MOVIE CLIPS | VIDEO RELEASES | THEATER INFO Overcoming Anger Young woman finds herself through sport. By Lois Wadsworth Girlfight: Written and directed by Karyn Kusama. Produced by Sarah Green, Martha Griffin and Maggie Renzi. Executive produced by John Sayles, Jonathan Sehring and Caroline Kaplan. Editor, Plummy Tucker. Cinematography, Patrick Cady. Production design, Stephen Beatrice. Music, Theodore Shapiro. Costumes, Luca Mosca and Marco Cattoretti. Starring Michelle Rodriguez, Jaime Tirelli, Paul Calderon, Santiago Douglas and Ray Santiago. Cameo by John Sayles. Screen Gems. 2000. R. 113 minutes.   Adrian (Santiago Douglas) and Diana (Michelle Rodriguez) .   This little gem of a film -- the story of a young woman fighting her way out of the projects -- is simply not to be missed. Girlfight has everything a great film should have: a heroine, Diana Guzman (Michelle Rodriguez), whose every expression is natural, focused and powerful; a dramatic story of overcoming inner demons and outer circumstances; a love story with a worthy contender, Adrian (Santiago Douglas), that grows organically and contains no false moves; a family drama with enormous conflicts and missed opportunities for love that does not turn sentimental; and a director (Karyn Kusama), executive producer (John Sayles) and cinematographer (Patrick Cady) who know their business and do it with a spare, elegant grace often missing in small films. This movie has the potential for the kind of success achieved last year by Hilary Swank's incendiary performance in Kimberly Peirce's bold, accomplished feature-film debut, Boys Don't Cry. In fact, I could use almost the same words to recommend Girlfight as I used for that film: it is an edgy exploration of sexual identity, class, intolerance and the search for acceptance. From detention hall for fighting in school to fighting fair in a ring, Diana is helped by her trainer, Hector (Jaime Tirelli), who was not happy about coaching a girl at first but is impressed with what a quick study she is. He becomes her advocate and the approving father figure she's never had. Diana's father, Sandro (Paul Calderon), is a sour man who demeans her. Diana's brother, Tino (Anthony Ruiz), prefers the arts to boxing, but the old man buys lessons for him. The love relationship between Diana and Adrian doesn't develop all at once, but their chemistry is terrific. Rodriguez is so physically present that when Diana looks at anyone, the effect is palpable. And the accomplished, handsome Douglas ("The Sopranos," "Law and Order") is suitably awkward with this woman who's like no one he knows. Their first kiss is a delicious bit of cinema. Karyn Kusama's first film is a hauntingly human tale of survival and courage, like the films of John Sayles, who signed on as executive producer and became the film's champion. Kusama and many members of the production team had worked with Sayles -- producers Sarah Green, Maggie Renzi and Martha Griffin, editor Plummy Tucker and cinematographer Cady. Executive producers Jonathan Sehring and Caroline Kaplan (executive producers for Boys Don't Cry) came from the Independent Film Channel. Kusama, who boxed in her early 20s, informs the film with her understanding of the sport and her feeling for what boxing can bring out in a woman -- a relaxed self-confidence and inner-directed expectations. The strong script and beautifully directed film make a powerful feature film debut. It's hard to believe this is not only Rodriguez' first film but also her first regular job. She tested so well Kusama had to hire her. "She had that quality I'd been looking for -- someone who burns up the screen, who holds the screen by sheer presence," the director said. No debate there. The discipline Rodriguez learned from boxing for four and a-half months prior to shooting helped her through the filmmaking ordeal. She's incandescent onscreen. Girlfight is one of the very best films of the year. It moves to the Bijou on Friday, October 27. See it! Dogs on Parade Fanatic dog owners face fierce competitors. By Lois Wadsworth Best in Show: Directed by Christopher Guest. Written and directed by Guest and Eugene Levy. Produced by Karen Murphy. Cinematographer, Roberto Schaefer. Editor, Robert Leighton. Production design, Joseph T. Garrity. Starring Christopher Guest, Parker Posey, Michael Hitchcock, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, John Michael Higgins, Michael McKean, Jennifer Coolidge and Jane Lynch.Warner Bros. Castle Rock, 2000. PG-13. 