AFTER THE STORM (R)

Adventure on the high seas finds Benjamin Bratt as a scavenger on the run, who agrees to act as a courier for a rich tycoon. Great job if you can get it, but all hell breaks loose when a violent storm sends the tycoon’s yacht and its contents to the bottom of the ocean. With time running out, Arno (Bratt) teams up with a local crook to salvage the yacht and its contents. Armand Assante delivers a shaded performance as Bratt’s untrustworthy partner, and when underwater secrets are revealed, it’s every man for himself. Director Guy Ferland gets a lot of mileage out of a thin idea, and the actors seem more than up to the challenge. Bratt and Assante play off each other nicely, creating an underlying tension that helps propel the pedestrian plot. Made-for-cable. (Trimark)

CONTAMINATED MAN (NR)

After appearing in numerous direct-to-video premieres, one wonders what happened to actor William Hurt’s career. It was only a moment ago that he was Hollywood’s golden boy, and not that long ago when he was still starring in big studio films like “Lost in Space.” Since then I have seen Hurt turn up in a number of small films that either go directly to pay cable or to video. Some are okay, most are junk. “Contaminated Man” falls somewhere in between. It’s pretty pedestrian, and the filmmakers do little to make this more than it is. Hurt plays an infectious disease expert (are there any other kind?) hot on the trail of a security guard who has been infected with a deadly virus that will kill anyone who comes in contact with his blood. Both Hurt and Peter Weller (“Robocop”), who plays the infected guard, bring conviction to their performances, even when the script isn’t much help. We’ve seen this story so many times that it looks old even before it begins. (Studio)

CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (PG-13)

Possibly one of the most beautiful, poignant and stunning films you will ever see, at least in Mandarin. Directed with amazing strokes of fantasy and myth by Ang Lee, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” not only became a huge hit around the world, it totally destroyed box office records in the United States and garnered 10 Academy Award nominations. Much praise for a film that totally deserves it. Lee and his writers have combined three distinct genres into one, and the final product is a film that soars with majesty and spirit. Look closely at this tale of love and revenge and you’ll see glimmers of Sergio Leone’s westerns, Akira Kurosawa’s Samurai films and traditional Hong Kong Kung Fu films. Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh are absolutely mesmerizing as two master warriors whose endless love is tested when they are called upon to guard and then retrieve the treasured Green Destiny sword. They are assisted by a young bride-to-be, who displays incredible fighting talent. Set against a majestic 19th Century backdrop, the film features dream-like fight scenes that defy convention and gravity. The film’s Oscar wins for Best Foreign language Film, Cinematography, Art Direction and Original Score are all testaments to the film’s power. (Columbia-TriStar)

HOLIDAY HEART (R)

Alfre Woodard and Ving Rhames effectively play against type in this made-for-cable drama about a drug-addicted mother looking to find a better life for her daughter and herself. Directed by Robert Townsend with an emphasis on warm and fuzzy, “Holiday Heart” is ultimately a feel good movie. Woodard delivers a heartfelt performance as Wanda, who tries to mask the realities of life through drugs. Desperate to change all of that, Wanda turns to good-hearted transvestite Holiday Heart (Rhames) for help. The life lessons they experience makes for engaging viewing, while the performers do wonders to keep all of this from becoming trite and artificial. Rhames is especially sincere as a man not only torn between his two lifestyles, but between helping Wanda when she isn’t willing to help herself. The bond he forms with her daughter is honest and sweet. (Universal)

JUST ONE TIME (R)

Funny, breezy romantic comedy with a gay twist. Writer-director Lane Janger also stars in this independent comedy that comes with a warning: be careful what you ask for. You just might get it. That’s what hunky fireman Anthony (Janger) hopes. He’s about to get married to Amy (Joelle Carter), a beautiful lawyer. What more could he want? Well, he does have this one fantasy. Before he seals the deal, Anthony would like to see Amy with another woman. Her positive response doesn’t shock Anthony as much as her one condition: She wants to share their bed with another man. To make matters worse, she’s picked their gay neighbor, who has a crush on Anthony. That really puts things into perspective, and Janger and company seem to have a good time exploring all of the possibilities. Guillermo Diaz is hysterical as the gay neighbor, and Jennifer Esposito co-stars as the female fantasy. Mainstream enough to appeal to straight audiences. (First Look/Wolfe)

