PRETTY PERSUASION

2005, Rated R

The lovable Napoleon Dynamite might be the current benchmark for a successful independent comedy, but filmmaker Marcos Siega's dark and kinky high school satire proves that laughs can also come from dark places. Pretty Persuasion is a bitter comedy about Kimberly Joyce (Evan Rachel Wood), a 15-year-old Beverly Hills private school student who accuses her drama teacher (Ron Livingston) of sexual harassment -- and that's just the start of her diabolical plan. Pretty Persuasion matches Heathers and Election in bitter tone, cynicism and laugh-out-loud humor. Only its climactic dash of morality feels out of place. As the troublemaking Kimberly, Wood shows bite and edge during outrageous scenes involving teen sex, suicide, racist dialogue and her masturbating father. Siega, director of the smart TV drama Veronica Mars as well as the forgettable undercover cop action film The Underclassman, tells a story that captures the spirit of our sexualized times. If Siego had refrained from moralizing at the film's end, he would have remained true to his bitterly comic vision of Kimberly Joyce's spoiled world. (Steve Ramos) Grade: C

SAINT RALPH

SAINT RALPH (SONY)

2004, Rated PG-13

Filmmaker Michael McGowan taps his love for long distance running with Saint Ralph, a sentimental coming-of-age drama set in 1950s Hamilton, Ontario. Catholic teenager Ralph Walker (newcomer Adam Butcher) believes a miracle like winning the famed Boston Marathon can save his comatose mother's life. So he trains with that unlikely goal in mind despite objections from his stern headmaster at school. McGowan forfeits true surprises and originality for warm family drama, slow-motion race footage and the type of innocent sex jokes appropriate to its child hero. The result is a family film acceptable for all but the youngest children. Campbell Scott brings a familiar face to the film as Ralph's teacher, a former long-distance runner and the one adult who believes in the boy's dream. But McGowan's best decision regarding the film is the casting of Butcher, a young boy with a bowl haircut, large ears and a chatty personality. Films as intentionally cuddly as Saint Ralph need a face as sweet as Butcher's to serve as its figurehead. (SR) Grade: C-

WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS

WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS (20TH CENTURY FOX)

1950, Unrated

The shadowy discoveries of film noir involve films not as famous as director Otto Preminger's masterpiece Laura but are entertaining in their own right. Preminger reunited with Laura co-stars Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews for this 1950 cop thriller. Of Preminger's noir dramas for Fox, Where the Sidewalk Ends is the grittiest and truest to the shadowy spirit of post World War II urban thrillers. Detective Mark Dixon (Andrews) is a cop with a hot temper who ends up killing a murder suspect. Dixon's plan to frame a local gangster goes awry after he falls for the dead man's pretty widow (Gene Tierney). Where the Sidewalk Ends lacks the psychological thrills of Laura, but Preminger's artistry stills pokes through. Commentary by historian Eddie Muller and a photo gallery are the few bonus features that complement a crisp version of the classic film. Karl Malden provides solid support as Dixon's police ally, but much of the film's thrills belong to Tierney, whose smoky looks were made for film noir. (SR) Grade: B

A DOG'S LIFE: A DOGAMENTARY

A DOG'S LIFE: A DOGAMENTARY (FACETS)

2004, Unrated

Gayle Kirschenbaum begins her insufferably cute dogamentary in pre-9/11 New York City wandering the streets looking for love along with Chelsea, her shih tzu diva. The doggie-cam perspective and attempts to meld Sex and the City with Best In Show are enough to send audiences into diabetic shock, but the realities of the attacks sober things up a bit, transforming the girls on the make into New Age healers in a brave new world. The film strives for poignancy as Chelsea and Gayle visit the traumatized and the elderly, but the connections they establish never achieve a fully human dimension. The special features, which include Kirschenbaum's director's cut, reactions and Q&A, also fail to explore the depths of emotion the director so superficially desired to uncover. Next time, Chelsea should find a more capable collaborator to document her experiences. (tt clinkscales) Grade: D