LIMITED RUN


* Amélie
A beautifully kinetic testament to human sweetness that had audiences lining up around the block and contrarians carping about its artificiality. I'm not saying you have to be an asshole not to like Amélie, but it would probably help. (SEAN NELSON) Fremont Outdoor Cinema #1, Fri July 30 at dusk.

Arsenic and Old Lace
"I'm not a cab driver. I'm a coffeepot!" Seattle Art Museum, Thurs July 29 at 7:30 pm.

The Bachelor and the Bobbysoxer
A screwball comedy about a teenage Shirley Temple and her big, fat crush on Cary Grant. Seattle Art Museum, Thurs Aug 5 at 7:30 pm.

* Bukowski: Born Into This
It's not fair to blame an author, especially a dead one, for his cult. But in the case of Charles Bukowski, it's especially hard not to, since his hardcore admirers tend to be the most self-congratulatory, sub-literate bunch of idiots to squat on the face of literature since the Kerouac fan club. And to that end, this documentary serves up a retinue of ponytailed and be-mustached douchebags waxing romantic about their special relationship with the poet laureate of delusional drunks. If it's true that nearly everyone goes through a Bukowski phase, this documentary is a useful reminder of why that phase usually comes to an end: It's not the man, nor is it the fact that all his books tend to be essentially the same book; it's the people you have to identify with, the fellow fans, that ruin it every time. However, this film also reminds you that Bukowski was a unique and mighty talent. His poetry in particular betrays wit, emotional depth, and profundity that are all but lost in the idolization of his self-destructive habits. More shameful is the way the abiding tenderness at the bottom of his alcoholic bluster (on and off the page) is obscured by his own image. The archival footage presented here goes a long way toward restoring that tenderness--and a bit of dignity--to a writer whose success has robbed him of both. For all "Hank's" heroic guzzling (often performed, tellingly, for applause) it's the soft lull of his voice and the pointed air of aloneness surrounding his every tale that reach us most effectively. By the time the filmmaker gets around to exploring the savage abuse heaped on the author as a young man--his father beat him daily for six years with a razor strop--the information plays less like an explanation for Bukowski's relentless drunkenness and more like deep background for the rictus of sorrow that smears his face into a blur. (SEAN NELSON) Varsity, Fri-Sun noon, 2:25, 4:45, 7:15, 9:40 pm, Mon-Thurs 7:15, 9:40 pm.

* Car Wash
Employees at an L.A. car wash get all manner of strange clientele. Part of the Richard Pryor: Millenium Brother! series at the Grand Illusion, Fri-Sat 11 pm.

The Decision
A Navy man has to choose between his job/country and his ailing wife. Rendezvous, Sun Aug 1 at 6 pm.

Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Matinee idol Rudolph Valentino stars as a sexy, sexy, draft-dodger. Paramount Theatre, Mon Aug 2 at 7 pm.

Grand Hotel
Greta Garbo and John Barrymore are guests in a very fancy hotel. Movie Legends, Sun Aug 1 at 1 pm.

The Magnificent Seven
"We deal in lead, my friend." Grand Illusion, Weekdays 3:30, 6, 8:30 pm, Sat-Sun 6, 8:30 pm.

Murder in the Red Barn
A 1935 film by Milton Rosmer. Rendezvous, Wed Aug 4 at 7:30 pm.

Some Like it Hot
I have watched this movie a million times and still can't help but split into laughter when Tony Curtis pretends to be a playboy millionaire with a broken heart. Pure genius. (CHARLES MUDEDE) Egyptian, Fri-Sat midnight.

Trailer Camp
Classic movie trailers from the hump decades of the twentieth century. Linda's, Wed Aug 4 at dusk.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
"COOPER, YOU REMIND ME TODAY OF A SMALL MEXICAN CHIHUAHUA!" Seattle Art Museum, Sat July 31 at 7:30 pm.

Unsung
A dark comedy about a karaoke video producer named Bruce, featuring lots of local music. Henry Art Gallery, Sun Aug 1 at 3 pm.

* Waiting for Guffman
"I'd like to make a healthy... low-fat or non-fat... healthy... Blizzard." Fremont Outdoor Movies #2, Sat July 31 at dusk.

* Whale Rider
Audiences at Toronto and Sundance loved this film and so will you, if you like triumphant tales of charismatic youngsters who defy the stoic immobility of old-fashioned patriarchs. I like it because it captures traditional Maori ceremonies and songs on film while also showing that New Zealand is not just a backdrop for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. (SHANNON GEE) U District Outdoor Cinema, Sat July 31 at dusk.