89 minutes.   Harlan Pepper (Christopher Guest) and his pooch Hubert. .   Writer/director Christopher Guest's first movie, Waiting for Guffman, created a huge fan-base for his new movie, Best in Show, and many of them were present for the film's first show last Friday. Lots of people laughed out loud, some more boisterously than others. I didn't love Guffman, Guest's broad comedy about small town theater people, and I was dubious about the same treatment for dog-show people. Predictably, the situations verge on cliché, the characters are caricatures, not people, and the most loving canine traits have been bred and trained out of the dogs, but it is still a funny picture. Part of the fun is that we meet the most neurotic couple in the film right away. Opening scene is a therapy session with a yuppie lawyer couple, Meg (Parker Posey, in fine form) and whiney Hamilton Swan (Michael Hitchcock). Their beautiful Weimaraner, Beatrice, looks fine. But the Swans are convinced they have traumatized the pooch because she saw them having sex in the doggie position, and nothing their shrink says can keep them from going to hilarious and pitiful lengths to win back Beatrice's love. They pin all their hopes on her winning first at the Mayflower Dog Show. Gerry Fleck (Eugene Levy) and his wife, Cookie (Catherine O'Hara), have a sexual problem, too. It's Cookie. Apparently, she's had sex with nearly every man in the country, because so many of them turn up, one at a time. Guest knows a repeatable joke when he sees one. The Flecks and their Norwich terrier, Winky, are also going to the Mayflower contest. Guest himself plays Harlan Pepper, a strange, fly-fishing shop owner from North Carolina who enters his Redbone bloodhound, Hubert, in the show, too. Harlan's a pretty boring guy, but Hubert is real cute. Two gay men from New York and their Shih Tzus, Miss Agnes, are also headed for the big show. Scott (John Michael Higgins) is a very swishy professional dog handler, while Stefan (Michael McKean) is a hair salon owner who baby talks over the phone to his Shih Tzu left at home. I always wonder how gay men feel about stereotypes such as Scott and Stefan. I think I would be insulted, but then, nothing about a Guest film is what you would call realistic. Likewise, super dog handler Christy Cummings (Jane Lynch) is pretty butch compared to her ridiculously femme client, Sherri Ann Cabot (Jennifer Coolidge). Sherri Ann's the much younger wife of a wealthy man of advanced age and obviously diminished mental abilities. The dog Christy and Sherri Ann take to the show is a two-time champion Standard Poodle, Rhapsody in White. But the funniest running bit goes to the television commentators. Trevor Beckwith (Jim Piddock) is a proper Brit, taciturn but well-mannered. His cohort, on the other hand, is the worst sort of American sportscaster: an opinionated blowhard who is spectacularly uninformed about the competition he's watching. Buck Laughlin (Fed Willard) gets the funniest lines in the whole show, speaking the words we entertain saying only to ourselves. Buck brings it all down to Earth. This laugh-a-minute satire is now playing at Cinemark 17. Live and Let Live By Lois Wadsworth Killing Coyote: Documentary directed by Doug Hawes-Davis. Camera and sound, Drury Gunn Carr, Doug Hawes-Davis and Franz Camenzind. Music, Ned Mudd, The Incontinentals. Ecology Center Production, High Plains Film, 2000. Not rated. 83 minutes. Just in time to help viewers make up their mind about Ballot Measure 97, which would ban leghold traps and poisons, the Predator Defense Institute brings Killing Coyote to Eugene for two showings at the Bijou Theatre: at 3 pm Saturday, Oct. 28 and at 1 pm Sunday, Oct. 29 . Donations to further PDI's work will be accepted at the door. Missoula filmmaker Doug Hawes-Davis' documentary repeatedly returns to the site of a huge coyote-killing contest that was held annually in Rawlins, Wyo. (It's now outlawed.) The good old boys assembled at the National Coyote Calling Championships compete with one another in 72 two-man teams to bag the most "game." They guzzle beer, chew the fat and boast. This year the kill was 202. Also attending are a few animal-rights advocates who interview the hunters. The high point is one die-hard hunter noting almost sadly about how "neat" it is to be so close to coyote that "you almost don't want to kill him." The film's strongest point is made by science. Several