"The Taking of Pelham 123" Grade B+: A subway dispatcher (Denzel Washington) must deal with a man (John Travolta) who has taken hostages.
Director Tony Scott has manipulated the film's design to get the maximum interaction from his stars. That's one major reason "Pelham" is such a thrill ride.
Travolta is like a playful dog when he gets these kind of over-the-top characters. Washington, who added a few pounds to play the part, always seems comfortable in the everyguy role.
Toss in an inspired choice of "The Sopranos" star James Gandolfini as the mayor of New York and John Turturro as an emotionless negotiator and there is not a weak performance in the bunch.
"I Love You, Beth Cooper" Grade D: A school geek played by Paul Rust declares his feelings for a cheerleader (Hayden Panettiere).
Larry Doyle's script never commits to making this a sweet romance like "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" or an over-the-top sex romp like "American Pie." His idea of a funny plot twist is to have Beth and her babe buddies sneak into their old high school after dark to take showers.
This unclever script would like to be the next "Superbad," the raucous teen sex comedy. But it's just super bad.
Also new ...
Coming to DVD on Tuesday:
"Where God Left His Shoes": John Leguizamo stars as a washed up boxer struggling to survive.
"Lemon Tree": A lemon grove becomes the focus of Palestinian-Isreali tensions.
"Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs": Christopher Lee narrates this look at the secrets of mummies.
"Ruby-Spears Superman": The two-disc set includes episodes from the 1988 cartoon series.
"Thomas & Friends: Holiday Express": Thomas must clear snow from the tracks.
"Food, Inc.": Filmmaker Robert Kenner's look at the food industry.
"The Answer Man": The author of a book that shaped a generation faces changes in his life. Jeff Daniels stars.
"G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra": Dennis Quaid stars in this live-action film based on the popular action figure.
"Aliens in the Attic": Youngsters must fight off an attack by knee-high alien invaders. Ashley Tisdale stars.
"Star Wars The Clone Wars: The Complete Season One": Animated effort that continues the "Star Wars" saga.
"Spin City: The Complete Third Season": Michael J. Fox stars in this political TV comedy.
"Unmistaken Child": The film follows the search for the reincarnation of Lama Konchog.
"Who Is KK Downey?": Comedy from the Canadian group Kidnapper Films.
"Dark Mirror": A couple's new home reflects an evil world.
TV and movie critic Rick Bentley can be reached at rbentley@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6355. Read his blog at fresnobeehive.com.
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