11 X 14

BAD BUGS BUNNY

BRIEF HISTORY OF ANIMATION 1908-1965

CAPE FEAR

CRANE WORLD

EL VALLEY CENTRO

FOR OPENERS: THE ART OF FILM TITLES

FUNNIEST SHORT SUBJECTS EVER MADE

GIRLFIGHT

HISTORY OF THE ROCK VIDEO 1908-1965

PHISH: BITTERSWEET MOTEL

REMEMBER THE TITANS

SEX BY SEX WORKER FILM AND VIDEO FESTIVAL

VAUDEVILLE DELUXER

11 X 14
Director James Benning uses a sequence of single, carefully composed shots to document the American Midwest. Northwest Film Center at Whitsell Auditorium

Almost Famous
Cameron Crowe's film about groupies, Lester Bangs, and learning to ROCK in the '70s. Broadway Metroplex, Century Eastport 16, City Center 12, Evergreen Parkway, Lloyd Cinemas, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Tigard Cinemas

American Psycho
Based on the much-reviled book by Bret Easton Ellis, the movie is actually pretty good. Really. Set at the height of the Reagan '80s, Psycho deftly satirizes the deadening effect of unchecked corporate wealth and power. (Andy Spletzer) Kiggins Theater

The Art of War
Wesley Snipes stars as the brother with 1000 faces in this yawny espionage thriller. Division Street

Autumn in New York
An aging playboy, Richard Gere, falls for the younger and terminally ill Winona Ryder, leaving us terminally ill in the process. Hollywood Theatre

Bad Bugs Bunny
This movie would make the execs. at Warner Brothers shit their pants. See Bugs, Elmer, Coyote and the rest of the gang involved in villainous activities thought only deemed for members of the LAPD. Clinton Street Theatre

Bait
Jamie Foxx stars as another black man under surveillance by White America. 82nd Avenue, City Center 12, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Lloyd Mall, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Washington Square Center, Westgate

* A Brief History Of Animation 1908-1965
Animation from the first great animator Emil Cohl to the dawn of the computer animation age. Works by Disney, Fleischer, McKay and John Hubley to name a few. Clinton Street Theatre

Bring it On
High school cheerleaders must endure endless practices and bikini waxes to compete in the national championships! Century Eastport 16, City Center 12, Clackamas Town Center, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lloyd Mall, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, St. John's Theater, Tigard Cinemas, Westgate

* But I'm a Cheerleader
Director Jamie Babbitt's feature debut may be a bit forced, but Natasha Lyonne as a cheerleader thought to be lesbian is both believable and charming. Lyonne is sent to a homosexual rehabilitation camp run by RuPaul and Cathy Moriarty, and learns the valuable lesson that sexual orientation isn't as cut and dried as one might think. (Wm. Steven Humprey) Koin Center

* Cape Fear
Ex-jail bird Robert Mitchum has a blast freaking out the family of the lawyer (Gregory Peck) who put him away six years earlier in this terrific noir thriller from 1961. Northwest Film Center atThe Guild Theater

Cecil B. Demented
A lunatic guerilla film maker and his cronies kidnap a Hollywood starlet and force her to act in their movie. Directed by John Waters. See review this issue. Laurelhurst Theater, Mission Theater

* The Cell
Viewed conceptually, this film is remarkable: an acutley visual journey through a serial killer's mind that is both deranged and ethereal. To achieve this, director Tarsem Duamdwar uses special effects in a unique way, one that relies not only on sophisticated, expensive technology, but also preys on your worst fears of sex, violence, and insanity--all presented in surprisingly beautiful aesthetics. Even when Killer D'Onofrio is slowly twirling out the intestines of Vince Vaughn, he does so with delicate scissors in a celestial room adorned with garish, golden decadence. The whole movie smacks of Alice in Wonderland, yet relies on the founding images of Catholicism; at one point Jennifer Lopez appears as Virgin Mary, ready to kill the evil beast with her enormous sword. Unfortunately, Lopez and Vaughn remain true to the same, paper-thin characters they always play; beautiful, compassionate, out to save the world, blah, blah, blah. But the movie is undoubtedly worth seeing anyway--just think of them as background. (Katia Dunn) 82nd Avenue, Division Street, Lloyd Cinemas, Moreland Theater, Movies on TV, Washington Square Center

* Chicken Run
Chicken Run is about chickens trying to escape. It is very funny and exciting; each chicken has a great sense of humor and is weird. (Sam Lachow & Maggie Brown) Century Eastport 16, Tigard Cinemas

