At the Movies: capsule reviews of new films

<b>Capsule reviews of films opening this week:</b> <br><br>''102 Dalmatians'' _ Glenn Close steals the show as the villain Cruella De Vil in this sequel to the 1996 Disney movie. Cruella

Wednesday, November 22nd 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Capsule reviews of films opening this week:

''102 Dalmatians'' _ Glenn Close steals the show as the villain Cruella De Vil in this sequel to the 1996 Disney movie. Cruella appears to have left her dog-napping days behind, but before long, she's at it again. Gerard Depardieu is her partner in crime. Kids will enjoy the broad comedy, double-takes and oafish adults outwitted by those cute little puppies. Grown-ups will appreciate Close's over-the-top performance in a juicy role. G. 101 min.

_ Malcolm Ritter, AP Writer

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``Quills'' _ An ignoble, even sordid life makes for stirring cinema in director Philip Kaufman's reasonably fearless adaptation of Doug Wright's 1995 off-Broadway play. The subject is the Marquis de Sade, though whether he's a genius or merely a gifted malcontent is one of the film's many debates. In the end, the movie comes down, unsurprisingly, on the side of freedom of speech, while offering up a cast of surprising strength. That includes Rush as a man possessed by the pen, or ``quill''; Michael Caine and Joaquin Phoenix playing duelists for the marquis' depraved soul; and a radiant Kate Winslet as the asylum laundress who acts as his confidante and more. R for strong sexual content including dialogue, violence and language. 120 min.

_ Matt Wolf, AP Writer

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``The Trench'' _ First-time filmmaker William Boyd directs from his screenplay about a dozen British World War I recruits and their superiors in the days before 1916's bloody Battle of the Somme. The characters who converse, bicker and bond in the titular trench are more like caricatures than complex individuals: There's the lovelorn naif, the trouble-making grunt, the hard-bitten sergeant, etc. And while the confined setting should induce claustrophobia, Boyd's wandering camera fails to let the intensity mount. Daniel Craig, the only veteran in a cast of virtual unknowns, stands out as the tough-as-nails sergeant. Unrated, but with moments of graphic violence, brief nudity and consistent profanity. 98 min.

_ Larry Worth, for the AP

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``Unbreakable'' _ Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan and star Bruce Willis face lofty expectations after last year's horror sensation ``The Sixth Sense.'' But anyone counting on a repeat of the ``Oh, wow'' twist the earlier film delivered will be disappointed. Here, Willis plays the sole survivor of a train wreck, coming through unscathed. Samuel L. Jackson is the wild-eyed stranger who offers an incredible explanation. ``Unbreakable'' evokes the hushed, creepy mood of ``The Sixth Sense'' but offers little beyond dark atmosphere. Its story is less accessible; some may find it downright silly. And the surprise ending registers as a dish-rattling tremor compared with ``Sixth Sense's'' 7.0 magnitude quake. PG-13 for mature themes, some violence and a sexual reference. 107 min.

_ David Germain, AP Movie Writer