No More Villains
An interview with the new Dr. Smith, a beloved archvillian. [2]
Ray Pride

Looks Back...And Forward
An interview with documentary filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker. [3]
Marc Savlov

Crown Jewels
An interview with the maker of "A Price Above Rubies." [4]
Ray Pride

Want to know what all these checkboxes are for? Click here to find out, or just ignore them.

Four Little Girls, One Huge Legacy
The Texas Documentary Tour presents Spike Lee and Sam Pollard's "4 Little Girls." [5]
Jerry Johnson

Priceless
A feminist parable set in a Chassidic community starring non-Jewish actors doesn't seem likely to win many fans, but Boaz Yakin's "A Price Above Rubies" has chutzpah. [6]
Peter Keough

Criminal Cuties
With "The Newton Boys," Richard Linklater has finally abandoned the niche he's carved out for himself as the director of hip little movies about alienated white kids. [7]
Stacey Richter

Tough Love
"Live Flesh" delves into passion; "Barney's Great Adventure" champions dreaming. [8]
Hadley Hury and Dennis Freeland

Rock of Ages
"Don't Look Back" and "Monterey Pop" represent ground zero for the rockumentary; "Wild Things" lives down to expectations; "Grease" reheats real nice. [9]
Jim Ridley, Noel Murray, and Donna Bowman

Want to know what all these checkboxes are for? Click here to find out, or just ignore them.

Scanlines
The cinema vérité of Ross McElwee. [13]
Jay Hardwig

Curious about a particular director's work? Not sure what to rent at the video store? Enjoy reading several contrasting opinions of the same film? This is the place for you. One of the all-time best film-review resources on the Web. Sort alphabetically or by publication, genre, director, or date. Check it out!

his week's anti-recommendation: Unless you harbor deep-seated masochistic tendencies, stay away from "Gummo" and "Pink Flamingos." If you even find yourself coming near the video-store section that contains these movies, slam on your walking brakes. Trust me.

Here's what you'll miss in "Gummo": Small children killing, then whipping the bodies of, cats. Hicks destroying their own furniture. Retarded people shaving their eyebrows. Teenage girls experimenting with electrical tape on their nipples. Angry families living in cockroach-infested houses. A young woman discovering a tumor on her breast during a date. A homosexual druggie attempting to seduce a black midget. And much, much, less.

Here's what you'll miss in "Pink Flamingos": Edith Massey sitting in a playpen eating multiple eggs. Women drugged, imprisoned and forced to conceive babies that can be sold on the black market. A man who walks around flashing women with a sausage tied to his, uh, sausage. A man who can do puckering tricks with his, uh, you don't want to know. Divine performing a sexual act that, uh, you don't want to know. Divine following a dog until it, uh, you don't want to know, at which point she, uh, you really don't want to know.

I mean, I'd rather endure "The English Patient" five more times than have to see another movie like the above. Why do people revere these films so much? If you'd care to share your contrary opinion with me, email me about it, because I'm completely flummoxed.

Anyway, there's some great stuff in this week's Film section, most of it about movies that you can actually sit through! Interviews with actor Gary "Lost in Space" Oldman, director Boaz "A Price Above Rubies" Yakin and documentarian D.A. "Don't Look Back" Pennebaker certainly deserve your interest.

As for reviews, well check this out: "4 Little Girls," "A Price Above Rubies," "The Newton Boys," "Live Flesh," "Barney's Great Adventure," and even Russ McElwee's award-winning documentary "Time Indefinite" all get write-ups, too.

Plenty to see, plenty to see. In spite of his resemblance to Divine, "Barney's Great Adventure" tops my list. How 'bout you?

Want to know what all these checkboxes are for? Click here to find out, or just ignore them.

Austin Chronicle

• Barney's Great Adventure
• I Love You, I Love You Not
• Meet The Deedles
• Moon Over Broadway
• Niagara, Niagara
• A Price Above Rubies
• Ride

Boston Phoenix

• Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life
• Barney's Great Adventure
• Niagara, Niagara
• Ride

NewcityNet Chicago

• Mercury Rising
• Mon Homme
• The Newton Boys

Now What?
What's the matter, couldn't find a review of that blockbuster film you're excited about? We certainly don't want to leave you disappointed -- why not try some of these larger-than-life movie links? [14]

Build your own custom paper. To find out more about this feature, click here.