Coyote Ugly
No surprises, not too much depth, just good, old-fashioned Americana rehashed with flare (and flesh) for the modern world. (Frank Bures) Century Eastport 16

* Crane World
One of the festival circuit's best surprises in the past year, Crane World is a film of integrity and modest beauty, a black-and-white telling of the work life of a 50-year-old unemployed man dealing with the adversities in his life. Once a bass player for a one-hit-wonder rock band, he now subsists through construction jobs until training as a crane operator. His relationships with his son and mother, as well as a new woman in his life, lead to changes both good and troubling. Trapero's knack is immediacy: his gift to us all is the film. (Ray Pride) Northwest Film Center at The Guild Theater

The Crew
Four retired gangsters plan one last heist to raise money for a new colostomy bag. Century Eastport 16

* Croupier
Like nearly all great films, Croupier is great specifically because of its genre trappings. It's the inevitability factor that gives the movie the power to be more than it seems. (Sean Nelson) Hollywood Theatre, Laurelhurst Theater

Duets
Why see this mishmash of cheesy product placements and a dozen contradictory genres? Not for Gwyneth as a skinny showgirl doing karaoke--see what I mean about contradictions? For Paul Giamatti. You may have forgotten his name, but his head and jowls make a figure eight, bags like eggcups under his eyes-first-rate comic apparatus. The script gives him nothing, the camera is either up his nose or jerking off in some awkward middle distance, and still he made me laugh out loud singing "Hello, It's Me." If he had two solos instead of one, I would recommend the movie. (Barley Blair) Century Eastport 16, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Lloyd Mall, Tigard Cinemas

El Valley Centro
Director James Benning presents a documentary about California's Great Central Valley in which the supplier of much of the nation's food has been irretrievably scarred by man. Northwest Film Center at Whitsell Auditorium

The Exorcist
Perhaps one of the greatest and grossest (with the largest amount of vomit per square foot of film ever) movies in recent decades, this 1973 thriller sparked in-theatre hysteria and a new genre of psychological thrillers. The well-known premise mimics every parent's nightmare: That one's child is literally possessed by the devil. Sure, there are the indelible scenes as an adorable, vomit-splattered Linda Blair turns her head 360 degrees and violently masturbates with a crucifix. And, yes, there are the crowd-pleasing insults (to the exorcising priest from the adorable Blair: "your mother sucks cocks in hell"). But there also are many light touches--such as the bumbling detective desperately trying to score a date, the thieving priest who steals whiskey from confessing sinners, and the chain-smoking doctor who gives Blair a spinal tap--that earned the movie nine Academy nominations and four Golden Globes. Broadway Metroplex, City Center 12, Clackamas Town Center, Division Street, Eastgate, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lloyd Cinemas, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Tigard Cinemas, Westgate

Eyes of Tammy Faye
A documentary on the rise and fall of former evangelist, druggie, and eyeliner addict, Tammy Faye Baker. Bagdad Theater, Laurelhurst Theater

The Five Senses
Like trying to separate taste from smell, the characters of this film blend into one intimate experience. A cake maker, a masseuse, a mother of a missing child, and the freakish teenager who lost the young girl: all of these female characters proceed as an amalgamation. The film is exciting with surprises, a quality that fits nicely with its title. Something is vacant at the very center, though, and I suspect it's the uniting element of the senses: unconsciousness. Then, the story finishes by resolving itself too poignantly. (Paula Gilovich) Cinemagic

* For Openers: The Art of Film Titles
Designer David Peters and art writer Ken Coupland have put together an evening of opening title sequences from films over the past fifty years. See review this issue. Northwest Film Center at Whitsell Auditorium, Northwest Film Center at The Guild Theater

* The Funniest Short Subjects Ever Made
With the majority of these shorts made during the Silent Era, the only laughter you'll hear will be your own, and not those dreadful laugh tracks. Clinton Street Theatre

Girlfight
In Brooklyn's Red Hook district, Punchy Diana wants nothing more than to kick some ass in the ring, but nasty Daddy poo-poos the idea. Lloyd Cinemas

* Gladiator
Director Ridley Scott tramps through the standard gladiator movie plot like a tipsy party host, embracing each and every clichè like a dear old friend. (Tom Spurgeon) Century Eastport 16, City Center 12, Lake Twin Cinema, Laurelhurst Theater

