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By Lois Alter Mark

MOVIE TITLE/RATING THREE KINGS/R

IN A NUTSHELL At the end of the Gulf War, soldiers Archie (George Clooney), Troy (Mark Wahlberg), Chief (Ice Cube), and Conrad (Spike Jonze) attempt to steal Saddam Hussein's gold.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Yes, older boys especially will be drawn to this in-your-face action flick with hip stars.

SEX/NUDITY A map sticks out of a bare tush; Archie has sex with a female reporter in a chair.

DRUGS/ALCOHOL Celebratory drinks

VIOLENCE/SCARINESS Graphic scenes of dismembered bodies, explosions, torture, and fatal gunshots

OBJECTIONABLE WORDS/PHRASES Constant cursing -- after all, this is the military

THE VERDICT The soldiers' humanity shines through their machismo and moral lapses, making this a surprisingly positive movie for older teens.

APPROPRIATE AGES 16 and up

[MOVIE TITLE/RATING]DRIVE ME CRAZY/PG-13

[IN A NUTSHELL]In an effort to make their love interests jealous, high schoolers Nicole (Melissa Joan Hart) and Chase (Adrian Grenier) pretend to be a couple.

[WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?]TV's now-sexy Sabrina just might grab them, and hunk Grenier -- well, he's all that.

[SEX/NUDITY]A backseat makeout session

[DRUGS/ALCOHOL]Bong hits; drunk teens call a designated driver.

[VIOLENCE/SCARINESS] A girl uses pepper spray on a date who won't stop groping her; one fight.

[OBJECTIONABLE WORDS/PHRASES]Some schoolyard language

[THE VERDICT]Nicole is a take-charge kind of girl -- smart, articulate, assertive -- and a positive female role model.

[APPROPRIATE AGES]12 and up

[MOVIE TITLE/RATING]DOUBLE JEOPARDY/R

[IN A NUTSHELL]After being framed and convicted of murdering her husband, Libby (Ashley Judd) learns he's still alive and has her kid, and that she's got nothing to lose by really killing him.

[WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?]Older teens might, especially because of fugitive hunter Tommy Lee Jones as Libby's parole officer, Travis.

[SEX/NUDITY]Libby's breasts during sex with her husband

[DRUGS/ALCOHOL]Martinis at a party; Travis spikes his coffee.

[VIOLENCE/SCARINESS] Libby wakes up in a bloodied bed and is locked in a coffin; car chases and shootings.

[OBJECTIONABLE WORDS/PHRASES]Strong language, especially from Libby's fellow parolees

[THE VERDICT]Libby's actions may be motivated by her love for her son, but the movie is just too unsettling for younger children.

[APPROPRIATE AGES]15 and up

[MOVIE TITLE/RATING]MYSTERY, ALASKA/R

[IN A NUTSHELL]An amateur hockey team from way up north gets a chance to put itself on the map when the New York Rangers challenge the players to a game.

[WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?]Maybe, but there's no big-name star, and most teens will think it's too sappy.

[SEX/NUDITY]An exposed butt; a promiscuous player; a couple tries to have sex in a snowplow.

[DRUGS/ALCOHOL]Some drinking

[VIOLENCE/SCARINESS] A man has a fatal heart attack and another is shot in the foot.

[OBJECTIONABLE WORDS/PHRASES]Lots, including a barrage from a corporate exec partial to a word rhyming with puck

[THE VERDICT]In a sports world filled with sponsors and endorsements, these characters show what it means to truly play for love of the game.

[APPROPRIATE AGES]15 and up

[MOVIE TITLE/RATING]HAPPY, TEXAS/PG-13

[IN A NUTSHELL]Escaped prisoners Harry (Jeremy Northam) and Wayne (Steve Zahn) hole up in a small town where they assume the guise of gay beauty-pageant producers in order to duck the law.

[WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?]Not likely, even though it's more fun than that other recent pageant satire, Drop Dead Gorgeous

[SEX/NUDITY]Wayne sleeps with the pageant supervisor off screen.

[DRUGS/ALCOHOL]Guys drink beer.

[VIOLENCE/SCARINESS] A girl is held at gunpoint; some shooting; a contestant sets fire to a criminal's pants.

[OBJECTIONABLE WORDS/PHRASES]A sprinkling of profanity

[THE VERDICT]After JonBenet Ramsey, scenes of young girls in sexy, skimpy clothes seem distasteful; though filled with gay jokes, the movie ultimately advocates tolerance.

[APPROPRIATE AGES]13 and up

Posted Oct 15, 1999 | Published in issue #507 Oct 15, 1999 | Order Article Reprints