NOW PLAYING


Anchorman (Con)
Why does it always have to end this way? The idea sounds so amusing at first--making fun of a '70s news anchorman (Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy) who takes advice from his dog and drinks and smokes on the set. Add in funny guy cameos from Vince Vaughn, Luke Wilson, and Ben Stiller as rival television personalities, and you already have the pretense for a blockbuster comedy. But whenever there's a Saturday Night Live staffer (or ex-staffer) involved, there's always the chance for the jokes to be extra sluggish, sappy, or flat out stupid, and Anchorman unfortunately chokes on all three. (JENNIFER MAERZ)

* Anchorman (Pro)
I beg to differ. Anchorman is one of the most inspired pieces of comedic surrealism ever to be released in the guise of a mainstream summer movie. Will Ferrell, unmoored from the mediocrity of SNL, has been let loose to create a film whose absurdity extends far beyond the zany '70s fashions you see on the posters. Talking dogs? Extended four-part harmony? Jazz flute? Gang warfare among rival TV journalists? Yes on all counts. And though Ferrell is characteristically hilarious, it's Daily Show regular Steve Coryell who steals the show as the retarded weatherman. (SEAN NELSON)

* Before Sunset
The best romances force you to care unreasonably about their characters, and watching Jesse and Celine reunited, I couldn't help but feel a bittersweet twinge; I was 21 when Before Sunrise was released--just as dreamy and dewy as I could be--and now, nearly a decade later, their return feels like the arrival of beloved, yet somehow forgotten, friends. I fell in love with them then and, as I found out, I'm still in love with them. (BRADLEY STEINBACHER)

* The Bourne Supremacy
The clock is ticking from the very first moment of this outstanding sequel, which meets the unenviable challenge of besting its predecessor, the fantastic Bourne Identity. Amnesiac super spy/assassin Jason Bourne (Matt Damon, who is now as hard as a diamond) comes out of hiding to confront his masters, who, as fate would have it, are already scouring the earth looking for him because they think he murdered some Russians and stole some secrets. And guess what: He did! Just not the Russians they think he killed. Sorry, forget the plot. Remember the dizzying fight scenes, the indefatigable cloak and dagger in which everyone is the smartest person in the room (and Bourne is the smartest of them all), the best car chase ever filmed (fact!). Remember director Paul Greengrass's masterful handheld choreography. Best of all, remember the supporting cast: Brian Cox, Joan Allen, Julia Stiles, Franka Potente, all of whom, along with Damon--whose robotic beauty has never better served a character than this one--help to elevate the Robert Ludlum pulp into a high lowbrow masterpiece. (SEAN NELSON)

Catwoman
So the movie starts out with Halle Berry, Catwoman, setting the scene. She says, "The day that I died was also the day I started to live." Yawn. She also says that prior to becoming a kitty, she and her life were unremarkable. Then the movie goes on to show us how unremarkable she really was? 'Cause we need proof? STUPID. So Halle--er, wait, her name is Patience in the movie--well, she dies. Drowns. But then a cat tongue-kisses her and brings her back to life. People should never tongue-kiss cats. Then she turns into a sassy leather-clad little strumpet and says stuff like "purrrr-fect" and "meow." She fights bad guys, steals motorcycles, saves little kids, and eats sushi. But seriously. Did Catwoman look good to you? It isn't. Halle said in an interview that the role was "empowering." Now that's just embarrassing. (MEGAN SELING)

A Cinderella Story
Speaking of embarassing... (MEGAN SELING)

* Control Room
Like the recent documentary The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Control Room offers us a look from the inside of the other side. Al Jazeera has 40 million viewers in the Arab world, and it shows its part of the world things that the American networks don't show their part of the world. The future may very well recognize Al Jazeera as the first genuinely global institution of the 21st century. (CHARLES MUDEDE)

The Corporation
If I want to spend 145 minutes being told I'm an idiot, I'd rather spend that time in the singles bars. (ANDY SPLETZER)

De-Lovely
De-Lovely is perfumed with preciousness, and ultimately suffers from the self-consciousness of its Hollywood gloss, as well as the difficult-to-swallow progressiveness of its characters. (Oddly enough, the sub rosa insinuation of Cole Porter's homosexuality in the 1946 biopic Night and Day rings much truer to the life one imagines a gay man leading in the '20s and '30s.) Still, the fine performances of Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd diminish the film's more troublesome liberties. (SEAN NELSON)

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
What happened to the good old days, when dodgeball was about throwing a ball at someone's head?

* Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut
Having studied the film carefully a few times, I still can't tell if the plot's weird calculus--what actually happens, to whom, and where, and when--actually adds up to anything more than a semi-random sequence of related but unconnected events. What I can say, however, is that the film resonates with a uniquely American kind of sadness. (SEAN NELSON)

The Door in the Floor
There is a kind of quiet, airy, boring horror in the big houses and windy fields of Long Island. It's a fittingly indulgent (if obvious) setting for this indulgent, obvious movie, The Door in the Floor, a punishing family drama about childhood death and marital disintegration. There is emotional potential here, but everything in The Door in the Floor is so slick-surfaced and impassively executed that you can't bear to keep your eyes on the screen. The movie pretends to be fraught with crippling questions about the distorting nature of love and divorce and desire--Kim Basinger's teenage lover says, "I want to know more about you," and she replies, with a grand emptiness, "You know too much already"--but in tone and visual texture the movie is a lot like an extended instant-coffee commercial. (CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE)

* Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
This is a film that travels far beyond most of our imaginations. It is also one of the most beautifully assembled romances you will ever see. (BRADLEY STEINBACHER)

* Facing Windows
Throughout the film, Ferzan Ozpetek's golden light conveys romance and elegy at once, and several times he brings striking images of great beauty and depth to the screen. The film's opening sequence depicts a bloody handprint fading over time as dawn light illuminates the wall that carries it, moving the narrative forward by 50 years. The handprint faded from the wall but replayed in my mind long after the film's screening. (MIKE WHYBARK)

* Fahrenheit 9/11
Michael Moore is a propagandist, taking the fight to the opposition on their terms, and winning. Because of his motives and his audience, this propagandist is the most important filmmaker we have, and Fahrenheit 9/11 is the best film he's ever made. (SEAN NELSON)

* Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Alfonso Cuarón, who has taken the directing reigns from Chris Columbus this time around, has not turned the Potterheads' god into bullshit. Early word on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was that it was the best of the series, and for once early word was correct; for the first time in the franchise's existence, a film has achieved the level of art. (BRADLEY STEINBACHER)

The Hunting of the President
The Hunting of the President offers very few new insights for those who were paying attention during the right's attempted coup d'état. But then again, it's not really supposed to--a mere 90-minutes long, the film is little more than a quick highlight of the entire debacle, from Gennifer Flowers to Ken Starr, and as such it does what every good documentary should do: immortalizes a series of events, be they positive or, as in the case here, soundly shameful and negative. (BRADLEY STEINBACHER)

I, Robot
Will Smith's seventh summer blockbuster is set in Chicago, which in the year 2035 has quadrupled its number of skyscrapers to become that same gigantic city that has been around since Fritz Lang's Metropolis. In this future world, robots have replaced software and the Internet as the commodity that produces the earth's richest man. In the first part of the movie, Will Smith is basically a blade runner in a society that doesn't want blade runners; in the next half of the film, he is blade runner in a society that desperately needs a blade runner--a talented robot killer. The movie is not bad or good; it is what it is--a big summer movie with lots of special effects. (CHARLES MUDEDE)

King Arthur
Though the film is basically crap, it's tremendously entertaining and engaging crap: beautifully photographed, edited with masterful precision, and peopled by actors (Clive Owen, Ray Winstone, Stellan Skarsg'rd) whom I would walk a mile to see stuffing envelopes. (SEAN NELSON)

* Napoleon Dynamite
In this charming new film, 24-year-old writer/ director Jared Hess mines the nebulous area between popular chic and weirdo freak, where outcast attributes are both quality, subtle comedy, and a charmingly dark part of our collective high-school unconscious. (JENNIFER MAERZ)

The Notebook
A weepy, obvious, and painfully unromantic romance. (BRADLEY STEINBACHER)

* Riding Giants
This fascinating exploration of the culture of big-wave surfing by the director of the skateboarding documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys is distinguished first by the quality of its footage. I have no idea how Stacy Peralta and his crew managed to get on top of the water the way they do, but the actual surfing in this movie is heroic. Your heart rises and your breath leaves you as the surfers take on waves of 20, 30, 80 feet, waves that could easily kill them, then go back for more, then go back again. I promise that you have never seen anything like Laird Hamilton's climactic ride in this film. You have also never seen anything like the respect that is afforded the surfers in Riding Giants. Instead of the usual stereotype of dumb, quasi-mystical hunks, Peralta offers his subjects up as athletes and innovators. At times, he fails to obscure their dumb, quasi-mystical tendencies (Jeff Clarke calls the ocean his "saltwater church"), but then you see them ride and have no choice but to bow down. (SEAN NELSON)

