PLANET SICK-BOY MOVIE CAPSULES

James Coburn and Nick Nolte were both nominated for Oscars for their performances in this dark, depressing tale of a father/son relationship that’s gone horribly awry. Through disturbing flashbacks, we see a drunken Glen Whitehouse (Coburn) terrorize and beat his young son Wade. As an adult, Wade (Nolte, who also executive-produced) is cop, crossing-guard and town boozer in this quaint New Hampshire burg. He is also divorced and his young daughter is scared to be anywhere near him. Wade seems deathly afraid to follow in his father’s footsteps, but somehow can’t seem to avoid them.

This bleak, snow-covered shocker will draw comparisons to both Fargo (although not as quirky) and A Simple Plan (although not as thrilling). But it is probably more reminiscent of Atom Egoyan’s The Sweet Hereafter – both films were based on Russell Banks novels as well as being lovingly lensed by Paul Sarrosy. Director Paul Schrader, the screenwriter for Raging Bull and The Last Temptation of Christ, creates such a bleak picture that you almost can’t help but feel sorry for Wade, despite the fact that he is such a tool. (1:53 – for adult language, violence and adult situations)

Carnal pie jokes aside, this picture would have been a lot better if they had not put all of the funny gags in the trailer. Don’t get me wrong – American Pie is still a laugh, mostly because of the things that we’ve already either seen or read about prior to viewing the film, but the rest of it falls pretty flat. The ending is particularly weak, with the four East Great Falls High students who have made a pact to lose their virginity by prom night turning softer than Bob Dole when Liddy forgets to pick up his Viagra prescription.

Jason Biggs is a hoot and comes off as a sort of teenaged Jon Stewart prototype, while Chris Klein delivers more of the goofy smiling that he did in the far superior Election. Natasha Lyonne (Detroit Rock City) is squandered in her role, and Alyson Hannigan (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) steals just about every scene she is in – even the one that they put in the trailer. (1:35 - for strong sexuality, crude sexual dialogue, language and drinking, all involving teens)

The race is over before it even started. Give the Oscar for Best Actor to Edward Norton for his frightening portrayal of a skinhead. But his performance is so much more than that because you get to see his character before he became a hate-monger and after prison reformed him. The film focuses on the effect of Norton’s hate on his younger brother, played quite capably by Edward Furlong. An amazing first time effort from director Tony Kaye, who actually wanted his name removed from the film for some reason. (1:50 –

for extreme violence, extreme language, nudity, racial slurs and just about everything else you can think of)

Beating its CG rival (Pixar’s A Bug’s Life) to the theaters by a month, Antz is a stunning example of how realistic computer animation can be. Woody Allen voices an ant named Z, a worker drone who longs to someday break free of the shackles of the man…I mean the colony. Predictably, he falls for the Princess (Sharon Stone) and incurs the wrath of the evil General (Gene Hackman), but you’re not going for the story, are you? (1:17 –

for cartoonish but realistic war scenes and implied sexual undertones, I think)

The director of The Usual Suspects? Stephen King? Sir Ian McKellen? You would have expected better. Teen heartthrob Brad Renfro stars as the loner kid who finds a Nazi (McKellen) living in his quiet suburban neighborhood and threatens to blow the lid off of his secretive past. Unless, that is, McKellen tells him all of the horror stories from World War II. Based on a King novella, the film plays like more of a sick after-school special than a feature length film. (2:00 –

for violence, language and hate)

The poster for this film states that "only love can bring you to your senses," but I am here to say that a smack across the face with a smelly flounder can do the job just as well (and perhaps more cost effectively, too). And I’m recommending the same fish-slap for the creeps that made this picture. It’s about the true story of Virgil Adamson, a blind guy (Val Kilmer) that regains his sight after falling for a lovely girl (a very bland Mira Sorvino), but then can’t handle the overwhelming power of vision. Written by Oliver Sachs, who also wrote another feel-good medical drama that was based on a real story (Awakenings). But this is laughable. Stay home. Rent Awakenings. (2:04 –

for adult language, brief nudity and adult situations)

A double award winner at last year's Sundance Film Festival but noticeably snubbed by Oscar this past week, Amandla! is a documentary about the history of Apartheid in South Africa. The film mostly focuses on the protest songs that were created in response to the enactment of the Apartheid laws in the late 1940s. Like the folk tunes brought to the Americas by the Irish and the Scots (as seen recently in Songcatcher), these angry a cappellas were handed down from generation to generation as important tales. Since most Apartheid victims were illiterate, the songs are the only link back their shocking and appalling roots.

The morale-boosting tunes, like "Beware Verwoerd (The Black Man is Coming)," aren't really harmonious in the way one might expect them to be. If you're not into this kind of music, Amandla! is likely to be an extremely grating experience (I found the songs to be moving, but painfully repetitive after 15 minutes). For those unfamiliar with the details of Apartheid, however, it should at least be educational. There's plenty of disturbing archival footage, as well as interviews with activists, musicians and relatives of those killed because of the color of their skin. Aside from the potential musical stumbling block, the film's only other drawback is a somewhat irritating shift in time that may leave some viewers confused. (1:48 - for some images of violence, and for momentary language)

The best 3D IMAX film yet, in terms of both story and stuff jumping out of the screen at you, Across the Sea of Time is about a young Russian boy who stows away on a freighter ship headed for New York City. Armed with some letters and 3D “stereo” photographs from an ancestor’s experience after arriving in America, little Tomas (Peter Reznick) tries to track down a home he hopes is packed with Russian relatives.

On the way, he meets various New York City characters, including people hawking pizza, hot dogs and pickles (In the Company of Men’s Matt Malloy makes an appearance as a Wall Street businessman). Time moves effortlessly between the early 1900s (shown in the black-and-white 3D “stereo” photographs) and modern 3D New York. Watch out for two harrowing scenes involving a roller coaster and a subway ride, as well as the heavy-handed music from ex-James Bond scorer John Barry. (0:51 - )