'Othello' remake a conniving good time

Take "Dead Poets Society," "The Skulls" and "Cruel Intentions" and put them in a blender. Out comes "O," the latest remake of William Shakespeare's "Othello." \nSet in a private high school in South Carolina, "O" was actually finished in 1998, but the outbreak of school shootings, including Columbine, prompted Hollywood to hold back the movie for two years. For that reason, one will be surprised to see that it is not even remotely as violent as most scary teen movies such as "Scream." \nJosh Hartnett plays the jealous and threatening Hugo, while Martin Sheen portrays his father, Coach Duke. Although Hugo plays his best on the court, he cannot measure up to team MVP and NBA hopeful Odin James (Mekhi Phifer). Julia Stiles comes in as Odin's girlfriend, Desi, the dean's daughter. \nViewing the trailer for the movie, many people might have thought "O" was going to be a rip-off of "Save The Last Dance." But the racial difference between Desi and Odin is an issue only with her father.\nThe real conflict in "O" is Hugo's plot to ruin people's lives in a clever and evil way. Hartnett plays a very convincing Hugo, making even his most loyal fans hate him. \nYou might find yourself thinking about this movie days after you've seen it. It's disturbing and leaves you with an almost eerie feeling. The entire movie is worth seeing just for the powerful ending and a monologue that Phifer delivers with perfection. \nDon't go expecting to laugh a lot; don't go expecting to see an epic Hollywood film. Instead, be prepared for a movie with excellent acting, a decent soundtrack, but some scenes that could have been fixed in the two years before the movie was released.