Sacred Planet
No one who has graduated from the fifth grade ever goes to see IMAX movies. So I can't imagine that it's worth my time to tell you about the latest IMAX addition, Sacred Planet, because what do you care? You don't want to go see a beautifully filmed educational movie showing some of the most breathtaking areas of the world (like Namibia, Thailand, and Borneo). (MEGAN SELING)

Saved!
This film knows exactly what it is--a teen flick with a humanist agenda--and Brian Dannelly picks his battles to suit his aims. Even with its too-pat ending (complete with syrupy underscoring--a duet of Brian Wilson's "God Only Knows" sung by Mandy Moore and Michael Stipe, one of the film's producers), Saved! closes with a tableau that will leave unreformed fundamentalists gaping in horror. Score one for the good guys. (DAVID SCHMADER)

Spider-man 2
Going into a Spider-Man film we surely expect the spectacular, but even the spectacular has limits. All films, even fantasy ones, need to at least touch upon reality. It can be the lightest of touches, but there must be substance there for us to grab onto--otherwise, why should we bother watching? In Sam Raimi's vision of Spider-Man, however, his normally manic camera joins with CGI to create a work that is often completely fraudulent. (BRADLEY STEINBACHER)

The Stepford Wives
This bright and shiny new millennium edition not only completely changes the ending, it's also too campy, two-dimensional, and sanitized for what was a very chilling portrait of domination and control in a sci-fi war of the sexes. (JENNIFER MAERZ)

The Story of the Weeping Camel
Set in modern Mongolia, The Story of the Weeping Camel has two plots: one concerns humans, the other camels. The human side is about a nomadic family that, one day, happens to be in need of something from the city (batteries, I think). The family elders decide to send two boys to the city to buy this needed thing. The boys travel on camels, arrive in the city, and while looking for this thing (maybe it's not batteries, but a violin), they discover the pleasures of television. The human plot ends with the boys erecting a satellite dish next to their family's yurt. Considerably less interesting than the human plot, the camel plot concerns a mother camel who rejects her baby camel. The baby wants mommy to feed her but mommy refuses to open her legs and feed the starving baby. If the mother were not a camel then one would understand why she wouldn't want that ugly little creature sucking on her breasts. But she is a camel, and all camels are ugly--her rejection of her baby makes no sense at all. (CHARLES MUDEDE)

* Super Size Me
It is uncannily hard to watch the preparatory stages of Morgan Spurlock's diet experiment in Super Size Me, the stage during which he visits doctors and nutritionists who calibrate, in every thinkable way, the ways in which he is perfectly healthy. Watching this man--all happy, puppyish energy and handlebar mustache--prepare to throw himself under the wheels of the fast-food juggernaut has the eerie air of readying for sacrifice. Why would a person do such a thing? Don't we all know that fast food is bad for us? Well, apparently we don't know, or didn't know, precisely the horrifying extent. And lest you think that this film is only for Fast Food Nation types, that it's aimed only at those who already have the information, remember that Spurlock put his own body on the line to get your attention. That's why he did it. He did it for you. (EMILY HALL)

The Terminal
If an army of critics line up to heap praise upon Steven Spielberg's The Terminal, as early Internet firings hint that they will, then something has gone terribly wrong in the world. This is easily the worst film of Spielberg's career, surpassing even blemishes like Always, Hook, and A.I. (BRADLEY STEINBACHER)

Troy
Bland, but pretty--a fairly solid description of Troy on the whole. (BRADLEY STEINBACHER)

* The Twilight Samurai
Twilight Samurai stands out because it takes the samurai genre out of the semi-mythic setting that Western audiences are used to. It depicts the unglamorous daily routine of a samurai who doesn't actually do much fighting, even if he does always carry his sword on his belt. Seibei Iguchi (Hiroyuki Sanada), the twilight samurai himself, embodies the opposite of nearly everything Japanese society values in its males, then and now. Iguchi is an ideal family man, who loves his family in ways that his fellow samurai don't understand. (ADAM HART)

What the #$*! Do We Know?!
I never got around to figuring out what a quantum leap is, but now I think I know: It's when you make a short jump from quantum mechanics to New Age self-help kookiness. That's what happens in this ungainly, inane film, which purports to be about quantum physics but is really about the power of positive thinking, with a midlife-crisis plot (starring Marlee Matlin) and some childish cartoon figures and a series of talking heads who can't stop using the word "paradigm." (EMILY HALL)

Word Wars
It's a shame that the narrative of this documentary is so frequently disrupted by shoddy computer graphics and unfunny jokes by the directors, because the subject (and these four subjects in particular) is fascinating. (CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE)