SCARY MOVIE 4 – This fourth go-round in the cash-cow horror-spoof franchise may be the smartest and most polished yet. It’s mainly a parody of THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (with Craig Bierko doing a killer Cruise), working in goofs on THE GRUDGE, SAW and THE VILLAGE, plus a few non-scary movies as well (BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, MILLION DOLLAR BABY and even HUSTLE & FLOW). What really makes it work – besides director David Zucker’s taking it from the Wayans’ raciness to a more goofy focus – is Anna Faris. The girl commits. It’s too bad Hollywood doesn’t know what to do with her, because she is a truly fearless comedienne.

THE BENCHWARMERS – Too many dud comedies has rendered the “produced by Adam Sandler” tag meaningless. But this nerd/underdog comedy is surprisingly funny in its first half, and largely inoffensive. Rob Schneider, David Spade and Jon Heder are various loser types who agree to take on a Little League team in a high-stakes tournament. Most of the laughs come from Spade. Oh, there are duds and scenes that go nowhere except flat on their face, but for a disposable comedy, you could do a lot worse (as in, earlier Schenider/Spade vehicles).

XXX: STATE OF THE UNION – Because Vin Diesel apparently had “better” things to do (THE PACIFIER?), they went ahead and made an XXX sequel without him, lest the franchise die. This one opens with a deadly assault on the underground headquarters of xXx, a secret government spy agency headed by Samuel L. Jackson. When the smoke clears and Diesel’s character is reported dead, Jackson declares it’s time for a new recruit. I know when I’m looking for somebody to save the country, I immediately think “ex-con.” Okay, so Ice Cube plays an ex-con Navy SEAL, but still. Acting with only his monotone sneer and teddy-bear arrogance from start to finish, Cube is America’s greatest hope against formidable foe Willem Dafoe, playing a rogue military general with designs on taking over the White House. It’s all flashy, trashy, stupid fun.

SHOCK – In a hotel, a woman witnesses a matrimonial murder that sends her into a state of shock, so she’s sent to a sanitarium, where she’s treated by … the doctor who committed the crime she saw! That’s the setup of this acceptable, brief little thriller of psychosis, infidelity and insulin overdoses, from 1946. Before he hit it big at horror, Vincent Price acts impressively as the crooked doc, while his bedridden charge is played by Anabel Shaw. As long as he keeps her loony, she can’t finger him as the killer. SHOCK grows a little melodramatic as it reaches its end, but is worth seeing for an overlooked Price performance.

PURSUIT – That noted action hero Ben Gazzara is on the trail of that noted terrorist E.G. Marshall, who wants to dose the Republican National Convention with nerve gas (hey, who doesn’t?), in this made-for-TV curiosity from 1972. “Curiosity” because it’s directed by Michael Crichton, who manages to make every book he writes a megahit, but whose directorial career peaked with WESTWORLD. Gazzara’s chase – a PURSUIT, if you will – of Marshall isn’t all that compelling, even if the 24-ish onscreen countdown clock suggests otherwise. Its themes still resonate today, even if the fashions don’t. The final scene is laughable in its inert cheapness. –Rod Lott

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