Against The Ropes (2 out of 5 stars)
Paramount Pictures/ July 14

While one should commend Meg Ryan on trying to break out of her stereotypical romantic-comedy roles, we really wish she would pick better movies to do it in.
Gone is the cute shaggy hair as Ryan takes on the role of real-life boxing promoter Jackie Kallen, smart woman who, in this film, feels the need to wear progressively smaller and tighter outfits in each scene.
Every boxing movie cliché is employed here, as Kallen tries to create a star out of Luther Shaw (Omar Epps) a raw but talented boxer whose contract she buys for $1. As Shaw rises to fame, Kallen’s success goes to her head and begins to affect her relationships.
Ryan shows some promise as a serious actress in this film but the slow pace and annoying characters kill any opportunity this movie may have provided her for moving on into better movies.
The entire plot culminates into one big final fight (which is choreographed to the tee, and it shows). Meg, we beg you, just do another movie with Tom Hanks and let it be.

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen ( 4 out of 5 stars)
Disney/ July 20, 2004

With rumours of breast implants, wild partying and a new boyfriend aged 28, Lindsey Lohan is a far cry from the sweet unassuming twins she portrayed in The Parent Trap many moons ago.
This film by Disney, is probably as close as we’ll get to those twins, ever.
Lohan stars as a teen who is forced to move to a boring small town after living the high-life in Manhattan. There, she is forced to make new friends and make the best of it.
Teenage drama ensues and although it’s quite sappy at times, this is actually a decent teen flick.
Keep in mind this is a Disney vehicle so we don’t see any sex, swearing or violence. Now that half of you have tuned out, there are some very very funny moments in this movie as well. And even though Lohan drives us crazy to no end and we’re disliking her as much as Hilary Duff does right now, she comes out a winner here, and shows that she can actually act.
This is a great movie for teenage girls and probably not too many other people (except those that like teenage girl films). If you do, give it a shot, don’t let Lindsey Lohan scare you away.

CSI: Miami: The Complete First Season (4 out of 5stars)
Paramount Pictures/ Release Date: June 29, 2004

Have you ever heard of the CSI: Miami drinking game? It goes like this: every time Horatio Caine (David Caruso) overacts, you take a sip. You’re drunk before the opening credits even roll in.
With the exception of Caruso as the worst actor ever, CSI: Miami is a darned good show. Different enough from the original to warrant watching, it follows the CSI crew as they investigate crime in the uber-sexy city of Miami, during the day.
The technology is just as enthralling as the originals’ and the special effects (showing how bullets penetrate people and slo-mo crime re-enactments) can’t be beat. This is CSI after all, and no show is complete without having forced you to utter “Cool!” at something or other.
This DVD set features the complete first season, seven disks in all. Kim Delaney is present in the first batch of episodes and was then cast-off, presumably for having no chemistry with Caruso (is it really possible to have chemistry with Caruso?) Sofia Milos makes a brief appearance as Detective Yelina Salas, a hottie who only wears white suits to crime scenes—smart.
The characters take a while to grow on you, but they do eventually and become a pleasure to watch.
The DVD set includes extras like Commentary tracks for four episodes, CSI: Miami Uncovered which is a look at the CSI: Miami show, and the characters. Features interviews with Danny Cannon, Carol Mendelsohn, Joe Chappelle, Ann Donahue, David Caruso, Khandi Alexander, Emily Procter, Adam Rodriguez, Rory Cochrane, Sofia Milos and John Haynes, Creating CSI: Miami, Procedures of Handling Evidence where technical advisor John Haynes talks over scenes form the show, explaining what's being done and more.
If you enjoy CSI, this is a great set to invest in. I was sceptical at first, not being able to watch the show on television thanks to Caruso’s annoying personality, I didn’t think I would come out of this a fan, but I did. And if I can get over Caruso, you can too…the drinking game certainly helps.

The Butterfly Effect (2 out of 5 stars)
New Line Cinema/ July 6

There comes a time in the life of every actor when he/she must prove that there is something behind a pretty face. For Charlize Theron, this film was Monster, where she proved beyond a doubt that she could be a powerful actress. Ashton Kutcher wants The Butterfly Effect to be his movie. How does he do? Not very well. Kutcher does not come across as Evan Treborn, just as Ashton Kutcher. His personal life has taken somewhat of an upward spiral lately, so he is nearing the point of overexposure. Kutcher the TV star/goofball never manages to become Evan, pysch student who wants to fight for his girl.
The Butterfly Effect takes its name from the seminal example of chaos theory, that a butterfly flapping its wings may cause a hurricane halfway across the world. In other words, complex systems can be unpredictable. But far from coming for a lesson in mathematics, Bress and Mackye wanted to create a densely plotted thriller dealing with time travel. To put the plot in context with the example, changing one event in the past can have humongous consequences in the future. As a child, Evan, among other things, suffered a series of blackouts. His doctor told him to keep journals of all his activities, perhaps spurring memories of what happened during his blackouts. Now in college, Evan discovers that by focusing on his journals, he can go back into the past and change it.
Evan goes back into the past to save his childhood sweetheart Kayleigh (Amy Smart) who commits suicide. Evan revisits child pornography, animal abuse, and a childhood prank gone wrong as he tries to right various incidents. However, he finds that every time he makes one change, other unforeseen things happen, forcing him to go back and make more changes. He goes from star psych student to frat boy, to murderer, and an armless bitter man. Smart gets it worse, as she goes as high as a sorority girl and as low as a hooker. Bress and Mackye simply take things too far. By going all the way instead of restraining themselves, they turn all serious and contemplative moments in The Butterfly Effect into laughs.