Metro Pulse Online: Movies, Past &Amp; Future

Armed only with his mysterious mental connection to the feral minds of studio executives, the Movie Guru reveals just how good or bad this week's new releases will be:

Out of Time (PG-13)
Denzel Washington is the Chief of Police in a small Florida town where palm tree shirts are acceptable attire. He has an affair with Anne (Sanaa Lathan), a woman married to an ex-NFL player (Dean Cain), then he steals a stack of cash from the police station, presumably to run away with her. But when Anne's house gets torched, all eyes are on him, including those of another officer (Eva Mendes), who may also fall for Denzel's charms and further compromise the investigation. Directed by Carl Franklin (Devil in a Blue Dress).
Prediction: Denzel as a nervy cop on the fringes of the law has a certain appeal, but the success of the film depends on its ability to turn lying lovers and chase scenes into real suspense.

School of Rock (PG-13)
Jack Black (of High Fidelity and the band Tenacious D) is a guitarist named Dewey who gets kicked out of his band, No Vacancy, just a few weeks before the Battle of the Bands. He could really use part of the $20,000 prize money because he's broke and owes rent to his substitute teacher roommate Ned (played by the film's screenwriter Mike White). Desperate for a job, Dewey impersonates Ned to get his own gig substituting in a fifth-grade classroom. The kids and their principal (Joan Cusack) are in for a rock 'n' roll education they never imagined. Directed by Richard Linklater (Slackers, Dazed & Confused, Waking Life).
Prediction: The trailer is a hoot, and Ain't It Cool News reports that Jack Black is back in his element with Linklater and a big budget at the helm.

Better than Buffy?

There's a much sexier vampire than Kate Beckinsale's Selene. His name is Angel. His show, which just began its fifth season on WB, is the spin-off of Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Angel continues the saga of the vampire cursed with a soul, the champion who helps the helpless and combats evil whenever it rears its freaky, ugly head. And he looks good in black leather all the while.

Angel and Buffy's doomed love affair redefined ill-fated and made forbidden romance sexier than ever. Is there anything hotter than the sexual tension between a demon slayer and a vamp with a heart of gold who can't have sex because a moment of "true happiness" will cause him to revert to Angelus, his evil alter-ego? This conflict didn't keep Angel and Buffy from indulging in some intense make-out sessions. Yowza.

When Angel left Sunnydale for Los Angeles and started his own show, his curse took a backseat to his mission of helping people as a P.I. of the supernatural. He gets help from Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter) and Wesley (Alex Denisof), who came from Buffy, and a streetwise fighter named Gunn (J. August Richards).

Where the now-ended Buffy was praised by critics and fans for its hip and smart treatment of the perils of the young adult years, Angel treads more mature territory. Maybe that's where it lost some fans; many people tell me they watched the show for awhile but didn't stick to it. Now is the time to catch up or get hooked for the first time.

Season Two explores Angel's badder side; he doesn't lose his soul, but he quits being a martyr. The feud progresses between Angel and the lawyers of Wolfram & Hart (who protect the city's demon interests while attending to its broad mission of bringing about the Apocalypse), while reintroducing some familiar faces from Buffy. The evil law firm brings back Darla and Drusilla, vamps from Angel's past, to torment our black-clad hero. In the process, he gets revenge on the firm and abandons his friends and co-workers. Especially compared to glacial pace of Buffy's final season, Angel is a constantly moving adventure that is stylish, funny and dark. Buffy was a great show, but Angel is Whedon and crew at their best and most consistent.

—Paige M. Travis