Film capsules -- 1997-2001

O (R) 91 min. Garner's rating: 7 Review · Clips
A modern-text, high school version of Othello, starring Mekhi Phifer as the black basketball star at a mostly white prep school. His best friend (Josh Hartnett) plants the seeds of jealousy. Julia Stiles and Martin Sheen co-star for director Tim Blake Nelson. Lion's Gate. Rated R, with strong violence and implied sex.

The Object of My Affection (R) 112 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
An appealing romantic comedy that explores what happens when a straight woman (Jennifer Aniston) and a gay man (Paul Rudd) share a Brooklyn apartment. When Harry Met Sally..." asked whether a man and a woman could have a fruitful friendship without sex getting in the way. Nicholas Hytner's film explores whether a satisfying relationship can develop between a man and woman when sex CAN'T get in the way. Fox. Rated R, with profanity and sexual issues.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (PG-13) 106 min. Garner's rating: 10 Review · Clips
A hilarious Coen brothers concoction combining themes from Homer's Odyssey with the frantic film style of Preston Sturges and the fabulous roots music of the rural South of the Depression. George Clooney stars as the leader of a trio of chain gang escapees who stumble into a country music career. John Turturro co-stars. Touchstone. Rated PG-13, with profanity and comic violence.

Ocean's Eleven (PG-13) 117 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
A spiffy, fun-filled remake of the 41-year-old Frank Sinatra warhorse, a casino crime caper with a top-shelf cast, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and Julia Roberts. Steven Soderbergh directs with verve. Warner Bros. Rated PG-13, with moderate profanity and violence.

October Sky (PG) 108 min. Garner's rating: 10 Review · Clips
A rousing, inspirational true story of a boy in a West Virginia mining town in the 1950s who becomes fascinated by rocketry, and pursues his dreams to enter America's space program. Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper and Laura Dern co-star for director Joe Johnston. Universal. Rated PG, with mild profanity and violence, and brief sexual innuendo.

Neil Simon's The Odd Couple II (PG-13) 96 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
After slumming as Felix and Oscar clones in two Grumpy Old Men movies and Men at Sea, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau are back as the real deal in a long-overdue sequel to The Odd Couple.

Office Space (R) 89 min. Garner's rating: 5 Review · Clips
The creator of Beavis and Butt-head and King of the Hill brings us a live-action comedy that is an irreverent depiction of work in corporate America. Stars Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston and Stephen Root. Written and directed by Mike Judge. 20th Century Fox. Rated R for language, brief sexuality.

Oliver & Company (G) 73 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
Re-release of Disney's 1988 cartoon feature about a kitten with spunk who runs with a rag-tag gang of urban mutts. The animal adventure is loosely based on Dickens' Oliver Twist. For all ages.

The Omega Code (PG-13) 99 min. Unreviewed. Clips
Biblical thriller about efforts to stop a villain from using a stolen secret Bible code to take over the world. Starring Casper Van Dien, Michael York, Catherine Oxenberg and Michael Ironside. Rated PG-13.

Once Upon a Time . . . When We Were Colored (PG) 110 min. Garner's rating: 9 Review
Clifton Taulbert's memoir of growing up in the segregated South, celebrating how black families survived despite an oppressive, monolithic and often deadly racism. Directed by Tim Reid; Phylicia Rashad and Al Freeman Jr. head an ensemble cast. Modest profanity, brief violence.

Once Upon a Forest (G) 80 min.
Animated tale of the search for a cure for a forest creature who has breathed chemical-spill fumes.

The One (PG-13) 88 min. Garner's rating: 5 Review · Clips
A confusing but action-packed martial arts romp, played out in a world of alternate universes, allowing Jet Li to end up fighting himself. James Wong directs. Columbia. Rated PG-13, with frequent but relatively bloodless violence.

187 (R) 121 min. Our rating: 5 Review · Clips
Samuel L. Jackson gives a fastidiously detailed performance that depends on simplicity to suggest the complexity of the character. Under his scholarly, reserved, almost prim exterior is a man whose inner rage has reached the boiling point. Drawing its title from the California penal code for homicide and a favorite bit of shorthand among teen gang members, 187 tells the story of this gifted, tenacious teacher's gradual but certain voyage to disillusion -- and worse. Warner Bros. Rated R, with profanity and violence.

One Fine Day (PG) 110 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review
Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney star in Michael Hoffman's delightful romantic comedy that updates the grand Hollywood tradition to the age of single parenting and cellular phones. 20th Century Fox. Rated PG, with mild profanity.

101 Dalmations (G) 103 min. Garner's rating: 9 Review · Clips
The colorful, funny and meticulously produced live-action version of one of the Disney studio's most popular cartoon features. The story, the setting, the humans, AND the dogs have all survived the transition from paint-and-ink to flesh-and-blood remarkably intact. Glenn Close stars as the insidious but impeccably dressed Cruella DeVil, along with the dogs, for director Stephen Herek. Rated G.