biologists report that the widespread killing of coyotes, in particular killing pregnant or nursing females, backfires. When the population comes under this kind of external stress, the pack responds in several ways: more females begin breeding earlier and more frequently, and they produce larger litters. "Successful" kills of up to 30-40 percent of a pack may result in greater loses for the sheep or cattle rancher as these pups mature. So much for trying to fool Mother Nature. Troma Empire By Lois Wadsworth Killer Condom, Dario Argento's The Stendhal Syndrome and Trey Parker and Matt Stone's Cannibal the Musical will play at the Bijou in two-night stints during Halloween week. What these three midnight movies have in common is not just tasteless sex and lots of gore but a Mad Magazine-like early adolescent libido that appeals to fans. More importantly from a business point of view, these R-rated films are extremely popular, and that makes Troma Entertainment co-owners Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz very happy. Troma says its film library is one of the largest in the world, and the company also distributes films such as Stendahl and Cannibal that larger studios won't touch. Now the heads of the 25-year old independent studio say they are planning to become "a giant in the World Wide Web." Check it out at Tromaville.com -- at your own risk. OPENING OR RETURNING: Blair Witch 2 Book of Shadows: Directed by documentary filmmaker Joe Berlinger, this sequel has a docu-feel as young people in Birkittsville, MD, lead tourists into the woods looking for. R. McDonald. Cinemark 17. Canterbury Tales, The: This 1998 animated version of Chaucer's classic work features a different animated style for each tale.180 PLC, 11/1, 7 pm. Free. Duets: Writer/director Bruce Paltrow stars daughter Gwyneth and singer Huey Lewis in a musical The New York Times critic called "bad in such original and unexpected ways that it inspires an almost admiring fascination." Loosely structured around a national karaoke contest, film also stars Paul Giamatti, Andre Braugher and Maria Bello. R. Movies 12. Hollow Man: Director Paul Verhoeven's (Basic Instinct) rape movie stars Kevin Bacon as an experimental scientist who becomes invisible and runs amok. With Elisabeth Shue, Josh Brolin and Kim Dickens. Avoid it like the plague. R. Movies 12. Killing Coyote: Documentary film directed by Doug Hawes-Davis and sponsored by Predator Defense Institute makes the case for Ballot Measure 97, which would ban leg traps and poison used to eradicate "varmints" such as coyote. Donations to further PDI's work will be accepted at the door. Unrated. Oct. 28 at 3 pm, Oct. 29 at 1pm. Bijou. See review this issue. Little Vampire, The: Cute kid from Jerry Maguire Jonathan Lipnicki has a vampire friend he shares adventures with. Based on books by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg; directed by Ulrich Edel. PG. Cinema World 8. Cinemark 17. Movieland 6. Lucky Numbers: Starring John Travolta and Lisa Kudrow, this lotto numbers gambling drama is directed by Nora Ephron. The stars plot a way to rig the game. R. Cinemark 17. Movieland 6. Cinema World 8. Ma Vie En Rose: Tale of a French school-age boy who likes to dress in girl's clothing, much to his parent's consternation and the neighbors' outrage. Directed by Alain Berliner. R. 122 Pacific Hall, 10/31, 7 pm. Free. Psycho Beach Party: Enough said. Late night Bijou. NR. Nutty Professor II: The Klumps: The oversize family Eddie Murphy introduced in Nutty I is back, and they're having a wedding for Sherman aka Buddy Love. Janet Jackson's the bride. PG-13. Movies 12. Stranger Than Paradise: Jim Jarmusch's debut film was a hit at Cannes 1984 . It's is a funny, inventive comedy about a Hungarian girl and the trip to Florida her male American cousin and his friend take with her. 180 PLC, 10/27, 8 pm. $2 students, $3 general. Troma Film Fest: Killer Condom, Dario Argento's The Stendhal Syndrome and Trey Parker and Matt Stone's Cannibal the Musical. R. Late night Bijou. See related story this issue. Films open the Friday following date of EW publication unless otherwise noted. CONTINUING: Almost Famous: Cameron Crowe's critically acclaimed ode to rock and roll music stars Patrick Fugit as a 15-year old music writer for Rolling Stone magazine sent on tour with a rock band. Also stars Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, Jason Lee and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Fabulous movie, wonderful performances. One of the year's best. R. Movieland 6. Ballad of Ramblin' Jack, The: Multi-layered documentary co-written and directed by Aiyana Elliott about her elusive troubadour father, Ramblin' Jack Elliott. Elliot stands between Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan in the history of American folk music. Excellent, entertaining film. Highly recommended. Unrated. Bijou. Bedazzled: Remake by Harold Ramis (Analyze This) of a late '60's Dudley Moore chestnut, the movie stars a lovesick Brendan Fraser selling his soul to the devil (Elizabeth Hurley) to win the woman of his dreams (Frances O'Connor). PG-13. Cinema World 8. Cinemark 17. Movieland 6. Best in Show: Christopher Guest (Waiting for Guffman) directs and stars in this faux docu about dog-lovers whose goal is to win the annual kennel club show. Michael Hitchcock and Parker Posey are an overly solicitous couple who're afraid they've traumatized their Weimaraner. Also stars Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara. Critics and audiences love it. PG-13. Cinemark 17. Bittersweet Motel: Geeks with guitars one wag called Todd Phillips' documentary about the four-man band Phish on the road. Jam sessions, interviews and up-close time with Trey Anastasio, plus some glances at Jon Fishman, Mike Gordon and Page McConnell. R. Bijou. Chicken Run: Nick Park (Wallace and Gromit) and Peter Lord work their animated magic on clay creatures. Life on Tweedy's Farm has become brutal, and the chickens' fearless leader, Ginger (Julia Sawalha) recruits an American rooster (Mel Gibson) to teach them to fly. Hilarious good fun for all. G. Movies 12. Contender, The: Three big stars -- Joan Allen, Gary Oldman and Jeff Bridges -- star in this political drama directed by Rod Lurie. Allen's character is a senator in line to be Vice President, but Oldman plays an old enemy who remembers a sex scandal from the past. R. Cinemark 17. Cinema World 8. Coyote Ugly: David McNally comedy about cocktail waitresses who perform juggling acts with bottles in a rowdy New York bar. Stars Piper Perabo, Maria Bello, Melanie Lynskey, Adam Garcia and John Goodman. PG-13. Movies 12. Dinosaur: Disney gets a little risqué with a PG rating, no songs and computer-generated dinos against live-action backgrounds. Stars the voices of D.B. Sweeney, Julianna Margulies and Della Reese. PG. Movies 12. Dr. T. and the Women: Robert Altman's comedy/romance stars Richard Gere as an overbooked Dallas gynecologist with domestic problems. Also stars Helen Hunt, Laura Dern, Kate Hudson, Shelley Long, Farrah Fawcett, Tara Reid and Liv Tyler. R. Cinemark 17. Cinema World 8. Exorcist (2000), The: Classic horror tale that scared the pants off 1973 audiences is still terrifying. Tale of a young girl possessed by the devil raises fascinating questions about the nature of evil and fate. Director (William Friedkin) and writer's (William Peter Blatty) cut features outstanding performances by Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair, Jason Miller and Max von Sydow and excellent digital sountdtrack. Moneymaker of the fall season, it's an A+ movie. R. Movieland 6. Girl on the Bridge: Charming film about two misfits who are perfectly suited. He's a knife thrower in a circus (Daniel Auteuil and she's his target (Vanessa Paradis). Dynamite together or apart, their knife act generates a lot of sexual feeling. Very highly recommended. R. Bijou. Girlfight: Sundance 2000 smash hit, this movie about a young woman boxer (Michelle Rodriguez) who becomes attached to her sparring partner (Santiago Douglas) in and out of the ring is directed by Karyn Kusama. One of the very best movies of the year, it has a natural winner in Rodriguez. Don't miss this excellent film. R. Bijou. See review this issue. Gladiator: Ridley Scott's Roman spectacle stars Russell Crowe (The Insider) as Maximus, a famous Roman general now slave gladiator. His enemy, Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), also stars Richard Harris, Oliver Reed and Djimon Hounsou. Highly recommended. R. Movies 12. Gone in 60 Seconds: Angelina Jolie, Nicolas Cage, Robert Duvall, Delroy Lindo and Giovanni Ribisi star in Dominic Sena's car-thief drama. Cage and Ribisi play siblings. Surprisingly entertaining. R. Movies 12. Kid, Disney's The: Played by Spencer Breslin, a child meets himself at 40, a man played by Bruce Willis. Is he impressed? Find out in Jon Turteltaub's comedy. PG. Movies 12. Ladies