Ray Pride

* = recommended

The Second Chicago International Documentary Festival (chicagodocfestival.org) concludes at several venues this week. Selected listings follow Short Runs. The ninth edition of the Asian American Showcase (www.faaim.org) plays at Siskel; a retrospective of Czech New Wave director Pavel Juracek plays at Facets (www.facets.org).

Fri 9

*A Day at the Races

(1937, USA) Directed by Sam Wood. 111m. $8.50. Music Box (773)871-6604, 3733 N. Southport, Midnight.

Cats and Mice

(2003, USA) Directed by Samson Yi. "Madcap comedy of love's errors." 84m. HD Video. Yi will appear. $8. Asian American Showcase at Siskel Film Center (312)846-2600, 164 N. State at Randolph, 8:15.

Die, Mommie, Die

(2003, USA) Directed by Mark Rucker. 90m. $8.50. Music Box (773)871-6604, 3733 N. Southport, Midnight.

Dominatrix Waitrix

(2004, USA) Directed by Edith Edit. Debut of a new "sci-fix sex romp" in "the ever-growing collection of women-made queer porn-art." Reception at 7. $20-30 donation at www.dominatrixwaitrix.com. Leather Archives and Museum, 6418 N. Greenview, 8:30.

*House of Sand and Fog

(2003, USA) Directed by Vadim Perelman. 126m. 35mm. DOC Films (773-702-8575), Palevsky Cinema, Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 E. 59th St., 6:30, 9, 11:30.

*Taxi Driver

(1976, USA) Directed by Martin Scorsese. 113m. 35mm. $8. Siskel Film Center (312)846-2600, 164 N. State at Randolph, 6.

Uncovered: The Whole Truth about the Iraq War

(2003, USA) Directed by Robert Greenwald. 56m. Video. $7. Chicago Filmmakers, 5243 N. Clark, 8.

What's Wrong with These People, Hah?: The Return of Sam's Wack Shorts

"Strange people with stranger problems" are the subject in this selection of video shorts, including work by Tobin Mori, Siwaraya Rochunahusdin, Roman Cortez, Noel Rustia and Gayle Roasanta. 116m. $8. Asian American Showcase at Siskel Film Center (312)846-2600, 164 N. State at Randolph, 10:15.

Sat 10

*A Day at the Races

$8.50. Music Box (773)871-6604, 3733 N. Southport, 11:30am, Midnight.

Cannibal Holocaust

(1978, Italy) Directed by Ruggiero Deodata. 96m. DVD. Free. Delilah's (773)472-2771, 2771 N. Lincoln, 6.

*Christmas in July

(1940, USA) Directed by Preston Sturges. 67m. 35mm. $8. Siskel Film Center (312)846-2600, 164 N. State at Randolph, 4:30.

The Conspirators

(1944, USA) Directed by Jean Negulesco. 101m. 16mm. Shown with 1940's "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe Chapter 5: Palace of Terror!" $5. LaSalle Theater (312)904-9442, 4901 W. Irving Park, 8.

Die, Mommie, Die

$8.50. Music Box (773)871-6604, 3733 N. Southport, Midnight.

Have You Eaten Yet?

Food's the subject in this selection of video shorts, including work by Ron Domingo, Gavin Tachibana, Samuel Kiehoon Lee, Nobu Adilman and James Wong. 93m. $8. Asian American Showcase at Siskel Film Center (312)846-2600, 164 N. State at Randolph, 6:30.

*Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

(2003, USA) Directed by Peter Jackson. 201m. 35mm. Widescreen. DOC Films (773-702-8575), Palevsky Cinema, Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 E. 59th St., 6, 10

*The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam

(2003, Canada) Directed by Ann Marie Fleming. Entertaining doc in which Fleming recaptures the life of her great-grandfather, a "magician, acrobat, vaudeville performer and man of the world." 90m. 35mm. $8. Asian American Showcase at Siskel Film Center (312)846-2600, 164 N. State at Randolph, 8:15.

71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance

(71 Fragmente Einer Chronologie des Zufalls) (1994, Austria-Germany) Directed by Michael Haneke. Cold sniper thriller. 95m. 35mm. $8. Siskel Film Center (312)846-2600, 164 N. State at Randolph, 6.

Under California: The Limit of Time

(Bajo California: El Limite del Tiempo) (1998, Mexico) Directed by Carlos Bolado. An environmental artist travels back to his ancestral homeland. 96m. 35mm. Facets (773) 281-4114, 1517 W. Fullerton, 1.

An Untold Triumph

(2002, USA) Directed by Noel M. Izon. Filipino and Filipino American veterans of WWII are remembered. 79m. . $8. Asian American Showcase at Siskel Film Center (312)846-2600, 164 N. State at Randolph, 8:15.

Sun 11

*A Day at the Races

$8.50. Music Box (773)871-6604, 3733 N. Southport, 11:30am.