102 Dalmatians (G) 101 min. Garner's rating: 5 Review · Clips
A relatively unimaginative sequel to the hit 1996 live-action version of one of Disney's most popular cartoons. Glenn Close returns as Cruella De Vil, a woman who thinks Dalmatian skins would be the secret to a perfectly MARVELOUS coat. Gerard DePardieu co-stars, rather embarrassingly, for first-time live-action director Kevin Lima. Disney. Rated G, but with puppies in danger and a villain thrown in an oven.

One Night at McCool's (R) 93 min. Garner's rating: 5 Review · Clips
Three men romp with the woman of their dreams in this ambitious but flawed new comedy noir from first-time director Harald Zwart. Of course, the dreams turn to nightmares. Co-starring are Liv Tyler, Matt Dillon, John Goodman, Paul Reiser and Michael Douglas (who also produces). USA Films. Rated R, with violence, profanity and implied sex.

One Night Stand (R) 103 min. Garner's rating: Review · Clips
Mike Figgis' stylish but strangely dispassionate slice-of-life drama meticulously exploring infidelity and its consequences. But for what purpose? Wesley Snipes, Nastassja Kinski, Kyle MacLachlan, Ming-Na Wen and Robert Downey Jr. co-star. New Line. Rated R, with profanity, nudity and sex.

One True Thing (R) 127 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
The dynamics of that family's life -- and the strained relationship between a grown child and her parents -- are explored with sensitivity and insight in this polished, well-acted new drama from director Carl Franklin. Meryl Streep, Renee Zellweger and William Hurt co-star. Universal. Rated R, with profanity.

On the Line (PG) 86 min. Our rating: 4 Review · Clips
Lance Bass and Joey Fatone star for director Eric Bross. A lame romantic comedy. N'Sync band member Lance Bass plays an ad man in Chicago who meets a really cute girl (Emmanuelle Chriqui) on the subway. Supposedly they hit it off instantly. But Bass has zero presence, and the movie's idea of humor is having Joey Fatone of N'Sync do gross things. Talents wasted: Dave Foley from The Kids in the Hall as Kevin's uptight boss, and Jerry Stiller as a crusty old mailroom worker. Rated PG, with rough language and some crude humor.

Open Your Eyes (R) 110 min. Our rating: 8 Review · Clips
Psychological thriller exporing the unexpected results that occur when a dashing womanizer loses his looks in a car accident. Starring Eduardo Noriega and Penelope Cruz. Directed by Alejandro Amenabar. In Spanish with English subtitles. Rated R, with nudity, profanity and violence.

Operation Condor (PG-13) 90 min. Garner's rating: 4 Review · Clips
The latest Jackie Chan action comedy with the Asian martial arts superstar as a secret agent trying to find long-lost Nazi gold. Chan has undeniable appeal -- and a one stunt is spectacular. Still, this film falls short of other Chan films that have reached the states, in stunts and laughs. Carol Cheng and Eva Cobo De Garcia co-star with Chan, who also directs. Dimension Films. Rated PG-13, with brief flashes of nudity, and rather bloodless action violence.

The Opposite of Sex (R) 100 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
A sassy tale of weird romance, with a brash, 16-year-old narrator, wonderfully played by Christina Ricci. Written with wit and directed with pizzazz by impressive newcomer, Don Roos, it co-stars Martin Donovan, Lisa Kudrow, and Lyle Lovett. Sony Classics. 100 mins. Rated R, with profanity and lots of sexual by-play.

Orange County (PG-13) 100 min. Our rating: 5 Review · Clips
Typical teen comedy featuring an atypical cast. Tom Hanks' son, Colin, and Sissy Spacek's daughter, Schuyler Fisk, star alongside Hollywood giants like Kevin Kline. Director Lawrence Kasdan's son, Jake, directs. Hanks plays a high school student trying desperately to get into Stanford University despite receiving a rejection letter. Paramount. Rated PG-13, with violence, sexual content, profanity and drug references.

Orgazmo (NC-17) 96 min. Our rating: 3 Clips
Comedy Central's South Park creator Trey Parker wrote, directed and stars as a devout-Mormon-turned-porn-star. Rogue Pictures. Rated NC-17, for sexual theme, nudity, language and comic violence.

Original Gangstas (R) 99 min. Garner's rating: 5
Favorite '70s blaxploitation stars (Jim Brown, Pam Grier, Ron O'Neal and Richard Roundtree) and some favorite rappers (Dru Down and Luniz) square off in a generational turf war. Profanity, extreme violence and drugs.

The Original Kings of Comedy (R) 115 min. Garner's rating: 9 Review · Clips
Spike Lee's concert documentary of a hilarious recent tour by four very funny men -- Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley and Bernie Mac. With very funny takes on modern life, race in America, pop culture and so much more, it's the best comedy-concert film since the heyday of the great Richard Pryor. Paramount. Rated R, with much F-bombing.

