason Robards, Julianne Moore and Philip Seymour Hoffman lead a stellar ensemble. Paul Thomas Anderson directs a film that is, in a way, the moral flip side of his earlier Boogie Nights. New Line Cinema. Rated R, with strong profanity and sexual issues.

The Majestic (PG) 152 min. Garner's rating: 7 Review · Clips
Jim Carrey stars as an amnesia victim who is believed to be a returning small-town hero, in Frank Darabont's old-fashioned tale of sentiment and redemption. Martin Landau and Laurie Holden co-star. Warner Bros., 152 mins. Rated PG, with mild profanity.

Major League 3: Back to the Minors (PG) 130 min. Unreviewed. Clips
Scott Bakula, Corbin Bernsen and Ted McGinley head back to the playing field. This time a minor league team takes on the Minnesota Twins. Warner Bros. Rated PG.

Malena (R) 92 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
Giuseppe Tornatore applies the nostalgic mood of Cinema Paradiso to a coming-of-age tale of a small-town Sicilian who becomes infatuated with the town beauty, unaware of the painful future that awaits her. Monica Bellucci and Giuseppe Sulfaro co-star. Miramax. Rated R, with strong sexual content. In Italian, with English subtitles.

The Man in the Iron Mask (PG-13) 132 min. Garner's rating: 6 Review
The Three Musketeers are back on screen on again for a final adventure in this uneven but moderately entertaining film about twin brothers who switch identities on the throne of France. Jeremy Irons, Gerard Depardieu, John Malkovich and Gabriel Byrne play the aging Musketeers, but teen heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio will attract the most attention in the dual role. Randall ("Braveheart") Wallace writes -- and makes his directorial debut. United Artists. Rated PG-13, with violence, partial nudity and sex.

Man on the Moon (R) 118 min. Garner's rating: 6 Review · Clips
An artfully crafted portrait of the late Andy Kaufman. Jim Carrey brilliantly protrays comedy's eccentric anti-star of the '70s. Directed by Milos Forman. Rated R, with strong profanity and wrestling violence.

Mansfield Park (PG-13) 110 min. Garner's rating: 9 Review · Clips
A clever interpretation of the Jane Austen Novel, incorporating traits and beliefs of Austen herself into the central character. Frances O'Connor stars for writer-director Patricia Rozema. Miramax. Rated PG-13, with brief nudity and sex.

The Man Who Cried (R) 97 min. Garner's rating: 4 Review · Clips
An overwrought melodrama about a young Jewish orphan (Christini Ricci) in the Europe between the wars, trying to find both her father and her own identity. British director Sally Potter takes a surprisingly old-fashioned, sudsy approach to the material. Cate Blanchett and Johnny Depp co-star. Universal Focus. Rated R, with sex.

The Man Who Knew Too Little (PG-13) 95 min. Garner's rating: 6 Review · Clips
A modest comic farce from Jon Amiel, with Bill Murray as a sweetly innocent everyman -- more inept than most -- who stumbles into the world of spies, assassins and mad bombers. Joanne Whalley and Peter Gallagher co-star. Warner Bros. Rated PG-13, with comic violence and sexual references.

The Man Who Wasn't There (R) 116 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
A lyrical, sometimes funny, often melancholy film noir from those off-beat Coen Brothers, with a brilliant Billy Bob Thornton as a town barber in 1949 whose scheme to better himself backfires into betrayal, blackmail and murder. Frances McDormand, James Gandolfini and Jon Polito co-star. USA Films. Rated R, with violence and implied sex.

Marcello Mastroianni: I Remember (Unrated) 190 min. Our rating: 6 Review
A humorous look at the life of a 72-year-old Italian film icon in his own words. In Italian, with English subtitles. Unrated.

Marie Baie Des Anges (R) 95 min. Our rating: 6 Clips
Manuel Pradal directs this contemporary tale, set on the French riviera, inspired by an ancient legend about two star-crossed teen lovers. Sony Classics. In French with English subtitles. Rated R, for violence, sexuality and language.

Marius and Jeannette (Unrated) 105 min. Our rating: 7
Contemporary tale of a wary mature romance set in working-class Marseilles, France. Starring Gerard Meyland and Ariane Ascaride. Unrated.

Mars Attacks (PG-13) 105 min. Garner's rating: 3 Review · Clips
Tim Burton's inventive but humorously lame comic parody of 1950s sci-fi invasion films. Jack Nicholson and Glenn Close head a particularly hammy cast -- the computer-generated aliens are far more entertaining than any of the many well-known faces in the cast. Warner. Rated PG-13, with profanity, comic violence and sexual innuendo.

Marvin's Room (PG-13) 105 min. Our rating: 7 Review 1 · Review 2 · Clips
The challenges -- and unexpected rewards -- of family responsibility are at the core of this heartfelt comedy-drama, co-starring Meryl Streep and the Oscar-nominated Diane Keaton as long-estranged sisters, with little in common, who are drawn back together by a family crisis. Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Hume Cronyn, and Gwen Verdon co-star. Jerry Zaks directs. Miramax. Rated PG-13, with profanity and adult issues.

