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KATE AND LEOPOLD: This movie is a romantic fairy tale about true love and time travel. It has most of the typical fairy tale cliches, including a Duke on a white horse coming to the aid of a fair damsel. The damsel is Meg Ryan as Kate McKay who spends her days as a market researcher for an advertising agency and her nights wondering why she is "not good with men." The hero is Hugh Jackman as Leopold, a man who plunges off the Brooklyn Bridge in 1876 and wakes up in today's New York City. Some of the best parts of the film are Leopold's amazement at modern life and technology. Naturally, the damsel and the hero fall in love, helped along the way by Kate's brother, Charlie (Breckin Meyer), and her ex-boyfriend, Stuart (Lieve Schreiber). Meyer, who is the star of a lame sitcom, is quite funny here. Of course, Meg is her usual adorable self, complete with her signature "I'm-too-cool-to-comb-my-hair" hairstyle and Jackman is the hunkiest hero to grace the screen in a long time. The New York Times critic called him a "perfect a specimen of romance-novel dreaminess." I heartily concur. Many critics, like Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune, find the movie "oppressively cute," and "suffocatingly whimsical," bit I think they just don't "get" fairly tales. Of course they are cute and whimsical. They're supposed to be. And this one also has a better than average script going for it. We enjoyed it enough to give it a GRADE B.

KEEPING THE FAITH: There are no stock characters in this movie: Everyone is unique, real, and interesting. The writer, Stuart Blumberg did an excellent job of weaving comedy, romance and religion together into a satisfying whole. Edward Norton, who was so scary in American History X, shows a real flare for lighthearted comedy. What's more, he is also a capable director. Of course, Ben Stiller is always funny, and Jenna Elfman proves she is not merely a comedienne, but also a fine actress. She is perfect in the role of Anna, the childhood friend of Jake (Stiller) and Brian (Norton), who steps back into their lives and turns everything upside down. Jake, the rabbi, and Brian, the priest, are both passionate about their calling-they are defined by what they do. When both of the men fall in love with Anna their feelings and their faith collide. The result is both fimy and moving. Anne Bancroft is fun as Jake's mother, Eli Wallach is delightful as the senior Rabbi in Jakes's synagogue, and Milos Forman is wonderful as Father Havel, the senior priest in Brian's parish. The film as shot in New York and the city never looked better. GRADE: B+/A-

KICKING & SCREAMING: Before reading this review you must first understand that both Barbara and I like the acting of Will Ferrell. That and the appearance of Mike Ditka, one of our favorite coaches, was our motivation for seeing a film we might otherwise have skipped. The film does not achieve the excellence of Elf, but is an entertaining couple of hours with a family film that will give you laughs, albeit no surprises. As you might guess, Mike Ditka plays himself very well. Anyone who has observed parents coaching their kids in competitive sports, knows they can lose any semblance of rationality. I have to agree with Roger Ebert who hopes the film will inspire kids to overthrow their coaches and take over their own sports. GRADE B-

THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE: We want to thank my sister, Mary, for recommending this brilliant documentary on the life of dynamo producer, Robert Evans. Evans was only 32 when he became head of production at Paramount. The boy wonder took the studio from last to first in annual ticket sales in the late 1960s and '70s with box office hits that include Love Story, The Godfather, Chinatown, Rosemary's Baby, and Urban Cowboy. Along the way, he married Ali McGraw, the star of Love Story. Then, in the 1980s, his career and reputation plummeted because of a drug conviction and a murder case. He was only tangentially involved in the case, which came to be known as "The Cotton Club Murder," but the press so linked his name with the killing that he was forever identified with it. When this documentary was shown at the Sundance Film Festival, someone in the audience asked Evans,"'If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?" "The second half," he said. Brett Morgen and Nanette Burstein based the documentary on Evan's best-selling book of the same name. The filmmakers said that the film "needs to be a roller-coaster ride for the audience, because that's what his life was, and still is to this day." Through creative use of still pictures and old film footage, Morgen and Burstein have, indeed, taken us on a riveting ride. Evans himself narrates the film and Roger Ebert said that he "sounds like a man describing an accident he barely survived." Be sure to stay for the credits, because you will see a very funny 1976 film clip of Dustin Hoffman, impersonating Evans. (Hoffman used the producer's trademark self-absorbed rambling mumble for his character in Wag The Dog.) Here's what Evans has to say about the film: "It's a lot more fun looking at it than living it." Anyone who has any interest in how films get made will have great fun watching The Kid Stays In The Picture. GRADE A
Note: Evans initially said he wouldn't do the voice-over for the film--that the directors could use the audio tape he made of his book. However, one week before the film was due to be shown at Sundance, Evans relented, and did all the voice-over work in that week before it was premiered at the film festival.)

