2005 LESBIAN & GAY FILM FESTIVAL

The fest wraps up this weekend, with four screenings at the Hollywood Theatre and Saturday's closing night party at Crush (1412 SE Morrison). For more info, hit plgff.org.

BOTH

A drama about gay and bisexual stunt doubles. And yeah, you actually just read the phrase "gay and bisexual stunt doubles." Hollywood Theatre

BOYS SHORTS

Six short films for the gays. Hollywood Theatre

NEVER BEEN THAWED

Nothing turns me off from a movie faster than slapping "This year's Napoleon Dynamite!" on the front of the case. In any case, Never Been Thawed is more like an homage to Best in Show than Napoleon Dynamite: The film follows the misadventures of a frozen entrée collectors club. Characters run the quirk-laden gamut: There's a fraudulent Christian rock band, a flamboyant firefighter "cured" of his sexuality, a girl who works at a celibacy clinic. Ninety percent of the characters never come off as anything more than characters, though—they're just too self-aware of the fact that they're making a joke out of somebody. The beauty of a movie like Best in Show is that nobody breaks character, and the characters are actually believable. Here, the annoying doses of irony are so heavy that they're impossible to accept. (Evan James) Hollywood Theatre

THAT MAN: PETER BERLIN

A doc about Peter Berlin, the posterboy for all things gay in the '70s. Hollywood Theatre

Attention Filmmakers!

It's almost Halloween, which means the Know is once again putting on their "KnowFilmFast Horror Competition," in which teams of filmmakers will make horror films (in 66 hours and six minutes, natch). Teams will meet up on Friday, October 21 to be assigned characters and weapons for their films, and the final productions are due back at the Know on Monday evening (at, appropriately enough, 6:06 pm). Interested? Hit theknow.info or write info@theknow.info for more... uh... info.

24 Hours on Craigslist
See review this issue. Clinton Street Theater

And the Pursuit of Happiness
Louis Malle's engrossing documentary from the '80s that details, with an admirable level of objectivity, the never-ending variations of immigrant life in the U.S. The documentary's largely a collection of portraits and interviews that allow various immigrants to tell their stories, show their circumstances, and offer their opinions, though the film's sometimes punctuated by analytical commentaries by some of the immigrants. (Evan James) Guild

Au Revoir les Enfants
Louis Malle's autobiographical drama about his youth during the Nazi occupation of France. Whitsell Auditorium

Black Sabbath
No, not that Black Sabbath. This is Mario Bava's horror anthology, with three creep-tastic films—including one with Boris Karloff. Laurelhurst

Capote
See review this issue. Fox Tower 10

Domino
Domino (Keira Knightley) is your garden-variety wild child in Beverly Hills—until she teams up with underrated bounty hunters Ed (the nasty-ass Mickey Rourke) and Choco (the hot-as-fuck Edgar Ramirez) to hunt bounty using gats and nunchucks. And it gets better: 90210's Brian Austin Green and Ian Ziering show up to play themselves as hosts of a bounty hunter reality show! While I can't really file it under "good," Domino is certainly enjoyable. And did I mention Brian Austin Green gets his nose broken? I mean, what else do you need? (Will Gardner) Regal Cinemas, etc

Doom
See review this issue. Regal Cinemas, etc

Dreamer
Dakota Fanning is the spawn of Satan. That's the only plausible explanation: The horrible little beady eyes, the expressions of pure evil, the way she captivates middle-aged women. How else could she possibly star in atrocious movie after atrocious movie and still have Hollywood producers knocking down her door? In fact, I'd wager that Satan himself might also be the mastermind behind this whole movie, which also has something to do with horses and Kurt Russell. Nothing else could account for the sheer horror that is Dreamer. If you don't believe me, and still really want to see Dreamer, let me save you the trouble: Don't. Your soul is worth more than that. (Mike Filtz) Regal Cinemas, etc

Elizabethtown
In short, cue the soundtrack-enabling emo events: Drew's (Orlando Bloom) awkward/heartwarming reunion with his extended family, Drew and Claire's (Kirsten Dunst) budding romance, Drew's very Jerry Maguire-ish awakening, and long sequences that exist for no other reason than to celebrate filmmaker Cameron Crowe's encyclopedic knowledge of, and boundless love for, pop music and rock 'n' roll Americana. Together, all of Elizabethtown's style and vibe has just enough weight to justify the film's plot, but none beyond that; you have to respect a guy who can include both suicide and death as major plot points yet make both come across as moments of mere inconsequential whimsy. (Erik Henriksen) Regal Cinemas, etc