Godzilla 2000
Forget that crappy-ass film with Matthew Broderick! This is the real Japanese-style shit! Godzilla can't get a good millennium's sleep without some asshole monster waking him up. This time a floating rock washes up which contains a UFO which also happens to contain a monster named Gora! Gora gets all in Godzilla's shit, which forces Big G to burn Gora's ass off with his atomic ray. Films don't get much more subtle than this. (Wm. Steven Humprey) Avalon Theatre, Milwaukie 3 Theater

Gone in 60 Seconds
You've seen the trailer, now see the remake of this obscure car thief movie, which has been revamped and given the full Bruckheimer treatment (shame a bunch of good actors with massive paychecks so your crappy film has the patina of class). Big, red, fast, and loud--Kids'll love it! Avalon Theatre, Bagdad Theater, Kennedy School Theatre, Laurelhurst Theater, Mission Theater, Movies on TV

* Goodfellas
It's a goombah-rama when Marty Scorsese directs this fast-moving, hilarious tale of mob life. Fifth Avenue Cinema

* High Fidelity
A romantic comedy for guys: John Cusack plays the cynically introspective Rob Gordon, the owner of a small record store. For various reasons, he has shit luck with women. Basically, he's a jerk, but he's not altogether clueless about his jerkiness. He struggles and obsesses and makes lists that he thinks define his life, but he's no closer to understanding women than he was in the fifth grade--which happens to be when he got dumped for the first time. Based on the popular novel of the same name. (Kathleen Wilson) Laurelhurst Theater

Highlander: Endgame
The last chance. The ultimate evil. The final battle. (Hey! That's what they said LAST time!!) Century Eastport 16, Milwaukie 3 Theater, Movies on TV

A History Of The Rock Video 1908-1965
You mean MTV didn't create the Music Video? Musical shorts of films from (yes...) Edison, Fox-Case, Mills Panoram and Scopitone, to name a few. May even see some of the original boy bands, like the Bolsheviks and Untouchables. Clinton Street Theatre

The Hollow Man
Kevin Bacon stars as a scientist who discovers a serum for turning invisible. Which reminds me, a really good question to ask someone when you're just starting to date them is "Would you rather be able to fly, or turn invisible?" If they say "fly," then they're a keeper. People who wanna turn invisible are always sneaking around and getting in your shit. Never trust people who want to be invisible. Especially if it's Kevin Bacon. Avalon Theatre, Hollywood Theatre, Kiggins Theater, Laurelhurst Theater

* Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Set in the East End of London, it's a fast, frantic, and frequently flippant ride through the social strata of gangland, as four wide boys send one of their number, cardsharp Eddie (heartthrob Nick Moran), to take on local crime boss Hatchet Harry (P. H. Moriarty) at poker. They soon find themselves in debt, and Harry puts his debt collector Big Chris (soccer hardman Vinnie Jones) on their tails. It's a tidy movie-all the dead bodies are shot and accounted for--and it's also got a wicked, very English sense of humor. Laurelhurst Theater

Nurse Betty
Betty (Renèe Zellweger), a diner waitress, settles comfortably into a thick confusion after accidentally witnessing her sleazy drug-dealer husband's murder. She instantly blocks out reality, and drives to Los Angeles in pursuit of her favorite soap-opera character, whom she believes is her long-lost true love. On paper, this sounds great--onscreen it's surprisingly disappointing. After watching these relentless caricatures strut around for 112 minutes, it's difficult to keep caring, and to keep rooting for Betty in earnest. (Min Liao) Broadway Metroplex, Century Eastport 16, Clackamas Town Center, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Lloyd Cinemas, Movies on TV, Tigard Cinemas

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps
Eddie Murphy returns (Why? Why? WHY??) as Sherman Klump in this sequel to the remake of the Jerry Lewis classic. This time, the apparently brainwashed Janet Jackson is pulled into the mire as Sherman's scientist girlfriend who helps him defeat his alter ego, the ultra-suave Buddy Love. 82nd Avenue

The Original Kings of Comedy
Another of Spike Lee's so-called "jointz," this one being a documentary which shows stand-up comics Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley and Bernie Mac in action. Century Eastport 16, City Center 12, Lloyd Mall, St. John's Theater

