The Company
See review this issue. Fox Tower 10
The Cooler
The Cooler is a small, unremarkable film that's watchable due to one thing: sex. Specifically, a sex scene between William H. Macy and Maria Bello. Director Wayne Kramer has managed to give audiences something all too rare in films these days--a sexy scene that not only causes the audience to flush, but makes sense as well. (Bradley Steinbacher) Century Eastport 16, City Center 12, Fox Tower 10
* Dopamine
A cyber whiz and a school teacher fall into a love affair that encounters the usual dark secrets and emotional baggage. She screws his buddy, he has abandonment issues, and you know how retarded those computer geeks can be in the sack. Hollywood Theatre
* Five Sides of a Coin
Referring to the five elements of hiphop (deejaying, emceeing, b-boying, graffiti, and beatboxing), this film successfully captures the street vibe of the genre. Interested in showing both the origins and depth of hiphop culture, the directors talked to everyone they could find--from Afrika Bambaataa to Rahzel, from Sherri-Sher to DJ Q-Bert to Grandmaster Flash. Guild Theater
Gloomy Sunday
A hit song during the 1930s, "Gloomy Sunday" was composed by a beautiful young pianist at the request of a wealthy restaurant owner for his lover. Sound romantic? Well, yes, except the restaurant owner also falls in love with the pianist who happens to be loved by a Nazi officer. Whitsell Auditorium
The House of Sand and Fog
When a recovering addict/slacker (Jennifer Connelly) temporarily loses her family's house on a technicality, a disgraced Iranian officer (Ben Kingsley) dives through the loophole and refuses to budge, resulting in mounting levels of righteous obsession for all concerned. (Andrew Wright) Koin Center
In Vienna, They Put You In Jail
A true story about Max Birnbach, who broke free from a Nazi jail, fled over the Swiss border and eventually to Portland. Whitsell Auditorium
Khachaturian
Using archival material and scores of interviews, director Peter Rosen pieces together a biography about Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian. Guild Theater
* Monster
In an amazing feat, Charlize Theron not only manages to look like complete crap, she does a spectacular job of playing notorious serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Mimicking her telltale mannerisms perfectly, Theron plays the part with total believability. Her performance, and the smart direction of the film evoke sympathy, anger, disgust, and an overwhelming emptiness. Granted, seeing a movie about a woman whose life went from child abuse to prostitution to rape to murder to betrayal by her lover to execution isn't a fun time; but it effectively makes you ponder the immense good and evil in humanity, and quite possibly, will make you cry. (Katie Shimer) Fox Tower 10
My Terrorist
It is too bad that Dick Cheney hasn't seen this film about a flight attendant who was shot and wounded in 1978 during a hijacking attempt. A quarter-century later, the woman decides to reach out and visit "her terrorist" in jail, in an attempt to understand and forgive. Followed by Human Weapon, a straightforward collection of interviews with militants who are supporters of suicide bombings. Whitsell Auditorium
One Night With Blue Note
Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams, Bobby Hutcherson. If these names mean something to you, this film will probably be interesting. Footage from a concert sponsored by the iconic jazz label, Blue Note. Guild Theater
Open Screening
Regional film and video makers are invited to show their work. Call 503-276-4259 to reserve a space. Guild Theater
* Our House
A documentary about an assisted living house for handicapped adults in Santa Barbara. Apparently, the care-givers are super attractive MTV Spring Break style hotties with warm hearts and a passion for emptying bedpans. No seriously though, a highly recommended film. Hollywood Theatre
Rockers
After a local reggae drummer decides to become a manager for several island bands, the local mafia rips him off and leaves him broke. But an all-star cast of reggae stars (Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer) stage an uprising that overturns the corrupt system. Guild Theater
Rosenstrasse
A young woman sets out to Berlin to find out why her mother, a survivor of the Nazi era, is acting so weird. Whitsell Auditorium
* Rubin and Ed
Starring Crispin Glover, the story of a recluse and a salesman who are looking for the perfect spot to bury a dead cat. Blind Onion
* Sabrina
Two brothers fight to the death for the love of Audrey Hepburn. Okay, not to the death. Pix Patisserie
Secret Lives: Hidden Children and their Rescuers During WWII
In stories like Anne Frank's or even The Pianist, the men, women and families who aided Jews fleeing the Nazis are most often peripheral to the main story. This film examines some of these (brave) people. Guild Theater
Shanda
With his moaning and soulful voice, Oliver Mtukudzi is Zimbabwe's Bob Dylan, a prophet and poet, a doomsayer and none-too-popular with the current repressive regime of Robert Mugabe. In a nation without free speech or political dissent, Mtukudzi's music is about as radical as it gets. A well-crafted profile of the musician and his band, Black Spirits. Whitsell Auditorium
Soul of a Man
Wim Wenders is setting the standard for musical documentaries. The director for Beuna Vista Social Club, Wenders uses a hand-cranked Lumere camera here to re-imagine the lives of early blues musicians. Guild Theater
Teacher's Pet
Adapted from the television series, this Disney production tells the story of Pinnochio with TV-style animation. Regal Cinemas, etc.
Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion
Narrated by Martin Sheen, and made over a 10-year period, the purpose of Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion is to offer Western eyes clear documentation of the suffering that Tibetans have experienced under Chinese rule. The film is a work of propaganda by sympathetic Westerners who place Tibet completely on the side of the right, and China completely on the side of the wrong. (Charles Mudede) Cinema 21
Torque See review this issue. Regal Cinemas, etc.
* The Triplets of Belleville
An animated French film that speaks nary an intelligible word throughout its entire 80-minute running time, Les Triplettes de Belleville's jaw-dropping artwork alone could have kept me riveted for hours. Physically exaggerated characterizations and dark, dank urban landscapes give the film a particularly strong noir sensibility, and in the void of spoken word, layered sound effects add to the ambience. (Justin Sanders) Fox Tower 10
Unknown Passage: The Dead Moon Story
By the time MTV launched, the three members of Dead Moon were already 30 years old. A throwback to another era, the local garage rockers have a solid (and aging) following. A documentary film about them and why they matter. Guild Theater
* Wild and Abandoned Animation Film Fest
The titles of these rare animation collections speak for themselves: On Friday, Strange and Vicious War Cartoons; Saturday, Offensive Animation; Sunday, Cartoons Too Violent for Children; Monday, Corporate Animation Amok; Tuesday, Jazz Jazz Jazz Cartoons; Wed, Cult, Oddball, and Rubber Hose ('20s and '30s animation). Thursday join the Clinton Street for Dada fest where they'll be showing surrealist films by Luis Bunuel, Hans Richter, and Jean Cocteau plus more, while you make noise with musical instruments. What a hoot! Clinton Street Theater
Win a Date With Tad Hamilton
Kate Bosworth--the woman unworthy of Orlando Bloom--stars in a teen romance where a dumb blonde gets involved with a hunky celebrity after she wins a date with him in some dorky contest. Regal Cinemas, etc.
