January is a prime time for high-caliber movies as many of the films vying for an Academy Award are released in late December. The pickings are good and diverse — Tom Cruise is deformed, Will Smith is transformed, and Russell Crowe is psychotic.

'Ali'

The champ is here.

The champ of Ali — the film which chronicles 10 years of the heavy-weight boxing champion's life — is not Muhammad himself, nor director Michael Mann, but lead actor Will Smith whose Oscar-worthy performance is the sole reason one should sit through this 3-hour film.

Smith transformed himself mentally, physically and spiritually for this role. His arms are huge, his one-liners are delivered even quicker than his punches, his accent is accurate — in short, Smith became the champ.

And if it weren't for Smith the film wouldn't have been worth seeing.

There is no denying that the story of Muhammad Ali's life is an interesting one. The 3-hour movie only covered 10 years — from 1964 to 1974. The film recounts Ali's association with the Nation of Islam, his first two marriages, his refusal to join the draft during Vietnam, and the Civil Rights Movements.

There are few transitions between scenes and storylines — the only part of the film that is not true to Hollywood convention. The story is not spoon-fed to the audience, and if one doesn't pay attention, crucial details may be missed.

The film is aesthetically pleasing — a good example of the quality that Hollywood can produce with a huge budget. Mann's intense attention to detail is apparent, as is the case in his previous films The Last of the Mohicans and The Insider.

Overall, the film is okay. Smith's performance was impressive as well as that of Jamie Foxx, who plays one of Ali's friends and moralers. The story is unnecessarily long; the audience gains nothing from the extra 45 minutes. The film also stars Jada Pinkett Smith and Nona Gaye as Ali's first and second wives, respectively, and Jon Voight as journalist Howard Cosell.

Ali is not a bad film by any means, but it also does not live up to all the hype that surrounded it.

'Vanilla Sky'

When I walked into the theater to see Vanilla Sky I knew little about it except the basics — Tom Cruise, Penélope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, directed by Cameron Crowe, the remake of the 1997 Spanish film Abre Los Ojos (Open Your Eyes).

Vanilla Sky truly was like nothing I had ever seen before.

Cruise plays David Aames, a player in the truest sense. Aames hasthe perfect life; he's rich, well liked and he has numerous "friends with benefits." His sexual conquest of the moment is Julie (Diaz). Julie is obsessive, possessive and psycho — Diaz is amazing. She is believable and scary in a Fatal Attraction way.

Through his friend, Brian Shelby (Jason Lee), Aames meets the one, the girl he will forever be faithful to — Sofia Serrano (Cruz). After that basic setup the story twists and turns for a wild ride between reality and the subconscious that leaves Aames deformed and Julie dead after a car accident.

The acting in this movie is superb. Cruise's talent, which is often overlooked because of his looks, is commendable. Cruz, who reprises her role from the original Spanish film, is in her most likable character ever — charming, charismatic, precious. Lee is witty in a role that could have blended in with the background but instead is very noticed. Kurt Russell also shines in his supporting role as Dr. Curtis McCabe.

And the praise for this movie can't stop there. Crowe has an eye for moviemaking. The film also has a great soundtrack — another staple of Crowe's films, which include Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire and Say Anything. . ..

Take heed — Vanilla Sky can be confusing; I'm still not sure if I totally get it. But that's part of the movie's fun. It's a conversation piece. Go to a matinee with some friends, then go out afterwards to try to figure out what it all means.

Is Vanilla Sky weird? Yes.

Bizarre? Definitely.

Worth-seeing? Absolutely.

'Kate and Leopold'

Is chivalry dead?

Many women would probably say, "yes" in response to this question, but Meg Ryan's newest film Kate and Leopold proves that chivalry is alive and well — in the 19th century, that is.

Ryan plays Kate an overworked, under-appreciated market researcher who is very successful in life, but unsuccessful in love. Her ex-boyfriend Stuart (Liev Schreiber), who had more passion for his work than for her, has discovered a portal that allows him to travel back in time. After a small technical difficulty when returning to the present from 1876, Stuart brings Leopold, a Duke (Hugh Jackman), back to the present-time with him. Jackman brilliantly plays the Duke — he's handsome, charming and even chivalrous.

Kate and Leopold is a chick flick, a typical Meg Ryan movie. Much like Sleepless in Seattle, Kate and Leopold, has an enchanting story — it's a fairy tale.

The movie is enjoyable. It is full of fluff, but it's good fluff — fluff that is also funny (who knew that was possible?). Most of the comedic moments in this romantic comedy are the works of Breckin Meyer, who plays Kate's out-of-work younger brother. Meyer, of Road Trip fame, shines and steals many scenes from the higher-billed actors.

Kate and Leopold, directed by James Mangold (who also directed Girl, Interrupted), is a light-hearted movie with good acting and a happily-ever-after story.

'A Beautiful Mind'

A Beautiful Mind, like Vanilla Sky, is one of those movies that you should only know the film's basic premise or the entire experience will be ruined.

The film, starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Adam Goldberg and Ed Harris, is very heavy and at times hard to watch.

Still, the entire full-house theater and I were totally engrossed in the film.

A Beautiful Mind, based on the biography by Sylvia Nasar of the same title, tells the story of John Forbes Nash Jr. (Crowe), a mathematician, who in the 1950s at Princeton University established the principles of the "Game Theory" of economics. Nash eventually won the Nobel Prize for his work, 40 years later.

By the age of 30, Nash was diagnosed with paranoid-schizophrenia. The film focuses on Nash's relationship with his wife and his disease.

Crowe is absolutely amazing as Nash and delivers one of the best character studies I have ever seen on film. Crowe's performance is comparable to Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man — the audience not only sees the inner-workings of Nash's mind but also sees the severity and devastation of the disease.

Connelly, who plays Nash's wife, also gives a strong performance.

Ron Howard also deserves much praise for directing this film. It is not a film with wide, long shots of scenic mountainsides, but one that genuinely lets the audience into the life and story of John Nash.

A Beautiful Mind is not a light-hearted film. It has a powerful story with strong acting. This film will definitely earn some well-deserved Oscar nominations.