Mary Reilly (R) 118 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review
Julia Roberts is the uncomprehending housekeeper of a rather unpredictable Victorian gentleman named Dr. Jekyll; he's played by John Malkovich. Directed by Stephen Frears. Violence. Dark gothic romance for mature teens and adults.

Ma Saison Preferee (NR) 125 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review
A French film in which Catherine Deneuve and her brother are reconciled when her mother dies. Profanity, sex for mature aduiences.

The Mask of Zorro (PG-13) 130 min. Garner's rating: 7 Review · Clips
This colorful and playful Martin Campbell film carves the famous Z across the movie screen with broad, bold strokes. As swashbucklers go, this grandly romantic film would make Douglas Fairbanks proud. This time, Antonio Banderas and Anthony Hopkins wield swords against injustice. TriStar. Rated PG-13, with lots of action violence and brief sexual flirtation.

Masterminds (PG-13) 106 min. Garner's rating: 5 Review · Clips
A youth-oriented thriller about a skateboarding computer wiz (Vincent Kartheiser) who outwits a demented former British Secret Service agent (Patrick Stewart) when he holds students at a posh school for ransom. With lots of action and juvenile humor, it hits its target audience of 10- to 16-year-olds, but won't do much for other viewers. Roger Christian directs. Columbia. Rated PG-13, with profanity and mild violence.

The Matchmaker (R) 100 min. Garner's rating: 4 Review
An Irish-based comedy that's more uninspired malarkey than inspired magic. Janeane Garofalo stars as an American woman on business in Ireland, who gets caught up in a village matchmaker festival. Jay O. Sanders, Denis Leary, Milo O'Shea and David O'Hara co-star for director Mark Joffe. Gramercy. Rated R, strictly for profanity.

The Matrix (R) 130 min. Our rating: 9 Review · Clips
A wild and wildly imaginative adventure, about freedom fighters in a future world, battling the domination of machines that have taken over the world. Starring Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne. Directed by Andy and Larry Wachowski. Warner Bros. Rated R, with profanity, graphic violence and nudity.

Ma Vie en Rose (My Life in Pink) (R) 88 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
A provocative and imaginative Belgian film about a little boy who thinks he's a girl; and the problems his sexual identity cause for his nervous family and narrow-minded neighbors. Directed by colorful inventiveness by Alain Berliner, and starring impressive newcomer, Georges Du Fresne. Rated R, with mature sexual issues.

Maximum Risk (R) 106 min. Unreviewed · Clips
Jean-Claude VanDamme plays a retired French Army officer who is sucked into the mysterious murder of a twin brother he never knew he had. Natasha (Species) Henstridge co-stars. Sony Pictures. Violence, gore, nudity and profanity.

Max Keeble's Big Move (PG) 90 min. Our rating: 2 Review · Clips
Disney coughs up a lame, self-conscious stab at comic adventure in this story of a junior-high victim who, thinking he is about to leave town, sets out to get even with his tormentors. Starring Alex D. Linz and Larry Miller. Directed by Tim Hill. Walt Disney. Rated PG, with some bullying and crude humor.

McHale's Navy (PG) 120 min. Unreviewed · Clips
Tom Arnold stars as the wise-cracking Quinton McHale, who reassembles his motley crew of misfits to thwart the plans of a maniacal terrorist (Tim Curry). Co-stars Dean Stockwell, Davad Alan Grier, Ernest Borgnine, Bruce Campbell and Debra Messing.

Meet Joe Black (PG-13) 174 min. Garner's rating: 6 Review · Clips
Romantic fantasy starring Brad Pitt as Heaven's Angel of Death who comes to Earth on a mission to retrieve a wealthy about-to-die businessman (Anthony Hopkins), but finds himself falling in love with his daughter. Co-starring Claire Forlani. Rated PG-13, with moderate profanity and discreet love-making.

Meet the Deedles (PG) 90 min. Our rating: 2 Review · Clips
A weak, formulaic fish-out-of-water comedy about a pair of Hawaiian surfers who wind up posing as park rangers at Yellowstone. Starring Paul Walker, Steve Van Wormer, Dennis Hopper. Directed by Steve Boyum. Buena Vista. Rated PG, with mild profanity and violence.

Meet the Parents (PG-13) 108 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
A classic grace-under-pressure comic situation -- a potential groom meets his future in-laws -- is explored by Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro in Jay Roach's amusing comedy. Blythe Danner and Teri Polo co-star. Universal. Rated PG-13, with moderate profanity and sexual innuendo.

