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Hey folks, Harry here. I've actually been quite looking forward to BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER. Being a long time fan of the cheerleader genre (PRETTY MAIDS ALL IN A ROW, REVENGE OF THE CHEERLEADERS and THE SWINGING CHEERLEADERS being just three) So... while Pathall here enjoyed the film but didn't love it, it gives me hope. Hopefully it'll be coming to Austin soon. Well, here's Pathall...

Pathall Here reporting in as ordered! I've only got time for some brief reviews, so I will hop right to it.

Other Festival movie ratings for comparison:
AMERICAN BEAUTY 9/10
HUMAN TRAFFIC 7/10

BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER w/Natasha Lyonne, Clea Duvall, RuPaul; dir. Jamie Babbit.

A comedy about a cheerleader (Lyonne) sent away to a "homosexual rehab camp" by her straightlaced parents. Possibly a controversial subject, which this movie handles strictly for laughs -- such "rehab" is patently impossible, so what would really happen if you put a bunch of gay teenagers together? The director Jamie Babbit was at the screening (the world premiere!) and mntioned that she grew up in an alcohol rehab camp run by her mother, and wanted to do a comedy about life in such a camp. She succeeds with a funny movie, but it does suffer in comparison to other festival movies I've seen so far; it's amusing but not particularly original and the acting is a bit stiff in places. Still, worth seeing if you want a simple comedy. 6/10. PS Yet another example of the incomprehensibility and double standards of the MPAA: the director said they had her cut references to female oral sex to get an R, but that references to & suggestions of male oral sex were OK.

THE LIMEY w/Terence Stamp, Peter Fonda, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzman; dir. Steven Soderbergh; written by Lem Dobbs (DARK CITY, KAFKA)

An outstanding performance by Terence Stamp as a British ex-con who comes to LA to discover the truth behind his daughter's "accidental" death. Peter Fonda and frankly everyone else in the film turn in excellent performances as well. It was introduced as a "tight, taut" film, which I thought meant "fast-paced" but which really meant that it's a very focused character study of Stamp's character, the Limey. But the movie also makes use of flashbacks, flashforwards, quick cuts, acting out of the Limey's thoughts, etc., which make it very distinctive. Terence Stamp (at the screening along with Soderbergh) said that to get such and excellent part "this late in my career" was a minor miracle. But his performance shows it's a deserved miracle. 8/10.

THE CIDER HOUSE RULES w/Tobey Maguire, Michael Caine, Delroy Lindo, Erykah Badu, Charlize Theron; dir. Lasse Hallstrom; screenplay by John Irving from his novel.

An excellent, beautifully filmed story of the young orphan Homer Wells (Maguire) growing up in Maine in the 1940s. Dr. Larch (Caine), who runs the orphanage, treats him as a son and teaches him medicine. The doctor also performs illegal abortions, of which Homer disapproves. Another potentially controversial subject, which the movie does a good job of handling by having two characters who disagree but do so in a civil manner, both making their cases and doing what they feel is right. Eventually Homer decides to leave the orphanage, getting a job picking apples with a group of migrant workers (Lindo, Badu, and featuring Heavy D as "Peaches") and getting involved with Candy (Theron) while her boyfriend is off at war. I don't know if John Irving is happy with his adaptation of his novel and the filming of it, but I certainly was, and the very good performances (esp. Maguire) and excellent direction of Hallstrom put it over the top. Take your folks to see it during the holidays. 8/10