Throughout history, women have had a reputation of being deceitful, evil temptresses of desire out to steal a valiant man’s heart and everything he owns. In short, women are not to be trusted as they are cunning, charming creatures who, once they set their eyes upon a prize, they stop at nothing to obtain what they desire. Of course, this is not true of all women, but in Original Sin, Angelina Jolie portrays a woman so deceitful, she even deceives herself.

Julia Russell (Jolie) comes to Santiago, Cuba as a mail-order bride for Luis Antonio Vargas (Antonio Banderas) who just so happens to be a wealthy coffee-shop owner. Their first conversation consists of confession; neither is who they said they were in their previous writings and Julia warns that neither of them is to be trusted. Little does Luis know how true her words do ring.

Luis comes home one afternoon to find his wife gone along with the money in his accounts and all her clothes. She’s obviously not coming back but that doesn’t stop Luis from wanting her back. He’s so in love with this woman, that no matter what harm she causes him, his love will never die. With help from Inspector Walter Downs (Thomas Jane), Luis finds his renegade wife in the arms of her newest victim. Appearances, however, are not what they seem. It turns out Luis’ lovely wife has a dark past marred by murder and deception. After Luis discovers that Julia has plotted with the Inspector to poison him and take his money, the tables are turned.

Banderas gives his usual sexy performance with his sultry accent and Spanish charisma. Jolie gives an equal performance led by her exotic eyes and trademark pouting lips. The evident chemistry between the two fuels the story bringing the audience in firstly by seduction and then by mystery and deception. Add the exquisite scenery and the steamy beats of the soundtrack to the twist and turns of this thriller and behold a film dynamic in every respect.

STARS: 4

Dustin Hoffman, in perhaps the best performance of his lengthy and noteworthy career, won the Best Actor Academy Award for portraying an autistic man in Rain Man (1988). The film also went on to capture the Oscars for Best Director (Barry Levinson) and Best Picture. It was also the film that bought autism into light and opened up a whole new world for the general public.

Charlie Babbitt (Tom Cruise) plays a self-centered hustler who discovers his distant father has just passed away. Charlie only goes to the funeral to claim his inheritance but to his disappointment, he receives just his father’s prized rosebushes and a vintage ’49 Buick convertible. The rest of the $3 million inheritance is put into a trust fund for someone whom Charlie does not know. Charlie does a bit of cheap sleuth work and finds out he has an older brother Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) whom happens to be autistic. He figures that his lawyers in L.A. can get the trust fund turned over to him so he kidnaps Raymond and takes him cross-country in the convertible.

Throughout the journey, Charlie discovers that a part of him is not self-centered, and he begins to actively care for his brother and the motives for getting the money changes. Indeed, Charlie has changed for the better all because of Raymond. Hoffman’s extraordinary performance makes not only Charlie care for Raymond but the audience learns to love him as well. The film shows a progress self-love to brotherly love in such a profound and poignant way that one can’t help but be taken into Raymond’s altered world.

STARS: 4

Robert Redford’s newest movie places him as a general wrongly court-martialed and sent to a maximum-security prison in “The Last Castle” directed by Rod Lurie (“The Contender”). General Irwin (Redford) seems to accept his punishment rather well as he is brought into the prison and given an overview of the layout by prison warden Colonel Winter (James Gandolfini) who also happens to be an ardent admirer of the general’s book.

The prison inmates also appear enthusiastic about Irwin’s incarceration. They come to him asking that he lead an uprising against the corrupt prison officials. The inmates tell Irwin of the wrongful deaths and punishments that happen there constantly, but Irwin has no desire to rock the boat, as all he wants to do is serve his time and get out. After a prison buddy is wrongfully shot in front of him, Irwin decides to take down Winter’s corrupt establishment. Behold the prison riot of all time.

Through clever planning and plain sheer genius, Irwin is able to give the prison guards and Winter himself a run for their money. Who knew you could construct a catapult with various prison materials?

Redford gives a good performance typical to his style but the real spotlight deserves to be on Mr. Soprano himself. Gandolfini absolutely takes the role of a corrupt prison warden to new heights and portrays a man so heartless that you’d like to strap him to the catapult yourself. For better part of the movie, the action is slow, and you’re left wondering when the big prison riot is going to occur. You know it’s coming, it just doesn’t seem quick enough. But when it does occur, you forget how long it took to get there. “The Shawshank Redemption” comes to mind while watching “The Last Castle” because of the comparable quality and performance the two films have in common.

