Movie Minis

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• Hidalgo (2004) (PG-13: adventure violence and mild sexual innuendo) — **. Viggo Mortensen follows up his kingly duties in “The Lord of the Rings” with this disappointing yarn based on true events. The titular Hidalgo is the stubborn mustang that long-distance racer Frank Hopkins (Mr. Mortensen) rides to glory across 3,000 miles of the Arabian Desert. “Hidalgo” staggers under some campy action sequences while shedding little light on Frank’s equestrian talents. Mr. Mortensen’s heroic presence preserves some of the actual story’s grandeur. Reviewed by Christian Toto.

• Kitchen Stories (2003) (No MPAA Rating — adult subject matter) A Norwegian comedy set during the late 1950s, when a Swedish government research institute, intent on a comprehensive study of Scandinavian kitchen efficiency, sends one of its experts to observe the cooking habits of a bachelor farmer in a remote district of Norway. In Norwegian and Swedish with English subtitles. Exclusively at the Landmark E Street Cinema.

• Starsky and Hutch (2004) (PG-13) — A comedic update of the popular TV series of the 1970s about a resourceful pair of police detectives, with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson as the movie duo. The supporting cast includes Snoop Dogg, Vince Vaughn, Juliette Lewis, Carmen Electra and Amy Smart.

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• Against the Ropes (2003) (PG-13: Occasional profanity, graphic violence and sexual vulgarity) — *1/2. A heavily fictionalized biopic celebrating the singularity of Jackie Kallen, a former Detroit reporter and publicist who branched out into boxing management. As revamped for Meg Ryan and transposed to Cleveland, this case history is reduced to a morale booster for one very needful Hollywood pixie, pretending to conquer a man’s world. With Omar Epps, Tony Shalhoub and director Charles S. Dutton in supporting roles.

• Along Came Polly (2004) (PG-13: Sexual content; mild profanity; crude humor; drug reference) —**. “There’s Something About Mary,” and there’s something about Polly, too — the something that enables a hypochondriac (Ben Stiller) to throw caution to the wind and salsa-dance with a gal of irrepressible insouciance (Jennifer Aniston). The Stiller schtick is getting old, but “Polly” is rescued somewhat by a pair of great supporting roles from Alec Baldwin and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Reviewed by Scott Galupo.

• Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004) (PG-13: Coarse language, mild violence and drug references) — **. The gang from Ice Cube’s 2002 sleeper hit “Barbershop” is back for a new wave of politically incorrect banter. This one finds the independent barber shop owned by Calvin (Ice Cube) fighting for survival when a chain haircut salon moves across the street. Meanwhile, co-stars like Troy Garity, Queen Latifah and Cedric the Entertainer verbally joust with customers and each other. The sequel maintains the camaraderie between the actors but loses steam with several silly subplots. Reviewed by Christian Toto.

• The Battle of Algiers (1967) (No MPAA Rating — adult subject matter) — **. A revival of Gillo Pontecorvo’s acclaimed and controversial polemical thriller about guerrilla uprisings in Algeria, anticipating independence from France in the early 1960s. The victory is an epilogue spectacle; the movie concentrates on the defeat of insurgents in the late 1950s by a tenacious and lethally effective French paratroop commander played by Jean Martin. In French and Arabic with English subtitles. Exclusively at E Street Cinema.

• Broken Lizard’s Club Dread (2004) (R: Horror style violence, drug use and coarse language) — **. The creative team behind “Super Troopers” returns with this rambunctious and ribald horror-comedy. A serial killer is on the loose in a hedonistic paradise, but the club’s officials want to make sure the news doesn’t spread to the guests. Bill Paxton and Brittany Daniel (“Joe Dirt”) co-star as the club owner and sex-crazed fitness instructor, respectively. The troupe’s uncertain comedy style and iffy execution stops this parody dead in its tracks. Reviewed by Christian Toto.

• The Butterfly Effect (2004) (R: sexuality; nudity; graphic beatings; profanity) — . A woolly psychological thriller starring Ashton Kutcher as a bright but troubled college student who can respool the past by reading his journals. Problem is, the intervening years ramify in ways almost as disastrous as this movie. Reviewed by Scott Galupo.

• Catch That Kid (2004) (PG: Action themes; crude humor) —**. A fair remake of a Danish teen caper, starring the likable Kristen Stewart as an aspiring mountain climber who plans a bank heist to obtain cash for a life-saving operation for her father. Reviewed by Scott Galupo.

• Cold Mountain (2003) (R: Violence, profanity, sexual candor) 81/2. A dedicated but laborious movie version of Charles Frazier’s prestige historical novel about a love match struggling to survive the Civil War, with Jude Law as a Confederate soldier who goes AWOL to reunite with sweetheart Nicole Kidman. Renee Zellweger injects some welcome gusto when she enters as an indomitable rustic. Best supporting actress Oscar for Miss Zellweger.

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