MISS JULIE-Various theaters

NOT ONE LESS-Varsity Calendar

REINDEER GAMES-Pacific Place, Metro, others

WONDER BOYS-Various theaters

BEST OF BRITISH FILM-Seattle Art Museum

COMPOSERS OF THE CINEMA-Benaroya Hall

ELECTION-Egyptian

FESTIVAL OF FAMILY FILMS FROM ASIA-Seattle Asian Art Museum

FOR EVER MOZART-Little Theatre

THE HISTORY OF ANIME-911 Media Arts

HOU HSIAO-HSIEN RETROSPECTIVE-Grand Illusion

IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK 2-King Cat Theater

IKIRU-Grand Illusion

INDEPENDENT EXPOSURE-Speakeasy

THE INTERVIEW-Varsity Calendar

KESTREL'S EYE-Grand Illusion

OUTSIDE IN: NEW CHINESE FILM-Henry Art Gallery Auditorium

SHORT ATTENTION SPAN CINEMA-Grand Illusion

WAX, OR THE DISCOVERY OF TELEVISION AMONG THE BEES-Little Theatre

March 3-The Next Best Thing, A Map of the World, What Planet Are You From?, Beautiful People, Chain of Fools, Agnes Brown, Drowning Mona, Deterrence, Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train

March 10-Mission to Mars, The Closer You Get, Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai, O, Onegin, X

Alaska: Spirit of the Wild
More of a nature documentary than a ghost story. Omnidome

*All About My Mother
Pedro Almodovar's highly acclaimed new film, a mature look at women (with the obligatory drag queen). Harvard Exit

Amazon
An IMAX examination of the lush forests and exotic animals of the Amazon river basin. Omnidome

American Beauty
Entertaining fluff. Take your typical suburban satire (midlife crisis, bitchy wife, disaffected youth), throw in some admittedly excellent performances, and what you get is the front-runner in this year's Oscar race. (Andy Spletzer) Aurora Cinema Grill, Factoria, Grand Alderwood, Lewis & Clark, Pacific Place 11, Redmond Town Center, Seven Gables

Angela's Ashes
Depressing story about Frank McCourt's depressing life, without the happy ending of a major book deal and subsequent movie. Starring Roberty Carlyle and Emily Watson. Meridian 16, Metro

The Beach
Richard (Leonardo DiCaprio) and a French couple swim (yes, swim) to an island paradise in the Thailand sea and learn the hard way that paradise is easier to envision than to actually create. They end up with the most pristine group of willing castaways you've ever seen (no lingering illnesses or insect bites), and in their attempt to get away from it all still can't escape that ol' bugaboo, sexual jealousy. Pluses: DiCaprio's descent into the heart of darkness. Minuses: Next to no gratuitous nudity. Would probably improve if you slugged down a few Mai Tais before viewing. (Gillian G. Gaar) Factoria, Lewis & Clark, Meridian 16, Neptune, Oak Tree, Redmond Town Center

*Being John Malkovich
It's the best film of 1999 and it has a monkey in it. Coincidence? We don't think so. Meridian 16, Varsity

BEST OF BRITISH FILM
SAM's series of British comedies and dramas continues with The Importance of Being Earnest (1952), Anthony Asquith's film version of Oscar Wilde's famous identity mix-up play (Thurs Feb 24 at 7:30); the following week it's David Lean's Breaking the Sound Barrier (1952), starring Ralph Richardson and Nigel Patrick (Thurs March 2 at 7:30). Call 625-8900 for more info. Seattle Art Museum

The Big Tease
The boss from The Drew Carey Show makes a movie where he plays a Scottish hairdresser. What was he thinking? Broadway Market

Boiler Room
The Boiler Room is about a modern-day con game: selling phony stock. This isn't The Sting, though, where the fun was as much in playing the game as in making the cash. These glorified frat-boys aren't smart enough for that; they don't even know they're just as much of a mark as the losers they pitch stock to (none are as charming as Paul Newman or Robert Redford, either). As long as they've got the cash to booze it up on weekends and talk about their future Ferraris, they're happy. The Boiler Room is best when it sticks to examining this brawling, testosterone-stuffed world (the crew shouts out lines while watching Wall Street on video, as if they're at a Rocky Horror Picture Show screening); but the troubled father-son relationship and completely superfluous romance are irritating distractions. And for all its hair-pulling, it's hard to tell if the underlying lesson gets through to anyone. (Gillian G. Gaar) Meridian 16, Metro, Redmond Town Center

