July 26–August 2, 2001

mix picks|film

Re: Action

Most so-called thrillers are anything but; rote exercises in formula-fulfilling that offer as much excitement as a soggy bowl of Cheerios. Luckily, the Prince’s "Thrills, Spills and Chills" concentrates more on genuine excitement than characters leaping over the camera while a fireball explodes behind them. Sure, Raiders of the Lost Ark (debuting a new 20th anniversary print July 28) offers all the running, chasing, whip-handling action you could want, while Dead Calm (Aug. 8) is as good a straight-up suspenser as Hollywood (or, in this case, Aussiewood) has turned out in the last decade. But movies like Aguirre: The Wrath of God (Aug. 9-10) or Wong Kar-Wai’s Fallen Angels (Aug. 1 and 4) don’t break the mold so much as ignore it. The twelve-film series — which also includes The Hit, The Hitch-Hiker, The Wages of Fear, Life Boat, Deliverance, The Great Escape and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly— runs through Aug. 26. If you need help navigating all these cinematic perils, David Borgenicht and Joshua Piven, the authors of The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook will be on hand before and after the Raiders screening to offer advice. Ask them how they managed to nab Burt Reynolds to provide the voice for the book’s audio version.

—Sam Adams

Thrills, Spills and Chills, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Sat., July 28, 8 p.m.; The Hit, Wed., Aug. 1, 7 p.m., Sat., Aug. 4, 10:15 p.m.; Fallen Angels, Wed., Aug. 1, 9 p.m., Sat., Aug. 4, 8:45 p.m.; The Hitch-Hiker, Thu., Aug. 2, 7 p.m., Sat., Aug. 4, 4 p.m.; The Wages of Fear, Thu., Aug. 2, 9 p.m.; Sat., Aug. 4, 6:30 p.m.; Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St., 215-569-9700.