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ACCEPTED (Rated PG-13) So maybe "Accepted" isn't the most original movie in the world. And maybe its premise isn't the most plausible: A bunch of slackers and weirdoes form their own college, where "liberal" doesn't even begin to describe the liberal arts education. Doesn't matter. "Accepted" is a lot more fun than you'd expect from a comedy coming out in the dead of summer. Grade: B-

PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION (Rated PG-13) Robert Altman at his most Altmanesque, the result is an ambling, rambling, folksy yarn that nicely captures the radio-show-that-time-forgot spirit of Garrison Keillor's music and comedy revue. The tremendous cast, including Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Lily Tomlin, Lindsay Lohan, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly and Virginia Madsen, mixes with an easy camaraderie. Grade B

PULSE (Rated R) Hollywood is so enamoured of all things J-horror -- Japanese horror movies -- that they've burned through American remakes of "The Ring" and "The Grudge," and are now scraping the bottom of the sake cup. "Pulse" is the remake of a 2001 J-horror film that was derivative and pokey, even before Hollywood got its hands on it. Grade: D

STEP UP (Rated PG-13) Take "Fame" and suck out all the sex and nudity, take "Romeo and Juliet" and drain it of the preteen suicide and iambic pentameter, and you have "Step Up," a thoroughly formulaic but mildly enjoyable dance movie. But you can sort of see the appeal of "Step Up," especially during the dead of summer. Grade: C

WORLD TRADE CENTER (Rated R) What Oliver Stone has come up with here is an exceptionally crafted, strongly acted, high-end made-for-TV movie. It's visceral and intense, exceedingly faithful in its depiction of the fear and chaos, the ash and smoke, that enveloped New York that day. It can also knock you over with a moment as simple as two strangers hugging and crying over the shared unknown fate of their loved ones. Grade: B+

ZOOM (Rated PG) Tim Allen stars in "Zoom," a family friendly comedy about a superhero who's been drained of all his powers. The movie itself apparently was made by people drained of all their creativity. It has plenty of energy and visual effects but not a single original idea in its spandex-clad head. Grade: D+


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