Meet Wally Sparks (R) 115 min. Garner's rating: 1 Review · Clips
Sometimes, comedian Rodney Dangerfield gets no respect because he doesn't deserve any. His boorish, utterly bad new movie, directed by Peter Baldwin, is a case in point. In it, Dangerfield rehashes his perennial bad-taste character, this time in the guise of a trashy tabloid TV talk show host. Cindy Williams, David Ogden Stiers and Burt Reynolds co-star. Meet Wally Sparks at your own peril. Trimark. Rated R, with profanity, and endless sex and bathroom jokes.

Megiddo: Omega Code 2 (PG-13) 121 min. Not reviewed. Clips
This sequel to 1999's Christian thriller The Omega Code documents the life of the demon-summoning chancellor of the New World Order (Michael York). Set in 2011, the film shows his battles with his brother -- president of the still-strong United States. Rated PG-13, with violence, warfare and some adult thematic elements.

Memento (R) 116 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
A unique thriller, unspooled in reverse order, about a man with short-term memory loss, who tries to find the man who raped and murdered his wife. Guy Pearce is superb, with capable support from Joe Pantoliano and Carrie-Anne Moss. Skillfully written and directed by Christopher Nolan. Newmarket Films. Rated R, with violence, profanity and drug references.

Me Myself I (R) 104 min. Our rating: 3 Review · Clips
In this Australian comedy, a romantically frustrated single woman questions what her life might have been like if she'd married the love of her life. Given the opportunity to see her alternate life, she learns the of the possibilities. Starring David Roberts, Sandy Winton and Rachel Griffiths. Directed by Pip Karmel. Rated R, with sexual issues and profanity.

Me, Myself and Irene (R) 117 min. Garner's rating: 6 Review · Clips
Carrey reunites with his Dumb and Dumber filmmakers -- Peter and Bobby Farrelly -- for another exercise in tasteless silliness. He's a state trooper with a volatile split personality. Renee Zellweger is his love or lust interest, depending on who he is. This should appeal to regular Carrey or Farrelly brother fans, though the trademark coarseness no longer shocks. Twentieth Century Fox, 117 mins. Rated R for plenty of sexual references and bathroom humor.

Men in Black (PG-13) 98 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith play alien-busters in this wonderfully warped sci-fi comedy from director Barry Sonnenfeld. Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio and Rip Torn co-star. Columbia. Rated PG-13, with slimy comic violence and mild profanity.

Men of Honor (R) 129 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
The true-life saga of the first black man to become a U.S. Navy diver -- and that was only the beginning of the challenges he faced. Directed by George Tillman Jr., with Cuba Gooding Jr. as the hero and Robert De Niro as his chief adversary. Rated R, with profanity and brief violence.

Men With Guns (R) 128 min. Garner's rating: 9 Review ·
The doctor's journey takes him into a heart of darkness. He's stripped of his possessions, his blind indifference to politics and, finally, of his dreams: His beloved young doctors have been tortured or killed by ``men with guns.'' It doesn't matter if these men are rebels or government soldiers. It matters only that in their stupid wars, they grind the aspirations and lives of ordinary people under their heels.

Mercury Rising (R) 111 min. Garner's rating: 4 Review ·
Simon (Miko Hughes) is an autistic 9-year-old boy with a host of problems -- and one special skill. He can't look you in the eye, and he screams at the slightest provocation, but he can solve puzzles like a wiz. But when Simon inadvertently cracks the country's most important national security code, he becomes a marked boy. Devious folks both in and out of the government want him dead.

A Merry War (NR) 101 min. Garner's rating: 6 Review · Clips
A slight British comedy -- based on an early George Orwell satirical novel -- about an advertising copy writer (Richard E. Grant) in 1930s London who chucks job security to try to become a serious poet. Helena Bonham Carter plays the young woman who is endlessly patient with her boyfriend's dreaming. Robert Bierman directs. First Look Pictures, 101 mins. Unrated.

Message in a Bottle (PG-13) 110 min. Garner's rating: 6 Review · Clips
A contrived by classy bittersweet Valentine, with Robin Wright Penn as a woman who seeks out the writer of a romantic "message in a bottle," and finds Kevin Costner. Paul Newman also stars, as Costner's crusty father. Luis Mandoki directs. Warner Bros. Rated PG-13, with profanity, brief violence and implied sex.

The Messenger: The story of Joan of Arc (R) 130 min. Garner's rating: 5 Review · Clips
A violent new version of the oft-told story of a peasant girl who believes God is telling her to unite the French in a bloody battle against the English. Milla Jovovich stars as an especially high-strung Joan. John Malkovich, Faye Dunaway and a briefly brilliant Dustin Hoffman co-star for director Luc Besson. Columbia Pictures. Rated R, with rapes, beheadings and much gore.

Metro (R) 117 min. Our rating: 4 Review
A lifeless action film about a hostage negotiator who spends an awful lot of time with a gun in his hands. Starring Eddie Murphy and Michael Rapaport. Directed by Thomas Carter. Touchstone Pictures. Rated R, with profanity, graphic violence and nudity.

