Che: Part 2 Directed by: Steven Soderbergh Cast: Benicio Del Toro, Franka Potente, Lou Diamond Phillips Running Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Rating: unrated

Plot: After the successful Revolution in Cuba, Che Guevara (Benicio Del Toro) decides to go to Bolivia. There he joins the local Marxists and attempts to lead a local revolution.

Who's It For?: Have you seen Part 1? Then you might as well finish things up.

Expectations: At the end of Part 1, Che says that the revolution is just beginning. I expected Part 2 to pick up from right there and show the evolution of Cuba into the country it is today. I hoped for passionate arguments about applied Marxism and wrecked dreams.

SCORECARD (0-10)

Actors: Benicio Del Toro as Ernesto "Che" Guevara: The second film takes place in a more condensed period of time

Crips and Bloods: Made in America Directed by: Stacy Peralta Cast: Forest Whitaker Running Time: 1 hr 30 min Rating: Unrated

Plot: Peralta documents the social conditions in Los Angeles that led to the rise of gang culture. Crips and Bloods also discusses the conditions in LA today and how these two gangs have sliced neighborhoods into a complicated grid of danger zones.

Who’s It For? Anyone who enjoys well researched, entertaining documentaries.

Expectations: I enjoyed Dogtown and Z-Boys and hoped for something similarly interesting from this director.

SCORECARD (0-10)

Actors:

Forest Whitaker as the Narrator: Whitaker lends gravitas as the voice of the film. He's got a nice deep, soft tone that's both soothing and serious. Complements the material nicely. Score: 8

Talking: The filmmakers select really great sots from the various talking heads in

The Black Balloon Directed by: Elissa Down Cast: Toni Collette, Rhys Wakefield, Luke Ford, Gemma Ward Running Time: 1 hr 35 min Rating: PG-13

Plot: Thomas Mollison (Rhys Wakefield) moves to a new town with his family, including pregnant mother Maggie (Toni Collette) and an autistic brother (Luke Ford). He desperately wants to fit in at his new high school, but finds it hard. Having a brother on the "spastic" bus doesn't help. Until he befriends Jackie Masters (Gemma Ward), an alarmingly beautiful girl with a compassionate heart.

Who’s It For? A coming of age movie for people who are sick of coming of age movies (like me). Also, anyone who every really wanted a Super NES.

Expectations: I'd read a good review, but didn't know much about it other than it

Food Fight Directed by: Chris Taylor Cast: Alice Waters, Michael Pollan, Wolfgang Puck Running Time: 1 hr 25 min Rating: Unrated Where: Hollywood Theatre - Portland, OR

Plot: A documentary about the movement away from processed food and toward organic in the United States.

Who’s It For? Do you like food? Do you like hearing people talk about what makes food good? Ask yourself this before going.

Expectations: Something along the lines of Supersize Me. The possibility that I might not want to eat anything that I hadn't grown myself ever again.

SCORECARD (0-10)

Actors:

Michael Pollan: He wrote The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food, so he's basically a rockstar in the foodie lit world. He's a talking head in this film, adding tidbits about how food processing has changed over the last 80

Milking the Rhino Directed by: Richard E. Simpson Cast: James Ole Kinyaga, Ian Craig, Kinanjui Lesenderia Running Time: 1 hr 25 min Rating: Unrated

32nd Portland International Film Festival Country: US English?: Various languages and English with subtitles.

Plot: Simpson follows tribes in Kenya and Namibia as they move toward wildlife conservancy.

Who’s It For? Anyone interested in modern Africa. Lovers of PBS docs.

OVERALL

Milking the Rhino follows the path of conservation efforts in Africa. In Il Ngwesi, with the village constructed they now run a small resort. They use the profits as communal funds for the good of the entire tribe. Because tourists want to see a certain type of Africa, namely exotic wild animals running around, the village protects these animals. This is shown as a model for conservation throughout Africa. The

Idiots and Angels Directed by: Bill Plympton Cast: none Running Time: 1 hr 20 min Rating: Unrated

32nd Portland International Film Festival Country: US English?: Yes.