The Fog
Most ways in which to criticize a shitty horror remake like this have already been inked at one time or another. But if we moviegoers had known this was coming, we could've saved them all up and blasted 'em at this abomination with a Super Soaker 8000. Somewhat similarly to John Carpenter's mediocre 1980 orig', a fishing town is enshrouded by a think blanket of killer fog containing zombie-ghosts. Note: There is no hot sex, no gore, no funny one-liners, and no anything else that the '80s taught us was crucial to horror. What's happening to horror these days? (Jenna Roadman) Regal Cinemas, etc

Ganges: River to Heaven
Exactly the type of documentary you want to run across when you're stoned and channel surfing at two in the morning. By turns absorbing, depressing, and creepy, filmmaker Gayle Ferraro's film explores the religious and cultural significance of the Ganges River. Though its waters are considered sacred, the levels of pollution found in the river pose serious health problems. Much of the film takes place at a hospice by the river, and though watching old Indian women die is hardly my idea of a good time, it's nonetheless interesting to see an exploration of the many roles filled by the river. (Alison Hallett) Hollywood Theatre

The Genocide in Me
A documentary by Canadian-Armenian Araz Artinian, in which she tries to understand her father's obsession with his nationality via her "self-discovery of identity, family, hatred, and nationalism." A Q&A with Artinian will follow the screening. Hollywood Theatre

Good Night, and Good Luck
By now, Edward R. Murrow has almost been forgotten as one of journalism's greatest. But when Murrow took a stand against Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s, he cemented himself as one of journalism's best and boldest. George Clooney's excellent film follows Murrow as CBS airs his exposés on McCarthy's rampageous anti-communist crusade. As a director, Clooney continues to impress; here, with help from charged performances and gorgeous black-and-white cinematography, he utterly immerses the audience in the uncertain era of Murrow's exploits. But what's so powerful about Good Night isn't how authentically it depicts an antiquated era in responsible reportage—as outdated as Murrow's TV programs feel, the film is disconcertingly relevant when one considers the gap between what Murrow worked to make news into (smart, objective, and daring) and what it has become (the prosaic, sound-bite-centric CNN and the simplistic sermons of Fox News and Air America). (Erik Henriksen) Fox Tower 10, Century 16 Cedar Hills Crossing

IT (Independent Tuesdays)
Nocturnal's homemade film and video event—now at Acme! Acme

Kids in America
This teen dramedy wasn't screened for critics, which means it probably sucks. According to IMDB.com, it's about "A diverse group of high school students [who] band together to peacefully stick it to their overbearing principal." Yeah! Stickin' it to their overbearing principal! That sounds rad! And—GASP!—it stars Nicole Richie and Gregory Smith... who's better known as "Ephram" on the WB's Everwood! Okay, I secretly love Everwood. And—EEEEE!—I love you, Ephram! But... uh, yeah. Anyway, this movie probably sucks. Poor Ephram. (Erik Henriksen) Movies on TV, Lloyd Mall

Land and Freedom
A young communist leaves Liverpool to fight fascism in Spain. When he's injured, he leaves for Barcelona and joins another anti-fascist group, but eventually becomes disheartened. Directed by Ken Loach. PSU Smith Memorial Student Union

Margaret Cho: Assassin
Margaret Cho's latest stand-up routine is one of her best to date, with all the hilarious originality you've come to expect from the world-class comedian. There's Cho's doe-eyed impersonations of Björk, her idea of a humongous, civilization-destroying "pussy cyclone," and her sociolinguistic analysis of (uh, I mean jokes about) gay slang are just a few of the bits that'll leave you gasping with laughter. (Evan James) Cinema 21

Mirrormask
Artist Dave McKean's status as preferred wallpaperer to the goths is well deserved. Working as a cover artist for, among others, writer Neil Gaiman's legendary Sandman comic series, McKean's compositions incorporate bones, splinters, and junk-store detritus into a darkly creepy whole. Mirrormask, McKean's much-anticipated feature-length directorial debut, shows that whatever his gifts, moving pictures may not yet be his medium. (Andrew Wright) Fox Tower 10

Ms. Films Festival 2005
Selections from Ms. Films, "a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering women and girls through access to media and mediamaking." For more info, hit msfilms.org. Liberty Hall

Nightmare Castle
Nobody does horror like the Italians, and here's a perfect example: Mario Caiano's tale of a woman and her lover who're killed by the woman's husband, only to rise again and take revenge. Laurelhurst

PISS Fest (Portland International Short Short Film Festival)
See reviews this issue.

