A.I.:ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (PG-13) – C Steven Spielberg picks up the project of his late friend and fellow director Stanley Kubrick and, well, Spielbergs all over it in a film that starts out as an intriguing meditation on man’s capacity for love and spirals downward into a sea of sentimental pap. (Simmons)Palace 20

AMERICA’S SWEETHEARTS (PG-13) – B- Realizing that this is a romantic comedy, viewers must go in accepting its inherit corniness. Despite the strength of what should be an all-star cast (on-par performances by John Cusack and Julia Roberts; annoying ones by Catherine Zeta-Jones and Billy Crystal), the script, co-written by Crystal, favors wisecracks over a story. (Etheridge) Chalmette, Galleria, Palace 16, Palace 20

ATLANTIS:THE LOST EMPIRE(PG) – NOT RATED Disney offers an animated homage to Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea with (thankfully) no Elton John song that we know of. Co-directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, the same team behind The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Beauty and the Beast. Palace 20

BABY BOY (R) – B+ John Singleton’s brave and compelling romantic drama is his best film since his 1991 debut, Boyz N the Hood. Like an Old Testament prophet, Singleton calls contemporary black culture to account for what he sees as a disastrous acquiescence to infidelity and a prideful defense of promiscuity. (Barton) Chalmette, Downtown Joy, Palace 16, Palace 20, Plaza

CATS & DOGS (PG)– C+ The war of the domestic pets rages on in this film by Larry Guterman and starring Jeff Goldblum, Elizabeth Perkins and Alec Baldwin. Too bad it’s little more than technofied slapstick. (Simmons) Chalmette, Palace 16, Palace 20, Plaza

THE CLOSET (R) – NOT RATED Daniel Auteuil and Gerard Depardieu star in this French farce about a factory worker who spreads the rumor that he’s gay in order to avoid getting fired, lest the factory get a sexual-harassment suit. Directed by Francis Veber (The Dinner Game). In French with subtitles. Canal Place

CRAZY/BEAUTIFUL (PG-13)– NOT RATED A poor little rich girl (Kirsten Dunst) falls for a rough-edged Latino (JayHernandez) who gets transferred to her Pacific Palisades high school in this film by John Stockwell. Palace 20

DR. DOOLITTLE 2 (PG) – NOT RATED Eddie Murphy is back as the vet who can talk to the animals. Steve Carr (Next Friday) is at the helm for this one, which co-stars the voices of Norm MacDonald, Lisa Kudrow and others. Chalmette, Galleria, Palace 16, Palace 20, Plaza

THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS (PG-13) – NOTRATED Hot young Angeleno gang members, including Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez, feel the need for speed in this film by director Rob Coheny. Chalmette, Galleria, Palace 16, Palace 20

FINAL FANTASY:THE SPIRITS WITHIN (PG-13) – NOT RATED The video game invasion of cinema continues this summer with a computer-generated animation version of the popular game, courtesy of director Hironobu Sakaguchi. Chalmette, Galleria, Palace 20

GALAPAGOS (NR) – A- Smithsonian Institution marine biologist Carole Baldwin leads an expedition of the mysterious islands explored by Charles Darwin more than 160 years ago. An amazing use of IMAX 3D technology, the film is a feast for the eyes, if not the intellect. (Carlson) Entergy IMAX

JUMP TOMORROW (PG) – NOTRATED Joel Hopkins’ feature debut is a romantic comedy/love triangle with a Nigerian immigrant coming to the U.S. for an arranged marriage to get citizenship, only to fall for a lovely Latin woman. Canal Place

JURASSIC PARK III (PG-13) – B Family themes and predictably improved dinosaur special effects make this continuation of Steve Spielberg’s popular franchise a worthy third effort. Director Joe Johnston, a Spielberg protege, keeps everything simple and relatively smart, even though the beginning and ending are poorly developed. Great to see Sam Neill back as Dr. Alan Grant. (Simmons)Chalmette, Galleria, Palace 16, Palace 20, Plaza

KISS OF THE DRAGON (R) – NOT RATED Jet Li is a Chinese government type who gets caught up in a conspiracy while in Paris. Bridget Fonda co-stars. Palace 16, Palace 20

LARA CROFT:TOMB RAIDER (PG-13) – NOT RATED Angelina Jolie stars in this adaptation of the mega-popular video game, which is itself a female homage to the Indiana Jones character. Palace 20

LEGALLY BLONDE (PG-13) – C- The always watchable Reese Witherspoon is brought low by this lame story about a bright but perceptively challenged California girl who goes to Harvard Law School hoping to win back the boy who dumped her. Do something else, instead. (Barton) Chalmette, Galleria, Palace 16, Palace 20

MEMENTO (R) – B Not everything comes together in Christopher Nolan’s notably complicated thriller-in-reverse about a man (Guy Pearce) with no short-term memory investigating the rape and murder of his wife. Still, for the resolutely attentive viewer, Memento works plenty well enough. (Barton)

PEARL HARBOR (R) – C+ Director Michael Bay and producer Jerry Bruckheimer collaborated on this overdone epic. A flimsy love triangle with leads Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale set against the backdrop of Japan’s sneak attack on the U.S. Navy fleet collapses on Randall Wallace’s cliche-riddled script. (Simmons) Palace 20

PLANET OF THE APES (PG-13)– B+ Tim Burton’s "re-imaging" of the 1968 sci-fi classic plays to his strength as a postmodern mythologist. But it also falls short of Burton’s typical greatness with Mark Wahlberg’s flat acting and a forced leap of an ending. Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter and the rest are perfectly cast, including Charlton Heston’s cameo.(Simmons)(Reviewed in this issue.) Chalmette, Downtown Joy, Galleria, Palace 16, Palace 20, Plaza, Prytania

THE PRINCESS AND THE WARRIOR (R) – A German filmmaker Tom Tykwer’s follow-up to Run Lola Run is a modern fairy tale about a naive psychiatric nurse and a grieving former soldier who meet by accident. Persistently surprising and deeply satisfying, Tykwer’s fine script elicits standout performances from stars Benno Furmann and Franka Potente. (Barton) (Reviewed in this issue.)

SCARY MOVIE 2 (R) – NOT RATED Keenan Ivory Wayans very quickly follows up his highly successful parody of horror and thriller movies with a cast that includes brothers Shawn and Marlon, as well as Tim Curry and Andy Richter. Chalmette, Downtown Joy, Palace 16, Palace 20, Plaza

THE SCORE (R) – NOT RATED Robert De Niro is a retired thief blackmailed by young hot-shot Edward Norton to do one more heist in this cheeky crime caper from Frank Oz (Bowfinger). Marlon Brando plays De Niro’s fence, while Angela Bassett is De Niro’s girlfriend (uh, yeah). Chalmette, Galleria, Palace 16, Palace 20

SEXY BEAST (R) – B+ Jonathan Glazer’s drama is a contest of wills between a former criminal (Ray Winstone) trying to live the good life on the proceeds of his ill-gotten gains and his boss (Ben Kingsley), who is determined to drag him back into a life of crime. (Barton) Canal Place

SHREK (PG) – B A chubby green ogre (Mike Myers) rescues a princess (Cameron Diaz) and learns that pretty is as pretty does. The animation isn’t quite as special as you may have been led to believe, and the heavy reliance on bodily function jokes is unfortunate. (Barton) Galleria, Palace 16

Compiled by David Lee Simmons

Contributors: Rick Barton, Shala Carlson, David Lee Simmons, Michael Tisserand