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2001, 145 min, US, Steven Spielberg)Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Connor, William Hurt, Brendan Gleeson, Sam Robards, Jake Thomas. Stanley Kubrick is apparently alive and well, having directed about two thirds of the Steven Spielberg collaboration A.I. Or at least that's the impression one could take away from this companion piece to 2001 and Close Encounters, which also succeeds in being a visionary work all its own. Like 2001, Kubrick's longtime pet project A.I. is told in three acts: a domestic drama, a trip to an unknown destination and then beyond the infinite. In the future, the polar ice caps have melted, limiting land mass for humans. Lifelike robots have been created to take on tasks in the service industry (sex, housekeeping, etc). A corporation led by Hurt thinks it's broken the final frontier in creating a prototype robot named David, capable of understanding, giving and needing love. As David, Osment gives a nuanced and deeply affecting performance, conveying the complexity of a programmed being in conflict with its emotions. Chapter two sends this flesh-and-chip Pinocchio on a quest to find its Blue Fairy to make him human. The final part, which seems at first to be an epilog, surprises by going further, tying the first two acts together, and, in sentimental and sentient Spielberg fashion, exploring nothing less than the meaning of life. Spielberg juggles Kubrick's cool cynicism and his own optimism, and they clash in electrifying, fascinating and sometimes frustrating ways. Seamless special effects are handled subtly, as Spielberg lets the acting and story remain at the forefront. With an ending that may go on a little too long, A.I. will certainly perplex anyone looking for a feel-good fantasy à la E.T. This is a singular, dazzling medley of two masters that resists weepy-eyed mysticism, opting instead for provocation of thought and the exhilaration of craft. ***½ DVD Letterbox 2-disc set: $19.99, DVD Pan & Scan 2-disc set: $19.99, VHS: $9.99

À la Mode

(1994, 90 min, France, Rémy Duchemin)Jean Yanne, Ken Higelin, François Hautesserre. Can you say "French fluff"? In some regards, this is too soft a term for this mildly enjoyable but ultimately wispy comedy. In keeping with the genre of "Sex and the French Teenager," À la Mode follows the ever eventful life of young Fausto — from the bicycle accident that leaves him orphaned to his apprenticeship with a Jewish tailor in Paris. It is not an exaggeration to say that practically nothing by way of significant story or character development comes Fausto's way, but he does, almost magically, find himself becoming a prestigious fashion designer — overnight! The standard stuff is on display here: the coy redhead with whom he gets his first lay, the good-hearted best friend with a talent for farting the tunes of Beethoven ... beginning to get the picture? Still, the film is amiable, gooey fun for those in search of hollow entertainment. (aka: Fausto) (French with English subtitles) **½ DVD: $19.99

À Nos Amours (To Our Loves)

(1983, 102 min, France, Maurice Pialat)Sandrine Bonnaire, Evelyne Ker, Dominique Besnehard, Maurice Pialat. A beautifully rendered portrait of a sexually explosive young girl and her tumultuous home life. Sixteen-year-old Suzanne faces the wrath of a neurotic mother, a withdrawn father and an abusive brother because of her casually nubile air and promiscuous wanderings. In this fascinating study of a smoldering family climate, Bonnaire (Vagabond) charges the role of the troubled teenager with a powerfully erotic presence. (French with English subtitles) ***½

À Nous la Liberté

(1931, 97 min, France, René Clair)Henri Marchand, Raymond Corby, Rolla France. A surreal and satirical attack on automation and industrialization, this intoxicating, brilliantly executed romp follows the exploits of a bum who becomes a millionaire only to realize that he was happier poor. The central character and many comic scenes provided the inspiration for Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times. (French with English subtitles) **** DVD Criterion Collection: $29.99, VHS: $19.99

Aaron Loves Angela

(1975, 98 min, US, Gordon Parks, Jr.)Kevin Hooks, Irene Cara, Ernestine Jackson, Moses Gunn, Robert Hooks. In this pleasing, updated "Romeo and Juliet" set in Harlem, Aaron, a black youth, falls in love with a beautiful Puerto Rican girl, Angela. Surprisingly involving and thankfully devoid of clichés. Music by José Feliciano. ***

Abandon

(2002, 99 min, US, Stephen Gaghan)Katie Holmes, Benjamin Bratt, Charlie Hunnam, Zooey Deschanel, Fred Ward, Gabrielle Union. Holmes plays a promising business major who comes under the scrutiny of detective Bratt when he's assigned the missing persons case of Holmes' oddball ex-boyfriend. Most people (including Holmes) believe the wealthy eccentric just left for another country, until Holmes starts catching glimpses of him on campus. Marketed as a thriller, Abandon is really just a wan psychological drama with some intermittent suspense scenes. It never really engages, and the "shocking" revelation (which won't be even a mild surprise to viewers who've stayed awake that long), coupled with a clichéd, silly denouement, renders the film pointless and empty. *½ DVD Letterbox: $29.99, DVD Pan & Scan: $29.99, VHS: $12.99

Abandon Ship!

(1957, 97 min, GB, Richard Sale)Tyrone Power, Mai Zetterling, Lloyd Nolan, Stephen Boyd. When a luxury ocean liner hits a derelict mine in the waters of the Atlantic, the surviving passengers must cram into the only lifeboat, now commanded by second mate Power. As they fight the elements and each other, it soon becomes a struggle for survival. A sometimes rousing, tension-filled drama. (aka: Seven Waves Away) ***

Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

(1953, 77 min, US, Charles Lamont)Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Boris Karloff, Reginald Denny. After much success meeting Frankenstein and Captain Kidd, Abbott and Costello set their sights on Robert Louis Stevenson's famous doc and his alter ego. In Victorian London, Bud & Lou are policemen on the trail of Jekyll, or is it Hyde? Some good laughs though the film is not as consistently funny as their earlier efforts. **½

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

(1949, 83 min, US, Charles Barton)Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney, Jr., Glenn Strange, Jane Randolph. Bud and Lou found great success in this very funny horror...