Boys Don't Cry
Bellingham native Hilary Swank deserves every accolade she's received for her portrayal of Brandon Teena, a boy born in a girl's body who was killed by hateful people who couldn't, or just wouldn't, understand that. Broadway Market

The Cider House Rules
Based on the John Irving novel, a period piece about life and abortion. Guild 45th, Uptown

Composers of the Cinema
Behind-the-scenes film composers are in the spotlight as the Seattle Choral Company & Orchestra presents an evening of cinematic serenading, with performances of classical movie soundtracks. Highlights include themes from Doctor Zhivago, Henry V, The Abyss, Amistad, and Conan the Barbarian. Sergei Prokofieff's suite from Alexander Nevsky (1938) will headline the evening's symphonic repertory. Sat Feb 26 at 8; tickets $15-$30, call 215-4747. Benaroya Hall

The Cup
Writer/director/revered incarnate lama Khyentse Norbu's debut effort tells the true-life story of Tibetan Buddhist monks who become obsessed with championship soccer, in a film that is remarkably free of "fish out of water" gags. Occasionally (perhaps deliberately) slow-paced, its main success is in its depiction of the creeping influence of the West on an ancient culture struggling to maintain its traditions: Young monks neglect their studies in favor of contraband magazines and World Cup predictions, to the growing concern of temple elders. While The Cup is at times sluggish, Norbu deserves credit for his portrayal of monastic life as a thoroughly human experience, deflating the stereotypical incense-and-sandals mysticism so often romanticized by Tibetan Freedom Concert-attending college students-though how he resisted a brief cameo by Rodney Dangerfield as a wisecracking, hapless soccer coach is beyond me. (Jason Pagano) Broadway Market

Diamonds
Post-stroke Kirk Douglas as a post-stroke boxer on a "wild" road trip, coming to terms with his mortality, his alienated son (putzy Dan Aykroyd), and a bland grandson (Corbin Allred) who uses words like "phat." Director John Asher and screenwriter Allan Aaron Katz run out of imagination after about five minutes. Douglas is remarkably vanity-free and ready to go, but no amount of fighting spirit can defeat this lumbering behemoth. (Steve Wiecking) Meridian 16

*Election
A late-night screening of this budding cult classic, with Reese Witherspoon as the infuriatingly perfect high school student who runs for student body president and wrecks her teacher's (poor schlumpy Matthew Broderick) life in the process. Fri-Sat Feb 25-26 at midnight. Egyptian

The Eruption of Mount St. Helens
The mountain blew up in 1980, and has been blowing up on film ever since. Omnidome

Fantasia 2000
The latest Walt Disney sweeping-animation-and- classical-music extravaganza, this time in thrilling 3D. Bring your own mind-altering substances. Pacific Science Center

Festival of Family Films from Asia
A series of films suitable for the whole family from Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea, and India. This week's program, "Alligators, Grandmas, and Ghosts!" features an animated Japanese short (Your Choice) about an ailing alligator; and an 80-minute film (Grandma and her Ghosts) which follows a little Taiwanese boy's adventures and run-ins with spirits at his grandmother's house throughout Chinese "ghost month." In Mandarin with English subtitles. Sat Feb 26 at 1:30, $3. Seattle Asian Art Museum

For Ever Mozart
(1997) Jean-Luc Godard's "fast-paced intellectual vaudeville" cinema contains various historical scenarios and musical metaphors "with graceful philosophical reflections." See also Stranger Suggests; Thurs-Sun Feb 24-27 at 5:30, 7:30, 9:30. Little Theatre

Galaxy Quest
The cast of a Star Trek-like show are recruited by a (presumably good) alien race to save them from a (presumably bad) alien race. Grand Alderwood, Lewis & Clark, Meridian 16, Metro, Oak Tree, Redmond Town Center

Girl, Interrupted
Suicidal Susanna (Winona Ryder) is sent to a mental institution where she learns a bit about how self-involved she's been in her young life. The movie is set in the late '60s, so people smoke a lot. Also starring Angelina Jolie as a very social sociopath. Meridian 16, Metro