Plot: A jerk lives a lonely, meaningless life. Then a pair of wings grow on his back and he finds himself doing good and helping people. But once they appear, others want them.

Who’s It For? Adult fans of animation, especially experimental animation.

Expectations: I remember Plympton's films from MTV back when they still showed animation instead of reality shows about slutty 20-somethings. I expected something interesting and unique.

OVERALL

Bill Plympton's fifth feature length animated film looks like what you'd expect. His style is incredibly distinct, you know it when you see it. An ordinary man in an ordinary house wakes up, takes a shower, drives into town, goes

Dreamweavers: Beijing 2008 Directed by: Jun Gu Cast: Nai Ruoyu, Deng Linlin, Liu Xiang Running Time: 1 hr 30 mins Rating: Unrated

32nd Portland International Film Festival Country: China English?: Mostly Mandarin, some English, also subtitled.

Plot: Dreamweavers follows groups of people preparing for the Summer Olympics in Beijing. We're following the construction of the Bird's Nest, a group of gymnasts, a family who's living where the Olympic village is going to go, former Olympic medalist Liu Xiang, and a SWAT team preparing for the event. The film begins right after the International Olympic committee announces Beijing will get the 2008 Summer Olympics and continues until right before the event.

Who’s It For? Anyone fascinated by the production of the 2008 Beijing Olympic ceremonies.

OVERALL

Last summer's Beijing Olympics was an amazing spectacle so a film

Fermat's Room Directed by: Luis Piedrahita and Rodrigo Sopeña Cast: Lluís Homar, Alejo Sauras, Elena Ballesteros, Santi Millán Running Time: 1 hr 30 mins Rating: Unrated

32nd Portland International Film Festival Country: Spanish English?: Nope. Subtitled.

Plot: A group of mathematicians are invited to meet at a remote location for a party. Unfortunately, after the host leaves events take a strange turn as the guests are locked in a room and forced to solve logic puzzles. When they fail, the walls of the room compact so the guests are doing logic puzzles for their lives.

Who’s It For? I'd definitely recommend a rudimentary understanding of math and logic puzzles. You don't have to be a genius, but it helps to know the basics.

OVERALL

Math can be super daunting for some people, and the directors don't

The Garden Directed by: Scott Hamilton Kennedy Cast: Tezozomoc, Rufina Juarez, Jan Perry, Juanita Tate Running Time: 1 hr 20 min Rating: Unrated

32nd Portland International Film Festival Country: United States

Plot: Documentary about a community garden in South Central Los Angeles that's going to be shut down. The gardeners get together to try to keep the developer who bought the property from evicting them. From city hall to celebrities, the gardeners try everything they can think of to keep their farm.

Who’s It For? Anyone who likes documentaries, especially when they have a strong point of view.

Expectations: The Garden is up for this year's Best Documentary Oscar, so I expected good things. I was looking for an underdog story with a triumphant ending.

OVERALL

The Garden begins with a group of people coming together

Mermaid (Rusalka) Directed by: Anna Melikyan Cast: Masha Shalayeva, Yevgeni Tsyganov, Mariya Sokova Running Time: 1 hr 55 mins Rating: Unrated

32nd Portland International Film Festival Country: Russia English?: Nope. Subtitled.

Plot: Alice (Shalayeva) grows up in a small seaside village where she attends a school for the mentally disabled because she refuses to speak. But after moving to Moscow with her family, she meets Sasha (Tsyganov). She saves his life, falls in love with him and becomes his housekeeper to get close to him.

Who’s It For? Mermaid is a sophisticated fairytale. Adults and older teens who don't mind subtitles and like a bit of magical realism should really enjoy this film.

OVERALL

I've seen a few Russian movies in my day, and Mermaid isn't like any of them. Sure, it's a