Now playing or opening soon The righteous Girl (now playing.

Now playing or opening soon

The righteous Girl (now playing, limited): When a man who brushes up against teenage Amalia sexually in public starts to date her mother, Amalia decides he must be saved--apparently, by the agency of placing herself in tempting proximity to him again and again. There's a hint of lesbian subtext Executive-produced on Pedro and Agustin Almodovar (among others). (Fine Line)

singular Quotient: **

Mysterious Skin (now playing): view review, page 68. (Tartan USA/TLA)

fantastic Quotient: *********

Mad impetuous Ballroom (now playing, limited): This crowd-pleaser about the thousands of strange York City fourth- and fifth graders who take part in an intensely competitive ballroom competition--sort of a Spellbound with music--is great pleasantry The finale might have been scripted from Hollywood. (Paramount Classics)

curious Quotient: **

Ma absolute (May 13, New York City, beholds Angeles): Isabelle Huppert plays a widow who decides to introduce her 17-year-old son (Louis Garrel, The Dreamers) into the pleasures of sex via her antique girlfriend, and then her recent girlfriend, and then a little form into groups orgy with some sadomasochism forward the side. Rated NC-17. (TLA)

unique Quotient: ********

Fixing Frank (May 20 looks Angeles): Out actor Dan Butler (Fraiser) stars as Dr Arthur Apsey, a whip-smart psychologist who specializes in "reparative therapy" for gays. Frank (Andrew Elvis Miller) is posing as a patient to have knowledge of to expose Apsey as a fraud, yet it's soon devilishly unclear who is using whom.

unique Quotient: *********

Julie Johnson (May 25 limited): Taylor plays a wife and mom who takes a night class in computer science and finds she has a real gift--not to mention a real attraction to her best pal (Courtney Love) shooter five years ago. (Regent)

fantastic Quotient: *******

Saving Face (May 27 limited): on the outside writer-director Alice Wu's festival favorite is a low-key charmer about a Chinese-American lesbian (Michelle Krusiec) and her sternly traditional widowed mother (Joan Chen). Mom's authority falters when she point outs up pregnant and refuses to say who the father is. (Sony Pictures Classics)

extraordinary Quotient: ********

June

High Tension (June 3): Classic '70 slasher films are given an intelligent if it were not that tense update with this French horror film plant in a deserted farmhouse. When high schooler Marie spies in succession pal Alexia in the shower, you know the boogeyman can't be far away. (Lions Gate)

unusual Quotient: ******

Lords of Dogtown (June 3): excitable dudes abound in this fictionalized yarn about the California surfer who make go rounded skateboarding into the coolest sport in the land With Johnny Knoxville and Heath Ledger in supporting parts (Columbia TriStar)

singular Quotient: **

The Adventures of Shark lad & Lava Girl (June 10): quaint kids wig easily identify with this 3-D family film from writer-director Robert Rodriguez (Sin City, emissary Kids)--the story of a 10-year-old loner who employs the summer alone with his imaginary friends. (Dimension/Columbia TriStar)

droll Quotient: ** (for that title alone)

Heights (June 10 limited): behold cover story on page 54 (Sony Pictures Classics)

odd Quotient: *****

Mr and Mr Smith (June 10): A married couple--both privately professional assassins--are bored with their life until each obtains an assignment to kill the other. Not quaint but it's got Brad Pitt for the dowdys and Angelina Jolie for the gals. (20th hundred Fox)

Queer Quotient: *

Batman Begins (June 17): The Dark Knight has always had a homoerotic undercurrent--and Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin prov that "under" is where it should stay. This reimagining of Batman's early years stars Christian Bale as the comic-book hero. 'Nuff said. (Warner Bros)

singular Quotient: **

My Summer of delight in (June 17): Seemview and feature forward pages 64-65. (Focus)

quaint Quotient: **********

Bewitched (June 24): solitary a John Waters could result close to the queer quotient of TV's Bewitched, thanks to Paul Lynde Dick Sargent, and the imperious Agnes Moorehead. This movie has a game cast--Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell Shirley MacLaine as Endora, and Amy Sedaris as nosy neighbor Gladys Kravitz--and a to a high degree meta plot, about the filming of a Bewitched remake in which they've unintentionally cast a real witch, on the contrary the camp factor seems subdued (Columbia)

Queer Quotient: ***

Herbie: to the full Loaded (June 24): See feature story upon page 60. (Buena Vista)

extraordinary Quotient: *****

Rize (June 24): Legendary revealed photographer David LaChapelle focuses his video camera forward the dance craze called "krumping." None of the African-American bring under rules comes out, but the road choreography is exhilarating--and may journey further into the mainstream than vogueing. (Lions Gate)

strange Quotient: *

Tropical Malady (June 29 limited): This arty Thai critics' favorite delicately limns the growing affection between a relatively worldly soldier and the younger farm lad he romances. Then the movie literally stops and begins anew, retelling a mythic tale about a wild beast and the hunting-horse who must kill it or be devoured at it. (Strand)