KILL BILL VOL. 2: Quentin Tarantino has created the quintessential revenge movie in Kill Bill Vol.1 and Vol. 2. While it's not necessary to see Vol 1 first in order to enjoy Vol 2, we're glad we did. The credits at the end of Vol 2 cover scenes from both films, so they may be confusing to someone who never saw Vol 1. In this volume, The Bride (Uma Thurman) continues to get her revenge on the people who killed everyone at her wedding rehearsal. These are all people who needed killing, so the revenge scenes are quite satisfying. The final scene, when The Bride confronts Bill is stunning for both the surprise it contains and the way in which it is executed. Michael Madsen and Daryl Hannah die splendidly, and David Carradine is terrific as Bill. GRADE B+

KING ARTHUR: I wanted to see this film because of Clive Owen and Ioan Gruffudd. Gruffudd is that handsome Welshman with the unpronounceable name who plays Capt. Horatio Hornblower in the TV movies. I was impressed with Owen in both The Croupier (1998) and Gosford Park (2001). Neither actor disappointed me. Supposedly giving us the "real" story of the Arthur legend, the movie tells of Arthur's disenchantment with Rome and his decision to fight with the people of Great Britain for their freedom. He must go against the Saxon army--Germanic invaders who hope to conquer the Brits. He is aided in the battle by the Woads--a group of native peoples--led by Merlin. It's a different look at the famous magician. Nothing here about living life backwards. In fact, the film plays only slight attention to previous versions of the Camelot legend. Guinevere (Keira Knightley) appears, but she seems more interested in fighting than in making love to either Arthur or Lancelot. There is enough hacking, slashing and killing to satisfy even the most battle hungry viewer, but at least the battle scenes are all with real people and not computer-generated combitants. However is it the appeal of the actors who make this movie work. Stellan Skarsgard (Good Will Hunting) is Cerdic, the Saxon leader. I loved this comment by A.O. Scott (NYTimes) who said that Skarsgard's "halting, throaty delivery and gleefully hammy villainy confirm his stature as the Swedish Christopher Walken. Gary and I give this one a B, but our grandson, Nathan, says A-. GRADE B

KING KONG: This film is an exercise in excess. I don’t think Peter Jackson knows how to make a movie shorter than three hours. The special effects scenes are amazing, but most of them run on too long, especially the dinosaurs! As remarkable as they are, we don’t need to see them for as long as we do. The buildup takes forever—it’s over an hour before we first see Kong. Even Nathan, who gave the film a B+, said he would have given it an A if it had been a bit shorter. Naomi Watts is lovely in the Fay Wray role, and Kong’s human qualities make him exceedingly sympathetic. Watts has said that she did most of her acting in front of a green screen, but you wouldn’t know it from her performance. Jack Black is the erstwhile moviemaker and Adrien Brody is the writer who falls in love with the actress. Kyle Chandler is funny as the movie hero who is not much of a hero off camera. Gary said he enjoyed it more than he expected to and gives it a B. For me, it was a B-. GRADES B+/B/B-

