It’s been a turbulent month, with the incredibly diverse reaction to Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. This reviewer is personally appalled at the violence. And despite his hollow protests, I found the film overtly anti-Semitic and repulsive. The question which remains now is whether the film will be viewed as just another movie when the Oscar nominations are considered at the end of this year. If the film is nominated in important categories, expect lots of pickets and continued debate ....

The epic Hidalgo evokes everything from Lawrence of Arabia to Dances With Wolves. The ever-mumbling Viggo Mortenson makes Gary Cooper sound like Robin Williams, as he portrays a half-Sioux cowboy and former U.S. Cavalry courier who takes his mustang “Hidalgo” to what was then known as “Arabia” for a dangerous race. Omar Sharif (veteran of Dr. Zhivago, Funny Girl, and Lawrence of Arabia) returns to big-budget movies as the sheik bankrolling the race, and gives a performance which nearly steals the movie. Oddly enough, the History Channel recently aired a special about the real character, Frank Thompson, who may have fudged dates, events, deeds, and even the existence of this ancient race.

Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself is a bizarre, but uplifting, English comedy about a man who co-owns a bookstore with a brother whose suicide attempts he continually foils. Their unexpected friendship with a single mother turns their existence upside down a bit, but in an uplifting way.

Broken Wings is a powerful and compelling foreign film. Dafna Ulman plays an Israeli widow struggling to raise four children while working the overnight shift at a local hospital. Her tiny apartment and terrible hours are a few of the ordinary problems that seem all too real. It is emotionally draining to go through these familial tribulations, which make for a terrific movie. This was Israel’s submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar last year; when it was resubmitted this year, it was rejected. This particular film category is a confused mess (the tax code is easier to decipher than the entry rules!) and should be revised for next year.

Envy is a jaw-droppingly dreadful comedy from, of all people, Barry Levinson (director of The Natural, Rain Man, Tin Men, and Diner). Here, Ben “A-Movie-Every-Other-Week” Stiller must live with his error in judgment: He refused to invest in a new product (a spray can which makes dog poop disappear!), conceived by his best friend (Jack Black), who has become rich overnight. The jokes are flat, the premise quickly becomes tiresome, and even Oscar winner Christopher Walken, as a mysteri-ous drifter, can’t make this film remotely interesting, witty, or worthy of the talents of its director. What, if anything, was Levinson thinking?

Willem Dafoe is in The Reckoning, a compelling drama based on a novel set in rural England during the late 14th-century reign of Richard II, when the country was beset by the plague and everyone was suspicious of everyone else. Dafoe plays the leader of a troupe of impoverished traveling actors who come upon a disgraced former priest (Paul Bettany, of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and A Beautiful Mind). The actors find a woman condemned to die for the murder of a boy, a crime she didn’t commit. To come to her aid, they break with tradition and perform the first non-Biblical play anyone had ever seen, recreating what they believe are the true events surrounding the crime.

While not destined to become a children’s classic, Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London, is a serviceable and entertaining spy comedy. Frankie Muniz, in the title role, is helped by funny man Anthony Anderson. When in London, he tries to stop the usual scheme to take over the world, hatched by a rogue former C.I.A. agent. While the movie relies on gadget after gadget (kids will like that aspect) parents will enjoy the London backdrops and maybe want to plan a family trip. (Anderson told me that he “loved the way they used London as another character in the film.”)

Jim Carrey used to make edgy comedies which quickly propelled him to the $20-million-per-picture price range. His newest movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, is a far cry from some of the rubber-faced Canadian comic’s previous films. It’s as convoluted as its meaningless, pretentious title would suggest. Carrey portrays a man whose girlfriend (Kate Winslet, of Titanic) has no memory of him, since it’s been erased by a psychiatrist using a much-too-powerful computer. The film is difficult to understand and so self-indulgent, it is an infuriating waste of time. Mark Ruffalo and Kirsten Dunst, two of the least charismatic actors in films nowadays, add little to this annoying mess.

Finally, Ben Affleck returns from the debacle of Gigli with Jersey Girl. He plays a slick Manhattan Yuppie, public relations hotshot who becomes a single parent trying to balance the demands of career and fatherhood. George Carlin co-stars as his grumpy but loving father, newcomer Raquel Castro is delightful as his precocious daughter, and Jennifer Lopez has a small but pivotal role. If the film is remotely successful, it will mark an amazing comeback for a career nearly ruined.