The Mexican (R) 120 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
An amusing comedy-caper saga, with superstars Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt double-billed. They share precious little screen time together, but still charm us in their solo threads through his quirky tale. James Gandolfini is also a key contributor, and more than holds his own with his high-priced co-stars. Gore Verbinski directs. DreamWorks. Rated R, with profanity and violence.

Me You Them (PG-13) 104 min. Our rating: 6 Review · Clips
A woman (Regina Case) finds a way to ensure that her marriage fulfills her desires -- she has three husbands. Based on a true story. Rated pg-13, with brief scenes of sexuality.

Michael (PG) 105 min. Garner's rating: 6 Review · Clips
John Travolta stars in this sweet but overly cluttered tale of an unlikely, slovenly angel who still manages to do good during a visit to modern-day Iowa. William Hurt and Andie MacDowell co-star as tabloid reporters who investigate his case. Nora Ephron co-writes and directs. New Line. Rated PG, with modest profanity and implied sexual situations.

Michael Collins (R) 130 min. Garner's rating: 9 Review · Clips
Neil Jordan's engrossing, violent saga about the complex and controversial leader of Ireland's fight for independence from Britain. Liam Neeson stars in a role he was born to play. Julia Roberts, Aidan Quinn, Alan Rickman and Stephen Rea co-star. Warner Bros. Strong violence.

Mickey Blue Eyes (PG-13) 102 min. Garner's rating: 6 Review · Clips
A romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant as a man with a seemingly respectable fiancee (Jeanne Tripplehorn). The trouble is her father (James Caan) is an organized-crime boss who wants to mold Grant into one of the family. Warner Bros. Rated PG-13, with profanity and comic violence.

Microcosmos (G) 77 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
A fascinating and surprisingly entertaining new documentary about the world of bugs that dares to ignore the scientific data that turns too many nature documentaries into academic exercises. This film isn't designed to instruct; it aims to fill you with wonder over the infinite variety of life, the tiny universe, the microcosmos that exists in our forests, pastures and even our backyards. Miramax. Rated G.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (R) 140 min. Garner's rating: 9 Review · Clips
John Berendt's best-selling memoir has been brought to the screen with its entertaining blend of quirky characters, sordid murder, Savannah travelogue, voodoo spells, and magnolia-drenched romance. It's the latest proof of director Clint Eastwood's continuing growth as a versatile filmmaker who likes to take risks. Kevin Spacey, John Cusack, Jack Thompson, Alison Eastwood and The Lady Chablis co-star. Warner Bros. Rated R, with profanity, violence and adult sexual issues.

(William Shakespeare's) A Midsummer Night's Dream (PG-13) 115 min. Garner's rating: 7 Review · Clips
This adaptation of the bard's whimsical tale of romance run amok stars Calista Flockhart, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kevin Kline, Stanley Tucci, Rupert Everett and Christian Bale. Rated PG-13, with bawdy humor.

A Midwinter's Tale (R) 98 min. Garner's rating: 10 Review · Clips
Kenneth Branagh's farce about a troupe of amateurs and misfits trying to cobble together a Christmas production of Hamlet. With Michael Maloney and Joan Collins. Profanity.

Mifune (R) 100 min. Unreviewed. A film about the complicated life of a successful businessman who is living a lie. After his estranged father dies, he must care for his mentally handicapped brother while trying to keep his wealthy wife from finding out about his humble past. Rated R.

The Mighty (PG-13) 107 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
A disabled youngster (Kieran Culkin) helps a slow-witted neighbor boy (Elden Henson) deal with his problems. Co-starring Sharon Stone as Culkin's mom. Rated PG-13, moderate profanity and violence.

Mighty Joe Young (PG) 114 min. Garner's rating: 6 Review · Clips
The corny, poor man's King Kong has been remade. And the B-movie tradition continues. This is a sometimes-silly Saturday matinee movie, like they used to make 'em, elevated a touch by latter-day special effects. Charlize Theron and Billy Paxton co-star for director Ron Underwood. Disney. Rated PG, though the attack scene (and Mom's death) in the prologue may disturb impressionable young children.

Mimic (R) 96 min. Garner's rating: 6 Review · Clips
An old-fashioned giant-bug horror flick, elevated through quality writing and lean direction. Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Northam, Josh Brolin and Charles Dutton co-star for director Guillermo Del Toro. Dimension Films. Rated R, with profanity, nightmarish images and strong gore.

The Minus Man (R) 110 min. Garner's rating: 7 Review · Clips
An off-beat serial killer movie about an off-beat serial killer. More character study than suspense thriller, it stars Owen Wilson as an amiable fellow who is genuinely concerned about your problems, up till the moment he lets you have a sip of his arsenic-laced Amaretto. Janeane Garofalo, Brian Cox and Mercedes Ruehl co-star for writer-director Hampton Fancher. The Shooting Gallery films. Rated R, with profanity and moderate violence.