THE KINGDOM: When terrorist bombs explode in a Western housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, an elite FBI team gets permission to help the Saudi police find those responsible. Jamie Foxx assembles a group that consists of Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman. I had trouble believing that the FBI would send a woman to Saudi Arabia, but her presence does illustrate one of the cultural differences that hamper the effectiveness of the team. The American team is not welcome at first, but eventually Foxx is able to establish a relationship with the lead Saudi policeman, Colonel Al-Shazi. The first two-thirds of the film plays like C.S.I, Saudi version, but the last third is brimming with action and gunfire. With this film, Peter Berg joins the ranks of directors enamored of hand-held cameras. Almost all the action is shot with such jerky camera work that it is frequently difficult to decipher exactly what is happening. As with The Bourne Ultimatum, we longed for a steady cam. Still, the film is well-made and the acting is first rate so we can recommend the film, providing you aren’t susceptible to vertigo. Gary thought one of the best parts of the film was the opening description of how the Saudi’s discovered oil by accident and how that discovery lead to a complicated relationship with our country. It was a very brief but interesting look at Saudi history. GRADE B-

KINSEY: I am old enough to have personal knowledge of the profound changes that resulted from the work of Alfred Kinsey. So I had hope and high expectations when I went to see this film about a sex researcher who had the audacity to ask questions that had never been seriously or systematically asked before. In the film, writer-director Bill Condon (who won an Oscar for "Gods and Monsters,") tellingly devotes nearly as much time to Kinsey's damaging childhood and his 35-year marriage as he does to his ground breaking work. With the brilliant acting of Liam Neeson playing Kinsey, Laura Linney playing his wife, and John Lithgow playing his father, and an able supporting cast, the film won me over from the opening. And it held me for two hours through the film's end and even through the humorous animal takes at the end of the closing credits. Kinsey’s attempt to shed light on and area of ignorance was not without controversy in 1948 when Sexual Behavior in the Human Male was published or even in 1953 when Sexual Behavior in the Human Female was released. And today the film is being greeted with both praise and protests. There are many people who believe this film is in poor taste and should be avoided. I will close with a wonderful quote from Rolling Stone, "Kinsey wanted to snap the public out of sexual ignorance. And Condon's knockout of a movie tries to do the same. You'll be shocked at how far we haven't come." (Barb's Note: I concur.) GRADE A

KISS, KISS, BANG BANG: I have to like any movie where one character corrects the grammar of another character when he says "I feel badly." Fortunately, that’s not the only thing to like in this quirky send-up of Hollywood and of private-eye films. Robert Downey, Jr. is Harry Lockhart, a petty thief who blunders into an audition while fleeing the police and winds up making a movie in Hollywood. Val Kilmer is terrific as Gay Perry, a gay private-eye who is a consultant on Harry’s movie. Michelle Monaghan is Harmony, a girl that Harry lusted after in high school and meets on his first day in Los Angeles. When the three of them get involved in a real-life crime, gunshots and dead bodies abound. Harry narrates the film and, unlike some critics, we thought it was cleverly done. Each chapter of the action is introduced by captions that are all taken from Raymond Chandler novels. One critic thought the cleverness of the dialogue was tiresome after a while, but we do not agree. It made us laugh. Both Gary and I, along with grandson Nathan, very much enjoyed the movie. GRADE B+

(Has anyone else noticed how much Monaghan & Liv Tyler resemble each other?)

KISSING JESSICA STEIN: What a delightful movie this is. The two stars, Jennifer Westfeldt (Jessica Stein) and Heather Juergensen (Helen Cooper) wrote the screenplay after meeting in an acting workshop. They have a remarkable ear for the way people talk. (Occasionally, Jessica's nervous chatter reminded me of Annie Hall.) They wrote a witty, intelligent and funny script. Plus, the casting is perfect! Jessica Stein is a 28 year old woman who has had no luck finding the right guy, even with her Jewish mother's help. In desperation, Jessica decides to try connecting with another woman. Helen Cooper, the woman Jessica meets, has had an active heterosexual sex life, but she is also interested in a lesbian relationship, so she puts an ad in the Personals to attract a woman partner. The two actresses are terrific and work exceptionally well together. Tovah Feldshuh plays Jessica's mother with sincerity and affection. Roger Ebert also thought Feldshuh was special. He mentioned a scene between mother and daughter and said, " Feldshuh takes an ordinary scene and makes it extraordinary by the way she delivers the simple, heartfelt dialogue." Scott Cohen appears as Josh Meyers, a man Jessica dated in college and who is now her boss. GRADE: A- (Running time: 94 minutes. Rated R for sexual content and language.)