*Design for Living

(1933, USA) Directed by Ernst Lubitsch. 90m. 35mm. DOC Films (773-702-8575), Palevsky Cinema, Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 E. 59th St., 7.

*The Lady Eve

(1941, USA) Directed by Preston Sturges. 94m. 35mm. $8. Siskel Film Center (312)846-2600, 164 N. State at Randolph, 2:15.

Life, Twisted

"Life, death and everything in between" are the subjects in this selection of video shorts, including work by Greg Pak, Chris Eska, Doug Ing, Shardon Dang, Kai-du Luong and Ham Tran. 107m. $8. Asian American Showcase at Siskel Film Center (312)846-2600, 164 N. State at Randolph, 3.

*The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

DOC Films (773-702-8575), Palevsky Cinema, Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 E. 59th St., 2.

Son of Frankenstein

(1939, USA) Directed by Rowland V. Lee. DVD. Free. Delilah's (773)472-2771, 2771 N. Lincoln, 6.

Uncovered: The Whole Truth about the Iraq War

$7. Chicago Filmmakers, 5243 N. Clark, 8.

Under California: The Limit of Time

Facets (773) 281-4114, 1517 W. Fullerton, 1.

Mon 12

*The Last Emperor

(1987, USA-England-Italy) Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. 160m. 35mm. DOC Films (773-702-8575), Palevsky Cinema, Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 E. 59th St., 7.

*The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam

$8. Asian American Showcase at Siskel Film Center (312)846-2600, 164 N. State at Randolph, 8.

71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance

$8. Siskel Film Center (312)846-2600, 164 N. State at Randolph, 6.

Tue 13

The Hellacopters: Goodnight Cleveland

(2004, USA) DVD. Free. Delilah's (773)472-2771, 2771 N. Lincoln, 6.

*School Daze

(1988, USA) Directed by Spike Lee. 121m. 35mm. DOC Films (773-702-8575), Palevsky Cinema, Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 E. 59th St., 7.

3rd I: Living in Color-Celebrating Asian American Heritage Month

A showcase of works about the South Asian Diaspora. $7. Chicago Filmmakers, 5243 N. Clark, 7:30.

*Taxi Driver

(1976, USA) Directed by Martin Scorsese. 113m. 35mm. Northwestern's Lester D. Friedman will explain. $8. Siskel Film Center (312)846-2600, 164 N. State at Randolph, 6.

Wed 14

Cats and Mice

$8. Asian American Showcase at Siskel Film Center (312)846-2600, 164 N. State at Randolph, 8:15.

*I Am Curious (Yellow)

(1967, Sweden) Directed by Vilgot Sjoman. Once prosecuted for obscenity, the "Curious" films seem almost touchingly naïve in their political and sexual display. 121m. 35mm. DOC Films (773-702-8575), Palevsky Cinema, Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 E. 59th St., 7.

*The Lady Eve

$8. Siskel Film Center (312)846-2600, 164 N. State at Randolph, 6:15.

Thu 15

*Christmas in July

$8. Siskel Film Center (312)846-2600, 164 N. State at Randolph, 6:30.

Legend of the Overfiend

(1989, Japan) Directed by Hideki Takayama. 108m. DVD. DOC Films (773-702-8575), Palevsky Cinema, Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 E. 59th St., 9.

Monkeys and Lumps

(2003, USA) Directed by Nancy Andrews. Black-and-white puppet animations "poke around in dim corners of science and natural history." 38m. Shown with her 2004 "The Dreamless Sleep" (30m). 16mm. Siskel Film Center (312)846-2600, 164 N. State at Randolph, 6:15.

Wave Twisters: Episode 7 Million, Sonic Wars Within the Protons!

(2001, USA) Directed by Syd Garrow, Eric Henry. 46m, DVD video. DOC Films (773-702-8575), Palevsky Cinema, Ida Noyes Hall, 1212 E. 59th St., 7.

(2004-04-09)

Also by Ray Pride

Parton me
There are only a half-dozen Dollys in the house competing for a $100 prize, but the crowd at Estrojam's Dolly Parton Tribute at Martyr's on Thursday is packed with Dolly lovers
(2004-03-31)

Ordinary people
Writer-director Nir Bergman'a debut feature is political for its omissions, dealing with how a family reconstitutes itself after a sudden, senseless death without pretending to be part of the daily strife and struggle of the Middle East.
(2004-03-31)

Short Runs
This week's limited screenings
(2004-03-31)

Tip of the Week
A remarkable range of nonfiction work from around the world
(2004-03-30)

Tip of the Week
(2004-03-25)

Chatty Bob
(2004-03-25)

Short Runs
(2004-03-25)

Tip of the Week
(2004-03-18)

Eraser heads
(2004-03-18)

Short Runs
(2004-03-18)

Going with the grain
(2004-03-10)

Short Runs
(2004-03-10)

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