The Mirror (NR) 94 min. Unreviewed
Drama, directed by Jafar Panahi (The White Balloon), about a young Iranian schoolgirl whose journey home from school takes some unusual turns. In Farsi with English subtitles.

The Mirror Has Two Faces (PG-13) 126 min. Garner's rating: 6 Review · Clips
Barbra Streisand returns to romantic comedy as both star and director of this modest entertainment. Streisand and Jeff Bridges deliver appealing performances, though the film is undermined by its mixed messages about the nature of love and the importance of physical appearance. TriStar. Rated PG-13, with strong profanity.

Miss Congeniality (PG-13) 110 min. Our rating: 5 Review · Clips
Sandra Bullock stars as a frumpy FBI agent who goes undercover as a beauty contestant to catch a killer. Can't she find a better script? With Benjamin Bratt, Michael Caine, Candace Bergen. Directed by Donald Petrie. Castle Rock Entertainment. Rated PG-13, with sexual references and a scene of violence.

Mission: Impossible (PG-13) 110 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
Tom Cruise stars in this riveting remake of the '60s espionage TV series. Directed by Brian De Palma (The Untouchables and Dressed to Kill) Action violence, profanity and complex plot limit this to teens and adults.

Mission to Mars (PG) 113 min. Garner's rating: 6 Review · Clips
Brian De Palma's first sci-fi epic, a mars mission adventure with clear echoes of 2001, Close Encounters and The Abyss. Gary Sinise, Tim Robbins, Don Cheadle and Connie Nielsen co-star. Touchstone. Rated PG, with mild violence and profanity.

M:I-2 (PG-13) 126 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
A much-improved take on the action-caper film series, thanks mostly to the imaginative, visceral staging of director John Woo. Tom Cruise heads a team trying to stop biotech criminals who plan to infect the world with a horrific disease, just so they can sell the antidote. Thandie Newton and Ving Rhames co-star. Paramount. Rated PG-13, with a lot of mostly bloodless violence.

The Mod Squad (R) 94 min. Garner's rating: 3 Review · Clips
A superficial, hopelessly dated remake of the '70s TV show about three pseudo-hippies, working undercover for the LAPD. Claire Danes, Giovanni Ribisi and Omar Epps are an improvement over the original actors, but little else has changed. MGM. Rated R, with profanity, violence and brief sex.

Mohabbatein Not rated. Unreviewed.
Written and directed by Aditya Chopra, this Indian romance is a story of two strong men -- one who believed in love and one who did not. Not rated.

Moll Flanders (PG-13) 123 mins. Garner's rating: 7 Review
An entertaining costumed soap opera, very loosely based on Daniel Defoe's 18th century novel about a young woman and one-time prostitute, fighting through the injustices of the caste system and the blatant sexism of the day. Robin Wright, Morgan Freeman and Stockard Channing co-star for writer-director Pen Densham. Suggestive whorehouse sequences and the nudity of an artist's model.

Money Talks (R) 92 min. Garner's rating: 5 Review · Clips
Chris Tucker, the fast-talking comedian who impressed audiences with supporting roles in Friday and The Fifth Element, tackles his first leading role in the new buddy comedy. Charlie Sheen co-stars in this caper misadventure, an overly obvious clone of the 48 Hrs. and Lethal Weapon films. But although Money Talks is clearly insubstantial, Tucker is a funny man; he's the best part of the film, and won't disappoint his growing cult of fans. Brett Ratner directs. New Line. Rated R, with strong profanity and comic violence.

Monkeybone (PG-13) 85 min. Our rating: 2 Review · Clips
A fantasy about a cartoonist who goes into a coma and visits a dream world, only to see his creation take over his body in real life. Too weirdly sexual and scary for young viewers, too flat and boring for older ones. Starring Brendan Fraser and Bridget Fonda. Directed by Henry Selick. Twentieth Century Fox. Rated PG-13, with sexuality and nudity.

Monsters, Inc. (G) 98 min. Garner's rating: 9 Review · Clips
A highly original and entertaining fable for all ages about the monsters who hide in the closets and under the beds of our childhood. Pixar computer animation is fabulous, and the voices of John Goodman, Billy Crystal and Steve Buscemi offer a perfect match. Pete Docter directs. Disney/Pixar. Rated G.

Monument Ave. (R) 93 min. Our rating: 7
Denis Leary and Ian Hart star as robbers who think of themselves as modern-day Robin Hoods. Law enforcers have other ideas. Co-starring Billy Crudup, Martin Sheen and Franke Janssen. Lions Gate Films. Rated R, with violence, drug use and profanity.

Mortal Kombat II: Annihilation (PG-13) 99 min. Unreviewed. Clips
The fate of the Earth is once again to be determined during a no-rules Mortal Kombat tournament between the forces of good and evil. New Line. Rated PG-13.