The Patriot
Okay, remember that episode of The Simpsons where Mel Gibson remade Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and ended up impaling the President on a flagpole or some such silliness? Well, now he's gone and made a three-hour movie that's just like that, but without the irony or humor. It's set in a colonial America where slaves and owners get along pretty darn well, the British are a bunch of baby-killing, dog-kicking hooligans, and the one French guy around makes Gerard Depardieu sound like Peter Jennings (don't worry, there's no sign of the Native Americans in this heartwarming saga). Did I mention that the movie justifies killing wounded soldiers and teaching your kids to fight in a war, as long as it's for something you really believe in? And have I gotten around to the sheer pomposity and lack of anything resembling subtlety in the film? And another thing--hey, leggo, I'm not done yet! (Marc Mohan) Avalon Theatre, Kennedy School Theatre, Laurelhurst Theater, Mission Theater

A Perfect Storm
Plot: Fishermen fight storm in hopes of getting home to some pussy. Protagonists: Marky Mark, Dr. Ross, Happy's competitor in Happy Gilmore, a few guys who are in every other movie, some no-names. Villains: Hurricane Grace, backed by two other vengeful storms. The money-grubbing boat owner. Perks: Awesome special effects: 50-foot sea swells, water rescues, hurricane clouds etc. Downers: Canned dialogue, excessive machismo, totally stupid ending. Recommendation: If you're looking for a marijuana freak-out, smoke some and head to this flick. If you're looking for an Academy Award Nominee, forget it. (Katie Shimer) Century Eastport 16, City Center 12, Milwaukie 3 Theater, Movie House, Movies on TV

Phish: Bittersweet Motel
Rock documentaries are born with an extremely slim chance at being anything more than a 90-minute porn-fest for those people who get off on watching their favorite bands sing. Yet there have been a few that aren't designed to feed a cult-like following. Gimmie Shelter, for example, the 1969 Rolling Stones documentary, really demonstrated the repulsiveness with which the Stones conducted themselves. Unfortunately, Bittersweet Motel has now set a new record on the other end of the scale; It is remarkable just how this film skims over the thousands of idiots who follow Phish around every year. (Maybe it's because Phish paid for the film?) If you're into driving around in tie-dyed RVs and waking up naked in a national park after a five day acid trip, you'll probably like this film. If you're suspicious of the above activities, you'll hate it. KATIA DUNN Cinema 21

Psycho Beach Party
Loosely based on Roland Barthes' landmark essay, "Soap Detergents," this surfy psychedelic frolic features the arresting spectacle of men dressed as women. While the youngsters may guffaw at such hi-jinx, most adults will squirm in the face of this strangely endearing, yet unarguably cinematic film. Cinemagic

Remember the Titans
Denzel Washington coaches a bi-racial high school football team. Will they win the big game? Or more importantly, will they have any nudie locker room scenes? 82nd Avenue, City Center 12, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lloyd Cinemas, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Tigard Cinemas

The Replacements
A comedy based on the 1987 pro football strike, starring Keanu Reeves as a scabby (sorry) scab quarterback. Century Eastport 16, Movies on TV

* Rififi
One of the great heist films of all time--filmed in beautiful French-O-Vision! Koin Center

Saving Grace
We've seen this movie before: A British fishing village, a lot of friendly villagers, the local pub, and a big plan that involves flouting the law in a relatively benign way but leads to an extended situation comedy. In Saving Grace, the situation involves a widowed middle-aged woman who cultivates pot to escape financial ruin. The town turns a blind eye because they love her dearly. She travels to London to sell her stash (phenomenal amounts of high-grade bud) and the plan falls apart. Before it's over, the movie, too, falls apart. This is a cute, light comedy with the humor based on contrast--a nice woman selling drugs, a responsible hippie dealer who has to pick his daughter up at flute lessons before Dungeons and Dragons night, and a career criminal who is nothing but kind. (Monica Drake) Koin Center, Moreland Theater

Scary Movie
Though I can't say Scary Movie was particularly witty, or even clever, the cast performs their over-the-top slapstick with such good-natured intentions, it's hard not to be swept up in the fun. Sure, there are the requisite off-color jokes directed at gays, potheads, teen sex, and the mentally challenged, but unlike the Farrelly brothers (Something About Mary, Kingpin), Wayans delivers punchlines as a nudge in the ribs rather than a slap across the face. (Wm. Steven Humprey) Broadway Metroplex, Century Eastport 16, Hilltop, Movies on TV, St. John's Theater

* Sex by Sex Worker Film and Video Festival
Don't miss this two-day event which spotlights documentaries and films made by and starring sex workers. See review this issue. Cinema 21

* Shaft
Who's the black private dick who's a sex machine to all the chicks? SHAFT! You damn right. Who is the man who would risk his neck for a brother-man? SHAFT! Right on. He's a complicated man, but no one understands him like his wooooo-man. JOHN SHAFT! Can you dig it? Edgefield Powerstation