STARS: 4

The year 1975 saw “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” take all five major Oscars, the first since the 1934 film “It Happened One Night,” and become one of top grossing movies of the year and essentially of the decade. The film was nominated for 9 awards in all; Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay Oscars went to the cast.

Jack Nicholson won his first Oscar (Best Actor) for playing R.P. McMurphy, a troubled man with a history of assaults and statutory rape sent to a mental institution to determine his level of (in) sanity. McMurphy seemingly does not belong there as he is fully coherent of his surroundings, and he eventually admits he’s there to avoid serious jail time. He befriends several of the other patients and manages to become a thorn in Nurse Ratched’s (Louise Fletcher-Best Actress) side. The patients (and the audience) are drawn to McMurphy because of his highly charged wise-guy antics and blatant disregard for the institutional establishment. Bored with the strict rules of the ward, McMurphy fights for television rights, antagonizes Nurse Ratched and steals a bus to take the fellow patients to the wharf to fish.

Although serious in content, the movie features humor as the best medicine. Several of the patients are humorous in themselves: Martini (Danny De Vito) is really only immature, Tober (Christopher Lloyd in his film debut) makes trouble constantly, and Billy Bibbit (Brad Dourif), a pathetic and paranoid stutterer deathly afraid of his mother. Nicholson gives a stellar performance but never once does he outshine his cast members. Czech director Milos Forman does an outstanding job of directing his movie and luckily for him, all the factors came together for a wonderful memorable film. The entire ensemble help to create a movie worthy of its Oscar nominations as well as a spot on the American Film Institute’s list of the 100 Greatest Movies.

STARS: 4

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I had slim-pickings when I choose my new review for this week, but when I saw “Legend of the Red Dragon” starring Jet Li, I thought that this one should at least be interesting. Interesting, it was. Exciting–not really. Entertaining–occasionally. Comical, definitely. The movie was not meant to be comical I am sure, but given the fact that it’s English dubbed does not help the seriousness of it at all. Not only do most of the voices sound alike; they do not seem to match the actors either. The little boy in the movie sounded too much like a girl, and that really did not help his credibility. For being old-school China, the dubbed dialogue did not fit. I really doubt Chinese warrior women told the opposing men to, “Bring it on!” However, that could just be me. Jet Li plays a man whose entire village has been burned down by the corrupt Chinese government while he was away. He returns to find his 3-year-old son, Ting, as the sole survivor and makes him choose between death and fighting alongside his father. Ting chooses to fight and learn the ways of kung fu from his father. Seven years later, father and son employ themselves as bodyguards to a wealthy businessman and his bride-to-be. Father (Jet Li) does not trust the fiancee, and his instincts serve him right when it’s discovered she’s nothing more than a con-artist. But she is a beautiful con-artist and father cannot help but feel attracted to her. His feelings for her only complicate the job he’s supposed to do and when an old nemesis comes back from the dead, things get complicated. There are a few more subplots, but I have neither the time nor the energy to describe them. The movie can be a bit hard to follow at times due mostly to poor directing and storytelling. Some events I found absurd and a little over the top but the movie has merit in its comedy. Grandma knew how to spice things up. Overall, do not expect much from this movie unless you want to add your own commentary during the film.

STARS: 2

Perhaps one of the best-known and best-loved love stories of all time, “Casablanca,” delivers a stellar performance even in today’s standards. This is the movie that made Humphrey Bogart the leading romantic man in Hollywood, and gave us many memorable lines like “Here’s looking at you, kid.” This movie has been highly criticized not only for its historical accurateness but also for its tightly woven plot and complex characters. It is the beginning of WW2 and Europe is under attack. A popular place for refugees fleeing the Nazi government, Casablanca holds all sort of characters and many of them congregate at Rick’s Cafe American. American Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) owns the cafe which happens to be the place where everything happens; arrests are staged, deals are made and lovers are found. A suave businessman, Rick keeps an eye on his cafe and breaks up fights as needed. His life is quiet until fate reunites him with his former Paris lover, Ilsa, played by Ingrid Bergman. Trouble is she is married to a Resistance-hero fleeing the Nazis, and they need Rick’s help to escape. Although Rick is not known for his help, his strong love for her sees past his own emotions and makes the necessary arrangements. One of the most famous cinematic scenes comes at the end at the airport as Rick puts Ilsa on the plane and tells her that if she does not get on that plane, she will regret it. Always with a calm demeanor, Bogart captures his audience with his solid gaze and quick wit. Bergman does an equal job with her character with her wide eyes and indecisive heart. “Casablanca” includes everything that makes a movie great– awesome acting, solid screenplay and really-good directing.

