PLANET SICK-BOY MOVIE CAPSULES

Wesley Snipes stars as a half-human/half-vampire intent on riding the world of his blood sucking kinfolk. It feels a lot like The Crow meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but not quite as entertaining. The story is pretty predictable, but there are some very cool visual scenes – like when the vampires meet their maker. Stephen Dorff and Kris Kristofferson co-star in this Marvel comic big screen effort. (1:45 –

for violence, language, nudity and blood, blood, blood)

Yeah, it’s the second computer animated "bug" film of the season, but A Bug’s Life crushed Antz like…well, like a bug. Those movie trivia slides before the film told me that it was based on The Magnificent Seven, which was the American remake of Kurosawa’s 1954 Japanese epic The Seven Samurai. But most of the kids probably already know that. Basically, it’s about a colony of ants that must present an offering of food to the mighty grasshoppers in order to keep from being devoured by them. Kinda like when you give the school bully your lunch money in order to prevent a pounding at recess. Or, for you adults, it’s like a bad healthcare plan. Tons of celebrity voices will keep even the most jaded grownup riveted to the screen (1:25 –

for cartoonish violence)

Other than The Godfather, how many sequels to "Best Picture" nominees can you name? Well, I can’t think of any either - I like to pretend that Rocky never happened. The principal actors/animals from the critically acclaimed Babe are back for another adventure. Most of the elements that made the first picture so lovable are back – the singing mice, the paranoid duck and of course, the delicious little pig. But gone is the warm relationship between Babe and the stoic Farmer Hoggett. The follow-up is more action oriented as Babe takes a trip into the big city (a conglomeration of every major city in the world), meets a bunch of stray animals, gets into more than a few pickles and saves the day (duh!). Make sure you stay for the credits to hear Peter Gabriel sing "That’ll Do, Pig." That’ll do, indeed. (1:35 –

for a harrowing portrayal of doggie heaven)

Hugh Wilson (The First Wives Club) directs this all-too-familiar fish-out-of-water tale of Adam (Brendan Fraser), a young man who was raised in his parents’ bomb shelter since 1962 and finds himself having problems trying to fit into our modern society. Sure, this Rip Van Winkle story has been rubbed into the ground, but Blast is surprisingly fresh and genuinely charming.

The film’s first thirty minutes – portraying the first 35 years of Adam’s secluded life - are fantastic, due mostly in part to Christopher Walken and Sissy Spacek’s hilarious turn as the prototypical ‘60s parents. But things slow down a bit once Adam ventures into the real world to score supplies for his family. He quickly falls for a girl named Eve (Alicia Silverstone) and the hilarity ensues…predictably.

Fraser is likeable in the same sort of innocent, dopey way he was in George of the Jungle (or Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump or Big), but I have a feeling that he’s not acting. The multi-chinned Silverstone, who sadly hit her acting peak at age fifteen, is almost tolerable in her role. Scene-stealing Joey Slotnick is wonderful as a burned-out loser who mistakes Adam’s family for God, Mary and that kid they had. (1:47 – for some adult language and situations)

Bulworth is the latest from Dick Clark clone Warren Beatty. He plays the title character, an aging U.S. Senator who is tired of the political game that he has played for the last umpteen years and takes a contract out on his own life. The following days show Bulworth coming clean about the ills of government, the horrors of campaigning and absurdity of political parties. He falls for a young volunteer (Halle Berry) and performs some of the whitest rapping...ever. But he’s 80 years old, so cut him some slack. (1:47 –

for some violence, some dirty words and a bunch of scary rap music)