Man: Saturday Night Live spinoff stars Tim Meadows and Will Ferrell, directed by Reginald Hudlin. It's about a dumb-as-bread dude who thinks he's hot stuff and goes on the radio to prove it. R. Cinemark 17. Movieland 6. Legend of Drunken Master (2000): Re-release of Jackie Chan's 1994 Hong Kong action flick directed by Chia-Liang Liu with a new title. Chan's father has taught him how to fight in the style called Drunken Master, which requires unbelievable, ballet-like movements. Cinemark 17. Loser: College sex comedy stars Mena Suvari (American Beauty) and Jason Biggs (American Pie). Directed by Amy Heckerling (Clueless). PG-13. Movies 12. Lost Souls: Thriller stars Winona Ryder as a woman who becomes aware of a conspiracy to enable the Devil to walk the earth in human form. With Ben Chaplin as the crime writer who can't believe he's the devil's host. R. Cinemark 17. Meet the Parents: Ben Stiller plays the unfortunate prospective son-in-law to Robert Di Niro's overly protective father. Directed by Jay Roach, the film also stars Teri Polo and Blythe Danner as the engaged daughter and her mother. PG-13. Cinemark 17. Cinema World 8. Patriot, The: Roland Emmerich directs Mel Gibson as a war hero who doesn't want to fight the British in the war for independence until they try to take his South Carolina home. Co-stars Heath Ledger, with Tom Wilkinson, Chris Cooper and Joely Richardson. Violent, patriotic fare. R. Movies 12. Pay It Forward: Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment (The Sixth Sense) star in this drama about a boy whose class project turns into phenomenon taken up by lots of people. Directed by Mimi Leder. PG-13. Cinema World 8. Cinemark 17. Perfect Storm, The: Wolfgang Petersen directs this true action adventure based on Sebastian Junger's nonfiction bestseller. Six fishermen out of Gloucester, Mass. run into a killer storm on the high seas. Stars George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and William Fichtner. PG-13. Movies 12 Remember the Titans: Football movie based on the true story of a 1971 Virginia high school falling apart from racial conflict until a black coach (Denzel Washington) from out of town pulls them together. Directed by Boaz Yakin, it also stars Will Patton and Kip Pardue. PG. Cinemark 17. Cinema World 8. X-Men: Marvel Comic mutant superheroes are called X-Men regardless of gender. Halle Berry, James Marsden and Famke Janssen help "gifted youngsters" learn to use their powers. Prof. Charles Xavier is played by Patrick Stewart, newcomer Hugh Jackson plays the lead, and Ian McKellan is the evil mutant. PG-13. Movies 12. MOVIE THEATERS Use the links provided below for specific show times. Bijou Art Cinemas Bijou Theater | 686-2458 | 492 E. 13th Regal Cinemas Cinema World | 342-6536 | Valley River Center McDonald | 344-4343 | 10th and Willamette Movieland | 342-4142 | W. 11th and Seneca Springfield Quad | 726-9073 | Cinemark Theaters Movies 12 | 741-1231 | Gateway Mall Movies before 12:30 are Sat. Sun. only. $1.50 all shows all days. Cinemark 17 | 741-1231 | Gateway Mall NEW RELEASES ON VIDEO: Releases subject to change. Available the Tuesday following date of EW publication, sometimes sooner: Deal of a Lifetime: Trailer for this ran locally, but film never opened. Teen comedy variation on Faust, it's about selling your soul to the devil for a date with the coolest babe in school. Directed by Paul Levine, also stars Shiri Appleby, Jennifer Rubin and Michael Goorjian. PG. Frequency: Sci-fi thriller involves a son (Jim Cavaziel) who time travels to save his father (Dennis Quaid); then both become embroiled in unforeseen consequences. Directed by Gregory Hoblit and script by Toby Emmerich, film also stars Andre Braugher, Noah Emmerich and Elizabeth Mitchell. PG-13. Gossip: Irresponsible college students take their class project to show the link between gossip and news to unfortunate lengths. Directed by David Guggenheim, movie stars James Marsden, Lena Headey, Norman Reedus, Kate Hudson and Marisa Coughlan. R. Return to Me: Romantic drama written and directed by Bonnie Hunt stars David Duchovny and Minnie Driver. Mixed reviews, but Driver is reportedly great. PG. Thomas and the Magic Railroad: Based on Britt Allcroft's popular television program, this choo choo is still on the track. G. Next week: Joseph King of Dreams, Mission Impossible 2, Paper Bullets, The Prince of Central Park and Titans A.E. 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