Denzel Washington and Clive Owen deliver first-rate performances in director Spike Lee’s “Inside Man,” a clever, engaging film that’s considerably better than the average heist movie.

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Rich bitch Joanna hires country carpenter Dean to build a closet on her yacht. When the two don’t see eye-to-eye, Dean is left unpaid while Joanna sets sail. The following day, Joanna is fished out of the sea, after falling overboard, suffering from amnesia. Dean sees a neat way to regain the money she owes him… he tells her she’s his wife; that way Dean gets a free housekeeper and mother for his four kids. Written by Rob Hartill

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Do not go into “Bad Santa” thinking you’re about to see the normal ‘Christmas is magical, everyone goes to bed with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads, and behind every Scrooge there’s a jolly old elf just waiting to emerge’ movie. First of all, Christmas is only magical for the first 15 minutes of shopping when the reality of overpriced presents and pushy crowds hasn’t yet sunk in. Secondly, I don’t know a single person who ever dreamed of sugarplums. And third, miraculous transformations are more in keeping with fairy tales than real life. Sometimes a Scrooge just is a Scrooge. “Bad Santa” takes those cynical thoughts to the extreme, gleefully lashing out at the holiday season and all those sticky sweet Hollywood movies with ho ho happy endings.

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“He has the power to hear everything women are saying. Finally…a man is listening.”

Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt star in this romantic comedy about a male chauvinist pig (Gibson as Nick Marshall) given the opportunity to read women’s minds. Hunt is Darcy Maguire, an advertising executive with a rotten reputation who gets hired as the new Creative Director - a position Nick was already uncorking the champagne to celebrate landing.

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“This is not a love story - it’s a story about love.”

“Original Sin” is a sexy, sensual, sizzling, romantic thriller. The chemistry between the sultry Angelina Jolie and the dangerously handsome Antonio Banderas explodes off the screen. Very few superstar match-ups have succeeded in doing what “Original Sin” so triumphantly achieves - a brilliant blending of two stars who ooze sex appeal, and whose teaming up makes this film an incredible viewing experience.

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“Underworld” starts off slow, speeds up when the action sequences kick in, then it gets itself totally mired down in the La Brea Tar Pit of Incomprehensible Plotlines. Unfortunately even the most spectacular looking and beautifully choreographed fight sequences cannot overcome the convoluted story.

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Can I just start this out by declaring upfront Peter Jackson is a genius? There, I’ve said it and I stand behind my opinion. He’s a genius for having the guts to film the entire trilogy at the same time, for choosing the perfect mix of new, rising, and established actors, and for creating a fantasy world so breathtakingly entrancing fans of Tolkien’s work were left with very little to gripe about. Jackson’s also one smart cookie for his use of the Internet and fan sites to spread the news (and hype) surrounding “The Lord of the Rings.” Instead of keeping fans at a distance, Jackson did a fantastic job of embracing the people who would ultimately buy tickets, buy the DVDs, and support “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.

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Heavy sigh as I ponder where to start. Okay, this is it: taken separately, Chris Rock and Bernie Mac are two terrifically funny actors. But put them together and there’s not much funny going on. They seem to have stepped through some comedy-sucking portal, leaving the resulting product of their collaboration - “Head of State” - empty, lifeless and flat.

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Romantic comedy set in London in the late 16th century: Young playwright William Shakespeare struggles with his latest work “Romeo and Ethel the Pirate’s Daughter”. A great fan of Shakespeare’s plays is young, wealthy Viola who is about to be married to the cold-hearted Lord Wessex, but constantly dreams of becoming an actress. Women were not allowed to act on stage at that time (female roles were played by men, too), but dressed up as a boy, Viola successfully auditions for the part of Romeo. Soon she and William are caught in a forbidden romance that provides rich inspiration for his play. Written by Armin Ortmann {armin@sfb288.math.tu-berlin.de}

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Henry Roth is a veterinarian living in Hawaii who enjoys the company of vacationing women. He leaves the playboy life behind after he falls for Lucy, who suffers from short-term memory loss. Since she can never remember meeting him, Henry has to romance Lucy every single day and hope that she falls for him. Written by IMDb Editors