MOVIES: O

When Shakespeare works his tragic magic, he is downright depressing. Yet in O, the modern-day MTV-generation retelling of his play Othello, less emotion and empathy is evoked than is annoyance and disgust at the stupidity of some characters. Though the cast shines with talented actors and a just-as-talented director (Tim Blake Nelson, of O Brother Where Art Thou), the love between the school dean's daughter Desi (Julia Stiles) and the star basketball recruit Odin (Mekhi Phifer) is just too believable. The audience never gets a chance to really care what happens them or their wonderful relationship, which is jeopardized by Hugo (Josh Hartnett), the most annoying master manipulator. So the movie's climax--a bloodbath--doesn't feel like a climax at all.