CAPSULE REVIEWS

By Carina Chocano, Kevin Thomas and Kevin Crust

You know those little movies that unknown actors sometimes make as star vehicles for themselves and their buddies? The ones that want to be "Swingers"? They do still make those. I've seen at least three this year alone. You know the ones I'm talking about. Cute guy, mid-20s, slacks in the big bad city, hangs out, meets chesty blond girls and insults them. Then one day, he goes home for a friend's wedding, meets up with his old pals (one of them is socially retarded, the other one studies too much) and his old flame (secretly loves him, natch), and finds he can't go home again until he gets into a fistfight with his old best friend, who is about to marry the old flame, and has gotten too square for city-slacker's liking. He wears a suit! His boss is a jerk! You know that movie?

"Window Theory," directed by Andrew Putschoegl and written by Corey Large (the male lead) and Kyle Kramer, is like that, only less charming, more misogynistic and entirely lacking in charisma, sexiness and decent jokes. The "theory" of the title? Girls should procure boyfriends when girls are between the ages of 22 and 25. Before that you're too naive, after that you're too jaded. You heard it here first, ladies! It always hurts to say so about someone's freshman effort, but this one is too sophomoric to be believed.

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"Window Theory," R for language including sexual references. Frank dialogue is more annoying than titillating. Running time: 1 hour, 25 minutes. Exclusively at Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex, 1332 2nd St., Santa Monica, (310) 394-9741



Porn comedy an amiable showcase

Jonathan Liebert's "Sex Sells: The Making of 'Touché' " is a mildly amusing comedy about the vicissitudes of shooting porn that has little of the grit, sleaze and uncertainty that is the lot of the veteran pornographer striving for professionalism more often than not against all odds. The vet porn-maker of "Sex" is a breezy, avuncular guy (Mark DeCarlo), a film nut with a studio and stock company of his own, which despite various mishaps, can be pretty accurately described as one big happy family. Providing the film's point of view is Jay Michael Ferguson's remarkably naive Bernard, who is making a documentary of what is to be DeCarlo's final porno. "Sex Sells," which Liebert wrote and directed with skill and pace, is primarily a good-natured showcase for its likable cast, with a notably sharp turn by Priscilla Barnes as a canny longtime porn star. With Lisa Jay, Jack Kyle and Adrian Zmed.

"Sex Sells: The Making of 'Touché," unrated. Blunt language, some nudity, no hard-core sex. Running time: 1 hour, 36 minutes. Exclusively at the Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, (323) 848-3500.



'Round' just can't make the weight

The punchless boxing comedy "One More Round" is an unsuccessful concoction of sincerity, camp and crassness that is more interested in its parade of D-level celebrities than developing its characters. Producer-actor Roy Jahangard and director-actor Stephen Sepher, who co-wrote the screenplay, bury a vaguely interesting story about a middle-aged man's attempt to change his life beneath broad jokes about sex, fitness and relationships.

Materially successful, Lexus-driving Joseph Rex (Jahangard) finds his life unsatisfying in most other ways. Pre-occupied with his work, he is ineffectual with women, has let himself go physically and is intimidated by a passive-aggressive business associate named Paul (Owen McKibben).

In order for Joseph to reassert his manhood, his best friend Frank (Sepher) advocates that he train for an amateur boxing tournament and challenge former professional football player Paul, the two-time defending champ.

When dealing with the more humanistic elements of Joseph's plight, the movie verges on being compelling, but it mainly devolves into the type of juvenile lasciviousness exemplified by Udo Kier in a cameo as a breast-fixated boxing announcer. "One More Round" may have worked as a satire of the cult of physical perfection and society's obsession with pseudo-fame if it weren't so shallow itself.

"One More Round," unrated. Language, sexual situations. Running time: 1 hour, 33 minutes. Exclusively at Laemmle's Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, (323) 848-3500; and Laemmle's Town Center 5, 17200 Ventura Blvd., Encino, (818) 981-9811.