Original Sin (R) 116 min. Our rating: 4 Review · Clips
This steamy but muddled thriller stars Antonio Banderas and Angelina Jolie in a lurid tale of murder and betrayal in old Cuba. Written and directed by Michael Cristofer. MGM. Rated R, with nudity, violence and sexuality.

Orphans (Not rated) 95 min. Unreviewed.
In this dramatic comedy, four grown-up children come together the night before their mother's funeral. As a violent storm rips through their Scottish city, each family member must weather the elements and their emotions.

Oscar and Lucinda (R) 90 min. Garner's rating: 4 Review · Clips
A strange, elegant tale of two 19th century dreamers who fall in love over their shared passion for gambling. Ralph Fiennes and Cate Blanchett co-star for director Gillian Armstrong. Fox Searchlight. Rated R, with profanity and sex.

Osmosis Jones (PG) 98 min. Garner's rating: 5 Review · Clips
An uneven comic blend of live-action and animation, detailing the germ warfare inside a slob (Bill Murray) after he eats a dirty hard-boiled egg. Chris Rock is among the voices for the animation portion. Peter and Bobby Farrelly direct live-action, while the animation is by Piet Kroon and Tom Sito. Warner Bros. Rated PG, with moderate gross-out humor.

Othello (R) 125 min. Garner's rating: 7 Review · Clips
Laurence Fishburne portrays Shakespeare's tragic Moor, with Kenneth Branagh as Iago and Irene Jacob as Desdemona. New take on Shakespeare's work, heightening the sensuality and violence. Nudity, sex and violence; mature teens and adults only.

The Others (PG-13) 105 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
The classic English ghost story -- of the "dark, old house" variety -- is marvelously reworked in this spooky thriller. Nicole Kidman stars as the mother of two children in a haunted house in 1945. Alejandro Amenabar writes and directs. Dimension Films, 105 mins. Rated PG-13, with moments of ghostly intensity.

The Other Sister (PG-13) 129 min. Garner's rating: 5 Review · Clips
An entertaining but insubstantial romantic comedy about the love between two mentally disabled people, well-played by Juliette Lewis and Giovanni Ribisi. Diane Keaton and Tom Skerritt co-star for director Garry Marshall. Touchstone. Rated PG-13, with profanity and sexual issues.

Our Lady of the Assassins (R) 100 min. Our rating: 6 Review · Clips
Arriving in Medellin, Colombia, after 30 years abroad, Fernando (German Jaramillo), a gay man in his 50s, is set up with Alexis (Anderson Ballesteros), a street predator. It's love at first sight. But their romantic idyll is on borrowed time. In Spanish with English subtitles. Rated R, with violence, rough language, nudity and sexuality.

Out Cold (PG-13) 89 min. Garner's rating: 3 Review · Clips
First-time directors Brendan and Emmett Malloy have created a feature-length version of those videos that are on a constant loop at surf-and-ski shops. The stunt snowboarding is impressive, characters are pretty likable and cinematography is nice. But as a film it's mindless, sophomoric, predictable, you name it -- especially with Lee Majors, the Six Million Dollar Has-Been, as its big-name star. Rated PG-13, with rough language, crude and sexual humor, and substance abuse.

Out of Sight (R) 129 min. Garner's rating: 8 Review · Clips
Steven Soderbergh's quirky and amusing adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel about a veteran thief and an FBI agent who have the misfortune to fall in love. George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez are both first-rate. Ving Rhames, Steve Zahn, Don Cheadle, and Albert Brooks co-star. Univeral. Rated R, with profanity, implied sex and violence.

The Out-of-Towners (PG-13) 92 min. Garner's rating: 7 Review · Clips
A kinder, gentler new version of Neil Simon's 1970 film about an Ohio couple besieged by problems on a trip to New York. Veterans Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn still generate strong laughs, even though Manhattan is now depicted as a more romanticized, less-threatening place. John Cleese co-stars for director Sam Weisman. Paramount. Rated PG-13, with profanity and sexual innuendo.

Outside Providence (R) 98 min. Our rating: 8 Review · Clips
Above average coming-of-age film that puts a working class teen boy, who is in trouble with the law, into a prep school with wealthy classmates. Written by the Farrelly brothers (There's Something About Mary). Stars Shawn Hatosy, Alec Baldwin and Amy Smart. Directed by Michael Corrente. Miramax Films. Rated R, with profanity, drug use, sexual situations and brief nudity.

Out to Sea (PG-13) 106 min. Garner's rating: 4 Review
A predictable comedy in the Love Boat tradition, with Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon as cruise ship dance hosts, trying to corral brides from among their partners. Dyan Cannon, Gloria DeHaven, Brent Spiner and Donald O'Connor co-star for director Martha Coolidge. 20th Century Fox. Rated PG-13, with profanity and sexual innuendo.