STARS: 5

“Life without Dick” So what do you do when you accidentally shoot your loser boyfriend? Well, you can start dating the hit man that was supposed to kill him in the first place.

Colleen Gibson (Sarah Jessica Parker) comes home one day to find her boyfriend Dick Rasmassen (Johnny Knoxville) with his bags packed and plane ticket in hand. She points a gun at him intending only to shake him up a bit but as luck would have it, the gun goes off. She frets about it for a total of 10 minutes when the doorbell rings, and she finds a handsome Irishman hit man (Harry Connick, Jr.) on her doorstep.

Of course, Colleen doesn’t know he’s a hit man right away but as he falls in love with her, the truth comes out. Danny Gallagher had been hired by the “mob but they weren’t the mob cuz they were Irish” gangsters to rub out Dick.

Dick was a private eye investigating the “mob leader” unbeknownst to his sweetheart. Danny tells Colleen he has to perform five hits and then he’s quitting for good but there’s a tiny problem. He’s a “hit man that can’t kill.” Because of her undying love for Danny, Colleen volunteers to do his hits for him. And why not? She’s a pro. She handles a gun like a natural and nobody has ever accused her of being smart. The movie starts off ok enough but it plummets down faster than Mariah Carey’s acting career.

So much film is wasted on Harry Connick Jr.’s denial of being a great singer that if you were to omit those scenes, there would be no film left. He constantly denies to sing for his friends but when he breaks down and does sing -surprise! – everyone loves him. Please. Parker’s character needed to be developed a bit more and Goldilocks should learn to stay on HBO, this is so not her movie. Perhaps the only actor with some charisma was Knoxville, but he was also dead for most of the movie.

STARS: 2

“Chocolat” Classic Valentine Days include flowers, candy, and the right person. “Chocolat” doesn’t include many flowers but definitely includes a near overdose of candy confection. Vianne (Juliette Binoche) and her 6-year-old daughter travel from village to village spreading their chocolate cheer. When the north wind blows them into a quiet French town, they face much opposition in the beginning. Vianne decides to open her candy store directly across from the Catholic Church during Lent. The locals are very wary of her new shop, and business is slow, but somehow Vianne gets people to come in and at least sample her chocolate. She befriends the local cranky grandmother Armande (Judi Dench) and helps save a neighbor from an abusive husband.

Being a small town, word circulates quickly that Vianne has some rather magical chocolate. Magical in the sense that some of the chocolate is an aphrodisiac and some relax the mind and the mouth doesn’t stop talking.

Just before you forget he’s even in the movie, Johnny Depp appears on a floating boat as one of the “river rats.” His gypsy charm rubs off on Vianne and a romance begins between the two drifters.

Lasse Hallstrom (“The Cider House Rules”) directs a film full of heart and passion without going over the top. All the actors do a wonderful job with their characters Some you really grow to love as the story unfolds. Hallstrom uses magical realism, much like the Latin film “Like Water for Chocolate,” to tell his story but it remains believable throughout and very likable. But viewers beware: this film can give you an intense craving for chocolate.

STARS: 4

International action superstar Jet Li returns to the screen as Liu Jian, a Chinese cop sent to France on assignment in the newly released, “Kiss of the Dragon.”

“Rush Hour 2″

It’s been hyped as a movie “where the fastest mouth from the West meets the fastest hands from the East,” and the hype rings true. Director Brett Ratner takes us to Tokyo in “Rush Hour 2″ where two U.S. Embassy translators have been murdered.

Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) is on the case, and he recruits buddy Carter (Chris Tucker) to help him. They manage to get themselves tangled up with the Triads, China’s most notorious and deadly gang.

The leader of the gang is Ricky Tan (John Lone), the former backstabbing partner of Lee’s father. The officers discover that the Triads have bought U.S. minting plates on the black market and are printing bogus money with plans to distribute the counterfeit all over the world.

