Philadelphia Weekly

There's still an entire week of the Philadelphia Film Festival left, and while there's a good deal of overlap (see the adjoining page), many films have yet to see the light of a projector bulb.

One of those is Fados, the latest from longtime Spanish director Carlos Saura, who divides his time between dramas (Ay Carmela!, Goya in Bordeaux), and toe-tappin', visually striking music- and dance-a-thons (Blood Wedding, Tango). Fados is very much the latter, highlighting the song and hoofing stylings of the titular Portuguese form, which, despite being rooted in the 19th century, ranges from ballads to hip-hop. And though the action is entirely relegated to a vast indoors set, Saura's use of projection, bold colors and other brazenly theatrical devices keeps things from getting repetitive. (Fri., April 11, 9:30pm. Bridge and Sun., April 13, 12:15pm. Ritz Five.)

A transatlantic trip takes us to the cinematically underrepresented country of Uruguay, but The Pope's Toilet proves light and slightly prickly comedies know no borders. The satirical plot has a charming fuck-up try to make a couple bucks for his family when John Paul II swings through their impoverished town, bringing hordes of trinket-buying tourists. But the film winds up less interested in anticlericalism, � la Bu�uel or Fellini, than simply plucking our heart strings. Ah, well. (Thurs., April 10, 7:15pm, and Sat., April 12, 12:15pm. Ritz Five. Mon., April 14, 2:45pm. Bridge.)

Basically The Anniversary Party without the fun first two-thirds before the climactic drop into hyper-dramatic goo, Deficit finds Gael Garc�a Bernal both directing and starring as a wealthy teen throwing a shindig for high school graduation. The onetime young Ch� Guevara (who is 29) does a passable job with the fete--some upstairs/downstairs commentary here, a gratuitous shout-out to Argentinian chanteuse Juana Molina there--but at 75 minutes, it barely has a chance to take off before the actorly implosions. (Fri., April 11, 7:45pm, and Sat., April 12, 2:30pm. Ritz East.)

Jonas Cuar�n, the son of Bernal's Y Tu Mam� Tambi�n director Alfonso, also debuts with Year of the Nail, which boasts a doozy of a gimmick: It's a bittersweet love story of a 14-year-old (Duck Season's Deigeo Catano) macking on a visiting college student (Eireann Harper) told entirely in still photos � la La Jet�e. Alas, while the content is sharp and wise beyond its years, the gimmick never feels like more than just that. (Fri., April 11, 4:45pm. Ritz Five. Mon., April 14, 5pm. Bridge.)

And more still: Buddha Collapsed out of Shame was directed by Hana Makhmalbaf, the daughter of Iranian legend Mohsen (Gabbeh, Kandahar). Following a button-cute little girl as she's abused and oppressed by men, boys and teachers, it aims for classic Iranian cinema but succeeds only in crafting one of the least subtle metaphors in the history of the metaphor. (Fri., April 11, 5pm. Prince Music Theater. Sat., April 12, 7:45pm. Bridge.)

Sharing a title and jaw-dropping vistas with Werner Herzog's abstract 1971 Sahara doc, the German film Fata Morgana strands a pretty young couple in nowhere Morocco with a potential psycho (Jean-Hugues Anglade), whose true intentions remain ambiguous to the point of irritation on both sides of the screen. (Thurs., April 10, 7:15pm. Bridge. Sat., April 12, 12:15pm. Ritz East.)

Made for about a euro and a half, the Italian Last House in the Woods reimagines Texas Chainsaw Massacre as an old-school 'giallo. Its gore ain't convincing, but the rest of it is. (Sat., April 12, 10pm. Ritz East. Sun., April 13, 5pm. Prince Music Theater.)

Like last week's Electile Dysfunction, Holler Back: [Not] Voting in an American Town goes for breadth over depth, though director Lulu Fries'dat makes scores of rookie mistakes. For instance, no one cares to hear how you met up with some interviewee. There's a cutting room floor beneath you. (Sat., April 12, 7pm. Prince Music Theater.)

One of the PFF's best, Greg Kohs' doc Song Sung Blue spends eight years chronicling the seriously roller-coaster-like life of Milwaukee's Lightning and Thunder, a couple who bring impersonations of Neil Diamond and Patsy Cline together. More than just insane drama, it's a chilling reflection on what it takes to succeed in art and life. (Fri., April 11, 9:30pm. Prince Music Theater. Sun., April 13, 7pm. Ritz East.)

For more on this week's films go to PW's PFF blog at philadelphiaweekly.com