THE KITE RUNNER: A few years ago Barbara and I read a beautiful and inspired book titled The Kite Runner. It was the first novel ever published in English by an author from Afghanistan. Today we saw a beautiful and inspired film based on that book. The story begins with young boys flying kites in the city of Kabul in 1978. That was before the Russians, the Taliban, the Americans, and the ravages of war that have followed. It is a story about a boy haunted by guilt. It is a story of betrayal, cowardice, and an opportunity for redemption that touched my heart and I think will touch the hearts of those fortunate enough to see it. The two young male leads worked in front of a camera for their first time and they give powerful and convincing performances. They now face tribal reprisals and have been relocated for their protection. You may have to search for a theater showing this wonderful film since it will probably not see the wide release other films get. Whether you were one of the millions of readers of the novel or not, I think you will find the film well worth seeking out. Barbara and I were both so moved by this film that we have to award it a high grade. GRADE A

KNOCKED UP: Judd Apatow has made another funny comedy. Previously he gave us The 40-Year-Old Virgin, a film that we rated "B." This one deserves a B+ and maybe even an A-. Ben Stone (Seth Rogan) lives with four of his slacker friends in a frat house atmosphere. They are in their early twenties and have no visible means of support. They spend their time making ridiculous bets and watching movies to catalogue nude scenes. We weren’t crazy about their juvenile gross humor, but when Ben meets Alison, the film quickly gets better. Ben has never had much success with women and can’t believe his good fortune when he has a one-night stand with a gorgeous blond (Katherine Heigl from TV’s Gray’s Anatomy). When Alison calls him two months later to tell him she is pregnant, Ben’s life changes drastically. The growing relationship between Ben and Alison is balanced by the marriage of Pete and Debbie, Alison’s sister. The always amusing Paul Rudd is Pete and we were impressed with Leslie Mann who plays Debbie.* What’s more, all the incidental characters are funny and interesting, and that makes for an enjoyable film. In addition to the comedy there are some serious moments and even a few touching ones. Apatow’s writing also deserves praise. His characters’ actions seem believable and are well-motivated. Even the cliché birthing scene elicited laughter. If you can get past the frat-house humor, you will enjoy this one. GRADE B+.

*Note: Mann is Apatow’s wife and their two daughters, Iris and Maude, play Pete & Debbie daughters in the film. It’s a real family affair.

K-PAX: You'll want to see this film just to enjoy the performance of Kevin Spacey as the mysterious Prot. Prot is either an alien from the planet K-PAX--1,000 light years away from our planet--or he is a mentally ill delusional. Jeff Bridges is Dr. Mark Powell, the psychiatrist who becomes fascinated with Prot and tries to discover who he is and what event caused the delusion. Prot is very convincing as an alien. He has an astounding knowledge of astronomy and he seems to be able to communicate with family pets. There is a segment in the middle of the film that bothered Gary. Port has failed to respond to anti-psychotic drugs, yet Dr. Powell seems convinced that hypnotism will get at the truth. Gary doesn't buy that attitude. However, we both thought the ending was very well done and feel the movie deserves a solid B. Roger Ebert said that Spacey made a career decision years ago: To always play the smartest person in the movie. It certainly has worked well for the actor. He was, at first, asked to play the psychiatrist, but campaigned vigorously for the part of Prot. It is interesting to see Bridges as the psychiatrist because we remember his outstanding performance as an alien in STARMAN, a 1984 film that is worth seeing again. K-PAX is based on the novel by Gene Brewer and was directed by Iain Softley. It has a running time of 120 minutes. GRADE B