LIMITED RUN


2005 Academy Award-Nominated Shorts
This year's Academy Award-winning short subjects are not quite what you'd expect the skittish, stodgy Academy to endorse. The animated winner, Ryan, is a fucked up documentary about Ryan Larkin, who was a massively influential animator in the 1970s but has spent the last thirty years drunk, strung out, homeless, or some combination of the three. Images from a live-action interview are artificially rotted out, garish flourishes are strewn everywhere, and the resulting mess is the exact opposite of slick. But it's still flashy computer animation--which, of course, still looks crude next excerpts from Larkin's beautiful film--and you can't help but get the feeling that a straightforward doc might have told Larkin's story with more sensitivity and pathos. The actual doc winner, meanwhile, is a rousing tribute to the school kids who participated in the 1963 Children's March in Birmingham, Alabama. Mighty Times: The Children's March also incorporates fictional elements, which is incredibly frustrating given that real photographic evidence of children being sprayed by fire hoses is what ultimately compelled President Kennedy to intervene. Wasp, the winning entry in the live action short category, is easily the most distressing example of fictional child abuse since Bastard Out of Carolina. It's hard to know how to respond. The film is certainly affecting, but to what end? Haven't we all heard enough about what terrible mothers poor women make? (ANNIE WAGNER) All programs screen at Northwest Film Forum. Animation and Live-Action Shorts: Fri-Thurs at 7, 9 pm. Documentaries Program 1 (w/ Children of Leningradsky, Mighty Times: The Children's March, and Hardwood), Fri-Sun 7 pm, Mon-Thurs 9 pm. Documentaries Program 2 (w/ Autism Is a World and Sister Rose's Passion): Fri-Sun 9:15 pm, Mon-Thurs 7:15 pm.

Aliens
"All right people, what are you waiting for? Breakfast in bed? Another glorious day in the Corps! A day in the Marine Corps is like a day on the farm. Every meal's a banquet! Every paycheck a fortune! Every formation a parade! I love the Corps!" Egyptian, Fri-Sat midnight.

The American Astronaut
At times discernibly a parody of '50s Westerns, sci-fi flicks, and musicals, Astronaut often veers off into uncharted, deeply perplexing territory. Watching a rubber-suited Samuel sing "The Girl with the Vagina Made of Glass" to a pasture full of beautiful Southern belles as they zealously guard their mummified lover is both hilarious and haunting. (TAMARA PARIS) DVD release party, Rendezvous, Tues March 15 at 7 pm.

The Battle of Chile
Patricio Guzman's famous documentary about the overthrow of the Allende govenment by General Augusto Pinochet. Consolidated Works, Fri-Sat 8 pm.

The Debut
The first major feature to treat the Filipino-American experience and aggressively court Filipino viewers, The Debut is a decent coming-of-age story with an engaging cast and a great dance sequence. The story is rather predictable: Ben, an aspiring animator, has enrolled in a fine arts college and must break the news to his father, who is certain that his son is destined for medical school. This conflict is staged and complicated at Ben's sister's 18th birthday party (the eponymous "debut"). As a director, Gene Cajayon could have pulled the reins on the excessive emoting of some of his younger actors, but his movie is serviceable enough. (ANNIE WAGNER) Allen Auditorium, UW campus, Thurs March 10 at 6:30 pm.

The End of Suburbia
A documentary about the depletion of world oil reserves. 911 Media Arts, Thurs March 10 at 7 pm.

Lovesick
A film by Cambodian-American director Sam Lorn, about a young woman forced to marry a man she doesn't know. UW Ethnic Cultural Theater, Sat March 12 at 6 pm.

Magic Lantern Talks: Robert Horton and Joseph Park
Film critic Robert Horton talks with artist Joseph Park about the influence of films and television on his work. Frye Art Museum, Sun March 13 at 2 pm.

Monster Mayhem
A compilation of monster scenes from the '40s, '50s, '60s, and '70s. Grand Illusion, Fri-Sat 11 pm.

