Dan Webster

Leonard Oakland says that nobody at Whitworth University calls him Mr. Chips. But it’s not because they have trouble choosing between the two movie versions of James Hilton’s novel – “Goodbye Mr. Chips” – about an elderly, adored schoolteacher on the eve of his retirement.

‘Frozen River’

‘Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist’

Pete Porter is high on this year’s version of the Spokane International Film Festival, which kicked off Thursday night at AMC’s River Park Square Theatres. “I think this lineup is, from top to bottom, the probably the strongest that I’ve been associated with,” he says. “I think it’s just incredible.”

When it comes to film festivals, there’s one thing you can usually count on: You’re not likely to see something mindlessly stupid. That’s particularly true of the Spokane International Film Festival, which inaugurates its 11th-annual event on Thursday with the award-winning Mexican feature “Desierto Adentro,” a trek into the world of guilt and attempted redemption bound with a twisted view of religion. The Mexican-made movie, a multiple honoree at the 2008 Guadalajara Mexican Film Festival, will screen at 6 p.m. at the AMC River Park Square 20. The Canadian short film “Next Floor” will precede the feature. Tickets are $10.

Things weren’t looking good for Megan Albertus. It was episode two of “Momma’s Boys,” the Ryan Seacrest-produced reality show for NBC, and the Spokane-born aspiring actress was one of three contestants who had been summoned to the swimming pool.

History makes a great first draft for Hollywood. Case in point: Ron Howard’s newly Oscar-nominated “Frost/Nixon,” which Peter Morgan adapted from his stage play about the series of taped interviews that British presenter David Frost did in 1977 with former President Richard Nixon.

‘Our Daily Bread’ •••

“The Wackness”

‘The Duchess’ ••1/2

“Deadwood: The Complete Series” •••1/2

In the ongoing War on Drugs, zero tolerance is the common mantra. That applies to everything from heavily addictive heroin and crystal meth to a substance that most Europeans consider no worse than a stiff whiskey.

It’s not easy to define any country in a mere 155 pages. Imagine, then, trying to do it with China. That was the challenge that Spokane author Sarah Conover set for herself when she looked for a way to continue her “This Little Light of Mine” series, which is being published by Eastern Washington University Press.

As the economic downturn continues, many Americans are looking for different ways to make a living. Against all odds, Dave Boling seems to have found one.