Miguel Arteta

Wearing sneakers, jeans and a blue T-shirt with the letters "C" and "B" etched inside a large purple heart, Miguel Arteta does not fit the image of your typical Hollywood director. With his boyish looks, thick, messed-up hair and unassuming manner, he could be your newspaper boy riding his bike in the predawn hours of your neighborhood. And on a sunny, breezy day at a trendy Santa Monica restaurant, Arteta admits he's having a hard time growing up. But then again, he's in good company.

There is something to be said for allowing yourself simple pleasures like the shtick-y sweetness of "Cedar Rapids. " Its star, Ed Helms, his Colgate smile back after "The Hangover" incident in Vegas, is heading into another life-changing weekend, complete with some dicey morning-after regrets to deal with. You get a sense of the man right away, as Helms' Tim Lippe can barely stand still while his much older lover (and former 7th grade teacher, played by Sigourney Weaver), spit-combs his cowlick.

He had waited his entire life for this moment, and now that all his work and (he didn't mind saying it) suffering had paid off and his first movie began to un-spool in front of a small but charged gathering at the Sundance Film Festival, writer-director Miguel Arteta thought for a moment that all his suffering (he didn't mind saying it) had caused him to be struck deaf, like Beethoven. The composer, not the Saint Bernard.

Reporting from Park City, Utah ? As a twentysomething, Ed Helms and his college buddy threw a few articles of warm clothing into their backpacks and decided on a whim to head to the Sundance Film Festival. Self-described movie nerds, they got a room at a Motel 6 in Salt Lake City and hitchhiked to the independent film mecca, where they worked as parking attendants. "We couldn't really afford Sundance, and we really didn't prepare, but Ed was always the kind of guy that would just do it ?

Ask Michael Cera, the star of "Youth in Revolt," if he has lost his virginity, and he answers "Yes" before adding that good, if dusty, chestnut: "Now, I'm trying to get it back." Recycled jokes about lost virginity are a lot like movies that mine the humor of the same subject: Depending on the execution, they veer wildly between trite and funny. In the case of Cera's quip -- spoken with his halting, thoughtful, almost squeaky voice -- it falls solidly on the humorous side. With "Youth in Revolt," in theaters Friday, director Miguel Arteta ("The Good Girl")

There is something to be said for allowing yourself simple pleasures like the shtick-y sweetness of "Cedar Rapids. " Its star, Ed Helms, his Colgate smile back after "The Hangover" incident in Vegas, is heading into another life-changing weekend, complete with some dicey morning-after regrets to deal with. You get a sense of the man right away, as Helms' Tim Lippe can barely stand still while his much older lover (and former 7th grade teacher, played by Sigourney Weaver), spit-combs his cowlick.

Although the making of any independent film is a difficult process filled with moments of doubt, it is also a very meaningful and rewarding one. Bruce Newman's article on our "Star Maps" ("Agony, Yes. Ecstasy? Not Yet," July 20) didn't convey the sense of accomplishment and growth that we experienced making a film from the ground up. We were blessed with amazing contributions from a wide range of people. We had a wonderful group of unknown, primarily Latino actors and an eager crew who shared their incredible talents with us and from whom we learned a great deal, in a working environment of which we are proud.

Despite having one of the most famous faces in the world, beamed into 100 countries on a daily basis as one of the six stars of the TV show "Friends," Jennifer Aniston is not always recognizable.

Reporting from Park City, Utah ? As a twentysomething, Ed Helms and his college buddy threw a few articles of warm clothing into their backpacks and decided on a whim to head to the Sundance Film Festival. Self-described movie nerds, they got a room at a Motel 6 in Salt Lake City and hitchhiked to the independent film mecca, where they worked as parking attendants. "We couldn't really afford Sundance, and we really didn't prepare, but Ed was always the kind of guy that would just do it ?

The selling of maps to movie stars' homes is one of those only-in-L.A. institutions, right up there with Forest Lawn, Angelyne and the Doo-Dah Parade. A different kind of local landmark are the young people who dream of stardom, who want to become bigger than life themselves. "Star Maps" joins both of these L.A. preoccupations in an unusual kind of film package. A word-of-mouth success at this year's Sundance Film Festival, "Star Maps" is balanced between contrivance and reality.

Ask Michael Cera, the star of "Youth in Revolt," if he has lost his virginity, and he answers "Yes" before adding that good, if dusty, chestnut: "Now, I'm trying to get it back." Recycled jokes about lost virginity are a lot like movies that mine the humor of the same subject: Depending on the execution, they veer wildly between trite and funny. In the case of Cera's quip -- spoken with his halting, thoughtful, almost squeaky voice -- it falls solidly on the humorous side. With "Youth in Revolt," in theaters Friday, director Miguel Arteta ("The Good Girl")

Despite having one of the most famous faces in the world, beamed into 100 countries on a daily basis as one of the six stars of the TV show "Friends," Jennifer Aniston is not always recognizable.

Wearing sneakers, jeans and a blue T-shirt with the letters "C" and "B" etched inside a large purple heart, Miguel Arteta does not fit the image of your typical Hollywood director. With his boyish looks, thick, messed-up hair and unassuming manner, he could be your newspaper boy riding his bike in the predawn hours of your neighborhood. And on a sunny, breezy day at a trendy Santa Monica restaurant, Arteta admits he's having a hard time growing up. But then again, he's in good company.

Although the making of any independent film is a difficult process filled with moments of doubt, it is also a very meaningful and rewarding one. Bruce Newman's article on our "Star Maps" ("Agony, Yes. Ecstasy? Not Yet," July 20) didn't convey the sense of accomplishment and growth that we experienced making a film from the ground up. We were blessed with amazing contributions from a wide range of people. We had a wonderful group of unknown, primarily Latino actors and an eager crew who shared their incredible talents with us and from whom we learned a great deal, in a working environment of which we are proud.

The selling of maps to movie stars' homes is one of those only-in-L.A. institutions, right up there with Forest Lawn, Angelyne and the Doo-Dah Parade. A different kind of local landmark are the young people who dream of stardom, who want to become bigger than life themselves. "Star Maps" joins both of these L.A. preoccupations in an unusual kind of film package. A word-of-mouth success at this year's Sundance Film Festival, "Star Maps" is balanced between contrivance and reality.

He had waited his entire life for this moment, and now that all his work and (he didn't mind saying it) suffering had paid off and his first movie began to un-spool in front of a small but charged gathering at the Sundance Film Festival, writer-director Miguel Arteta thought for a moment that all his suffering (he didn't mind saying it) had caused him to be struck deaf, like Beethoven. The composer, not the Saint Bernard.

The IFP/West-Los Angeles Film Festival wrapped its 10-day run Saturday with an awards luncheon and a closing night gala featuring Miguel Arteta's dark comedy "The Good Girl," starring Jennifer Aniston. Przemyslaw Reut received the Target Filmmaker award for best narrative feature for "Paradox Lake," his exploration of the world of autism. Reut's $50,000 prize is the largest monetary award given by a major U.S. festival.

Tickets for the Newport Beach International Film Festival screenings can be purchased at theaters; $6 general admission, $5 for seniors and children under 12, unless otherwise indicated: UC Irvine Crystal Cove Theater, (714) 824-2419. * 4 p.m.: "Relatively Speaking," directed by Peter Sime. (U.S., 1995). Well-wishing friends throw a party for a north Dallas suburbanite returning from drug rehab, and the consequences are traumatic. With the short film "Lucky Peach," directed by Miguel Arteta (U.