Charlie's Angels

The easiest way to describe Charlie's Angels is as an utterly trashy feminist popcorn kung-fu movie. The plot is set in motion when a multi-millionaire is kidnapped and the Angels are hired to find him. As it turns out, this is no ordinary case but an evil plot that might put Charlie and his Angels out of business once and for all.

The Angels are played to the hilt by Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore. Diaz is Natalie, a sweet and ditzy blonde, whose most endearing feature of a love of shaking her ass at every opportunity; Liu is super-cool and smart Alex, with a penchant for leather suits; and Barrymore's Dylan is a sassy rock chick with attitude to spare.

There's less eye candy for the girls, unfortunately. Matt LeBlanc makes an all too short appearance as Alex's dopey actor boyfriend, while Luke Wilson drifts in and out as Natalie's love interest. The rest of the cast is fleshed out with Bill Murray, on top comic form, Tim Curry plotting evil plots, and Crispin Glover bringing the one thing that every movie bad guy henchman needs: weird eyebrows.

Director McG (or Joseph McGinty, as he's known to his nan) is best known as a video director, and it shows. The fun is non-stop, hit-you-in-the-face action, and with its all-round good time high-kicking hijinks, Charlie's Angels can't be beaten.

Katherine Shaw