The Green Mile
Tom Hanks' death row is forever changed when a magical prisoner is admitted. Pacific Place 11

Gun Shy
Basically, Analyze This with more poop and fart jokes. Meridian 16

Hanging Up
Meg Ryan, Lisa Kudrow, and Diane Keaton are three sisters who love (and sometimes hate) one another. Walter Mathau is their crazy, sex-craved father! Factoria, Grand Alderwood, Guild 45th, Oak Tree, Pacific Place 11

The History of Anime
In conjunction with SakuraCon (an anime convention) at the end of March, 911's lecture and media presentation-given by experts Isaac Alexander and Daniel Harrison-will cover the rise, growth, and complete mania (i.e. Pokémon) of Japanese animation. See also Stranger Suggests; Fri Feb 25 at 8, $5. 911 Media Arts

*Holy Smoke
Ruth (Kate Winslet), on vacation from her dreary Australian suburb, is in India and having a grand time with her friend, jostling through crowds, dancing at parties, and sampling the food. She attends the religious service of a guru, and falls head over heels into it. Her family fears she's been brainwashed, so they force Ruth into meeting with cult deprogrammer P. J. Waters (Harvey Keitel), flown in from America at great expense. Inevitably, sex becomes a way to balance their power relationship. The two leads deserve credit for such brave, honest performances-Keitel especially, tackling a much more dangerous role than the tortured souls and psychopaths he's famous for, by sending up his own persona. But save most of the praise for director Jane Campion, once again pushing everything to its bitter conclusion and then, surprisingly but coherently, going past even that. (Bruce Reid) Harvard Exit

*HOU HSIAO-HSIEN RETROSPECTIVE
Recognized worldwide as one of the "giants of the modern cinema," Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien is admired for his precise, spiritual filmmaking, rich narratives and characters, and examination of Taiwan's unique and turbulent history. The Grand Illusion's weekend matinee series continues with the last installment of Hou's Sadness Trilogy, Good Men, Good Women (1994), in which a Taiwanese movie actress struggles with leaving her sordid past (as a ganster's mistress) behind her. Sat-Sun Feb 26-27 at noon. Grand Illusion

The Hurricane
This movie is based on the true story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, a star boxer who was framed for multiple murders. The only interesting take this film has on his story is that it shamelessly portrays white Canadians as morally superior to their barbarian, gun-toting brethren south of the border-a myth they have treasured since the days of slavery. (Charles Mudede) Factoria, Grand Alderwood, Meridian 16, Metro, Oak Tree

If These Walls Could Talk 2
See it before it airs on HBO! The Seattle premiere of If These Walls Could Talk 2 deals with three decades of lesbianism between different couples in the same house, and the challenges and resistant societies all the women face. The all-star cast includes Sharon Stone, Ellen DeGeneres, and indie teen queen Chloë Sevigny (in a very different role than the one she played in Boys Don't Cry). The screening is emceed by comic/actress Lisa Koch, features live music from Ranch Romance, and benefits Gilda's Club, a support group for cancer victims and their families. Now if only HBO would do "premiere screenings" for Sex and the City. Thurs March 2 at 7:30; donation. King Cat Theater

Ikiru
Akira "Cinema God" Kurosawa's 1952 masterpiece about a quiet, low-level bureaucrat (Takashi Shimura) who finds out he only has six months to live. After briefly drowning in alcohol and depression, he picks himself up, redirects his energy, and ekes out a path to discover the true meaning of life. See Stranger Suggests; Fri-Thurs Feb 25-March 2 at (Sat-Sun 3), 6, 8:45. Grand Illusion

Independent Exposure
It appears that the hyperactive editing style beloved for years by makers of short films is currently on the wane; this month's edition of Independent Exposure features mostly slow, almost stately pacing. This is not a guarantee of quality-M. Frank's Purgatory and Daniel Lawrence's Vigilance are just dull, though the former is an impressive technical achievement-but in general it's a move I welcome, preferring contemplation over sensation. Jessica Joy Wise's False Creek is a lovely effort at mapping the human body, Geoff Paracka's Fire Hydrant is a well-structured look at one man's life, and while Andrew Carnwath's Greater Than Half is too long by about half, its situation is original and some moments are wonderfully disgusting. And for those who must have rapid montage, there's Evan Mather's hilarious, frenetic Buena Vista Fight Club, which is even better than it sounds. Thurs Feb 24 at 7:30, $4. (Bruce Reid) Speakeasy

