Freeing your country from an unwanted occupier is a grim, violent and bloody business. I could be writing about Iraq - where we are perceived by much of the country as alien occupation forces.   'THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY' - Cillian Murphy, left, and Padraic Delaney star in 'The Wind That Shakes the Barley.' CNS Photo courtesy of Joss Barratt.  DVD RATINGS 4 stars: Don't miss: rent it/buy it 3 stars: Worth the risk: rent ... [full story]

"2 Days in Paris" packs a lot in. At moments, you might wish Julie Delpy had spent a few days taking some stuff out. Delpy wrote, directed, edited, composed and stars as Marion, a photographer despite her retinal birth scar. But she lives verbally, often with sex as useful syntax.   '2 DAYS IN PARIS' - Paris puts pressure on the relationship of Marion (Julie Delpy) and Jack (Adam Goldberg) while visiting her native town in ... [full story]

At 22 years old, Scarlett Johansson has already played everything from a high school outcast ("Ghost World") to a seductive vixen ("Match Point"). But in "The Nanny Diaries," she crosses into totally new territory: super cute.   'THE NANNY DIARIES' - Annie (Scarlett Johansson) and Grayer (Nicholas Art) draw battle lines in 'The Nanny Diaries.' CNS Photo courtesy of K.C. Bailey.  RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. 3 STARS - Worthy. 2 STARS - Mixed. 1 STAR - ... [full story]

As if by evolving, cultural necessity, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" keeps returning. Its potent new morph is "The Invasion," from a director whose previous film horror was Adolf Hitler ("Downfall").   'THE INVASION' - Nicole Kidman portrays a psychiatrist and a desperately protective mother in the thriller 'The Invasion,' which co-stars Daniel Craig. CNS Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.  RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. 3 STARS - Worthy. 2 STARS - Mixed. 1 STAR - ... [full story]

NEW RELEASES ROCKET SCIENCE - "Rocket Science" is about a New Jersey teen named Hal (not Hugh) Hefner who considers clear speech "not like rocket science" - if only he could get the phrase out of his mouth fluently. The small inside   'ROCKET SCIENCE' - Reece Thompson plays a stuttering boy who joins his high school's debate team in the coming-of-age drama 'Rocket Science.' CNS Photo courtesy of Jim Bridges.  RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. 3 ... [full story]

In some weird warp of societal values, the ability to laugh at yourself is considered a mark of distinction among the pop culturatti. Celebrities, movie stars and athletes who are self-effacing are, like, regular people. That being the case, the figure skating crowd is just a great old down-to-earth bunch.   'BLADES OF GLORY' - Will Ferrell and Jon Heder star in the comedy 'Blades of Glory.' CNS Photo courtesy of Suzanne Hanover.  DVD RATINGS 4 stars: ... [full story]

"Rocket Science" is about a New Jersey teen named Hal (not Hugh) Hefner who considers clear speech "not like rocket science" - if only he could get the phrase out of his mouth fluently.   'ROCKET SCIENCE' - Vincent Piazza, Reece Thompson and Aaron Yoo are featured in the coming-of-age drama 'Rocket Science.' CNS Photo courtesy of Jim Bridges.  RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. 3 STARS - Worthy. 2 STARS - Mixed. 1 STAR - Poor. 0 ... [full story]

Winona Ryder has had embarrassments, like the film "Lost Souls," and her 2002 conviction for shoplifting. None of that rivals her attempt at comedy in "The Ten" as a woman sexually wild for a wooden dummy.   'THE TEN' - Winona Ryder is featured in one of the 10 stories in 'The Ten.' Each story is inspired by one of the Ten Commandments. CNS Photo courtesy of ThinkFilm.  RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. 3 STARS - Worthy. ... [full story]

NEW RELEASES ROCKET SCIENCE - "Rocket Science" is about a New Jersey teen named Hal (not Hugh) Hefner who considers clear speech "not like rocket science" - if only he could get the phrase out of his mouth fluently. The small inside   'ROCKET SCIENCE' - Reece Thompson plays a stuttering boy who joins his high school's debate team in the coming-of-age drama 'Rocket Science.' CNS Photo courtesy of Jim Bridges.  RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. 3 ... [full story]

Earlier this August, on the eve of its summer vacation, Congress hastily passed Republican legislation to broaden the ability of intelligence agencies to eavesdrop on enemies of the state. Then Congress put oversight for these enhanced wiretap powers in the hands of the very official it had spent several months lambasting as truth-disabled: Attorney General Alberto Gonzales.   'THE LIVES OF OTHERS' - Sebastian Koch and Martina Gedeck star in 'The Lives of Others,' a drama ... [full story]

"Rush Hour 3" is a traffic jam of cliches that doesn't achieve gridlock mainly because the stars, Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, are too tireless to quit.   'RUSH HOUR 3' - Youki Kudoh and Jackie Chan star in the action comedy 'Rush Hour 3.' CNS Photo courtesy of Glen Wilson.  RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. 3 STARS - Worthy. 2 STARS - Mixed. 1 STAR - Poor. 0 - Forget It (a dog.) They do slow down. ... [full story]

There may not be a more beautiful sound in popular music than Nat King Cole singing Hoagy Carmichael's "Stardust." Which is the sort of sure, deft magic absent from "Stardust," a fantasy lacking liftoff.   'STARDUST' - Michele Pfieffer is featured in the summer magical adventure 'Stardust.' CNS Photo courtesy of David James.  RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. 3 STARS - Worthy. 2 STARS - Mixed. 1 STAR - Poor. 0 - Forget It (a dog.)  Ol' Hoagy ... [full story]

"Hot Rod" is a cinematic shot of silliness, a simplistic speck at barely more than 80 minutes. You could do worse - "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry" or "License to Wed," for instance - than spend a spell with winsome Andy Samberg.   'HOT ROD' - Andy Samberg plays hard-riding stuntman Rod Kimble in the comedy 'Hot Rod.' CNS Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures.  RATINGS 4 STARS - Excellent. 3 STARS - Worthy. 2 STARS ... [full story]