ON SCREEN

Shelter

(here! Films/Regent Releasing)
Rated R, 88 mins.
***

More than just the surf swells in writer/director Jonah Markowitz's Shelter. Zach (Trevor Wright) is an aspiring young graphic artist, but trapped in a stew of responsibilities and complacency—caring for his young nephew Cody (Jackson Wurth), lax older sister Jeanne (Tina Holmes), and girlfriend, Tori (Katie Walder). At best he spraypaints his "tag" around sleepy San Pedro and hits the surf for escape. But when writer/fellow surfer Shaun (Brad Rowe) rolls into town, he awakens new feelings—like homo love—and inspiration in Zach. A prizewinner on the LGBT film festival circuit last year, Shelter hits numerous American indie film (or, as I prefer to say, Sundancetypical) notes: family issues, self-discovery, first love, and a quiet, thoughtful cinematic approach. Markowitz doesn't quite manage to create emotional wipeouts or grab viewers by the cajones, but he does elicit non-cliché, natural performances from easy-on-the-eyes leads Wright and Rowe, the latter so memorable in last decade's Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss, and nicely shot surfing sequences. —LAWRENCE FERBER

Snow Angels

Starring Sam Rockwell, Kate Beckinsale, Nicky Katt
R, 106 min. (Warner Independent Pictures)
*

If the makers of Meet the Spartans had been planning to do an indie film parody called Sundance Movie or something, writer-director David Gordon Green has inadvertently beaten them to the punch. While Green is an interesting young filmmaker on the rise, with Snow Angels (adapted from the novel by Stewart O'Nan) he gives us one film festival cliché after another including:

• alcoholic divorcé (Rockwell) who finds Jesus;
• child that goes missing and parent who flips out over it;
• glamorous actress (Beckinsale) slumming it by playing a small-town waitress;
• bleak wintry landscapes;
• misunderstood gifted teen;
• teen geek girl love interest played by a smokin' hot chick wearing dorky glasses;
• teen seeing estranged dad (Griffin Dunne—who else?) with another woman;
• violent, tragic event that rocks everyone's world.

The end result is another patronizing movie about small-town people and their tragedies, made by a filmmaker who should know better. I liked George Washington enough to trust that Green's future work will be smarter than this. —ALONSO DURALDE

LIMITED RUN

The Fly (1958) and The Snake Pit (1948)

UCLA's Film and Television Archive presents a classic double feature about humans suffering from two very different afflictions. Billy Wilder Theatre at the Hammer Museum. Wed., March 12. 7:30 p.m. www.cinema.ucla.edu.

Koyaanisqatsi

AFI will screen Godfrey Reggio's musically and thematically memorable film on humanity's imbalance in the modern age. AFI's Silver Theatre. Friday, March 14. 7 p.m. www.afi.com.

The Wizard of Oz

Skip with Judy and Co. down the yellow brick road in some killer new shoes. New Beverly Cinema. Sun., March 23 at 3:30 p.m. Mon., March 24 at 7:30 p.m. www.newbevcinema.com.

Rancho Notorious

The ever-fabulous Marlene Dietrich smolders in the heat of the Wild West on LACMA's mid-day matinee screens. LACMA. Tue., March 25. 1 p.m. 323/857-6010 or www.lacma.org.

Homo Must

Giant

Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean, a trio of LGBT faves, light up the screen once again in George Stevens' 1956 epic. Relive the tribulations and class struggles of a Texas cattle rancher, his wife, and his hunky nemesis. Aero Theatre. Sat., March 22. 7:30 p.m. www.americancinematheque.com.

ON DVD

Kiki & Herb: Live At The Knitting Factory

Justin Bond and Kenny Mellman
*

Piano-playing Herb and songstress Kiki offer up unapologetic, politically incorrect commentary via song and spoken word, but their schtick doesn’t translate to the small screen in Kiki & Herb: Live At The Knitting Factory, the duo’s first-ever live DVD. The whole “live” thing is what’s throwing things off here. The cabaret act loses its sense of fun and urgency on DVD. You want to be there. For newbies, it’s certainly not the best introduction to Kiki and Herb, but those already schooled in all things Herb and Kiki, may embrace this disc. The staged, single-camera, single-angle approach dulls the duo’s edge and the proceedings come off more stagnant than incendiary. See ‘em live—actually live—or at the very least have a few friends over when you pop this in your player and throw back some stiff cocktails like the stars themselves. —Wally King 

Midnight Express

Brad Davis, John Hurt and Randy Quaid
***

Based on Billy Hayes’ autobiographical novel about his hellish experience in a Turkish prison after being caught trying to smuggle hashish out of the country, Midnight Express is a cautionary tale for like-minded travelers everywhere. Political correctness wasn’t on the agenda in 1978 and, as such, the portrayal of the Turkish people is exceptionally demonizing (the prison guards are reduced to brutalizing rapist-thugs). The film is intense and essentially relentless, thanks much to Oliver Stone’s Oscar-winning screenplay adaptation. Subtitles are never used in the film, so we feel just like Billy (Brad Davis)—a terrified foreigner in a land and environment with seemingly no rules. This film stands up over time despite some very ‘70s-era choreography; and its depiction of same-sex attraction is decidedly frank considering the decade in which it was made. The special features on Midnight Express: 30th Anninversary Edition include a commentary with Alan Parker (Fame, Evita) as well as a personal memoir written about his experience making the controversial film. —W.K.