Most Wanted (R) 109 min. Garner's rating: 3 Review
An overly familiar B-movie action flick, written by and starring Keenen Ivory Wayans. Though the tall, robust senior Wayans has the makings of a muscular, tight-lipped action hero, his script is too obviously derivative, and too many of his co-stars ham it up under the sloppy direction of newcomer David Glenn Hogan. Jon Voight is especially guilty. New Line. Rated R, with profanity and strong action violence.

Mother (PG-13) 104 min. Garner's rating: 9 Review
The funniest, most accessible comedy yet from writer-director-star Albert Brooks. He plays a twice-divorced middle-age man who decides he will never understand women until he figures out his mother. So he moves back home. Debbie Reynolds makes a stunning screen comeback as the title character. Rob Morrow co-stars. Paramount. Rated PG-13, with profanity and sexual issues.

The Mothman Prophecies (PG-13) 119 min. Garner's rating: 4 Review · Clips
Richard Gere dives into X-Files country for this story about a reporter trying to uncover mysterious paranormal activities in a West Virginia town. Laura Linney and Alan Bates co-star for director Mark Pellington. Rated PG-13, with profanity and fright elements.

Moulin Rouge (PG-13) 126 min. Garner's rating: 9 Review · Clips
Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor are doomed lovers in Baz Luhrmann's a daring and luscious ode to artifice, a richly imagined musical that blends wildly diverse music, culture and storytelling concepts, wrapped around the notorious Parisian nightclub of a hundred years ago. Utterly original, it's the sort of film people either love or hate. Rated PG-13, with implied sex and innuendo.

Mouse Hunt 95 min. (PG) Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
A witty slapstick saga that's as clever and hilarious as it is simple: Two brothers (Nathan Lane and Lee Evans) inherit an old mansion, and then are outwitted by its long-time resident, an extremely resourceful mouse. Kids will love the rodent antics, but adults will be amused by the surreal ambiance and sophisticated character development. As directed by Gore Verbinski, it's this year's "Babe." DreamWorks. Rated PG, with mild profanity, and cartoon violence.

Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter Jr. (PG-13) 91 min. Our rating: 9 Review
The Leuchter controversy of 1988, prompted by the trial of neo-Nazi Ernst Zundel, is investigated in wrenching and clinical detail. Zundel hires Fred A. Leuchter Jr. as an expert witness to prove the Holocaust didn't happen. Leuchter, who designs and repairs electric chairs, gas chambers, lethal injection systems and gallows, naively lets his engineering expertise blind him to the historical evidence. Featuring interviews with Fred A. Leuchter Jr., Robert Jan Van Pelt, David Irving and James Roth. Directed by Errol Morris. Lions Gate Films. Rated PG-13, for thematic elements.

Mr. Holland's Opus (PG-13) 145 min. Garner's rating: 7 Review · Clips
A drama portraying the life of an inspiring music teacher, played by Richard Dreyfuss. Stephen Herek directs. Profanity and sexual references.

Mr. Jealousy (R) 105 min. Garner's rating: 4
The precariousness of romantic relationships is shown through the agonies of a terminally jealous man (Eric Stoltz) after he begins dating a free-spirited woman (Annabella Sciorra). Rated R, with languange.

Mr. Magoo (PG) 97 min. Our rating: 2 Review ·
An unfunny live-action version of the unfunny 1950s' cartoons, about the misadventures of a myopic millionaire. Starring Leslie Nielsen, Kelly Lynch. Directed by Stanley Tong. Rated PG, cartoon violence, mild profanity.

Mr. Nice Guy (PG-13) 90 min. Garner's rating: 4 Review · Clips
The latest Jackie Chan action-comedy to hit these shores -- which may be all you need to know. The amiable Chan does his usual allotment of impressive stunts, distracting viewers from a stupid script and bad supporting performances. Samo Hung directs. New Line. Rated PG-13, with action violence and a few mild sexual references.

Mrs. Brown (PG) 110 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
The recounting of a relationship that apparently developed between Queen Victoria and the gruff servant who managed the royal stables. Judi Dench, Billy Connolly and Antony Sher are all marvelous, as directed by John Madden. Miramax. Rated PG.

Mrs. Dalloway (PG-13) 97 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
Vanessa Redgrave stars in this film based on a Virginia Woolf novel about the after-effects of World War I on an upper-class woman and a veteran. Co-starring Natascha McElhone and Rupert Graves. Rated PG-13, with violence and brief nudity.

Mrs. Winterbourne (PG-13) 106 min. Garner's rating: 4 Review · Clips
In this comedy of mistaken identity, Ricki Lake stars as a working-class woman welcomed into an aristocratic family. Shirley MacLaine and Brendan Fraser co-star. Profanity, implied sexual behavior, brief violence.

Mr. Wrong (PG-13) 107 min. Rating: 3 Review · Clips
Ellen DeGeneres stars in this comedy about a thirtysomething woman looking for Mr. Right. Instead, she finds Mr. Wrong (Bill Pullman).