Nobody Knows
Kids in cinematic jeopardy have traditionally been a bit of a cheap, sure-fire shot for filmmakers looking to spice up their melodrama. Nobody Knows, a new film from Japan, takes the scenario to such wrenching extremes that it's hard to imagine the subject ever being touched on lightly again. Based on actual events, the narrative follows four children as they are, by turns, transported by suitcase, forbidden to leave their two-room apartment, and ultimately abandoned by their mother (J-Pop star You, an aging Hello Kitty monster with the voice of Minnie Mouse). Left on their own with a dwindling supply of money, the kids, ages 5-10, spend six months staving off boredom, hunger, and neglect in their increasingly filthy home. Sadly, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are nowhere to be seen to lighten the mood. Writer/director Hirokazu Kore-eda's knowingly repetitious, minutely detailed approach to his subjects' deepening plight, filmed in what feels like real time, may occasionally plod, yet yields shattering dividends, to the point where the brief sight of a simple crayon doodle on a long overdue gas bill can bum you out for days afterwards. He also wrangles astonishing performances from his untrained actors, with nary a calculated moment to be found. Its 141 minutes are not an easy view by any stretch of the imagination, but the final devastating results aren't far from a masterpiece. (ANDREW WRIGHT) Varsity, Fri-Sun 1:50, 4:50, 8 pm, Mon-Thurs 8 pm.

Peeping Tom
SAM's Michael Powell series concludes with this controversial thriller about a voyeur (Carl Boehm) who films women as he murders them. Seattle Art Museum, Thurs March 10 at 7:30 pm.

Prime Cut
See Stranger Suggests. Northwest Film Forum, Fri-Sat 11 pm.

Rooftop Shorts
A shorts program from Brooklyn-based underground film collective Rooftop Films. 911 Media Arts, Thurs March 17 at 7 pm.

Scaramouche
A 1953 film about duels and revenge in the days of the French Revolution. Movie Legends, Sun March 13 at 1 pm.

Seattle Jewish Film Festival
See review this issue. Several venues, see www.seattlejewishfilmfestival.org for schedule and details. Series continues through March 20.

Speak Out: I Had an Abortion
A documentary about women's abortion experinces, hosted by Aradia Women's Health Center. Capitol Hill Arts Center (Lower Level), Thurs March 10, 6-9 pm.

A Talking Picture
A 2003 film by Manoela de Oliveira (I'm Going Home) about a history professor and her 7-year-old daughter, who are sailing from Portugal to Bombay. Grand Illusion, Weekdays 7, 9 pm, Sat-Sun 3, 5, 7, 9 pm.

The Yes Men
This documentary follows two culture jammers as they plot out a series of increasingly absurd theatrical stunts. Seeing the way their absurdities play with the credulous corporate audiences is fairly amusing, and the lengths they go toward pulling the wool over people's eyes is admirable. The only problem is that the film, directed by the team responsible for the brilliant American Movie, is equally credulous, which makes the activism feel cloying and self-satisfied. (SEAN NELSON) West Seattle Public Library, Sun March 13 at 2 pm.

NOW PLAYING
The Aviator

Scorsese attempts to cover up the lack of depth in The Aviator by focusing heavily on both Hughes' love life as well as his daring in the skies, but no matter how many romantic entanglements and spectacular crashes we see, the film itself remains superficial. (BRADLEY STEINBACHER)

Bad Education
Bad Education announces itself with a rich melodramatic subject--Catholic clergy sex abuse--only to reject all predictable conflict for an emotional and thematic territory all its own. (DAVID SCHMADER)

Be Cool
A movie exec (John Travolta) tries his hand in music and (what else?) meets a girl (Uma Thurman) along the way.

