The Monitor Movie Guide

+++ Moving, beautifully acted, intelligent.

Sex/Nudity: One scene of partial nudity - not explicit. Violence: Two scenes involving hitting, several scenes of shooting and death related to a student uprising, a suicide. Profanity: A single obscenity, some rough language related to prostitution. Drugs: None.

QUEST FOR CAMELOT (G)

Director: Frederik Du Chau. With voices of Pierce Brosnan, Gabriel Byrne, Cary Elwes, John Gielgud, Eric Idle, Gary Oldman, Bronson Pinchot, Don Rickles, Jane Seymour, Jaleel White. (90 min.)

+++ A feisty girl and her blind companion embark on a quest to rescue King Arthur's legendary sword from a nasty villain. The tale is full of songs and action; still, it would be more exciting if the Warner Bros. animators came up with new storytelling ideas instead of relying on time-tested Disney formulas.

+++ Festive, fast-paced, predictable.

Sex/Nudity: One reference to French kissing. Violence: Swordplay and fighting. Profanity: None. Drugs: None.

SLIDING DOORS (R)

Director: Peter Howitt. With Gwyneth Paltrow, John Lynch, Jeanne Tripplehorn, John Hannah. (105 min.)

+ A woman hurries toward the subway after work, and her story suddenly splits in two, alternating between different versions of what might have happened depending on whether she boarded the train or not. The gimmick behind the screenplay is clever, but the filmmakers don't rise to the challenge they've set themselves, merely spinning two unimaginative stories for the price of one.

+++ Imaginative, surprising, romantic.

Sex/Nudity: 2 mild scenes. Violence:: 2 accidents. Profanity: A few mild, mostly British-inspired expressions.Drugs: Several scenes of social drinking.

THE SPANISH PRISONER (PG)

Director: David Mamet. With Campbell Scott, Steve Martin, Rebecca Pidgeon, Ben Gazzara, Ricky Jay. (112 min.)

++++ Ingenious thriller about a young inventor who seeks help from an unpredictable new acquaintance when he suspects his company may be pushing him out of the profits from a high-tech formula he's developed. Witty performances and stylized dialogue give Mamet's edgy gamesmanship a sly, refreshing touch.

+++1/2 Intriguing, suspenseful, surprising twists.

Sex/Nudity: Some mild innuendo. Violence: A bloody murder scene, a threat with a gun. Profanity: 3 very mild expressions. Drugs: Smoking and social drinking.

TOKYO FIST (NOT RATED)

Director: Shinya Tsukamoto. With Shinya Tsukamoto, Kahori Fujii, Koji Tsukamoto. (90 min.)

++ A jealous salesman develops his boxing skills to compete with a prizefighting friend who's captivated his straying girlfriend. There's more punch than depth to this sometimes violent Japanese drama, but it has intensity to spare.

Out On Video

(In stores June 2)

HOME ALONE 3 (PG)

(Comedy)

Director: Raja Gosnell. With Alex D. LInz, Olek Krupa, Rya Kihlstedt, Lenny Von Dohlen. (102 min.)

A quartet of international thieves goes up against young Alex Pruitt (Linz) as they attempt to steal a toy car with a hidden computer chip containing top-secret US defense plans.

MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL (R)

(Drama)

Director: Clint Eastwood. With Kevin Spacey, John Cusack, Jack Thompson, Irma P. Hall, Jude Law. (155 min.)

+++ A young New York journalist visits a Southern city to cover a social event and meets the offbeat residents, one of whose after-hours activities lead to a dramatic murder trial.

+++ Fascinating, lush, authentic.

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