Karyn Kusama

Thursday, May 11 It takes me almost three whole hours to pack all of my (probably inappropriate) Cannes wardrobe into a swank and borrowed garment bag. Of course at JFK Airport in New York, I am the "random 40th person" who is forced to have an additional security check. A very nice man in a gray suit went through my meticulously folded underwear and declared, "You're safe." Little does he know. . . .

It came into the film world christened a critic's darling, flush with descriptions like a "riveting revelation of fresh filmmaking talent." It was the toast of Sundance and Cannes. Several specialized distributors were knocking down the door, desperately seeking to buy this newcomer that was creating such a buzz among the festival crowds. There was even talk of its star, Michelle Rodriguez, turning in an Oscar-worthy performance.

"Girlfight's" first image tells you everything, pulling you into what turns out to be a powerful and empathetic melodrama with feminist underpinnings. Eighteen-year-old high school senior Diana Guzman (Michelle Rodriguez, in a potent debut) is leaning against her locker and giving us the Stare. Sullen, pugnacious, looking out from under half-closed lids like a terror from hell, Diana's punishing attitude is more than unnerving, it's authentic enough to add conviction to everything that follows.

"Girlfight's" first image tells you everything, pulling you into what turns out to be a powerful and empathetic melodrama with feminist underpinnings. Eighteen-year-old high school senior Diana Guzman (Michelle Rodriguez, in a potent debut) is leaning against her locker and giving us the Stare. Sullen, pugnacious, looking out from under half-closed lids like a terror from hell, Diana's punishing attitude is more than unnerving, it's authentic enough to add conviction to everything that follows.

It came into the film world christened a critic's darling, flush with descriptions like a "riveting revelation of fresh filmmaking talent." It was the toast of Sundance and Cannes. Several specialized distributors were knocking down the door, desperately seeking to buy this newcomer that was creating such a buzz among the festival crowds. There was even talk of its star, Michelle Rodriguez, turning in an Oscar-worthy performance.

It was a decision that was both sensible and Solomonic. The Sundance Film Festival split its grand jury prize for best dramatic film between the competition's two consensus favorites and added emphasis to its Saturday night decision by giving each co-winner a second major award. It provided a satisfying ending to what, in terms of overall quality and lack of hair-pulling fiascoes, was the most successful festival in years.

The gritty boxing saga "Girlfight" and the tender sibling reunion tale "You Can Count on Me" shared top honors Saturday at the Sundance Film Festival, the nation's top showcase for independent movies. The two movies split the grand jury prize for best dramatic film. "Girlfight" also won the dramatic directing award for Karyn Kusama, and "You Can Count on Me" won the Waldo Salt screenwriting award for Kenneth Lonergan, who also directed the film.

If "Aeon Flux" is what Charlize Theron does to pay the bills while otherwise being engaged in "Monster" and "North Country," it's probably a reasonable price to pay. For her. For us? No, no, no. Supporting the films of actresses who do good work is one thing. Allowing one's brain to be turned into a Fluffernutter sandwich is something else.

Charlie's Angels (2000). This reworking of the 1970s TV series is a potato chip of a movie. Tasty and lightweight, it's fine for a cinematic snack, but making it an entire meal really isn't advisable. Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Bill Murray star. Columbia: no list price; DVD: $24.95; (CC); PG-13, for action violence, innuendoes and some sensuality. Girlfight (2000).

Jennifer's Body 20th Century Fox, $29.99; Blu-ray, $39.99 "Juno" screenwriter Diablo Cody seems like the perfect person to tackle teen horror, since she's pop-culture-savvy enough to be aware of all the genre's clichés. But from the moment in "Jennifer's Body" when dweeby high school student Needy (Amanda Seyfried) says that she and her cheerleader BFF Jennifer (Megan Fox) are "our yearbook pictures, no more, no less," it's clear that Cody and director Karyn Kusama are more interested in surfaces than depth.

Thursday, May 11 It takes me almost three whole hours to pack all of my (probably inappropriate) Cannes wardrobe into a swank and borrowed garment bag. Of course at JFK Airport in New York, I am the "random 40th person" who is forced to have an additional security check. A very nice man in a gray suit went through my meticulously folded underwear and declared, "You're safe." Little does he know. . . .

It was a decision that was both sensible and Solomonic. The Sundance Film Festival split its grand jury prize for best dramatic film between the competition's two consensus favorites and added emphasis to its Saturday night decision by giving each co-winner a second major award. It provided a satisfying ending to what, in terms of overall quality and lack of hair-pulling fiascoes, was the most successful festival in years.

The UCLA Film & Television Archive series "No She Didn't!: Women Exploitation Auteurs" looks at the unlikely intersection of female filmmakers and the grubby titillation of prison flicks, biker pictures and slasher movies. It kicks off tonight at UCLA's Billy Wilder Theater with a screening of the 1973 film "Terminal Island" with director Stephanie Rothman scheduled to introduce the movie.

As the slogan of choice for the 53rd Festival International du Film, "Cannes 2000" has all the right moves. It looks good on the event's striking poster of a harlequin figure morphing out of a screen to film the audience as well as on a wide assortment of T-shirts, like the one that boasts in English "The Place to Be." And it positions the festival as it likes to be seen, confidently looking toward the future. And why shouldn't Cannes be confident?