March 29-April 5, 2006

Send listings two weeks in advance to film@seattleweekly.com

The Big Heat The whole stinking city is on the take except for Glenn Ford's obsessed, solitary cop and Gloria Grahame's moll with a heart o' gold—and painfully sensitive skin—in this archetypal 1953 noir. Master director Fritz Lang plays by all the paradigmatic rules in serving up this lean and brutal tale of vengeance, infusing each carefully composed shot with a wisp of cigarette smoke or a menacing shadow, a Neanderthal gangster (Lee Marvin at his oiliest) or a soothing bourbon double. A story of guns, goons, and girls balanced precisely at the intersection of traditional Hollywood morality and full-blown nihilism, Heat packs an exquisitely crafted, fantastically ferocious punch. Screened on video; admission includes discussion and snack. (NR) PETER VIDITO Movie Legends, 2319 N. 45th St., 206-632-2092. $5. 1 p.m. Sun. April 2.

The Bright The life and thought of Buddhist teacher Avatar Adi Da Samraj is chronicled. (NR) Seattle Unity Church, 200 Eighth Ave. N., 206-527-2751. $12-$15. 7:30 p.m. Sat. April 1, 3 p.m. Sun. April 2.

ByDesign This design-centric weekend festival showcases both early animation pioneers (like Len Lye and Oskar Fischinger) and new works by designers including E*Rock, MK12, and Nakd. Music (following Friday's 8 p.m. Wyld File event) and discussions are also on the bill. The event is sponsored by the Seattle chapter of the American Institute for Graphic Arts. See Web site for full schedule and details. (NR) Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave., 206-267-5380, www.nwfilmforum.org. $5-$7.50. Fri. March 31-Sun. April 2.

Chaplin Shorts Made for the Essanay studio between 1915-1916, this package (in two blocks) of Charlie Chaplin's early short films promises new prints projected at the correct speeds—so the masterfully rehearsed comic timing doesn't appear herky-jerky and rushed. Titles include The Tramp, The Bank, and Shanghaid. (NR) Grand Illusion, 1403 N.E. 50th St., 206-523-3935. $7.50-$10. Fri. March 31-Thurs. April 6.

An Evening With Ray Harryhausen A huge influence on Peter Jackson and his King Kong remake, the 86-year-old master of stop-motion animation worked under Willis O'Brien (who created the first Kong). Later he created and supervised classic effects and animation sequences in Mighty Joe Young, Jason and the Argonauts, and The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms. Excerpts of these and other works will be screened as part of a talk and presentation; the evening also marks Harryhausen's induction into the SFM Hall of Fame. Science Fiction Museum (JBL Theater), 325 Fifth Ave. N., 206-367-5483. $5-$6. 7 p.m. Tues. April 4.

Every Mother's Son The notorious accidental 1999 NYPD shooting of Amadou Diallo is part of this documentary about police brutality. Discussion follows. (NR) Safeco Jackson Street Center, 303 23rd Ave. S., 206-264-5527. Free. 7 p.m. Wed. April 5.

The Great Conspiracy One of a series of locally screened films dealing with 9/11, this title will be introduced by director Barrie Zwicker. (NR) Keystone Church, 5019 Keystone Pl. N., 206-632-6021. Free. 7 p.m. Fri. March 31.

Movies at the Sunset Note all events are free and 21-and-over. Rare rock videos are screened. (NR) Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave. N.W., 206-784-4880. 7 p.m. Wed. March 29.

Northwest Indigenous People's Film Festival Discussions will follow Friday night's screening of Tattoo My Heart, about the 1973 Wounded Knee takeover by members of the American Indian Movement; and that of Homeland, about the environmental legacy of the oil and mining industries' use of Native lands. Those titles repeat on Saturday. Of local note is Pulling Together (7:30 p.m. Sat., 9:30 p.m. Sun.), which follows a modern-day voyage by Muckleshoot canoers tracing their ancestors' route along Puget Sound. Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center, 104 17th Ave. S., 206-684-4757. $10-$15. 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Fri. March 31. Central Cinema, 1411 21st Ave., 206-686-6684. $5 (individual), $25 (pass). 3:30 to 11 p.m. Sat. April 1-Sun. April 2.

Pulp Fiction We have just one question for you: How do we know which wallet belongs to Jules Winnfield? There's no excuse for missing Quentin Tarantino's 1994 Oscar-winner with its big talented cast and wonderfully elliptical storytelling. How can you go wrong with John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, Bruce Willis, Christopher Walken, Amanda Plummer, and Harvey Keitel? (Try to ignore Maria de Medeiros, the film's one weak spot.) (R) Egyptian, 801 E. Pine St., 206-781-5755. $6-$9. Midnight. Fri. March 31-Sat. April 1.

Radical Reels All your favorite alpine outdoor extreme sports are represented in this traveling compendium of high-altitude shorts, culled from the Banff Mountain Film Festival. (NR) Mountaineers, 300 Third Ave. W., 206-284-6310, www.mountaineers.org. $8-$10. 7 p.m. Fri. March 31.

Rubin & Ed Billed as "a hip Hope and Crosby for the '90s," this unrelentingly oddball 1991 cult film is more like Waiting for Godot set in Death Valley. Crispin Glover dances and hallucinates in the role of Rubin, a loner who lives with his mother in a middle-of-nowhere motel (sound familiar?), while salesman Ed (Howard Hesseman) is desperate to rope some unsuspecting dimwit into a pyramid scheme. A strange, shaggy mess of a movie. (PG-13) NEAL SCHINDLER Grand Illusion, 1403 N.E. 50th St., 206-523-3935. $1. 11 p.m. Fri. March 31-Sat. April 1.

Sherlock Jr. This is a benefit screening—pay what you will—for veteran Seattle projectionist Doug Stewart. Fittingly, the 1924 Buster Keaton comedy is about a cinema projectionist who enters the pictures he's playing. It's a classic 45-minute comedy, an acknowledged influence on Woody Allen's The Purple Rose of Cairo, and a treat for kids, too. Preceded by curios from the NWFF vault, which should also be fairly entertaining. (NR) Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave., 206-267-5380. 7 p.m. Thurs. March 30.