Short Versions, Take 9

Ken Park, Anatomy of Hell, Maria - Full of Grace, Metallica - Some kind of Monster, Smashing Machine, The Backyard, Six Feet Under 3.

	Ken Park Several years after »Kids« Director Larry Clarke and writer Harmony Korine (»Gummo«) teamed up again for another glimpse into suburbian hell. And this time you meet the parents. A disturbing and unsettling look at family life and how to survive it, with great acting by a young and fresh cast.
	Anatomy of Hell Catherine Breillat's (»A ma Soeur«, »Romance«) new film is an uneasy exploration about the attraction/revulsion men share for the nuances of the female body. This »battle between the sexes« is bound to provoke and upset but one cannot deny Breillat's brilliant cinematic illustration of the deconstruction of sexual mystique.
	Maria – Full of Grace This HBO drama is based on over 1000 true stories. 17 year old Maria, who lives with her poor family in a small house in rural Colombia, takes on a job as a »mule«, a drug courier who smuggles up to 60 pellets filled with heroin in her stomach. Writer/Director Joshua Marston allows the natural horror of the circumstances to flow into the picture without any unnecessary dramatic padding or preaching. A quiet but powerful portrait with a great performance by Catalina Sandino Moreno as the title character.
	Smashing Machine Bill Hicks said it best. Referring to the old debate if national sports a la »American Gladiator« is too violent, and the sanctimonious discussions about life, he replied:»No, give these guys chainsaws.(...) They wanna kill each other? I'm filming it.« When you see this documentary about Mark Kerr, the champion of Mixed Martial Arts, pounding his way through all the arenas, beating his opponents to a bloody pulp, and then bitching about his addiction to pain killers, you can only gloat about this pathetic choice of life. Another proof that fiction can never keep up with reality. And if that´s not enough for you, we recommend.....
	The Backyard »Fight Club« was great. Tyler Durden was cool. Well, reality isn't that great and »The Lizard« or »The Retarded Butcher« are possibly the biggest morons on the planet. Backyard Wrestling is their drug of choice, and you will gasp and choke on this monstrous stupidity of testosterone-filled idiots (and their equally retarded families) who beat themselves into oblivion with crutches wrapped in barbwire etc....Bet you can´t watch it till the end.
	Metallica – Some kind of Monster Forget »This is Spinal Tap«. You wanna see how one of the greatest rock bands ever is off-stage? You wanna know how many brain-cells you need to be an icon? Or a millionaire? It's really scary to think of how many people look up to them. Some things should better not be uncovered. In other words: hilarious!
	Six Feet Under, Season 3 What can you say about »Six Feet Under«, one of the best shows ever on TV? Just this: We have it. You can rent it.