PERPETRATORS OF THE CRIME (R)

Here we go again. Tell me if you’ve seen this one before: Three college students devise a plan to kidnap a wealthy industrialist’s daughter for ransom. When their plan begins to unravel, they end up kidnapping the wrong girl (Tori Spelling). Now they’re stuck with the wrong girl, and it only gets worse from there. This Canadian comedy does little new with the formula, although watching Spelling wig out (in need of her chill pills, she begins to believe her kidnapers are aliens trying to knock her up) is a lot of fun. Director John Hamilton manages to pull it all together with too much embarrassment, and the cast seems genuinely earnest. You just wish they had something better to do with their time. Look for “X-File” cigarette smoking man William B. Davis as the wealthy industrialist. (Avalanche)

SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE (R)

Filled with great conceit and whimsy, director E. Elias Merhige’s “Shadow of the Vampire” is the perfect marriage of fact and fantasy. Genuinely creepy, “Shadow of the Vampire” is scarier than anything else out there. The perfect companion piece to “Gods & Monsters,” “Shadow of the Vampire” is also about a genius filmmaker who dabbles in horror films. The filmmaker is F. W. Murnau, the celebrated and much imitated German director whose “Nosferatu” is considered by many to be the ultimate vampire film. Delivered at the pinnacle of German expressionist filmmaking in the early 1920’s, “Nosferatu” perfectly captured the decay and decadence that was spreading across Germany. Never one to bow to convention, Murnau shot the film on location, creating an authentic look that could never be duplicated on a studio set. Please click title for complete review. (Universal)

TRAFFIC (R)

Twenty-five years after Vietnam, America is still at war. This time the enemy is drugs, or more appropriately, the people who make, dispense and use them. If we are to believe everything we see and read, the war is being lost. The reasons are as various as the plot threads that make up the fabric of “Traffic,” a fascinating new film by director Steven Soderbergh. Based on the BBC series, Soderbergh’s film doesn’t pretend to have the answers. Instead, he examines the effects the war has on several groups of people. Soderbergh has become an amazing filmmaker, one who possesses a true, unique vision that is like no other. He has matured with each film, becoming one of our most assured and daring directors. Soderbergh also creates enduring entertainment, films that stay with you long after you leave the theater. Please click title for complete review. (USA)

TWO FAMILY HOUSE (R)

“Soprano” star Michael Rispoli delivers a star-making performance as Buddy Visalo, a simple man with big dreams who end up settling because that’s what nice guys do. You really get a sense of Visalo, and that’s because “Two Family House” is written and directed by Raymond De Felitta, Buddy’s nephew. You may not know who Buddy Visalo is, but after watching “Two Family House,” you will never be able to forget him. Rispoli delivers such a noble, honest performance that you stand behind Buddy even when those around him refuse to do so. That includes his wife Estelle, who put his singing career and possible job with Arthur Godfrey on hold, and laughs at his new dream of owning a bar. Determined, Buddy buys a two-family house with the intent of turning the first story into a bar and renting out the second story. The good news is that his dream of owning a bar is coming true. The bad news is that the second story already has tenants: a drunk (Kevin Conway) and his pregnant wife (Kelly Macdonald). Rispoli is at his best when he decides to dump his wife in order to take care of the young wife and her baby. Set in the not too distant past, “Two Family House” deals honestly with human issues without standing on a soapbox. Katherine Narducci, also from “The Sopranos,” comes on strong as Estelle, with Kevin Conway playing drunk like there’s no tomorrow. De Felitta’s memories are filled with vivid images, all of which make it intact on the screen. Warm and engaging. (Universal)

VERTICAL LIMIT (PG-13)

Shamelessly playing off natural fears and phobias, “Vertical Limit” is a gripping rescue adventure trapped under an avalanche of cliches. Fortunately, the script has a best friend in director Martin Campbell, who understands the limitations of the written word and works around them to create a film that is exciting and entertaining. Character development is as thin as the air above 26,000 feet, known to mountain climbers as the “Vertical Limit.” It’s at this altitude the human body begins to fall apart, unable to sustain life for very long. Only the best of the best are welcome, and even then, most mountains chew them up and spit them out without mercy. Please click title for complete review. (Columbia-TriStar)

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LLOYD (PG/Monarch)

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