Sympathy for the Devil: In 'Max,' John Cusack's art dealer befriends an unknown artist named Hitler.
Original Gongster: George Clooney skims the surface of Chuck Barris' cultish 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.'
Pain in Spain: 'Morvern Callar' floats through life with a haunting vision of mooniness.
Return to 'Splendor': A long-delayed movie version of the 'American Splendor' comics wins Sundance's Grand Jury Prize and revives interest in the work of creator Harvey Pekar.
Almost Famous: Mystik Journeymen helped establish the Bay Area as a hub of underground hip-hop, but that's just part of the grand scheme.
Many-Splendored Man: Harvey Pekar, creator of the autobiographical 'American Splendor' comics, talks about life in Cleveland and his Almost All-Expenses-Paid Vacation to Hollywood in a 1996 article. The big-screen adaptation of 'American Splendor,' starring Paul Giamatti as Pekar, recently took the top prize at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival.
Banking on It: Menlo Park's Left Bank packs in bon vivants determined to bust out the real bistro experience.
Cirque du Silly: 'Varekai' swings into San Jose with feats of impossible skill.
Please don't forget to write!Metro welcomes letters. Like any great work of art, they should be originals -- not copies of letters sent elsewhere. Include address and daytime phone (for verification purposes only). Letters may be edited for length and clarity or to correct factual inaccuracies known to us. Postal: Metro Letters, 550 S. First. St., San Jose, CA 95111. Fax: 408/298-0602.
. Emailers, please include name, city of residence and phone number. Letters printed will list email address unless otherwise specified. Letters to the editor are not currently published in the online version of this paper.