Space Cowboys
Three old retired Air Force pilots want one last ride into outer space. Christ! Isn't it bad enough that these old farts always get the beautiful young chicks in the movies? And now they want to go into space, too? Forget it, Grandpa! It's off to the nursing home for you! Century Eastport 16, City Center 12, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Tigard Cinemas, Westgate

* Stand by Me
The most effectively cheesy movie ever made--about some kids who bond over a dead body on a camping trip. Guaranteed to make you call all members of your immediate family and tell them you love them. Fifth Avenue Cinema

The Tao of Steve
The Tao of Steve: 101 ways to bag a babe and keep her coming back for more. Dex, a fat intellectual slob, formulates and follows his plan for sexual success, insisting to his friends that the number one way to attract women is to ignore them. Through the magic of make-believe, this tactic works. The pot smoking jelly-belly has a harem of women sending him the booty call. What is his secret? What is the attraction? Could it be the charming afterglow from his morning bong hit? Is it the crushing weight of his huge gut? No one knows or cares, because in real life Dex is just one of the many loser pot-heads that move about in packs, not as couples. (Karrin Ellertson) Koin Center, Lake Twin Cinema

Urban Legends: Final Cut
While working on her film thesis (a documentary about "urban legends"), a student becomes deeply annoyed when a murderer begins systematically killing her entire crew. City Center 12, Clackamas Town Center, Division Street, Eastgate, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lloyd Mall, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Tigard Cinemas

Vaudeville Deluxer
Acrobats, jugglers, dancers, strong men, and assorted unclassifiable forgotten acts from the '20s, '30s and '40s who devoted their lives and bodies to give pleasure to audiences. No wonder I never joined the circus. Clinton Street Theatre

The Watcher
The Watcher is a frightfully unimaginative, by-the-numbers thriller with no plot twists, no clever bits, horrendous slow-motion dance sequences, few thrills, and anemic character development, successfully leaving Reeves well within his depth. City Center 12, Clackamas Town Center, Division Street, Eastgate, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lloyd Mall, Movies on TV, Oak Grove 8 Theater, Washington Square Center, Westgate

Way of the Gun
A kidnapping plan goes awry (as they often do) in this film starring Ryan Phillippe and Benicio Del Toro (which literally means "The Bull Loves Spaghetti"). Hollywood Theatre

What Lies Beneath
It's official! Director Robert Zemeckis (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump) is a washed-up hack. In this latest Sixth Sense ripoff, Zemeckis doesn't even bother trying to come up with any new ideas to bring to the screen, choosing instead to ape what Brian DePalma has been doing for years--aping Alfred Hitchcock. Michelle Pfeiffer and Harrison Ford sink to new acting lows, and while the film still somehow manages to be occasionally entertaining, the jump-out-and-scare-the-shit-out-of-ya shocks can't make up for the waste of time and money. Pass! (Wm. Steven Humprey) Century Eastport 16, City Center 12, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Lloyd Cinemas, Milwaukie 3 Theater, Movies on TV, Washington Square Center

The Woman Chaser
A not very interesting black-and-white anachronism fest, "Woman Chaser" takes a decent 1960 Charles Willeford L.A. noir novel about a 1950s want-to-be film director who loses his mind and makes a spoofy hash of it. Patrick Warburton ("Seinfeld"'s Puddy) gives it his chunky all, but it's not enough to bring life into this drearily scripted and clunkily directed item: dig those bongo drums! The script's called "The Man Who Got Away"; so did Willeford's novel. (Ray Pride) Koin Center

Woman on Top
Spoiler alert! In one scene, the bronze goddess Penèlope Cruz captivates a man with her exotic good looks, distracting him to some lighthearted comedic end. 82nd Avenue, Division Street, Evergreen Parkway, Hilltop, Koin Center, Lloyd Cinemas, Movies on TV, Tigard Cinemas

X-Men
This movie is all fine and dandy, but there's one area where I got beef: Where the Hell is Psylocke? You know, Betsy Braddock, super-tuff ninja lady, psychic knife. What, were her extrasensory powers too ambiguous for the special F/X dudes to translate to the big screen? Yeah? Well, I got one thing to say: SYNERGY! If fucking Hasbro could animate the life of Jem (complete with holograms and flashing earrings) back in the '80s, surely the creators of X-Men could've put a piddly ole psychic knife in a computer and churned out something cool. I'll stick to the video game, thanks. 82nd Avenue, Lloyd Mall