Born Into Brothels
Rare is the documentary that feels too short, but this wrenching, multiple award-winning look at kids growing up within the squalid red-light sector of India begs out for a more detailed exploration. (ANDREW WRIGHT)

Bride & Prejudice
Bride & Prejudice--even the title makes me simultaneously cringe and cackle--is shorter than you'd expect, some of the colors in that big party scene look a bit washed out, and a certain character bears an unmistakable resemblance to Ali G. But who cares? (ANNIE WAGNER)

Constantine
As crackpot Catholicism goes, Constantine ain't half bad--in fact, I enjoyed it far more than I expected. Keanu Reeves may struggle mightily during some of the quiet moments (if Latin wasn't already a dead language, he'd surely kill it), but his stumbles are more than made up for by the always welcome presence of Rachel Weisz. (BRADLEY STEINBACHER)

Cursed
A werewolf movie by Wes Craven.

Dear Frankie
See review this issue.

Diary of a Mad Black Woman
Diary of a Mad Black Woman flouts critical scrutiny so flagrantly that it feels redundant to call it a bad movie. (ANNIE WAGNER)

Downfall
See review this issue.

Gunner Palace
See review this issue.

Hitch
For the most part, the movie is dull because Smith plays a playa (a man who has all the right moves). It's only late in the film where things turn lively, as Smith finally wakes up and begins to do more of what he always did when he was as a teen rapper and a '90s TV star: comedy. (CHARLES MUDEDE)

Hostage
Bruce Willis is a retired hostage negotiator who has to buff up his old skills in a neighborhood convenience store.

Hotel Rwanda
Hotel Rwanda isn't a great film in terms of photography or casting (many of the extras do not look like Hutus or Tutsis). It's a film held up entirely by Don Cheadle. (CHARLES MUDEDE)

In the Realms of the Unreal
Jessica Yu's multifaceted documentary manages to be several things at once: a biography of the reclusive outsider artist Henry Darger, an art analysis, and--in animated segments--an adaptation of his work. (NATE LIPPENS)

The Jacket
The Jacket, an impressively pedigreed jaunt through the future past, starts out like a ball of jittery fire, with some jarring imagery and an admirable vibe of freeform anxiety, but becomes increasingly, distressingly square as it nears the homestretch. As much as it monkeys around with the timestream, it can't quite shake a general air of narrative déjá vu. (ANDREW WRIGHT)

Man of the House
A movie about a sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) who is entrusted with the lives of some vulnerable cheerleaders.

Million Dollar Baby
As sappy and Lifetime-y as the plot sounds, Clint Eastwood's skill with the performers keeps Million Dollar Baby afloat. Both Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman deliver graceful turns that mesh perfectly with Eastwood's grave brooding, and by the time the film takes a brutally tragic turn you can't help but find yourself yanked along emotionally. (BRADLEY STEINBACHER)

Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior
Whatever Tony Jaa may lack in charisma, he more than makes up for in utter and total bodily self-disregard; he delivers a constant stream of suicidally crazy-legged stunts that would make the Jackass crew reach for their Blue Cross cards. (ANDREW WRIGHT)

The Pacifier
Vin Diesel belongs as a villain, not as a Navy Seal who moves in with a suburban family (the specifics are unnecessary; all you need to know is that the plot, such as it is, is utterly idiotic), and despite his game efforts The Pacifier is painfully inept. (BRADLEY STEINBACHER)

The Passion Recut
Mel Gibson's Catholic snuff film gets kid friendly! (BRADLEY STEINBACHER)

Robots
See review this issue.

The Sea Inside
The movie is admirable and unsparing, and it's a departure for Alejandro Amenábar, a director who's only ever made thrillers and ghost stories. Still, it suffers under the weight of unrelenting ruin. (CHRISTOPHER FRIZZELLE)

Sideways
Blessed with pitch-perfect performances, especially by Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church, Sideways is a slight film, to be sure, but it's also one of Alexander Payne's least snide efforts. (BRADLEY STEINBACHER)

Up and Down
See review this issue.

A Very Long Engagement
I'm not saying it isn't corny. What I'm saying is that it's a fantastic movie, and unless you're the stated enemy of life and all that makes it worth living, you'll probably fall for it. (SEAN NELSON)