Carter’s wisecracking gets the two in trouble, and they are flown to Las Vegas courtesy of the Triads. A new casino is opening. What better place to spend counterfeit money but the gambling capital of the world?

It’s up to the famous duo to once again save the world by kicking and talking their way through all the bad guy muck.

Usually sequels can’t stand on their own, either because they were made in a hurry, which sacrifices quality workmanship, or because the idea is redundant. With “Rush Hour 2,” neither one of these applies.

Sure, you hear some of the lines made famous by the first “Rush Hour,” like, “Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?” But they are delightedly switched around this time.

Tucker and Chan make the best cop duo since Gibson and Glover from the “Lethal Weapon” movies. Combine that talent with the hot fight choreography, and this movie will establish itself as a comedy classic. Stars: 4

“Scrooge”

Ah, ’tis the season. The season of holiday cheer, bright lights and busy shoppers, but not for everyone.

The movie “Scrooged” (1989) stars Bill Murray and puts a modern spin on Dickens’ classic story, “A Christmas Carol.”

Murray plays Frank Cross, a successful television station president who feels nothing for everyone around him and lives to see the zeros on his paycheck.

His dead partner revisits him one night and tells him that three ghosts will visit him starting the next day.

The Ghost of Christmas Past happens to be a psycho taxi cab driver with rotten teeth and a knack for erratic driving. Cross witnesses the Christmases he spent as a child and when he fell in love.

It’s almost tear jerking, but not really.

The laughs really kick in with the Ghost of Christmas Present. This ghost is a pixie-like apparition who likes to inflict pain by hitting, pinching, slapping, kicking or using any method possible.

Finally, Cross is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Future.

All the typical events of the original story take place, but this movie puts a very modern spin on the classic tale.

Murray plays the typical Scrooge to the max, and you really hate him. Even at the end you still don’t like him all that much.

Cross’s life is altered for the best, but you have to wonder if this paranormal experience has really changed his life permanently, or if he’ll go back to his old ways once the new year turns.

This movie is filled with some laughs and corny jokes, but give it a few minutes to warm up, and it’ll become a pretty enjoyable update of a favorite classic.

Stars: 3

“American Outlaws”

The West has never looked so good. Les Mayfield directs a seductive tale of heroism and vengeance in “American Outlaws.”

The war has ended and the young cowboy heroes return home to start living their lives again. Things barely have a chance to get back to normal when the railroad company swoops in and tries to buy up their land.

Jesse James (Colin Farrell) led his gang of friends in battles during the war and now he leads them against the railroad company.

After the RR company blows up his house and kills his mother, Jesse and his brother Frank (Gabriel Macht) swear vengeance on the railroad.

Combined with their cousins Cole (Scott Caan) and Bob (Will McCormack) Younger, the James’ brothers start up the James-Younger gang. In order to hurt the RR company, the outlaws politely (or as politely as outlaws can possibly be) rob banks and hit up trains across the Midwest.

The more places the gangs rob, the more famous they become. Or rather, the more famous Jesse James becomes. James’ fame causes some tension amongst the gang leading to a discrepancy in the leadership.

Because of their rashness, a kid member of the gang gets killed when the gang falls victim to an ambush set up by the RR company.

Wanting to shed no more blood, the James brothers leave the gang behind to pursue a more honest life of farming. But once you become a wanted outlaw, you’re always wanted.

Life can never be the same again as Jesse soon finds out.

“American Outlaws” features a cast of young hot newcomers and most of them do a terrific job in the film. Ali Larter stars as Zee, the doctor’s daughter and soon-to-be Mrs. Jesse James. Kathy Bates makes a wonderful cameo appearance as Ma James, and she shows no one messes with her or her boys.

This film rings true in the wild spirit of the West: gun-slinging, robbing, and loving are all part of the outlaw way of life.

Stars: 3.5

“A Christmas Story”

Remember when you made out your Christmas list and put down things you really wanted and not the things you needed?

Those were the days when Christmas seemed to hold a bit more magic. Nothing beat waking up Christmas morning (which was always too early for your parents) and running out to the living room to see what Santa had brought.

“A Christmas Story” (1983) brings back those feelings as we watch a little boy’s plight to seize the toy of his dreams.

Nine year old Ralphie Parker (Peter Billingsley) wants only one thing for Christmas- “a Genuine Red Ryder Carbine Action Two-Hundred Shot Lightning Loader Range Model Air Rifle.”

You gotta give the kid credit for being able to say that as fast and as often as he does.

Ralphie tries everything to convince his mother (Melinda Dillon) he “won’t shoot his eye out.”

When talking to mom fails, Ralphie tries to get his teacher and the mall Santa on his side but they all echo his mom’s chorus of, “You’ll shoot your eye out.”

All Ralphie wants for Christmas is the air rifle, and he knows this holiday will be ruined if he doesn’t get his dream toy.

Don’t be fooled into thinking this movie is solely about Christmas.

It also provides very important lessons like how you shouldn’t stick your tongue on a cold frosty pole. The fire department will have to rip your frozen tongue off the pole, taking a lot of skin with it.

Plus, the Parker family learned to keep their kitchen door shut because the neighbor’s dogs are also fans of turkey.

“A Christmas Story” gives us Christmas at its best. It’s full of love and tragic comedy, enough to last all year long.

Stars: 3.5

“Planet of the Apes”

Mastermind director Tim Burton returns to a planet upside-down from ours in his newest sci-fi flick, “Planet of the Apes.”

On this strangely familiar world, apes rule over the land and humans are the animals, caged and sold into slavery by the apes.

The year is 2029 and Captain Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) is in charge of training chimpanzees to pilot small exploratory spacecraft.

When one of his chimps is lost in an electromagnetic storm, Davidson attempts to retrieve his little buddy. However, Davidson gets swallowed by the same storm and is catapulted hundreds of years into the future.

After crash-landing on a strange planet, Davidson finds himself captured, along with several other humans, by clearly dominant apes. The Captain is sold into slavery only to be bought by the human-loving senator’s daughter, Ari (Helena Bonham Carter).

Through her compassion and willingness to help, Davidson and a few other humans are allowed to escape bondage and return to the forest.

Davidson and his new entourage must reach Calima in 36 hours where Davidson believes the USAF will rescue him. But getting there won’t be easy. The small band of renegades is pursued by General Thade’s (Tim Roth) army and ultimately by the general himself.

Tim Burton wonderfully adapts the 1968 classic “Planet of the Apes” into a modern, technical wonder. The ape makeup is astounding and Oscarworthy, while the special effects don’t distract the audience’s attention from the actual storyline.

Lines made famous in the original are given a different slant this time around. Charleton Heston even appears in a cameo as Thade’s dying father.

The first time I saw this film, it left me rather unsettled because, call me a human supremacist or whatever, but it’s hard to accept the fact that apes ruled over humans.

The treatment of humans and the bestiality of the “more intelligent species” are a bit overwhelming at first. But after watching it a second time, I enjoyed it more than before.

However, I am still disgusted by the idea of the cross-species love that Ari feels for the Captain. It just does not seem right that an ape can be attracted to a human.

Must be that whole man-in-a-uniform ideal.

Stars: 4

“Playing by Heart”

An all-star cast lends its talents to the 1999 romantic comedy “Playing by Heart” directed by Willard Carroll. The movie follows 11 people as their lives twist and turn in the pursuit to find that ever-elusive, greatest love.

Gillian Anderson is Meredith, a play director who has closed herself off from ever loving again. She was burned a few years back because her husband discovered he was actually gay.

Comic Jon Stewart plays Trent, an architect determined to win Meredith’s heart no matter what it takes or however many insults he must endure.

Paul (Sean Connery) and Hannah (Gena Rowlands) have been married for nearly 40 years of ups and downs. Poor Hannah has just found out that her husband had an affair 25 years ago and almost left her for the other woman.

Joan (Angelina Jolie) frequents the club scene where she meets Keenan (Ryan Phillipe) and resolves to make him hers.

Then there’s Hugh (Dennis Quaid) who tells every woman he meets at the bar a different tragic story while his wife Gracie (Madeline Stowe) has an affair with a preacher named Roger (Anthony Edwards).

Confused yet?

In one way or another, all of these people and their stories are related to each other.

Eventually everyone comes together at Paul and Hannah’s wedding anniversary and we find out how small this world really is.

Dating and falling in love has never been easy and these characters make it seem exactly that.

Not easy.

The movie starts slowly but easily gains momentum halfway through and draws you into these people’s lives. With an all-star cast comes great acting and this movie certainly packs a wallop to the heart.

Stars: 4

Email comments to Rebecca at daisybelle_dbr@hotmail.com.