Mulan (G) 87 min. Garner's rating: 9 Review · Clips
Animated tale, based on a Chinese legend, of a strong-minded young woman who disguises herself as a man so she can take her father's place in the Chinese army. Eddie Murphy provides the voice of Mushu, her guardian dragon. Disney. Rated G.

Mulholland Drive (R) 146 min. Our rating: 9 Review · Clips
Two women explore the sunny and dark sides of Hollywood, in a film that will have you wondering how much of this is meant to be real and how much is a dream. Creepy and compelling. Starring Justin Theroux, Naomi Watts and Laura Harring. Directed by David Lynch. Universal Focus. Rated R for profanity, graphic violence, nudity, sexuality and adult themes.

Mulholland Falls (R) 107 min. Garner's rating: 5 Review · Clips
Los Angeles cops the way they used to be -- rough but moral figures -- are played by Nick Nolte, Chazz Palminteri, Michael Madsen and Chris Penn. Profanity, nudity, extensive sex and violence; for viewers over 17.

Multiplicity (PG-13) 110 mins. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
A clever, funny comedy about cloning, featuring an astonishing performance by Michael Keaton as four versions of the same guy, often seen on screen together. Harold Ramis directs. Richard Edlund delivers seamless effects. Andie MacDowell co-stars. Profanity and sexual innuendo.

Mumford (R) min. Our rating: 7 Review · Clips
A funny, insightful film about the effect a blunt-speaking psychotherapist has on a northern California town and the secrets he hides from them. Starring Loren Dean, Hope Davis and Jason Lee. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan. Touchstone Pictures. Rated R, with profanity, nudity and adult content.

The Mummy (PG-13) 134 min. Garner's rating: 5 Review · Clips
The hokey old Hollywood monster movie is retooled as a zesty, bargain-basement Indiana Jones adventure, with Brendan Fraser as a flippant adventurer dueling against an ancient Egyptian high priest who comes back to life. Digital effects make it look like caviar, but it's really corn. Still, B-movie fans can have a good time. Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, and Arnold Vosloo co-star for writer-director Stephen Sommers. Universal.

The Mummy Returns (PG-13) 125 min. Our rating: 4 Review · Clips
A sequel to the 1999 film, in which the heroes must save the world from both the Mummy and someone called the Scorpion King. If only they'd saved the world from this formulaic, cynical sequel. Starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. Directed by Stephen Sommers. Universal Pictures. Rated PG-13 for violence, profanity and gruesome special effects.

Muppets From Space (G) 82 min. Our rating: 7 Review · Clips
Gonzo grabs the spotlight in a hilarious yet heartwarming tale that counters this summer's crude offerings. Starring Gonzo and Bunsen Honeydew (performed by Dave Goelz), Kermit the Frog, Rizzo the Rat and Beaker (performed by Steve Whitmire), Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal and Sam Eagle (performed by Frank Oz), Jeffrey Tambor, Rob Schneider, Ray Liotta, David Arquette and Andie MacDowell. Directed by Tim Hill. Jim Henson Pictures/Columbia Pictures. Rated G.

Muppet Treasure Island (G) 99 min. Garner's rating: 4 Review · Clips
Muppet version of the Robert Louis Stevenson adventure tale. Tim Curry and Kevin Bishop co-star for director Brian Henson. Only the mildest forms of comic violence; no problems for any age.

Murder at 1600 (R) 108 min. Reviewer's rating: 5 Review · Clips
A stolid, slow-moving mystery about a murder in the White House, in which a D.C. cop must battle both the killer and a Secret Service cover-up to solve the killing. Starring Wesley Snipes, Diane Lane, Alan Alda and Daniel Benzali. Directed by Dwight Little. Warner Bros. Rated R, with profanity, nudity and graphic violence.

The Muse (PG-13) 97 min. Garner's rating: 6 Review · Clips
An under-developed Albert Brooks comedy in which he plays a blocked screenwriter who calls upon a muse (Sharon Stone) to give him inspiration. Stone is bright and funny, but the usually dependable Brooks is not in top form. Andie MacDowell and Jeff Bridges co-star. Directed by Brooks. Rated PG-13, with profanity.

Music of the Heart (PG) 123 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
Meryl Streep plays real-life East Harlem violin teacher Roberta Guispari in this inspiring and unabashedly sentimental story of triumph in the classroom. Directed by Wes Craven, with Angela Bassett and Gloria Estefan. Rated PG, with mild profanity.

The Musketeer (PG-13) 105 min. Our rating: 5 Review · Clips
Though he tries to mix Hong Kong martial arts with the swashbuckling genre, Peter Hyams only manages to dumb down and trivialize Alexandre Dumas' classic adventure story of D'Artagnan. Starring Justin Chambers, Mena Suvari, Tim Roth. Directed by Peter Hyams. Universal Pictures. 106 minutes. Rated PG-13 for graphic violence, partial nudity, adult content.

