The Movies

1 Bring it on

$17.4 million 1 week in release $17.4 million to date

PLOT Teen-targeted comedy about high-school cheerleaders who discover their best cheers were borrowed from another team.

MESSAGE Success and cool dance routines help make life worth living.

CAUTION Rated PG-13 for sex-related material and bad language.

$11.2 million 1 week in release $11.2 million to date

PLOT A secret agent fights to stop a conspiracy to destroy the United Nations.

MESSAGE Dark, destructive forces lurk behind world events.

CAUTION Rated R for strong violence, sexual situations, bad language, and brief drug content.

$9.6 million 2 weeks in release $33.7 million to date

PLOT A strange invention helps a therapist dig for clues in the head of a comatose serial killer.

MESSAGE Abuse and trauma can turn an ordinary child into a grisly murderer.

CAUTION Rated R for bizarre violence and sexual images, nudity and language.

$6.6 million 4 weeks in release $63.8 million to date

PLOT A former Air Force pilot reunites his old team for a shot on the Space Shuttle.

MESSAGE People can do heroic things despite advanced age.

CAUTION Rated PG-13 for bad language and brief nudity.

$6.1 million 3 weeks in release $21.4 million to date

PLOT Richard Pryor-esque concert film featuring a touring group of standup comedians.

MESSAGE Raunchy humor can cross all social barriers.

CAUTION Rated R for bad language and sex-related humor.

After an unsuccessful tour of the United States, Godzilla is back in his homeland and looks like his old self again. His 23rd and latest adventure, Godzilla 2000 (Tri-Star; rated PG for monster violence and mild language) is straight from the Japanese mold: ridiculously dubbed bad dialogue, goofy effects, and those trademark action sequences. Those who liked the old imports will like this one too. Coming on the heels of Pokémon, the 21st century Godzilla (played by rubber-suited stuntman Tsutomu Kitagawa) is surprisingly cute: a 170-foot tall green lizard with pink, glowing dorsal fins. Godzilla has been both hero and villain of various movies-and in 2000 he is both at the same time. He comes back to wipe out Tokyo's power grid and winds up saving the city from alien invasion. In between monster scenes is an ET-like story about Godzilla watchers trying to stop government spies from killing him. After decades of such antics, the Japanese in these movies no longer approach Godzilla with terror. The humans in this movie show more curiosity than fright. He's like a bad storm that washes ashore every few years.