(PG-13), 4 stars

Does Russell Crowe ever make a bad movie? With Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, The Insider, Master & Commander and L.A. Confidential on his resume, Crowe might be one of the best actors of the last 10 years. Nominated three times for an Academy Award, winning for Gladiator, Crowe can even make fluff like Mystery, Alaska entertaining and enjoyable. The one theme that binds all of Crowe’s characters together is their humanity and struggle for happiness. He tends to play people that are real, usually the underdog, and are often in a position that requires them to fight back to ultimately win the struggle (whether internally or physically). In Cinderella Man, Crowe continues his success as a remarkable character actor, and single-handedly turns a good film into a great film.

Director Ron Howard (who won an Oscar for A Beautiful Mind) teams up with Crowe again to bring us the true story of boxer James Braddock. A once promising athlete whose family falls into hard times during the Great Depression, Braddock is a down-on-his luck boxer just barely making it during one of the darkest periods in American history. When he is forced into retirement due to a lengthy losing streak, Braddock must support his family by working on the docks while silently holding on to his dream to fight again. With the support of his wife Mae (Renée Zellweger) and children, Braddock is given one more chance. Braddock’s motivations to win the fight changes with this last chance, as he must win to keep his family from falling apart as the Depression closes in on them.

Cinderella Man is predictable from beginning to end, yet Howard and his team of actors bind the story together in a way that is exciting and emotional. That more people don’t know Braddock’s story is a bonus for Howard, and he uses that to his advantage in the final scenes of the film. Howard has a knack for creating great emotions in his films (Cocoon, Apollo 13 and Backdraft, to name a few) and Cinderella Man is no different. Spielberg might be the only other director working today that can manipulate an audience with such ease. That you don’t feel used by the director at the end is a testament to Howard’s craft (as well as the actors involved).

There isn’t a bad performance in the entire film. Crowe and Zellweger are phenomenal (as are the actors playing their kids), but the real scene stealer is Paul Giamatti as Joe Gould, Braddock’s manager. Giamatti (Sideways), in another outstanding performance, brings real zest to an already electric film. All three actors turn in knockout, Oscar-caliber performances, and Cinderella Man is certainly the best movie to come out this year so far. (citywide)

(PG-13), 1.5 stars

George Lucas re-released his special edition Star Wars movies in 1997 (Episodes IV-VI) with much fanfare. Enhanced special effects, additional scenes, and fresh digital re-mastering of the sound and film brought the masses back for a second helping of some of the most successful films of all time.

However, two things stood out when I watched the re-released films. The dialogue tended to be stilted and awkward, particularly with the hero, Luke Skywalker. The other point was that Harrison Ford held all three films together with his wonderful comedic performances. It’s easy to forget that the Star Wars films (along with the Indiana Jones films) were what launched Ford’s career. The scenes with Han Solo and Princess Leia were what kept the audience in a light-hearted mood. It also allowed the audience to ignore the flaws that exist in all the original films.

Unfortunately, with the newer episodes (Episodes I and II), the dialogue got worse and the Han Solo/Princess Leia banter was nowhere to be found. Episode I was awful, with an infamous digital character, Jar Jar Binks, and a child actor, lacking any cinematic presence, playing the future Darth Vader. Then Episode II floundered in forced romantic scenes squeezed between boring battles. Neither film lived up to the marketing hype, nor did they live up to their predecessors (which weren’t perfect either). Episode III should have been the dark film that made up for the previous films, showing us how our hero, Anakin Skywalker, would be lured to the dark side.

Anakin (Hayden Christensen) is growing restless with the Jedi Council that refuses to let him into their club. He’s got a secret, pregnant wife (Natalie Portman) on the side (which is against the Jedi rules), and one of his only close friends is Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), who just might be the leader of the evil Sith, sworn enemy of the Jedi. Anakin begins to have visions that his wife will die in childbirth and he seeks the guidance of Palpatine, who may be able to help Anakin save his wife’s life if he comes to the Dark Side. Throw in three or four light saber scenes, and you’ve got the general gist of the film.

While Episode III is the best of the last three episodes, that isn’t saying much. George Lucas’ 30 -year project comes to a close in an extremely bloated film with unbearable dialogue and an unconvincing love story. The scenes between Portman and Christensen are boring, unbelievable and annoying to watch (when they should be exciting, dramatic and interesting). The parents of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia should be larger than life, yet in the film they are a bad soap opera.

The relatively exciting action sequences and detailed story (there’s a lot to wrap up in this film) fail to properly explain the origins of Darth Vader. Are we to believe that Anakin’s primary reason for going to the Dark Side is because he is having bad dreams? And when Anakin finally goes to the Dark Side, are we to believe that he goes from good to evil in less than two minutes without a moment to question whether his actions are right? I know this isn’t Shakespeare, but the motivations just don’t work for me.

Episode III is proof that good actors cannot save a movie from bad dialogue (Ewan McGreggor, Hayden Christensen and Natalie Portman have all proven their acting chops in other films). While it is still a must-see on the big screen, I couldn’t be happier that this is the end. The worst must-see movie of 2005. (citywide)