My Best Friend's Wedding (PG-13) 105 min. Garner's rating: 9 Review · Clips
Julia Roberts is a magazine food critic whose longtime friend, a sports writer (Dermot Mulroney), had been her lover before the two opted to stow the romance and just be friends -- fine with her, until he calls to say he's getting married. Roberts is lovable; Rupert Everett's support is Oscar-worthy; and the film is the funniest of the season. Directed by P.J. Hogan. Rated PG-13, with one use of the ultimate expletive.

My Dog Skip (PG) 93 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
A refreshing family film about a timid boy coming of age in a small Mississippi town of the 1940s, thanks in part to his relationship with his pet dog. Frankie Muniz, Diane Lane and Kevin Bacon co-star for director Jay Russell. Warner Bros. Rated PG, with mild violence, including action directed at the dog.

My Favorite Martian (PG) 95 min. Our rating: 2 Review · Clips
Christopher Lloyd stars in this film version of the '60s sitcom about a space alien who crash-lands on Earth. Jeff Daniels plays a TV reporter who takes him in. Co-starring Elizabeth Hurley and Daryl Hannah. Rated PG, with profanity, violence and bathroom humor.

My Fellow Americans (PG-13) 101 min. Garner's rating: 7 Review · Clips
An executive branch comedy, with Jack Lemmon and James Garner as two former presidents who hate each other, but who are thrown together on a cross-country odyssey when they become targets of an assassination plot. Imagine Grumpy Old Men in the oval office. Peter Segal directs. Warner Bros. Rated PG-13, with profanity and coarse humor.

My First Mister (R) 109 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
A good-humored tale, well-directed by actress-turned-filmmaker Christine Lahti. Leelee Sobieski and Albert Brooks are marvelous as polar opposites, who meet in a Los Angeles shopping mall and somehow discover common ground that leads to life-changing friendship. Paramount Classics. Rated R, with profanity and sexual innuendo (though there is MUCH to recommend this film to perceptive teenagers).

My Giant (PG-13) 103 min. Garner's rating: 4 Review · Clips
Starring Billy Crystal, Gheorghe Muresan. Just the Mutt-and-Jeff contrast is inherently amusing, especially when the two are side-by-side in a tiny sports car. The film is directed in journeyman fashion by Michael Lehmann (of The Truth about Cats and Dogs, Heathersand, gulp, Hudson Hawk).

My Life So Far (PG-13) 92 min. Our rating: 7 Review · Clips
This end-of-an-era chronicle views life on a 1920s Scottish estate from a 10-year-old boy's point of view. Starring Colin Firth, Rosemary Harris, Robert Norman, Malcolm McDowell and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Rated PG-13, with sexual situations.

My Name Is Joe (R) 93 min. Our rating: 9 Review · Clips
A unemployed worker in modern Glasgow battles his own alcoholism in the face of a life filled with stress and temptations to go back to the bottle in this painfully realistic look at alcohol addiction. Starring Peter Mullan and Louise Goodall. Directed by Ken Loach. Artisan Entertainment. Rated R, with profanity, violence, sexuality and drug use.

My Son the Fanatic (R) 86 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review
An engrossing tale of the clash between cultures and generations, as a Pakistani father and son hold conflicting attitudes towards their immigrant life in northern England. Om Puri and Rachel Griffiths co-star for director Udayan Prasad. Miramax. Rated R, with profanity and sexual content.

Mystery, Alaska (R) 125 min. Our rating: 6 Review · Clips
A conventional sports-underdog story, about a tiny Alaska town with a hockey tradition, which gets talked into pitting its best players against the New York Rangers. Stars Russell Crowe, Burt Reynolds and Colm Meaney. Directed by Jay Roach. Hollywood Pictures. Rated R, with profanity, violence and partial nudity.

Mystery Men (PG-13) 120 min. Garner's rating: Review · Clips
A live-action superhero parody with a gang of everyday losers aspiring to comic book greatness. The film offers several moments of amiable humor, but can't quite overcome its over-stocked cast and under-developed screenplay. Hank Azaria, Janeane Garofalo, William H. Macy and Ben Stiller co-star. Directed by Kinka Usher. Universal. Rated PG-13, with comic violence and bathroom humor.

Mystery Science Theatre (PG-13) 73 min. Garner's rating: 6 Review · Clips
Adaptation of the cult television hit in which space-bound Mike Nelson and his robots make wisecracks about bad movies. Sly entendres and profanity; for teens and adults.

The Myth of Fingerprints (R) 90 min. Garner's rating: 5 Review · Clips
An overly restrained, underwritten drama about the reunion of a dysfunctional family around a Thanksgiving table. Noah Wyle, Julianne Moore, Michael Vartan, James LeGros, Roy Scheider and Blythe Danner co-star for writer-director Bart Freundlich. Sony Classics. Rated R, with profanity and sexual content.