Private
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as told through the eyes of one middle-class Palestinian family. Guild

Raising Flagg
A simple, heartwarming film with more depth than your average simple, heartwarming film. Flagg (Alan Arkin), an aging repairman in a rural Oregon town, has a fight with his longtime buddy over some urinating sheep. A legal battle ensues, and when the jury favors Flagg, the community ostracizes him. Despondent, he takes to his bed and claims that he's on the brink of death; one by one his children (a professional worm salesman, a successful radio psychiatrist, a priest, a real-estate agent, and an ornery teenage girl) come out of their respective woodworks to see him. Old emotional hardships are resolved, everybody learns a lesson about forgiveness, blah blah blah. (One part, however, is unintentionally hilarious: Halfway through, the teenage girl runs away to see her sister in Portland; upon her arrival, a brief shot sets the Portland skyline to explosively jazzy, super-urban nightlife music that one normally associates with naïve farm girls arriving in The Big Apple.) (Evan James) Village Inn, City Center 12, Lloyd Mall, Movies on TV

Reverence: The Films of Owen Land
'60s and '70s filmmaker Owen Land anticipated the structuralist film movement, while neatly sidestepping the theory-based years with a keen sense of humor (sorely lacking in the world of avant-garde cinema). This two-night retrospective of his films is stopping at major museums across the country, including the Tate Modern in London and New York's Whitney Museum. (Chas Bowie) Cinema Project @ New American Art Union

Separate Lies
Based on a novel by Nigel Balchin, Separate Lies follows a hazy period of time in the lives of extremely wealthy Londoners James and Anne Manning (Tom Wilkinson and Emily Watson). The world of contemporary upper-class Britain is ripe for ridiculous satire, but here filmmaker Julian Fellowes doesn't seem interested in skewering it, as he did with Gosford Park and Vanity Fair. Instead he focuses on a sucky murder plot and an allegedly steamy affair that is only discussed, never shown. The result is a film that makes you wonder why the hell these sort of films ever get made at all. (Justin Sanders) Fox Tower 10

Shake Hands with the Devil
A pointed documentary that follows Romeo Dallaire, the Canadian general that remained in Rwanda even after the rest of the Western world turned a blind eye to the genocides. Most of the film is composed of great interviews with Dallaire, in which he recalls his time in Rwanda, criticizes the UN's treatment of Africa, and exposes some of the Byzantine political strategies that unfolded around the event. Very interesting, very informative, and very tragic. (Evan James) Guild

Stay
See review this issue. Regal Cinemas, etc

The Three Rabbis
The story of—yep—three Portland rabbis, tackling issues both traditional and modern. Produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting, this documentary is screening as a benefit for the Oregon Jewish Museum, Jewish Family and Child Services, and the Portland Jewish Film Festival. Whitsell Auditorium

À Tout de Suite
An incredibly boring film about a slutty French girl who runs away to Greece with her hot bank robber boyfriend. How the words "boring" and "slutty French girl" can refer to the same movie, I don't know. (Alison Hallett) Hollywood Theatre

Two for the Money
The one-two combination of sports and gambling should have been a lock for gripping cinematic excitement: Both have more rollicking highs and lows than a runaway rollercoaster. But instead, Two For The Money—which is billed as a high-octane combination of football, high-stakes gambling, and the power coupling of Al Pacino and Matthew McConaughey—completely flatlines. Instead of testosterone-fueled egotism and head-banging, the movie turns into a treatise on relationships, complete with long candlelit dinners, strolls through New York streets, and tireless talks. Are you kidding me? (Phil Busse) Regal Cinemas, etc

Vanya on 42nd Street
The Toronto International Film Festival wrote of Vanya: "[Louis] Malle meets Chekov, a match made in heaven." Indeed, truer words were never spoken! ...Or not. Whitsell Auditorium

The War Within
See review this issue. Cinema 21

Warren Miller's Higher Ground
More ski porn from the Warren Miller Ski Porn Association. Featuring footage of heli-skiing, snowboarding, and just plain normal skiing, shot everywhere from Alaska to Switzerland. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

William Eggleston in the Real World
William Eggleston, the undisputed father of contemporary color photography, is also known as a private, hard-drinking, gun-playing Southern gentleman just as likely to wear jodhpurs as he is to pop a few Vicodin on a Tuesday night in Memphis—he's a regular Marlboro Reds and white wine kind of guy who happened to change the entire course of photography with his startlingly casual images of the world's minutiae. In the Real World follows Eggleston over the course of several years, and viewers watch him roam parking lots and empty streets looking for photos, have weird druggy conversations with a mistress, attend openings at the Getty Museum, and drunkenly play piano for his wife. Director (and Eggleston friend) Michael Almereyda creates an intimate portrait of the hardboiled gent, while offering some keen insights into the nature of his work. (Chas Bowie) Whitsell Auditorium, Guild

The Work and the Glory: American Zion
While this film's generic preview goes to great lengths to make The Work and the Glory look like just another crappy costume drama, the truth is that this is just another crappy costume drama... about MORMONS! Century 16 Cedar Hills Crossing, Movies on TV