*The Insider
Another chance to catch this Oscar-nominated film that slams Mike Wallace and 60 Minutes. City Centre

The Interview
Another Australian film, so of course it's not nearly as clever as it thinks it is. This guy we're supposed to think is innocent gets pulled in by the cops and we learn-surprise! surprise!-that he may be guilty after all! Dumb movie. Thurs Feb 24 at 4:40, 7, 9:20. (Andy Spletzer) Varsity Calendar

Island of the Sharks
Them there's SHARKS on the IMAX screen! Swim with the fishes at your peril. Pacific Science Center

Kestrel's Eye
A Swedish producer/director/photographer contemplates life, human existence, and overall perspective by turning the tables on the traditional "nature documentary" format: In this film, the birds are the ones observing the Homo sapiens' behavior and habitat. Thurs Feb 24 at 5, 7, 9. Grand Illusion

Magnolia
In a cinematically fun package, Paul Thomas Anderson weaves together the story of eight generic characters. At three hours, the movie is way too long, particularly when it stops to try and flesh out the "characters," but some of the showy visuals make this movie worthwhile. (Andy Spletzer) Metro, Uptown

*Mr. Death
Fred A. Leuchter Jr. is an odd-looking chap who is "a self-styled execution technologist"-meaning he repairs and improves the death machines used by our prison system. After establishing himself as the number-one death expert in America, he was asked by a Toronto neo-Nazi (Ernst Zündel) to prove or disprove the known truth that hundreds of thousands of Jews were gassed at Auschwitz. It is a fool's task, a project only a man bloated by the pride (or delusion) of having defeated death would even think to undertake. Once confronted with evil at this scale, Leuchter finally reaches the limits of his illusion. It is now time to fall, and Errol Morris makes sure he falls hard; harder than poor, prideful Icarus fell when he flew too close to the sun. In the end, Errol Morris manages to get even closer to the center of his primary concerns-death, the nature of evil, and self-deception. This is why Mr. Death stands out as one of his best films. (Charles Mudede) Varsity

Not One Less
Chinese director Zhang Yimou's (Raise the Red Lantern, To Live) story of a young schoolgirl left in charge of her entire class when their teacher leaves for a long trip. Mischief, obstacles, and interesting journeys ensue. Fri-Thurs Feb 25-March 2 at (Sat-Sun 2:20), 4:40, 7, 9:20. Reviewed this issue. Varsity Calendar

Olympic Glory
International athletes and adrenaline junkies show off their skills and defy gravity at the 1998 Winter Olympics at Nagano. Omnidome

*OUTSIDE IN: NEW CHINESE FILM
This series of modern/avant-garde Chinese films continues with a Wayne Wang double feature: Chan Is Missing, about the quest for cultural identity in San Francisco's Chinatown; and Blue in the Face, Wang's improv ensemble flick about a day in the life of a Brooklyn smokeshop (Thurs Feb 24 at 7:30, $6). Henry Art Gallery Auditorium

*Pitch Black
The best science fiction drops you into the middle of a story, a world, and lets you figure out the parameters for yourself. Pitch Black starts out like great science fiction by dropping you onto a planet by means of a rather exciting crash of a passenger ship (which, of course, is also transporting a dangerous criminal). We learn that the planet has three suns, so it is never dark. All the equipment from a mysteriously deserted colony runs on solar power. Ah, but an eclipse is coming, and the creatures that live underground, the ones that can't stand the light, will once again have free reign over the planet's surface, and will once again kill everything and everyone they find. The movie is actually pretty smart-until near the end when the filmmakers lose track of just how much light upsets these creatures, and when a couple of characters go from being complex to just being confused. Then again, those are minor flaws in a good genre picture. (Andy Spletzer) Grand Alderwood, Pacific Place 11, Southcenter

