1997
Running time: N/A
Fred is a cad of the first magnitude. He's smooth, winning over women with easy charm. Women can't help falling for him, but they also can't help eventually wishing the ruthless womanizer was dead. With the help of Udo Kier as a leather-clad hitman, femalekind's wish is fulfilled. If you think this minor setback slows Fred down for one minute, though, you're sorely wrong. While being transported to his eternal last-stop-on-the-line, Fred--so good at extricating himself from difficult situations--makes a deal with Death.
Running time: N/A
James Frisa has created an experimental comedy/drama where life imitates art and dream imitates film. Out of Sync follows a man who examines his life out of step with the universe. --Matthew Aquino
Running time: N/A
It wouldn't be so bad if Maria had faith in an all powerful being, but sitting in the pew for what she calculates is over 640 hours is enough. She doesn't want to be there. She doesn't want to be listening to her father, the vicar. And she certainly does not, capital N-O-T, not want to go through with her confirmation. Maria just wants to have a Coke at the local cafe. She want to grow breasts and meet boys. And wearing make-up once in a while would be nice. Unfortunately, when your father is a "man of God", and revered by the entire community, you have a slight obstacle to overcome.
Running time: N/A
The Jewish Defense League (JDL) was founded in the '60s by the children of holocaust survivors and others in search of a cause. Following their leader, Meir Kahane, members of the JDL labeled themselves "chayas" (wild animals) and engage in what have been labeled terrorist acts against Blacks, Arabs and Soviet diplomats. Visually compelling, Never, Again, Forever provides an intimate portrayal, as JDL members reveal personal confessions for the first time on camera. --Mike Rabehl
Running time: N/A
A window can often be distracting--especially for a comic book artist who has set up his work space in a position where he can see the entire apartment building across the street. But a voyeur may also find that he is not always the lone viewer and that others also like to look. Director Samuel Lee takes us on a mildly surreal journey into the world of a voyeuristic artist who becomes enamored with a video artist who is also finding interest in his building. Following her around the city, however, leads our hero into a world of deceit and murder.
Running time: N/A
And live she does. At least through her words. Jennifer Jason Leigh remembers herewith her incredible portrayal of the infamous Dorothy Parker, a tragic figure whose fall from literary grace and relentlessly bad luck with men fueled her propensity for morbidity and cynicism. Dorothy Parker was the most famous member of the Algonquin Round Table, a group of N.Y. writers who met for lunch daily in the 1920s.
Running time: N/A
In the spirit of 19th century Gothic tales, reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe, Morella takes bio-technology as its bogeyman and sets it in its own cold and drafty "haunted mansion"--a gene-splicing research lab. In an effort to survive her impending death from a rare form of multiple sclerosis, the beautiful and ruthless Dr. Morella (played by Angela Jones of the recent film Curdled) recruits a fellow researcher to help clone herself into a viable embryo. The enraptured Dr.
Running time: N/A
Fred Frenger (Alec Baldwin) is a wanted ex-con whose devil-may-care attitude surprisingly hasn't yet led to his capture. Upon reaching Miami he meets up with Susie (a hooker played by Jennifer Jason Leigh) adopts her as his fiancee, and sets about supplementing their income with a string of petty thefts. Upon acquiring the cuffs, badge, and other accouterments of cop Sgt. Hoke Moseley (Fred Ward), he discovers that larceny has never been easier. This disarming black comedy stands out among others in the pack because its offbeat plot turns make for an intriguing, often unpredictable, pacing.
Running time: N/A
Meeting Daria, a coming of age fable by Joelle Ehre, tells the story of Aggie, a high school freshman whose secret body brace isolates her from other teens. Will Daria, a young girl murdered in Central Park, help Aggie overcome distress? --Hayet Ennabli
Running time: N/A
For artists and poets, Mary Paradox and Grace describes one person's approach as an answer to those who need inspiration in the pursuit of a meaningful life. Very few films successfully blend art, philosophy, poetry and music, but to gain a full appreciation of an artist requires just such a blend. In Karen Watson's film, the life and thoughts of the artist Mary Holmes, a founding professor at U.C. Santa Cruz, are gracefully combined to produce a rounded picture of a woman who has devoted her long life to art without many of the compromises that are usually required along the way.