*Rear Window
Hitchcock's Rear Window stands as perhaps the greatest film whose subject is film itself: sitting in the dark, watching stories play out on a screen/through a window. Now it has had a complete restoration by Robert Harris and James Katz-the same pair who cleaned up Vertigo a few years back, but foolishly "re-Foleyed" the soundtrack, resulting in egregiously loud sound effects that distracted from the film. Fortunately they commit no missteps here; Rear Window's meticulous soundtrack has merely been cleaned up and left in its original brilliance, while the picture's Technicolor seems as fresh as newly applied paint-the rosy Manhattan sunset and Grace Kelly's ivory skin becoming especially luminous. Until Thurs March 2 at (Sat-Sun 2), 4:30, 7, 9:30. (Bruce Reid) Egyptian

Reindeer Games
Ben Affleck and Charlize Theron are on the run. 'Nuff said. Reviewed this issue. Factoria, Metro, Oak Tree, Pacific Place 11, Redmond Town Center

Scream 3
The trilogy ends with a whimper, but at least it's funny. Grand Alderwood, Lewis & Clark, Metro, Pacific Place 11

Short Attention Span Cinema
Part II of the Grand Illusion's late-night "Basement Series" consists of wacky trailers from Gummo, Our Man Flint, Reefer Madness, and others; vintage (and corny) news reels from the '50s; and an old pro-liquor, industry-sponsored propaganda-er, public service announcement clip. See also Stranger Suggests; Fri-Sat Feb 25-26 at 11:15. Grand Illusion

*The Sixth Sense
A little boy sees dead people while Bruce Willis sees his marriage disintegrate. Grand Alderwood, Meridian 16

Stuart Little
A well-dressed mouse (voice of Michael J. Fox) is adopted by a family. Really, what more do you need? Lewis & Clark, Meridian 16

The Talented Mr. Ripley
Matt Damon is typecast as a loveable psychopath who falls in love with the life of Dickie Green-wood (played by the fantastic Jude Law). Aurora Cinema Grill, Meridian, 16, Metro, Redmond Town Center

The Tigger Movie
From the fever dreams of Christopher Robin comes this movie about a maniac tigger who gets into all kinds of trouble. Meridian 16, Metro, Redmond Town Center

Titus
Movie based on the early, violent play by William Shakespeare, with plenty of scenery chewed by Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange. (Steve Wiecking) Cine-rama

*Topsy-Turvy
Director Mike Leigh takes his flair for social realism and points it straight at the Victorian struggles of mediocre artists/ high-minded entertainers, Gilbert and Sullivan. Broadway Market

*Toy Story 2
The second-highest-gros- sing animated film of all time (behind The Lion King). Woody and Buzz take on issues of death and collectability. Meridian 16

Wax, or The Discovery of Television Among the Bees
David Blair's quirky piece about a man obsessed with weapons guidance design and beekeeping. When his bees drill a hole in his head and insert a TV camera, his entire world unfurls into a hallucinatory reality....The first feature film ever shown on the Internet (in 1993), with a cameo by William S. Burroughs. Thurs-Sat March 2-4 at 5:30, 7:30, 9:30. Little Theatre

The Whole Nine Yards
It's always been a notorious win, but the undersized comic performances in Jonathan Lynn's latest belabored comedy make you long for the assured farcical bravado that clinched an Oscar for Marisa Tomei in his otherwise clumsy My Cousin Vinny. The actors here are simply lazily grinning, with the idea that they could never be mistaken for people so silly. Lynn never achieves any bounce in his films, and this movie, with a weak script by Mitchell Kapner, hauls out its comedy rather than encouraging its quirks to pop out and surprise you. Matthew Perry, still merely sitcom-ready, befriends next door neighbor Bruce Willis, an infamous hit man on the lam, who involves nebbish dentist Perry in a complex plan to save his skin. Expect lots of lines on the order of "It won't kill you." Ha ha. Awful editing kills whatever could have worked (not much), and Willis is just aloof and coasting. It's best to leave Rosanna Arquette's turn as Perry's French Canadian wife out of the discussion altogether. (Steve Wiecking) Factoria, Grand Alderwood, Metro, Northgate, Pacific Place 11

Wonder Boys
Curtis Hanson's follow-up to his brilliant L.A. Confidential. Starring Michael Douglas and Tobey Maguire. Reviewed this issue. Factoria, Grand Alderwood, Neptune, Oak Tree, Pacific Place 11